Durability

I recently spoke with a friend who has had a relapse of breast cancer. When I told her that the news saddened me, she said, "Why sad? I'm not dying yet!" This is an indication of her determination to stay well despite the threat on her life. It also indicates her defensiveness, a normal state when dealing with the harsh effects of chemotherapy, including hair loss, devastating fatigue and a daily test of resolve.

Crisis is an inevitable part of mortal being in a chaotic Universe. We will all sicken in some way and eventually die. However, some of us are more durable in the face of crisis than others. Why is that so?

Daily practice is a way in which I consciously try to maintain my durability. My intentional efforts to have durable strength as my body ages becomes ill are motivated in part by my experience of severe illness. Many people my age, who have never experienced severe illness, are obsessed with maintaining beauty or youthfulness. I know from experience that beauty and youthfulness are not durable qualities in the face of cancer or other severe illnesses. During my work as a hospice nurse, I have seen beauty rapidly evaporate and leave its youthful bearer adrift.

Aging isn't for sissies, as the saying goes, but even sissies must age. Establishing habits of health and mental well being is the best path to developing a durable body and mind. This is the core of what I call a humanist practice.