Plato, Aristotle, and Me on the Contemplative Life and Retirement

As I approach my seventieth birthday, I look back inAs snow accumulated on my bivvy sack, I became
wonderment at my careers, defined in the broadestconcerned that my rescuers would not see me, so I
sense, as a student (to age 33!), then a physician andslowly inched my up onto the surface of the snow
consultant, as well as a real estate developer, andand opened the end of my bivvy sack to evaluate my
more recently, as an author, publisher, and keynotechanging world. Unfortunately, gusts of wind filled my
speaker. Today in my "early retirement", I have beensack and, in spite of my efforts, tore it from my body.
as busy as ever, jousting with challenges andNow it me in a fall hiking outfit in an area known as
opportunities, instead of simply lying on the beach,"the home of the worst weather in the world" (April 12,
enjoying a life of leisure.1934 wind speed: 231 miles per hour).
The key question may be: What is the ideal retirementDuring that long night, with wind speeds up to 98 miles
life? How does one go about making wise choices asper hour, as I waited for rescue I had time to
to how to spend one's time, energy, emotions, andcontemplate by past life. I made six promises that I
money in the golden years? As a life long student ofwould keep if I was rescued: to be insensitive criticism
the sciences, religion, and philosophy, I decided toabout my misadventure, to get rid of real estate, to
address and answer these Socratic questions bymake amends with my first wife and son, to get rid of
returning to some other ancient Greek philosophers forexcessive things, "stuff" in my life, to network with
wisdom and advice.people from my past, and, above all, to simply my life.
Plato, the Greek philosopher (424 BC-348 BC) wroteWhat would you be thinking, perhaps promising, as you
in The Republic that the best life of all is the life offaced imminent death?
philosophy, of rational thinking and reasoning. The life heEventually, I gave up hope and simply waited for death.
defined was one of contemplation and leisure, in GreekHowever, around midnight, my rescuers found me,
eudiamonia, best translated to modern English not justtook me off the mountain to a regional hospital for
as happiness, but as flourishing. He did note that youtreatment of frost injuries, severe hypothermia, and
did need to have assets (money) and a safe place inrhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of muscle tissue due
which to live to enjoy such a life.to voluntary and involuntary muscle flexing in an
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), a student of Plato for 20attempt to prevent/treat hypothermia).
years, agreed with his teacher as regards the basicSoon after my discharge from the hospital, Husson
concepts of the contemplative life, of seekingCollege in Maine invited me to share my experience
excellence and virtue (arête), in ones life. However,and what I had learned the hard way. My presentation
he felt that it should not be a life of leisure, but one ofwas entitled:
action, of activity (ergon or function) in one's world. His"Lessons for Living from a Mt. Washington
position, clearly defined and supported in hisMisadventure" offered three admonitions, pieces of
Nicomachean Ethics, also indicated that in many otheradvice from near death:
avenues of life beyond just philosophy, one can enjoy1) Be prepared to die!
eudiamonia, translated literally as "good demons."2) Have a plan to live!
When I reached the age of 57, in 1995, I took early3) Do it now!
retirement because of some health concerns thatThis presentation was recorded and broadcast on
might shorten my life. I had enjoyed decades as aNational Public Radio in New England, and I was invited
student, with college degrees in Chemistry and Bible, anto share my story in a range of speaking venues.
M.D. from Cornell University, pathology residency at theAbout a year later, The Learning Channel coaxed me
University of Vermont, and a stint as an Epidemicinto a reenactment on Mt. Washington, and as a result
Intelligence Service Officer with the CDC in Atlanta.of worldwide broadcasts, my new speaking career
Perhaps due to some clerical error, at the tender ageskyrocketed, featuring the Lessons keynote. With
of 33, I was selected as Chief of Pathology at asupport from Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken
medical center in Maine and co-founded Dahl-ChaseSoup for the Soul book series, I am writing the
Pathology Associates. I survived, even thrived andaccompanying "misadventure book" and have
succeeded "in-the-trenches" of group medical practicecompleted Optimize Your Life! a book that merges
for 25 years, as well as in consulting, lecturing and apersonal and organizational strategic planning. This
side career in commercial and industrial real estate. Inbook has become an international best-seller with a
this process I gained insights and even some expertiseworldwide Spanish translation by Random House, the
in the world of leadership and the most importantworld's largest publisher.
leadership skill, strategic thinking and planning.One simple, but deadly hike had lured me into the
As I entered retirement, I soon realized that I haddynamic world of keynote speaking, as well as
carried with me the baggage of too much education,publishing, both well outside the confines of my historic
too many interests, too many opportunities, and tooworld of medicine in which I had so much formal
much money to simply live a peaceful and blissfuleducation and experienece. This world of deadlines,
contemplative life ala Plato. The greater problem waspromises, and challenges became as hectic and
the process of selecting which specific projects woulddemanding as the practice medicine. What had
take my time, energy, emotions, and money (mybecome of my peaceful contemplative retirement?
