Reflections on a Desert Island

— To Whoever Found the Bottle

What better conditions for reflecting on life than on a desert island where nothing besides life remains with you? As nothing is more yours than your life, this alone deserves reflection. Conclusions, decisions start and end with this. Will you give yourself a medal or a yellow card?

Born among millions, entering the parade ranks, hardly noticing it. When you realize you are surrounded by others like you, the game of life starts; you’re no longer the centre of the universe. You’re pushed and pulled by your internal energies, sometimes pushed and pulled by external forces: competition – opposition appear on the track. Your horizon expands by learning, sometimes in thunderous coexistence with the wind of emotions; powers you may not understand bring their own messages all at once, creating complex design. As long as you feel your emotions, being part of them, you cope. One young poet, crippled, poor, living in a basement, wrote: “How is it that my heart still sings?” A surplus of energy, youth make him sing without external motivation. Aging requires external motivation. When the external overshadows internal conditions, that’s the beginning of the downward slide. Hold on to optimism, play the game of youth!

#104 March – April 2008

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *