Why? As a philosopher, this basic question provides the starting point for a life well-lived. To quote Socrates, the unexamined life is not worth living. The why question starts the examination process, not only of one’s own life, but of the entire universe. Why am I here? Why is life the way it is? There are many questions that spin off of these ones: Who am I? What constitutes true reality? Is it possible to know reality as it is, or is it only possible to know reality as we perceive it to be?
My counselor encouraged me to ask the why question. Why am I suffering from anxiety, fear, depression? Why are those things present in my life? In other words, what is causing them? They are symptoms. So what is the disease? This is, for me, the starting point. If I want to journey further, if I want to get past the roadblocks that seem to continually manifest themselves on the roadway of my life, then I need to attend to myself. I am sick, and sick people need medicine. I have a disease, and diseased people need healing. I am wounded, and wounded people need care. I am broken, and broken people need surgery. It’s time to go under the knife, to excise the cancerous lump, so that the sick parts become healthy and whole. I’ve been under the knife before, and it hurts more than any physical pain I’ve experienced. But after the surgery is done, and the heart has had time to heal, I am much stronger for having gone through it. The only other option is to remain sick, and sick people die sooner. I want to live. Mere existence is not living. To truly live is to be free. I want to be free to be me, because who I am is good.
2 comments:
Hi Nathan,
The older I get the more I find myself asking questions like the ones you have noted, and many more. I believe that in the Christian environment I've lived in it has been rather frowned upon to ask questions. We should not question or doubt...we should only believe. We shouldn't think about ourselves, only others. We should also be ready to answer the questions of others and this is somehow defending the faith. That in order to prove that Christianty is true we should have an answer for everything. This has been a frustrating way to live with continual feelings of failure and having somehow disappointed God.
I applaud you for taking steps to fing out "why". So many simply try to ignore the symptoms you describe, and in our society there are many ways to be distracted, and even encouraged to cover them up and pretend they aren't there.
I've started reading a book by Ian Morgan Cron entitled "Chasing Francis". In regards to your question of "Who am I?" (this is also my question) he shares this dialogue between two priests.
"Do you know the story of Rabbi Zusya?" he asked. "He was a Chasidic master who lived in the 1700s. One day he said, 'When I get to the heavenly court, God will not ask me "'Why weren't you Moses?' Rather he will ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?"
Finding our who we are is, in my opinion, one of the toughest things to do...but probably one of the most important.
Debbie
Thanks Debbie! I appreciate your perspective very much, and I love that quote of the 2 priests! It is only too true.
Post a Comment