Don’t you find the experience profound when you enter a building that is silent — a church, a mosque, a synagogue, or even a museum? This quiet summons something in the inner recesses of our being, doesn’t it? I believe that in this hushed environment lies the answers to the three fundamental questions of life: “Who am I?” “What is my mission?” and “Where will I go when I leave this mortal plane — when I die?”
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Loneliness as knowledge
I find long-distance travel to be an extremely interesting phenomenon. When we read tales of the past, we of often shocked and yet enamored with just how long a journey used to take. When Magellan’s expedition first traversed the globe, it took an almost indescribable amount of time, from 1519 to 1522 – three years — and it cost Magellan his life and the lives of most of his crew.
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Do you have color in your life?
Most colorful, interesting people have many positive qualities; you’ll find they usually have the following in common: They are curious; they love to discover new ideas, places, people, and interests. They are expressive; they’re not scared to speak their minds and express themselves well. They take initiative; they don’t sit around waiting for permission to do what they want to do, and they like to try new things. (1)
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Not every day is a good day
You awaken poorly: another day, dull and confused. It is raining outside — bleak and wet. The day feels portentous. You are suddenly beset with the existential questions of life: how do I find the path that is rumored to be in front of me – how do I uncover my life mission?
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What are you afraid of?
Am I an empiricist: am I faced with knowing the world only through my senses and my experiences, is nothing innate? (1) These are questions that constantly “buzz around” in my mind, juxtaposed with, Do I then have significance: will the world I create through my actions have consequences? Will I die without my mission fulfilled? (2) Fear is an emotion that seemingly comes to us far more easily than the feeling of love – though love, when experienced, is tremendously more powerful. I have contact with many, many people on a weekly basis. More than a few, because they are young, share their negative thoughts about the world at large – how dangerous and evil it is. I inquire as to where this view comes from.
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Why should I believe?
Why should I believe in anything, really? This is such a cynical time that just posing this question creates conflict. But, it is not something that can be easily dismissed, for obfuscation only leads to more confusion later in life. This is a fundamental query that all thoughtful people are subjected to. We are all exposed to the cruelty of existence. How can I make sense of the chaos?
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The art of conversation
What is the art of conversation? It is the ability to express a thought or idea and to have the recipient of that proposition understand my fundamental meaning. It is tied to the very intellectual foundation of our civilization. If we cannot communicate effectively, we will always be spiritually and philosophically isolated.
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How do you heal a broken heart?
A visit to the more humble parts of any North American city reveals countless bodies of all shapes and sizes sitting or lying listlessly in the morning sun or shuffling aimlessly from one perch to another. You are left with an overwhelming sense of pain and suffering. Yes, it is true that many are mentally ill and others are addled by alcohol and drugs, but all are suffering from some form of broken spirit — some type of great distress. (1)
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Why should I care?
We often hear, “Why bother?” Why should I be so concerned about an event, my comportment, or personal efforts? In the end, why should I care about anything? Why not just take each day as it comes — make no plans and have no goals? Reinforcing this view, of course, is the knowledge that history teaches us that plans and prognostications are mostly pointless.
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Nature
We increasingly live in a society that is divorced from nature — from the natural world. This has been growing since the advent of the Industrial Revolution to our present age. The Internet has deepened this void due to its level of imagery and fantastical narrative. Birds, bears, and bees are simply creatures that oscillate on a movie screen; stories of great adventurers attempting to overcome nature are simplistic and distant tales. (1) They are just depictions on celluloid, in animation movies, and have no intrinsic value.
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