Sometimes it helps to just state the obvious.
We are born, some things happen, we make some choices, we're gone. That's about it.
We might lead a good life but then again maybe we won't. John Steinbeck ends his classic novel, East of Eden, with the word "Timshel" meaning We May or We May Not. Or simply… "We'll see".
We come along and we're given our voices. We're born into a family and the families vary, hugely. Some families are loving. Some are horrible. Some poor, some wealthy. Some people are given voices of privilege, wealth and power. Some are given voices so weakened by poverty and dysfunction that their voices are not heard. It's seems unfair.
Of course it's not just in our birth that we have no choice. Life deals us things as we go along. Some good, some bad and we have no choice in the matter.
But some things we do have a choice in. As Abraham Maslow's hierarchy says we ask , "What's Happening here?" We look around and we make our choices. And then we move on and the cycle keeps going. Some things happen, we make some choices.
Some choices are right and some are wrong. The right choices are great. Good for us. And some wrong choices are easy to recover from so that's not too bad. But some wrong choices can hold on our whole life. Some forgive and some hold on.
And then we're gone.
There's nothing more that we can do and there's nothing more we can say about this born, things happen, make choices, gone thing. Turns out things have always been this way. Over and over, again and again. What I can do is try to make the best of the decisions I have. Make as many right choices as I can, recover from the wrong ones best I can and then live with the rest.
Born, things happen, make choices, gone.
Will we be a blessing will we be a curse, Will we make the world better will we make it worse… I guess, we'll see.
Timshel.
Lyrics to "We'll See"
We come along and we're given our voices.
We look around and we make our choices.
And then, we move on.
Some are right and some are wrong.
Some forgive and some hold on.
And then, we're gone.
There's nothing more we can do.
There's nothing more we can say.
Turns out things have always been this way
And I guess that's all right.
I guess that's ok.
We may or we may not.
We have what we have we've got what we got
And now, we'll see.
Will we be a blessing, will we be a curse.
Will we make the world better, will we make it worse.
I guess, we'll see.