Security clearance

True security lies in the unrestrained embrace of insecurity – in the recognition that we never really stand on solid ground, and never can. [Oliver Burkeman in ‘The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’]

 

It is in the nature of being human that we are all going to die and we don’t control that much about our lives, from diseases which may affect us to weather that may land on our heads. By accepting those things and the human condition as a whole we can contemplate and address the world with more clarity and understanding. The behaviour that flows from this is to invest our energies only in what we can actually control or influence. Beyond that is a waste of energy and unnecessary upset.

Ripening

It is sad to grow old but nice to ripen.

Growing old is a toughie. Many people do a good job with the first and second thirds of their life but the third third is by and large less well lived by most. That’s why I have this tattoo on my forearm. 

It doesn’t mean “seize the day”. The correct translation is “pluck the day” – Roman poet Horace was using a horticultural metaphor. That C is a fruit. It aligns with Bardot’s “ripen”. It’s hard to lose those youthful looks but there is much satisfaction and pleasure to be had from gaining a modicum of wisdom and understanding.