In the Moment

“Live in the present”. “Life is too short to be worrying about the future”. “Today is a gift”. Those are just a sampling of the cliches that have never stopped being told, but at the same time they are not listened too by the human ear. If anyone has never been told told to live in the moment, because life is a gift and worrying about the future ruins the present, then this blog post isn’t for you. Go explore the world. Find people to tell you to live in the moment and then come back and read this. Why? I am not here to tell the already told. This post is for people who have heard and believed in the ideal all their lives, but struggle to put the word to action.

I and many others believe that being fully engaged in the present moments of our lives is the ideal form of existence. The classic cliche is a book we have read that proved to be an enjoyable and agreeable read. It was so widely accepted and beloved they even made a movie adaptation of it. However, the movie didn’t do the book justice. Parts were left out. Favorites things were overlooked. Important parts were not emphasized. Nothing turned out the way you imagined and hoped it would. But what can you expect. Putting words to action is a difficult task.

I believe I have been receiving signs recently telling me to stop worrying about the future and focus on the present. I know I should. Life is too short. We need to cherish the time we have now. One day we will look back at these moments and miss them. The logic and beauty behind the philosophy is undeniable, but it is hard to give the philosophy life in our reality. It’s just simply hard to stop worrying, imagining, or hoping for the future. Its hard to not fear what tomorrow may bring. It’s hard to not worry about the pain that might be encountered. It’s hard not steal time from the present in attempts to prevent future misfortune. It’s also hard not to hope for a future better than the present. It’s hard not to try to imagine what a better life will entail. Its hard to stop trying to do the impossible and live in the future, and consequently distancing yourself from the present. Its too hard. However, struggle can add value.

All of the wise men and women who tell us the wise statements I am addressing usually leave out how one would actually become successful in forgetting about the future and fully living in the present. But I think the how is an open ended question on a test. Answer it how you want, but you might not get it right. Jesus, as usual, has something to say on the subject. In the passage titled Trust In God (hint hint) Jesus asks, “Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?” Luke 12:25. Now imagine this is an open ended question on Mr. Jesus’s final exam. Now the obvious correct answer is no, but what if Mr. Jesus pulled the oldest and cruelest teachers trick that there ever was. What if he added one simple word to the instruction. EXPLAIN. His students have been stumped for years trying to figure it. We know the answer. We know what we should do. We just don’t know how. Some have succeeded and some have not. Only if we students actually listened to our teachers lessons. Answering that question on Mr. Jesus’s final exam would be much easier. If we listened to our teachers lectures,we would remember when he talked about the human need for food and clothing and telling us not to worry.“Your Father knows that you need these things, Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.”Luke 12: 30- 31.   In this passage Jesus addresses the common human worry of obtaining the necessities of food and clothing. Here we are 2000 years later and our worries for the future have multiplied dramatically, but that doesn't mean that God can’t be trusted to provided. Jesus tells us we need to become focused not on future needs, but on our present relationship with God and his people. He tells us we don’t need to worry so much about the future as long your faith in God remains stronger than our fears. Sometimes finding the answer to the question is as easy as opening up the textbook.

“Trust God and everything will turn out alright”. “God has a plan for our futures”. “Focus on your faith in God”. I realize I have just presented a new set of classic cliches that need acted out in our lives. There is a question that still reigns. How? I don’t know. I only know how I have personally come to trust God. This is a new open-ended question, but everyone’s answer is going to be different. Some answers might still be wrong, but there are also multiple right answers.  Everyone's path to discovery, faith, and trust is different. I do not know other followers paths, nor do I think it is my business to know. However, despite the many different paths the destination is the same. The destination of trust in God is what's going to offer us deliverance from fear or anticipation for the future, and allow us to be truly connected with our present state, our present relationships, our present beliefs, and our present trust.

