You know yourself: you are busy – I am busy. All of us are caught up in the detritus of life. The questions become, “What is really important, what really has value and why do I worry all the time?” As I get older and older, I begin to understand the tragedy that so many philosophers and poets write about life. I, however, am an observer because, quite frankly, I don’t feel their pain. I can only feel my own pain and I make a habit of limiting it. There is, I believe, no epiphany in suffering – suffering will take us nowhere. It is only in communion with the peaceful and wonderful infinity, my expression of God, will I find my meaning. What about you: are you suffering more esoteric pain than necessary?
As we approach Mother’s Day, I am reminded of my own mother who is still alive at eighty-eight. I had a difficult adolescence, as I am sure is quite normal for people who are stunned by the mystery of life. I used to lie in our back-garden with my friend Blake Richards and just look up at the stars. This was a time totally devoid of light pollution, so the cosmos was endless — add a vista filled with pinpricks of shooting-light interlacing the more stationary objects. You can see it was a very attractive vista for an imaginative and curious mind. Later, as I began to mature, I noticed that “life is not fair.” The ones that were not that clever did well on their tests while the bright ones were often failures – this leading to punishment and opprobrium. As I mentioned in an earlier article (March 31st, 2018), perhaps this is why Finland focuses on its bottom 30% of students: those comprising this group, deemed as inadequate, undoubtedly include the Einsteins (1) and the Bransons (2) of the future. And, history has shown us that in fact, they do. (3)
I, subsequently, stumbled into the great conundrum of life: what is it? To digress: I loved my grandfather. He was my image of a “man’s man”: sea captain, war hero, and paterfamilias to a large and successful family. A lifetime smoker who quit too late, he contracted esophageal cancer and quickly went from vibrant to insignificant to dead. This happened in a very short period of time: I was fifteen. This was the first major loss or unexplainable occurrence in my life and it distressed me. I realized that life is finite and, obviously, includes the gift of consciousness given, “for sure,” only to me. Though others may look like me and respond to me, can I be sure that they are really alive? These thoughts stayed with me. I began to get up at 2 AM and go for a walk along the local quay (fishing was also a dominant industry in our village) and listen to the small boats slapping against the wooden dock. When I returned home, my mother would be waiting. Though I wanted nothing but my bed, she would insist on tea. The tea lent itself to a conversation about life and love and God and your place in the universe. She made me feel worthwhile and complete. I was not mature and had yet to make my “deal” with God, but I felt as if the journey had begun. I was on my way to philosophical and psychological integration, on my way to peace. I had been granted a reprieve and was thus allowed to develop and be me. The musician, Stevie Wonder (b. 1950) leaves us with a thought: My mother was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love, and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.
A closing thought: The concept of mother, the life force, is a dynamic one. I believe that, in the end, she will allow us to salvage enough of Earth’s natural resources to truly save her, and therefore humanity. Our world of the future, I suspect, will not have the same capitalistic values as today. Families, by their very definition, are sharing entities: they provide for the most intelligent and also for the dull-witted. They are inclusive. They represent a microcosm of the Common Good. The consumptive individualism of modern society benefits but the few. Taxes and chaos will ultimately be the great equalizers.
To sum up: This week we spoke about growing up and the relationship with our mothers. They support us and guide us even when we don’t know where we are going. This is certainly true of Mother Earth at this epoch in history.
Just for fun: Stevie Wonder
A philosophical question: We spend, on average, sixteen years going to school. We then go to work without any training in logical thought or how to use our critical thinking skills. Then the demand becomes: now, make prudent decisions for your life and for your happiness. Are we surprised that the Millennials (4) and post-Millennials are angry?
This week, please ponder the magnificence of life itself: drench yourself in her power and in her beauty.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: Mothers bond us with all that is good, and caring, and holy. They call forth our most sensitive and thought-provoking qualities. Without their words, we remain undeveloped and somewhat crude.
Footnotes:
3) Why Failure Is Good for Success
4) Millennials in the Workforce, A Generation of Weakness – Simon Sinek