As-Salaam-o-Alaikum.
(Peace be upon you.)
How many of us live in the moment? I mean, really in the moment? Being right here, right now'? Without thinking about the daily race to win and being on top of what is called "Life" nowadays? The rush to get first in line, the constant run to earn more money, have a bigger house, a shinier, bigger car, that expensive branded outfit we can brag about even though it is ridiculously overpriced just so we can show people how much above them we are...........
Are we really???
Where is our own sense of self worth? Our self respect? Based on our principles, our ideas, thoughts, values???? Our sense of ourselves aside from how much we have and instead on how much we are? In this day and age people are so focused on possessions and material gain they have no idea who they are without them. They are owned by their possessions instead of owning them.
Yes it's very nice to have nice things, it's good to be able to afford what you want when you want, to be able to indulge yourself, but this is not necessary in order to be happy or to live a contented meaningful life with a peaceful frame of mind. In fact, happiness can never be found in opulence.
You're constantly on the run for more, focusing on acquiring, and yes, a lot of people even have a fear of anyone moving ahead of them or out-possessing them.
This has become much more prevalent in youngsters today. Everyone is in a race and they don't care if they deserve the reward or not, they just want it even though they have not earned it. They lie, scheme, cheat, steal, talk behind people's backs, highlight some one's flaws, literally tear people's reputation to shreds without a single drop of remorse; just to get themselves to look better or to move "ahead".
I find this extremely alarming.
“There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us. ‘Tis good to give a stranger a meal, or a night’s lodging. ‘Tis better to be hospitable to his good meaning and thought, and give courage to a companion. We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage
of a good light.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is shocking to see that materialism, and not principles, are the centre of an unbelievable majority of the population now.
Where has all the goodness gone? Whatever happened to common courtesy? Nowadays, a person focuses more on the personality they can project onto the world and not the character. The gain at the end and not the growth.
"Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater, ennoble it.”
-Christian Nestell Bovee
There was much less materialism and more happiness in by-gone times. Oh, I know that shallow, cheap, materialistic, scheming, greedy, horrible and downright evil people have always been there.
But having researched the prevalence of the good and the bad a bit, I find that the human race was never in more of a danger from itself as it is now.
We are destructive and ungrateful of the blessings we do have and we hanker after all the shiny new 'somethings', always thinking that we'll be happy after we possess the next item on the list and then the next and so on.
"The best things in life aren't things."
-Art Buckwald.
Take a very good hard look at your own life. Pass it through a mental sieve. What have been the good times and which the bad? Are you happy? What makes you happy? What can you do to achieve that happiness and yet not harm- physically, mentally or emotionally- harm another soul?
Take your time, but do examine yourself - and your life, thoroughly. Do you like yourself? And your life? Figure out what and where the problem is. Work on it.
Make things better. Make yourself better.
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James Arthur Baldwin.
And if you can't do it on your own and need help, then go ahead,...... ASK!
At least, it's a start.........
(Peace be upon you.)
How many of us live in the moment? I mean, really in the moment? Being right here, right now'? Without thinking about the daily race to win and being on top of what is called "Life" nowadays? The rush to get first in line, the constant run to earn more money, have a bigger house, a shinier, bigger car, that expensive branded outfit we can brag about even though it is ridiculously overpriced just so we can show people how much above them we are...........
Are we really???
Where is our own sense of self worth? Our self respect? Based on our principles, our ideas, thoughts, values???? Our sense of ourselves aside from how much we have and instead on how much we are? In this day and age people are so focused on possessions and material gain they have no idea who they are without them. They are owned by their possessions instead of owning them.
Yes it's very nice to have nice things, it's good to be able to afford what you want when you want, to be able to indulge yourself, but this is not necessary in order to be happy or to live a contented meaningful life with a peaceful frame of mind. In fact, happiness can never be found in opulence.
You're constantly on the run for more, focusing on acquiring, and yes, a lot of people even have a fear of anyone moving ahead of them or out-possessing them.
This has become much more prevalent in youngsters today. Everyone is in a race and they don't care if they deserve the reward or not, they just want it even though they have not earned it. They lie, scheme, cheat, steal, talk behind people's backs, highlight some one's flaws, literally tear people's reputation to shreds without a single drop of remorse; just to get themselves to look better or to move "ahead".
I find this extremely alarming.
“There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us. ‘Tis good to give a stranger a meal, or a night’s lodging. ‘Tis better to be hospitable to his good meaning and thought, and give courage to a companion. We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage
of a good light.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is shocking to see that materialism, and not principles, are the centre of an unbelievable majority of the population now.
Where has all the goodness gone? Whatever happened to common courtesy? Nowadays, a person focuses more on the personality they can project onto the world and not the character. The gain at the end and not the growth.
"Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater, ennoble it.”
-Christian Nestell Bovee
There was much less materialism and more happiness in by-gone times. Oh, I know that shallow, cheap, materialistic, scheming, greedy, horrible and downright evil people have always been there.
But having researched the prevalence of the good and the bad a bit, I find that the human race was never in more of a danger from itself as it is now.
We are destructive and ungrateful of the blessings we do have and we hanker after all the shiny new 'somethings', always thinking that we'll be happy after we possess the next item on the list and then the next and so on.
"The best things in life aren't things."
-Art Buckwald.
Take a very good hard look at your own life. Pass it through a mental sieve. What have been the good times and which the bad? Are you happy? What makes you happy? What can you do to achieve that happiness and yet not harm- physically, mentally or emotionally- harm another soul?
Take your time, but do examine yourself - and your life, thoroughly. Do you like yourself? And your life? Figure out what and where the problem is. Work on it.
Make things better. Make yourself better.
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James Arthur Baldwin.
And if you can't do it on your own and need help, then go ahead,...... ASK!
At least, it's a start.........