Prayers of the People

I got the wonderful opportunity to write and say a prayer for my church this Sunday. I was definitely nervous, however, I don't think I totally failed. The type of prayer I wrote is called the prayers of the people. This type of prayer in my church is a chance to say thank you to God for all he has blessed us with, but also to pray for the end of different misfortunes around the world. We will also collect prayer slips that our church members have written. The prayer slips will have anyone or anything needing prayed for written on it. I loved writing the prayers, and reading them in the service wasn't as bad as I feared. So everything went pretty good, and I wanted to post them on my blog. I don't have a good transition into the actual prayers soooo yeahh. Here they are! 

Dear loving and gracious God

Your love for us is shown in every moment of our lives

Let our gratitude for your infinite love be a reminder of our faith and devotion to you

We are very thankful for all you have blessed us with

From our hectically enjoyable lives and our chaotic daily experiences

To our moments of relaxation and peace  

From the food on our plates

To the water we drink

From our comfortable homes that shelter us

To foreign places we get to visit

From the beautiful areas of nature that surround us

To the exciting places and opportunities urban areas have to offer us

From our close and comforting relationships with friends and family

To our special encounters with strangers

From our sacred moments of individual solitude where we can independently pray, connect and grow in our faith with you

To moments right now where we as followers of Christ have congregated to pray, connect, and grow as a family of faith

We are thankful, O’ Lord, for your gracious blessings

Despite all of the wonderful blessings present in life we look at the world and see that pain and misfortune is inevitable

May our joyful blessings, be our source of hope in a world full of pain, and may our prayers reveal our optimistic desire for the hurt present in the world to be healed.

We pray that those who are lost in the world are guided by your ever-present light  

For the people whose hope has been taken by sorrow

We will hope for them when we pray that they regain their joy

For the places, households, and stomachs of the world where hunger is existent

We pray that food will no longer be a stranger

For all the children and adults without a solid education

We pray that they will find the people, resources, and motivation to learn and grow

For those who are treated immorally and unequally because of their gender, sexual preference, race, culture, or religion

We pray that the importance placed on the classifications of human kind will vanish and we all become one people

For the Christians of Iraq forced out of their homes and for those affected by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,

We pray that their faith in you remain strong enough to give them strength, and that their tragedies may end

For all of those effected by the Ebola virus,

We pray that their bodies and spirt be healed

And for those who fear its expansion

We pray their fear be replaced by trust in God

For those sufferers who are unknown to us, we pray and trust that their anguish will end

And for those who we have the blessing of knowing, for the people in our lives, for the sufferers whose suffering we personally witness,

 We pray for (Insert pray slips)

Loving and gracious God, we know despite all the difficult and easy situations present in the world there are blessings from you to be found

Let them be a reminder of your love for us but also may it be our motivation and strength to do our part to heal the hurt of the world

We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us when we pray to say… Our Father… 

Genuine Hypocrisy

            I am a hypocrite. I am not proud of that particular title. However, I am not completely ashamed. There is a sincerity in my hypocritical words and actions that shapes who I am as a person.

            From writing various blog posts I have learned that I don’t only write my posts for my readers. I write them for myself as well.  I normally write about the ideal form of human behavior, but even though I am the one attempting to persuade others, I also am in need of influence from my words. My writing reflects the vision of the person I strive to be. It is not a portrayal of who I am. For that reason, I am a hypocrite. I attempt to tell people what to do even though at the same time I struggle to abide by the morals I preach. Even though my hypocrisy is much less than ideal, it demonstrates a character trait more abundant than the air we breathe. Imperfection. But it’s okay. God knows we aren’t perfect and loves us anyway. This is a cheesy cliché, but oh well. 

            I am not perfect, and I never will be. I am constantly attempting to improve myself and my actions. I guess, in a way, this post is an attempt to elaborate on my personal purpose for writing. Writing is the key to unlock the hidden secrets within my mind. I learn new things when I write. I write to discover my beliefs and the person I desire to be.  However, if people are influenced by or share my views, I would be overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. On that note, I have two suggestions for anyone (including myself). First, we should be careful of how we view hypocrites. Second, we should attempt to battle the hypocrisy that may be embedded within us, but also we can’t hate ourselves if we are hypocrites.  

