In this series, we sit down with a Berwick resident to hear how they’re pursuing their best life. Today, we talk to June Williams, who brings an insatiable curiosity and a love of connecting with others to her life at Berwick.
What does living a life of purpose mean to you?
That’s a big question, and I’ve been struggling to put words to what feels to me like a life that is well lived, a life that is purposeful.
For me, it starts with connectedness. It seems to me that the degree and quality of connection we feel with others and really with all life on this beautiful, complicated, interconnected planet determines what is important to us and how we will live our lives.
Central to my personal life are the people I’m closest to: my family and my friends. But there are also others to think about and to care about. There’s the broader community, the global community, the people I’ve met and those I’ll never meet. There are also all the amazing life forms on our planet earth. And all of these communities are dependent on one another for survival.
In general, I think that recognizing our connectedness, taking responsibility, and caring for ourselves and others are the central conditions for living purposeful lives. We’re surrounded by people doing just that, in amazingly varied ways. We need to do more for those who follow. That’s what keeps us going; I think it’s also what makes life so worthwhile.
Over time, how have you changed the way you look at life/people?
I think I’ve become more understanding and appreciative of the individual and collective intelligence of people. At the same time, I’ve become increasingly alarmed at our careless response to the environmental crisis which certainly suggests that we have a real difficulty grasping the pace and extent of change to our environment and taking responsibility for saving this planet for future generations. I’m truly hopeful that we will prove ourselves to be as wise as we are clever.
What are you most looking forward to in 2024?
Putting the big questions about the world aside, I look forward to good times with friends and family, travel, good books, good music, learning new things, and dancing the night away!
If you had the problem to solve one and only one problem in the world, what would it be and why?
It would be the environmental crisis. Why? Because we owe it to those who will follow us.
What do you still want to learn?
You name it: French, German, Spanish, other languages, physics, astronomy, geology, cross country skiing, scuba diving, meditation, various kinds of dance, and on and on…
If you could choose to do anything right now, what would bring you the most happiness or pleasure?
I think anything that brought together socializing, travelling, and dancing would be right up my alley.