waiting

Waiting to Die     There is a headstone in a New England cemetery, which seems to sum up, with typical Yankee homespun humor, what all of us will have to face some day. The inscription reads: I expected this, but not so soon. While many of us live in dread of this moment, most of us pay it little mind, except under trying circumstances, such as a major illness, or the death of a loved one. This is one of those large realities, inevitable, about which little can be done. Certainly there are things we can do which will make our lives longer, or healthier, but in the end, it is always the same; we wonder where it all went, and why the end came so soon.
    Some might wonder more than others though, and some may not wonder at all, having gained no real conception of what life is, and therefor having little idea of what they are losing, and placing little worth on it. These are the people who stumble jerk, and laze their way through life. They are characterized by an attitude that the goal of life is to get through it with as little trouble, effort or involvement as possible. This might be a laudable goal for a protazoan, or a plant, and may even be somewhat acceptable in an insect, but it is hardly a recipe for fullfillment in the life of a human being. Still, large masses of what is proported to be the most intelligent, versatile, and advanced species on the planet, live out their lives in this sort of untroubled twilight.
    Unions appeal to this type of person, as do all encompassing governments. Though they tend to be good for little, they can be relied upon to make little fuss, or trouble, as long as their basic needs (the only needs they seem to have) are taken care of. There is no right or wrong for this type of person, there is only what is easy, what is hard, and what can be gotten away with. Life, rather than an adventure to be immersed in, is seen as a series of exhertions, and annoyances to avoid, from which the ultimate goal is escape.

This is not a normal mindset among humans, but is a result of training and reinforcement. Certainly we all have a measure of greed and laziness, but these facets of our personalities are built upon and expanded.

True change is threatening, though the allure of the percieved change presented by trend, and fad, are yet another means used as a method of escape, and are enthusiasticly

we watch in comfort while highly paid proffesionals act out fantasies, and live our lives for us. We even have others play our games for us.

escape through tedium, procedure, and habit, escape through bland, artificial entertainment, escape through banal self indulgance, and finally the ultimate escape through drugs. The left is a big supporter, or provider of all of these things. In part this is because relenting power over one's own life leaves a power vacume, and there are always those, hungry for power, who will take advantage.

Teddy Roosevelt has said about such people: "The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

During the Civil war it was opined: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stewart Mill

Whew, what a relief to be finished with all of that.
surrendering (selling) our lives
liberty vs security.

Of course, none of us is immune to such a mindset; from time to time, we all succumb.

I can only say that I have been the happiest when I have worked the hardest, or had the most to do.

We will all die someday. Though medicine has made some strides in putting this day off (I personally expect to live to be at least 100), there is no way to elude it forever. This is unfortunate, but there is nothing to be done about it, at least for now. The tradgedy is that many people will have reached this point after never having really lived. This is tragic, beacuse there is no reason for it. Unlike the enevitabilty of death, there is nothing enevitable about living a dull, uneventfull, and pointless life.

An aquantance of mine, who happens to be black, often wonders at what has happened (or has been made to happen) to his race. He is in his late sixties............. As a decent hardworking , responsable man, he also has some concern over what has happened to his family. He has a number of grandsons, and he shakes his head over them, having told me in confidance "Those boys live like rats, to get that $600 a month."

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." -- Theodore Roosevelt