When the past is gone, and the future is but a dream, we are left only with the moment that vanishes as it occurs.
We become free and rudderless on an open sea buffeted by the winds of time, ready prey for the next large wave on a choppy sea. We are swallowed by the reality into which we have cast ourself adrift. We have become carefree and foolish.
Alternatively, we dig in. We claim what is ours for all that it is worth, no matter the cost. Nothing is of value that cannot be had in the moment, and we become ruthless in our desire to survive. We distrust all that is around us that we cannot control, and we turn our backs on others. We have become alienated, fearful, self-indulgent, and bitter.
Still others reach out, and latch on to whom- or whatever will offer them guidance. We join a group with a powerful leader or an orthodoxy of thought, large enough to answer our most pressing questions, but hardly enough to satisfy our innermost need for clarity and order. We become the member of a herd, a tribe, and follow it wherever it goes so as not to be alone.
This is where many of us are today. It is unfortunate.
That we not reject our past, and that we not become swept away by the ephemeral nature of our dreams. That we not yearn for what we are not. That we look deep inside and talk to one another. That each find his own way forward, step-by-step, in an uncertain world, confident of who we are and have always been — creatures of self-reflection with an ability to discern right from wrong, good from bad, wise from imprudent, to face challenges without fear, but careful assessment, dedication, and perseverance, and to recognize superior ability and knowledge, but not accept blindly anything that is laid before us.
Time is not to be discarded. It is an important source of order in a world of chaos and destruction. It is the rhythm of the universe, a beating heart, an indifferent clock, a standard by which all can be measured with objectivity and fairness.
Time comes with a past and a future. It is a continuous procession of events that like a river has both a past and a future, provided that we allow the natural cycles of our planet to perform what they do.
There is gravity, and the water falls, only to be called up by the sun and come down again in an exhilarating, crashing torrent or a sprinkle of delight.
Yes, we can damn the river and create a lake, but we cannot stop the flow. Gravity and the sun are bigger than us all, and each of us must work and aspire within his own means. That we not become captured by the foolish, the bitter, or the tribe, but that we utilize our common sense, the continuity of time, and the rhythm of nature to move us forward at peace with the world, respectful of those around us, but not succumb to their foolishness, bitterness, or tribal instincts.
In liberty,
Roddy A. Stegemann, First Hill, Seattle 98104
Author of Mount Cambitas: The Story of Real Money