Saturday, July 25, 2009

BRINGING THE WORLD HOME WITH YOU

You can't know what you don't know....!

If that doesn't make sense, read no further. Or maybe better yet, you should read further to recall the even simpler Iroquois adage,"You can't understand anyone until you've walked in their moccasins for 30 days."

But, granting these wisdoms, isn't there a followup question? Then what? Do you have to keep wearing those moccasins? Or is one reflective journey in them enough?

Here we enter the realm of -- what shall we call it it? -- perhaps philosophy. Or even theology. The point is this. There are those of us who exalt in repeating the journeys of our life. Been to Paris a dozen times! Lived on a river raft time and time again! Visited the finest restaurants and most luxurious resorts as often as they take plastic! Once is never enough when more is possible.

These are the life-isn't-a-destination-but-a-journey followers.

Many Paris's, rafts and resorts ago I recall reading a Chicago columnist Sydney J. Harris who took another take. His stuff wasn't a daily commentary (plenty of those both then and today). His was more a daily hint of philosophy/theology. He took to squeezing some of Mortimer Adler's celebrated "Great Books" into quick digestible bites over breakfast. The column I remember the most is the one at the time I understood the least.

When I was in my energetic 30s, Syd was in his contemplative 60s. In this particular column he was musing about the advantages of "not." Not having to go to the big party, not having to attend the festive opening night, not having to get out of his bathrobe and into his tuxedo, not having to rush here and hurry there. Sounded pretty dull to me.

But time happens.

When we reach the appropriately ripened age -- could be 65 or 75, for a few even 45 or 55 -- we gradually sense a suspicion sneaking over us. The suspicion that we've reached one of those proverbial forks in the journey of life. To be or not to be...? To do or not to do....? To keep moving or not to keep moving...? The philosopher psychologist Eric Erickson put it this way: "In the later stages of every life, the choice is always the same -- to integrate or despair?"

If I remember correctly, Sydney translated Erickson into more pedestrian terms: "At a certain point, if we can relax and look back on our journeys with satisfaction, there's no need to fight the despair of age by continuing to repeat them."

Didn't get it then....got it now.

3 comments:

  1. I think, I'm not sure, but I think I'm begining to get it too....

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  2. " "At a certain point, if we can relax and look back on our journeys with satisfaction, there's no need to fight the despair of age by continuing to repeat them."

    I'm not there yet, and quite frankly it kind of stinks!

    Those proverbial forks you talk about....I think a lot of people don't realize them, until AFTER they have taken their chosen path. Sometimes it's too late to change the path, and when that happens, it is more than unfortunate.

    I guess each of us has the decision to either "integrate or despair".....frankly I'm still deciding...every single day!

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  3. I think the key here is how many "days" one has available. When you're older, the numbers are much fewer. When you're younger, the numbers -- and opportunities --available to you are always much greater. And so .............

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