F. Scott and James

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” 
― F. Scott Fitzgerald


Amazing little quote, heh?

I referenced inner vs outer travel the other day.  My summer this year is not so much about outer travel but a whole lot about inner travel.  I am, oddly for me, being somewhat okay with the value of doing nothing.  I am being curious, watching dreams and words, colors and thoughts.  Fascinating when you can take the time to do it.

The most recent issue of The Sun magazine carried a tribute to psychologist James Hillman.   He died last year at the age of 85 but only after a life rich in observation and thought and filled with depth and connection.  In 1959, Mr. Hillman was made the director of studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich.   Hillman was a critic of mainstream psychology and took aim at some of the assumptions behind standard psychotherapies.  He argued that the best way to understand the human mind lay not in standard psychological or medical constructs but rather through myth and  imagination.   He wrote that psychology has become reduced to "a trivialized, banal, egocentric pursuit, rather than an exploration of the mysteries of human nature."  His work wove together philosophy, religion, and the arts as well as the webs cast by Freud and Jung.

I am intrigued with his belief that each individual has a purpose or calling in life.  Hillman believed that this purpose revealed itself in childhood.  The purpose or the calling is not so much about "doing" as it is about "being",  The way I interpret that is that children are who they are and, instead of trying to change them or make them into someone different, we need simply to be curious about them and let them unfold in their own way (which might not agree with the plans we have for them).  As adults, I think sometimes we have forgotten the child who lives within us.  To what was it that the child was drawn?  What captivated her days and her imagination?  Rediscovering the answers to those sorts of questions might open doors that may have been closed long ago when something else (like responsibility) entered the room.

Back to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his words above,  I like that he says it's never too late to be who you are.  You can change or you can stay the same.  I like Hillman's notion that so much of who is you comes with you to the planet.  And then you need to make the best of it and live a life you are proud of.

How about that for a big order?  Live a life you are proud of.  Not a perfect life but a life you are proud of.  What do you think?  Too much to ask?