Our quality of life

“Quality of life” is a term so ubiquitous and oft used that it has become banal. The question to be asked is: What does the phrase truly mean or entail? Are we speaking of material well-being or spiritual enlightenment? Are we living the ultimate American Dream or are we ensconced in the upper reaches of Bhutan: the self-described happiest country on Earth? (1) These questions are fraught with as many new questions as they are filled with antiquated answers. Obviously, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Are we capable of making ourselves “World Citizens” (2) or must we choose between civilizations and countries?

Recently I traveled to Canada. During my sojourn, I had an opportunity to speak to many Asian immigrants. I inquired if they were contented with their new-found home? The answer was invariably, “Yes, but …” The “but” being in essence, “No! The dream that I was promised has not or will not materialize.” Conversely, few foreigners stay in Taiwan for a protracted period of time. Both examples, tragically, hinge on 20th-century models that, by definition, are either nationalistic or chauvinistic. It is to be noted that passports did not always exist. In the 30 years prior to WWI, for example, they were considered unnecessary in Europe, due to the speed of train travel. (3) The severity of the passport system has been greatly enhanced by the post-apocalyptic period after 9-11. There have been relatively very few incidents of terrorism in the subsequent 18 years, but we are still herded like cattle and treated like criminals when we travel. It has come to such a point that we are endlessly, endlessly searched by sad-looking, blank humanoids. Why?

To quote Henry Thoreau (4) while he was in jail for civil disobedience: “They plainly did not know how to treat me, but behaved like persons who are under-bred. In every threat and in every compliment there was a blunder; for they thought that my chief desire was to stand on the other side of that stone wall. … I saw that the State was half-witted, that it was timid as a lone woman with her silver spoons, and that it did not know its friends from its foes, and I lost all my remaining respect for it, and pitied it.” What Thoreau is indicating is that the security personnel are as equally a part of the “big farce” as we are. The reason, simplistically answered, is power and control. There is an international “push” on the part of the ruling elites to control population movement and limit personal liberty.

I give you a very small private experience. At a customs’ booth, an official noted that I lived in Taiwan, seeking my acknowledgement. Nowhere in my passport does it state that I live here; I have never registered with any consulate nor have I ever signed any documentation. Contemporary governments do not possess the expertise to stage management the developing new economy. Many people are afraid of George Orwell. (4) We must remember that change is eventually good: winter gives way to spring and spring to summer. Though the future is uncertain, humanity always finds a way and eventually returns to a quality of life that demands security, dignity, family, and spiritual growth. We are left with this thoughtful quote by the great symbol of compassion and caring, Mother Teresa (1910-1997): Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. (Parts of this essay were originally published in August 2013)

A closing thought: When we think of “quality of life,” I always feel that we should know and demand the best, especially of myself. I see in the demeanor of many people that they have settled for “good enough,” however, – a good-enough education, a good-enough job, a good-enough relationship and, ultimately, a good-enough life. Do not accept this! It is up to me to decide how I “live my life.” I must live it well: why not? A secret is to simply begin the day by making my bed and writing in my notebook — then, the other pieces will fall into place.

To sum up: This week we spoke about my quality of life and how its “unveiling” is my responsibility.

To be noted: Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names: Robert Kennedy.

Just for fun: TCHAIKOVSKY

This week on your pleasant stroll, ask where your adventurous life will take you.

Every day look for something magical and beautiful

Quote: We all come from a common stream. It makes little sense to be drawn apart by religion, politics or history. Grade school is over; it is time for humanity to grow up and find some maturity.

Footnotes:

1) Bhutan: The World’s Happiest Country

2) “A citizen of the world” refers to a person who disapproves of traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship. Diogenes (412 BC-323 BC) was originally quoted as claiming, when asked where he came from: “I am a citizen of the world.”

3) Passport

4) Henry David Thoreau (1817 –1862) was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading Transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

5) Arthur Blair (1903 –1950), known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).