It would be interesting to know the root motivations of monks. Do their parents say “hey you aren’t getting good grades, economic outlook is bad, you will never get laid, have you considered being a monk? “
If I weren’t Jewish, priest might be been a cool job. Jesuit. Maybe just a plain monk. There’s no Jewish monks. You have to move out to another tradition and it’s hard what with inertia and your mom making you feel guilty.
I’ve always thought the way life flows is God’s very clever conundrum, in, that, just when we think we have everything nailed–the job, the money, the house, the kids, the retirement etc., etc.–ding-ding-ding–time’s up!
That’s why, IMHO, regardless of what we believe or don’t believe about eternity, we all know our mortality will come to an end, so IMHO, all we can do is make the most of each and every day.
Since we all have different opinions of what life is really about–nothing is a one-size-fits-all–so “making the most of each day” is definitely open to interpretation.
For me, and I guess I could probably speak for my family and most people I know, “making the most of each day” for us would be continuing to pursue our dreams, because we find that pursuit interesting and fulfilling, or helping our families and others, or many other things. Things we may or may not be able to do after we leave this world.
Could be, but we’ve had a great time aspiring to dreams large and small. Not everything works out in life, but, sometimes, even those experiences can lead you to a destination you might never have imagined. IMO, it’s all about perspective.
Reading the fun parts by Sam lipsyte on the plane home from SF from family vacation. I personally guarantee it’ll make you laugh before sending you into a depressive tailspin. Not the vacation the book. We totally made the most of our days but the highlights were serendipitous. Watch a drunk in public guy get arrested on the bus we were on. Stumbling across the anarchists bookstore. Stuff like that. They also liked walking the golden gate bridge. Alcatraz cooler than expected.
