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on values


Do our values change?  Or do we simply lose track of who we are?  When I was a boy, I was obsessed with David Carradine’s character Kwai Chang Caine.  A fugitive shao-lin monk, he was forced to drift throughout the old west with only the clothes on his back and a few belongings, no place, no family, no friendships.  And while each episode presented a new hardship to bear, he faced each with complete equanimity, finding purpose in the spiritual care of others.  As a teenager, I longed to be just like him. 



But I grew up, went away to college, started a career and a family, and became busy.  Then a couple of years ago, I found myself alone again – forced to sort out who I was and what I might want from life.  During one period of reflection, I conceived of a set of guiding principles that resonated deep within me:  simplicity – the avoidance of all but that which is either necessary or fulfilling, harmony – the continual effort to live in concert with myself, others, and life as each truly is, and freedom – the courage to live authentically.  Only later did I make the connection to the lessons from the show.  My unhappiness had derived from living a life that was in conflict with my authentic unchanged self. 

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