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June 06, 2005
The Cosmic Metaphysics of Success
Lately my mind has been marinating on the subject of success and happiness, how it relates to me and whether or not it is truly subjective in the cosmic sense. A default assumption that I held for the majority of my youth is that happiness is the ability to have regularly scheduled moments of relaxation. Both of my parents were school teachers and I noticed in them how much weekends, vacations and the summer were treasured periods of time in which you didn't need to be anywhere nor had to be involved in anything. We certainly weren't a wealthy family by any means but food was constantly on the table and as a collective whole my parents, brother, sister and I all were under the assumption that unscheduled time super-ceded in value any sort of material possessions.
I can recall lazy summer afternoons spent exploring the powerlines in back of my house, relaxing on the couch for hours wearing out the Star Wars VHS tapes my father had recorded off of the USA Network or outside with my neighborhood friends building bike-jumps or playing street hockey. If time travel was possible I would be tempted to live in those halcyon days of my youth forever but a sense of purpose inevitably accompanies the awkward voice cracking and pimple-pocked days of adolescence and early adult-hood. I am at a point now where the choices I make professionally must fulfill the duplicitous edge of both value and leisure; allowing me to take pride in what I do for a job but that the time I invest at my place of employment is not so much that the treasured social aspects of my life are not infringed upon. As I suspect with many of you, human relationships play an essential role in my emotional well-being. Without them even the most noblest of careers would be devoid of anything worthwhile if I could not share its fruits with those around me whom I love.
Certainly happiness could be defined as that which releases the most endorphins in the brain but success is an entirely different beast. The definition of success will inevitably vary from individual to individual but even with the different premises one common thread runs throughout: the achievement of a clearly defined goal. In the days of my youth, as mentioned before, this meant arriving at a place of rest but now it has evolved into me making a positive impact on the world. Though I have matured in my outlook as a member of the world community the carnal instincts for rest, relaxation, great food and engaging company have persisted to the point in which I feel as their existence in my life is just as important.
I must admit my jealousy for the life of C.S. Lewis whom spent the day lecturing the young minds of Oxford and writing his acute ingenious observations of the Christian faith while at night he spent hours at the pub relaxing with friends over choice cuts of steak, tall pints of beer, savory tobacco and intellectually engaging conversation.
My life is certainly not devoid of blessing for I have more wonderful things than I could ever hope for. Even so, I must constantly check my motives and intentions because if my gaze moves, even for a moment, from my glorious relationship and service to Christ onto the fulfillment of worldly desires than I will truly be transplanting myself far from the most cosmic, metaphysical and absolute definition of success that I could ever hope to achieve: that I would decrease so that He may increase.
Posted by Jon at June 6, 2005 06:56 PM