I heard it said from a writer and thinker I greatly admire that the modern world is the longest continuous pep talk in history. Everyone encourages being hyped, psyched, enthused, driven, or whatever word you may prefer. I've learned this past year to go in the opposite direction. I enjoy my work tremendously, think about it often and I take it seriously. I maintain an awareness however that I will die and that in the grand scheme of things my work amounts to dust.
Far from being crushing, this is very freeing to me. So what if I fail at this or that? In the end it all returns to dust. So what if I succeed spectacularly (by the world's standards)? In the end it all returns to dust. I assign no universal importance to my work and have no expectation that my name will endure.
I do what I do because it is my instrument for exploring truth, beauty and goodness. It's a way to make my wife smile. Maybe, eventually it'll even be the means by which I make a living. But in the end, it's a good thing to do today....and tomorrow....and tomorrow....and tomorrow, until all of my tomorrows come to an end.
