Things to Remember Outside of a Catastrophe

Life is precious, and it's way too easy to lose track of that fact. At least, until something horrible happens that breaks the spell and forces us to stare down a difficult truth. We're not built to be able to keep this in mind for more than a few days a year, but it bears remembering.

People are so variable as to defy generalization (duh), but I believe that the average person is goodhearted. I don't see a way to continue living in this world without thinking so. Most of us are imperfect in small ways— gossipy or brooding or cliquey or irritable— but most of us want the best for the people around us. And those that don't, well, there's no waving away free will, but take the opportunity to acknowledge that none of us has complete control over his life, and we're all susceptible to the proverbial beat of the butterfly's wings somewhere across the state line. We're so often like birds in the path of a tornado, at the whim of larger forces both natural and artificial— but still, people burst with uncontainable beauty. Every conversation, every exchange, every interaction is a chance to do, in the words of Raymond Carver, a small, good thing ^[1] . Remember: that butterfly effect works both ways.

We as a species are malleable and the accident of evolution has inclined us towards blending in with cruelty rather than standing out in adversity, but regardless of whether or not it's innate, a sense of justice can be learned. We're capable of vast self-betterment. We must not forget that. "What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness." ^[2] We're all going to commit many, but try to let them be lessons. Otherwise, they don't serve any purpose, and I refuse to surrender to the sea of entropy steadily eroding away the universe.

For all my pontificating, life doesn't make any sense to me. I don't believe that a satisfying explanation exists. There are too many horrible things that happen to undeserving people for me to think that life is more than a few lottery tickets and series of carnival games. But the wonder inherent to existence makes it (somewhat more) bearable. "You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine." ^[3] How magical it is to be here, able to look around for a few minutes.

There are a thousand little rules that I want to write down and remember, but there are two that encompass all the rest: love more and take nothing for granted. It's not my fault that wisdom is unstable, dissolving into platitudes upon close examination. But it's usually enough to just try your best to be good. Most of us have a decent built-in compass. The more you use it, the more you'll know if it's working properly.

[1] Cathedral

[2] George Saunders, Congratulations, by the way

[3] Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step