Nature is in flux as it unfolds and grows, then shrinks and declines. All living things have their cycle from creation to destruction: they are born, they live, and they die. Within the life cycle is a continual interplay of yin and yang, activity and inactivity, tension and relaxation, being and nonbeing.~ Alexander Simpkins & Annellen Simpkins in Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance
The life cycle should be allowed to evolve naturally and fully. Life becomes a struggle when people try to impose their personal will on inner nature, when they try to disrupt the natural cycles. When we learn to let things be, we live as nature intended, and orderliness and fulfillment of destiny comes of itself.~
We always seem to be in a hurry to get to the next stage in life. When we're very young, it's often a rite of passage to move from the kiddie table to the adult table at big family gatherings. We want the training wheels taken off our bike even before we learn to ride the darn thing. When older siblings or friends start school, many of us become upset when we're told we have to stay behind and wait until we're old enough.
While I am no prude, I'm often amazed at the very young ages folks begin engaging in sexual intercourse. Kids want to feel grown-up love and so too many engage in grown-up behavior without firmly understanding the ramifications of their actions. I lost my virginity on the night of my senior prom (way too early for an immature me) and I was far, far behind the curve!
I didn't get my driver's license until I was nearly 19, but most of my compatriots arrived at the DMV the day they turned 16. They couldn't wait to get that piece of paper that would allow them to drive like "bats out of hell" in a mechanized killing machine.
At almost every step along the way in life -- with the exception of when we become feeble and frail -- we humans seem to desire to push the envelope. We want to get to the next stop as fast as we can. Too often, unfortunately, in later life we lament the fact that our rush to get to the next destination meant we never took the time to enjoy the scenery along the road!
It is only then -- once it is far too late -- that we come to understand that we have rushed through our lives and missed out on so much. By refusing to allow our lives to unfold naturally, we have robbed ourselves of the richness, beauty and diversity our lives had to offer.
Stop and smell the roses before the winter of your life sets in.
While I am no prude, I'm often amazed at the very young ages folks begin engaging in sexual intercourse. Kids want to feel grown-up love and so too many engage in grown-up behavior without firmly understanding the ramifications of their actions. I lost my virginity on the night of my senior prom (way too early for an immature me) and I was far, far behind the curve!
I didn't get my driver's license until I was nearly 19, but most of my compatriots arrived at the DMV the day they turned 16. They couldn't wait to get that piece of paper that would allow them to drive like "bats out of hell" in a mechanized killing machine.
At almost every step along the way in life -- with the exception of when we become feeble and frail -- we humans seem to desire to push the envelope. We want to get to the next stop as fast as we can. Too often, unfortunately, in later life we lament the fact that our rush to get to the next destination meant we never took the time to enjoy the scenery along the road!
It is only then -- once it is far too late -- that we come to understand that we have rushed through our lives and missed out on so much. By refusing to allow our lives to unfold naturally, we have robbed ourselves of the richness, beauty and diversity our lives had to offer.
Stop and smell the roses before the winter of your life sets in.
The older I get, the less I find myself in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteI think that's true for most of us. I rarely rush anywhere anymore.
ReplyDeleteit makes sense- many of us want to rush to the "peak" of our existence and then only realize later that we're only rushing towards death... :P i always thought when i was a child that grown-ups were stupid to want to be a kid again. even now i don't envy children or long for the "days of my youth." but i do wish that i would have been more content as a child. oh well. :)
ReplyDeletebtw, i didn't get my driver's license until age 18, and that year i broke my leg so i never really drove until age 19. i also lost my virginity at a later age (17) but i think i was at a decent maturity level as far as sex goes. my husband didn't lose his until he was in his 20s.
I don't long to return to my childhood either. There are a lot of perks to growing old. The best one is not making the same mistakes over and over again. If a person pays attention to their paths along the way, we each gain a certain degree of wisdom.
ReplyDelete