THE MESSAGE:
It took a while but I finally figured out how to measure happiness in my life. I found it in the concepts of being loved, trusted, feeling worthwhile and being useful. I do not believe that this required any adherence to a formal religion or doctrine.
Before becoming useful to others; one must learn to be useful to oneself by being honest, having positive values and living by them. One needs help in the beginning when, as a child, there is much to see and learn. A child learns to love and trust from good parenting. As an adolescent there is much to sort out. Parental influence is somewhat replaced by friends and new challenges. Self-awareness is most likely the key to self-confidence.
Self-confidence allows us to develop a determination to be of use to ourselves and gives us the capacity to love others. Humans are constantly subjected to distraction and false leads. It is through reflection, self-sacrifice and the true unselfish love of SIGNIFICANT others that we eventually learn to accept the myriad pitfalls of the human condition and the value of FREE WILL in making choices and accepting the consequences of those choices.
This has taken me much time to discover and accept. On the journey through life with its mid-life crises, preoccupation with material possessions and selfish desires, I have come to realize that one's inner circle of trust and love must be expanded beyond family and those held dear. One must care about the plight of others less fortunate who are subjected to the miseries of war, discrimination, sectarian hatred, suppression, hunger or pestilence.
Looking back on my life there are many things that I regret and actually despise. I would like the chance to have some 'do-overs'. Obviously an individual cannot change the past. However, life is not a lost cause. No one is perfect; therefore, it is a necessary part of the process of existence to examine one's life, make the necessary adjustments and move forward. For me, the key to happiness is found in the feelings of being loved, feeling worthwhile and being useful.
BLACK SWAN EVENTS > Example: The sudden death of a child.
Having written all of the above, it is important to touch on these occurrences. They are described as:
- High-profile, hard-to-predict, and rare events.
- The event is a surprise and has a major effect.
- Persons or groups of people tend to rationalize the event as if it COULD have been expected.
It goes without saying that, in the face of a 'Black Swan event', the only choice that we have as adults is to accept the event and deal with it in an appropriate manner.
QUESTION:
Is it better to be hated for what you are or loved for what you are not?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” ― Marilyn Monroe
LAURELS TO: VICTORIA ANN KINLEY
For her award as 'Student of the Month for Empathy' at Deer Park Elementary P.S in Toronto.
No comments:
Post a Comment