It is desirable that a man be clad so simply that he can lay his hands on himself in the dark, and that he may live in all respects so compactly and preparedly that, if an enemy take the town, he can, like the old philosopher, walk out the gate empty-handed without anxiety. -Henry David Thoreau
It is possible that my life might soon come apart. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not unlikely that my employer may need to let me go. And if this were to happen then my practical life would unravel quickly and fall to ruin. I've faced this possibility and have reflected on my options relative to my family and responsibilities and have formulated a plan should such event come to pass. It's a good plan; a plan which will take my family and me back to Japan, where my wife and I will find a small home in Shizuoka where we can resume our old lives together as foreign man and Japanese wife. It will be a good life, as any life with my dear wife has always been. Our daughter may choose to join us there, or she may remain in the USA to finish her schooling - it's her choice.
It is helpful to be a philosopher at life's great junctures; the failures or tragedies more than the successes; wisdom being easily neglected when times are good; though indispensable when all around us falls to ruin. We certainly need something when times are poor, and "interesting", and our footing is unstable, and we seem likely to fall. This is the time of the philosopher's boon. This is the season to harvest the grown and ripened seeds of musings planted before we knew we might die. Such is a time for philosophy.
My name is Kurt Bell.
You can learn more about The Good Life in my book Going Alone.
Be safe... But not too safe.