To sparkle means to shine brightly with flashes of light: my life should be a display of this metaphor, should it not? The BBC news and the media, in general, would suggest that few, if any, achieve this state, however. There has always been a surfeit of literature on the human condition and its perennial state of angst and suffering. “One third, more or less, of all the sorrow, that the person I think I am must endure is unavoidable. It is the sorrow inherent in the human condition, the price we must pay for being sentient and self-conscious organisms, aspirants to liberation, but subject to the laws of nature and under orders to keep on marching, through irreversible time, through a world wholly indifferent to our well-being, toward decrepitude and the certainty of death. The remaining two-thirds of all sorrow is homemade and, so far as the universe is concerned, unnecessary.” (1) Any look in another’s eyes at a stoplight would only reinforce this belief. But does this have to be so? I believe not. Yes, we need a full range of emotions to be truly human. In spite of this, happiness, peace, love, and curiosity are our natural bedfellows. We need but one essential element.
Hope: I often question what this word truly means. To me it suggests that, until the day I die, I can affect change; I can make a difference. Since I was a little boy, I have always believed that life, though somewhat unpredictable, has true value. At birth, you are presented with the concrete opportunity to achieve whatever you want: if you truly want it and accept its consequences. Agreeing to this premise, my sentient journey has been a roller-coaster of successes and failures: in short, a grand adventure. I acknowledge whatever I have been dealt. I have no regrets. Increasingly with the classes that I teach though, I find that more and more young people are truly puzzled by the complexities of life, and therefore feel somewhat “hopeless and lost.” They are filled with false expectations by their elders and are thus afraid to begin their life mission. I constantly question what mechanism could be used to inculcate hopefulness. How are our schools and educational systems failing our children? It would appear obvious that not every student should go to university.
This response is too effete and simplistic. All students should be inculcated with what they should expect out of life: its angst and its joy. In junior high school, a process could begin that would access the skills of each person: perhaps you are good with your hands at making things, you may like to dance or to paint: maximize this! These skills should be enhanced and burnished, and the less loved skills diminished. If we fail to begin this process of pedagogical change, “a blind generation” will be thrust into our society. Even more frightening, these youthful souls are growing up in an age that has lost its voice: it is mute due to the technology, in other words, the smartphone, and its ilk. Rhetoric as an art form is greatly endangered. Stand at any place where people congregate and you will be curiously stunned by the egregious silence. Where is the quiet buzz of conversation? It has transmogrified itself into a keyboard or a screen that carries thought: frightening! I am not a Luddite but I believe that it is time to tell our “kids” the truth: life is not easy. There are no jobs! Tame the technology and develop your own, individual, expertise and you will have a colorful life, though you may not live the American Dream.
Recently, I read an interesting article entitled How to Achieve Goals through Persistent Starting. (2) Basically, it suggests that we should break all large tasks into a series of daily projects. “In essence, persistent starting means that you shouldn’t fill your mind with how big the project is. That will only make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, just focus on starting it every day: by doing that, you will eventually finish the project and achieve your goal.” To extrapolate further: if we wake up every day with a sense of excitement and passion, we will be given the opportunities that the universe affords those who are happy and determined. Sophocles, the great Athenian dramatist (496 BC- 406 BC), leaves us with a thought: Men may know many things by seeing; but no prophet can see before the event, or what end waits for him. (Some of this article was first published in October, 2012.)
A closing thought: How do we teach adventure? When you possess infinity at your fingertips in the form of your cell phone, it is difficult: it is not impossible though. What is required is a corpus of positive literature and of a group of educators who truly care. Both areas are expanding and growing, I believe — and read, for that matter. There is reason for great excitement in a positive future.
To sum up: This week we wrote about the great adventure of life itself. The great dilemma of existence is that we create our own reality through our own thoughts and actions. A moral education and a positive upbringing are, therefore, imperative.
An educational encounter: The other day, I received a package from the post office. It couldn’t be opened without the required saber and spear: I attacked it with relish. Once opened, however, I realized it was the totally wrong order. It was not what I had ordered. I was faced with the great problem of reconstructing the package (think plastic surgery) to return it to the shop. Patience and a calm approach to life are grand virtues, I am told.
Just for fun — Philip Glass
This week, please think of your own great adventure. Where is your life taking you?
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: All of us on our quiet walks and meditations are given the answers to life. We must simply ask the questions and request God’s assistance.
Footnotes:
1) Aldous Huxley: Island (ISBN: 9-781-4070-207-47)
2) Neil Fiore The Now Habit (ISBN: 9-781-4406-849-51)