Another year goes by. "The priest classmate in the next room has been fighting a terrible disease for a long time and without promise. He also feels lonely and is growing older. The coming new year is not very welcoming to either of them. Rather than a time of hope for a fresh start, it comes as a time to endure. He also knows this feeling of heart is not healthy. He tries to reconcile these thoughts with his life of faith, to live by grace, peace, and joy.
The coronavirus has been around for too long. There is still no clear prospect for the end. Many things in our daily life have been limited and changed. Of course, humans are adaptive animals able to live in any environment. But little by little, the internal wounds pile up invisibly. It is difficult to predict how this unconscious repression and wounds will change us and the world. We live in an era of uncertainty.
How does one endure aging and death? He doesn't want to live to tremble and in vain but live life resolutely. Nevertheless, the topic of aging and death makes an appearance.
When good books about old age and death come out, he is interested. Many have always wondered how the sages and scholars of the world endure and reflect on life. Pascal Bruckner, a novelist, and philosopher recounts beautifully and persuasively his insights and wisdom of old age. "It is not life expectancy that science and technology have increased, but old age." "Rather than dreaming of a change in life, I want to be with the good things that already exist for a long time." "You can enrich your consciousness in old age by maintaining a spirit of inquiry and observation." "All we have is the present fleeting moment of eternity. As long as we love, and create, we are immortal." These few sentences were enough. However, there is still a gap between sympathizing and agreeing with the author's thoughts and emotions, and feelings. Empathy and consent provide comfort and strength, but it is entirely up to him to live that way in the reality of daily life. Everyone endures their aging and earthly death in their own way.
Sometimes, the honest despair and cold realization of the meaning of life that atheists show can be refreshing. He re-read John Gray's "Cat Philosophy". He still speaks of the tragic nature of consciousness and the weakness and helplessness of the human mind. He believes that the instinct of human consciousness to seek meaning and happiness is the only thing that leads humans to anxiety and despair. His core assertion is repeated over and over again that "the good life consists in navigating through tragic contingencies, and the spiritual life is not a life in search of meaning, but a life in meaning." "The meaning of life is nothing more than a touch and a scent that comes by chance and disappears before you know what it is." He tells us not to pursue happiness and meaning, but just to live as a selfless selfish person. "Cats are selfish in that they care only about themselves and the things they love. Cats are selfless in that they have no self-image that they strive to preserve and extend. Cats do not live selfishly, they live on their own.” (「Cat Philosophy」) John Gray speaks out about the beauty of living as oneself without greed and selflessly
■ The Quest for Wisdom – The Wisdom of Faith
The worldly sages depend on the wisdom of life to endure the fate of extinction. Wisdom comes from inquiry and learning. Are worldly wisdom and religious wisdom different? "Wisdom is a kindly spirit" (Wisdom 1:6) and "All wisdom comes from the Lord" (Sirach 1:1). In what direction does it take place? In a world where "everything is vanity and a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14), what would it look like to trust in God, live a life like Jesus, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit? " Wisdom makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude" (Wisdom 6:16).
Wisdom is with us in every path of life. But, how do we who live today find and discover true wisdom? Reorganize your mind about studying the faith and studying the world. Perhaps research and study are one of the stepping-stones that help us to endure aging and fear of death and cross over to eternity?
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