Sunday Firesides: Hold Fast

Old-time sailors would sometimes get the phrase “hold fast” tattooed across their fingers. It was a reminder to stay vigilant in gripping the rigging of the ship. Without grasping the ropes firmly, a sailor could get a ship off course, or be himself swept overboard by wind and wave.

In our own lives, we want to hold fast to our values and vision for who we are and where we’re going, even as the fog of life obscures our bearings.

We often incorrectly (and unconsciously) think that our core principles are so obvious, so deeply held, that keeping our grip on them will happen without effort.

We think we can be spiritual without engaging in any related practices, stay focused on a philosophy without continually studying its insights, maintain good character without regularly revisiting what that means.

We think it’s one and done: “I’ve heard this idea before; it’s obvious; I’ve got it.”

In reality, without constant reminders, the ropes of our values slip out of our hands. Whatever is not intentionally kept at the forefront of our minds retreats to the back of them . . . where it ceases to inform our daily lives.

We need to go to church once a week to hear things we’ve heard a thousand times before, but have already, in the previous six days, started to let slip below our consciousness.

We need to keep reading (and re-reading) personal development books, even though they often say the same things, or their insights invariably get buried in the urgency of everyday busyness.

We need to spend time with friends who bring up the ideas we claim to live by, who ask us questions we’ve answered before, whose presence alone prompts us to live closer to who we’ve said we want to be.

To maintain our grip on the ropes of our values, we need reminders written not on our hands, but in the habits we keep, the things we study, and the hearts of those we love.

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Note: This is a previously published Fireside. From time to time, we resurface gems from the SF archives — to introduce them to new readers, and re-introduce them to longtime ones.

We’ll be taking the rest of the month off for summer vacation. See you in September!