I seek reassurance through Music, Work, Knowledge, Human Interaction, Spirituality, Goodness, and Peace.

I seek reassurance because I live in doubt; filled with uncertainty, hesitancy, apprehension, disquiet.

I live in doubt because I live within my humanity.

I live within my humanity because complete transcendence, in this Lifetime, is not possible.

By living within my humanity, I feel that on occasion, I touch transcendence.

I touch transcendence through Music, Work, Knowledge, Human Interaction, Spirituality, Goodness, and Peace.

Artistic Expression:
--good music (my artistic preference) should simultaneously disquiet and reassure. Your artistic preference(s) should do the same

Work:
--hard work should simultaneously strengthen one's humanity and encourage greater effort toward improvement and growth. The results of one's work will never be perfect. We must know this and strive for a greater excellence.

Knowledge:
--true learning (the attainment of knowledge) should create more questions than it answers.

Human Interaction:
--true friendship should simultaneously support and challenge.

Spirituality:
--thoughtful spirituality can reassure through a shared sense of ineffable uncertainty. It is this shared sense of ineffable uncertainty that may lead one to blind faith. It is blind faith that leads one to a superficial spirituality and a delusional (but often comfortable) sense of security.

Goodness:
--exoteric goodness should reassure the recipient, and the act should propel the anonymous benefactor.

Peace:
--peace is not possible without apprehension; moments of peace reassure.

This week I read the following lines from Donna Tartt's 1992 book 'The Secret History': "Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming."

To live fully, I must live in doubt, seeking reassurance, within my humanity, so I may (on occasion) touch transcendence.

To live in this manner is terrifyingly beautiful.