Nothing Else to Offer

"I've come to realize that the only people I need in my life are the ones who need me in theirs even when I have nothing else to offer but myself."

-- Unknown

All things being equal, none of us has anything to offer but ourselves.  Those things of importance about us, the truth of who, what, and why we are we are, determine our value to ourselves which, in turn, helps to determine our value to others.  The who, what, and why we are, is determined by experiences, which are nothing more than life lessons.  How well we learn these lessons is determined by the choices, the decisions, we make.  In the end, when we see our looming transfer from this existence to the next, we realize that who we are is what we are, and what we're supposed to be is happy... always.  Why?  So we can mentor others to be happy, as well.

It isn't necessary for anyone to understand why you are happy, or what makes you so.  Their judgment of you is so much drama to be ignored.  The only thing anyone needs to understand about you is that they also can be happy always.  One person's torture is another person's passion.  We are all different for a reason, and that reason is the universal variety.  Nothing is ever the same as anything else.  Variety is anything but boring.

"I've known your kind before!"  No.  No, you haven't.  This judgmental statement is ignorance driven by ego.  The truth is they have no idea who you are.  You may look outwardly alike to someone else, but your experiences, also similar, are set apart by the choices you make in how to deal with your experiences.  No two minds handle choices the same way.  Two brothers raised together, one is boisterous but walks away from a threat, while the other is quiet as a monk and will snap the neck of an imminent threat without thought.  Alike, yet different.  At first, both have nothing more to offer than themselves but, then, one is set apart from the other by an obvious skill; a skill taught to him by his boisterous brother.  Alike, yet different.

When you meet someone for the first time, they are not for you to judge.  You have not walked in their shoes.  You do not know them.  For the moment, they have nothing else to offer you but themselves, and who you see is who you get.  Now the learning begins, the finding out who, what, and why they are.  

If they're young, the answers will be young.  Older, the answers will change with experience.  Older still, the answers will mellow and should reflect the understanding which comes with a life lived.  Sage advice, a slight smile, and a glint in the eye will be evidence of happiness.  But, is this happiness always?  If you haven't learned this from who or what they are, you will probably learn this when they tell you why they are.  If they don't, do they truly have nothing else to offer but themselves?  Not everything is obvious.  Many of us leave this life without ever realizing why we are, even though we evidence why we are daily to those around us.  We just don't see it as important, because it is our nature. 

I have nothing else to offer but myself, and how complex is that?  I am the culmination of over 66 years of this life and the hidden knowledge of countless others, all stored in the dungeon of the castle keep.  I have nothing else to offer because who, what, and why I am has become so very me, that I don't recognize it as anything but me.  Why am I?  Because I am, and I am striving to be happy always.

I have nothing else to offer.  Join me.

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 the 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.