Experience Life

My nineteen year old son bade us goodbye at the airport on Monday as he embarked on a five month trip to China where he will be teaching English as part of an internship arrangement during his post school gap year.

Just over two months ago my daughter, who chose a post university gap year, departed for Chicago in the the US to take up a summer camp counselling job before heading off to explore the West Coast with a friend.

Jenni and I reflected yesterday on our first serious ‘empty nest’ experience and how it felt to have our two offspring half way around the world but in opposite directions.

For both of our kids these trips are the culmination of dreams that began some years ago. Whereas one has been strongly drawn to the East and Eastern culture, the other has always had a fascination for the land of Uncle Sam.

Experience Life (continued)

Here, solidly rooted in the middle (and feeling a tad mundane) Jenni and I talked about how proud we felt to have youngsters who could readily brush aside their natural human fears and anxieties to make their dreams come true and experience life to the full.

Of course, it is easier to venture out when you are younger because your responsibilities are generally fewer and it seems like there is less to lose when you’re not yet tied into a marriage, family, career, mortgage and so on.

And therein lies the rub!

The exuberance of youth

The exuberance of youth has much to do with the lack of artificial constraints imposed by the outside world. As such it holds great lessons for the rest of us.

All too easily, we get caught up in trying to deliver what the world expects from us.

The conventional approach

The conventional approach involves living to work, survive and provide. We measure our success by the assets we accumulate – how much money we have in the bank, the size and location of our house, the brand of vehicle we drive and the exclusivity of the clothes we wear.

In theory we should become happier and more contented as life wears on and yet most will point to their early years, when they were relatively unencumbered by the demands and expectations of the outside world, as being the happiest and most carefree.

This begs us to consider whether the conventional approach to life is flawed.

The enlightened approach

A more enlightened approach comes from the recognition that what we possess (in terms of tangible assets) is not nearly as important as who we are, what we do and how well we get to experience life.

Rather than living to work, survive and provide, the enlightened approach holds that we should work to live, explore, create and do … that which gives us joy.

How well they experience life

For both of my youngsters, signing away a few years of their precious savings was a difficult thing to do and yet they had no qualms doing it.

Fortunately, it seems they know that it is how well they experience life and what it has to offer them – and not the mere accumulation of tangible assets – that will ensure their true happiness.

 

[box type=\”shadow\”]If you\’re a regular commenter and want to personalise your comments with a small picture, why not get a Gravatar (or Globally Recognised Avatar)? It\’s easy, just click here http://en.gravatar.com/[/box]