More than a Fruit Fly?

A friend of mine called me to talk about his depression. He explained that he had recently come to a realization that scared him, life seemed less useful than a fruit fly.

To him, it came down to this: we go to school, to get a job, to earn money in order to raise a family SO that our kids can go to school, to get a good job to earn money so they can raise a family and the cycle continues. We live, we die, we multiply. The only difference is we live a bit longer than 10 days.

Although the continuation of the human race is a noble cause, he wanted to be about something more. He wanted better answers, and asked many people. The responses did little to alleviate his new-found uselessness.

As I swat and eliminate the fruit flies in my kitchen, I ask myself if there was a difference because of their existence. Is there a difference because of my own?

There is one important difference between us and fruit flies…we have soul. We have conscious thought, not just instinct, which searches meaning. Meaning, comes from perspective, how we see life. That perspective comes from what we believe to be true….from faith. From faith, we establish what is important and from that, we can find our role….simple right??

Sure, if the following questions can be answered:

1. Am I willing to look?
2. What do I believe to be true?
3. Who am I, and what can I do?

Where to start?

Ancient wisdom literature says: fools are found in the house of feasting, the wise are found in the house of mourning.

One of the clearest ways to focus on life, is to reflect on death. What did you think about the last time you were at a funeral or a cemetery? If you can’t remember, take an afternoon and allow yourself to experience either of the two. Imagine what you want your tombstone to say, or how you want to be remember after you’ve gone.

You’ll also find in that time, things that you believe to be important, and therefore, unless you already know, the foundation of your faith.
Put the two together, add a little passion and you’ve got the potential for an inspired fulfilled life.

It seemed my friend’s depression turned out to be his own soul taking him down through the façade that was his life. He had to hit bottom to find out what was real, which gave him the chance to rebuild. He did. And you can too.

If life is a bowl of cherries, do more than just buzz around it.