Life, Hope, Action

The old man asked the younger what was troubling him. 'I am bad' answered the young man. 'Why are you bad'? 'Because yesterday I stole bread.' 'Ah, but today, what did you do today?'

The amazing thing to me about the human experience is that we are not static beings. What we did yesterday may have bearing over what is done today, but there are new beginnings, new starts, turning of corners, breaks from the past, we constantly are learning anew and have the capacity to learn from our mistakes and make better choices. Even if we are not this wise, we simply may forget how we did bad and remember the good is truly good indeed.

Life and Action, friend, these are what we are caught up in; the same life of the star, the tree, the animal. And Action. We can accelerate, decelerate, cruise at constant speed, develop momentum or remain still....for a bit.

So if you steal bread one day, remember one day did not make you a Thief. The fact you lived another with the potential to do better shows you are a living, acting being who can always improve, if you want.

And if someone describes you in the static terms of what you did One Day, it is they who are ignorant, making you more stupid if you fall into the trap of listening to them. This goes of course if they describe you as Thief as well as Saint, lest ye get a big head.

Good days, bad days, you are a Living, Moving Creature with what in my eyes is limitless potential.

In religious terms, the Buddhist strives for Nirvana by breaking through the Karma of many lives, the Christian strives for the perfecting of the Saints, the Muslim is encouraged to make his pilgrimage to Mecca, and so forth.

In philosophic terms, a man can take the great Seneca the Stoic's advice and be happy in that he improves. A little. Each day.

Whether you are religious or philosophic, you probably have some element in you that knows you have the capacity to change what is bad into that which is Good.

I challenge you to find creative ways to make Lemonade out of Lemons and not listen so much to the extreme critics who would either damn you or praise you to the skies.

For the truth is, we are in a place, in my view where the rubber meets the road, where we have the capacity to make of ourselves what we will.

And as long as we are here, and have the chance for change, we also, with an eye to the future have that ultimate promise.

It's a little thing called...

Hope.