There's a passage in Neal Stevenson’s sci fi novel Snow Crash in which the protagonist, Hiro, who has been wearing a pair of special glasses that project an idyllic image onto his bleak environment, finds that his brain and eyes have adjusted and he can no longer see the projection, but is looking straight through at naked reality.
Such an evocative piece - Your metaphor is perfect - thank you. At 72, my views on my life are foreshortened. 82 is my actuarial date. I spend most of my time in the present, because even the most mundane task or experience is now filled with meaning. For soon, there will be nothing.
The past fills most of the rest of my consciousness. Not regret, but just gratitude for the life I have had. The standouts are my memories not of work but of love.
Thank you so much, Robert! What an excellent perspective. The standout memories are always of love; love is the most important thing of all. But it's work that makes it possible for most of us to be financially secure enough (which needn't mean wealthy) to shift our focus from survival to loving and to have an old age that is free from existential worries. May you exceed your actuarial date and have many more years of health and happiness!
Ah yes, I usually call them "progressive lenses" too—but I thought the term "varifocals" might be more fitting in this essay. I'm sorry it was confusing.
It was only slightly confusing because I assumed it meant either bifocals or progressive lenses. Looking terms up isn't onerous. Like fact checking before reposting something under our own name, it's what people like us don't hesitate to do.
Bifocals were impossible for me to wear. I couldn't dream of walking down the steps with them on. I love the progressive lenses!
The metaphor of focusing a lense is one I consider frequently. The same object can be viewed on a multitude of scales. For some strange reason, we seem to ascribe greater value to constitutive parts than to greater wholes. Thoughts, for example, may be described on the level of neurological processes, but reducing them is akin to describing what we're watching on the television in terms of photons and atmospheric perturbations.
I think both levels are interesting to think about: the smaller scale, which is more fundamental but more uniform, and the emergent. I love Murray Gell-Mann's book The Quark & the Jaguar for this.
Iona, your writing feels like I am in the company of a magical tour guide. One able to zip us around past, present, and future. Here, near, there, and beyond. Evoking memories and hopes. Surprising with delightful turns of phrase.
All is well, thank you. The first pandemic year I wrote, and the next year my partner Liz and I produced the Game of Argentine Tango, a one-year course of tango using a rather different approach to teaching/coaching/guiding, we feel. You must be quite busy. If you do find the time and interest there is a 7-day free trial on the Tango Tribe site. And I'd be pleased to extend to you a guest membership for as long as you like. Be safe, well, and happy. :-)
You are right about work - it's a foundational issue that provides our core security both financial and emotional - I did not mean to underplay its value.
A hard thing for me now, is that not working for money has removed a part of my core identity as a provider, a very male attribute I think. But maybe not so much any more. My grand daughter aged 14 is very aware of not relying on a man to be her breadwinner and is on the road to financial independence or at least self reliance.
I had a great teacher about values - his view is that we have to take care of the basic security issues in our lives as a matter of priority. The hierarchy of needs.
As an artist, as I think you are, this can be very hard - my son's dilemma. So I extend my best wishes to you in this area of your life
Yes, indeed! It seems quite unpredictable who will do well with the varifocals and who will not. I wonder what causes those differences? And thank you much for reading. Viele Liebe Grüsse.
Such an evocative piece - Your metaphor is perfect - thank you. At 72, my views on my life are foreshortened. 82 is my actuarial date. I spend most of my time in the present, because even the most mundane task or experience is now filled with meaning. For soon, there will be nothing.
The past fills most of the rest of my consciousness. Not regret, but just gratitude for the life I have had. The standouts are my memories not of work but of love.
I agree, Robert, though I'm only 46. The present expands to eternity, to our horizon.
Iona, love your bifocals description. You and me and Bill Maher, all wearing glasses ;)
It's great to be in such good company. And thank you!
Thank you so much, Robert! What an excellent perspective. The standout memories are always of love; love is the most important thing of all. But it's work that makes it possible for most of us to be financially secure enough (which needn't mean wealthy) to shift our focus from survival to loving and to have an old age that is free from existential worries. May you exceed your actuarial date and have many more years of health and happiness!
I wish for you freedom from regret. You deserve it.
That is the loveliest and kindest wish. Thank you! I think that if the future goes well for me, I will indeed achieve that.
I love Neil Stevenson!
....even though he is in the habit of making a short story long. I wager he'd take 40 pages to describe my modest kitchen.
I had to look up, "varifocals". We call them "progressive lenses" over here.
As we go through our lives, we select how we focus on everything we see, present, past and future. Therapy taught me to be careful in how I do that.
Thanks for your essay.
Dan
Ah yes, I usually call them "progressive lenses" too—but I thought the term "varifocals" might be more fitting in this essay. I'm sorry it was confusing.
And thank you so much for reading!
It was only slightly confusing because I assumed it meant either bifocals or progressive lenses. Looking terms up isn't onerous. Like fact checking before reposting something under our own name, it's what people like us don't hesitate to do.
Bifocals were impossible for me to wear. I couldn't dream of walking down the steps with them on. I love the progressive lenses!
The metaphor of focusing a lense is one I consider frequently. The same object can be viewed on a multitude of scales. For some strange reason, we seem to ascribe greater value to constitutive parts than to greater wholes. Thoughts, for example, may be described on the level of neurological processes, but reducing them is akin to describing what we're watching on the television in terms of photons and atmospheric perturbations.
Dan
I think both levels are interesting to think about: the smaller scale, which is more fundamental but more uniform, and the emergent. I love Murray Gell-Mann's book The Quark & the Jaguar for this.
Iona, your writing feels like I am in the company of a magical tour guide. One able to zip us around past, present, and future. Here, near, there, and beyond. Evoking memories and hopes. Surprising with delightful turns of phrase.
Gracias y abrazos.
Thank you so much David, darling. Lovely to hear from you and I hope all is well with you in Austin. x
All is well, thank you. The first pandemic year I wrote, and the next year my partner Liz and I produced the Game of Argentine Tango, a one-year course of tango using a rather different approach to teaching/coaching/guiding, we feel. You must be quite busy. If you do find the time and interest there is a 7-day free trial on the Tango Tribe site. And I'd be pleased to extend to you a guest membership for as long as you like. Be safe, well, and happy. :-)
Thank you so much, David! Same to you. xxx
You are right about work - it's a foundational issue that provides our core security both financial and emotional - I did not mean to underplay its value.
A hard thing for me now, is that not working for money has removed a part of my core identity as a provider, a very male attribute I think. But maybe not so much any more. My grand daughter aged 14 is very aware of not relying on a man to be her breadwinner and is on the road to financial independence or at least self reliance.
I had a great teacher about values - his view is that we have to take care of the basic security issues in our lives as a matter of priority. The hierarchy of needs.
As an artist, as I think you are, this can be very hard - my son's dilemma. So I extend my best wishes to you in this area of your life
Thank you so much, Robert! x
Yes, indeed! It seems quite unpredictable who will do well with the varifocals and who will not. I wonder what causes those differences? And thank you much for reading. Viele Liebe Grüsse.