A Difficult

“The greatest sin is the unlived life.”

The words of John O Donohue evoke a rapid reaction as I read them.

January has left, covid still lurks in unknown corridors, and anxiety saturates our reality

Whether we fear the return of Trump, or the undeniable decline of the current administration, many Americans live in fear of tomorrow.

The temptation most of us find increasingly difficult to resist is choosing to ignore the reality of the current unease, both politically and socially.

Yet, when we listen closely to those who inhabited the world before us, we often discover the guidance and leadership so desperately needed.

if we recall these words (again quoting the late, great Irish poet, author and philosopher:

“A life well lived is one that that took honourable risks, that pushed its own frontiers, that tried to look after its own healing...that was compassionate, that didn’t judge, and that tried to look after the poor and neglected, and the unspoken for.”

“An unlived life is one without an opinion or a belief. A lived life is not filled with idleness, either emotionally, spiritually or physically,”

That sentiment is hard to remember and not difficult to ignore because inertia often comes with great appeal, and ignorance becomes a shield from trauma.

Obviously, it is not an easy challenge in today's fragmented society, but one worth investigating.

I hope I can start to do it.