Wonder

Last evening I completed watching  "Any Human Heart", a PBS Masterpiece Theatre mini-series from 2010. The main character is an atheist. The story is a fictional compilation of his life's diaries, spanning most of the 20th century. I found it quite moving.

The pivotal idea of the piece is that life is largely a matter of luck, good luck and bad luck. I concur with this view of life wholeheartedly. The wonder of life for me lies in appreciating what people do with their good luck or bad luck. The potential in life, the ability to move from one state of being to another, whether developed on not, is truly amazing. This is a key concept of practice as I see it. The development of the ability to draw on my human potential for beneficial change is the whole point of practice. 

My wonder also extends to appreciating what little good those with incredibly good luck realize in their lives. Too much good luck can breed too little practice at personal development. Greed and narcissism are pitfalls for those who are too lucky. They often see simple human problems as gigantic burdens. Interruptions in their pleasure seeking are seen as major life obstacles. A spot of bad luck for some in this life circumstance often leads to disastrous consequences for them. Their lack of resilience under tough circumstances can do them in. 

For those born to poverty, physical and/or emotional, understanding that life is a matter of luck brings little consolation. They are easy prey for those who would exploit them with religion or easy money from criminal activity. God is the master of luck in the eyes of the religious. Criminal activity can be seen by some as getting even for their bad luck at the expense of those with good luck. Those who emerge from poverty with mindfulness and generous compassion are indeed exceptional human beings.

Compassion can develop with the deep understanding of the randomness of life's luck. While practice and planning can be useful tools for living a mindful and responsible life, ultimately the luck of our individual genetics and the luck of daily events can determine whether we live or die at any moment. Isn't this wondrous? I can consciously know all this at this very moment and still be optimistic about my day. My humanist practice is fueled by my appreciation of this wonder in the moment.