A Rising Tide

PREFACE:  This entry is one of an increasing number related to the challenge of living without a GOAL, MISSION, PURPOSE or PASSION in life – a privation with which I’m finding so many are unfortunately saddled.  Most entries on this topic are about practicalities, though elements of philosophy creep in.

The most important first principle of successful journeying is getting a grip on how life works – take it or leave it … and most of us are a lot better off TAKING IT!  Sustainability is a prime issue.  And “Hard Truths”, FACTS, VALUES and PRINCIPLES have to be FACTored in.  This entry was originally going to be entitled “Time, Energy and Place” (“Place” meaning circumstances or “Station in Life”.)  Let’s see how it turns out!

“A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Popular Aphorism

Example:

When the national economy improves,

more and better jobs appear, and

 life gets better for everyone.

NOTE: If all you want is a “job”, there are many to be had at the lowest level that offer no sense of challenge, dignity or fulfillment. 

 SOBERING FACT 1:  The “TIDE” of life doesn’t work the same as the tides of the oceans.  One will find sooner or later that the tide of life doesn’t naturally ebb and flow with phases of the moon so you can hop on and off the boat indefinitely, always returning to some prescribed point of entry or departure.  The tide of life “rises” only with applied effort, and “falls” of its own accord without applied effort!  If you happen to be enjoying a “high tide” moment toward which you made no personal contribution, you’re living on “credits” provided by someone else.  This is rarely a sustainable condition!  It happens early in life for a reason: so we can develop – without drowning – to a point of generating a critical mass of our own steam.  Thus, other-generated “credits” diminish over time as we are expected to begin pulling our own weight.

SOBERING FACT 2:  All our boats are “leaky”!  And they’re not anywhere close to “seaworthy” at the beginning of our journey.  A lot of safe-harboring is provided by significant others early in the game (see “credits” above), but “motorizing” and moving from rinky-dinky paddle boats to outboard motor boats to inboards with enough fortification and horsepower (“shark power”?) to get us through rip tide currents and buffeting winds and waves without getting swamped becomes a significant engagement for much of the duration.  It’s the largest part of the overall COST OF LIVING. 

“I never saw it coming!”

Plaintive Cry of the Woebegone Inattentive Sailor

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“The time for taking all measures for a ship’s safety

is while still able to do so.”

Admiral Nimitz

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[“That would be NOW!”]

Quartermaster

So, while there’s no absolute requirement for a grand GOAL, or VISION, or MISSION, or PASSION, or PURPOSE in life to move us toward getting our ship in shape for the journey, the clock is running, the tide is running, and they’re both running OUT! 

And, while we don’t need to take on noble causes and/or sacrifice life and limb for others, or for humanity in general, we’ve eventually got to float our own boat!  This WILL mean sacrificing indulgences along the way, as well as living well beyond the moment ... building, investing, accruing our own “credit”, and making ourselves USEFUL to others … almost as if we DID have a Mission or Purpose … e.g., like avoiding getting “swamped”! 

The 21^st Century is an interesting time in the development of civilization.  Early in social evolution one did “hunting and gathering” solely for one’s own purposes.  However, at this much later date, one can hardly gain anything (legitimately) for one’s own purposes without enriching another: You work to provide goods and services for OTHER people and they reward you with negotiable currency.  Work harder to provide more and better goods and services, and you may become more richly rewarded.  And the tide keeps rising! 

Wait a minute:  Why would anyone want – or ever feel compelled – to do any or all of that? 

In Peter Thompson’s words, it is simply “to be able to live a life of choice.”   The more negotiability and navigability one can acquire, the higher denomination choices one has.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that! 

So what if the choices one already has are more than enough?  Sad to say, many are unrealistically content … in the moment … with small choices – up until they have too many Defining Moments / Moments of Truth and/or NEED choices they can’t have and couldn’t foresee but unknowingly covet: 

“All I want is a warm bed,

a kind word,

…

and UNLIMITED POWER!”

Ashleigh Brilliant

In his book, “DO IT: Let’s Get off Our Buts”, Peter McWilliams says it takes an average of two hours a day to prepare for the future while we’re scrambling (or NOT!) to make it through a 24 hr. day.  That’s 14 hours a week … perhaps 7 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday if you can’t do it during week days.  That’s actually not a lot compared to an average of 30+ hr. per week that Americans spend watching television, not to mention unnumberable hours of immersion in social media.  Take a week off, and you’ve lost more than half a day in building a strong foundation for the most promising future possibilities. 

So let’s take a couple of hours today – steal it if you have to, a couple hours tomorrow, and make it a daily habit to keep the tide rising under our own boats.  Yes, it will also help float the boats of others, but we’ll all get dividends, and maybe create a “tidal wave” of even greater possibilities for an even brighter future.  Quartermaster