It hasn’t been too long since I had an authentic exchange of sense and sensibility… but I certainly don’t cope with these breaks very well…Nevertheless, I always seem to find a spare smile, a positive thought and an encouraging memory to brighten my end of the day…
Someone asked me a while ago if I would like to be younger. The answer is so obvious. Of course NOT. When I think about my youth, I often associate it with Camus’s Sisyphus and his futile search for meaning in an unintelligible universe devoid of experience, landmarks, principles and values. Being young makes one think about life as an absurdity. But the good news is that, unlike Sisyphus, we are not condemned to repeat the same meaningless task of pushing a rock up a mountain, only to see it roll down again…for a life time. Our search for answers, for identity , for meaning comes to an end and, as adults, we become reconciled with ourselves, strong, confident, ready to make choices and face life’s challenges with optimism and dignity… Well, I am not saying that the ordeal of youth is unnecessary. Because it is precisely this (painful) experience, this constant fighting with ourselves and the external world which leads to adulthood and all its benefits. Adolescence is not a stage that can or should be skipped. It is a compulsory transition, a supreme test to maturity.
Apart from all this inner ripening process, my philosophy is that each significant person I interact with changes/alters me in a permanent way. I just picture this continuous becoming like a cocktail whose colour and taste are being changed by those people and experiences I allow to re-define myself. I can also tell that, without some ingredients, my life cocktail would have no colour & no taste…
As a result, I have become pretty selective when it comes to those who are permitted to make a difference, leave a mark, bring their contribution to my development... Because I don’t like changes which may destroy, damage or spoil my growth, the achievements of so much effort and I would hate to think that all that pain and griefs of youth were in vain. I thank God for my age since my experience makes me responsible, my knowledge makes me patient and calm, my self-confidence guides my way, my energy is enough to perform my daily tasks and still be able to smile whether looking forward or backwards at the end of the day.
Someone asked me a while ago if I would like to be younger. The answer is so obvious. Of course NOT. When I think about my youth, I often associate it with Camus’s Sisyphus and his futile search for meaning in an unintelligible universe devoid of experience, landmarks, principles and values. Being young makes one think about life as an absurdity. But the good news is that, unlike Sisyphus, we are not condemned to repeat the same meaningless task of pushing a rock up a mountain, only to see it roll down again…for a life time. Our search for answers, for identity , for meaning comes to an end and, as adults, we become reconciled with ourselves, strong, confident, ready to make choices and face life’s challenges with optimism and dignity… Well, I am not saying that the ordeal of youth is unnecessary. Because it is precisely this (painful) experience, this constant fighting with ourselves and the external world which leads to adulthood and all its benefits. Adolescence is not a stage that can or should be skipped. It is a compulsory transition, a supreme test to maturity.
Apart from all this inner ripening process, my philosophy is that each significant person I interact with changes/alters me in a permanent way. I just picture this continuous becoming like a cocktail whose colour and taste are being changed by those people and experiences I allow to re-define myself. I can also tell that, without some ingredients, my life cocktail would have no colour & no taste…
As a result, I have become pretty selective when it comes to those who are permitted to make a difference, leave a mark, bring their contribution to my development... Because I don’t like changes which may destroy, damage or spoil my growth, the achievements of so much effort and I would hate to think that all that pain and griefs of youth were in vain. I thank God for my age since my experience makes me responsible, my knowledge makes me patient and calm, my self-confidence guides my way, my energy is enough to perform my daily tasks and still be able to smile whether looking forward or backwards at the end of the day.
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