“Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.”
—–Joseph Campbell
Clint Hill was the secret service agent who was charged with the protection of President Kennedy on the day of his assassination and the first to reach his car after he had been shot. For many years he lived with a sense of guilt because he was powerless to prevent that tragic event. The “what ifs” of November 22, 1963, were a source of great pain to him. All of us are nagged by life’s unanswered questions. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why did I fail at that project? What could I have done to make a difference in a bad situation? These, and many others, keep us awake at night.
Joseph Campbell advises us to not bother our family and friends with volumes of questions, but to go forward with our lives with a sense of confident adventure. If we spend our lives trying to figure out everything we miss life. Jesus says, “Sufficient are the troubles of the day.” Imagine a life that is lived in the moment. Such a life is a life of faith and confidence in God. With it comes a belief in a God who loves us, cares for us and wishes the very best for our future.
Let us challenge ourselves to live life to the fullest with great expectation, and put aside the hesitation that keeps us from being all that God intends for us.
Related articles
- Joseph Campbell’s Approach to Myth (emilysak.wordpress.com)