I awoke feeling old today. That persistent pain in my knee. My flabby form. My failing physical constitution. And especially those thoughts which escaped me before I could think them through—I knew they were there, but where did they go? The good thing though is my growing disconnect and irrelevance with the distractions of life: work, politics, rumor and gossip—all attended to in proportion to my responsibility and duty, but no more than that. This is also dangerous, I know. Like a man alone in a raft tethered to a ship full of people, bright with lights, music, noise and the bustle of adulthood. And me in my little wooden boat, towing alongside, bound to the larger craft with my rope. How did I get in this little boat? I was once up there on the deck with the others. How did I get here? Juan’s still there, and he’s older than me.
Most curious is the sense of my loosening grip on this rope. I see the other little boats back there in the night, behind the ship, those older than me who’ve already let go—not dead, but drifting, alone and disconnect, and hardly caring. This is a risk and challenge of getting old, of staying connected to NOW and not letting go in favor of an imagined past which never really existed and can therefore never be found. Letting go the rope of now may release us from the burdens of a life we can no longer abide or understand. But what sea will we drift in when the connection is gone?
The Good Life Meditation is my daily recitation and reminder of personal objectives and principles used in pursuit of a purposeful life in spite of a universe of seeming indifference. Learn more about The Good Life at my website GoingAlone.org or by reading my book Going Alone. And visit our Discord at: https://lnkd.in/gFgfGmY6
OBJECTIVES: 1. Be Always Ready to Die 2. Make Good Use of Time and Resources 3. Develop Good and Sound Life Principles 4. Cultivate Good Emotional Reactions 5. Perform Good Actions 6. Recognize True Limits and Opportunity 7. One Thing Slowly
PRINCIPLES: 1. Principle of War 2. Principle of Reason 3. Homunculus 4. Anchorhold 5. Home of Good and Evil 6. Principle of Purpose 7. Atomic Principle 8. Principle of Nature 9. The Pirate Ride 10. Principle of Maturity 11. Social Principle 12. Public Speaking 13. Temperance 14. Life Will Not Go Well 15. The Horror Show 16. That Which Must Be Borne 17. The Feast of Offal 18. Distraction 19. Agency and The Great Indifference 20. The Best Seat in the House 21. The Restless Man 22. The Path of Wildness 23. The Great Life Adventure 24. The Risk of Avoiding Risk 25. Sin and Damnation 26. Complete Oblivion 27. The Season of Philosophy 28. Bullseye Aim 29. The Uphill Climb 30. Arena and Utility 31. Nothing IS enough 32. The Principle of Fun
My name is Kurt Bell.
You can learn more about The Good Life in my book Going Alone.
Be safe... But not too safe.