Living on Borrowed Time

Plus: The Cat on "The Happiness Equation"

and

Jul 21, 2024

Welcome to the Crazy Insights newsletter, where everything we share is inspired by our readings, learning, and experiences. If you've just joined us, we're thrilled to have you on board 👋

“Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.”
- Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919)

(Insert your own crazy intro here) ← No, this is not a mistake 😈

CHELS’ WORLD 🌍

Living on Borrowed Time

Man in white and black jacket and pants sitting on black surface by Grant Whitty on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/@grantwhitty)

Death might seem like a morbid topic for a newsletter, but it is an inevitable reality we must all prepare for. I hadn’t planned to write about this; however for weeks, my mind was blank. I asked God for words, and thoughts of various topics crossed my mind. Initially, I considered writing about the power of music (which I might still do). However, fast forward to Saturday, and my dad fell ill. As I touched him, tears welled up in my eyes, but I held back. This response—crying during difficult times—had become my default response. But that’s not the gist: it reminded me of life's frailty and how my parents were getting older, signaling that one day, their lives as they know it would end.

I've discussed navigating grief in my podcast (Navigating grief), and I know I’m not ready to let go. Imagining a world without them is something I am not ready to face. Despite this, I felt hesitant to talk about death. Then, I saw a post on Instagram: “Go to confession; you never know when death comes for you.” It made me reflect, though briefly. By the next day, I had moved on until I listened to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homily on Sunday, confirming the theme for this newsletter. Fr. Mike said, “Everyone is living on borrowed time; everything we have—our lives, time, talents, and gifts—has been loaned to us.” This means we are stewards, not owners, of our possessions. He added that God can interrupt our carefully laid plans at any moment and ask for everything back.

Since then, I’ve pondered my stewardship. Am I a good steward of the gift of God in my life? Am I a good steward of the health I have and of the time I have been given? Am I a good steward of the life I have been loaned? This brings to mind this prayer: “Jesus, I love you; all I have is yours; yours I am; yours I want to be; do with me whatever you will,” and all that is ringing in my head is how each time I have said this prayer, I have acknowledged that nothing I have is mine; everything I have has been given to me by God, and one day I will be asked to give an account of my stewardship. It’s daunting to realize that I will lose loved ones, and eventually it will be my turn to leave this world. The question is this: Will I accept death when it comes? Will I be ready to go knowing that, while on this side of eternity, I have used everything God gave me for his glory?

I wrote this in my journal on Saturday: “Death will come to each one of us, and I know it’s a reminder that one day I will be face-to-face with you. Help me serve you faithfully so that when death comes, I welcome it as a friend and say it’s time to see my Lord and God.”

Many of us struggle to accept death. I struggle a lot; I am scared of dying. This is a reminder that I need to look inward and work on the things that scare me most about dying, remembering that life is transient. If life is a loan, why do we live as owners rather than stewards? When death inevitably comes, will you be able to say, and will I be able to say, “Thank you, Lord, for the life you’ve given me? Thank you for loaning me this time. I return it, having lived for your glory and purpose.”

Though it may seem overwhelming, my priest noted that people often want to hear what they want to hear and not what they need to hear, and religious leaders sometimes oblige. Yet, referencing Prophet Amos, he emphasized saying what God commands. While I am not a prophet, it’s crucial to speak the truth, and the truth is this: death is inevitable, and we must face the loss of loved ones and the eventuality of our death.

In confronting death’s inevitability, we find a profound call to live intentionally, serve God wholly, and honor the gift of life entrusted to us. Let us strive to be good stewards, living fully and purposefully, so that when the time comes, we can return God’s gift with gratitude and grace.

I found this interesting:

Try Slow

THE CAT’S LAIR ☠️

The Happiness Equation

I do not know where the quote, "Happiness is equal to reality minus expectation", originates from, but it really resonates with me. It amazes me that the application of this simple equation can sway even the most ungrateful of persons:

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                                              Happiness = Reality - Expectation

Happiness is what is left over when our expectations have been subtracted from reality. This means that the more we expect from a situation, the more we are likely to have our expectations overwhelm reality. When this happens, happiness diminishes and turns to sadness (i.e. a state of negative happiness).

To illustrate this point, let us assume that you believe that you were a "Rockstar" (SMH! trust HR people to make this cool word cringe) at your job in the last quarter. This belief propels you to expect to score an A on your performance appraisal. In reality, however, your boss hands you a B. Given that in this situation, your expectation (an A) exceeded your reality (a B), you will undoubtedly be unhappy.

Because we have no direct control over our own reality most times, the key to happiness lies in what we expect and what we feel entitled to - which are always under our direct control. This is why the happiest man in a city is not necessarily the wealthiest man. The happiest man is he who has the widest gap between his current situation and his expectations. Expectations are powerful but often ignored because they are perceived to be too simple a solution to the problem of unhappiness.

Zach, the co-lead character from the 2000s Disney channel show, ‘‘The Suite Life Of Zach & Cody’’ had a legendary motto that has stayed with me for over 17 years, "Aim low and avoid disappointment". Zach was a mischief-maker who struggled in school but he was on to something. If we aim low, while pursuing our goals like we’re aiming for the best result, we are likely to end up happier with the eventual outcome. This is a shortcut to happiness.

Interesting stuff: