I came upon the following poem by the Greek poet C.P. Cavafy (1863-1933) in a book called 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life. The translation from the Greek is by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard.

As Much as You Can

Even if you can’t shape your life the way you want,
at least try as much as you can
not to degrade it
by too much contact with the world,
by too much activity and talk…

Do not degrade it by dragging it along,
taking it around and exposing it so often
to the daily silliness
of social relations and parties,
until it comes to seem a boring hanger-on.

   There’s a sadness in Cavafy’s words, a sense that we can’t do much to shape our lives so at least we shouldn’t be a bother by degrading our lives until we are "a boring hanger-on." But there is also some helpful counsel.
   Cavafy invites us to be careful about our contact with the world. By spending more of our precious time being rather than doing, by devoting more time to reflection, meditation, and prayer, we improve the texture and quality of the interactions we have with both the world and with God. 
   Even as a college student, I never liked parties that much. The noise level is too high. College parties, along with many of their adult counterparts, seem to be built on the notion that it’s fun to lose ourselves in noise.
   My expectations are probably wrong. I often have the idea I’ll be able to conduct a discussion with someone at a party. But the music, the crowd noise, the perpetual interruptions, and the omnipresent alcohol make communication difficult.
   On some occasions, I’ve given up, had another drink myself, and yielded to the flow of the party. I seem to have a better time. But the next morning, I often feel as though that time was wasted. Accordingly, my wife and I rarely go to parties any more.
   Lots of caregiving charities hold parties to raise money. I’ve always been skeptical about the value
of these. Charity X, for example, an organization dedicated to serving the poor, holds a party for rich people who come to it wearing expensive clothes, are served overpriced food and drinks, and dance to expensive bands. I’m one of those grumblers who wonders why the money spent on all these parties isn’t dedicated to the mission of the poor instead of the mission of the parties, events which often echo a certain Gatsby-esque silliness. Celebrating at a charity ball always leaves me feeling like fake royalty – dancing while others outside the ballroom suffer.
   Perhaps I sound like the proverbial stick-in-the-mud. Lots of people have lots of fun at all these parties – or at least they tell me they do. I’m a big fan of dancing, I love music so much I try to compose it, and my life is built around relationships.I like enjoying these experiences where each of these expressions of life can be honored and they’re not all blurred together in a cacophony that seems to make life seem so…silly. 
   But I could be wrong about this. Perhaps life is silly and I should keep quiet instead of fussing about partying for good causes. Perhaps I’m sounding, already, like a boring hanger-on.
   Whether you party a lot or not, think of today’s meditation as an invitation to greater reflection. Parties may be a symbol, here, of any insincere contact with the world. Time spent in reflection provides an opportunity for sincere engagement with God. And as we open our hearts to God, Love is certain to enter. This is what enables us to have more meaningful and authentic encounters with our world.

-Erie Chapman