Crusades & Thresholds

Last night I sat in a small pool of hot water, gazing idly at the stars and talking easily with a friend. Conversation flowed intermittantly like trickling rivulets as we soaked our stiff bones and sore muscles. Among the many wandering paths that our speech travelled one theme seemed to rise repeatedly: We have total control - and yet we have none. Let me explain. You cannot set out to defeat things like the degradation of our language, the abandonment of nature and the old ways of life, the increasing self-orientation of society - and expect to stamp them out. You cannot even expect to make a noticeable difference. It would be difficult enough if Mankind were one single entity, and we certainly are not that. These things are far too large, too powerful, they have too much momentum to be squelched by my main force or yours. But. There is something we can do. Though any crusade we launch is inherently doomed to failure, we can defend our thresholds. Forget the abstract concept of "The World". There is little you can do there. You can however choose to crush any of these things in your own life; and if you do, it will indeed be a matter of choice - you can decide whether you prevail or concede defeat. When you have grasped this truth and applied it, then you can fight these battles on other soil - in the hearts and minds of those of those closest to you. This is how any difference will be made, not by straining and striving to cure the maladies of creation. This is how any small victory or effective stand will be accomplished. Anything else will merely wear you out. I'm reminded of a wise maxim I once read: For peace of mind, resign as General Manager of the Universe.