I am not good enough to save myself. But I am good enough to help save others. Perhaps this is an indicator of which is more important. In this country, we have a contrived system of wealth and power that encourages us to save our self and gives the false impression to some that they are doing or have done exactly that. I will never believe, under any longstanding practice or elaborate system, that I can save myself by amassing or pretending power and/or wealth. If that is the point, we are a sad, misguided lot. Today, in this country, we are a sad, misguided lot.

Ultimately, to be saved is to actively seek then find Beauty, Truth, Wisdom, Justice. But because these Ideals in their perfection are not possible in a single lifetime, existentially, to be saved becomes momentary glimpses of their potential. And, that being the case, because I am not in a position of great (or even vey much) influence I believe to work at helping others, I am better served when my efforts center upon maintaining a constancy of awareness and setting an example in the active hope that this will encourage others to (on occasion) also glimpse the potential of these Ideals, and that this will drive us all to move closer and closer to their perfection and away from our current path that winds around bureaucracy, convention, certainty, division. Additionally, existentially, (which is all I will know in this lifetime), I must also help to save myself, understanding that I can only momentarily glimpse and/or move closer to Beauty, Truth, Wisdom, Justice if I in turn, also, have the help of others. Existentially, to be saved cannot be an individual pursuit. How can I not concern myself with all of Humanity when we as a species are on a trajectory towards extinction? Power and/or wealth will not save me or my descendants from dying out alongside everyone else.

My grandparents’ generation has become extinct. My parents’ generation is nearly there. My generation – soon to follow. Having had some health challenges, I could make my contribution to that end tomorrow. Instinctively, thoughtlessly, I wrote tomorrow; but it could as easily be today. It truly is thoughtless putting off necessary action because we believe in tomorrow. And again, instinctively, thoughtlessly, I caught myself feeling let down by tomorrow, but in actuality, every day in which I don’t do enough, (which is every day), I am a disappointment to tomorrow. Tomorrow does not care how much money I have, or how many people I supervise, or how many rules I make. Tomorrow only wants the consideration it is due, but tomorrow is constantly overshadowed, shoved out of the way, bullied, by today. One day when tomorrow has had enough, it will go away mad and never come back.

To consider tomorrow I must work to understand potential consequences of today’s action or inaction. To consider today is to seek comfort; avoid discomfort. To existentially help save others (and myself) I should 1) consider tomorrow, 2) choose, 3) act, 4) consider tomorrow. In theory, today is vexing, decisive action reconsidered. In theory, tomorrow is happy with me. In actuality, today is pretentious, rhetorical inaction. In actuality, tomorrow is for another day. In actuality, by myself I am not good enough to do enough.

Often because our individual desire to seek comfort and avoid discomfort aligns with today’s objectives, today is able to vanquish tomorrow with little or no help. But perhaps as often, if or when tomorrow pushes back, today calls on yesterday to reinforce its flanks and rear. Today, in this country, tomorrow is no match for the combined forces of a misremembered, glorified yesterday and a substantial, complacent today.

Individuals who justify their efforts to save their self by calling on longstanding practices and elaborate systems do not understand what it means to save one’s essential self. Yesterday and today are sufficient for individual, superficial substance and meaning. Tomorrow though is necessary for the Salvation of Humanity. Why can’t we see this?