50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
Part One of Five
July 24, 2017
DougMaynard.com

At a site called MarcandAngel.com, I found these awesome questions. There are no right answers and there are no wrong answers. There is only what I answer. Yeah, that sounds cool to me too. So here is a five-part series where I will tackle all “50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind”, ten questions at a time. Will it free my mind? That’s the theory. My mind could use a good escape sometimes and this is cheaper than renting a motel room and getting drunk so… Let’s do this and see what happens. Thoughts, comments and questions are all welcome and appreciated. And away we go…

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

You would be the age you feel inside or believe yourself to be. Age is nothing but a number anyhow that we use to label each other and use to judge and expect each other to behave and act. I am as old as I am, nothing more and nothing less. Physically, I know how many years I’ve been on this earth, but that only matters to others and not to me. It’s just another label and I don’t do labels.

Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Never trying because if you never try, you never know for sure one way or the other and will always wonder, “What if?”

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

We do things we don’t like because it’s expected of us and part of conforming to others, be it at work, society, family, the law or whatever. And we like things that we don’t do because we haven’t the experience of actually trying or doing and only the perception of what it would be like. Forbidden fruit is the sweetest and the things we don’t do, but wish we could are generally the most forbidden fruits of all.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

We can say anything, but actually doing takes effort and action, something we often can not do for any variety of reasons. We all talk, but doing more than just talking isn’t always as easy to do.

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

It’s easy to say I want to eliminate this or that, but everything has a reason for being and if you do take away this or that, there would most likely be a chain reaction and consequences. Nothing is free and everything has a cost. So if we eliminate famine or disease, we suffer over-population and over-crowding. If we eliminate war, do we cede total control to one or two tyrants to keep the peace? If we eliminate dissension, do we grow stagnant and mindless sheep because there is no one to think outside the box and formulate change? I’d love to change the way people behave and react towards each other by eliminating racism, but I realize that humanity would just find another reason to hate, be it religion, the way we dress, the way people speak, your favorite color, etc. Something would fill the void and people would still hate each other. How about no more spider crickets? I don’t like them and they’re ugly, creepy looking and disgusting. Yeah, that’s it. No more spider-crickets. Works for me.

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Working retail is actually very relaxing to me and I enjoy it a great deal. And also writing, as I do here at the site. I am a writer and I am a clerk. And though both jobs can be stressful at times, they make me complete and real. They make me smile. And that makes me already rich in my own way.

Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

For years, I worked my jobs and pretty much just went through the motions time and time again, and although that still happens sometimes due to my problems with anxiety, depression and being lonely, it’s not too bad anymore. I write and although I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not Shakespeare or even an Andy Rooney, this is what I do and love to do. I settled for a long, long time. And now, I’m doing what’s best for me and what I believe in. I believe in me.

If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I probably would have been dead ten years ago to start, but I think it would have been less time doing for everyone else, working those dead-end jobs and just going through the motions and more time being me and doing for me. More sex of course and less time spent alone, hiding in the shadows and more time out in the sun, experiencing life. And I’d probably be better about returning phone calls. Take more chances, have more “what the hell” moments and live for the moment more instead of being so damn scared all the time.

To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

The path that I have taken, the good and the bad, are all results of my decisions and actions over the years. I can cast blame on others for some of it, but in the end, the bottom line is that every decision and every action was and is my responsibility. And the blame for the less than positive moments, that falls on me as well. So to what degree have I controlled my life? Every single bit of it.

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Why not worry about both? I like to do things correctly and right, but if they’re not the right things to be doing, why do them in the first place. I’m not an angel or saint and I’ve done some pretty crap things in my life over the years, but as I’ve gotten older (and arguably wiser), I know the difference between right and wrong and if it’s wrong, then head the other direction. It’s the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. That’s where that “wiser” part kicks in.

And there you go. One part down and four more to go. Thank you for reading. Questions, comments and thoughts are welcome. See you later with Part 2.

Ubuntu!