The concept of a life goal is an essential element to a healthy and long-lived existence. Many years ago when I lived in rural Canada, I overheard a man admonishing his young charge about the boy’s future. The father was telling his offspring to forget leaving his village and going to university. What would be the benefit? Here, he could get a union job, (1) make a good living; find a nice girl to marry and raise a family. What else was life about?
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Regrets
I am always perplexed by the people who suffer over what has already passed, over what has been temporally “laid to rest,” so to speak — no matter how horrible! They often claim that they experience regret, an example would be the story of the man who lost his wife and continues to mentally burden his life long after her death – thereby darkening his relationship with his children. (1) What is regret? At its most succinct, it is an event or an occurrence that happened prior to the present moment: a chance experience in time that can never be exactly duplicated due to the fact that it has passed into the annals of history — usually personal history.
Learn to focus
In an extremely busy and confusing world, it is very difficult to find the time or the wherewithal to locate your purpose — the central mission of your life. This is especially true for adolescents. How do we focus on life itself and its meaning? What is my quest in life? It is to be noted that this has always been the case. Since time immemorial, we have been searching for the Holy Grail (1) of consciousness. Reality, invariably, has been puzzling and quixotic for the thinking person. However, this is magnified in our present digital age. Young adults in contemporary society are beset with an overabundance of perplexing imagery that clouds their perception.
Trivialities
It is so very easy to get caught up in the unimportant and inconsequential in life — in its trivialities – isn’t it? As young people, we are often filled with a sense of foreboding around exam time. This apprehension is further fueled by our parents, our teachers, and even our classmates. We seemingly are all focused on some mythical goal, the perfect test score. Herein lies nirvana, the passage to a higher more celestial plane. Many a young person is driven to distraction, some even to suicide, (1) by something of virtually no value at all.
My personal brand
Every unforgettable person that “stays with you” in your life has a personal brand, a unique signature. To be iconic, the label must be consistent and enduring. If there is some flaw in the line, it is easily identified. We often notice “up and coming” movie stars, for example. When we watch their films, we are usually struck by their sensitivity and erudition. What a shock at a later date, when they are interviewed, to see that they are of shallow intellect. There is truly nothing there. It was quite literally, all an act. The individuals represented in their films do in no way embody the real person. But, to be fair, they are uneducated artists after all.
Friends
We all want and need friends. It is a given that if you have a dearth of friendships in your lifetime, you suffer from ill health and an early death. (1) Technology and its applications have certainly increased the number of contacts that we receive on a daily basis. Why then are we lonelier, as a society, than we have ever been? You would think that a medium such as the Internet would make us awash with friends and companions. It hasn’t, in spite of this; it has divided and isolated us even more. (2) The term friend has even been twisted into something silly and shallow. “How many friends do you have?” Why?
The working man
When I go into any convenience store or establishment that requires a rote activity, I am always in awe of the person undertaking this task: the working man. Again and again: – once, twice, thrice – this pursuit is repeated, be it at a check-out till or on the shop floor. Without additional stimulus, it is a soul-crushing and mentally debilitating occupation. I have the utmost respect for people who do this work for a lifetime. I highly recommend that young people become exposed to this activity at an early age. It gives wonderful impetus to one’s studies and the desire to find your true mission in life.
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My mission
What is my mission in life? This is a question that is posed from my first awakening at 16 or 17 until I physically leave this earthly paradise. It is a query that only the self can answer, though many will attempt to answer this question for us. Many times their opinions, though misplaced, are predicated on love. So, patience and understanding are called for.
Addiction
The concept of addiction is usually associated with a life-altering and punishing condition. If you attempt to strike a more positive cord, say, “I am addicted to love,” it is still not considered a positive statement. Recently, one of my students asked me how he would be able to overcome cell phone addiction. Now, at first blush, it appears that it is impossible to become addicted to a simple device – a gadget – but it is, sadly, self-evident that this is not the case.
Bullying
Due to the fact that we live so much of life in the exterior world – the world outside of our inner self – it is difficult when we are subjected to abuse or bullying, in whatever form: verbal, physical, or, increasingly, digital. The mind poses a myriad of questions that must be asked at all junctures. Does this individual, or group of persons, have some basis for their attacks? Have I done something to inflame or ignite an ongoing situation? In most instances, the aggressors have some flaw of character or personality and they are simply passing them onto you. But it is still worth a moment of self-reflection. This is usually only possible after a period of time, unfortunately. When you find yourself in this pernicious loop of guilt and self-recrimination, it is virtually impossible to escape feeling nauseous and bad all the time. There seems to be no escape, especially when you are unsophisticated and young. It is here that many individuals are lost with seemingly no chance of escape. More and more educational systems, therefore, recognize bullying as a serious crime.
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