favorite acronym TEEM). But then again I was anAs I work on all my six promises, I focus on the
accomplished strategic planner, so this project shouldtoughest, to simplify my life, I remember my days in
be very easy, both short and long term, since I mayBenares (Varanasi), India, on the Ganges, when I saw
live longer than I expected.hundreds of older Indian men in that phase of life, so
I easily jettisoned the practice of medicine completely,well defined in Hinduism, of an ascetic, the sadhu or the
by giving up my medical license. Yes, I had spent asannyasin. There is a rejection of ordinary life and all
great deal of time and money gaining those skills, but Ithat it means, in exchange for a search to attain
had been consumed by it for 25 years. I had nevermoksha, the release from the cycle of samsara,
been sued for malpractice, so why press my luck? Itre-incarnation. While a person may enter into this stage
was easy to leave the practice, which carried myof life at any time, it is usually an older man that has
name, for I had designed the enterprise as a flattenedraised his family, completed his business activities, and
hierarchy, maximizing synergy, the equal sharing with allwas fully retired. It may take an extreme form of the
the associates in the group. I did, however, maintain mytotal rejection of household duties and responsibilities of
contacts with key medical societies, where Ithe former stages of life. It may include the rejection of
networked and shared my wisdom and folly withthe religious beliefs, wherein ones even burns religious
younger physicians. It was time to give back, to be atexts.
mentor to repay my debt as a mentee. That has beenThe sannyasins become wandering hermits, living life
most enjoyable and satisfying.without any shelter or possessions. They eat when
With the medical career gone, my commercial/industrialthey can acquire food, but never enter into any work
real estate career surfaced, as did my ownership in ato acquire it; it must be given or found. They become
small construction company and the Overhead Doorholy men, seeking spiritual enlightenment and power,
Co. distributorship for half of Maine. As with thestriving to achieve the true wisdom of the cosmos.
medical group, I shared ownership with the keyWow! That is easy to define, but a bit extreme.
managers, so again, I could easily work my way out ofHowever, all my other five promises would be simply
these ventures. It was euphemistically sort of a sloweliminated.
"garage sale" to get rid of real estate.A less dramatic approach might be that described by
The scholar had always been was given full access topsychologist Abraham Maslow in his Hierarchy of
workshops, mostly on writing, and courses onNeeds, which describes a person's motivation and
cassettes and CDs. After retirement I became anresultant behavior as being determined by ones' needs.
even more ardent workshop junkie and a steepedI could focus on the highest level, self-actualization and
myself in philosophy, psychology, and religion, as ago beyond the basics of life and simply find a single
student and teacher. Having been banished to my"calling" and heed it.
parent's native land of Norway for the summer when IBut what single calling? I have decided that I would get
was 12-years old (to get me away from the "badrid of real estate in an orderly manner and complete
influence" of my friends), I have always had asuccession planning for my business ventures.
Viking-style lust for travel, but without the classic rapingHowever, I would maintain a family life and continue
and pillaging, of course. As a result, I merged my newmy writing, speaking, and traveling on a more limited
world of scholarship and foreign travel, and added mybasis. High-altitude mountaineering might be over, after
life long pursuit of high-altitude mountaineering, sort ofall, I am approaching 70 years of age, far beyond the
mountain madness with an element of class.ideal age of such risk-taking.
My life took an odd detour on October 23, 1999, when IAs the author of a monthly newsletter, I included in my
just completed giving a workshop on Optimize YourJanuary 2008 New Year's edition a list of the "10
Life! The One-page Strategic Planner in Portland, MaineThings I Want to Do Before I Die" and realized that I
and went up Mt. Washington, New Hampshire for ahad drifted far from Plato's ideal life of contemplation
weekend to hike and enjoy the late fall foliage.and leisure. I think I will cruise through this year enjoying
Unfortunately, on Saturday morning there was a lightan Aristotelian life of active contemplation, being fully
rain and clouds hung oppressively in the valley and upaware of Buddha's advice against striving, but in favor
over the mountains. My hiking buddies declined the joysof living in the moment.
of a day of hiking in the rain, so I went up toAs I close this essay, I am forced to remember and
Tuckerman's Ravine solo and then up Lion Head Trailshare several paradoxes, ironies, even absurdities:
towards the Alpine Garden Trail on my way plannedAt the end of his Nicomacean Ethics (Book 10,
hike to the Auto Road and home.Chapters 6 through 8) Aristotle seems to reverse
As I climbed, the light rain turned into giant snowflakes.himself and support Plato completely, noting that the
A veritable winter wonderland had replaced a drearycontemplative philosophical life of leisure is the best.
fall day. I was lured into a bright winter hike, andThe Buddha, when addressing one's life before death,
continued on for over an hour in spite of a markedgave us a poem that suggests the value, the
increase in the wind. Then, "whiteout" conditions forcedappropriateness, of striving in one's life:
me to stop next to a huge cairn (a pile of rocksEvery day a birdie on my shoulder asks:
marking the trail) to wait out the storm. I climbed intoIs today the day?
my aluminized material bivvy sack and realized that IAre you doing all the things you should be doing?
had my cell phone with me. I made a series ofAre you being the person who you should be?
increasingly frustrating 911 calls, which left mePlato stated that the purpose of philosophy is to
wondering if my rescuers would come, let alone findprepare one for death.
my location.