A layman's guide

[image: artofliving.org]

The art of living
(a layman’s guide)

Why linger among life’s mundane moods
Where boredom is broken by cheap thrills
Too much caffeine alcohol and such?
The existentialists hold that we can
Find meaning outside ourselves
Release from a meaningless world
Without resorting to drugs and artificial stimuli.
If we can choose to be good or cruel
Why not choose the good?
If we can quell our boredom by
Indulging in science art music philosophy or literature
Why remain silent and passive servants to
The pursuits of those who bore us?
If pleasure is living a life of engagement
And meaning with family friends work and hobbies
Who would dare to challenge our authenticity?
A purpose driven life need not follow anyone’s
Ideas of perfection or meaning—
If we can choose which ideas make sense
And which do not
Why not follow the sensible?
Salesmen sell the sizzle not the steak
But a fool buys only the sizzle:
If it looks like snake oil
And sounds like snake oil
And smells like snake oil...
It’s snake oil.
Do not trust others to deliver
Your promises
And do not promise what
You cannot deliver.
In the end it’s all about
Being true to yourself.