I have been thinking
about a general principle that has come into my life several times in the past
few weeks. It has to do with significant. Most of the time we feel we are far
more significant that we really are. I'm going to paraphrase the conversation
that started this line of thought.
I was watching TED
Talks, a great set of programs if you have never heard of it. This specific TED
Talk was a performance by a petite, introverted, Finger style guitarist names
Kaki King (if you don't know her Google it, it will amaze you. She is the first
female on Rolling Stones "Guitar God" List. I'm listening to her as I
write this). She talked about her place in the universe. She first laid out the
concept of time running infinitely in both directions. How every moment was
insignificant within this spectrum. But if every moment was equally
insignificant, then every moment was equally significant. Her final statement
was "Therefore this music will be the most significant music in your life,
at this moment".
This fundamental
concept has worked in the shadows of
several conversations over the last few weeks. More than likely this is the
product of my Reticular Activating Systems, but let's say it is more than that.
We think the universe is approximately 18 Billion years old. Now like the world
is flat theory of old, this may prove to be untrue, but it us our current paradigm.
So our entire life passes as a moment in the history of time. Each day we spend
on this earth is even less significant. Each hour, minute, and second
progressively less significant. But each
unit of time is unique to us. There will only be one. If we do not use it we
cannot store it for another time. What we did with it becomes part of history, even if we did nothing.
That makes it the
most significant moment of our life, at that time. Kaki was right. So the question is; do we live like it is the most significant moment at
the time? Do we realize how truly unique each moment is?
This bring me to
list written by Andy Rooney, that I cannot verify, but hey it was on the
internet so it has to be true....right..... here is a sample:
1. That I can always pray for someone when
I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
2. That no matter how serious your life
requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
3. That sometimes all a person needs is a
hand to hold and a heart to understand.
4. That simple walks with my father around
the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
5. That life is like a roll of toilet
paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
6. That everyone wants to live on top of
the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
7. That opportunities are never lost;
someone will take the ones you miss.
8. That it's those small daily happenings
that make life so spectacular.
9. That under everyone's hard shell is
someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
The life lesson that
come from this list is that life's little moments are important. We spend an
inordinate amount of time worrying about the big moments that lay ahead and very little time appreciating the little moments in front of
us.
Is this the most significant moment in
your life right now? What did you do with it?
