A note from Dr. Hendrix
We tend to tally our lives by good experiences and bad, but this piece argues there is something deeper than the ledger — a center in each of us that is who we really are, underneath it all. I wrote it because I would hate for anyone to reach the end having collected only experiences without ever once meeting the self at the middle of them.
What makes us happy is the sum total of our good experiences.
What makes us sad is the sum total of our bad experiences.
Which is greater determines whether we have had a happy life or a sad life.
What is real, however, is what is at the center of each of us. That’s who we are. That overrides all experiences.
What if we can’t get to the center; we leave only having had experiences, which is a crapshoot.