PS: Jesus does acknowledge hypocrisy in the gospel of John 7: 25-53. I would address it but it is scornful to a certain type of hypocrisy and if I elaborated on it would appear as though I am condemning a fellow hypocrite. I do not think it would be fitting to do that. But I always recommend reading anything Jesus says, so I would suggest checking it out. 

The Hunger Games: The Tragic True Tale of a Torn Society

**NOTE: Before I begin I want to give credit to my inspiration for writing this post to an awesome volgger named Hank Green.  When I say inspiration I do not mean he gave me the ideas I have, but he inspired me to expand on my beliefs towards this topic because his views are very similar to mine.  I also want to credit any non-Bible quotes I might be using throughout this post to Hank Green.            

           

Over 35 million copies sold. 1.5 billion dollars in movie revenue for the first two movies alone. 1.2 million dedicated fans and followers on twitter. The Hunger Games franchise has undoubtedly achieved enormous success. The complexity and extremity of the plot in combination with charismatic and crazy characters and the absurd society they live in creates a compelling and addictive tale that millions are attracted to. The characters in this novel series are forced to live in a society where the government is so obsessed with retaining its power that it will actually have children fight to the death as a reminder of their supremacy. This is a scary situation, but it’s the extremity and terror associated with this plot that makes it seem fictionally fascinating. Even though the issues and ideas associated with the tyrannical government are essential to the plot, I am going to ask that you forget that important part of the story for the duration of time you are reading this. Why? Because I think there is another aspect to this remarkable story that needs to be addressed. The broken, separated, and unequal society in which they live in. There are basically two different generalized types of characters. There are those who live a clean life in the comforts of the capitol, and there are also those who live a decent but deficient life in their district. The people of the districts work miserably to provide food, clothing, energy, and basically everything else they need for the Capitol, and they do not receive enough of any of the items they are providing while the people of the Capitol are comfortably drowning in their amount of possessions. This abundant and apparent inequality is a source of outrage and disgust, but there is also a sense of fear and relief reader’s gain when reading this series. “I don’t want this world to become like that, but I am glad that it isn’t now”. I regret to inform you that we live that very world that we fear.

“Susan Collins does an amazing job of… showing us basically a world that looks a lot

like the world we live in and having it look at it and say, “How could anyone live in a world like that!” A world where someone’s joy is the source of someone else’s sorrow. A world where a trendy article of clothing, special toy, or even energy means hours of intense labor for someone else. A world where the wealthy upper class’s need of fulfillment feeds the suffering and struggle for those who they may never meet.  A world that is broken into 1st worlds, 2nd worlds, and 3rd worlds. A world where the affluent are unaware or simply uncaring to the struggles of others. A world where someone’s ignorance causes anything but bliss.  How could anyone live in a world
like that?

          

Painted skin, brightly colored hair, and eccentric outfits are all iconic characteristics of the comically crazy and contemptible citizens of the capitol. The capitol people’s exaggerated fixation on superficial belongings appears to be completely ridiculous. However, if looked at from a different more open-minded perspective we can see that there are unsurprising parallels between the world we live in and world the people of the capitol live in. A spray tan, frequently dyed hair, designer and trendy clothing are all iconic characteristics of the society the affluent areas of the world. Is there any similarity? The “Capitol” in the Hunger Games is simply a hyperbolic representation of the materialistic society we live in. I once watched a short documentary video describing the economy of Bangladesh. I was surprised to learn that the Bengali economy is dominated by the textile industry. I also learned how the majority of the textile industry is women and their working conditions are inhumane and their payment is an unacceptable injustice. Another noticeable statement made was that if the textile industry divest, the country of Bangladesh would be in economic ruin. I find it completely disturbing that the corporations and economies of 1st world countries yield excessive and destructive power over these nations. I live in a great country that gives me plenty of resources and opportunity to find well-paying job that will provide for a comfortable life, but it bothers me that my country’s economic success only deepens the economic dependency of other nations. A couple of years later when reading the Hunger Games series I felt the very same disturbance that I had experienced while watching the informatory video on the textile industry, but the only thing different about the two uncomforting situations was the degree to which the disturbance was shared.  Millions read the Hunger Games and were appalled at the horrors of inequality the districts are burdened with. Millions were appalled at the fact that the districts lives are structured around the Capitol’s needs. Millions were appalled that the people of the districts starve, work intensely, and suffer to provide for the Capitals pleasures. It is an undeniably terrible situation, but my question is why aren’t millions of people appalled at the situation the people of Bangladesh are burdened with? In the video I watched the people of Bangladesh live an unjustly unequal life compared to the affluent people they are providing for. The people of Bangladesh lives are dependent on the wealthier society’s needs. The people of starve, work  intensely, and suffer to provide for the wealthier society’s pleasures. The circumstances the people of Bangladesh live in are very similar if not identical to burdens the people of the districts face, but why aren’t millions appalled?

