“A person who doesn’t know what the universe is, doesn’t know where they are. A person who doesn’t know their purpose in life doesn’t know who they are or what the universe is. A person who doesn’t know any one of these things doesn’t know why they are here. So what to make of people who seek or avoid the praise of those who have no knowledge of where or who they are?”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.52
One of the truly great things about getting older is the clarity of who you are and what you stand for. Those things can change and evolve of course but the lens is just so much clearer. Explaining those things to others can sometimes still be a challenge but rather than the challenge of trying to explain the color blue without using other colors as a reference, it’s more like trying to explain rain to a waterfall. [Note: I don’t know if I like that analogy or hate it. It seems kind of overly flowery for no real reason. I think I don’t like it. But I’ll leave it because it was the thought as it came to me]