Life: It's That Easy

“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace.”

-- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Walden

I constantly tout that life was never meant to be hard; we make it that way.  God gave us ten easy to understand commandments, and we wrote a user's guide, Holy Scripture, to help us understand what God meant to impart.  We called this "scripture" the "WORD" of God.  I'm not buying it.  The Bible is a mess.  I mean, we've written user guides for the user guide.  How confusing can we really make it?  If it weren't for deletions made during the First and Second Council of Nicaea, notwithstanding additions made by King James, we wouldn't even be able to lift the "Good Book."  Say it isn’t so!  We deleted portions of the collected "WORD" of God?  We actually chose, for God, which "WORD" should be kept or scrapped, and nobody was struck down by lightning?

The only true WORD of God, which I’m aware of, was written in stone and handed down to Moses.   So, are we saying that God really isn't perfect?  Is the supreme power in the universe fallible?  Are we saying God disseminates information without considering the audience?  God's idea of handing down Ten Commandments, directing them to do or do not, is really too difficult for simple camel riding goat-herders, these "chosen people" of God, to understand?  I think not.

“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering... The love of God did not protect His own Son... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.”

-- Elisabeth Elliot, Christian author, speaker, missionary

Information is obfuscated so people must rely on some entity, other than a "perfect" God, to clarify the confusion which has been created.  Usually, the entities we rely on are the same entities which obfuscate the information.  Why would they do this?  Well, I see it as an obvious agenda for control of those mindless lemmings too ignorant to understand that life was never meant to be so difficult to get through.  If this concept isn't obvious to someone, then perhaps they're asleep, in a coma, or they've planted their head firmly in the sand of sweet misery.  But, then, I could be wrong.

“An important decision I made was to resist playing the Blame Game. The day I realized that I am in charge of how I will approach problems in my life, that things will turn out better or worse because of me and nobody else, that was the day I knew I would be a happier and healthier person. And that was the day I knew I could truly build a life that matters.”

-- Steve Goodier, minister, author

Once again I find myself thinking about choices and consequences, about how good begets good and bad begets bad.  When considering this, one also has to consider the simple concept of owning your choices.  Everything that happens in life is due to some choice we make.  We can try to shift blame for the consequences but, in the end, and if we're totally honest with ourselves, the consequences of our choices rest firmly on our shoulders and we have to own the truth of that.

We are too hard on ourselves when we fall; when we fail.  You can "succeed" through what you know, but you only truly learn through failure.  Success is only success until it isn't.  Ancient Greek philosophy teaches us that the only universal constant is change, and it is through this change that we learn and grow.  We tend to pay too much attention to the past which is why we, probably, worry so much about the future.  Learn from the past and pay more attention to the present, because what we do in the present will dictate our possible future.  Stressing over tomorrow is like stressing over yesterday.  What happened, happened, and what will happen is probably going to be a consequence of decisions we make in the now.  If tomorrow doesn't pan out the way we plan, there is always the next day, and the next, and so on, until we get it right.

"Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?"

-- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956), businessman

If we're penalized for failure, by ourselves or others, we are shortsighted to the benefit of that failure to the greater learning experience.  Great employers realize this.  The trick is to actually learn the lesson so the failure isn't repetitious.  Honest, ethical, owning of that failure by the individual is a sign that learning is taking place.  If a person is fired for their failure the company will be constantly hiring people with no experience and the business will eventually fail itself.  Good businesses are always looking for ethical people.

“We face up to awful things because we can't go around them, or forget them. The sooner you say 'Yes, it happened, and there's nothing I can do about it,' the sooner you can get on with your own life. You've got children to bring up. So you've got to get over it. What we have to get over, somehow we do. Even the worst things.”

-- Annie Proulx, novelist, writer

People stress too much over things for which they have little or no control.  You make a mistake and there is nothing to do for it but to own it and try again.  Shit happens.  Get over it and move on.  Not everything is going to work out perfectly.  If it did, what would we learn?  There must be a balance in the universe; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Without balance, everything would eventually spin out of control.

“And hard times are good in their own way, too. Because the only way you can achieve true happiness is if you experience true sadness as well. It's all about light and shade. Balance.” 

-- Gabrielle Williams, author

All things considered, when you accept that your own choices beget your consequences, then you understand that life is as tough as you, yourself, make it.  Make good choices.  You may not see your life as perfect, but life is that simple.  Be happy with what you have or strive for more, the choice is yours and it always is.

I told my son, back when he wasn't doing well in high school, that I was done worrying about how well he did in school, that his learning was his responsibility, not mine, and if he was satisfied to be a common laborer sweeping streets or washing dishes, then my only advice would be for him to be the best street sweeper or dishwasher he can be.  I would still love him.  He made his decision and has worked for many years under contract to a major communication company teaching and working with fiber optics and such.  Good boy!

“Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place, and you decide that you're going to fight to get them right, not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you.”

-- Thisuri Wanniarachchi, author 

Choices and consequences; life is that easy. Choose a good path for your life, do the best you can do to excel, and enjoy the journey. There will be ups and downs, primarily because this is what a richly robust life is all about. Misery, worry, and stress are ways to teach us the uselessness of misery, worry, and stress. Hopefully, by the end of your journey through this existence, you will learn a thing or two which will prepare you for the next journeys to come.

So, embrace life, be happy and, for God's sake, develop a sense of humor and learn to laugh at yourself, and others. We are, all of us, fallible human beings trying to excel at life. To think any more of yourself is an attempt to take advantage of our common sense and makes you look smaller for the trying. An ability to laugh at your own shortcomings and turn them into humorous anecdotes lets everyone know you're not pretentious and certainly not the superhuman they may think you are. 

Life is that easy.  If you feel it isn't, maybe it's time to get shed of everything weighing you down; unnecessary debt, addictive vices, the job you hate, bad relationships, and those so-called friends who constantly use you because they aren't really your friends.  Clean up the mess of your life and start over, slowly.  Make better choices.  Get better results.  And try telling everyone you're doing it.  Maybe they will learn something about their own lives.  Oops!  Be careful!  Now you're a mentor.  God help us, you might be on your way to excelling in life.

“Humor can make a serious difference. In the workplace, at home, in all areas of life – looking for a reason to laugh is necessary. A sense of humor helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the difficult times, enjoy the good times and manage the scary times.”

-- Steve Goodier, minister, author

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.