For decades, I was deprived of the joy of Sundays. The day was always spent at work performing tasks much the same as any other day of the week. I did get a day or two off. At first I had each Friday or a Friday and Saturday away from my duties. Then it was Tuesdays. Not to begrudge a day or two off of work, I certainly appreciated the time away from the studios.
Being semi-retired, now I’ve rediscovered the beauty of the day called Sunday. I can’t say that I’m particularly religious, but there’s a difference in approach and mindset that helps me sometimes see life from a fresh viewpoint.
Today is one of those special Sundays. Because the gym opens much later on Sundays, my usual morning routine is shifted. It’s probably a good thing, too. Yet, I know that if my Sunday’s state of affairs became Monday through Saturday states of affairs, much would be lost in routine.
First of all, my meditation on Sunday is much longer. I ease into it during the day’s first cup of coffee. Instead of 15 minutes for each day’s first meditation before the daily workout, I go for nearly an hour in a formal sitting at my shrine. Then I have breakfast. That done, I work on bluejayblog. This is a different experience than composing a blog post after a workout at the gym.
For the most part, the joy of Sundays is due to the more introspective nature of the morning. As I write these words, it’s six o’clock, the sky is dark with only some scattered stars. The neighborhood is absolutely silent in the 15 degree Fahrenheit crispness. There’s a slight westerly breeze. I only stayed outside long enough to awaken and contemplate the sky. This is a perfect time to savor the comforts of civilization.
I hear that the furnace has cycled on. There’s a process of a small fan turning on, then the burners ignite, and soon the main fan begins circulating the air. It’s an amazing invention!
I decide to play some ambient music on the stereo to enhance the mood. Some discs have been left in the carousel because I was too lazy to remove them a couple of days ago. The machine selects Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s “Music For Relaxation” at random. The drone of electronica is just what I need.
I have a lapse of creative thought as I enjoy the tactile pleasures of my laptop’s keyboard. I focus on the music and just take in the joy of being human. I begin to wonder how many of us pay attention to the everyday stuff of our lives.
If you really notice, you realize that none of us is actually independent from others. The myth of the self-made man (or woman) is just that, a myth. We are all the product of the efforts of a myriad of people.
Naturally, we’d not even exist without parents. Even if we were raised in a single parent household, or were adopted or cared for in an institution, we were fed, housed and loved in some measure. At the time, we may have hated or liked school, but it was necessary to our development. How many people have been involved in the schools you attended? Think of all the organizational requirements needed to teach us the basics of existing in the world. How about the trials and efforts of the countless generations ahead of us?
I can only sketch a mental outline of the thousands of people responsible for one aspect or another to whom I can thank for doing their jobs that help me each day. The people who built my little house come to mind. The energy workers who make sure that I have fuel and electricity available at the touch of my fingers. Telecommunications folks who have invented and work in order for me to access the web. The folks who invented and constructed my stereo gear. The musicians who inspire me. Who am I leaving out of the long list to whom I owe my life at home? When I walk outside the house, the numbers of people to thank increases exponentially.
Think of any aspect of your life. Even the unpleasant parts of life present us with people to help us alleviate the pain and suffering. If we take the time, we could write a large encyclopedia about all the people who make our lives what they are in every respect. Fortunately, even the encyclopedia has already been written by many people.
I could go on and on with list after list. But I think I’ll just sit here awhile longer and feel glad that we depend on each other. We do, whether or not we realize such dependency. Whatever it is that you do, somehow helps me in some fashion.
Thank you for that.
Ciao
The Blue Jay of Happiness likes to look around his world and simply feel joy that everything and everyone exists.
Thank you, BlueJay Swabby429, for your well reasoned reflections on life and the interdependence between humans. In addition, I would like you to take comfort in what I am about to write below:
Some high-flyers, champions or celebrities may utter “If I can do it then anybody can”. On the surface, their statement may seem to suggest that they are modest, democratic, inspiring and down-to-earth individuals who have succeeded through sheer effort and determination, and that they are encouraging others to do so in order to realise their dreams and potentials.
Yet, one cannot help wondering that these successful people are selling an idea or image of success based on the belief that an individual can transcend or overcome any obstacle. They seem to think that everyone has the same chance and is on a level playing field. They have forgotten that many conditions, peoples and infrastructures have to be present within an environment or a society for certain pursuits, successes or achievements to take place.
Put those same high-flyers, champions or celebrities in a more disadvantaged socio-economic or socio-demographic area, or in a third- or fourth-world country saddled with poverty, crimes and other social and cultural issues, the utterance “If I can do it then anybody can” can be readily exposed as vain and vacuous. Also, had they been born into a world in which they have to face poverty, crime, disability, disease, minority, discrimination, slavery, war, exploitation, marginalisation, ostracism, obscurantism and so on, none of them would go very far or even had the opportunity to enter their chosen professions.
Most often, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I think of Napoleon Hill and his success story. He knew industrialist Andrew Carnegie and President Franklin Roosevelt. Having these acquaintances made all the difference for him. Other journalists weren’t as well situated and had to struggle through their more humble circumstances.
It is both. Had Napoleon Hill been a very different person because what he knew was very different, inferior, unwelcome and/or irrelevant, then even his “great fortune” of knowing industrialist Andrew Carnegie and President Franklin Roosevelt would have been futile, vacuous, invalid and/or irrelevant.
True, but he was fortunate to have that brass ring to grab onto. I know there have been some people who have thown away opportunities of that sort. The many aspects of human behavior and creativity remain interesting, regardless of head starts or handicaps.