subject: Immeasurable Things: Life And All That It Offers [print this page] This is a world of substance, a world where most things have weight. Most things can be quantified by some measurement, like truck weighing scales, a gram scale, a measuring tape, a report card, a pressure gage, a barometer or some other form of calculation. We live in a world obsessed with taking measure. Success is measured by income, or twitter followers, or popularity, or number of letters after the name, or size of office, or neighborhood. It is difficulat to move through life without some form of measurement.
In making our way with career and family, worth and value is often measured in numbers. It might be the number in our bank account, the number of bedrooms in the house, the number of children, promotions, vacations, cars etc. There are some benefits in being able to take measure and know that in the game of life we are meeting the challenges. But the real quality of life is in all the moments and experiences that can't be measured.
How do you measure the pleasure from the scent of a gardenia outside the window? How do you value a lovers caress? How do you calculate the joy in the sound of little feet skipping up the stairs? How do you measure the taste of a home grown tomatoe? How do you quatify the sound of children giggling in the surf? How do you weigh the scent of steak on a grill? How do you qualify the birth of a a daughter? How do you measure cool water after a desert hike, a full moon sparkling off a canyon river, the call of a wren, or the song of a whale?
How do you weight a failed relationship? What does the grief from miscarriage weigh? How heavy is the shame of unemployment. What is the length of stress? How many tears does it take to grieve the loss of a parent? What is the radius of Alzheimer's? How much does sexual abuse cost over a lifetime? What is the price of suicide? What is the measure of addiction? Does foreclosure have a square root?
The experience of living can not be quantified. The measure of a life well lived can not be counted in dollars, children, degrees of higher learning, or accomplishments in career. Success, as determined by social norms means little in the end. Lives of great success have ended their lives in discontent. The real measure of life isn't even in the number of good deeds, or great friend's one has. Many people have devoted their life to charitable works and been miserable and unhappy. It is the experience of being completely present to all life offers and in integrity with ones self that makes the journey of life a success.
by: Connor Sullivan
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