Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash
The universe is made up of rhythms and cycles. There are seasons and tides, sunrises and sunsets, life and death.
It is a great paradox that individually we are simultaneously everything and nothing, said Ray Dalio.
As an individual, your life matters. You are the center of your universe. The sun revolves around you. Your family matters most to you, as do your friends, your career, etc. You are a biological winner, the product of all of time. You stand here today, after being selected as one of few or maybe only children conceived by your mother out of the MILLIONS of eggs she carried in her body.
Conversely, at the population level, you are nothing. You have no name. Your contributions, be it professional or social, etc., are so minute that they will be unattributed. When you die, greater than 99.9999999% of the people on this planet will not know you and they will go about their daily routine without a thought of your former existence. History will erase your legacy and leave only dust.
It is in this paradox that we can develop a significant and meaningful understanding of our lives and how we should live.
As much of the United States, and the world, begins the process of re-opening, now is an appropriate time to consider what’s next.
What have you learned about yourself and, if you think about it hard, what you must do. Where will you shine your light, pushing back shadows, because you know that life is precious and you have gifts to give. Recognize that this is about your gifts, not someone else's. You don’t have time to waste living someone else’s wishes and dreams. Now is your time to shine. Make the little and big things happen but stay true to you. The light you share will fill you with joy and satisfaction because it is what you have to give, not what you take, that resonates with your being.
We have seen great acts of kindness and generosity during this pandemic.
We have seen many people try to help others while receiving help themselves, and it is this interconnectedness that is the true beauty of existence. A woman sews a mask for a friend while receiving a care package from another. Businesses radically pivot to reach consumers with food, medicine, entertainment, etc., in exchange for their patronage.
Everyone simultaneously tries to get what they need while giving what they have. This is the beauty of reality.
The truth is that for all of time, life has had to fight against the nothingness. As we stand here today, this battle is no different. We will win, we will persevere, we will be stronger, and that is the gift given to us by nothingness. In all of its forms, be it disease, war, famine, it makes us stronger while tearing us down. It is part of existence, it is part of us. It may be hard to conceive this but can you find a way to thank the enemy for teaching you tenacity, bravery, compassion, and a litany of other virtues? Can you see that the nothingness is just a part of us and us a part of it? You have to fight in life but you don’t have to hate the thing you fight.
I look forward to the sunrise. I am thankful for the challenges and for this moment to live. I am sorry for the losses each of us has suffered. I am ready for tomorrow and I hope you can be too.
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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