Philosophy Card Sunday: Hafez
Keep 'em close
It’s Sunday, so we’re back! Again, every Sunday this year, I will be pulling an “inspirational” card from my deck of 52 philosophy quotes and questions and I’ll share my answers to them here. Here is the quote before the question(s) in bold:
“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive” - Hafez (1325-1390)
Is anyone actually glad to be alive? I mean that seriously. I am on a second chance here on this planet, and I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m glad to be here: it’s just the standard.
The standard is what is expected. A couple of week’s ago, Shakespeare warned us that expectations are the source of heartache and maybe death is this same sort of heartache because we have no expectations for what it actually could be. If we knew what was behind the curtain of death, would we be so “glad” to be here? Or, would we all get antsy to get out of here and see more suicides around the world and country?
But, let’s say we are glad to be alive. I think that’s a necessary conclusion we must work with with Hafez, or else this whole time I’ll be complaining about what “glad” means and how it relates to the mundanity and the tediousness that comes with maintaining one’s life.
I enjoy this advice from Hafez, too. We’ll get into this more with the questions below, but what are some things that make you happy, some people, some places? For me, the baseball field is always where I find that gladness to be alive. From cheering on my friends when I’m not on the field to the competitive environment to the excitement of the sport: baseball is not boring. It’s anything but - you just need to know what to look for.
I like this advice, though, because I think that it’s easy to be dragged down into a routine of tediousness. Some things need to get done: laundry, the dishes, mowing the lawn, changing a car’s oil, etc., etc. But, when those are taken care of, are you doing enough to make this life worth living, to make those chores worth continuing and maintaining like a lighthouse. I have a problem with taking naps. At night, I’ll lay down for a half-hour often just to hope the time until bedtime comes up even quicker than previously perceived.
We have such a limited, limited time here - why would every second of freedom be spent harping on the uncontrollable, the disappointment, and the unexpected? Should we not be using every instance as a chance to engage with some sort of Love? I think that time away from work, sleep, and chores should be chock-full of pleasure and the search for that pleasure.
Work ends at 5 pm. You’re home by, let’s say, 6-6:30 pm. Dinner is finished by 7 pm and hygiene like showering and shaving then conclude by 7:30 pm. Bed time is at 9 pm. What does one do with those ninety minutes between finishing the chores and meals and work and bed time? That’s where the enjoyment needs to come in and from.
If you’re not enjoying a book, move on to another one. If this show has become boring, stop watching. If you’re not having fun, you are allowed to switch up the circumstances and the situations until they are more fun than draining.
Hafez wants us to remain near to what is near to us. And I agree. I think it’s essential for us to use this valuable time that we have here doing what we enjoy as much as possible and steering clear from that mundane tediousness that can come with everyday life. Go out with friends, watch a movie alone, enjoy a baseball game, or even just jerk off. The happiness and pleasure, not too sound too hedonistic, should be what is sought after the maintenance has been completed.
I’ll say it again: if you’re not enjoying yourself, then you are allowed to switch it up and to find something more enjoyable for yourself. There is so much time that we have each day that it becomes increasingly little with each passing moment. We’re running out of time here with every breath. Why not spend those extra minutes staying close to the things and people and places that bring you joy. Go to the beach at night, go bowling, go crash a wedding - do SOMEthing.
I like this advice from Hafez: do what you enjoy and enjoy what you are doing.
Who are the people that make me so happy to be on this planet?
There are certain factions of people who all work to make me feel the best alive that I can feel. There are the college friends, the baseball teammates, the friends from home and high school and elementary school, the family, and the occasional Hinge match - to name a few parties - who all work together to make sure that I am never alone.
College friends are always an excuse to have fun with. Friends from home are who I have grown with and who have helped to most shape my development into the guy I am today. The baseball teammates are who I look forward to seeing because they mean that there’s another chance for me to pitch and to play a sport I love. Golf friends could fall into a similar category, but they’re taken up by other friendships in this/these examples. Family is always a great source of support. And the occasional Hinge match is validation I am not twinning with Quasimodo.
It’s important to remember who these people are that make life worth living. It’s important to interact with them and to love with and for these people. I’ll add some initials (my apologies if I forget a few in my hurry) here for the names I won’t mention but the people I want to shout out: LS, DD, JM, CL, JL, BC, AV, DSW, BP, MG, ST, SD, KP, AL, AC, TB, DM, LS, SS, PB, JM, DW, ST, DT, PT, LJ, DM, TM, JM, KH, and JPDIV. I love you guys from the moon and back and you are all my sunshines.
Notice I have not brought up co-workers. That is because I do not regard them as people. That’s mostly a joke, but I think that co-workers are aa tricky situation. Anything that goes wrong outside of work, such as breaking up with a co-worker one was dating, will affect the work environment to either enhance or ruin a good gig. It could be worth the risk to start hanging out with these people outside of the cubicle confines, but there’s a risk of something going wrong and fucking up a good spot. I’m even in a job I no longer enjoy, and I am still weary about hanging out outside of work in case I see anyone differently or they see me differently.
But, this is not about the co-workers who may or may not work to decrease my life expectancy. This is about the people who one loves and Loves and who they see as being shared in the experiences of this stupid life.
I could even add Substack friends to the list as to the people who make me feel good. You guys are awesome!
What are the activities that make me feel alive?
Baseball, golf, writing, reading, lighting candles, knowing how many pages are left in a book, watching the Red Sox/Celtics/Patriots, arguing about sports, etc., etc.
This question is very individualized. What is it that you’d rather be doing right now? Why not do it? You only have so much time out here. And, as my dad always says, you’ll never be on your deathbed wishing you had spent more time in the office.
The activities that keep you alive should be the ones where, if it were your last day on Earth, what you’d like to do for a final time. And then don’t do it for a final time - do it much more often. Whether that’s as simple as writing and reading or as complicated as throwing house parties: do what it is that you’d do if money were no object and you could find joy in whatever it is you’d like to do.
Am I spending enough time with these people and these activities?
No. I need to step my game up (and quit napping through the days). I seriously nap way too much and I need to figure out a way to (besides intravenously using Red Bull) find more energy and to spend it on worthy activities besides closing my eyes.
Time to take a nap now.
Next week: Mark Twain
Keep your friends and hobbies close, but keep your coffee even closer.
If you’re out in the woods alone like Henry David Thoreau, I hope you’re having fun because that sounds deplorable.