The Downhill Slide

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"We seem to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away."

-- Dean Stanforth, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

It is an unfortunate fact of life.  It comes after taxes begin and before death of old age.  Everything we have worked for seemingly begins to slip inexorably through our arthritic fingers.  We become tired as the body begins to give up the health of youth; our lifestyle slims down to equilibrium with taxes and our paltry retirement.  Friends and family begin the all too short anti-race to the grave making us wonder, as we vie for "last man standing" status, if we wouldn't be better off losing this last competition.

This stage of our life is aptly referred to, by some, as the "downhill slide."  Life is like a rollercoaster with all the ups and downs.  In the beginning is a slow climb that helps us to prepare for what we think we see coming.  We find ourselves gripping the safety bar as we approach the top of a rise, then we throw our arms in the air and scream as we either enjoy the exhilarating rush of the race to the bottom, or we wet our pants.  The climax of any rollercoaster, worth its salt, is the final killer hill and the exciting "downhill slide" to the finish of the ride.

Getting to the downhill slide is the part of the ride that seems to take forever due to the anticipation, and that the hill is the tallest to ascend.  Our bodies and emotions have already dealt with the entire ride so far, and the downhill slide is the final test of our endurance; it will be fast, and defining of who we have become during the ride.  Other folks along for the ride have already succumbed to the stress of too much "fun," or are trying to tough it out with you.  Now is the time for those are left  to belly up to the bar with our game faces and to meet what is in store for us head on, or fold half-way down the slide, cry, crap our already wet britches, and then puke.  Not a pretty way to go out of the amusement park of life.

If I can sidestep my father's health issues, I hope to see his 84 year mark without enduring the same battles he has won.  This goal means I expect to have at least 23 more years on this rollercoaster to accomplish...what?  Well, my ups and downs have become less steep and more humorous than stressful.  This fairly level ride allows me a bit more freedom to enjoy the view of the park and drink a beer without fear of spilling it all over those sitting around me that may already be wet enough and don't need to add beer to the other vile smells their own bodies have evacuated upon their persons.

At this point, life is good.  Oh, hell... life is great!  But, it doesn't change the fact that things are being taken away; too many childhood friends, family, and military comrades have died.  With God's grace, I have managed to sidestep the grim reaper several times, considering I put myself at risk through stupidity.  I always feel humbled at the memories, and the fact that I wake up every morning is reason enough to declare, "Life is great!"

"My dream is to live a good life and be loving, be close to God and be a good human being and bring peace to people."

-- Ziggy Marley, musician

We must not dwell on death, or on the limited time many of us have left in this life.  It is incumbent on us, those of us that have made it this far, to stand as mentors and role models for those struggling around us.  We must pass on that which we have learned, or our lives will have truly meant nothing.  Whether we know it, or admit it, we live life to mentor those that come after.  We live life to pass on what we learn to others that have not experienced what we have.  We live life to ensure the survival of our species on this world.  The earth will abide our passing without notice, and will erase evidence of our existence from her surface with the corrosive properties only time can provide.  We must find a way to ensure the earth does not celebrate this event.  We must find a way to survive.

"The beautiful thing about when you go through a slide is that you learn from it.  Not just saying you learn from it, but applying the things you have learned."

-- Kevin Garnett, professional basketball player

We must start this process within ourselves.  If we do not love ourselves, how can we love others?  If we cannot help ourselves, how can we help others?  If we do not understand ourselves, how do we expect to understand others?  We are not responsible for everyone else's happiness; they must find their own way.  But it is so much easier to find that way when there is a shining light that shows the path.

"We have a good life when we manage to live with both satisfied and unsatisfied needs, when we are not obsessed by what is beyond our reach."

-- Kjell Magne Bondevik, former PM of Norway, Lutheran minister

On the downhill slide, life begins to move rapidly faster before it flat lines.  We have little time to make the most out of what we have left.

Live it to the fullest, enjoy every second, share all you have learned, and wake up each and every morning with praise of life, and God, of course, for the gift of it.

"Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough."

-- Garrison Keillor, author, humorist, host of "A Prairie Home Companion"

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor