Putting It In Context

The imposing and powerful presence of the Renaissance Center stares at me as my current desktop image. Millions of thoughts rush to mind: the pride it brings as a world corporation from Detroit, seeings its products on the streets of Senegal, China, and Australia; the angst it brings that it hasn’t been able to change quickly enough to stay on top and continue to provide a good living for thousands in Michigan and all over the U.S.; both the creative and stubborn nature of man that it reflects in its glass and steel as it tries to defy nature and the changing times; the oh so important role it gives us as individuals and societies to express our intellectual, creative, and professional potential as its employees, giving our working life a clear mission in the world of work and commerce; the futility of it all when other, more imposing and powerful forces like economic recessions, global warming, family illnesses and stresses, faith, and self-realization dominate in influencing our daily and longterm peace of mind and survival.

Going to sleep troubled, tossing and turning because of disturbing thoughts, trying to suppress the forces that rob us of restful hours. And then, all of a sudden, opening your eyes to the morning sunshine. A clear, blue sky, a cleansing breeze, a feeling of new found energy and optimism. Everything comes into clearer view and makes more sense. Yes, we establish routines to give life stability. We follow social norms and respect traditions to be a member of that circle of people in the world in which we live. Routines, traditions, established cycles of life--childhood, adolescence, coming of age through education, jobs, relationships often through marriage, children, financial independence and planning, self-actualization, concern for the greater good when the self is secured, grandchildren perhaps, retirement, rediscovery of life through newfound time for travel and friends, perhaps wisdom and serenity sometimes amidst physical ailments, and maybe faith that the end of this road is not the definitive end. It all seems to be reasonable. As I travel the world, the routines resemble each other yet vary in order and flavor. The commonality of humanity is indisputable. And behind it all, is the craving to belong, to love, and to be loved.

In many ways our traditions and routines cultivate those ambitions; in other ways they impede them. In fact, today’s environment seems to make it difficult for us to concentrate on those values which we honor, and which upon death’s approach, matter so much more than all the others.

What this all means for me as I sit here in the morning beauty is that everything MUST count. The greetings, the work, the freetime, the education, the application of our acquired experience, it all has to be focused on making the most of that moment. Tomorrow may or may not come with more hopes or worries. What matters is today, how I will interact with others. Every action provokes a reaction. Can I put it all in context and just find within me the dormant inner peace and spread the love? Living in a place where all the other worries are present in greater degrees than at home, and seeing, despite all of it, a sincere smile spread across the face of the person with whom I am interacting, I find that all my questions have been answered.