Midlife and Catastrophe Consciousness

In case you're wondering, 'catastrophe' (as a mathematical model) doesn't mean quite what you think it does. According to it's originator, French mathematician Rene Thom, "It studies and classifies phenomena characterized by sudden shifts in behavior arising from small changes in circumstances." It's a subset of dynamical systems theory that suggests that under subtle changes in background conditions, the stability of a system can suddenly (and irreversibly) give way to instability and collapse into a new, lower level of dynamic stability.

Here's an example. A leaf is floating in a bucket half-filled with water. A leaky faucet is depositing a drop of water into the bucket every few seconds. Slowly, the bucket fills until only surface tension is holding the water (and thus the leaf) in the bucket. One more drop falls in, the surface tension is no longer able to contain the overflowing water, and out it cascades down the side of the bucket and with it goes the leaf. The overflow illustrates the point of catastrophe where the dynamic system can no longer support the gradual change, and the leaf's descent is sudden and irreversible. Now, let's consider how this applies to midlife.

One of the legendary characteristics of childhood and the teenage years has to be the sense of indestructibility and immortality that accompanies that period of life. That sense of permanence begins with a lack of appreciation for mortality and, like many aspects of childhood that pass into adulthood, continues to affect your attitudes and behaviors through what amounts to a denial of death. When you look at it carefully, it becomes obvious that death is a catastrophic event (in the mathematical sense). The material that I've gathered from my tiny, unscientific survey and through anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that one of the most significant transitions that comes with midlife has its roots in the erosion of this ignorance and denial of mortality.

As you age, the evidence that your experience as an organism delivers to you gradually becomes overwhelming: you've already reached the summit of physical growth and development, and you're on the way down. The sensation of the ground rushing up to meet you becomes unavoidable. Those catastrophic possibilities that once applied only to others, or that seemed to be so distant as to be irrelevant now take on an unavoidable three-dimensionality. The onset of midlife corresponds with an inescapable consciousness of immanent catastrophe. These include (among others) the fear of catastrophic poverty, the fear of catastrophic isolation, and the fear of catastrophic illness (not to mention the fear of death and dying). I can translate that into three fundamental statements: 1) 'I am not as successful as I once was', 2) 'I am not as attractive as I once was,' and 3) 'I am not as strong as I once was.'

Here's a possible definition for midlife: that phase of life where the consciousness of catastrophic collapse (death) breaks through childish pretense and denial. This season of clarity intensifies the need to resolve the principle life challenge you face: to self-define as a victim or as a victor. The victim looks for someone to blame for his (or her) career failures, relationship failures, and personal well-being failures. The victor sees all of these things as challenges and opportunities for continued growth above and beyond them.

What can you learn from all this? You can learn that a healthy (but painful) dose of reality — in the guise of imminent catastrophic failure — provides you with an invitation and opportunity to grow beyond those limitations. Through midlife catastrophe consciousness, you gain the capacity to redefine success apart from career, relationships, or even personal well-being. All of life is an opportunity to exercise detachment: the detachment from the superficial and peripheral concerns of childhood and adulthood, and the (re-)discovery of those core realities and values that transcend catastrophic collapse of the system. Your task, as a traveler through midlife, is to let go (of all those peripheral and temporal concerns) and let God . . . however you define your indestructible core Reality.

Midlife and Catastrophe Consciousness - To learn more about this author, visit Les Brown's Website.

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