It Is
What It Is
question of, “Right for whom?”. These
questions are the paths in life that we
must each choose to travel. Where
we step will, at times, be immaterial;
while under other circumstances, our
choice may become a crucial moment
in our own or another person’s life.
The opportunity of choice is, in my
opinion, best defined by the Serenity
Prayer, of being granted the power
to change what can be changed and
accept that which cannot be changed,
while forever trying to discover through
wisdom and experience which is which.
I struggle every day to do the right
thing. Some answers are easier than
others. However, there is almost always
a struggle, as I have never quite been
able to discover precisely why I am here.
I hope you have had success in your
search for the meaning of life. I know I
am not alone in this pursuit. 9
Publisher / Editor
The P ublisher Po stulates
WHILE SEARCHING FOR
the meaning of life, most of
us stumble upon phrases
such as, “It is what it is;” Que sera
sera? (“What ever will be, will be”);
or words such as fate and destiny.
However, none of these seem to
result in the answers. We know that this
can’t be all there is and that the “Hokey
Pokey” is not what it’s all about. We
realize that we must be living for some
reason and that it is not just a stroke of
luck that we were born. Yet, the more we
look, read and think, the more we tend to
discard theory after theory. We recognize
that we must be part of some grand plan
and that what we do really does matter.
We know this to be true; because if it
isn’t, then our lives might be considered
to be inconsequential, and that would be
a waste. Despite these thoughts, I keep
arriving at the same conclusion, “We
are who we are to be who we are,” with
each of us choosing what part in the
world and history we will play. There
are no auditions or competitions for any
of these roles. Rather, it is up to each of
us to find our own way and to do what
we think should be done. For many, life
is simply an adventure of self survival.
However, some people believe that they
are destined to save mankind or, at least,
By Aaron R. Fodiman
The way I was is the way I is.
to make it more bearable or enjoyable for
others.
I find myself to be somewhere in
between those thoughts, as I believe my
first obligation is to myself; and that only
once I am able to feel comfortable in my
own life, am I able to extend a hand to
help others. The line between the two
is almost invisible, as it waves back and
forth, modulating at high frequency
as the situation changes moment by
moment.
Through all this, I have found that
most of all, life is not theoretical and that
nobody knows how they will handle a
given situation until they are actually
in it and must react to it. Some people
have faced a so called “Sophie’s Choice”
during their lives, when they had to
choose between two options, both of
which would have resulted in unhappy
outcomes. Fortunately, that is rarely
the case. Most often, we are faced with
doing the right thing; leaving the further
24 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015