| > | | | | yet would be credit obligation and interest debt |
| Life is not a matter of here today and gone tomorrow. | | | | because, of course, all the trinkets had to be had right |
| Choices we make accumulate over time to create | | | | away. |
| burdens that eventually must be either psychologically | | | | All life choices queue up behind us like railroad cars as |
| or physically dealt with. Guiding life with intelligent | | | | the years march on. They aren’t easily |
| foresight is the key to long term happiness. Much of life | | | | disengaged or disposed of. Almost everything is |
| is spent busily moving toward a goal of less work, less | | | | retained — at least in the mind and conscience |
| burden, fewer problems and more peace and | | | | — to some degree or another. Over time the |
| freedom. We assume that school, raising a family and | | | | length of the train becomes an enormous burden to |
| succeeding in a career will bring the reward of leisure, | | | | pull. The dreamed of devil-may-care golden years can |
| fun and a more carefree life. | | | | turn into worrisome and obligating toil as you lose |
| What is not taken into account in this appraisal is that | | | | steam chugging down life’s track. Or you may |
| nothing goes away completely. Everything we do in | | | | find yourself accelerating toward some as yet |
| life, every contact we make, every choice, mounds up. | | | | unknown calamity as the momentum and mass of all |
| The junk in the garage and closets starts to take on a | | | | the railcars you’ve stacked behind yourself |
| life of its own like some alien creature pupating and | | | | push you down a hill no matter how hard you pull on |
| swelling uncontrollably, threatening to bury and smother | | | | the brakes. |
| us. These bulging incubators in our homes are a | | | | I’m sure that it is this early realization by some |
| reflection of what is happening on a grander scale in | | | | that leads them to decide to drop out entirely, move |
| the rest of our lives. | | | | into the woods, build a hut and live off the land. |
| The more life activity, the more the mound grows. If | | | | Thoreau’s life is envied by most of us at one |
| you have made a lot of social contact, this creates | | | | time or another. |
| personal responsibilities and history to nag you. If there | | | | 1 But if we were to move to Walden Pond, we would |
| are children, then you carry concern for them for life. | | | | replace modern living problems with others — |
| Children compound into grandchildren for you to worry | | | | like what to eat today, to name just one not-too-little |
| about. At work there is the burden of fellow workers | | | | problem. No matter where we are at, life is about |
| or employees. Excess money and the goodies | | | | challenge and it cannot be avoided. |
| purchased with it become a chore to manage. Worse | | | | |