I just read an interesting quote, or maybe it would best be described as a homily (whatever the hell a homily is). “Enjoy life now – it has an expiration date.” Of course young people never think of this because when you are young you are, in your mind, immortal. How else do you think the military gets recruits? What older man would put his life on the line for low pay, bad food, sleeping in the mud, and a sure fire guarantee that when he returned home, all the “citizens” would declare him a baby killer and Homeland Security would warn everyone that veterans are crazy? Not gonna happen.
As you age, if you reach any level of recognized maturity, you do realize that your days are numbered. It may come as an accident or you may just wear out your vital organs but you will die. What a shame that one must become aged to realize the value of life. I’m not sure who it was that suggested that life should be reversed. That you should start out rich and famous so that you could savor that lifestyle and then your attitude and circumstances would change as you matured to the point where you could handle reality much better.
I do know that it was Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) who said something like, “What a pity that youth should be wasted on the young.” But enough homilies for one blog.
I was not raised in a family that practiced organized religion so I am not qualified to comment on the value of that, good or bad. But there is one psalm in the bible that I learned long ago and one that as I age I try to adhere to. “This is the day the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” What a beautiful way to approach each day. Take what it brings, remember the good things, and know that the bad things will pass as they always do. Amen, brother.
