Life Passes So Quickly: Is There a Next Time Round?
Posted: Friday, September 24, 2010
by Jennifer Stewart
Stepping out of History
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Life passes too quickly. Getting to grips with that can be quite a challenge: yearning to be able to accomplish or even just try everything that burns within, having to accept the reality that you just can't do it all, some of it is going to have to remain a vision in your mind. What happens to that vision, I wonder? Does it dissipate when you die?
Somehow I can't believe it does. In the same way that I can't believe people are gone when they die, or that the life that surges through us with such power ends with this one experience.
Despite that consoling thought, though, don't we all wrestle with the tension between what we long to do and what we still need to learn so that we can do it? It may be that we need to learn to create resources, or how to operate in a certain milieu; we may need to overcome great fear of things that are trivial to other people fear that doesn't dissipate with a logical "be positive" mind-mantra. Whatever the specifics, we all face a learning curve, whether it's about how the world works or how to do ourselves in a way that brings our visions closer to reality.
As time goes flashing by, I become more clear about my own yearnings. I want a safe place within myself where I'm not blown about by other people's needs, feelings and opinions, but can hold myself intact in the face of them so I don't need to hide; so I let them be who they are without judgment, and can interact, giving and taking. If you can't do that you kind of have to live in a cave; you have to build walls around you to protect yourself because you can't handle people.
And living in isolation is the very worst thing, I think. Then I want a safe place in the world. I want physical things that represent security to me, that I don't have to constantly be afraid "is this going to be taken away from me tomorrow?". And I want to work with self-expression in such a way that it facilitates connection with other people.
I guess it's Maslow's hierarchy of needs all in one. Put that way, in a nice neat package it seems easy, achievable. But life isn't a neat package, is it? It's sometimes messy, laborious and mostly challenging in some way or another. We have to deal with the consequences of our ignorance and the passage of time and to make our way through the morass of daily and time consuming tasks and conflicting needs that make up our physical world.
Still, some people are better at it than I am! I watched Barack Obama talk on the David Letterman show once. He spoke about the basic rights of Americans, and I thought my god, I hardly have any of those in place. It was a nice wake-up call, though, seeing that so much of what I really struggle to achieve is so familiar to so many people that they completely take it for granted. It's normal for them. It was like being thirsty and drinking some cool delicious drink, because hey, if other people can do it so can I.
Somehow I suspect that the vision any of us have for the kind of life we long to experience the whole caboodle I'm talking about; physical, spiritual, mental - will come to fruition in some way, and then when the time is right, give way to something that's more meaningful. We'll get so far this lifetime, and carry the vision, the longing, with us when we die. I like to believe we constantly refine it from lifetime to lifetime, and even though we worry about getting it all right this time round, we don't actually have to. Because there's going to be a next time.
Despite that consoling thought, though, don't we all wrestle with the tension between what we long to do and what we still need to learn so that we can do it? It may be that we need to learn to create resources, or how to operate in a certain milieu; we may need to overcome great fear of things that are trivial to other people fear that doesn't dissipate with a logical "be positive" mind-mantra. Whatever the specifics, we all face a learning curve, whether it's about how the world works or how to do ourselves in a way that brings our visions closer to reality.
As time goes flashing by, I become more clear about my own yearnings. I want a safe place within myself where I'm not blown about by other people's needs, feelings and opinions, but can hold myself intact in the face of them so I don't need to hide; so I let them be who they are without judgment, and can interact, giving and taking. If you can't do that you kind of have to live in a cave; you have to build walls around you to protect yourself because you can't handle people.
And living in isolation is the very worst thing, I think. Then I want a safe place in the world. I want physical things that represent security to me, that I don't have to constantly be afraid "is this going to be taken away from me tomorrow?". And I want to work with self-expression in such a way that it facilitates connection with other people.
I guess it's Maslow's hierarchy of needs all in one. Put that way, in a nice neat package it seems easy, achievable. But life isn't a neat package, is it? It's sometimes messy, laborious and mostly challenging in some way or another. We have to deal with the consequences of our ignorance and the passage of time and to make our way through the morass of daily and time consuming tasks and conflicting needs that make up our physical world.
Still, some people are better at it than I am! I watched Barack Obama talk on the David Letterman show once. He spoke about the basic rights of Americans, and I thought my god, I hardly have any of those in place. It was a nice wake-up call, though, seeing that so much of what I really struggle to achieve is so familiar to so many people that they completely take it for granted. It's normal for them. It was like being thirsty and drinking some cool delicious drink, because hey, if other people can do it so can I.
