Introduction to the unknown

Greetings.

Hello.

Ki Ora.

or "zdravo" - as you would say in Macedonia. You can learn how to say hello in over 800 languages at http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/hello.htm.

This is the beginning. The genesis of what will hopefully prove to be an interesting repository of my verbose yet occasionally concise wonderings. Writing is something to be enjoyed when it is beautiful, as is reading. Sadly, it is common to read in seven sentences what could have been said seven words. Indeed, the eloquence afforded us by the less-known words of the English language seem far more useful than the mindless casual banter of the typical Western commoner. These less-known words are a dying variety, and perhaps their rarity makes them all the more colourful.

Needless to say, this is not the place for belligerant bable, of no relevance to anything significant. Now as for the definition of significant... that is hardly relevant.

The significance of life is far more pertinent. What are we to do with our time, to not look back when we are 50 (failing global nuclear annihilation) and wish we had done something else? Oh course, the only things we do that really matter are for others, not for ourselves, this much is clear. How we influence others outlives us, and in reminiscence become gifts of most precious significance. The striking nature of how we affect others stems from the ultimate meaning of our existence - love. Of course, this is love in its purest and most unadulterated form, in relationships that are deeper than the clothes we wear and the reflections we see in the mirror. I do not speak of the selfish greed, lust or other such things so commonly mistaken.

Where is the point of doing things for ourselves? We gain recognition, we achieve just so that we may feel better about ourselves. In ten years, neither that recognition nor our achievement continues to hold any sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, or even purpose for us. What matters is the lives we touched on the way, the friendships we made. We cannot take our achievements with us, but shadows of those we love live with us forever.

We can forever wonder what our lives might have been, not that it is a healthy habit. Yet, what an incredible thing it is to be told that we have made someone else's life somehow better. How does friendship achieve such a wonder? What is it about friendship that is more precious than countless mansions? Perhaps that is the subject of another post, but whatever it is - let us never take it for granted.