Luck and Beyond

-->

  My dear colleague and friend has a chronically ill spouse. The couple struggle to cope with it; they love each other very much and behave admirably in the face of adversity. “So much of health is a matter of luck,” my friend says. 

 This is true but only part of my mind admits it. I do everything I can to stay healthy and entertain the magical notion that my actions will prevent diseases of any and all kinds. In any case, I’m aware of the power and the impotence of the brain which is even capable of manufacturing imaginary illnesses. We may think we have a disease when the body is healthy.  (The state of hysteria, in which a person imagines and creates a variety of symptoms, was a major focus in Freud’s day.)

Just as good health is determined in part by luck, so can personal achievement. Possessing talent doesn’t necessarily translate into accomplishment; a person often needs the luck of an environment to nurture the gift. Much human potential is squandered because of circumstances.

A person may also be given both the gifts and opportunities but sabotage themselves through their own mental conflicts.  David Foster Wallace is an example of a writer with a brilliant mind (author of Infinite Jest ,1996) who suffered from depression fueled by lack of self acceptance; he wanted to be a different person and a different kind of writer.

We are a complex conundrum of contradictions. I celebrate the simplicity of nonhuman animals who rarely, if ever, suffer from self hate. I am blessed to be able to luxuriate in the affectionate company of pets (please see the link, at the bottom right of this page, to Cabala of the Animals).

Conclusion: We humans do best to appreciate our luck, to be compassionate with ourselves and others, and to remind ourselves that nonhuman animals have no problem “accepting” themselves.

Dear Reader: I welcome your comments. (jsimon145@gmail.com)