Hey There,
I have been thinking lately about romance, old age, and being childlike. I desperately want to live romantically. I want to be young, and not become, “Old”. I want to be who I am, in all situations.
Unfortunately, we all grow old (physically) and die. I know for a fact I will grow old, yet strive to be young. I know for a fact romance is real, and yet live a life unwilling to have relationship. I know for a fact children have joy, yet am unwilling to be childlike. I know for a fact I was created for more, but can’t seem to find my way back.
Honestly, I don’t know the answer. Now, I know, but I don’t KNOW.
I’m talking about reason and the heart. Knowing something can be different than knowing something. When you know something in your head, this is OK, but when you know something in your heart, it is (can become) Truth. I know that romance is real, but I don’t KNOW it. I know that being childlike is possible, but I don’t KNOW it. I know that love is possible, but I don’t KNOW it. I haven’t experienced it fully.
G.K. Chesterton says, “The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”
In this rational age that we live in of science, understanding, and “knowledge”, what gets sacrificed? We have, “infinite knowledge”, at the swipe of a finger, but we can’t even have a loving marriage, a good relationship with our family, or a day without anxiety.
Marcus Aurelius in the movie, “Gladiator”, says, “Will I be the emperor who gave Rome back her true self? There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only… whisper it. Anything more than a whisper, and it would vanish. It was so fragile…”
Seeking out and finding our, “True Self.” is one of the great adventures in life. It is a path that uses reason, but cannot become subservient to it. It requires listening, silence, and gentleness.
We were created for romance, joy, childlikeness, and love. These things are facts of one’s true self, but they can only be understood in whispers. They can only truly be understood in the heart, not the head.
They can be understood, but not with understanding.
There is a way to live a life of fulfillment. There is a way to live a life of love. There is a way to live a life of romance. Knowing these things is a first step. Listening to the whispers is a method. The whispers are beyond our own understanding.
The whispers are from God, that come through Faith and Hope, to bring us to the shores of Love.
I am still on this journey and am lacking in belief more than anything, but I know that these things are possible, real, and can be had in this life. The only way to fail is to stop trying.
The first step is Faith, and the destination is Love.
Sincerely,
Jared
P.S. Some food for thought for those of you who are more interested in the science of Being: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10226a.htm How do you know that you know?
We are created with a purpose….one that can be challenging to realize. Life doesn’t have an easy mode 🙂