What do we truly control?

We construct our lives to have as much control over our immediate environment as possible. We try to arrange things so that the world around us is stable and the future is predictable. And often we "succeed."

We attain money—a little, enough, a lot, too much—and status and power. And for a time—sometimes for decades, sometimes right up to the moment of death—we maintain this controlling position.

But are we really—even with money, power, and status—in control? Temporarily, yes. But we can lose it all at any moment, depending on our own fallibility, or that of people around us, or on accidents, or natural disasters, massive so-called acts of God. Given the ills that flesh is heir to, It can all vanish in the next second.

And of one thing we are all certain: It will all vanish at the moment of death.

The kind of life which society defines as successful is short-term, and finally ephemeral: All that carefully learned, carefully exercized control in the end comes to nothing.

Should we therefore despair? Is it all an empty game?

No. Because we do have control in one area, and one area only. But it turns out to be enough.

The only thing we have continuing control over
is what we choose to pay attention to.

But there’s a problem: in this life, how big is that choice?

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