Skip to main content

Goals

"If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship," said Thomas Aquinas, "he would keep it in port forever." So many of us, I have seen, do harbor our dreams in a port of inaction so that we never have to face our shortcomings or endure the pain of difficult work. There are those difficult moments in the pursuit of a dream when a person asks the all-important question: why. "Why am I doing this?" "Why should I continue if nothing is changing?" This question was easy enough to answer before starting; but hardship can cause a person to lose sight of why he or she thought to pursue the dream in the first place. Disillusionment sets in, especially if there is no apparent fruit coming from your labor (intellectual, spiritual, physical, etc.). In long-distance running, this is called "the wall," the moment when a runner feels as though there is no possible way to continue running.

Runners know, however, that it is possible to break through that wall. Someone had to find that out by experience. No matter how inadequate we can sometimes feel, no man or woman is without faults. Simply trying to conceal them will only lead to them being exposed gradually, instead of in the brilliant explosion of real-world mistakes that make for good conversation.

If you know your reason for doing a thing, hold onto that, and stay committed. It is easier said than done, I know, but it will be the only thing that encourages you to continue. At the same time, don't be afraid of making goals that seem unattainable. You might fail, but if you do, you'll only begin to understand yourself (your strengths and faults) more clearly. In the process, know that your life will be on display; but if that is frightening, remember that your life will be on display whether you choose to pursue your goals or not. You might as well try.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Savior

This wasteland cold and dark runs free Its fearful creatures speak to me One fateful day one nudged my hand To set my eyes upon a tree He knew I could not understand For I was in his native land His signs became our common speech To lead me through the deadly sand Now stuck I saw him me beseech He could not lift me out to reach The firm foundation of a cave Outside the boundaries of this beach Withal, the beast became more brave To risk his own my life to save To carry me, its life it gave To carry me, its life it gave. This poem was inspired by Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." That poem, like this one, has four four-line stanzas of eight syllables per stanza. Its rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Nice Guy Fallacy

I read part of a poem recently by one of my favorite poets. It reads: I envy not in any moods The captive void of noble rage The linnet born within the cage That never knew the summer woods. I envy not the beast that takes His license in the field of time Unfetter'd by the sense of crime To whom a conscience never wakes. Nor what may call itself as bles't The heart that never plighted troth But stagnates in the weeds of sloth Nor any want-begotten rest. I hold it true, whate'er befall I feel it, when I sorrow most 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. At base, Tennyson contrasted a life of risk, and consequent pain, with one of security. He sides conclusively with the life of risk, and says he fails to envy those who have faced no hardship. I agree with him; and, for good or ill, his words are just as relevant today as they were in the nineteenth century. Like then, there are those today who choose to live their lives with as little risk as...
2 comments
Read more

Ghosts

Exercising at a gym seems to be pretty important in our culture, but it's kind of weird to see the social dynamics when you're there. Usually, if you're running an errand, you see others doing the same thing, going about their days and focusing on what's in front of them. The same thing happens at the gym, only everyone is relatively stationary. They don't really go anywhere, except from one machine or area to another. One might think this lends itself to lots of interaction between members, especially since they're all there for the same purpose, but it isn't true. Not only do people generally avoid talking to one another, but they also avoid even looking at one another. It is as though there is no one else there, even though there are dozens on any given day. Most people follow this unwritten rule, unless something in the environment-- say, two people wanting to use the same set of weights-- gives them common ground to interact, or unless they've alr...
2 comments
Read more