My Cheesy Title Explained!

So, my old blog title Live. Learn. Hope. Repeat was easily the corniest thing I've ever come up with in my life, but I had good intentions! I swear. I got it from a quote from Mr. Albert Einstein that I particularly enjoy:

"Learn from yesterday. Live for today. And hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

Like any short quote, it probably means as many different things as there are people who have read it, but here's what it means to me.

Learn from yesterday. Looking back on my life, I know I've done some silly, stupid, and - occasionally - psychotic things, including but not limited to regrettable middle school jokes, horribly handled breakups, and eating street food in Central America. Am I supposed to look back on my mistakes in shame, block them from my memory, and try to prolong this illusion that I'm not a flawed human being like everyone else? Fuck no. To me, making a mistake is 1) human and 2) a damn good way to learn. Wishing things turned out differently is futile and can only lead you down a path of denial, delusion and depression. The past can't be changed, but the future holds infinite potential. Our past failures are there so we know what not to do in the future. The most regrettable decision we could make is to look at these mistakes as anything but learning experiences.

Live for today. Life gives us no guarantees and it is impartial to and unconcerned with your plans for the future. Any moment can be your last, so why not make the most of each that you can. Every waking moment can be used to improve yourself and the lives of those around you. Bored? Learn to juggle. Or shuffle cards. Feeling more ambitious? Learn an instrument. Or how to dance. Look up a place where you can volunteer and tutor kids. Or better yet, go help your little sister with her homework. Do something to make today worthwhile, and if you're lucky enough to wake up tomorrow, do it again.

Hope for tomorrow. Some people might look at what I'm saying and say, "What's the point if you're just going to die in the end?" That's obviously not how I see things. We are flawed creatures that will always be incomplete, yet the thought of us being complete puts a sour taste in my mouth. Without the chance of ever being "finished," we have infinite room for growth. Tomorrow we can be better than we were today. And, as long as we're alive, we always have that choice. Our futures won't be perfect, but they can be pretty. They'll have mistakes, but ones that we can learn from. Life is a state of mind. Whether is hope-filled or hopeless is your call.

Never stop questioning. Never stop questioning. Einstein believed the universe will always be an infinite mystery, but one that we - with our finite and puny intellects - can understand and appreciate. I would extend that mystery to include ourselves as well. There is always, always, ALWAYS more that we can learn about ourselves, about each other, about our society, about the world, a tree, a squirrel... about everything. The second we think, "Ah-ha! There... I have the answer!" is the second that we are doomed ultimately to be wrong. Our picture about everything and everyone will always be incomplete. All we can do is fill ourselves with a good healthy dose of humility to fight the urge to prove ourselves "right" and instead find the courage to ask, "Hm. What more can I know?"