Reflections on Pursuing a Life Well Lived

Reflections on Pursuing a Life Well Lived

Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of finitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of human life is to grasp as much as we can out of that finitude.

-Alfred Whitehead

As 2022 soon passes we will enter a new year – 2023. For many of us, especially over the past few years, life seems to unfold at a breathtaking pace with an irregularity that for many is uncomfortable because we prefer stability and predictability. Uncertainty and persistent change will remain the norm. These circumstances often lead to cynicism, for some fear, and for others an increased efforts to wrestle control over life and things in it. The future has always been full of uncertainty although it was overshadowed by the wonders of human progress. The complexity of contemporary societies is magnified through our own inventions in large part because we are so well connected unlike the past.??In as much as social media and “news” outlets bombard us with negativity, the projected doom and gloom does not reflect reality. In a broader perspective, the human condition has and continues to improve even in comparison to the recent past.?

Our experiences have formed habits that convince us that life is predictable and controllable.??The illusion of total control over nature was dispelled with the global pandemic. This doesn’t make us helpless; it identifies the limits of control and knowledge. We can learn to navigate the shifting landscape we walk upon to reach our individual or community destination. This requires us to slow down our thinking and our doing. Get off the treadmill. Life might better be embraced as a journey guided by purpose and experienced rather than a race to be won. I want to contribute a small part to the enormity of human histories. These histories are stories that give meaning, value, and reflect the diversity of humanity and their journeys. All of us are propelled forward by the sea of time therefore I choose to orient on making a positive impact in a finite life.

?I am an eternal optimist, seeing the better in even bad people or events, recognizing every day is a steppingstone in a life of purpose. I have experienced joy in the physically horrendous and dangerous circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, I have been adrift, unhappy in my circumstance, frustrated, and often heading in the wrong direction. I have made many mistakes and misjudged too often. I now spend more time reflecting to learn from those episodes. There is one overall question I ponder to be my guide. After I am gone from this Earth, what will the dash between the birth and death date on my headstone represent? How should I spend my undetermined time and for what purpose??

I expect surprise from unknowns and recognize the incompleteness of my personal knowledge, the limits of science to explain, hopeful in the constraint of government, and value the good nature of humanity writ large.???Human civilization is complex whether we are talking globally or at the very local community.??Take for instance the now 8 billion human souls that populate Earth. They are each unique, every one of them composed of nuanced similarity and differences.??We are also members of various socially constructed groups, communities, and nations that usually share values and beliefs that guide social behavior. However, the complexity of individual humans cannot be simplified by assigning someone to a single social or natural category in hopes of defining them.??

We can apply ourselves to constantly make sense of our circumstances, identify drivers of change, and anticipate influences on our goals. This gives us the ability to identify and make choices. We can navigate, like negotiating traffic from an unexpected crash, to eventually reach our destiny. Despite the many accomplishments and promises of science, human life is not predictable. I can hear the voices loudly, “BUT”….or others stating that history doesn’t repeat but it rhymes. My point is that the river of life is flowing and will continue long after we are dead.??We can’t step in the same river twice because the water is flowing, changing the river. There are limits to what is knowable, and we must change our expectations and our thinking if we want to reach our destination.

Take initiative and chart a new course in 2023. As they say a journey begins with the first step and that step begins with the first thought. If you want a better tomorrow, it begins today.??Break free from your current circumstance, jump into a new life path, and begin to make a new history.??Assess your priorities and how you spend your time. Make time to evaluate your current relationships, make new friends, attain new skills, or change careers. Make a consistent effort to relearn, learn and in some instances unlearn. Discipline yourself to create new and break old habits.??Humans are a thinking species uniquely different than all others. I have provided some ideas to reframe your thinking.

???????Don’t underestimate the power of common sense

???????Recognize there will always be unknowns

???????Question your and others’ assumptions?

???????Try to see the bigger picture - context of time and place

???????Value one’s interpretation as much as objective fact

???????Look for connective relationships between people, places, and things

???????Avoid becoming a slave to modern technology?

???????Spend time with and in nature

???????Challenge yourself physically and mentally

???????Dabble in some form of artful expression

???????Slow down often to think, contemplate and imagine.

???????Read some science fiction to open your mind to possibilities

The attainment of our goals in a complex and accelerating world are achievable. If we can envision the future and ourselves in it, we can achieve our purpose. My hope for us all at the ending moments to reflect on a life well lived. A life full of surprises, mistakes, successes, love, and many choices each made seeking to achieve a purpose worthy of living, yet no regrets. Welcome to 2023!