The Long in the Short of Life
The time we spend on earth is relatively short in the grand scheme. Few would agree. And yet still some men and women die far too young as proven by disasters like the 7.0 earthquake that occurred in Haiti this past week. What many may not know, however, is that this past week a Division II basketball player from Southern Indiana University named Jeron Lewis collapsed during a game and died at age 21. He had recently celebrated the birth of his first son. Please watch the video to learn more about Lewis.
As for this post, I’ll say that I’m reminded of life’s immediacy when I read a story like Lewis’. I had a talk with a friend recently about how hard it is to get people to look at themselves, to evaluate themselves honestly and to sit with the reality of that true identity. Put simply, most people don’t like the truth and are terribly uncomfortable with contemplation and reflection. My friend runs what I would call a Protestant Monastery, a place to which people come to have silence and solitude as they seek God. Sounds different huh? Compare that to what I do. 6ixth Man basically invites athletes to look at themselves and find out where the resentment of authority, the anger, the depression, the fear of failure actually comes from. So my friend and I do something similar and people don’t like it. How do I know? Because last year my friend gave out 100 free stays to her facility each worth $75 in value and only 3 people took her up on the offer. No one wants to slow down long enough to look closely at themselves. It was scary for me the first time so I reckon others are equally apprehensive.
But if life is as short as it seems, why not do some silence every now and again? Why not read a book or a blog that invites thought and reflection? Why not go into your past to unlock answers about who you are and why you do what you do? Why not do these things and why not do them today. With no real knowledge of what tomorrow involves, wouldn’t it be fulfilling to know that the life we are living is a meaningful one.
Posted: by Norman Anthony
Category: Bigger than Me, Character
Keeping it real!!!! LOVE IT….By the way checkout the lower right corner of the website for an awesome getaway for those of us in southern california, to reflect and do exactly what Norman was talking about….Examine self
This has been around for a long time but I feel it reflects how things are today.
The Paradox of Our Time in History
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete…