Today is my birthday. I am 56 years old. Not old enough to be a respected sage, but too old to wear sagging jeans. I thought this might be a good day to review my basic beliefs. Not only for anyone who might stumble across this blog, but for myself.
Personally, I believe in honesty. I believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe in helping those less fortunate than I. I believe in faith, hope and charity. I believe that hard work builds character. This doesn't mean I live my life through cliches'. It might mean that those who have gone before me were much more capable at distilling life's mysteries to one liners...
HONESTY, because it truly is the only way to navigate the currents of life. Honesty, in all its forms, is the only foundation which successfully withstands adversity over time. In order to help (others as well as one's self), starting from a basic honest understanding is mandatory.
LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS. Life, because we have the opportunity to make of it exactly what we desire from it. Life, because without it, nothing else much matters.
Liberty, the foundation of our nation is and should be, the basis upon which we awake each morning, and close our eyes at night. Liberty, the underlying and undying ability to accomplish as much (or as little) as we desire. Liberty, the knowledge that, regardless of our (legal) actions, we will move forward into tomorrow without having been prosecuted, jailed, or executed without a trial by our peers. The knowledge that tomorrow and every day after that, we have the opportunity to excel. That is truly what liberty means to me.
The Pursuit of Happiness. Don't you think it sort of speaks for itself? The opportunity to do what one will with life. The ability to make decisions without the fear that others have the right to impose on your free will. While not guaranteed happiness, being able to pursue it puts everyone on an even and equal playing field. Life and happiness are not about where you started or even where you finished. It is about how you got there, and whether the decisions were yours. Ultimately, happiness is a personal decision...
Helping others less fortunate, for through helping others, I find that I improve myself. To see myself through others allows me to work on what is important to me. Helping others leads me to helping myself, and that may be one of the best reasons to help others.
Faith, Hope and Charity, for without any one of these, honesty and liberty and life and the pursuit of happiness and helping others mean less. Faith isn't JUST a belief in GOD. It is also a belief in mankind. It is a belief that, given the opportunity, man will eventually do the right thing. Hope, not that blind hope where you hope you win the lottery or hope "things" go well, but the kind of hope on which the future hinges. Hope that we, as a nation, can resolve our conflicts (both internal and external). Hope that we, as a people, can become more tolerant of those who are in "The Pursuit of Happiness", whatever that means to them. And Hope, that we as a species can and will address those issues which are muddy-ing the future of Earth.
And Charity. The giving, not only of money or riches, but the giving of self. The giving of time to a grandson who asks to "play trains", when what he really desires is time with papaw. The giving of a shoulder for someone in pain. The giving of friendship to someone who cannot do anything for you other than be a friend. The giving of self.
I think it is important to question our beliefs. It makes us better, or at least it lets us see where we might be better. It allows us to reflect upon our fortunes, our mission in life, and our motivation.
All in all, I believe, no, I KNOW I am blessed. I have a wife who loves and cares for me. I have four amazing children and five awesome grandchildren and, even at 56, I have all the opportunities in the world in front of me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment