闲人

There are periods where I forget to reflect. One forgets because one is preoccupied with other matters, but regardless of whether these matters are important or not, pleasant or not, productive or not, I believe it is important to take some time to reflect, for at the very least, if gives a break to the preoccupations and hopefully grants some perspective.

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I find that a full time job erodes me. My... soul? Spirit? Heart? Mind? It is hard to define. Nevertheless like all erosion, it is discovered only after it is sufficiently eroded. Perhaps that is why people are attracted to paths. Paths that provide rules and structure, whether they are spiritual, patriotic, sentimental or whatever moves people strongly, which give people a refuge from the mind-numbing torrents of conformity and regularity, so that they have a strong core that will not be eroded.

But the path has to be scrutinized. The same path can give birth to saints or witch-hunts (literal ones, at some point in history). People who enforce standards because their religion says so, or because it is patriotic, or because it represents their idea of "rightness", are mere pawns. They fall victim to a system who has gained the power to use them by promising them a sense of stability. One has to take responsibility for one's path; to examine it, determine right from wrong, and be prepared to bear the consequences it entails. True strength can only be gained by examining one's path and bearing its weight.

Socrates said the the life not examined is not worth living. I do not presume to know the nature of his path as a result of that examination, but he did choose death rather than allow its erosion.