Talk Thursday: My Message

If you had the ear of the world for one moment (and they were actually listening,) what message would you give them? The power to deliver one message. Think about it, many have tried, tried, and tried in vain. Have you noticed that tried becomes tired far too easily?

Be happy in diversity. That would be my message, evolve in happiness to accept all that is different around you – all the things that make you unique. Instead of seeing all that is not what you are see all that makes others the people they are, all the things that make the world go round. Evolve, embrace, rejoice in diversity, for in diversity is happiness.

As you accept your happiness, accept the happiness of others. Be happy, breathe happy, sleep happy. Live happily ever after, and yes die happy. Give happily; receive happily. Life is far too long to be miserable, far too short to not be happy – is one of my many mottos.

If you are happy in who you are, what you have, and where you are in your life, embrace that it is because of others that you are. While no man is an island, remember that no one man is king to dictate (although many have tried and failed) to be the one man who dictates the lives of others. I heed several passages from the Bible as a basis for my belief and treatment of and in others.

Matthew 7.1 Judge not least ye be so judged. In other words who am I to judge you? Really who am I? And what gives me the right to say my way is the only way? Nada. No one. Zip. Zilch.

John 8.7 Let he who is without sin be the first to cast the first stone. I think the modern day version of that passage, is “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Again, am I so perfect that you can’t pick out five things you despise about me? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

So you don’t believe in the Bible (personally I don’t believe in it as divinely inspired in the way most do. I believe it was divinely inspired by the love of God, not by the edict of God.) Take away from the passages as messages to follow based on their merit of good will.

Do unto one as you would have done unto you. Yes, the Golden Rule or the Ethic of Reciprocity. While not specifically from the Bible, versions of the Golden rule exist in a majority of ancient text and tenets from Buddism, the ancient philosophers, the context of Karma, Islam, Hinduism, from the Torah, the Qur’an, Taoism, even yes the Bible.

If so many people believed in the Ethic of Reciprocity, why do so many people not practice its intent? Why are we so blind in our ways to think our belief is the only belief? That our being so right allows us to treat others so wrong? That we are an island unto ourselves and have no need to heed diversity?

Yesterday I was sitting at a rest stop north of Roseburg on I-5. The morning was gray (well come on it was February 28th in Oregon) clouds were spitting on the ground and a couple were cleaning up their breakfast and cooking gear at a picnic table near by. The man had gone off to the restroom as the woman loaded one more box into their van, then she turned and began walking to the facilities herself. From inside the warm truck I smiled out at her. No specific reason, but why not smile I smile at people all the time. She looked up and saw my smile, walked close to the truck and motioned for me to roll down my window, which I did.

“What a beautiful smile, you must be a happy person.”

“I think I am, what is there to not be joyous about?”

She replied, “We just moved to Oregon and no one here smiles.”

I thought this a strange, because most people I know smile and are welcoming, but then I live in a tourist town, our livelihoods depend on being welcoming and courteous (unless you work at the local DQ. “Well I hope you meet nicer people, try smiling first it works wonders.” She wished me a blessed and good day and went on to the bathroom. Yes she really wished me a blessed and good day. I liked that.

I am still smiling and I think she is too. Despite our differences.

Sith,
Cele