As we get older,
if we are paying attention,
we get wiser...
because we have more data.
Think about it.
The longer we live,
the more we've seen,
the more we've learned.
I ALWAYS feel like I need to put the qualifier,
IF WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION...
Because, older, by itself, doesn't make you smarter.
So many people have "fixed" their beliefs, their conclusions about life, about people in life, that no matter how long they live, they now know "right" from "wrong"... and so they spend their lives disagreeing with anyone who doesn't share their definition of "right"...
Certainly, the longer we live, the more opportunity we have to UNDERSTAND "right" from "wrong"...
And, as I get older I realize very few things that we conclude as "right" or "wrong" usually are... because life is often more complex than we want to make it.
I could take this conversation in lots of directions that challenge the polarization of politics, of social issues... but I'd rather not emotionally charge polarize anyone...
Instead, I'd love for you to consider...
How committed are you to "right" vs "wrong" in your life?
To me, the things I consider truly "right" I label as "absolute truths" (hence the name of this website)... but I try to virtually NEVER use the terms "right" and "wrong"...
Here are my current top of mind thoughts on things that are "RIGHT"...:
It is right to be true to my word, if my word is sympathetic, well-intended and constructive.
It is right to question the world, as it is the only way to learn more about it.
It is right to care about my fellow human beings, about their future and their well-being. (And, likely, it is right to care about all things that are living. I am working on that one as I feel like a hypocrite to believe it as "right" and still live and eat as I do.)
It is right to do all that we can to protect the children of the world and the disabled.
It is right to want peace in the world, as long as I want it for everyone.
It is right to dream, to want for better, to reach deep within ourselves to conceive and create a better environment around us.
It is right to choose for ourselves the lives that we want, to live free - as long as we don't, in the process, take away the same right for anyone around us.
FREEDOM is the ultimate RIGHT... and the only FREEDOM we should seek to create is the one that doesn't encroach on anyone else's ability to live FREE.
I am not sure much else, in my opinion, qualifies for "RIGHT" and "WRONG"... (And, I am sure this could be a lively conversation if we could engage in the conversation).
And, yet think about the plethera of situations and issues that we choose to debate and argue over "right" and "wrong"...
religion, walls, sex, drinking, pot, energy, politics, standing or kneeling, burning or not burning flags, tattoos, piercings, clothes, guns, Gods, technology, curfews, careers, money, marriage/divorce, guns, ... and the list goes on and on and on...
I should do a top of mind list about what is "BETTER' instead of "RIGHT", because there are many things that I believe are BETTER than their alternative... but better doesn't mean right... better is simply a more productive choice... For example, INCLUSION is better than EXCLUSION... HONESTY is better than DECEPTION... GRATITUDE is better than INGRATITUDE, but neither is absolute, they are choices we get to make in how we live our lives and engage with those around us, and there are situations when the less desired approach may be the better choice (disclaimer: not sure Gratitude is EVER the wrong choice ;-)
Think about it...
If all of the leaders of the religions... If God, Jesus, Allah, Bhrama and Buddha all lived today... Do you think they would argue over "right" and "wrong"? Do you think they would take arms against each other? OR, do you think they would engage in a meaningful discussion to better understand the universe, spirituality, mankind and how we live and treat each other?
To be enlightened, I believe, is to stop seeking to understand "right" from "wrong"...
and to start seeking a better understanding of life, death and our relationships and dynamics with our fellow human beings.
To be enlightened, I believe, is to be open to new ways of thinking... to be humble in the little that we know...
To be enlightened, I believe, is to want better for EVERYONE around us, and to believe in the goodness of mankind...
To be enlightened, I believe, doesn't mean to ignore the dangers of evil - nor to choose not to engage with them... it simply means to always choose rationality, respect, morality, and love as our primary tools for resolving them...
To be enlightened means to seek LIGHT... not RIGHT...
And, LIGHTNESS comes from freeing ourselves from the desire to know "RIGHT"...
LIGHTNESS comes from connecting to what is positive, what is meaningful...
LIGHTNESS comes from connecting to those around us...
Those who are also seeking a more meaningful understanding of it all...
The older I get,
the less I know...
The older I get,
the less I need to know...
and,
the more I want to pay attention,
the more I want to learn...
and connect...
in harmony,
Nestor