Reflections

I am experiencing a new phase in my life that I suspect is related to the aging process.  Most probably, it should be termed a life review. Periodically, I find myself reexamining various events in my past with the mindset of an impartial observer.

Most often, it takes place when I awaken around 5:00 a.m. or so for my attendance to nature’s call.  When I return to bed, I find it difficult to turn off my monkey brain.  So, I lie and think about everything under the sun.  Frequently, this includes various events in my past.

During the day, anything can trigger this line of thinking.  It may be a particular object that I encounter, an activity in which I am engaged or just some downtime when I am not distracted by something else. It would be delightful if I were dwelling on a review of my triumphs and accomplishments.  Usually, however, I begin thinking about the mistakes I have made, situations I have mishandled or people I have known. 

I am somewhat amused by the lack of knowledge that often contributed to my blunders.  At the time, I was unaware of how little I knew about what I was attempting to do.  This was particularly true of building projects in which I was engaged.  The old axiom is absolutely true: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. 

Today, the internet is a wonderful source of information to fill the gap.  Instructional videos are available on a wide range of topics.  The only requirement for a higher level of success is a little humility.  This doesn’t even require a public admission of ignorance.  It is possible to sit in the privacy of one’s home and learn how to do it right the first time.

I am sorry that this resource was not available to me years ago.  My hope is that I never created a situation that resulted in any major damage to any of the structures I built.  As I reflect on previous projects, I am aware of many of the things I did wrong and how I could have done better, but we are not afforded the luxury of returning in time to redo our mistakes.

Occasionally, I talk to people who have maintained friendships for many years.  I am astonished when I learn of those who still are in contact with friends from elementary school.  My wife attended a boarding school throughout high school and still maintains close relationships with many of her classmates.

I have only had one long term friendship that lasted more than forty years.  Sadly, Dave died from his bout with cancer a couple of years ago. It was just by accident that we both wound up living in the same area in Florida.  Had that not taken place, I don’t know that we would have reconnected after living in separate regions of the country for many years.

I enjoy being around people, but I am also quite comfortable with solitude.  My friendships tend to be situational and last as long as the immediate association does.  When I move or engage in a different activity, I tend to lose contact with former acquaintances.  This might be different if my lack of vision didn’t prevent me from accessing social media like others do.

When I think back on friends, coworkers and acquaintances from years ago, I frequently issue a hope to the universe on their behalf that their life has been peaceful and full of joy. With many, it would be nice to catch up on how life has been, but I don’t have a burning desire to track anybody down. In all honesty, there are a few that I would be happy not to encounter.

Socrates has been quoted as having said, “an unexamined life is not worth living.”  I suppose he intended that the examination would be an ongoing process.  I fully embrace this approach to life and have tended to be introspective for the majority of my adulthood.

What I am experiencing now seems to be something other than considering a course change.  I don’t have a ‘bucket list’ or anticipate pursuing any great ventures. At 71, I feel like I am winding down and preparing for the final stretch of my journey.  The focus of my reflections is not how I should proceed but whether or not my life has been worthwhile.

It is challenging to be objective.  I think we all tend to be the heroes or martyrs of our own stories, especially in our younger years.  Like Joan of Arc, we are either riding in on our white charger to save the day or being horribly misunderstood and unfairly condemned to burn at the stake.  Self-evaluation can be just as misguided.  We can revel in our presumed triumphs or be overly critical and beat ourselves up.

Generally, I think I have done all right.  I have a strong belief that a positive future for humanity depends on our collective recognition of our interconnection and interdependence.  Consequently, I have tried to live with this perspective in mind, promoting harmony and peace among those I encounter and seeking to give more than I have taken.

I suspect that I am not alone in this end time review.  It might make for an interesting topic for a gathering of seniors and even be beneficial for younger adults who might like to have a glimpse of what their futures hold in store for them. 

Ignorance is Bliss?

I thoroughly enjoy considering the origin and meaning of words.  Take the word cooperation.  It obviously means to operate together.  Hence, co-operate.

The meaning of some words changes over time due to their use in particular cultures.  Traditionally, the word gay meant joyful or merry.  Its current association with homosexuality can completely obscure the original intention of its use in old songs and writings.

Recently, I began thinking about the word ignorant.  Typically, it refers to someone who is lacking in knowledge or awareness.  Thus, ignorance of a negative situation can, indeed, allow one to remain blissful.

This was certainly the case with King George IIII, King of England during the Revolutionary War.  In his diary on July 4, 1776, he wrote, “Nothing significant happened today.”   Well, I am sure that when the first ship arrived from the American colonies a month later, he reconsidered his entry on that date.

I often think about old King George whenever someone asks me how things are going.  Generally, as far as I know everything is usually fine.  However, I could be quite ignorant of events that are unfolding.  Perhaps I have a large bill that I have not yet received or a huge check coming from a long lost relative.

Recently, my own ignorance was glaringly made manifest to me as I read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.  It is an extremely well written book in which she convincingly presents her belief that racial issues in our nation are actually a manifestation of a caste system in our society with a vested interest in keeping African Americans as a subordinate caste.

She clearly and graphically chronicles the impact of slavery and the Jim Crow era on the African American population.  These were things of which I had a vague knowledge but had not taken time to carefully consider or research.  My ignorance was dispelled as I painfully read about the absolute despair of slaves and the treatment of blacks in post-Civil War southern America. Multitudes of white southerners would often bring their children to witness the mutilation, shooting and hanging of black men.  This was often followed by their bodies being thrown into a bonfire, pictures taken of the corpse and turned into postcards to be mailed to relatives and friends and the body parts being distributed as souvenirs.