           

Inequality transcends beyond the country of Bangladesh and the textile industry. Food, energy, tourism, toys, must have electronics, everything that is made in China, they are all a part of the long existing cycle of consumer happiness, miserable labor, and inequality. A distinctive feature of inequality is that it exists everywhere, even in the countries that appear to be choking from their own wealth. (Bible reference). I live in an interesting place. There is a city near where I live called Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and it is the third wealthiest city in the United States. I also live close so Detroit, Michigan, which is battling with its own bankruptcy. I find it interesting but also depressing how two places so close in proximity to each other can be total opposites. Is Bloomfield Hills responsible for the deterioration of Detroit? Maybe.  No one can really be blamed for the epidemic of inequality that has existed for ages. It is a complex issue and as Hank Green will put it “It is not an easy problem to fix”.  However, despite the complexity, I do believe there are many reasons for its existence, but I also believe, despite the difficulty, there is a solution to the problem. As usual Jesus has the answers.

           

For as longs as humans have been civilized there has been an importance placed on wealth, and possessions to demonstrate that wealth, and for as long as humans have been civilized there has been inequality among each other. I realize that the problem of unjust human suffering may never be fixed here on earth, however I feel as though we should do our part to minimize its influence. The issue of wealthy societies and poor society’s dates back to biblical times, and it is an issue Jesus does not ignore. Jesus wisely says, “Do not store riches for yourselves here on earth. Where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal.” Matthew 6: 19. I think Jesus is trying to draw attention to the negative aspects of material possessions which discredits their commonly perceived high value. When we value wealth and materials over the relationships with our fellow human beings, suffering and misfortune will surface. “For your heart will always be where your riches are.” Matthew 6: 21. If our hearts are where riches are, what happens when our riches are with us on earth? Where should our riches be? What should we value? Jesus tells us to “Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven.” Matthew 6:20. I like to think of riches that would be in heaven to be our emotional and spiritual connections with each other. The faith we find in God, the comfortable love for family, the happiness found in a friend, the simplicity of conversing with a stranger, the hope you have for the troubled, and the sympathy you feel when you see a person in pain are all some of the spiritual treasures found in heaven. When superficial and earthly riches capture our hearts, emotional riches have a difficult time setting us free. However, if they do, our concern for others would replace our desire for extensive wardrobes. Our appreciation for one another would lessen the importance of social reputation and electronics. Our devotion towards one another would minimize the obsession with beauty. (Not just female beauty boys) Our love for everyone would counteract the selfish acts precipitated by selfish and hollow desires found on earth. All of the words I just wrote express emotion and belief. Our beliefs are an incredibly important influence in our lives. So then, how would one act on the previous stated ideals? Maybe they would pray for those in need every night, or talk about  their concerns for others with a friend.  Maybe they could set money aside they would normally spend on clothes, electronics, or life accessories and use it to donate to a charitable cause. (one of my favorite charities is Kiva. Check it out :) ). Or maybe take time out of their busy lives to volunteer. It is easy to believe and see that unequal suffering is a tragedy that taints the world, but it is more difficult to bring those beliefs to life.. Where is the value and essence of a person found? We are not what we believe. We are how we act on our beliefs

