Life is wondrous. Or did I mean to say, futile? Perhaps it is most accurate to say, "Life is wondrously futile." If I saw Life as only wondrous, I would be deluding myself. If I saw Life as only futile, I would give up. Yes - "Wondrously futile" is most accurate.  After four years of weekly posts on a site called 'Hopeless Happiness' - it appears that I have not yet resolved my dilemma. Some might say that I am looking in all the wrong places; though what they might mean is that I should not be looking at all. Why search for Truth, Wisdom, and Happiness, when I can pretend? Dress-up and make-believe is so much less work; and so much more fun!

Yet, I don't believe one can fully appreciate the beauty of wonder, without first looking into the snaggle-toothed, malodorous jaws of futility.

And it is with this thought that I approached a survey this week. Respondents were asked to list:

1. Five ideas and skills you think all college students should learn;
2. Five persons (living or dead) you would want all college students to know;
3. Five places you think all college students should visit;
4. Five musical or artistic performances you think all college students should see; and
5. Five books you think all college students should read.

In addition to (and parallel with) the wondrous futility of Life, I also limited my answers to meaningful, personal experience; which, of course, means I was not able to recommend visiting the South of France or attending an opera performance, amongst many, many other potentially wondrous possibilities outside of my personal realm of experience and/or knowledge.

Here we go...

Five Ideas and Skills:

1. Thoughtful and respectful skepticism.
2. The ability to say "I Don't Know" in a sincere effort to learn.
3. Moderation / Healthy Habits.
4. Empathic Listening.
5. How to make a good pot of Gumbo.

Five People:

1. Yourself.
2. Albert Einstein.
3. Thomas Jefferson.
4. Genghis Khan.
5. Plato or Aristotle (according to your preference).

Five Places:

1. Your Neighborhood; (you define neighborhood).
2. The Neighborhood you'd least like to visit.
3. A Warm, Sunny Beach.
4. Restaurants offering authentic cultural cuisine.
5. South Louisiana.

Five Musical or Artistic Performances:

1. The Talking Heads (film) Stop Making Sense.
2. Cirque du Soleil.
3. The Band (film) The Last Waltz.
4. Street performers / musicians in New Orleans.
5. The film Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man.

Five Books:

1. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.
2. The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.
3. The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo by Kent Nerburn.
4. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.
5. Thank You For Arguing by Jay Heinrichs.

I believe the experiences above to represent a small (but meaningful) cross-section of the wondrous futility of Life.

I know, 'Futile' is a very strong word; and in the narrow context of self-centered individual purpose, it is exactly the right word. If I work to save myself, I will ultimately disregard the world, and this effort will in no way significantly-delay or prevent the inevitable end of my earthly days; therefore I cannot work to save myself. But if I work to save the world, (the world that has an opportunity to continue beyond me), I believe there is a chance that I might (perhaps accidentally) save myself along the way. Of course it is pretentious and preposterous for me to think that I may save the world - but it gives me purpose.