All month the theme, commitment, has preyed on my mind. Why couldn’t I come up with a post on this? What am I committed to these days? What part has commitment played in my life? Perhaps the self-assignment was more difficult than usual because I am experiencing a major life transition: facing the end.
Some of the questions I pondered had negative connotations, because commitment easily converts to bull-headed tenacity and becomes a control issue. Even dedication to something as positive as a life partner and marriage or raising a child can go terribly wrong and do a person more harm in the end. The question about what am I committed to right now resolved into, “Must I be committed to anything, and if so, why?”
To make a long post short, I have concluded that commitments are good in our youth, but only in moderation. Commitment is one side of a coin. The other side is “uncommitment” or letting go. A peaceful, productive life is all about balance, walking the golden mean as well as walking the talk. As you approach the end of your life, commitment to anything other than your own comfort makes less sense to me. I know the playwright O’Neill urged us to not go gently into the night, but I have to ask, “Why not?” I’ll take gently over raging any day. It requires much less energy!
Georganna blogs regularly on writing matters at Writer’s Edge
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Thanks for the perspective - I could not come up with anything this month, either. I realized it was because I was too busy untangling the last 20 years of overcommitments so I’d have room to make new ones!
Your perspective resonates so much for me, Georganna. The “mindset”
I have now at age 55 feels differently than the over-achiever of my
younger days, yet I don’t always give myself permission to let go
enough. I’m still learning this shift - your message reminds me to
take it a little easier!