“Life holds every man dear; but the dear man holds honor far more precious dear, than life.” — William Shakespeare
At first glance, this quote from Shakespeare seems a “play on words.” It is reflecting a simple concept sometimes lost on many individuals. When reaching a certain plateau in life, our core values become tantamount to our existence. Circumstances present themselves in ways we could have never imagined. Yes . . . we find ourselves in a quagmire of conflict, on all sides. Our choices precipitate how we move forward in any given situation, and those decisions become intractable. Through sustained effort, we believe what we are doing is “rock-solid.” Upon closer introspection, we finally realize as stated by Rumi, “You think the shadow is the substance.”
Once we understand that the only permanence is impermanence, we begin to grasp the unconscionable, through what we continually see in this environment of technological access. What skill set do we bring to what Stephen Covey suggests in these words . . . “There are three constants in life … change, choice and principle.” This process continues whether we acknowlege it or not. It’s comparable to the constancy of energy in a universal environment, ever evolving in an eternal abyss.
Time will pass no matter what you choose in whatever given circumstances you find yourself. The conscious substance of your life continues to be distilled with every passing moment, make no mistake of that. What constitutes your core values given your essence and awareness of who you are now? Look around you . . . what do you see? What is your core response to what is evolving? Thomas Aquinas reflected quite poignantly with, “Whatever is received is received according to the nature of the recipient.”
Given the external pictures of the world in a reality of now, substance over form becomes lost in translation. The advances we have made to date technologically, supersede our humanity. Scientific and technical progress is an evolving process that continues in unyielding speed. In that same “reality of now” runs another aspect of our life’s journey. What do we hold dear and honor, in the recesses of our conscious being in addition to the contiuum of the obvious? What do we really believe beyond what we see? The resonating response is different for each of us, but Thomas Aquinas gives us a message of hope and resiliency . . . “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” JLR