Where has the time gone? More than three score years. What do I have to show for it? Why so many trials and tribulations along the way?
I have not suffered alone. That is the fate of being human. Everyone is familiar with disappointment, malaise, unfulfilled dreams — some more or less than I.
Since time began, humankind has asked for answers to the purpose of life, why we are here, do we finally go somewhere else. I started out life relatively innocent and painfully naïve. I can't say that I know much more, despite the experiences I have had these many years.
I have tried to be kind to others and have hoped for kindness in return. They say, and I have sensed, that love is the most powerful force humans may experience. Those who have loved and have been loved may have possessed the greatest treasure humans are permitted to enjoy. Yet, those fortunate ones who have experienced love ultimately are left open to loss and grief. Love is a two-edged sword.
In my own small way, I have made my mark, nothing grand, perhaps nothing particularly memorable. I have helped a few people, and I have made efforts to share with others what beauty exists in the world. But, I have left for posterity no great symphonies, no great architectural monuments, no cure for cancer. Only a select few are granted such privilege.
I am no philosopher; I have no deep thoughts as to the purpose of life. Perhaps the whole thing is some kind of ironic joke. Perhaps Robert Frost sums it up best in just two lines:
“Forgive, Oh Lord, my little jokes on thee
And I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.”
© 12 January 2015
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