Philosophers and playwrights sometimes ask the question "what is life?" The google definition sounds hollow and sterile to me. Me being me, I would like to add to google's definition.
Life begins with birth
and ends with death, completing the circle. In between the beginning and the end is the good part, that being providence (the productive care of God or of nature, the timely preparation for future eventualities), happiness, love, faith and decisions.
As I see it, providence is for the most part out of our hands. Happiness, love and faith fall into the decisions we make. We all make decisions every day of our lives. Some are simple, coffee or tea. Some are difficult, do I take a risk for someone or something that I want, or stay in the safe zone and continue on the same path that put me where I am?
Some decisions are good, some bad and those decisions shape our destiny. In a weird way, not making a decision is actually making a decision to do nothing. The responsibility for a decision is ours to accept and to change or not to change the things that make us unhappy.
I have met many people in my long life, some seem to have every material thing life could offer and yet they are unhappy, while others with nothing but bare necessities are the happiest people I ever met. I know that sounds odd, but then life is not always a matter of numbers to add up.
One event I remember well had a big impact on my life. I was just in the navy for a short time when I found myself whining to an old navy World War Two chief about my duty station. He looked at me and said, "every duty station is a good one or a bad one. It all depends on what you make of it." I think he was correct.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
As I see it, providence is for the most part out of our hands. Happiness, love and faith fall into the decisions we make. We all make decisions every day of our lives. Some are simple, coffee or tea. Some are difficult, do I take a risk for someone or something that I want, or stay in the safe zone and continue on the same path that put me where I am?
Some decisions are good, some bad and those decisions shape our destiny. In a weird way, not making a decision is actually making a decision to do nothing. The responsibility for a decision is ours to accept and to change or not to change the things that make us unhappy.
I have met many people in my long life, some seem to have every material thing life could offer and yet they are unhappy, while others with nothing but bare necessities are the happiest people I ever met. I know that sounds odd, but then life is not always a matter of numbers to add up.
One event I remember well had a big impact on my life. I was just in the navy for a short time when I found myself whining to an old navy World War Two chief about my duty station. He looked at me and said, "every duty station is a good one or a bad one. It all depends on what you make of it." I think he was correct.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
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