Simple

---

Through the first phase of my life I spun a web of tangible possessions and financial obligations, which of course are linked. The game plan was logical, or so I thought. It was the American dream after all, wrapped in the right house in the right school district, driving the right car, and earning the right degrees. Then there were the extracurricular activities and hobbies that signified I am a learned man with cerebral aspirations of existential nature like solo-navigating my sail boat around the world or riding my motorcycle cross-country a-la The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Don’t forget the fly-fishing phase including the library of fly fishing novels and how-to books, not to mention a closet full of equipment. Thank you Howell Raines for a great read, Fly Fishing Through The Midlife Crisis.

The sailboat has long been gone; my fly-fishing equipment was sold to a young man in Massachusetts with dreams of living a life as a guide; and my motorcycle was sold a year after I purchased it when I realized that I had no confidence in my ability not to be another statistic of the National Highway Safety Board. I guess I’ve always been searching. What I didn’t realize was that my search inadvertently made my life increasingly complex and fragile. In the end, my existential quests have landed me back on the treadmill of life working hard to live up to others’ expectations and the debtor’s obligations. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Isn’t it ironic when you counsel your kids not to do certain things that you have done your whole life. Maybe that’s what being a parent is all about. Sharing your mistakes with your offspring so that they have a clearer path to calm and happiness. What is the theme I advance based on my experiences? Simple, that’s it, live life simple. Ignore the expectations that society, friends and family impose on you. Live your life small, have money in the bank, and have the ability to follow your heart without fearing the banks, credit card companies and employers who see you more as a rat on a wheel than a human being with incredible potential. It’s the ultimate Antifragile as discussed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Now that I have entered my early 60’s, I still haven’t given up hope about living life simply. The path to achieve this goal however is more difficult as I try to unwind all the things that I’ve have created over the past 40 years. And of course, my actions can’t be unilateral given that I am married and my wife doesn’t necessarily see life through the same lens that I do. I won’t give up on my dreams and you shouldn’t either. Do what you have to do and don’t be afraid of making the decisions that are fundamental to your happiness. What’s the alternative; die an angry man? Sure, taking the sacrificial bullet for the good of your tribe may make you a martyr worthy of kind words at your funeral, but you still will die an unfilled and hollow man. I don’t need accolades. The people who love me will understand.