“I think, therefore I am” is a well-known phrase from Rene Descartes, (1) said at the beginning of the Enlightenment. (2) I would add, “I observe, therefore I think, therefore I am.” The power to take notice of the world around me is a skill that must be nurtured and enhanced. I recently took a group of senior high school students on a walk to a local, prominent venue. It was a site that most would pass by on a daily basis. What confounded me were their comments on the beauty of the locale, the majesty of the towering trees, and the exciting feeling of the blustery day.

If you could pick just one capacity, one realization that made your life interesting and worthwhile, what would you choose? Would you decide on conscious, awareness that came to you at 20 or so? This helped you understand who you were and what you had to do with your piece of life. Even if it was not yet fully formulated, you understood that there was a mission there — whether to act upon it or not was within your purview.