Enough

​ I quietly stepped away from religion years ago. It’s not something I say with anger or bitterness — it simply stopped answering the questions I was carrying.

There’s a line from the movie No Country for Old Men that has always stayed with me. Anton Chigurh asks, “If the rules you followed brought you to this, of what use are the rules?” That question cuts deep, especially when I’ve sat with people who held their faith tightly, only to become afraid when death drew near.

I no longer believe in gods or an afterlife in the traditional sense. Yet I still have feelings I can’t fully explain. I’ve had strong moments where I feel the love of my life and I have known each other before. Our connection is so effortless and natural that I honestly believe we shared a previous life together. I don’t claim to understand how any of this works. It’s just a feeling.

There’s also a story about Kahlil Gibran that has always moved me. A young boy once saw an old man sitting alone, staring at the sunrise. When the boy asked what he was doing, the old man replied, “I am looking at life.” The boy asked, “Is that all?” The old man simply answered, “Isn’t that enough?”

That question lands differently the older I get.

The Tao Te Ching speaks to this same spirit:

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

I know I don’t see the world the same way most people around me do. I’ve learned to live with that quiet loneliness. Even so, I remain deeply thankful to be here, even if only for this brief time.

For me… that is enough.