No, can't take credit for those lines. That would be the team of Fagen and Becker, better known as Steely Dan. Now there was a great soundtrack to life. What do the youth of today have? Lady Gaga? Listening to that song (Deacon Blues) and the chorus line had me thinking today about winners and losers and where exactly I might fit among those categories. I guess a pretty good case can be made for the latter. Here I am closing my 50th decade on the planet pretty much penny and power - less. And isn't that the measure most would use to sift the winners and losers in this life? That is power, prestige and a pot full of gold. Well, truth be told, I have none of those coveted treasures. I guess I do possess the power that derives from freedom of will and the prestige of being at the top of the food chain, biologically speaking. As for the "pot of gold," I am still a little leery that there really is one at the end of any rainbow. Sometimes that end does seem so close you could reach out and touch it, but then it up and vanishes like a sweet smell in a stiff breeze. Who really gets assigned to pick winners and losers anyway? Who makes those rules? We tend to get down on ourselves if we feel we aren't quite measuring up to them, don't we? Life can seem so competitive, if you fall into the trap of measuring your worth according to another's yard-stick. Getting a little sick of constantly competing? And for what? Power, prestige and money? How many people do you know who have all that and more, yet they are still some of the most miserable saps amongst us. Are they the winners? Are there really any winners? Does it matter? Life can be very difficult and maybe "to win" really means nothing more than the success we have at managing our attitudes in spite of those difficulties. To live with one's head held high above the rising waters and with one's gaze determinedly fixed on horizons to come, but without ever looking down upon anyone else. Because, really, whether you're 10 and 1, or 1 and 10, respect for self and others, is always a win....
No comments:
Post a Comment