           

Now I know it seems as though I am condemning a large group of people, but that is not what I am trying to do. If I was condemning (something I don’t have the right to do anyway) the wealthier societies of the world I would also be criticizing myself, my family, friends and basically the majority of the people I know and love. I think an interesting point Hank Green pointed out in his Vlog is that the author of the Hunger Games “does an admirable job of not blaming the participants of that society”, which is something that holds great truth.  It is easy to blame wealthy consumers for creating world and domestic economic inequality and dependence, because we are the ones buying the inhumane labor tainted products. We are the ones dependent on the products these companies produce, and consequently we make other nations, people, and industries depend on us and our money. However, the wealthy consumer has been raised in world where the materialistic possessions are a deemed as a necessity for happiness. The consumer may need dozens of different trendy outfits or many of their favorite sports teams shirts to be happy with their wardrobe, and they couldn’t handle a life with a three or four different tops and bottoms. They may need their own personal bedroom, and wouldn’t be able get along happily in a house size of the others bedroom shared with five other family members. They might need an IPhone because all of their friends have one, and they would never be seen with just a flip phone or a land line or maybe nothing at all. The environment anyone is raised in plays a pivotal role in the character of a person. Some environments may be a forest or a jungle with many resources to live on. Where others may be a desert, where resources are not as abundant, but there is beauty to be found and life is able to be lived happily. We adapt to our environments and living or even imagining trying to adapt to another one is a difficult task. It is hard to blame someone for being who they are, because it is kind of out of their control. The people of the Capitol didn’t choose to be born into that life, and neither did the people of the district. So I am not writing this post because I think everyone who lives on the wealthier side of the world are horrible people and should completely change their lifestyle. I am also not writing this to say that the people who live on the poorer side of the world live hopeless and miserable lives. Both of those statements would be false. I am writing this so people will hopefully gain appreciation for environments and people who are completely different from them. And may that appreciation inspire sympathy for environments where material possession captures their lives, and sympathy for those environments where material possessions are more of a stranger than a friend. Hopefully  that appreciation precipitate gratitude for others we may never meet but are still connected to. But most importantly, may that appreciation spark kindness to help end the hurt and tragedy present in our world, but also let it be the hope that guides use through the hurt and tragedy of the world.

Short and Sweet

           If I were to describe my writing style, condensed and concise are not the characteristics I would choose. There are various reasons for this, but personally viewing shortened or simplified writing as deficient is not one of them. I personally just haven’t mastered the art of writing a powerful message in a minimal amount of space.  I guess this blog post is kind of like practice. Some may view concise writing as simplified, and I agree with that. However, to me the word simple carries no negative connotation. There is a complexity to a simple occurrence that I find fascinating. “Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Gandhi. Ten words. One incredibly influential message.

            It isn’t only statements that hold this paradoxical complexity. We commonly overlook the simple events in our live that might hold value. All the messages I have received from God were revealed through simple occurrences that are easy to overlook, and I am so grateful the unnoticeable messages I came across were noticed.

            We spend our lives watching and waiting for some major momentary event. Graduating High school. Graduating College. Getting Married. Events such as these obviously hold importance, however there is a dangerous distraction accompanying them. When we concentrate on one narrowly major aspect of our lives we stop noticing. We stop noticing the simple everyday forms of joy, success, and kindness. I can’t clearly illustrate what these simple events that we may encounter appear as because our experiences our simply our own. They exist on an individually exclusive level. I can however, give you a challenge. Stop looking and start noticing. 

The Failure of Success

This is a research essay I wrote for my English Class. Success was my topic and I had to find sources of information pertaining to my topic (That is why I have citations within the essay). Anyway I found this writing experience beneficial and enlightening. There are also parallels in my previous blog post (The Value in a Flower) in this essay. I hope you enjoy it!  

