Even before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sarah Whalen says her philosophy of life has been to live each day as if it’s her last.
Last week, the Destin Philosophical Society awarded Whalen with the very first Philosophy of Life award at a party in honor of her positive outlook More than 200 guests attended the celebration.”I’m never unhappy and I feel good all the time,” said the 74-year- old Destin resident. “I still play tennis and golf, or do professional ballroom dancing. People are always fascinated by that.”
“She has a contagious, wonderful spirit…Fighting cancer hasn’t slowed her down,” said society member Foster Sanders.
But the ceremony wasn’t about the challenges Whalen has faced, but how she overcame those challenges in her life.
“Anybody can handle the good times in life, but oftentimes what defines us is how we handle the adversity in life,” Sanders told The Log. “Sarah is a very deserving and popular person.”
The Destin Philosophical Society was founded in January of 2010 to bring together people who are interested in having more meaningful discussions than what a person might encounter in everyday socializing. Now the group has 30 active members.
“We rarely concur on any one issue. People have many different viewpoints, but we all pretty much agree that in life, there is very little black and white, but a lot of grey,” said Sanders, a retired businessman.
Meetings are held once a month at TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort in Destin. Each meeting is opened with a few words from Dr. Fred Savage and an original poem from Francois-Marie Benard, a society member and former actor.
The topics of discussion for each meeting include a variety of philosophical topics such as love, self-esteem, truth and existentialism.
“The questions are almost, if not more important than the answers,” Sanders said. Through the society, “I have made a lot of different friends and expanded my enjoyment of Destin.”
The club is free to join and open to anyone interested in philosophy.