Somehow I suspect that the vision any of us have for the kind of life we long to experience the whole caboodle I'm talking about; physical, spiritual, mental - will come to fruition in some way, and then when the time is right, give way to something that's more meaningful. We'll get so far this lifetime, and carry the vision, the longing, with us when we die. I like to believe we constantly refine it from lifetime to lifetime, and even though we worry about getting it all right this time round, we don't actually have to. Because there's going to be a next time.
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More commentsVery thoughtful piece Jennifer. As long as you have that burning within, the desire to accomplish something, you're ahead of the game. You've got that. Go for it!It's so weird, Brianna; I've just a pocket of "where did my burning desire go?"! I suppose it happens to everybody. Hope I get it back :)
I hope that we go to better place after passing away. I don't necessarily believe in reincarnation, but if were possible, I would love to come back as a bird, so I travel and see the world in a different perspective or see the new world in the clouds.Wouldn't that be amazing, to be able to fly? I often think I'd like to be a cat who's very loved. But I'd be one that didn't eat birds or mice or anything. A St. Francis of Assissi kind of cat!
Hi Jennifer.
I think I figured out ... oh, maybe yesterday ... that I was never going to save the world. :) All else pales beside that. It's been years, seriously, since I mustered up much passion about "doing." I seem to focus more on "being." I don't know that one is better than the other and some would say life is pointless without goals ... big, grandiose goals. But honestly, I just don't give a darn. I'm happy when I get out of bed in the morning and all my parts work nominally. Whatever else the day brings is just gravy.
That aside, much of what you've said for yourself is true for me too. Especially this bit: "As time goes flashing by, I become more clear about my own yearnings. I want a safe place within myself where I'm not blown about by other people's needs, feelings and opinions, but can hold myself intact in the face of them so I don't need to hide; so I let them be who they are without judgment, and can interact, giving and taking. If you can't do that you kind of have to live in a cave; you have to build walls around you to protect yourself because you can't handle people."
I don't honestly have faith that there is a next time. I'm too much the empiricist to just simply believe it. I blame my dad for that. :) But when I think about life and energy and the first law of thermodynamics and my personal belief that thought is energy as well, how can it not help but be conserved?
Very good and thought provoking article, Jenn.
Hugs and thanks,
DianneDianne, I don't think grandiose goals in and of themselves are worth anything, and I think your focus is the best kind. Lately - in the past few days - all I've wanted has been to come home inside myself and just be.
Very eloquently put! I think you are right... it may be a challenge, but it is important to at least strive to bring our visions closer to reality. I think you need to see more stupid people in your life, haha. If you are "normal" but are surrounded by geniuses, then you feel like a dolt. Are you a dolt? No, just that you feel like one, relatively speaking. Conversely, if you are "normal" and are surrounded by morons, then you feel like you got a handle on things. What I am trying to say is... sometimes we just need to be in a room full of idiots, to bring us back to center, mentally. So, my advice to you is to go hang out at the DMV... (wink, wink) or other such places where you will likely feel like you can do more than "the average Joe.":-)-BrombergWhat a brilliant and sane piece of advice, Bromberg! I'm off to the DMV right now... :)
Very enjoyable article Jennifer. Watching the way you are forever questioning whats going on in your life and the effort you put forth to change it for the better show in your writings. I know that you will have great success in your life spiritually, mentally and physically in time.I'm going to hold onto your belief in me, Linda, to help me through the times I don't have a whole lot in myself. Thanks :)
You should find a place within yourself that others can't get to. We all need to learn to live for ourselves and not someone else. That's not being selfish in the bad sense either. Too many of us have been taught that being that way is wrong when in truth it's healthier on our psyche. Great article.I agree, Dixie. Thanks for reading and commenting. Welcome to Searchwarp!
Jennifer,
I found you through a comment you left on one of my articles here and I am so glad you did.
Finding and reading your articles like this one, has been a joy for me.
Your writing is sincere and conveys an honesty about life that is so desperately needed right now. Especially here on the Internet.
I'm looking forward to reading more.MattHi Mathew! What a wonderful comment, thanks!
You are a delight! It is in the yearning that real change takes place! One step at a time!!!Hi Judith, thanks! Yes, one step at a time, and small steps!!
Inspiring stuff, Jennifer. It's amazing how much faster life seems to pass by the longer we stick around. Years ago, there was nothing but living in the moment, completely oblivious to the years gone by and not much thought about what might be coming. But now that I've got three mini-me's keeping me busy, they make me aware of how very little time I really have... and how important it is to enjoy every moment.
Living in isolation is not all that bad. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't reach out to others. Certainly, every single second is a past we are living in and that's where I love doing the Eckhart Tolle Mantra - "Be in the now". Nice article and it is thought provoking.We do have to be able to live with ourselves, and I'm fine with that, but isolation when you're vulnerable makes everything harder. Thanks for your comment.
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