I read this quote several months ago and It really stuck with me. I find this to be so true in western society and I know that I get cought up in this same "need to work as much as I can" mentality because it is what I "should" do as a productive member of society. When in reality I know that this leaves me exhausted and barely able to participate in the rest of my life- in the things that are truely meaningful to me. I am working on adjusting this Idea that has been so ingrained in me since birth.
When asked what surprised him most the dalai Lama responded with this:
"Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. Then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn't enjoy the present: the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."
In my daily work I am "fortunate" to spend a lot of time talking with older people and people nearing the end of their life. As a person in my 20's I have found this to be extremely difficult, but also a great learning opportunity. I have come across far too many people nearing the end of their life that are full of regret. People that spent their life working and working, putting off their dreams and the real pursuit of happiness until a later date, only to find that they had put these things off for too long. The result is a person that is deeply depressed when they come to the realization that their life is nearly over and they did not really live. The comments I hear several times a day include "these are the golden years??" and "I never thought my retirement would be like this". This is usually followed by the advice that I hear several times a day from my patients: "Dont get old!". To which I reply with a smile "I dont really have a choice".
Now when I hear this advice "dont get old" I add my own subtext: "Dont get old" (without truely living your life).
In my work I have come across a handfull of people that are also in the twilight of their life, but they have a very different outlook on things. They are filled with a sense of contentment and completion that is palpable. They can tell you endless stories about the places they have been, the things they have done, the relationships they created and the joy that it brought them over the years. These are the unusual people that spent their entire life living out their dreams rather than waiting until retirement to do so. Unfortunately, in my encounters with older people in western society I can say that these individuals are the small minority. I guess that is a product of the way that our society pushes us. These individuals made a choice to live differently...and I hope to learn from that choice.
It has been an interesting process as a young person to see what it is like to be at the end of your life. This is something that other people my age never really think about. It reminds me of the psychology exercise where a person imagines their own funeral and thinks about what they want their Eulogy to sound like. Then they work backwards to live a life that will reflect what they want their story to be in the end. Death is a very uncomfortable topic to think about or discuss, but the truth of the matter is that we are all heading to the same finish line and knowing that can help us to live a life that is truely aligned with our dreams and passions.
To quote one of my favorite songs..."Dont let your Dreams be Dreams"
For me this means exploring ways to make more time for what brings me true happiness (practicing more yoga, reading, being outdoors, being with my family, volunteer work, spending time with my dogs, learning, traveling, and growing as a human being) rather than working my self into exhaustion on a daily basis to pay for my house and my car and all that Stuff I "need".
Now It is about taking small steps toward a life that truely lets me embrace my health and my time - to live in the present moment. To live my dreams every day - so that when I am ready to cross the finishline I can do so with a smile on my face.
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