Life is hard.
Most of us don’t realize either how insulated we are from life’s hardness or how fragile that insulation is.
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Consider the plight of a young, single black mother of three children under the age of 10
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Consider losing your job when jobs are scarce
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Consider receiving a diagnosis of cancer
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Consider losing a parent … a child … a spouse
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Consider facing retirement without sufficient resources in hand
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Consider breaking a leg or being in a life-altering accident
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Consider the coercive forces of debilitating habits and degenerative “natural inclinations”
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Consider the ever-present drag of inertia
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Consider natural disasters
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Consider unnatural disasters
Much of what we do as mature adults is struggle to fortify our insulation against life’s future hardness.
Much of what we do as children and immature adults is insulate ourselves against current hardness … the hardness of just “being” … the hardness of growing and developing … the hardness of getting an education … of responsibility … of “chores” … of bettering ourselves … of not knowing what to expect … of not having any credentials … of being marginalized … of not having any social or vocational “anchoring”.
Only in experiencing hardness do we understand completely the kinds and extent of insulation required.
“Man is a curious animal; he cannot read the handwriting on the wall
until his back is up against it.” Adlai Stevenson
It’s also important to understand that most of the insulation we enjoy early in development has an expiration date. It’s only there – provided by others – to help get us started while we capacitize ourselves to handle the more permanent stuff.
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” Winston Churchill
Thankfully, the world doesn’t throw everything at us at once. But, eventually, life will expect us to deal with the entire package.
Video games, tweeting, twittering, web surfing, etc., insulate us from the boredom of NOW, during which we’re supposed to be doing things to insulate ourselves against the vicissitudes of LATER.
We like “comfort food” … and indulge it liberally … as insulation against stress. But there are more durable insulation strategies to consider.
“Good Housekeeping Seal” certifiable insulation has broad spectrum roots, which include:
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Education (it’s a life-long deal!)
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Knowledge
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Understanding
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Marketable Skills
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Family
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Collegial networks of professionals and aspiring professionals
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Exercise / Physical Conditioning
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Neuralization / Mental Conditioning
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A sense of humor
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Values / A strong moral code
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Principles
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Discipline
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Spiritual Grounding
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Purpose / A Goal / A Dream
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A foundational commitment to be as useful/productive as your genes will allow
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A foundational commitment toward eventual surmountability
Insulation methods that don’t work so well include isolation, immersion in “caves” of fantasy and virtual reality, alter ego personification, “cocooning” in friends, family or tribal (including political party) patronage, and/or exploitation of mind altering drugs. While these methods do, indeed, shelter one from immediate and wide-ranging ominety, they create suffocating dependencies, foster dysfunctionality, and put one at greater risk of ultimate demise.
SUMMATION
Get bullish about insulating yourself against life’s biggest and most formidable challenges. But do so intentionally and very selectively, with “Good Housekeeping Seal” methods.
And don’t become insulated from things that really matter. Stay vulnerable to new ideas, to new beginnings, to Joy, to the pursuit of highest integrity, to helping those in need, and to making the biggest, most positive difference possible.
Finally, let’s be generous in sharing the insulation we’ve got with others. Quartermaster
