“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”
“You often say ; I would give , but only to the deserving, The trees in your orchard say not so , nor the flocks in your pasture.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and nights is worthy of all else from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver , and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life-while you , who deem yourself a giver , is but a witness.” Khalil Gibran
Most of us hide from truth. We never do it intentionally. We just have so much to think about. If truth is revealed it requires attention and we have non to give. Living in a bubble is easiest. It is a Barbie doll world that we have created for ourselves. It lends itself to a constant bending of truth. The convenience of refraining from thought and reflection saves a lot of time and effort. The payment is falsehood.
So many of us have been living in such a world for so long that we are more robotic in our words and actions. We just need to say the correct target words and we have past the human wave of people. We say good morning possibly with a false uncaring smile. Many ask us how we are doing but don’t wait for a reply. Life flows on the surface but the rumblings underneath are powerful as the earth’s rumbling beneath the surface.
We ignore the trembling and continue on with our predictable lives. It is our turn to invite the friends over, take the kids to soccer, bring them to dance, pick up the food and buy the birthday card. We all do these things frequently in a semi conscious state. Life in the meantime is passing quickly and carrying us with it. How about an honest conversation with someone you care about. Maybe that is why we have an aha moment as we learn something about another that we hadn’t known before. Maybe we don’t know each other as much as we think. How surprised we are at the notoriety we hear about, good or bad regarding another individual.
Sometimes i feel like shouting to myself, “Get Real!” I smile at functions I attend and appear calm yet the warm rise of stress permeates my body. When someone says something outrageous it is almost welcome due to the mounting tension. I suppose that is why we relish someone who states a fact out loud regardless of anyone’s political or religious belief. We can’t do that anymore. We can’t pray without permission. Have we figured out where our goals are and what we are doing?
Why we fear truth is absurd. I am totally not happy when another points out a better way of doing something. I resent it yet I know they are right. Later I am angry with myself and wonder at my stubbornness against immediately embracing a better idea. I plan to do better the next time. Somehow I think we feel like a failure at the slightest rebuke or what we perceive as a rebuke. The support is actually helpful and appreciated even if it is not openly stated.
We know what right and wrong is yet we bend the rules and excuse the infractions. We want peace at any cost. When do we challenge anybody or anything. It is so much easier to follow the rules or guidelines no matter what their substance is. Most rules are man-made. They hold no spriritual authority. Political rules are the same caliber. No questions asked allows us to go home earlier. Recall a seminar when at the end of it the person asks everyone if they have any questions and nobody puts up their hand. Daydream world is more appealing.
I am accepting of it to a point but now it keeps drifting into all areas of our lives leaving us mesmerized and almost in a stupor. What might be blatantly wrong is debated about whether or not we infringed on one individuals rights. I respect the individual but do we care about honesty or truth or a multitude of rights for the rest of society. I am not political. I judge by what I believe in. I honestly think we all want what we think is best. We have just gotten caught up in a desire to be liked or loved by everyone. Maybe your life has no meaning if that is the case.
We have to stand for fundamental truths. Kindness and empathy never change or go out of style. Ethics and morality are appreciated by everyone. Tolerance and compassion register with every human being. Some items are universal but we place those in the background of our lives because we have more important things to dwell on. Hanging on to friendships, keeping family ties close, working up the ladder of success, and a multitude of other things keep us focused on abstract issues. We are too tired to attend to vital concerns of our inner conscience, yet that is perhaps where we find honesty.
Friends go away days pass quickly, good times and bad times become memories but our words actions and behaviors at those times are registered for all eternity. Those are what touches our being or inner core. Those things mold us into the final product of what we have become at the end of our lifetime. Unless we give greater thought on that subject, we will continue our ride down the busy path of human wants and desires, leaving us spent. Times and chances we might have made a difference to other people will be lost. There isn’t a going back to redo a situation. I don’t think we have perfected time travel.
Perhaps we should slow up our ride and take an honest good look at who we are, what we stand for and believe in. It is one thing to say ,”I stand for honesty yet another thing to live it.” Everyday we have opportunities to do the righteous act possibly infringing on our own wants. We are always allowed to choose. When in the mindless trance we worry about self first. If we wake up our senses I have faith the majority of us will choose altruistic methods. As they say charity begins at home, I suppose that is where we should begin. Respect and pay attention to spouses and children. That is your soul’s treasure.
“I AM IGNORANT of absolute truth. But I am humble before my ignorance and therein lies my honor and my reward.”
“Your daily life is your temple and your religion.”
“Only yesterday I was no different than them, yet I was saved. I am explaining to you the way of life of a people who say every sort of wicked thing about me because I sacrificed their friendship to gain my own soul. I left the dark paths of their duplicity and turned my eyes toward the light where there is salvation, truth, and justice. They have exiled me now from their society, yet I am content. Mankind only exiles the one whose large spirit rebels against injustice and tyranny. He who does not prefer exile to servility is not free in the true and necessary sense of freedom.” Khalil Gibran
