A thought occurred to me that the thought I am about to express has occurred to many. Perhaps almost everyone has reflected upon it. One of the annoyances of living is that when one has finally learned how to live well, they have grown old and will live not much longer, or even mere moments. The needed skills and knowledge come only after the application of act to life. The solution seems to be the living of an examined life. If one questions continually, and does not wed oneself to specific beliefs, then the contradictions, the paradoxes, the strange turns of history come as no surprise, especially if one studies history. That perplexed-ness that accompanies an end-of-life experience has become, then, an old friend.
What is best in humanity often lies hidden, not just beneath the surface but deep and difficult to find, only because Socratic ignorance demands actual ignorance, and effort.