"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
"Carpe Diem."
"The ancient Greeks did not write obituaries, instead they asked only one question
of a man: 'Did he have passion?'"
"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed."
With all the advice on how to live, it can be surprising to see so many people struggle through life. Truth is, though, it's not. Not when there is so much uncertainty about life and where we are taking it. The many faiths in this world, including the absence of faith, agree only on one absolute; our time on this planet is limited and, therefore, precious. What we do with it, how we understand the meanings behind our moments here, defines the individuality of man and establishes the tenets of faith.
But why the fixation on life? Why is it necessary for us to figure out that we need to live our life to the fullest or to live the life of a pauper or to live hard and die young? Why should our life be spent trying to figure out how to live our life?
One night, after working a lively fundraiser for a campaign I was recently a member of, a colleague asked, "If you could meet someone from the past, someone from the present and someone from the future, who would they be and why?"
I like these questions. Not because it makes me think, although it does (and a lot), but because of the answers everyone else may present. I feel you can gain real insight into a person through random questions such as these.
For me, the answers were not as easy as I thought. I could've copped out and gone with the obvious; Jesus Christ, President of the United States (or some actor/actress/model of the day) and my wife/children. But how can you discover someone through those answers? I wanted to come up with something crafty, something original, something me. So I chose those people whom I follow quite a bit.
First was the past. I opted for Theodore Roosevelt, a great man who rarely toed any party line. He was a true Republican in the sense that the government must not involve themselves in matters outside of their ramifications. He stood against the spoils system in New York and the party machine throughout the country. More importantly, he recognized that not everything is understood in black and white. He saw trusts as an evil when they control ed the markets, but necessary when they controlled the railroads. He further acknowledged the equality in races - stating that all men, when they so choose to be, should be welcomed in society to further civilization's cause.
Not everything Roosevelt did was good, in my opinion. Some of his progressive ideas were a little too progressive. While his idea of the railroad being regulated by the federal government and not the states was accurate under the Interstate Commerce Clause, his move towards federal growth signaled a change from 19th Century politics to 20th Century progressivism. With the Republicans' rejection of Roosevelt, in favor of the excellent juror but horrible executive William Taft, came the rejection of controlled progressivism. The left took hold of the concept and created a distorted view of how progressivism was supposed to exist. It is sad, really, that so much promise of the New Republican Era was snuffed out by the few remaining members of the Republican Machine.
I want to meet this man for reasons outside of his politics, however. I want to meet "Teddy," as he was known but hated to be called, because of his ideas on conservation and the West, as well as his thirst for history. Many people would view their life as successful if they wrote a book, or several, became governor of the largest state in the Union, served as a war hero, transformed the United States Navy, or traveled the world. But Roosevelt was not many people. Not only did he accomplish these feats, but he also set up a cattle ranch in the Dakotas, reformed the New York City Police Department, as well as the Civil Service Commission, raised quite a large family that doted on him constantly, save his brother whom he tried to save from the despair of alcoholism, all before he turned 42.
What I want to know from him, then, is what possessed him to do all this at such breakneck speed? Why did he feel it was his duty to pursue such a renaissance lifestyle, and become one of the most popular Americans of all time? His jingoism aside, there is more to his ideals about the United States and her place in history than letters alone can provide. Further, his views on race, despite his clear declaration of giving each person a fair shake before judgement without regard to color, are somewhat cloudy. Which Roosevelt was the real Roosevelt? Was he the one who declared that if the man is capable of shooting beside another in war then he is good enough to work with? Or was he the one who thought there was little hope for the Native American and the Arab? Either way, we will never fully know since his time has passed and we are now left with only his written works and a few recorded speeches.
Moving to the present made things easier. My choice would be someone I could actually meet, solely based on the person being alive. I chose my person based on the corruption of power and its effect on the mind. Chinese President Hu Jintao reflects much of this mindset. Not him specifically, but the position he embodies in the party he leads. The concept of communism if fascinating to me. With everything it promises, the ideology of Marx and Mao still fails to uphold the concept that all can be equal. I believe this to be from the inability to consider the need for individuality and the desires of humanity. On paper, society would be great if everything were equal and our society was a classless one. But in practice, the elimination of individuality, of competition and the desire to succeed in one's own way destroys the pillars upon which communism struggles to survive.
For President Hu, I would like to see how it is possible for him, and his colleagues, to continue to exist living in the facade of communism. Their efforts have changed greatly from Mao's "Great Society." The introduction of capitalist ideas, known as "Communism with Chinese Characteristics," takes great strides towards private enterprise and end the socialistic mindset instilled with many communists. However, there is still a great denial occurring at the highest levels of the party. Why? Is the party that afraid of the truth reaching the masses that individuality, human rights, and the prospects of democracy could destroy their livelihood so much? Or are they so consumed with maintaining their grasp of power in the antiquated forms of society that they have failed truly live?
Which brings me to the future. I didn't choose the easy answers because I truly don't want to know those answers. There is no fun in knowing who my wife is before I realize that I want her to be my wife. The fun in life is about not knowing what is going to happen but taking the leap anyway. With that, we have to wait. I'm okay with waiting. We all should be, really. It's our destiny to wait. Since the dawn of man, we have had to wait for everything to happen. It is when we are ready that the action takes place. I don't mean do nothing, however. We continue to work towards our ideal society, but we have to wait to see the fruition of our actions. Waiting enables us to enjoy the end so much more.
I don't want to chose my children, either. There is too much danger derived from figuring out how your children turn out. Science fiction aside, knowing who your children come to be creates indecision as a parent. You second-guess your every move, wondering if you changed the future you have seen. Instead enjoying your time with your children, its spent agonizing over every word, every decision, every action. That alone will change their future, no matter how hard you try to leave it alone.
I can't choose no one since the rules clearly state someone. Nor do I want to chose no one. I want to meet myself in the future, right before I die. This isn't to find out any of life's mysteries - do I succeed in my dreams, where do I end up settling down, what did I become in life. No, I want to find out if I was happy with my life. Because my life is not about who I meet or what I do, but whether I was happy while meeting these people and doing these things. Did I learn to make the most of every moment or do I did end up wasting them all away?
None of this matters, however, because I already know I will be happy with my life. I was able to live. No matter what happens to me, what challenges I do not meet and what successes I achieve, the opportunity to exist is the blessing I cannot turn away from. That is my life lesson, my quote that exists in the world.
"Don't spend your life trying to figure out how to live it. By the time you do, it'll be all over."
