"Looking Glass"
Aging makes a mockery of youthful conviction. Heady idealisms are tempered in the ice bath that is experience-accrued-over-time. Yet, as we grow and change a paradox develops whereby we become both more of ourselves in our own individuality as well as more of a reflection of our biological forebearers. Mirrors don't lie as often as we would like to believe.
The frictions between generations arise from the idiosyncrasies of how we address the same problems in different ways. We observe, we learn, we make our own mistakes, we learn again, hopefully. We move forward, backward, and sideways in search of our own answers. Yet, despite the unique path that we each take, we still go in the same direction as those who came before. Generation after successive generation heading towards one singular horizon.
Understanding this development requires recognizing that the greatest benefit to oneself is really the sacrifice which is made to ensure that the next generation is better prepared, better able to learn from our own mistakes, and therefore better able to travel a bit further than ourselves. It took many years for me to understand why my father stood behind me even in the face of our many head on collisions. In his own way he was moving me forward. It wasn’t for his benefit but for mine. Now, as generations shift, this translates into the same momentum that I use to guide my sons.
We may not live long enough to make all the mistakes or learn all the lessons, but with guidance and patience we can let our experience shape us and then in turn shape those that come after. This focus transcends the narrow individualisms of our age. It is through the present that the future is unveiled; an emulation of the spirit in order to progress our offspring further. Fundamentally, we must see ourselves in them and them in us. It is an expression of sacrifice as we pass to the other side of the looking glass.
The frictions between generations arise from the idiosyncrasies of how we address the same problems in different ways. We observe, we learn, we make our own mistakes, we learn again, hopefully. We move forward, backward, and sideways in search of our own answers. Yet, despite the unique path that we each take, we still go in the same direction as those who came before. Generation after successive generation heading towards one singular horizon.
Understanding this development requires recognizing that the greatest benefit to oneself is really the sacrifice which is made to ensure that the next generation is better prepared, better able to learn from our own mistakes, and therefore better able to travel a bit further than ourselves. It took many years for me to understand why my father stood behind me even in the face of our many head on collisions. In his own way he was moving me forward. It wasn’t for his benefit but for mine. Now, as generations shift, this translates into the same momentum that I use to guide my sons.
We may not live long enough to make all the mistakes or learn all the lessons, but with guidance and patience we can let our experience shape us and then in turn shape those that come after. This focus transcends the narrow individualisms of our age. It is through the present that the future is unveiled; an emulation of the spirit in order to progress our offspring further. Fundamentally, we must see ourselves in them and them in us. It is an expression of sacrifice as we pass to the other side of the looking glass.