carelessness

It may be sexist, but it floats up into my male thoughts as a reminder nonetheless -- Vito Corleone's observation in "The Godfather:"

It's an old habit. I spent my life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless, but not men.

"Trying" is not necessarily "succeeding," but it is "trying" and carelessness can exact some sharp-edged prices. In the world of 'the Godfather' and organized crime, the price is sometimes death, a price many, if not most, people would prefer not to pay. But there are less all-consuming prices as well and everyone has paid them, I imagine.

Carelessness is an attribute best observed in the rear-view mirror. Only after one particular effort or another can the yardstick be applied with any credible meaning. Before that effort, planning is brought to bear, sometimes with earlier bits of carelessness in mind. Sometimes things work out. Sometimes "the best-laid plans of mice and men do oft times go awry."

No matter how much care is brought to bear, still, it seems, carelessness raises its head on later examination. No one can see into the future and yet trying not to be careless is the only game in town for those wishing to succeed ... or attempting to lead a responsible life.

Employment, marriage, stock-car racing, academic research, eating chocolate cake, spiritual endeavor, war --  pick a realm and each is up to its ears in the need for care and the dangers of carelessness. And no matter how careful, still the fallout can feel distinctly careless. And if this is true, the question can arise, "why be careful in the first place?" or "why seek to avoid what is unavoidable?"

The fictional character Vito Corleone spent his life "trying not to be careless." In the novel, he won some and lost some. But the point is that he "tried." Why? Because the alternative was more painful and less potentially beneficial than not trying. He did not feign trying ... he tried. He did not imagine that "I deserve it" ... he tried. He did not waste too much time measuring his capacities against the capacities of others ... he tried.

Somewhere or other, Gautama (the man referred to as "the Buddha" in Buddhism) was asked to sum up his teachings succinctly. In the text I can remember but not cite, it said that Gautama paused and then, "summoning all of his powers," he replied, "It's not intellectual."

With all of his powers, Gautama tried not to be careless.

Or at any rate, I am inclined to think he tried.

I am inclined to think he really tried.

I am inclined to think that he reached down into his core, summoning honesty and love, with his eyes open to the necessity for care and the sorrows of carelessness, with every fiber of his being, using all things at his command ... and tried.

No one needs a holy text or sage to know how well that worked.