Living and losses go together. I’m happily retired with three wonderful children, four clearly above average grandchildren, and doing just what I like. Life is good but it came with bumps.
Accepting Loss
My first wife left me, my parents died, my children left home for college, my second wife died, my friends are gradually dwindling. Writing this blog led me to be more accepting of loss and death as part of life, and strangely, that I’m also OK with humanity dying.
These almost profane thoughts are new. Ten years ago, I wasn’t okay with the idea that humans will go extinct. But all species come and go, just as human civilizations flower and wither. Evolution, living and dying, is normal and natural. I’m now fairly comfortable joining that stream.
I don’t know how this acceptance happened. It crept in over the last year and a half. Accepting death certainly doesn’t mean I want to die, quite the contrary. I’d like to live as long as I can while still in good health. But I’m ready to go. As Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar said, “It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.” I don’t want to leave the living, but I’ve let go the fear, for me and our species. I’m ready.
An Odd Connection
This letting go seems connected to my thoughts on climate change and how we have radically altered the planet. Climate change is not something that will happen in the future. It’s here today with raging forest fires, more powerful and frequent snow and ice storms and hurricanes, growing ocean hotspots, droughts and desertification, mass migrations of animals and people, and so on and so on. When my grandchildren reach my age, heat waves will be five times as frequent and much more intense, killing millions.
But destabilizing our planet’s balance isn’t why I’m content that homo sapiens will conclude its brief occupancy. Just as we eliminated many species, we in turn will see the door close on us. That could be far into the future or relatively soon. Either way, it’s OK. If somebody screams at me that I’m dismal or depressed, I’m not. I’m an enthusiastic camper. I’ve never felt so happy for so long. I’m extremely upbeat about life, while more clearly seeing human nature for what it is, rather than pretending we are some fanciful, idealized, God-anointed creature.
Ready
So at this sage age I’m ready to go, and I’m OK that humans also pass. I don’t want these events, but I’ve found my peace. I didn’t plan it this way and I don’t really know how it happened. It just crept up on me. When you write a blog like this it can take you in curious directions. It’s wonderful and exciting. I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride.
That’s it for now. Thank you for reading,
Please pass me your thoughts and comments.
Barry
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