If I have come to any conclusion after all of these periods
of introspection, it is this: Do cool shit.
That’s terribly vague, I know. But the value of life lies in
the things that we do. If the things we do every day are fulfilling and
rewarding, then we will feel fulfilled and rewarded. If we find our actions to
be empty and meaningless, then our lives, too, will be empty and
meaningless.
I recently travelled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In
Nicaragua, I had a conversation with a guy who was contemplating the
possibility of moving to Nicaragua. He’s a war vet turned park ranger and nature lover. With his war pension, he receives about $1300 a month from Uncle Sam. That’s far more than anyone would need to live
in Nicaragua. He said that he couldn’t pull the trigger.
I, too, thought about the possibility of moving down there. Sitting
on a hammock and staring into the sunset, it certainly seemed like a good
strategy.
What I’ve learned in all my years of introspection (aka,
contemplative inaction) is that it doesn’t matter.
Moving to Nicaragua will not make me happy or fulfilled. Nor
will it make me unhappy or unfulfilled, either. What determines that is what I
do every day, wherever I might be. If I sit around and eat and drink all day, I’ll
eventually feel like a waste of life, regardless of what country I’m in. If I
engage in activities I think are enriching, I will feel enriched.
The decision to move to Nicaragua would initially be
interesting and challenging, and it would provide an emotional boost for a
short period of time. But after the initial boost of adrenaline wears off, you’re
still the same person with the same problems and peccadillos you had before you
left. You have to come up with new challenges and struggles to give your life
meaning.
Because even if you’re in a cool place, if you’re not doing cool shit,
over time, it won’t matter.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
