My new manifesto
Given my current place in life, I have been thinking about my future goals. The main problem I kept running into was a lack of direction. There does not seem to be anything I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. Indeed, there are almost no things I can see myself doing for more then a year or two at a time. The only jobs I have ever enjoyed were short-term gigs. Anytime I tried to make them long-term they lost their appeal quickly.
So here I am, without direction again, and hesitant to make a move in any direction for fear, or even knowledge, that it will be the wrong direction to go in. I am unable to make a choice for fear of making a choice.
There are so many things I want to do with my life, though, and there seemed no way to accomplish them.
That explains my current position - getting older, without direction or a career, and without any real desire to lock myself into one.
The last couple of days, though, I came to a realization, an epiphany. Not only is it a direction, in a sense, but also a new way of looking at life. While I will probably be able to describe the new direction, the new paradigm might be more difficult to describe.
I have decided the only person I am responsible to in this life is myself, at least as far as accomplishments and satisfaction go. I have done enough in my life to improve future generations and, with them, the world. I am never one to be locked down in an office somewhere, and I am not one who is ever going to be happy doing something for more than a couple of years. Therefore I should do what I want to do.
This life will be like a vacation. The time I have on this earth should be enjoyed. I should take advantage of all life has to offer me. I am already wasting time. I have done a lot of different things in my life, and when I look back on all of these things, I realize how much I enjoy the variety. I like the different people I have met. I have liked the challenges, and I like new things. I should not be bothered if I am unable to find something permanent that might end these experiences in the future. I should rejoice in the fact that I have accomplished so much so far, and should not quit now!
Rather than try to find some end to the constant exploration and foolish errands, they should be embraced and accepted.
A job will be an ends to a mean. If it is better than that, so be it. Otherwise it will simply be something tolerated until something more fun comes along. It will be something that is used to collect and save money and then discarded.
Things I will do, in no real order at all:
1) I will hike the Appalachian Trail
2) I will take a backroads tour of America on a motorcycle.
3) I will live for some time on an island somewhere.
4) I will step on every continent, including Antarctica.
5) I will immerse myself in a language for a long enough time to learn it.
6) I will take a performance driving class.
7) I will fly in a helicopter.
8) I will live in NYC for a while.
9) I will compete in a few duathlons.
10) I will visit Sole in Ecuador.
This list is always subject to addition. I will continue to work, but only as a means to support these goals. Jobs will be filler between these things. They can take place alongside some of these goals, but will probably never be the center of my life.
Right now the first goal will be to hike the AT. My current lease ends on 1 September 2005. I could work until then, save money, research, and purchase gear. When I get back from that... Well, I will figure it out from there.
So here I am, without direction again, and hesitant to make a move in any direction for fear, or even knowledge, that it will be the wrong direction to go in. I am unable to make a choice for fear of making a choice.
There are so many things I want to do with my life, though, and there seemed no way to accomplish them.
That explains my current position - getting older, without direction or a career, and without any real desire to lock myself into one.
The last couple of days, though, I came to a realization, an epiphany. Not only is it a direction, in a sense, but also a new way of looking at life. While I will probably be able to describe the new direction, the new paradigm might be more difficult to describe.
I have decided the only person I am responsible to in this life is myself, at least as far as accomplishments and satisfaction go. I have done enough in my life to improve future generations and, with them, the world. I am never one to be locked down in an office somewhere, and I am not one who is ever going to be happy doing something for more than a couple of years. Therefore I should do what I want to do.
This life will be like a vacation. The time I have on this earth should be enjoyed. I should take advantage of all life has to offer me. I am already wasting time. I have done a lot of different things in my life, and when I look back on all of these things, I realize how much I enjoy the variety. I like the different people I have met. I have liked the challenges, and I like new things. I should not be bothered if I am unable to find something permanent that might end these experiences in the future. I should rejoice in the fact that I have accomplished so much so far, and should not quit now!
Rather than try to find some end to the constant exploration and foolish errands, they should be embraced and accepted.
A job will be an ends to a mean. If it is better than that, so be it. Otherwise it will simply be something tolerated until something more fun comes along. It will be something that is used to collect and save money and then discarded.
Things I will do, in no real order at all:
1) I will hike the Appalachian Trail
2) I will take a backroads tour of America on a motorcycle.
3) I will live for some time on an island somewhere.
4) I will step on every continent, including Antarctica.
5) I will immerse myself in a language for a long enough time to learn it.
6) I will take a performance driving class.
7) I will fly in a helicopter.
8) I will live in NYC for a while.
9) I will compete in a few duathlons.
10) I will visit Sole in Ecuador.
This list is always subject to addition. I will continue to work, but only as a means to support these goals. Jobs will be filler between these things. They can take place alongside some of these goals, but will probably never be the center of my life.
Right now the first goal will be to hike the AT. My current lease ends on 1 September 2005. I could work until then, save money, research, and purchase gear. When I get back from that... Well, I will figure it out from there.