         

         Success. The word with consistently inconsistent interpretations. There are the business driven people who boast about their bountiful amount of wealth. There are also the scholarly doctorate degree earning individuals who are devoted to developing their distinguished dignity. There are those who would favor forming a family in their future above anything else. The preceding examples are just a fraction of the various visions of success existent in the world, but can a commonality be found? Yes. Even though there are countless personal interpretations of achievement, an individual’s desire for success causes them to focus more on their own achievement than the people around them. That is where the issue is. While attempting to achieve success, it is pivotal to maintain positive virtues such as compassion, kindness and sincerity in order to induce beneficial outcomes on the world.

It would be best to begin by acknowledging the broad definition of success as achieving a goal that brings you fulfillment (Gladwell 150). In today’s society, it is a despicable, but a forgivable error, to associate success with the possession of large amounts of wealth or obtaining power. Think about it. When someone is elected “Most likely to become successful” in high school, their classmates imagine them obtaining success through the possession of wealth and power. Why aren't they chosen because they seem as though they will achieve their ideal form of happiness? Because even at an adolescent age we despicably accept the shallow and superficial societal definition of success that infects the minds of the whole population. The goal of obtaining an abundance of money isn’t necessarily horrible, however it is not the only goal existent. The large spectrum of success is like the world. On one end there are the heartless wealth and power seekers who are like the bitterly cold arctic. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are the morally influenced individuals who seek a positive change in the world, and they resemble the beautifully warm tropics. The two are completely opposite but they still exist in the same spectrum. We live to achieve success, and we all have our own personal goals, but it is important to remember that the unoriginal societal aim isn’t always the superior one.  

            There are various perceptions of success held around the world, but how do they affect each other? How do those who hold differing interpretations interact? Too often people whose definitions of success do not meet society’s requirements “are viewed as deficient” by the people who hold the common superficial vision of accomplishment (Ruigrok. Para 1). The large “blue-collar folk” social group are an example of those who are victimized by this unfair judgmental crime (Ruigrok. Para 1). They often work hard and productively in occupations such as plumbers, custodians, and construction workers, but they are unfairly viewed as less successful, because they typically lack what the world they live in requires. A college educational degree that will allow you to obtain a plentiful amount of wealth is deemed a necessity to live, and those who lack it are viewed as inferior. No one should be viewed worthless or inferior because their vision of success does not meet the criteria of the world. Artists, Businessmen, musicians, lawyers, the poor, the wealthy,  the “blue collars”, and the “white collars”- we all have the desire for prosperity, but our individual strives for success involves different combinations of vision, motive, and effort than the rest of our peers.  Maybe someone view’s success as doing what they enjoy rather than what society claims they should strive for. Maybe someone else is just interested in putting food on the table. Maybe someone has a dream they are determined to accomplish. The motives and visions vary. The point is prejudices towards visions of success are causing division, conflict, and problems among people in society. The only way to solve this issue is by having moral and wholesome intentions when it comes to human relationships. We need to acknowledge that no one is superior to another because of a specific classification of achievement. If we practice an accepting attitude toward success, we will start treating everyone with equal amount of respect and kindness which will counteract the negative problems the shallow societal interpretation of success has caused.   The social conflict and injustice caused by the single supreme perception of achievement is an evident problem in society, but there are also problems that are inconspicuously caused by the human need for success.   

