Thinking Along the Same Track:

This blogger's post appears to have been deleted. The blogger, sadly, passed away. Though, in his final hours he discovered what I consider a very profound truth about life:

It turns out that no one can imagine what's really coming in our lives. We can plan, and do what we enjoy, but we can't expect our plans to work out. Some of them might, while most probably won't. Inventions and ideas will appear, and events will occur, that we could never foresee. That's neither bad nor good, but it is real.

I think and hope that's what my daughters can take from my disease and death. And that my wonderful, amazing wife Airdrie can see too. Not that they could die any day, but that they should pursue what they enjoy, and what stimulates their minds, as much as possible—so they can be ready for opportunities, as well as not disappointed when things go sideways, as they inevitably do.

I wrote about this discovery here.

If you have nothing better to do than get caught up in mental rituals and fantasies that involve reliving the past or planning the future, so be it, it's your life and your happiness. But ideally, to get the optimal happiness out of life, the past and the future of you AND your loved ones should be little on your mind in a conscious sense. Rather, your mind should be, as much as possible, in the moment and in the present. You should be responsibly informed about future opportunities and threats to the well being of you and yours. But you should not get caught up in this stuff mentally or worry in an emotional sense. Worry in an emotional sense, as opposed to emotionally detached concern, about stuff, no matter how big or small or how real you perceive the threat, is always irrational and counterproductive.

Nothing should keep you up at night and make you lose sleep. If something, anything does, the problem is with you, not with your external circumstances.

The ideal person should be able to sleep well at night, facing the most tremendous pressures imaginable, like fighting in a war where enemy fire can take your life or where you are charged with potentially taking the lives of others in such a circumstance.

If one attained this ideal psychological state, a soldier could witness unimaginable horror, yet be free from post traumatic stress disorder, and continue to sleep well at night, without being anxious or depressed.

Rather things should work themselves out in an unconscious and subconscious way where you let go and let things happen without being distracted from the present moment. Similar to how a great jazz (or rock for that matter) improviser lets go and lets the music flow out of him without consciously thinking or planning on every note, which would ruin the music if he did.

This is the anti-neurotic way of life. Again, I'm not there yet (not even close); but it is a light at the end of the tunnel for me.