Some comments

Last night I delivered a lecture on the importance of having a direction in life. I know, it's a clear case of do as I say, not as I do. Yet increasingly I am forced to realize that it is an all encompassing truth of living a life with meaning. You want to have fun? Sure, who doesn't? But having fun is not in and of itself ultimately meaningful. There is always a sense of je ne sais qois after the party is over and you don't quite know what to do with yourself. Unfortunately, one must have something more serious to ground oneself in life. Then there is the balance of work and fun. It's a classic ying yang. The Chinese are so smart.

Anyway, for everyone's sake, having an over-riding purpose in life is important. Of course, it doesn't have to be only one. It can be several. It doesn't have to be stupendously ambitious. It can be small. But the important thing is to be committed to it 100%.

I am still learning. I find myself too distracted, too fragmented, divided in all directions with my various desires and avarices, greed for this, need for that. Therefore, I am usually able to parcel only a smaller percentage of myself towards any one of my goals. Therefore, consolidation is important. Prioritization and consolidation.

The other important thing is, never stifle your urge to learn and understand more. As children, we automatically want to learn more about the environment we mysteriously find ourselves in. All of us are plopped into this world with no real forewarning. None of us arrived with a welcome guide and brochure saying, "welcome to life on earth, here's some key points to keep in mind." No, we arrived, more or less through our own processes of learning. We all should try to recapture the joy of learning again. I think, I believe, that is the secret to possessing the quality, the essence of "joie de vivre."

Now if I seem like a bit of a francophile, that's because I'm currently listening to Pimsleur's Beginner French in my car everyday when I drive to work. I repeat French phrases in the car to myself. Je comprende un peu le Francais! Next stop, I hope to learn some German or Japanese.