Preparation

It would be really naïve of us to go through life thinking that we can
do exactly what we want, without reference to anyone else’s opinion.
There is a consequence for every action in life.We live our lives on a faith
basis even without being aware of it. As most of us go to bed each night
we not only hope we’ll be alive the next day, we’re reasonably certain of
it. Yet, we remain unprepared for the possibility that we may not awake.
Some of us aren’t sure of what happens next if we don’t awake, even
those of us who profess a strong faith in our eternal God. We know our
body will perish but we believe our spirit will live on. Our best guess may
be nowhere near what actually happens. The only preparation we have
for this is faith, that what we have done in this life will be like an
insurance policy. Hopefully, this will cushion our landing in the next life.

If you believe that Hell is where you are separated from God, and
Heaven is being in God’s presence, you should have some idea of where
your spirit is headed. How do you know that doing ‘good’ in this life will
reap rewards in the next? Your faith tells you – that same faith that’s
based on the knowledge that good is rewarded and evil is punished

Honesty

We live in a time when honesty is not as important as it ought to be. We
constantly make excuses about life and its complexities, as if that gives us
permission to be dishonest. To be honest and take responsibility for our
actions calls for the kind of courage that seems to be disappearing from
the fabric of our lives. The privilege of living in a ‘disposable’ society has
contributed, in some way, to how easily we are able to dispose of things
that were permanent fixtures, in another generation. Does our present
society sincerely think that honesty is a virtue? Is the fibre of our
character only questioned when we’re caught doing something dishonest,
or illegal? Is truth constant, and how does honesty relate to truth? Does
giving less than the whole truth make us dishonest? Has dishonesty
become another method for survival, in a world where values are
constantly changing? Is there only one ‘version’ of any truth? Is being
dishonest ever a good thing?

Unbiased

Sometimes we get a little confused as to where we should place our
loyalty, whether it should be with an idea or a person. So, we are often
misguided into accepting information because of its source, without
questioning whether or not it’s the right thing. As a result we often
support concepts that have no reason being upheld in the first place. We
do this world no favours if we give credence to ideas that are incorrect,
or put the personal good ahead of what’s good for the community at
large. We are certainly entitled to our own beliefs, but we must always
recognize that a streak of selfishness and bias runs through the great
majority of us. Even with a consciousness for truth, the decisions we
make are likely to seek what’s best for us, at the expense of everyone else.
When this occurs, we must be honest enough to admit it and not attempt
to pass it off as lofty or noble.

Memories

The beauty in growing old is that we have many years over which to
view all that has happened to us, and how it has shaped who we are
today. The other aspect, and this can be positive or negative, is that as
our brain ages it’s unable to remember everything we experienced; so, it
chooses what we remember and also selects how we remember any given
incident. There’s much truth to the view that after many ‘tomorrows’ the
crisis that nearly killed us today will be filed under “Memories Past” –
‘past’ being the operative word. As we live through more and more
‘tomorrows’ we have less and less room for ‘yesterdays,’ and our pain
that was so intense then, is different now.

You may never be able to forget completely some hurt from the distant
past, but with time the intensity diminishes if you allow that to happen.
If this pain resulted from the death of a loved one, for instance, do not
believe you will dishonour that person’s memory if you seek ways to
lessen the pain caused by the loss. There are some things you may never
forget entirely but, while time may not really be the great healer, it
certainly facilitates healing to occur in your life.

Dreams

A dream can be of either the hopeful thoughts we produce while
awake, or those that our minds conjure up as we sleep. If the dream we
have while we’re awake is no better than our life, there is little point in
having it. The ‘awake’ dream provides the basic ingredients that facilitate
the evolution of our plans into reality. Our dreams keep us going, even
when there is little reason to believe our plans can succeed. There is no
firmer foundation for our dreams than our faith that they will succeed.
Yet, dreaming is but the first step; we also need hard work and commitment,
a tenacity of spirit, a faith that defies discouragement, and a skin
thick enough to withstand rejection. This doesn’t sound much like fun,
but the reward will compensate eventually.