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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-06-12, Page 11A M".AIr1�' Young people at the starting line.... (continued from page 2A) western countries. Between thin layers of wealth and poverty there is a bigger comfortably housed and well- fed percentage of people than ever before in our history, and bigger than in most .,other countries. There is, however, an in- stinctive effort by parents to help their children to avoid the hardships of life that they endured and toseek the satisfaction of their parents' unrealized hopes through the advancement "of their' children, and this leads, in some cases, to a distortion of values. A MEMBER OF SOCIETY What should a young person's approach to ' life be under existing circumstances? One is riot an individual living alone, but part of an organization, a member of the human race. ,Do not demand that those around you shall be framed by a mare perfect model, than you are able or willing to imitate. Respect and cherish friendship and the opportunity . to serve.. Charles Darwin wrote in The Descent of Man: "The . social instincts naturally, lead to the Golden Rule, and this lies at the foundation of morality." Decency is of public concern. No ' matter how deep our knowledge, it must be adorned by manners. You may rebel against the conventions of society, but convention is the lubricant that makes it possible for human beings to live together' + Courtesyis not the whimsical invention of a past generation, but the expression of a law whose observance is nedessary to , co -habitation of human beings on a crowded planet. It is needed in all ranks and ac- tivities of life. If' filial devotion, Iias gone out of style in certain circles, there remains the attribute of courtesy, which is the least that children can contribute to the parents who nurtured them. . There is dignity in the desire to be right even in the smallest questions wherein the feelings 'of others are concerned. "What a pity," said Talleyrand, great French statesman, after listening' to a tirade by Napoleon, -"that so great man should be so ill-mannered!" WHAT TO SEEK It is a reasonable ambition in men and women of any age t� seek to raise their leveloTliviag while enjoying a way of -life that is in accord with their par- ticular personal set of values. If people do not consider what is best, but - only what is pleasurable, how can they be any better than the most senseless animals? It is important for everyone, but particularly for young people, to select the ap- propriate path to follow. "Right aspirations" is the second precept in Gautama Buddha's Eightfold Path. ' Having a purpose gives your mind unity of thought . and action, and helps you to keep your sense ,of. direction. It is tiresome to gothrough life as if you had a radar set instead of brains, always telling you what people expect you to do: Thinking for yourself along the right lines gives you wisdom. Intelligent human beingswill not long be satisfied with animal • pleasures. The pleasures of the intellect come first. Corliss Lamont wrote in r The Philosophy of Humanism: "The individual, attains 'the 1, good life by harmoniously combining personal satisfactions and continuous self -development with significant work and other 'activities that contribute to the welfare of the community." Such people seek to make sure that their pilgrimage may leave s&ne traces. Capture or develop the dominant idea of your worth in society, and go to work. There is little that one cannot do with good . tools, good materials, - determination, and an ideal. The tools for improving life are education and skill in its ap- plication; the materials are the events of everyday life; determination is a personal application of the desire that one has; and an ideal is a vision of what might be. On the way to whatever goal you set your eye upon, try to make , a contribution to the promotion of science, art, morals and education. Plan- ning what contribution to make and mapping out the `course as you intend to follow are part of the joy of living so as to be selffulfilled. Do you desire. fame? To be famous for what? Distinguish between being notable and being notoridus. ' Neurotic ambition arises from, weakness and insecurity and derives its satisfaction from the acclaim of the -crowd. As Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman learned the hard way, popularity . is a spider's web support for the realities of life. Do not get side-tracked by self-indulgence, self - preoccupation, or exhibitionism. A narcissus complex, full of self-love, is the most tragic of all complexes. Wholesome ambition is oUt- ward-looking. It seeks to learn what it can do, not what will set notoriety's trumpets sounding a fanfare. A well-balanced ambition gives stability. The person who has it is not simply a bundle of isolated acts and•beliefs: he has unity. When you :have emotional stability you refuse td be put out,by.failure or made rash by the „ expectation of success. You can be depended upon: You are . a person of character. A person of character has the will to put forth energy in doing things, and the wish and ability to keep desirable aims ,before, his mind. He may, have dreams, but he is not solely a dreamer. Dorothy L. Sayers tells in her story Clouds of Witness about a man who lived to be 96, doing nothing, .but planningall the things he might .have done. He wrote an elaborate diary, containing the record of this visionary existence' which he had never dared to put to the test of trying. ATTAINING MATURITY. Mature judgment is not a matter. of age but of the ap- plication of knowledge to situations. Advertisements daily urge us to'look young, be young, act young, and stay, young: They are, in truth, the greatest campaign for arrested development of the . human being ever waged. anywhere, Far. from glorifying in- fantil'ismAhe dawn of maturity is a time to get random im- pulses under control, a time to case being an undergraduate. Maturity is the ability of young and old to react 'to. life situations in ways that are more beneficial than the ways in which a child would act. It involves an increase of selT- understanding, self-control, :end self-direction. Delayed maturity is 'evidenced by those who remain habituated to