The downfall of man is not the end of his life

Something about that quote just hits the right note. For me at least, when I see people rushing around, pushing themselves, harder and harder to reach a certain objective, it makes me wonder, when is it all enough?

Today’s world tends to make a lot out of tangible achievements, money, fame, fortune, power. But amongst all of that, sometimes we just need to ask ourselves, is all of it really what we want.

In the many sessions I’ve had, sitting down with various people, talking through their problems, the one common strand which reappears again and again is a lack of direction. Simply put, people don’t know what they truly are seeking in the first place. Without that direction, it goes without saying that finding fulfillment becomes much more elusive. After all, the tougher of the two is finding what you don’t know you’re looking for.

Undeniably, tangible achievements have their place, for instance as measurements towards certain goals. But tangible achievements as is, can’t be true destinations, because the actions and perceptions which define these achievements do not have black and white direct connections to the basic things which make us human. In order to be made sense of, tangible achievements must always exist within a reference frame.

To illustrate, for most people they would probably agree that winning the state lottery is a happy event. Now, lets change the surrounding’s a bit. You’ve just been stabbed. You’re lying in a pool of blood on the street, feeling the warm life ebbing out of you, knowing that an ambulance won’t be able to reach you in time. Then this guy rushes across the street, and he tells you, “Hey mate, your face is all over the papers! You’ve just won the state lottery!” He’s smiling like an idiot, waving the paper in your face while your life ebbs away. At that point in time, how important really is that 25 million dollars to you?

The point should be self evident. Whether it be a degree in higher education, or it be a position of power, none of them have permanent value. Remove the relative framework, and it all collapses like a house of cards in a storm.

Where does this lead us too then? Perhaps a reevaluation of what is truly valuable to us? Sitting down and actually write them down, one column for what we really want, and a second column for what activities actually consume the most time in our life’s now. Then maybe, beside each, have a little column, if I were to die tomorrow, would this really make sense. Put a little tick beside each activity which would matter, and you’d be surprised how much crap there really is in our life. I think I shall do that now… Cheers