Getting to My Final Hour By A New Road
“So, if this were indeed my Final Hour, these would be my words to you. I would not claim to pass on any secret of life, for there is none, or any wisdom except the passionate plea of caring … Try to feel, in your heart’s core, the reality of others. This is the most painful thing in the world, probably, and the most necessary. In times of personal adversity, know that you are not alone. Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you are also unique and irreplaceable, as are all of your fellow humans everywhere in the world. Know that your commitment is above all to life itself.” ~ Margaret Laurence, Canadian Novelist and Short Story Writer
Hmmm, what if wisdom doesn’t come packaged as pearls?
At some point, as we grow older, we began to cast about for a perfectly formed pearl of wisdom – the quintessence of our life experience – that we can espouse when the final hour of our life arrives. Occasionally, I think I’m starting to close in on it. But just now, I stumbled upon this Margaret Laurence quote which forced me to rethink the whole concept piece by piece.
“I would not claim to pass on any secret of life, for there is none, or any wisdom…”
At first blush, this is a disconcerting thought. No great secret? No moment of sublime realization? Then what is the point of all these years of living and the lessons painfully learned? But of course, there is an “except” which follows like a small but distinct ray of light.
“…except the passionate plea of caring … Try to feel, in your heart’s core, the reality of others. This is the most painful thing in the world, probably, and the most necessary.”
Feeling the reality of others. I’ll confess that I find this challenging. It is relatively easy to sympathize with another person’s situation. But stepping inside their reality to experience it in their eyes – feeling authentic empathy – takes a strength of will that is not easily summoned. But if I can’t cross that threshold, how will I ever truly and genuinely care about them?
“In times of personal adversity, know that you are not alone. Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you are also unique and irreplaceable, as are all of your fellow humans everywhere in the world.”
It is not difficult for me to conceive of myself as unique. (Others might choose odd.) And I’ve learned the different shades of being alone along with the pluses and minuses of each one.
But irreplaceable? The idea that the eternal scheme of things might shift a few degrees if you or I were not here – or did not embrace our individuality – is a sobering thought. Personal accountability takes on a whole new meaning.
“Know that your commitment is above all to life itself.”
If I accept this assertion, it means that cultivating that one nugget of wisdom for my final hour is far less important than fully living out each hour of the life I’ve been given.
I’m starting to think that I may have to replace the perfectly polished pearl as my vision of wisdom. The more accurate metaphor may be the small, imperfect, one-of-a-kind pebble on the beach without which the entire shoreline might begin to erode away.
Now that shifts a few paradigms in my understanding of life.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.comor the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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