Thoughts at 78 years of age (Joseph Kerwin) USofA

Thoughts at 78 years of age Joe Kerwin Newport Beach, California February 7, 2018 Edmund Burke (1730-1797) "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing."

Joe and Debbie Kerwin What I have figured out after 78 years living on planet earth: 1.

What really matters are the other seven billion people who live here too, and how I fit into and can contribute to this diverse family.

2.

Without other people, life would be both boring and without meaning.

3.

If it wasn’t for Jesus Christ I would be lost.

4.

My life is now, today. It is in the present with an eye for the future and its many possibilities. If this were not so, why bother to live at all?

5.

My granddaughter Fiona has given me a deeper understanding of why I am here and a greater appreciation of why I do the things I do.

6.

Our children are as different from each other today as they were when they were born. Jonathan and Lauren are both great people. How did they grow up 1

so fast?

7.

I think that it is important to be kind to people and animals. People should be kind to each other. This is a very good thing to do and to be.

8.

When the world tells me “No, you can’t” I simply may respond with “Yes, I can.” And only I need to know what my answer is.

9.

If I am to be at peace I must be peaceful.

10.

Forgiveness is very important for being at peace with oneself and with others.

11.

Other people look at me and see me through their eyes as I see others with my own eyes. It really doesn’t matter what other people see in me as much as what I see in myself, and what my family sees in me.

12.

I measure my success in life not by how much I make but how much I am able to contribute. When I die I hope that I have given everything that I have to give. Except of course my eternal soul.

13.

I frequently forget that I am a miracle in a continuous stage of development.

This means in mortality and in the eternities.

14.

When I reflect on my happiest moments of life I think of flowers, birds, puppies, sunrises and sunsets, days at the beach, summer skies, the beautiful things, being with loved ones. These are the things that money cannot buy.

These are the most important things.

15.

When it all comes down to the end, I must leave this place and hope I have left some things of good for others.

16.

Life is most complicated when I make it that way.

17.

I find it to be a much better experience for me when I choose to pursue happy and pleasing experiences than to go mindlessly down a path that produces stress and strain.

18.

I should always ask myself why I am doing something or going to do something before I do it.

19.

It is better to make intelligent choices before doing something or planning to do something.

20.

I am thankful that someday I may take rest in the eternal love of God and with my brother Jesus Christ. And be with my family in the eternities.

21.

If it wasn’t for my wife Debbie I wouldn’t have such a crazy and wonderful family.

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22.

Debbie and I have daily morning prayer and at dinnertime. It is wonderful to draw together and give thanks for our many blessings.

23.

My wife continues to rescue me every day, as she would do for a stray puppy.

And she keeps me on a short leash.

24.

My wife is much smarter than I. But she lets me believe that I am the smart one.

25.

I like getting hugs and kisses, especially from Debbie.

26.

If there is anything in the past that I wished I could do and did not do, I have most likely forgotten it.

27.

If I need to repent of something now is a good time to do that.

28.

"We never know what life will bring.” This is from my mother.

29.

If I am healthy and my brain and my body parts keep working this is a very good thing to be grateful for.

30.

If I ever should ever seek to impress other people it simply won’t matter because no one really cares.

31.

The people I look up to most in life are those who have given of themselves to help other people.

32.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t get much recognition from the world these days. Yet He is the one who is always there to comfort and guide us when we allow Him to.

33.

I believe the true purpose of life is to love others and to be of service to others.

34.

When I live for a purpose greater than myself this is when I am most satisfied.

35.

When I find myself in a ditch that I have dug by my own hands, that is too deep get out of, I simply must wait for a lot of rain to pour in so I can swim to the top and crawl out. And I should remember not to dig the same ditch twice.

36.

I believe that "To dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, is far better than to take rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” This is a favorite quote from Teddy Roosevelt.

37.

Sometimes I feel a bit unsettled and unremarkable. This is when I need to appreciate not being in a jail cell in North Korea, or being held captive in a cave by the Taliban. Or living in Somalia.

38.

Darkness cannot abide where there is light. Just as ignorance cannot exist where there is knowledge.

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39.

To help bring the "democratization of knowledge to all mankind" is a personal pursuit of mine. This is what I do each day by harnessing the AI and semantic technologies of the Internet company I co-founded. I believe that in order for people to love each other they need to understand one another. And having knowledge, understanding and tolerance of other people in the world is essential if we as a family of man are to find universal peace.

40.

Someday people may better understand me by understanding what I do, and what I have committed my life to.

41.

If I could choose something else to do with my life, I wouldn’t. My life is what it is and what I continue to make of it. It is created within me and expressed outside of me.

42.

I believe that people who help make the world a better place are the true heroes.

43.

I always loved taking naps with my puppies, Buster, Chinook, Lucky, Buffy and Dash. They are always so good to me. They are my best friends, except for my wife and our children.

44.

I seem to look at people in their 70’s as old people. But I don’t look at myself as being old. Except when I see myself in a mirror.

45.

Thank goodness for young people they make me appreciate being me.

46.

The world is a funny place except for people who make it a sad place.

47.

My greatest fears over the past years never became a reality. They never happened. "Be happy don’t worry." This quote is from Weatherford Clayton.

48.

I don’t take this life too seriously. It is the afterlife that I take more seriously.

49.

I love paddling with my two outrigger canoe clubs. It’s a great sport for my body, mind, and spirit. I am paddling in my first competition outrigger canoe race on February 10, 2018. It is 12 miles long out in the ocean. I am the oldest person in the two canoe clubs I belong to. People in these clubs say that I am amazing. And I am.

50.

I am glad my family loves me. I love all of them and wish I told them that more often.

51.

I am grateful for having life, being healthy, having a family, having friends, having a testimony of Christ as my Redeemer, knowing how to love and accept being loved, knowing that this universe is a very big place and that I live on a very small planet. And knowing that there is so much more.

52.

In 100 and 1000 years from now, I think planet earth will be a great place on which to live and call home unless we screw it all up.

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53.

I am glad I am alive now. There is so much to do.

54.

By the time another 25 earth years go by I will be able to find an eternal rest and be at peace with my God, my Savior, my family, and friends.

55.

Life goes on, here or there.

56.

I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. That He lives. That He is my brother and Redeemer. I should always remember to try to be like Him.

57.

I believe that a true purpose of this life is to follow and keep the Commandments. This is the roadmap that will show all of us the way home.

58.

I believe The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.

59.

I believe that a true prophet called of God leads the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Each day is really one continuous experience made up of thousands of individual contiguous experiences. Most experiences that we have are relatively routine so we don't take that much notice of them. Today was not one of those days.

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We started the 12-mile race at 9 AM along with over 100 other boats. By the time we had gone 2 miles we had collided with 6 other boats or they had smacked into us. By the time we had gone 3 miles our boat capsized. The good news is that my inflatable life preserver worked and I didn't drown. Yes, the water was cold. By the time we uprighted the canoe and had paddled the first 6 miles 10 other boats had also capsized. By the time we had gone 9 miles my paddle hit my head while changing sides (due to rough seas, strong currents, and 10 MPH winds) and sailed into the ocean (a chase boat rescued my paddle).

By the time we finished the 12-mile race we were not the last boat to cross the finish line.

Hooray for our team! We didn't win a gold medal but we did finish:) When we got out of the boat on the beach I was wet, cold, a bit shaky and tired. Boy, do I love outrigger canoe racing! Our team coach wants me to sign up for the next race in San Diego that is coming up soon. I can't wait:) What I learned today is that finishing whatever race you commit to and begin helps to build a strong character and keeps you both humble and grateful to be alive:)

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