Quote of the Day

So I've been thinking a lot recently about this one quote I found a couple of months ago, and I just came across the place where I wrote it down:

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, responded, "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

I really love this one. It's unsettling because it rings so true to so many of us and speaks of a much darker reality than people are willing to see. There's a danger much deeper than death here; it's the idea of a wasted life. And worse, a life wasted unknowingly. People often don't realize the bigger patterns in their life until it's too late. In the case this quote refers to, "work" becomes man's end, and the joy of experience is lost to planning, working, worrying, preparing. But this quote is not about seizing the day. The words that really stick out to me are "health" and "enjoy." The health being referenced here is not how we think of it in the west... I mean, even though work can make us physically sick, there's a broader implication of spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health. Are we paying attention to all aspects our ourselves and our well-being?

Another thing I love about this quote is that it doesn't assert that our responsibilities are unimportant; it simply laments that they have taken over many peoples' entire beings. Is it possible to achieve your professional goals and still be happy? Yes. But people often think that working and having money will directly lead to happiness. Truthfully, we must pay attention to our bodies and our relationships with others and the way we balance our lives. Otherwise, we will just be going through the motions instead of fully actualizing ourselves as humans.

There's so much more to this quote... But I thought I'd at least write down a few comments that came to mind. I should really do this quote thing more often... maybe I'll break out some Emerson or Thoreau; I've been in a sort of transcendent mood lately anyway.