being supported • by parents or the government when they should be Shouldering their own , responsibility. Instead sof leaning .upon others to supply wants, soothe fears, and provide refuge, the mature person has come to a stage in life where he feels the impulse to be a self-sustaining person useful to family, friends, and society. YOU NEED TO KNOW It would be a great mistake to assume that fundamentals do riot apply in your case; that you Can skip a lot of lessons that other people need to learn. The questions "What shall I do under these circumstances?" and "How shall I go about dding it?" cannot wait until you have -.bad experience. They must be' "answered out of stored knowledge of principles ;and practices. If you wish to make a spacious version of your life you will keep learning'. One sign that you have grown up, that you are no longer a child, is•that. you do not look upon study or learning as work. Educational fixation places a limit on personal development, ' and holds down, your level of at- tainment. There is ,a book that gives sixty-five rules for efficient study. Four are sufficient. 1. Decide what you wish to learn about:, 2. Select the books or classes appropriate to your purposes; 3. Set a course and assign times, make allowance for storms and contrary winds; 4. Get sailing. Cultivate the love of mental... adventure. Study close to the limits of your mental powers and strain them a little. A break through into new knowledge is an occasion for immediate jubilation and the source of lasting pleasure. You are escaping from being court-nonplace. LIMITATIONS OF EXPERIENCE Some people are obsessed by the idea that - nothing ' ever happens in the world unless it happens to them personally. They think that tlfe only way to learn -a route 'is to go over the road . themselves, suffering every hardship, clearing every • obstacle, and wo,-king things out for themselves: They • are like Ko -Ko, who made his entrance upon the entertainment stage as the, aspiring ' 'Lord High Executioner in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. He intended to qualify as a com- petent executioner by begin- ning with a guinea pig and working his way up through the animal kingdom. .There • it a better plan: ask "Out of whose book can I take a leaf?" :,,Take a short-cut to knowledge by using the ex- perience and precepts of others who have trodden the hard path before, you, making 'the necessaryadjustments to fit a new environment. While you will avoid asking advice in matters that should be decided by the use of your own wits, you will sometimes approach some perplexity from which the advice of a prudent w, friend or a wise associate might. easily. deliver you. It is usually a weakling who does' not•''take advice, someone `who fears in a small -thinking way that to seek advice is to „ admit ` incapacity. On the contrary, to use advice prdves that you are well-advised. Socrates Vhad a daemon who' warned him against one course, of action and suggested an alternative, and many a King's throne had a little filigreed hole close to the ' sovereign's ear through which advice could be whispered to him. When you bump, your head against a new experience, take time to figure out *what hap- pened and why. One must be a bit of a Stoic, with a mind too great to be affected b:' the small troubles of life, but at times it is necessary to examine happenings with a view to correcting' them, while submitting without complaint to unavoidable necessity:" Sir William Osler, Canadian - born physician who became Regius professor of medicine iri the University of Oxford, said to graduating students that they should cultivate "Coolness and presence of mind, under all circumstances, calmness amid storms, clearness of judgment in moments of great peril." Experience that counts is not acquired quickly.. Some per- sons are on • a hurry -up schedule. They want promotion and prestige without spending the hundreds of hours of labour needed to learn how to do their jobs. They are like Prince Henry in Shakespeare's play who took the crown before his' father died. This is an age of'wadfng into everything up to the neck, but enthusiasm should not - be allowed to pushusbeyond our depth. We need to evaluate our strength from year to year by considering the distance we still have to go rather•than by the distance we have already swum. We have choices to make at every stroke. The possibility of choosing is the crown of human life. .We can choose between immediate ease or the. satisfaction of our urge to press on. The choice deserves careful study. It is narrowed and "made /less intelligently 'by ignorance, obsession and laziness. GODERICH SIGNAL,STAR, T URSDAY,,N.: Ng 2x, PA , ABOUT MAKING PROGRESS Every person who wishes to enjoy peace of mind needs to learn to ' renounce .., many ephemeral things' in order °to possess things that are sub- stantial. - . Upon entering a new field of activity such . as university, business, trade, or profession,' you may feel somewhat lost. Before setting foot across the door sill; review in your mind these facts. Dwell upon the ' advantages offered you in. the new position. Determine that you will take the first steps to being friendly with the, new •people you meet, Follow a health pattern that has suited ' you in the past..Do not thi,:k of yourself too much. Take into account your personal capacity, your tastes an&ambition, the demands of',. the . professional or other career you want, and how strong your desire is to do,phat is necessary to meet therri. Became aware of what your nature fits you fornd certain ,about what you wish to' become: otherwise you are like a seedling that, does not know whether its .destiny is to become an oak or a cabbage. A healthy independence can scarcely be attained except"' (continued ora page 6A) Tough as all outdoors. 4 Mon. - Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Fridays -9:30 a.m. WLEBAEi/N CHAIRS POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVES SUMMER SPORT SHIRTS ASSORTED STYLES WOOL AND NYLON STRETCH - IN ASSORTED CO LOURS WITH BATTERIES • POWERFUL BEAM HANDY BELT CLIP PLUS OTHER FEATURES SIZE 30" x 72" COTTON SLEEPING BAG IDEAL FOR SMALL_ HARDWARE -FISHING TACKLE ETC. 24 QT, SIZE COOLER WITH .. 128 OZ. 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