Its Not a Perfect World. . .Yet

Occasionally when people complain about some injustice or something that should be better but isn't they are met with a response similar to "If this were a perfect world. . ."  It is implied that because the world is not perfect you just have to deal with some things.  I see it as an excuse rather than an explanation and really don't like it.

The world has problems yes, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way.  The world is what we make of it.  If we work towards making it better it will become better little by little.  If instead of saying "If this were a perfect world. . ." we said "There is something wrong so what can we do to fix it?" and then did that something how much better would the world be?

Some may call me an idealist, but I firmly believe that we can make the world as perfect as we want.  As a final thought let me share some words from George Bernard Shaw: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."

Let me also share the last stanza of Invictus by William Ernest Henley:

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Let us take our fate and that of the world into our own hands and begin to make a perfect world.

My Values

I read an article the other day about defining core values.  I have had three core values that have guided my life for about six years now, but after reading the article decided to add two as well as renew my desire to live by these values.

Everyone should have values to live by.  They give you a sense of direction in life and help you make important decisions.  Instead of coming to a decision making point and wondering what to do you can simplify the process by checking to see if it is in line with your values.

The three values I have had for a while are honor, respect and service, and I added truth and love.

Honor is about doing the right thing for the right reasons.  Its doing what you should when you should and being where you should when you should.

Respect means taking care of people and things around you and treating them right.  It can be anything from respecting peoples' property to showing reverence to peoples' beliefs and culture, to simply having good manners.  Its also important to respect yourself and not live below your standards.

Service is fairly simple.  Just do good things whenever you have the chance.  Instead of paying someone back for something they have done for you, think about paying it forward and spreading acts of kindness.

Love means love for family, friends, God and anyone who is human.  It goes beyond simply respecting someone to truly caring for them as a person.

Truth is not limited to just what science can tell us.  Truth should be sought for and accepted from wherever it comes.  I seek truth from science as well as religion.  Quite often those two are not put together but if something is true why should it matter where it comes from?  Both science and religion seek for truth and should be in complete agreement if they truly find truth.

Someday I may write more on each of those values, but for now an overview is enough.  Choose your own virtues and start your path to a better more fulfilling life and of course better thinking.

Belief in God

Today I was given a chance to reflect on my relationship with God.  I realized that I haven't had the best relationship with Him recently, and that it is affecting all aspects of my life.  I know that at times when my relationship is better with him that life just seems to go smoother.  My mind is clearer and I feel less stress.

A belief in God is an essential trait in any good person, whether they consider themselves to be thinkers or not. All good things come from God and the sooner we get that through our heads and just do what He asks us the better off we will be.  Nikola Tesla said "The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power."  If we align our lives with God then knowledge, happiness, peace and every other good thing will flow into our lives more fully.  Life will not be easy but it will be better.

Following the Spirit

Recently I had an experience that taught me a very important lesson.  I was weeks away from being married, taking 18 credits at college and was under a lot of stress.  It caused me a lot of problems and I wasn't very happy like I should have been.  During a particularly difficult weekend I went home to visit family, and my mom took some time to talk to me about what I was going through.  She helped me realize something I had known for a long time but chosen not to admit-that I was not in a very good relationship and needed to change it.

My fiance had come to visit at Thanksgiving and at that time I had a feeling that maybe I should break up with her, but convinced myself that everything was ok and kept dating her.  Just before I went to visit her for Christmas (I proposed to her when I visited) I had another feeling that maybe this wasn't a good idea, but again convinced myself that everything was ok. 

As time went on things got worse until I came to the weekend during which my mom talked to me about my situation.  I finally admitted what I had felt and known for a long time and decided to break up with her.  It was hard, but we both knew it was the right thing to do.  Since that time I have felt like myself again, a feeling I hadn't had in while, and I felt peace.

You can call those feelings that I had a gut feeling, conscience, shoulder angel or whatever you want.  I call it the spirit and I firmly believe it is sent from God and that through that spirit He will direct us to paths that will make us most happy in life.  Whatever you call it I know that life works a lot better when we follow the spirit.