In It for Life: Maximizing Longevity
By Tim Lybarger
“THERE’S no sense in going further—it’s the edge of cultivation,”
So they said, and I believed it—broke my land and sowed my crop—
Built my barns and strung my fences in the little border station
Tucked away below the foothills where the trails run out and stop.
Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes
On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated—so:
“Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges—
“Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!”
— from THE EXPLORER, by Rudyard Kipling, 1898
Why Stop Now?
The leisure industry has convinced most of us that the ultimate aim in life is to find that precious space where we don’t have to do anything except kick back and relax – especially in the enticing locations portrayed in their advertising. “There’s no sense in going further…” as Kipling says in his poem.
The message is reinforced through the alluring goal of retirement. The concept of quitting work at a certain age has gained almost universal acceptance in our modern society. As I encounter peers of my age group (65+), the question inevitably comes up, “Are you retired yet?”
The truth is, I don’t quite know how to answer. My stammer usually sounds something like: “What do you mean by retire? Why would I want to? What would I do if I were not working on something?”
Life needs purpose and effort if it is to remain meaningful. And, no matter our age, we can always maintain a state of becoming something more than what we are today.
No, I don’t wish to “retire,” whatever that means. There are too many inspirations that visit my imagination. And to me, the word “hard” is not a pejorative term. If anything, we should all be cautious of its opposite; comfort and ease. Those are the conditions that lead to shorter and less satisfying lives.
Whispers
In the podcast, How I Built This with Guy Raz, the host interviews individuals have who have started and built notable businesses. The stories are fascinating for their ups and downs and the prevailing persistence of their founders. At the end of each account, Guy Raz typically asks the interviewee whether they believed their success was due to either their own hard work, determination and skill or because of luck. The answers are a typically a mix, but one answer stood out to me. Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder of ActOne Group responded, “I don’t think luck had anything to do with it. I do believe that I’ve been blessed and I have received those blessing by honoring them with hard work.”
In my mind, inspirations are those whispers that come from an important Place. They are not accidental. They are blessings that call me to go and find something hidden, and I have an obligation to honor them by testing them out.
Start a business? Work with others to found a non-profit that helps solve a social issue or respond to a community challenge. Maybe, maybe not. How do you decide?
Take action and see what happens. Think about who you would like to help and what problem you would like to help them solve.
Sounds like hard work? Yep, just the thing to give purpose and meaning to a life still becoming.
Whatever your own circumstances, this one thing you should know: that the world needs what you have to offer and it may be the “voice as bad as Conscience…” that calls you to act.
Go.
