Finding a New Relevance

                                          Finding a New Relevance

     William Skupski opens the microwave door and,  once again, spills the hot drink, barely avoiding scalding myself.  Such “accidents” interfere in his life far too often and leave him “stuck in first gear” in a world dominated by what many see as the irrelevance of the existence of William and many others..

    That roadblock to real life occasionally steps aside long enough for him to proclaim minor victories over temporary detours on a highway where complete success seems nearly impossible.

     Those forced to travel in this unfulfilled world find it impossible to even toast the few victories in their lives because spilled champagne–and many other refreshments– often dash any hope of normalcy. 

     Thank God for computer technology and word processing, because “normal” letter writing, and even the simple task of signing one’s signature, often turn the attempts into indecipherable scribbles.

     “The Disorder”, however, again rears its ugly head when William attempts to publicly express his points of view on important issues because of the embarrassment of useless quaking and sometimes  incomprehensible utterances.    

      William’s attempt to cope with this often second place existence has led him down a number of blockaded roads. However, he probably would not have advanced to the point he has without the limitations imposed by the tremor that has plagued him most of his life.

     His fight to smash through the roadblocks, after all, has led William into an extremely productive career in community journalism that brought him perhaps a great deal more satisfaction, “fame” and adventure than he would have attained had his situation not forced him to take the detours. 

     Without the detours that his tremor placed in his way he probably also would not have discovered the intense satisfaction of retiring into his wonderful post-retirement fiction writing avocation. This turn in his life’s journey also has led him to “find his muse” amid the natural beauty of Delmarva’s many beaches and other attractions. 

    Although, up to now, it has not produced the monetary rewards he had envisioned several turns ago, at least doors that could still open remain part of his positive challenge for the future.

     The detours also have led him into social leadership positions in his community and in the quasi-military organization that brought him more satisfaction than he probably ever would have enjoyed had the fates brought him into the traditional military service route forced upon many in his generation.  They also probably saved his life from the debacle of Vietnam that destroyed many of his generation.

      Charity, for William, also has taken on a more personal meaning, aimed at bettering his own life by bettering the lives of others through performing good works. He has come more and more to believe charity should stem from one’s internal sense of decency and obligation rather than from monetary parameters aimed at only maintaining the social standings of certain charitable organizations.

          He also has developed a much greater need for understanding and inclusion based in a  world of greater kindness in which we study more carefully the motivations behind the viewpoints of others and what causes them to react to the world the way they do.

     William has begun to explore more the hypocrisy of supposedly caring so much for our entire existence but continuing to support policies which shorten that existence, especially for those which the supported society chooses to marginalize.

     The true betterment of society, he also has come to realize, probably should come more from a free and open discussion of issues and beliefs than from social media shouting and narrow minded spouting of viewpoints and violent reactions to the viewpoints of others. Maybe we should be understanding far more and shouting far less.

     William has come to agree more and more that open discussion and working towards common goals accomplishes far more than the construction of cages aimed at locking away viewpoints not mirroring exactly our own.

    This, by no means, argues for non-questioning conformity, but more for searching below the surface for portions of everyone’s life goals that can be fused to build an understanding that can benefit all.

     William believes firmly that the human race can find a way to accomplish this with the guiding hands of all organizations and individuals of good will–whether based on religious or non-religious foundations.

     Every person’s personal tenets of existence, no matter whether they stem from an individual or collective belief system, can provide keys through which each of us unlocks the common human decency that, of late, has become buried deeper and deeper in our collective consciousness.

       Hopefully, leaders of all belief systems will come to work more closely toward a positive and hopeful society where all seek open acceptance of differences, as well as likenesses, in order to truly advance all humankind.

     The tearing down of all these blockades and reaching for a more positive meaning in life are motivating William to put maximum effort into seeking a new and interesting world of satisfaction and accomplishment for all who inhabit the earth–no matter what the level of their abilities.

    This means that we can all contribute to a better world in our own way, even if we overcome each of our personal obstacles by travelling along different highways.

        The fight against living the life of an “also ran” has, however, not taken William’s  eyes off the ultimate goal he seeks to reach for himself and others who suffer from the plagues that keep too many “stuck in second gear.”.

      He continues to believe that the wonders of science will produce the ultimate destruction of his tremor and other “blockades” not just from sophisticated coping mechanisms but from true and final cures that will give them the tools they need to produce a better world.

      If the farthest science will advance in the lifetime of every human being is the small spot of greatness each of them has contributed to this world, then they will have reached the ultimate goal of their existence when the curtain closes on their final performance.