It is often said that you are responsible for your life. Whatever comes of this piece of existence is my accomplishment or my failure. Noted author and speaker, Dr. Wayne Dyer (1940-2015) tells us, “Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make: Period!” This is somewhat true, but it is certainly not the whole picture. I think that we must question the totality of this statement. All of us, especially when we are young, are in desperate need of a mentor — someone who can give us a “role model” to pattern our life on. I must understand how to be me; or at the very least, I must learn how to decipher my gifts. These skills are not innate though, I must be taught.
My life: cool and exciting!
The colder season is upon us – winter has begun to intrude into our lives. I find that the weather covers people with a curious psychological pallor. Everyone appears to be more reflective, more contemplative — some deeply immersed in their own thoughts — obviously creating their plan for the unfolding year. This always creates a strange dilemma, doesn’t it? On the one hand, we must answer the question – “When is the best time of my life?”
Your creative imagination will keep your mind alive
We are often caught up in our little moments of reflection and introspection, aren’t we? These are what Marcel Proust (1) describes as moments of involuntary memory, (2) described as an image of a past happening triggered by a chance occurrence. You see a brilliant sunset and you are thrown back to your childhood, for example. If we expand upon this idea, we come to our creative imagination. This is a phenomenon that is encouraged by Sir Ken Robinson in his thesis on how to improve our educational system. (3) This is aptly practiced when we read about a historical person and accidentally stumble upon someone who looks like that character during our long-stance travels, as an illustration.
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Be tricked in youth and wise in old age
Personal fraud: I am absolutely fascinated with those individuals who I have met in my life who have created a totally bogus personality: a completely contrived reality. These are, of course, sociopaths: but they are titillating and somewhat psychologically voyeuristic. They have made and lost millions, courted presidents and kings, been purveyors of the greatest financial empires, only to have been brought to a level of humility by that common curse: fate and just plain bad luck. They regale us with the life that we want to lead. They are especially attractive to the young and impressionable: to my story.
We are responsible for the creation of our own peace.
To my friends, I might appear to be a bit of a curmudgeon. I feel that this is a well-deserved honorific by the time you are over sixty years old. In my heart, however, I am a peaceful, loving man. This misinterpretation of my actions has probably to do with the fact that I am relatively “straight forward.” In any given situation, I always look for the worst possible result to occur. It, of course, never does, but I am ready nonetheless.
Continue reading We are responsible for the creation of our own peace.