The Unexamined Life

(Saturday, October 13, 2007 - Transferred from a previous blog spot.)


The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, ApologyGreek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)

Socrates apparently spoke these words in his own defense just before he was sentenced to death. There are several ways that this saying could be applied to life, however it has particular meaning for me right now. I have been working 60 hours plus for several weeks now. I have been running from one meeting to another. The stress of the work is spilling over into the rest of my life. I am less available at home and for other things I would like to be doing. My absence at home has been adding to stress for Lynda. I finally realized that for several weeks I have been just going to the next thing and figuring out what I am supposed to be doing and then going to the next thing and figuring out what is needed of me there. When I finally came up for air, I was sitting at dinner with friends and realized that I had not laughed in a very long time. I realized that I had not paused to think about what I was doing and that feelings of stress and loneliness were overtaking me. I am sure this is not the life that God intends for us. What good is a life if we are just going through the motions of doing what we are needed to do, but we never take time to reflect, pray, refresh, or renew. Even Jesus went away from the crowds with his friends and retreated at times. Granted, it was not always successful for him either. The life I have been living is not a life I want to be living. I know, I am the only one who can fix that and I am trying to sort that out. However, what I know is that I need to pause a little more often to reflect and renew. I am missing myself, my family, and God these days.