            When an individual has a goal, they begin to focus a majority of their attention and efforts on achieving that particular aim. Our dedication towards personal fulfillment precipitates our distraction and selfishness towards others, because we become excessively focused on the needs of ourselves rather than of others. Humans are vulnerable to the disease of selfishness, and a source of infection is the personal desire for achievement.The side effects to the disease are carelessness and forgetfulness. What are they not caring for? What are they forgetting? The real question is who. Who are they not the caring for? Who are they forgetting? The answer is simple. The other seven billion individuals who exist in the world. Not caring about the welfare of others is a wrongly accepted side effect of the selfish desires for personal success. The value of hard work is wired into many people’s minds, but the idea behind hard work can often become misconstrued into one that demands a competitive edge. A common view involving any type of success requires us to believe that in order to reach any type of fulfillment we must triumph over others and become the best. By believing in this ideal we instigate others failure. If a job is wanted someone else who interviewed won’t get it. If a promotion is wanted someone else will lack that opportunity. Acceptance into a college is wanted, people will have to be disappointed and not let in. People simply don’t care about others misfortunes as long as it means their success. The careless aspect of success is excessively accepted in today’s society. Forgetting there are others who desire fulfillment is a another major issues triggered by the personal desire for achievement. There are many people in the world who lack a sufficient amount of help because of the forgetful actions caused by the selfish influences of individual success. We forget about the needs of others because our needs distract us. We forget to show kindness, compassion, and sincerity with one another. We forget that we can help a stranger. We forget we can donate to a charity. We forget that there's more to life than wealth and power. We forget loving each other should be the priority. We forget that we aren't the only ones in the world. We are simply forgetful because our personal desires hinder us from remembering. Now that an investigation has been completed and problems directly relating to an individual's desire for success have been discovered, a question remains. How can these problems be solved?

            Life is never simple. We don’t have a single vision of success that we dedicate our whole lives too. We live our lives with a series of goals, and we prioritize those aims into least important and most important classifications. The greater importance of the goal the greater influence it will have on our lives. I made a statement in the first paragraph of this essay claiming people who desire success will inevitably become focused on their own achievement rather than others prosperity. There is, however, an exception to that claim. It is an exception so valuable it should be classified as the most important vision of success in our lives. A vision so pure and genuine it will only influence beneficial outcomes. What is this exceptional vision? Moral success. An ideal inspiration that can change the world.

            Moral success champions maintaining “an element of hard work, diligence, honesty and all positive values” when attempting to achieve success (Otta para 6). Moral success makes acting kind, compassionate, lovingly, sincerely, and with care a priority. It is more than the limited kindness shown to the people we encounter every day. It is showing care and compassion to those unknown. Imagine a man who waits outside a busy Starbucks asking everyone and anyone to get him a coffee, and being repeatedly rejected and dismissed. An individual who revers moral success would purchase a venti coffee and a chocolate chip cookie and generously give it to him. An individual who values moral success doesn't fast forward, ignore, or complain about charity ads. They take the occurrence as an inspiration to help someone them may never meet. Someone with moral success would realize that the promotion or job doesn't mean as much to them as it could mean to someone else. Someone with the vision of moral success lives their life valuing the fulfillment of others. If we allow our morals become our primary influence in our lives, our achievement begins break the basic boundaries of benefit. Our success will not only benefit us, but it will also successfully benefit those around us. The personalized vision of success will become obsolete, and human selfishness will vanish. If we as humans who share a planet with 7 billion other people make moral success a necessity, wonderful, peaceful, and loving advancements in human relation and prosperity will finally form. Won’t that provide for a better world? Isn’t that something worth striving for?

The Value in a Flower

                 It’s peculiar how you can find a lesson in one simple conversational exchange. A conversation that barley lasted thirty seconds, but proved itself worthy of the position of inspiration. Inspiration for what? And opinion? An action? A blog post? Little events in life should be valued more than they presently are. There are lessons to be learned, advice to be found, and opinions that can be made from the simplest events.

                It was sixth hour, and I was working on my research project for English. We had to pick a controversial issue, form a stance regarding that issue, and research it. I asked my friend what his topic was and he replied with “gene therapy”.  I wasn’t exactly sure what that was, but I guess I had a confused look on my face because he explained what it exactly meant. It is a form of gene manipulation to change the physical capabilities of a person. For example, a person’s health, speed, and strength are all susceptible to genetic altering. I am sure there are many more, but I am not educated enough on the topic. When my friend mentioned people using artificial genetic alteration to change their speed and strength, I must have again had look of disapproval on my face because he asked me a question that would be the foundation of this blog post. “If you could make yourself stronger or faster, wouldn’t you?

