"Now, listening in late 2025, I no longer felt heroic. Instead, what I felt most strongly was tenderness. Tenderness for that young man who believed he could outwork any obstacle, who thought the American dream was just a matter of refusing to quit. He had no idea what was coming-the failures, the losses, the ways life would refuse his tidy narrative."
"The man who aims at his own aggrandizement underrates everything else. Compared to his ego the rest of the world is unreal. Thus in order to be fully conscious of the reality of all, one has to be free himself from the bonds of personal desires. This discipline we have to go through to prepare ourselves for our social duties-for sharing the burdens of our fellow beings."
Listening to "The Boxer" at different life stages produced distinct emotions: youthful heroism and later tenderness for the earlier self. The youthful belief in outworking obstacles and a tidy American-dream narrative gave way to recognition of failures, losses, and unexpected detours. Returning to old books and rituals can supply strength and light during difficult times. Reading a decades-old copy of Sadhana revealed a passage urging freedom from personal desires, preparing for social duties, and gaining a larger life by giving away. Revisiting familiar works can transform meaning and provide resilience aligned with current life circumstances.
Read at Psychology Today
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