Joy Blog

I was watching the TV series The 4400 yesterday, and one of the episodes contained several quotes from Benjamin Franklin.  So, I decided to Google good ol’ Benny.  I found a stack of great quotes, but these are my favorites:

• “He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”
• “If you would be loved, love and be lovable.”
• “Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.”
• “Observe all men, thyself most.”

Of these four, the one that struck me the most was “Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.”  In another seemingly unrelated event this morning, I was reading Cracking the Metabolic Code, and one statement struck me:  “Cancer cells are those cells that have lost the ability to differentiate….”  Wow, the cells that can no longer express their unique individuality are the ones that are cancerous. 

When I read these quotes I begin to ponder how we are all conditioned by society to become homogenized (to make uniform or similar, as in composition or function).  We’re conditioned to grow up, go to college, get married, buy a house, make babies…and then, and then…what?  Most of these things can be accomplished by the age of 25.  How many of us then shut down and stop growing once we realize that these things have not brought us true happiness?  Some people deal by having a mid-life crisis where they ditch their first attempt to find the “ideal” that society formulated and go looking for it again in another person.  We all know how that ends.  Who came up with this system? 

One thing I know for sure - following society’s recipe for happiness is a sure path to misery.  The only path to joy is to live from your true differentiation, which is the authentic individual expression that only you can have.  When you live authentically, the people, places and things that are meant for you come to you.  Maybe that’s marriage…maybe it’s not.  Maybe that’s children…maybe it’s not.  Whatever it is, it is joy. 

Neither path is easy - the standard, homogenized path, nor the individual, authentic path.  However, one is worth it and one is not.  One is joyful and one is not.  One is full of life and the other is simply death at the age of 25.  Which one do you choose?

Tags: Deep Thoughts //