Friday, December 01, 2006
December 1st of my 29th year and this is what I know
This is not a comprehensive or top-10 list. I stopped at 10 because I was getting sleepy, and felt like I had typed enough for one day. A list like this one can go on and on, but these are the highlights as of December 1st, 2006, as I near the halfway point of my 29th year in this life. Just my thoughts...I make no claims to absolute knowledge or truth, only that these are mine as I see them today.
1. Decency does not have to be a myth. Despite the best efforts of the media, celebrities, sports figures, politicians, powermongering corporate executives, major religious leaders, criminals, degenerates, and other elements of society's detritus, I am more convinced than ever that decency can win the day. There is still good in the world...the real question is, how do we mobilize and empower it? At some point, the good has to start fighting fire with fire. Currently, good is getting its ass kicked.
2. Honesty is always the best option. This goes without saying, but it takes a certain level of commitment to ourselves, our collective integrity, and the values we claim to hold dear. If you believe something is right or wrong, say so. When someone asks you a question, give them your honest answer. It won't always help you win popularity contests, but it will help you sleep at night. And if the truth hurts, so be it. Truth is bigger than anyone's fragile ego and honesty more important than our momentary fear of it.
3. Love is still alive, but it has been on life support for far too long now. In a place where everything is a disposable commodity, love have been turned into a cliched distortion more often involving some form of dishonesty than a genuine oneness shared by two people. People use the word as a weapon, use the feeling as a tool, and generally shit all over the idea that it has spiritual implications. Our innocence is systematically ripped from us by a mass of cowards. They tell us that love is supposed to hurt, that love is painful, and even that love is an outright lie. But love does not, and should not, be any of those things. Love should be grand and powerful and empowering. Love should give us the courage to overcome our life's challenges and the comfort to heal our wounds after the struggle. People talk about these sorts of things, but talk is cheap, and too many peoples' actions reveal a deeply rooted skepticism, brought on by fear. I know there is truth in that statement, because fear is exactly why I am the skeptic I am today.
3b. Sex without an emotional attachment is nothing compared to "making love" with someone. Opinions vary on this one, but I accept the above as an inherent truth. Let the sexually enlightened, casual crowd do as they will. I'm more convinced than ever that it is to our collective detriment to take something so intimate and powerful lightly. Cheapening it and turning it into a marketing tool is one of the worst, and oldest, mistakes our species has ever made.
4. Speaking of spirit, I am now certain that on some level, spirit (or soul, if you prefer), is real. Spirituality, for me, is not the result of faith in a god or gods, but rather a faith in the power of embracing ideals of goodness that speak to my core awareness...the intangible something that fuels this body and mind. When I hit upon one of these ideas, or, better yet, find a way to make them a reality in my life, there is a tangible feeling of "right" that is hard to explain, but I think it is known to almost all of us at various points throughout our lives.
5. Goodness fuels all of our positive psychology and social structures. Decency, honesty, love, spirituality, they all are strengthened by holding goodness in your cognizant and subconscious. Goodness does not have to be grand or impressive in its scope, but we only benefit by remaining strong and determined in embracing it. We must be willing to defend it, uphold it, and nurture it at all costs. Look around and tell me whether or not you believe we are tending to these responsibilities adequately today.
6. People will disappoint, hurt and betray you. This is an inevitable component to any life, in any age, within an endless array of circumstances. We are all selfish on some level. You cannot thrive and ascend without some form of self interest generating the power to propel you forward. Even if your only drive is to become a better servant of your god(think Mother Theresa), you are still working to satisfy a personal desire. In this way, even Mother Theresa was selfish. What separates people like her from people subhumans like Paris Hilton, is a desire to channel that selfish desire for spiritual gratification into selflessness. Being selfish is not, in and of itself, a negative state. It is how we choose to steer that selfishness that ultimately determines our worth to others. Unfortunately, people like Mother Theresa are 1 in 6B or so, but that does not excuse any of us from doing what we can.
7. People will inspire, amaze, and uplift you. Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Siddhartha Gotama, Keith Lange, a litle brother, whoever, good people doing good things on a micro or macro scale hold the potential to be inspiring. In my Technology, Science and the Environment class, I read an article about John Crowley. At one point in his life, Mr. Crowley was a junior executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb. When his youngest son and daughter were both diagnosed with pompe, a disease that weakens muscle and generally kills most people within 5 years of diagnosis, he took action. He left his job, started a pharma company of his own, fought financial and development setbacks, and ultimately made substantial progress. The world is full of stories like this one. We do not hear about it often enough, but they are out there. We all owe it to ourselves to look.
8. Man is too primitive a beast to make widespread embrace of any given ideal a reality. We still destroy and exploit one another far too frequently, largely because of primitive drives (more of this is better, more of that is even better...the myths of material/physical happiness). When we derive more enjoyment from life, than from the things in our lives, we are well on our way. As a collective, we do not do this, and I believe that we are nowhere near that point at present.
9. Art and creativity, in all of their various forms, are more important than the monetary gains or losses brought about by them. Money is nothing, in the grand, spiritual reality that is inarguably larger than this life. But art and the products of creation take the intangible and make it tangible. Taking an idea and turning it into something real has defined our collective ascent. From cave paintings to thermonuclear reactions, the power of ideas has both propelled and decimated us.
10. The human brain is the single most amazing and spectacular creation of material reality that the world has ever known. Within its simple, physical structure lies an infinitely complex, as yet not understood, labyrinth of complexity. Our minds can comprehend calculus, fall in love, make sense of a Van Gogh painting, generate a car like the Bugatti Veyron, or make something like this rambling post possible. Our brains are the closest thing to a real miracle our species has ever seen. Few people seem to truly appreciate the fact that no other known species is as capable as ours and that lack of appreciation has become a tragedy unto itself...
Labels: aging, general, life, spirituality
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That was profound and beautifully written. In regards to number 7, I don't know if you read about this woman a couple months ago....
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/education/news-article.aspx?storyid=67270
That is an awesome story. Decency, goodness...these things make the world a better place. This place needs more people like Eugenia Dodson.