For having recently hit my half-century mark, perhaps I may be entitled to a few insights. I’m putting them down in writing, even if they aren’t quite cast in stone:

We must believe in something, and then put all our energies into it. Some people believe in their own capacities — whether as artists, builders, healers, or poets — and spend their lives enriching others with their work.

Some of us believe in Success, which, although invariably derived from the American Dream, can only be natural among us in the Third World who have weathered through some 400 years of colonization. Some believe in responsible citizenship, that no matter what one’s station in life, one must endeavor to share one’s blessings, to be of service to others.

Some people believe in the lofty concepts of liberty and righteousness, and thrive on building mass movements. Others believe in the quiet of togetherness — a solitude that comes with being close to a woman asleep and with being invigorated by human affection as the most potent force on earth.

Some of us, not very many, believe in justice, that in the stark simplicity of the truth, many are poor because some are rich, and that the first step in addressing widespread hunger and persecution is to persuade more people to have an open mind.

Others believe in family, of the bond between husband, wife, and their children as the bedrock of a responsible society.

Some people believe in traditions, in holding on to time-worn values. Scenes of children respecting their elders, of festive celebrations for homecoming kin remain etched in many of us as enduring keepsakes of right and wrong. Others believe in the power of an idea — that belief in God may be no more than a commitment to do good, or that inspiring others can be an expression of personal faith.

The most important thing is love — or rather the sharing of it. One must have love in one’s heart, in order to give it to a spouse, a son or a daughter, parents and relatives, and friends. There are really no hard and fast rules, but in spite of this it must be lived through genuinely, even until it hurts. For at the end of the day, there is no sweeter feeling than to have lived and truly cared for someone else.