                My answer was no, but even though his argument proved ineffective on my not athletic mind, I started to wonder, “If I could change something about myself automatically, what would it be?” My instinctive thought was my intelligence, but if I did have a chance I wouldn’t take it. Intelligence is such a superficial quality, and I am sort of ashamed that it was my initial thought. I would have rather have instinctively thought of kindness or sincerity as areas of self-improvement. However, I am human and I am improving gradually. Anyway there are many lessons or issues in my brief encounter with my friend. For instance I can elaborate on my stance towards gene therapy. What are the essential values of a human? How does what we value shape who we are? What does Jesus think?   There are many issues or questions that can be derived from a small portion of your life, and I hope this post demonstrates that idea.

                Many people value themselves differently, but it is easy to become trapped in unrealistic visions that cloud the realistic dreams in reach. If you are a jock and athletics is your main focus in your life, you most likely judge your self-worth by your athletic performance in a game, practice, etc. If you are at the total opposite of the social spectrum, and you are a total nerd (meant in a loving way), you assess yourself primarily on your ability to perform in a test or another class assignment. Neither of these simple interpretations of self-value are despicable or wrong.  Having visions of achievement like the jock and the nerd are common traits of our lives and can be beneficial, but they often have the effect of distracting us from other more profound standards and values that we should strive to obtain and maintain.

                There are more important aspects of life than the shallow values that plague our society. How pretty am I? How strong am I? How popular am I? How intelligent am I? How powerful am I?  How wealthy am I? The desire to judge and perfect is a common trait many humans share, but our own selves are most vulnerable to this constant need for perfection. What is perfection? That depends on your viewpoint and what qualities you value in yourself. 

                I guess my question is – why do we assess the value of ourselves on insincere qualities and don’t regard inner characteristics like kindness and compassion with a sufficient amount of importance? Humans are often selfish. We care more about our own strive towards success, rather than considering our impact on others. I think in today’s society we overemphasize the importance of “me me me” and not enough on “you, they, we”. The value of our lives and ourselves shouldn’t be measured by achievement of shallow successes, but by the way we treat each other.

                When Jesus preached he didn’t accentuate the need for intelligence, wealth, beauty, or physical strength. He stressed the importance of improvement in human relation, and positive and beautiful values worth striving for.  Yes I know Jesus mostly focused on human relationship with god. He even says the greatest commandments to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12: 30. But don’t forget! There is a second most important commandment that directly relates to human relations which is “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  Mark 12: 31.  

                Loving someone means more than just saying, “I love you”. It encompasses the actions love influences. When you love someone you care about them as much as you care about yourself if not more. You care about their well-being. You care about their happiness. You care about their fulfillment. Jesus wants us to humble ourselves and live our lives for the fulfillment of others. He wants us to be compassionate with each other. Be sincere with one another. Be kind to everyone. Be helpful to anyone. If everyone acted on the influences of love we would be living in a better world, but the loving actions that accompany love are scarce because love is scarce. We think offering love is a limited occurrence. Our love is the hottest party and only the select few on the exclusive guest list have access to it. “We can’t just love any! We must wait for them to prove they are worthy of our love.” Love is not supposed to be complicated. Love is an incredibly influential emotion, and if we limit the love in our life, we limit that positive influences that complement it. Love is like water. Without it our lives would be nothing. Just a dull dried up flower who does more harm to the world than good. However, if the wonderful water is present, a beautiful flower can blossom, and if the flower allows more water to enter, the flower will become brighter.

                When Jesus says to “Love your neighbor” he wants an abundance of water to exist in our lives in order to produce the brightest flower. He wants care, happiness, compassion, sincerity, and kindness to become the beaming petals that form the flower. Our self-worth shouldn’t be judged based on simple and superficial qualities such as strength and intelligence that were wrongly but forgivably promoted by my friend.  The value we find in ourselves should be influences by the radiance of our flower.