As I approach the autumn of my years, I have tried to abide by a few simple principles, some borrowed and some original with me. The first of these originals is an overriding goal simply stated as “I have absolute peace of mind, choosing love over fear in every circumstance.” Admittedly, this is not always easy, and I often stumble. The second states that “I never criticize, condemn or complain.” Again, this is often easier said than done. The third is my admonition to myself, stating “I don’t judge, label or call names.” Hopefully, I get a passing grade on this one.
Finally, I borrow from don Miguel Ruiz (www.miguelruiz.com) in his book The Four Agreements:
• Be impeccable with your word
• Don’t take anything personally
• Don’t make assumptions
• Always do your best
I don’t tell you these things to glorify myself, but only to define a little more of who I am, my views on life, and how I try to treat others. You will understand why this is important in future blogs.
When I was much younger, say age 65, I had a more laissez-faire attitude. Even though I worried about the effect on my children and grandchildren, I could tolerate things, because “I wasn’t going to be around to see the results.” What a shock when I learned that 80 is now the new 60, and I’m still around, and may be for quite a while. For that reason I decided to take a more active role in defining the future.
Over many years of life we seniors have garnered tremendous knowledge and experience. Even though we don’t hear and see as well as we once did, and sometimes as we rise from a chair we go through the evolutionary process before we finally stand erect, we have an inherent sense of right and wrong, good and bad, truth and bullshit. Our value system is highly functioning.
For the next few weeks I will be espousing some of the inherent problems I see facing the country today, and will try to differentiate between problems and symptoms. Maybe together we can develop some workable solutions.