When you see an old man with “one foot in the grave,” playing some nonsensical game on his cell phone, do you think as I do? Do you ask why he isn’t deep in thought — ruminating on life or mortality — contemplating his legacy to his children and grandchildren? This thought doesn’t exist, I posit. He is practicing what the majority of human beings do all the time — some form of escapism.
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Are you curious?
If there is any one thing that will keep you young — spiritually, physically, and mentally — I would argue that it is not exercise and the strict monitoring of your body. It is curiosity: an inquisitiveness and wonder about the world all around you.
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I create my own fear, don’t I?
I often open my eyes in the morning accompanied by a startling thought: “I am awake, ergo, I must be alive – it is, therefore, another good day!” This is a jarring “reality check” because, at sixty-seven, more so than more tender years, you, quite literally, might not wake up. Books have been written on this greatest of all unknowns: death and its attendant fear and paranoia.
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Faith
We live in an age of faith — what? This is a nonsensical statement! But wait, we do live in an age of faith — faith in technology, a belief that all will be fine in the future. But conversely, many have lost trust in society and espouse nihilism (1) and despair. The concept of faith, of course, historically has been associated with God or gods — something bigger than myself. This kind of faith was invigorating, and enlightening because it was evocative of an exciting and fulfilling reward after my earthly demise.
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What is real and what is not?
Do I understand reality? Yes, and I hope we all do. I am often amazed at how similar we actually are. There is very little that truly differentiates one man from another. Yes, we do have different cultural upbringings, different skin colors, and different religions. But, in the end, we are motivated by a deep desire to be loved, to be respected, and to make the world a slightly better place because we have been a part of it.
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Anger
How does one overcome frustration and vexation? This is the perennial question of our age — of any age, for that matter. We are taught in Western tradition to be loving, caring creatures, but we seemingly mostly fail. Why is this? Recorded history is replete with a plethora of tomes that promote tenderness and the understanding of our fellow man. Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, (1) for one, is a well-known moral guide. But when challenged, humanity does not pass the test of peace and respect. Is this just the way it is — we are just aggressive by nature? I hope not.
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Find your peace
The perilous amounts of negative information that wash over us have a negative effect on most people. That said, it is especially important in the modern age, in the time of AI, to find ways to achieve validation, to find peace. This is far easier said than done. I ask myself, how do I ever have the time to actualize this feeling? I am just too busy.
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Never give up on your dreams
This world is incessantly harsh with its creative folks. They are increasingly assailed and browbeaten into surrendering (getting a job) or, even worse, acquiescing into mediocrity. The artist is becoming irrelevant. The brave few, however, do soldier on. And, our society needs them. At their best, their most sublime, they represent who we are. They are a mirror to our brightest hopes, our greatest dreams, and, even, our deepest frustrations.
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Frustration as knowledge
The frustration a young man expressed to me the other day is endemic to us all, I am sure. He had chosen a path of study, but upon arriving there had come to discover that it was absolutely not to his liking – not his chosen métier. Now what? He has told his friends, his parents, his classmates — he had, in fact, told the whole world.
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Find your good day
Yesterday, I had a good day. This is a time acknowledged by everyone and should be benchmarked — noted as a point of meaning — I believe. We don’t often get a really fine day, do we? I awoke early, before the alarm in fact, and felt refreshed. As I did my yoga, thoughts of righteousness and prosperity washed over me. The negative, for an instant, tried to intrude.
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