Length: 578 Words Reading Time: 3 Minutes
My Dear Misunderstood,
I believe you live in the best of times and the worst of times. And therein lies the challenge for you and your contemporaries.
I am now in my eighth decade, and my fervent hope is that I can pass onto you what I call white beard wisdom, such as it is — wisdom in the sense that it has served me well during my life of almost eight decades. But, I am not sure it will work as well for you, especially in the world I see around us. Read these letters with an open mind and an open heart though and, perhaps, if they are of some small value, they will serve the desired purpose.
I want to write in this letter about awareness because being aware is so vital for our inner life and our outer life. Socrates, a famous old white beard, who lived in the fourth century B.C. once said the essential duty of life is to “know oneself” and always to seek the truth. He also noted that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Simple thoughts but with profound and complex meanings. I urge you to reflect on these two thoughts whenever you have the time for a quiet moment.
The most profound question I have often asked myself is, “Who am I?” My old friend, Bill Bailey, another white beard, used to say to me that we are the total of our life experiences, decisions, and actions. When I first heard that phrase, I thought it was quite profound. I do not find it of much value today because it lacks meaningful specificity, which is a clever way to capture this thought—it does not provide any real value in understanding who we are.
One of my favorite quotes is from the philosopher, Soren Kirkegaard, who said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” His quote sums up the challenge that we all face in coming to grips with living a life of purpose and significance. We must live our lives forwards, but we must always take time to be aware of what we have experienced each day if we can. Were we expanding or contracting? Were we positive or negative? Were we free of blaming and complaining? Were we kind, caring, and compassionate towards everyone (and I do mean everyone)?
I believe that the world we live in today, especially here in America, is one that can easily overwhelm us with its informational, emotional, and visual overload. It is challenging to stay above the fray and to think for oneself. But you must do so because much of what you view on television and read today in newspapers or on the Internet is very questionable.
I urge you always to think for yourself and not to follow the herd. Learn to do your homework and follow the facts and the truth, wherever they lead. This strategy is easy to state, but it is tough to follow each day because we are social animals, and we want to be accepted and liked by our peers. To stand alone and to be unique can be quite scary and daunting, but whatever the cost to do so, it is worth it.
In the letters that follow this one, I plan on writing about wisdom, kindness, a life well-lived, and many other topics. I hope you find them of value,
With great affection,
Old White Beard