Letters to Myself: Entry Seventy-Two
Prompt: Do I make time for awe — for looking up, literally or figuratively — or has my attention narrowed to only what's urgent?
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
A reflection on the great landscape of life; a reflection that asks, are we following the moral law that exists in all of us? Are we showing people grace and humbleness in moments where it’s challenging? Are we doing the hard thing that not only helps us but helps others?
The moral law in all of us should be speaking. There should always be a moment where you are finding awe in the world around you. There should be moments that you are experiencing that stillness that you are potentially looking up to the starry skies and wonder your place in the universe. We often will say that we zoom out and our anxiety really gets reduce because on the grand scheme of things, we are floating in space on a rock; at least in abstract terms. I think moral law is obviously subjective based on the persons experience of the world; however, I do find it pretty evident that there are certain truths that we should be expressing as truth; like the power of love; the power of authoritative dictators; the reason between right and wrong; the way we question the things around us to make sure we are not always trusting the things around us. Life has a funny way of explaining events, but when we lean into the flow of life; or as the Tao is noted - “the way” - I think it is important to remind ourselves we are on that river of time, and that we should be finding time to take a break.
The beauty of history is how it is the only resource that teaches us how to move forward. We look backwards to make sure we are not going through the same steps as the people who came before us. This is precisely how we can see that moral law come through; from the powerful examples of the heroes that came before us. How they were able to sacrifice something that gave their life the meaning it deserved; even if it cost their life, that is something that is more profound to realize. Moral law teaches us to be good to people around yourself; to stop taking things so personally; to actually be selfless in the moment where you are giving that person in need a hand; to let go of notions when moments of sadness, darkness and madness come over you. Moral law brings you back to being the human being you are meant to be.
And much like Kant’s quote here, the moral law gives us a chance to soak in the moment of grace that you deserve. Life is meant to be enjoyed; life is meant to be challenging but relaxing; life is meant to teach us things on how to move forward and be better than we were yesterday; life gives us those starry moments when you are experiencing a social event, a bonfire or whatever, and you can look up and see that the universe is all around you. You see the beauty in the darkness and the light specks that are all around us. That connects all of us to this universal mortal law. Why do we want to destroy something so delicate and firm? This place can be a great place, but only if we follow “the way”.
“Be humble to everyone,” Marcus Aurelius says in his Meditations. Why are we not trying to show this or act on it? That is what makes living this life fun and precious; we have a chance to seek a bridged connection between another person; another human being with soul and purpose; with a heart, shared interests, different opinions, and objections on life itself; their own philosophy of living. That is precious; that is purpose and meaning; that is something we should be striving for on a daily; and that is why philosophy is important; it brings things into the light and gives you a chance to determine the difficult question of good and evil; right and wrong; the short cut or the long path; pick the hard route because that is the only way to learn and grow into the person you want to become.
So definitely ask the question of what am I doing here? Am I enjoying the life I am living right now? Are there moments in your life that you can see the moral law come out? I find myself asking that question as I am writing this reflection and of course there are moments coming up in memory that show that goodness coming through. And so many people around the world know this gap and or I should say, know that the moral law exists, but we choose to go against it. We choose to not offer the hand to the person on the ground; we choose to not say yes to the friend who is asking for help; we choose to not pick up the trash because it was harder to do that than to just walk by it. Why? Why do people do this? That is not good and I sense that many people can grasp that; however, will they do it is the question.
And we are presented with this every day we live. We are presented with chances of virtue and chances of holiness to come out, but it is our decision that is ultimately the thing that guides us; we have that decision in front of us and we have to ask, does this make the world a better place if we perform this task? Are we doing something that is helping people? The shared experience that we are all in; where others might be contributing to something you will get later; and that could be investments or even good-hearted nature to those around you; someone is willing to give that back to you, showing you that there is good people on this planet; that the shared experience is not always grim and grey.
Our calling is on us to do. We have to make decisions everyday that contribute to the whole; something I have referenced quite a bit in my letters. This is why looking at our phones all the time does not help making those decisions. We have to be focused to make decisions; however, I observe that many people around me are not doing this. They are overwhelmed by the options; overwhelmed by the information overload that comes through our screens; overwhelmed by the simple decision to pick a movie on a streaming platform; why is it so hard? We are overwhelmed and focusing solely on that exterior life. We should be seeing the moral law in your heart; look inward to see the beauty in the world all around you. Believe it or not, the more you attempt to do this, the more “the way” tends to show itself; and it is quite profound once one finally sees those starry nights and realizes that this place can be amazing to live. So lets make efforts to make it better for not just yourself, but for the others who are trying to do the same thing.
Main Thought: Life can be challenging and grueling but we should be reflecting to make sure our moral law keeps us in check. Look up on a starry night; help someone in need; pick up the trash on the ground; take the long path moving forward. Do the hard things because more often than not, it helps not only yourself, but will make the world a better place. Challenge yourself to see that beauty, and then you will be more focused to make better moves on this life chessboard.
This post is part of my "Letters to Myself" series — a weekly free-write blog where I explore personal growth, curiosity, and healing through simple prompts. Sometimes reflective, sometimes fun, but always real. Thank you for being here.
References:
Photo by Kyle Gare
Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Practical Reason. 1788.
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. (c. 161–180 AD)
