INVICTUS
(Unconquered)
(Published in the January 2010 edition of the East Bay Psychiatric Newsletter)
How is it possible for a man like Nelson Mandela to be imprisoned in a tiny cell for 27 years, maintain his sanity, eventually be released, become President of his country, and then forgive those who imprisoned him?
How is it possible to be a movie star like Christopher Reeve, ride horses competitively, suddenly become quadriplegic in a jumping accident, and maintain your hope and dignity for many years until you die?
How can Steven Hawkings, arguably the most brilliant physicist alive, maintain his insights and intellect in the face of the devastating impact ALS has had on his physical state for decades?
The answer lies in the emotional strength of these individuals to free their minds to meditate inwardly—to focus on their inner world of truth, beauty, power, and love rather than the external realities that for them have been so bleak.
It may seem impossible to overcome certain obstacles in life and still remain emotionally free, but read the poem "Invictus" below and see how William Ernest Henley felt in 1873 when he lost a foot to TB of the bone. He went on to become a lawyer and live another 30 years to age 53 with only one foot. He wrote “Invictus” from his hospital bed at the time of his amputation:
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."
The inner strength of individuals like Mandela, Reeve, Hawking and William Ernest Henley is what defines an “unconquerable soul.” To become “master of my fate” and “captain of my soul” is the key to overcoming fear, desperation, and loneliness. As long as one’s mental faculties remain in tact, the mind has the capacity to endure. The ability to focus inward is the essential ingredient. While it would be better never to have to call upon such enormous emotional reserves, it is nonetheless reassuring to know that if we were to need access to that strength, that it can become available to us.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 03, 2009
THE FUTURE
(Published in the December 2009 edition of the East Bay Psychiatric Association Newsletter)
One of the greatest human illusions is that with enough planning and effort one can determine one’s future. Yet when people honestly look at what defines their lives—whom they married, what house they live in, what job they work at--it becomes apparent that most of it occurred serendipitously, not through precise planning. What lies around the bend or over the horizon is impossible to know. We cannot see it and we cannot predict it.
No one has ever been very good at predicting the future. When one looks at time capsules left 100 years ago, the predictions that were made were wildly off base. I remember as a kid thinking that by the time I was a grown-up, everyone would have a helicopter in his driveway to avoid traffic congestion—not too sound a forecast as it turns out, and certainly not something that comes close to what is today’s reality.
No one predicted the computer and the revolution it has wrought in our lives. Yet today it is routine for people to walk around with computers the size of their hand that are not attached to anything but can access a universe of information on the internet, can send messages instantly to others, and can take pictures and immediately send them to friends.
Nobody predicted the unending wars that have taken place over the last 90 years. In 1919, people thought that the end of World War I marked “the war to end all wars,” because the trench warfare that characterized that war was so terrible that nothing worse could follow.
No one foresaw the breakdown of morality, of the family, and of social mores that so defined past generations. In the past 50 years, the changes that have transpired in our society in these areas are beyond belief.
Just two years ago how many people knew enough to take their hard earned savings out of the stock market to avoid losing half their money? Many pundits were writing about too much national debt, but who was prescient enough to see the collapse of the world financial markets?
Planning for the future is almost as difficult as predicting it. Problems with one’s health or one’s partner’s health, or the loss of a job or of investments, have a way of intervening in life’s plans that can lead to a reality far different than anticipated.
Go back five years in time and imagine yourself to be living as you were then. Then jump to the present and take an honest look at what is transpiring in your life now. How much of the new reality is what you had anticipated? When I do this exercise, I am astounded at how different my life is today compared to what I thought it would be. Some activities that used to be very important to me no longer have appeal. People whom I did not know have married into my family. People have been born and people have unexpectedly died. My attention has turned toward new interests and new friends, neither of which existed in my life then.
There is, of course, a certain amount of practical planning that is appropriate in helping one reach future goals. That is why one invests years in obtaining a higher education or why one saves money. But beyond these broad strokes, the specifics of future planning remain too uncertain to be made too precisely. Like a good sailor or pilot, it is important to have a navigation or flight plan to arrive safely at your destination. But as any sailor or pilot will tell you, be prepared for the unexpected, because it is likely to occur.
Part of what defines our lives is the uncertainty that unfolds as time passes—it is in fact what makes for the awe and wonder that is part of the human condition. Since we do not know exactly where we are headed, perhaps it is best simply to relax and enjoy the ride.
(Published in the December 2009 edition of the East Bay Psychiatric Association Newsletter)
One of the greatest human illusions is that with enough planning and effort one can determine one’s future. Yet when people honestly look at what defines their lives—whom they married, what house they live in, what job they work at--it becomes apparent that most of it occurred serendipitously, not through precise planning. What lies around the bend or over the horizon is impossible to know. We cannot see it and we cannot predict it.
No one has ever been very good at predicting the future. When one looks at time capsules left 100 years ago, the predictions that were made were wildly off base. I remember as a kid thinking that by the time I was a grown-up, everyone would have a helicopter in his driveway to avoid traffic congestion—not too sound a forecast as it turns out, and certainly not something that comes close to what is today’s reality.
No one predicted the computer and the revolution it has wrought in our lives. Yet today it is routine for people to walk around with computers the size of their hand that are not attached to anything but can access a universe of information on the internet, can send messages instantly to others, and can take pictures and immediately send them to friends.
Nobody predicted the unending wars that have taken place over the last 90 years. In 1919, people thought that the end of World War I marked “the war to end all wars,” because the trench warfare that characterized that war was so terrible that nothing worse could follow.
No one foresaw the breakdown of morality, of the family, and of social mores that so defined past generations. In the past 50 years, the changes that have transpired in our society in these areas are beyond belief.
Just two years ago how many people knew enough to take their hard earned savings out of the stock market to avoid losing half their money? Many pundits were writing about too much national debt, but who was prescient enough to see the collapse of the world financial markets?
Planning for the future is almost as difficult as predicting it. Problems with one’s health or one’s partner’s health, or the loss of a job or of investments, have a way of intervening in life’s plans that can lead to a reality far different than anticipated.
Go back five years in time and imagine yourself to be living as you were then. Then jump to the present and take an honest look at what is transpiring in your life now. How much of the new reality is what you had anticipated? When I do this exercise, I am astounded at how different my life is today compared to what I thought it would be. Some activities that used to be very important to me no longer have appeal. People whom I did not know have married into my family. People have been born and people have unexpectedly died. My attention has turned toward new interests and new friends, neither of which existed in my life then.
There is, of course, a certain amount of practical planning that is appropriate in helping one reach future goals. That is why one invests years in obtaining a higher education or why one saves money. But beyond these broad strokes, the specifics of future planning remain too uncertain to be made too precisely. Like a good sailor or pilot, it is important to have a navigation or flight plan to arrive safely at your destination. But as any sailor or pilot will tell you, be prepared for the unexpected, because it is likely to occur.
Part of what defines our lives is the uncertainty that unfolds as time passes—it is in fact what makes for the awe and wonder that is part of the human condition. Since we do not know exactly where we are headed, perhaps it is best simply to relax and enjoy the ride.
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