I was ignorant of the fact that the U.S. eugenics movement in the early twentieth century and the Jim Crow laws in southern states were used as templates by the Nazis to develop their formal policies toward the Jews.  Hitler admired the ability of the United States to conduct lynching of blacks throughout the south and still maintain a favorable worldwide reputation. Knowing this, only ignorance of our treatment of black Americans can allow us to maintain any sense of moral superiority over the Nazis.

To their credit, the German people have erected numerous memorials to the victims of the Holocaust but not one to the Nazi leaders who perpetrated it.  In harsh contrast, the United States is filled with tributes to the leaders of the Confederacy which was committed to establishing a nation dedicated to the enslavement of African Americans.  Throughout our country, statues, streets, counties, cities, schools and parks bear the names of these oppressors and serve as testimonies to an ongoing attitude of white supremacy among many of our citizens.

I was so impacted by these revelations that I tried to share them with a few other people.  The reaction I received gave me a new appreciation for the meaning of ignorance.  Sometimes, we simply wish to avoid information and, thus, deliberately ignore what is unpleasant.

After giving this a great deal of thought, I have concluded that the old saying should actually be, “unawareness is bliss.”  If our ignorance is intentional, then we already have some inkling of what we don’t wish to know.  One may be able to avoid painful full awareness, but the little that is already known tends to diminish any chance of achieving pure bliss.  There will always be that nagging sense that we are hiding from the truth.

 

  

Change: Friend or Foe?

I fully recognize the security provided by routine and consistency.  As my visual world disappears, having a place for everything and everything being in its place is extremely helpful.  My wife occasionally warns me that if I don’t behave myself, she will rearrange the furniture without telling me first.  I think she is just kidding because so far, she lets me know ahead of time. I guess when I start bumping into things that seem out of place, I will know I’m in trouble.

As I go through my daily activities, I am open to reconsidering how I do what I do.  I may find a better way to accomplish my tasks or a more convenient place for items in my surroundings.  The challenge then becomes remembering what has changed until it, in turn, becomes part of my routine.

As I consider the world at large, I am amazed how resistant many people are to change. It is as though acknowledging a better procedure, idea or perspective somehow diminishes who they have been.  To me, life is all about continually learning and becoming better.  If we consider the physical world around us, it is clear that when living things stop changing, they begin dying.

Nowhere is this resistance to change more evident than in our view of our nation’s future.  The major political parties seem to embody philosophical perspectives that are polar opposites. What we are currently witnessing is more than a struggle between political parties.  It is the clash of mutually exclusive cosmic concepts.

If we embrace the Bible as the complete and inerrant communication from a divine creator, then the only necessary change would be a realignment of those who are spiritually and morally out of sync with the precepts contained in that sacred text.  Of course, embedded in this statement is the source of all religious conflict because there is no consensus among diverse factions regarding what those precepts are. Nevertheless, the implication is that there is some form of perfection that has been established by God and man’s challenge is identifying and conforming to it.

This perspective seems to have been generalized to our nation.  There appears to be a sense that our founding fathers were somehow so divinely inspired that they established a perfect social order that should not be tampered with.  Pointing out the tremendous flaws in our country’s history is considered by many to be unpatriotic.  This defensive attitude seems to be based upon a sanitized historical sentiment that reflects national selective amnesia.

When I first heard the call to “Make America Great Again” my first reaction was to ask what greatness they are referencing. Were we great when we enslaved Africans?  Were we great as we engaged in genocide against native Americans?  Perhaps we were great when women were physically assaulted and jailed for demonstrating on behalf of their voting rights. What greatness was evident when multitudes of Japanese Americans were interned during WWII and forced to abandon their homes and businesses?

MAGA is a perfect political slogan.  It lacks specificity and allows supporters to view that “greatness” in their own way.  It implies that there was an ideal time in our national history from which we have strayed.  Like the garden of Eden, this new appeal suggests that liberals have caused us to abandon our perfect nation and only a conservative political party can enable us to reclaim it.

However, for those who perceive the universe as an evolving phenomenon, change is an integral aspect of an unfolding process of trial and error.  As we view the progressive complexification of life on our planet, we can observe the benefit of adaptation and refinement.  It follows that what is true of the physical aspects of organisms also applies to the social development of humanity.

From this perspective, what our founding fathers accomplished was to conceive and begin a political and social experiment in democracy. It was a brilliant beginning but by no means perfect.  Every subsequent generation has had the responsibility of cultivating, evaluating and redirecting the future of our nation. 

There is no need to hide from our past.  We have accomplished outstanding feats and engaged in reprehensible injustices. The progressive party is seeking to build upon our successes, acknowledge our misdeeds and strive to embody our noble ideals and aspirations.

May we avoid pretending that we are, or ever have been, what we wish we could be. Change is inevitable.  Let us hope that it is not merely accidental, haphazard or overly aggressive.  Change that is planned, constructive and gradual can be an open opportunity to an outstanding future.  If we drop all of the bickering and strife, we can work together to make America greater than it has ever been.

 

Tao Te Ching

From a translation by S. Mitchell

61

When a country obtains great power,

it becomes like the sea:

all streams run downward into it.

The more powerful it grows,

the greater the need for humility.

Humility means trusting the Tao,

thus, never needing to be defensive.

 

A great nation is like a great man:

When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.

Having realized it, he admits it.

Having admitted it, he corrects it.

He considers those who point out his faults

as his most benevolent teachers.

He thinks of his enemy

as the shadow that he himself casts.

 

If a nation is centered in the Tao,

if it nourishes its own people

and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,

it will be a light to all nations in the world.