You will have seen that this life is…something produced by the self. – Gore Vidal, Creation

Our life. Our results. When it comes down to it, what we get out of our life is dependent on what we put into it.

We can only depend on outside institutions – religion, education, government, to name three – so much. There comes a time when we must field test what we’ve learned by actually going out and living, by comparing and contrasting what we’ve been taught with the way life is actually lived. To do that we must follow our hearts and trust our instincts. Only when we do that will we experience life’s great prize: knowing oneself.

Nothing else matters, really. Only until we are completely in tune with ourselves and know exactly what we are about can we maximize our time on this planet. Only when we are in step with what we should be doing with our life can be make our time serve us and be of any use to either ourselves or our fellow humans.

…this life is…something produced by the self.

Vidal himself was an excellent example of this. He knew, from the start he was a writer, that he had something to say, and the only way he was going to pass a life well-spent was to say what he felt needed to be said.

We can all pass lives well-spent. Every single one of us. We all have our talents and we have obligation to get the most out of them. Only then will we be of any use to ourselves or our fellow humans.

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People are more disposed to suffer than right themselves by resistance. – John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher who flourished in the 1600’s. A complete review of his works is, thankfully, beyond the scope of this feature, but even casual readers of the birth of this nation know Locke’s influence on our Founding Fathers was significant and perhaps even profound.

This thought is as accurate today as it was 350 years ago.

Revolutions do happen, of course. Sometimes we’ve had enough. We had our own in 1776, but by and large us humans will put up with an awful lot. History’s long march has been largely concerned with the few forcing the many into subjection.

We’re putting up with an awful lot now here in America. It may not seem like it. After all, by and large we are able to wake up in the morning and construct our day as we see fit. The 24 hours of every day – the only commodity all of us are issued in equal measure – are ours to either put to advantage or squander. Our call.

People are more disposed to suffer…

Our national problems – a violent government that has produced perpetual wars outside our borders and near-constant gunfire within them, a staggering and ultimately crushing national debt, an economy burdened with high taxes and regulation – are all being tolerated. Anyone who tries to tell you America can stay on this course with impunity is either deluding themselves, trying to delude you or, as likely as not, both.

…than right themselves by resistance.

We haven’t had enough yet because we are not resisting. We are putting up with everything. The 2014 midterm elections illustrated that perfectly when America reelected 96 percent of incumbents to a Congress that had an eleven percent approval rating.

Sure, we make noises about being unhappy with our government, but we aren’t doing anything about it. We are content to throw rocks at the castle from across the moat when the time has come for us to cross the moat, enter the castle and join the battle.

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I work harder than anyone who has ever lived. I am not well and worn out with this stupendous labor, and yet I am patient to achieve the desired end. – Michelangelo, Letter to his brother, while painting Sistine Chapel.

Those who have read more than casually about Michelangelo know he was intent on being great. He recognized he had prodigious talent and knew what he was meant to do with it. He was supremely confident he could produce what would live down the ages and he spent his life trying to do just that. The Sistine Chapel is an excellent example of this as Michelangelo dismissed Pope Julius’ vision for his chapel’s ceiling and implemented his own vision for what the chapel should look like.

…I am patient to achieve the desired end.

The Sistine Chapel took several years to complete. From both an artistic and logistic standpoint, it was an effort without precedent in human history. As both chief executive and artistic director Michelangelo faced supreme challenges, challenges that might have scared off those without his vision and commitment to getting the most out of his life.

Michelangelo’s lessons about putting in the work required to maximize the abilities we were born with and following the path you were meant to take are lessons that, like the Sistine Chapel, will live down the ages. Because the rest of the world may – or may not – notice doesn’t mean we don’t do what’s important to us. Just because our goals may not bring it us acclaim or renown doesn’t mean we throw up our hands and watch six hours of TV every day. All of us were born not only with talents, but with the instincts required to get the most out of them. All we have to do is listen to them. Following our instincts and getting the most out of our talents is the only way we are going to be of any use to ourselves and our fellow humans.

We must have a plan for our lives and that plan must utilize the talents we were born with. We must be patient to achieve our desired end. Few accomplish what they were meant to accomplish in short order. For most, the road is long. We must have the patience to go the entire distance.

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