I have officially, and unequivocally, decided that I will no longer be impressed by appearance, persona, visibility, apparent impact, charisma or perceived character. I may be drawn to them as anyone, but I choose not to allow them to obscure my vision of what is truly important in this life.
I have decided that before, and today I must decide it again for my own soul’s sake.
It is only the quality of a life that I believe makes a life worth emulating – though I increasingly know less how to measure such an intangible attribute.
In other words, I am no longer impressed primarily by what people do.
I am impressed, however, by the way they do what they do, the motives that seem evident, the quality of their attention to family and their interior life in the process of activity, and a way of being in which the interior life of devotion seems to expand beyond the exterior life of activity.
After being moved by the way someone does something, and the path of living they choose, then I’ll look at the visible expressions that flow from their life. In other words – the roots are now prettier to look at than the flowers and fruit (though both give us indications of the quality of the soul).
It is the voice of a spouse, of children and of very close friends that will sound loudest in my ears, and not the crowds who benefit from their giftedness or skill.
The quality of a life – in all its facets – is what is important in this brief sojourn through time.
