Friday, August 19, 2011

it's important

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Everyone selects the thing or things in their lives to take seriously. But the 'important' stuff is invariably limited and deserves a bit of modesty, I think. Perhaps the best summary of what is 'important' is contained in the old chestnut, "In a hundred years, who will know?"

Today, for example, I find it mildly bizarre that at the same time world economies give further evidence of downward spiraling and incidents of violence dot the global stage (1, 2, 3), still there is time and energy for concern about the hookers and high lifestyle (read bribes) handed out to University of Miami football players or a brawl between American and Chinese players on a basketball court in China. And let's not forget the unknown identity of a young girl on ice skates.

It's important ... everything is important to someone. Sometimes tremendous effort is put into what is important. Sometimes one importance runs headlong into another and that creates a new importance. But there is no such thing as a universally agreed-upon importance. Not birth, not death, not beauty, not shame, not heaven, not hell, not joy, not love.

So what remains is a potential willingness to investigate and clarify our own sense of importance. Anything else is just posturing in immodest ways. I don't think there is any need to disdain what is considered important -- try to distance ourselves or be above the fray or play the immobile wise man or chatter on about "it's all relative."

Better to choose what is important and then throw ourselves into the flames ... and investigate, reflect and clarify.  Is this limited or is it limitless? No one can tell anyone else. But we can find out.

Just noodling.
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1 comment:

  1. Nice. Let's say movement and physical training are worthy of investigation. : )

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