A friend of mine, quite unexpectedly given her conservative nature, announced that she wanted to travel around the world: a most monumental trek. We can all feel the stirrings in our hearts that this concept evokes. Throw caution to the wind and embark on an epic voyage, the outcome of which is unforeseen and unforetold: “O to sail in a ship, To leave this steady unendurable land, To leave the tiresome sameness of the streets, the sidewalks and the houses, To leave you, O you solid motionless land, and entering a ship, To sail and sail and sail!” (1) It is up to the heavens to bring you safely back to port.
Age is mostly in the mind
This morning, I realized that I felt “pretty good.” I believe that many of us have had that same feeling. I have yet one more birthday approaching. This reminds me that time is relentless — it marches on: the body continues to age. But where is the pain and suffering that I anticipated at my age when I was 18 years old? It has not yet appeared. It would be false to claim that the 63-year-old body mirrors that of a 23-year-old: it doesn’t. But the frustrations and anxieties that I associated with physical age are not with me.
I am so lucky to be me
Recently on my way to prayer, I was reminded that I am here by chance — by luck if you will — and will depart under similar, somewhat bizarre, circumstances. This is the same for all of us, I am sure. A small story: On my route, there is a dual traffic light situated at a major intersection. The first allows the buses to proceed and the second, when illuminated green, the rest of the general traffic. This, rather inattentive, motorcyclist duly waited for the second light to change. He then, inexplicably, strayed into the bus lane.
Life is ephemeral: or is it?
We believe we are a fickle and ephemeral people: When our skin color is too white, our mothers tell us to go out into the sun and get some color. We laud the “Californian-tan” look and relate it financial prosperity and good health. (1) When we are dark, however, we shade ourselves from the sun and lather our skin with creams to lighten its tone. Temperature is a lot like this. Many people prefer the cold over the hot and welcome a brisk day. In opposition to this are those who prefer the “chaleur” of the tropics. In truth, however, no one likes extremes: everyone can probably accept -5 degrees, but -55 degrees would be quite something else. Why then do we accept extreme points of view in our world?
Never give up on your dreams – never!
Where do dreams come from? They come from deep, deep inside of you and only you. They remain hidden down three flights of stairs, carried along a darkened corridor, and dropped down a plunging lift to your private world of imagination. I want to step into that world: to float like a bird and soar to the heavens; to dive to the deepest trench in the seas and to communicate with all forms of life, In short: I need to join Gaia (1) and commune with this wonderful world. I must feel this “oneness with all.” But I can only do this through my healthy and fertile creativity. I need to step away from the world of the day-to-day and reside, even for a moment, in the world of “make-believe” — the realm of the fantastic.
Think positive thoughts
The droplets plummeted from the sky. I sat in my armchair and closed my eyes. Instantly, I was transported back 50 years. There I was as a young man walking along a beach as the rain fell and the sonorous wind projected its cacophony. The air literally sparkled with spray from the sea. I felt alive, but also somewhat fearful of the power of nature so fully on display. I was soon “drenched to the skin,” but carried on, nonetheless. I needed to find my way home. I wanted to find peace, warmth, and safety. This trek along the shore could be analogous to our journey in life. Existence is fraught with problems and complications, but also with solutions and happiness. Why then do some complain of its cold and moisture while others appreciate its cleansing mist? It is just attitude to a situation and the belief in a positive outcome.
The freedom of self-control
It was a distressing epoch. Then, a curious sense of peace came over me. Normally, I would have been quite perplexed for the situation called for a more anxious time. Why did I feel so calm? Recently, it finally “dawned on me” that I could truly be in command of my reality, my world. I had taken control of my body and literally willed it to calm down. I am sure you have been here. This is easy to say, but trying to put into practice.
Hope in action
Recently, we spoke about hope. It is common knowledge that we must turn hope into reality. We can do this through prayer, through meditation and, the one I find to be the most practical – through action. Hope without action is neutered, naïve dreaming. It lacks the efficacy of the possible, the perhaps, “the what if” I could change the world – my world. But, specifically, what is the nexus of this desire, this yearning that I hear and read so much about? It is “au fond,” at its core, the belief that my life could get better.
Hope
In the Gospel of John (11:1-44), Christ raises Lazarus from the dead. (1) In modern parlance, to be raised from the dead means to have your life “come back to you” after an economic or emotional collapse: in short, to figuratively be reborn. This is where you must truly respect yourself to find that inner strength. You have beaten all the odds, fought all the battles – been wounded – and yet are still able to return to the authentic self (2) – the unvarnished, unblemished person that you really are.
Justice
We are all faced with this concept of justice. From virtually the first moment we can remember – our adolescent memories – we are exposed to the unfairness of life. Where is justice when some are smarter than others or better looking or richer? Quickly we realize that this is an idea that is difficult to define – especially when we live, seemingly, in such an unjust world. It is clearly not even fair how we begin our life journey. Why? That is the point: there is no “why.”