VOICES OF DAVIDSON

 

By Chris Davis

I have been searching to make sense of 2020. I know that its trademarks are suffering and heartache. But in hindsight searching history, statistics and philosophy, I recognize that the pandemic has made the dangers faster and more frequent.

Ancient Hebrew Scriptures tell us that there is nothing new under the sun, and Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” 

Have we not been here before? 

We are currently living in a digital age marked by speed, complexity and connectedness. But we have lost margin—the time between events we desperately need to process. How can we put things in context when we’re faced with speedy algorithms and social media feeding us data and opinion so frequently and so quickly?

I would advise that we slow down. From the beginning of time, artists, playwrights, poets, theologians, philosophers and others have helped us find our compass, and pointed us to our own north star.

Here are some guidelines that may help.

• Set your sights on the future. Where will you be in 5 – 10 years? What will I doing, for instance, at 10 a.m. on December 29, 2025, and who will be with me?
• Identify one or two things that you can do today that will point you toward the future you seek.
• Find an accountability partner to accompany you on this journey.

Reflecting on 2020, I realize that by slowing down, I feel more peaceful than when I live in real time. There is nothing like hindsight, and there is a journey still ahead. Find your own stars and be comforted in the knowledge that others have seen them before us.

A new year is coming! Smile! Recognize the silver linings of 2020 and tell those stories.  Then throw the worst stories into the fire and leave them. Carry yourself forward into 2021 with purpose, intention and fresh resolve.

 

Chris Davis has lived in the Davidson area for almost 40 years. He is passionate about purpose and philosophy of life, using his profession as a financial planner to help untie everyday Gordian Knots.