I wanted to write something uplifting today—something to nourish the spirit, for uncertainty abounds. Everyone seems jittery. Winter is coming. Collectively, we hold our breath. The next few months seem crucial. Outcomes? Who knows.
The threefold crisis of economics, pandemic, and election are not far from my thoughts. At the university we are reminded weekly (almost daily) of an impending economic collapse. A local college tell us they will have to fire over a hundred faculty members. Some universities fear they might even close. My university is on "pause." Our COVID positive numbers have increased dramatically over the last two weeks. All classes are online. Several of my students are sick ... and then there is the election. The polls tell us Vice-President Biden is likely to win, but who can tell. I utterly dread another four years of hateful bile and the erosion of the good. Each day without an "October surprise" brings a sigh of relief. Counting the days. Holding my breath.
My taijiquan training teaches me not to hold my breath. Breathe easily. Breathe deeply. Flow with the body's rhythms. In times of stress you forget to breathe.
So this morning, I pause, remember to breathe and reflect on three treasures to counteract the threefold crisis.
Nature. In the midst of the madness, this fall is the most beautiful I can remember. The trees are breathtaking in their effulgence. (Funny how breath keeps cropping up.) Daily walking the pugs is a delight. The sights, sounds, and smells of autumn enliven the spirit. It is so good to be alive!
Memory. My iPhone alerts me each morning with something "for you." The wonders of iOS produce little photo albums of a day, a week, a person it thinks I will like—and I usually do. Photo mementos stir memories of happy days, loving people, and the goodness of life. Eternity lives in memory. In the transience of the present the eternal breaks through with a different perspective.
Sacred texts. Sacred texts are an anchor. Ancient writings have stood the test of time and give us a long-term view. This morning reading the Yijing I was reminded that true progress in life comes from serving a higher cause, a purpose beyond the confines of the self. The Greek philosopher Aristotle told us that all things have a natural purpose, a telos. The purpose of the acorn is to become an oak tree. Human beings too have a natural purpose, that of happiness. I have never quite been easy with Aristotle's "natural purpose" for people because, unlike the acorn, we are blessed (and cursed) with the ability to make choices. We can choose direction, we can choose purpose and we live with the consequences of our choices. But I have no qualms about Aristotle's telos—that of happiness. Not the mere feeling of happiness, but a deeper understanding of well-being in every aspect of life, thriving in all its senses. And not merely a personal thriving but the thriving of all, the well-being of everyone. We can choose that. Of course, I can't do much for the well-being of everyone on the planet, but I can do my best to work for the well-being of all those in my limited orbit—family, friends, colleagues. That is a higher purpose than merely getting along each day, and for me it suffices. I cannot change the whole world, but I can choose goodness, choose life, choose wellbeing. So today I do.
I do not know what the next two weeks will bring as we approach the election , nor the impending pandemic winter, nor the future of the university. But I do not hold my breath. Today I breathe.
+Ab. Andy