often in a large, significant way. Like world poverty, the Taliban, the wildfires, or the idiots who support Trump.
One has to focus on being true to oneself, one’s own interests (and those closest to one), daily necessities, family matters, immediate and urgent problems.
Although I spent a large chunk of my life, as a musician, textbook author, and teacher, bringing pleasure and ideas to the lives of others, those contributions to others and to society are largely over. I have more than ‘done my bit’.
I have also enlarged my consciousness through every stage and decade of my life. I pretty much knew my own mind by 40, sometime ago, and morphed into a more self-activization period of creativity through poetry writing, blog-writing, working as a film classifier, and exploring e-media.
I continue to follow my own bliss, going where my heart, mind, and spirit gravitate towards. Often, I end up going full circle back to key moments and turning points from my youthful past.
For instance, in the last two weeks, I’ve returned to discover more about Donovan who, in my teen years, influenced my musical and psychological sensibility. I realize that consciousness was, likewise, a big, important part of my life, too, and that he influenced me and others (Suzanne Vega, Bruce Cockburn–other musical favorites) who, likewise, focused on consciousness in their own developments as performers and songwriters.
I still never know what will ‘bubble up’ as a compelling idea or subject of interest in the course of each unique changing day.
Anyway, it is in that state I continue to live my life far from the hard, brutal, brutish, stupid ways that continue for many on Earth: the non-stop War that drags on. Donovan was right after all, some 7 decades later: gentleness, consciousness, love, and peace are the four things that matter most.