“What To Do with Time”

     Presenter: Dick Stetler – November 17, 2023

 

     The passage of time is taken for granted during the early stages of a person’s growth.  Everyone becomes accustomed to the idea that people are born, they live for a certain number of years and then they transition to whatever awaits.  There comes a time when some people begin to ask questions about the purpose of the passing of time.

     What are people to do with themselves particularly when there is no universal resource that provides guidance for living?  People who want to learn more about themselves may be intrigued by the results provided by the Myers-Briggs and/or the Enneagram personality tests.   The sixteen profiles provided can offer guidance for how a person can be productive with their time.

     For those who are drawn to various religions, more guidance may come from spiritual teachers.  Jesus said, “I have come into this world for one purpose and that is to teach the truth on how people are to live.” (John 18:37) Jesus based his teaching on living the Golden Rule by extending loving-energy in all circumstances. 

     There is a vast difference between Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of Christianity. Jesus was a Jewish carpenter who taught people how to grow spiritually beyond where they were.  Christianity teaches personal salvation by what people believe.  Christian evangelists often preach that people can be lost if they do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Really?  Everyone has to choose their own path for becoming a purpose-driven, useful human being.

     Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher who described his experience of the passing of time:

I was born and had to figure out what would guide my life.  I developed a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest.  Up comes a Christian theologian who blew it out.

     Ram Dass (Richard Alpert1931-2019) was a spiritual teacher who was renamed by the Hindu guru Neem Khali Baba.  In Sanskrit, Ram Dass means Servant of the Lord Rama (God). He wrote about his experience of the passing of time:

Free yourself from the illusion of good and bad days.  Labeling time makes people nostalgic of the past and demanding of the future.  There is only here and now.  Let it be.

     Each person develops a direction of what to do with themselves while time marches on.  The older a person gets, the more they realize that there are more grains of sand in the bottom chamber of their hour glass than in the top chamber. This realization can bring pressure on a person to do something worthwhile with the time they have left.    

     So many people forget to row their boats gently down the stream joyfully. People know the song that they learned in kindergarten but find it a challenge to live what it says.

     People can easily get stuck in life and cling to their successes making it difficult to let go of their yesterdays.  Wise people continue to read, to write, to get involved as a volunteer, and to keep their bodies physically fit for as long as they can as they gracefully surrender the things of youth.  Soon a time arrives when all people shed the cocoon that housed their spiritual essence in a physical form.

     Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) was an American journalist who wrote a book entitled Hell’s Angels.  He wrote about his experiences while riding with the Hell’s Angels motorcyclists for a year.  He was a heavy smoker, a drug addict, and consumed a lot of alcohol every day.  Before he died at the age of 68, he left the world with a quote that summarized his understanding of life:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming ‘Wow, what a ride’!!!

     Hunter found what he wanted to do and he did it.  In order to write such a verse, he had to realize that life does not end at death.  The world is filled with talented people.  All of them are different and in their own way, they may contribute to the tomorrows that are yet to come.  There are many names of people who are well known in every generation. They are guided by their recognized abilities.

Warren Buffett (1930-present) is a businessman and philanthropist. Jimmy Buffet, (1946-2023), a popular singer who died of an aggressive form of skin cancer. Tom Brady, (1977-present), an American football quarterback who played 23 seasons including 7 Super Bowl victories. Ben Carson (1951-present) an American neurosurgeon and politician who served as the Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development from 2017-2021.  Tiger Woods, (1975-present) an American golf athlete who won 15 majors and 81 PGA victories.  Martin L. King, Jr. (1929-1968) an American Baptist pastor, who gave his life during the Civil Rights Movement.

     This short list of personalities excelled in a field that gave their life meaning.  What people do during the passing of time has purpose whether they are mail carriers, or those who stock the shelves in a grocery store, or mechanics who maintain people’s cars, or those who manage massive corporations.  Everyone is a participant in what the future will look like. 

     People find what pleases them and that is enough. No one has to worry about checking all the boxes to please God, their parents, a spouse, a boss, or friends.  The attitude that people develop toward their vocation gives every task meaning and purpose.  They can grow spiritually by knowing that their lives influenced others.

     People do not need to be a well-known personality.  They can be a good mother or father, pick up trash that others have carelessly discarded, tell others how wonderful they are to work with, give money to a cause in which they believe, or leave a quote that is a truth that is beautifully written but is attributed to Unanimous. 

     Practicing the Golden Rule is a productive place for people to live. Some people need a refresher-course by reading again Robert Fulghum’s book, (1937-present) “All I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” 

     Everyone is influencing what happens in the future.  They will either learn the meaning and purpose of their lives this time, or during the next time they choose to incarnate.  Everyone will eventually understand that they are an infinite spirit-being who incarnated to play a role in the evolution of humanity.