It is not hard to know the difference between the seeker and non-seeker in life, is it – those who acquiesce to a dutiful role and those who yearn for excitement and adventure? The latter are the ones who receive all the glory and fame, and the former are faceless and forgotten by history. Both groups, however, have their moments of pain, their moments of solitude. (1)
Seeking the true you
I spoke with one of my former students the other day. She is now going to university to achieve a professional medical degree. She remarked, in passing, that her fellow students were very good at science and math but seemed to lack the capacity to think critically about philosophical issues. Her statement is actually borne out by numerous studies that suggest that a STEM degree (science, technology, engineering, and math) must be buttressed with critical thinking skills, some literature and a dose of history. (1) The capacity to think is our one and only gift to the self. A person is an empty vessel at the beginning of consciousness and must slowly fill their “spiritual bottle” with the knowledge of a lifetime to have any chance at life fulfillment and peace.
Love in all its magical ways
We all search for that moment of kindness and thoughtfulness, for we are naturally loving and caring. It is a pernicious reality that faces us for the most part, however. From the time we open our eyes in consciousness, we are presented with situations that belie this fact. They cast doubt of this truth. Negative imagery, angry cars, and gruff people are like foot soldiers reinforcing the gloom in society – its lack of empathy and caring. But just when it seems overwhelming, there is a spark of hope. We come across that refreshingly honest individual, that happy clerk, and the ever-present joyous child.
Your moment of peace
Sometimes when I step out into a light rain, I feel as if I am captured by the moment. One foot proceeds the other and soon I am on an adventure to somewhere – I am not even sure where. I am foraying into my time of peace. Can you feel it? I am sure everyone can. This magical period does not come often enough. I believe that when we discover that instant, we want to stay with her and see where she takes us. The other umbrella-laden figures seem like a blur as we continue on our journey. Like oarsmen in a rowboat, we want to stay with the flow. The speed intensifies and we are lost in our own thoughts. This is our own temporal span of nirvana, our own moment of tranquility. It is often claimed that we live in a violent world. When the mist touches our face, we realize that this is just not true. But, how do we come to this assumption when the average person has never been physically traumatized — neither shot nor stabbed or nor blown up? We adopt this position because of the news and social media. Their non-stop “streaming” has a profound influence on how we view the world.
Time is on your side
Don’t we get tired of hearing about time? “I have no time.” “Where did the time go?” “You should spend more time on your personal growth.” “You will have no time if you ….” And it goes on and on. No one tells you at the beginning of your life journey that time itself has no value and does not in fact exist. I create my concept of time. You must have heard those old chestnuts: “It is a short life so you had better hurry and — get a good job, makes lots of money, get married — whatever!” Or the even more painful: “If I were your age again, I would …!” Anyone who has a bit of grey on their temples knows that these are all fabrications. It is a very long life filled with a plethora of experiences – not all good and not all bad – and you can’t do it again. You had better make “the first go” exciting and interesting. Life is a gift given but once. It is the classic dilemma: it is all mine to lose and all mine to gain.
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. I had a momentary feeling of terror that perhaps I had misplaced a file. A cursory look into my briefcase attested to the fact that my memory had served me admirably. The file was still in its proper place: all was well. As we age chronologically, the mind is strengthened by happy days and positive memories. And, we are not to forget, this is in the most proverbial of senses.
Your mood will change
Isn’t human nature fascinating? You are in the throes of despair – a lost love, a failed interview, a dearth of money or a surfeit of angst, etc., etc. Then something occurs: you receive a wonderful email, someone smiles solicitously, you are blessed by the wind and the rain, you wake up refreshed — whatever it is — and suddenly, once again, you are thrust into the bosom of happiness. This suggests that one of human existence’s greatest pillars – happiness – is real and intrinsic to us all. We are all naturally happy as opposed to morose. As is oft stated, one definition of happiness is “the joy you feel in doing what you love in the service of yourself or others.” Hopefully, the latter is more important than the former.
Universal Truths
I am in awe of universal truths. They are never ephemeral. Try as you might, they are impossible to break or alter. They are just true. The one that my grandfather continually reinforced was that “You create your own reality.” This, of course, does not mean that you can necessarily alter your physical reality. I can improve it, but a radical change is often difficult, to say the least. My mental state, however, I can change. The emphasis here is on the “I” – I can change – there is no one else who changes me but me. I do this by altering my reality – the way I see the world. We have the severe example of Dr. Frankl in the death camp. (1) He changed his perception and survived when most didn’t.
Can you feel the rain?
Sometimes I feel like one enormous “stick in the mud.” I am convinced that this is how that thing called age begins. Ask anyone over fifty and they will tell you that age is not in your physical body but in some cerebral place between your ears. I used “to scoff” at the adage, “You are only as old as you think you are.” It is pointedly true but you have to qualify in chronological years to understand it. Socrates, perhaps, said at his trial, to paraphrase, “I know that I know nothing.” (1) As I approach his age (he died at seventy), that does not sound like such a useless tautology. (2) It is true, but many of us, as our hair whitens, submerge ourselves in our own smugness and think we know something when we don’t. Any trifling glance at most political statements and this belief will be but reinforced.
Relationships are not easy
I am sure this is a very common experience: we slowly begin to open our perceptual eyes at twenty or so and quickly come to realize that there are many other forms in the world. Some appear to be inanimate like rocks or mountains or the sky, and others are animate and scurry, jump or fly about. Whatever their agitation, we quickly comprehend that everything is separate and distinct from me. A freshet of fear and loneliness is presented — then it calms and then it dissipates. You realize that you are alone in the world.