The mariner frequently writes of doom and gloom. He writes because he cares about the reader’s exposure to those issues that may hurt the reader and all people for that matter, reader or not. He writes to make sure the reader knows of troublesome things that the reader may prepare for them or take steps to address them. The mariner is a weather service for ships at sea.
Yet, it is not the clarion call of the mariner that is important. It is the reader’s satisfaction with his or her own spot in life. Can the reader, in that warped, beaten, abused soul that defines you, feel accomplished? That you have done the best you can. Are you able to find pleasantness on a daily basis? Importantly, have you done something quite frequently that brings you joy? Joy is such a curative that it is required to be an intentioned purpose in life.
Every stage of life, from an infant to a centenarian, must deal with the rainbow of happiness, sadness, laughter, tears, fear, pride, satisfaction, grief, and the sense of self that is our consciousness. Each decade, each generation, makes different demands on these emotions.
When one is trained in sailing, one is taught that all reality is seen from the boat as the center of that reality. That is why wind is expressed not in terms of its absolute direction but the direction from which it approaches the boat. Listen to the TV weather announcer; the wind is described as coming from someplace to the viewer, not the direction it is moving to. The relationship to other boats underway has 37 different rules for right of way. How one’s boat relates to these rules always is seen from one’s perspective: their own boat. There are no traffic lights or stop signs at sea.
This analogy applies to life in general. The world is always seen from the reader’s position. If your life is moving in a certain direction, you will feel reality pushing into you while another person may feel the same reality pushing them forward. It is a telling thing if one wishes to be on the other boat and its reality. You have let your boat drift without direction and it has lost its position relative to reality. You will have no joy, no satisfaction, no accomplishment in your life. Indeed, the reader may have difficulty living according to the numerous rules of right of way for living a good life.
Stay at your own helm, whether it is a dingy or a 100-foot schooner. Set your sails, that is use your attitude and smartness, to catch as favorable a wind as you can. You may have to tack against a headwind but at least you have confidence that you are making progress.
Fair winds, mate.
Ancient Mariner