Adversity: this is a concept that produces a visceral feeling in one’s heart, does it not? All of us experience difficulties in life. But, can I turn calamity into inner strength and, ultimately, prosper from the experience? Conventional wisdom tells us that the way we deal with a crisis dictates how our gift of life will unfold. It is to be noted that, just at the moment of success, many trip and fall — and do not get up again. (1) This is true of the mighty and of the humble: the failed businessman, the almost rock star, the attractive man or woman who stumble into a dissolute life, etc., etc. — why? There is no easy solution to this quandary.
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Health is everything
Have you ever noticed that we are no longer a fit population? Many people are overweight with a bad complexion. This is mirrored by an even more negative and bitter mood. Life is viewed as hard by a disproportionate amount of individuals. This does not have to be so. But, for the most part, my health, both physically and psychologically, is in my hands. Why then would I not want to keep my body and mind healthy and holy? The answer: I don’t know that I can. A doctor said to me many years ago that the body is much like an old Mercedes Benz. Do the maintenance — change the oil, replace the headlights, rotate the tires and the car will run for over 500,000 kilometers.
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It is a beautiful world
As I rush to my destination, I often overlook the beauty along the way. I am so focused on getting somewhere — anywhere — that real life just neglects me. Our image of time, historically, is not a positive one, is it? With the pain, pestilence, and plague that exist in civilization, even today in modern society, it is often easy to bypass the truth — we live in a beautiful world, and it has always been so. Intricate and comely nature stands behind all reality. We all feel this when we take a walk in a verdant forest or a stroll along a windswept beach, I am sure. But my eyes must be open to the fact that my reality is filtered through my perception of existence. Love and hope are part of my personal commitment to the way I want to live, are they not?
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Time is on my side: yes, it is
When I opened my eyes this morning, I was sixty-five years old. Should I be shocked? I think not for it is, and has been, my time — a perception existing in my consciousness — for a very long period, at least since I awoke at 20 or so. It is the same for everyone, I believe.
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Nurture your true essence
Wow, the new year is upon us. With this in mind, I would like to share some musings for the upcoming period. We live in truly narcissistic times, as has been experienced many times in history. (1) Images are omnipresent: we are asked to glorify the beautiful me as if it were an already completed project, as opposed to a work in progress. But what if I have a poor picture of the self, of myself? Can it not be ameliorated? The Internet is awash with completed portrayals of magnificent bodies or exquisite lifestyles. We are easily fooled into believing that our icons, our idols, have always been exceptional. They have invariably been special. This is just not true. Many times, they have simply been created by marketing gurus. (2)
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How to stay positive: success through routine
When asked, many people respond that life is routine, it is boring. Tragically, this is certainly one meaning of the term. A more powerful and, potentially, more redeeming meaning of the phrase is an activity which, when practiced continually, leads to a state of excellence — expertise if you will. At the onset, it is true that we do need to be thoughtful and imaginative when it comes to discovering our true calling, our intrinsic skillset.
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Loneliness
The other day, I was overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness. It was quite stunning and left a visceral mark on my chest. “What was this from?” I asked myself. I lead a full life, have many social contacts, a loving family, numerous students, etc. Certainly, the BBC news that I recently watched did not help the matter. Most news is composed of negative sound bites (1) without analysis. Following this stream, the uninitiated would undoubtedly be anticipating the end of the world. A daily diet of this nonsense, in the truest sense of the word — no sense — can never contribute to fellowship or camaraderie.
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The joy of self-growth
For every failure, there is a story. I recently had the opportunity to speak with a man about the suffering souls addicted to a host of substances. He was a professional working in the field of harm reduction. (1) The outside observer surely questions why an individual would throw their life needlessly away. This can only be because you believe that it has no value, there is no possibility of redemption or self-growth.
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I must make a commitment to myself
We are a committed species, aren’t we? I am committed to my family, I am committed to my schooling, to my job — the list seems to be endless. The question exists, however, before all my other obligations, am I committed to myself, and what could this possibly mean? We recently spoke about goals and the value they hold in adumbrating my life. The soil that the garden of goals nests in is certainly one of commitments. These include the above-referenced commitment to me, to myself.
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Goals
Time is a river that has no edges or boundaries. How then do we make sense of time during the lengthy passage of life? One of the major ways that we do this is through goal setting. We benchmark our life with a series of desires and, ultimately, achievements. In this way, we concertize the value of our existence and what is its mission. The idea behind the setting of goals, however, is a complex one.
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