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Mr. Quote Man, a good friend of many years, has this 'bad' habit of sending me quotes with the evil intent of seeing it percolate in my mind like boiling water in a pot. He finds such utter delight over my battles with thoughts and words. Weird man - good friend.
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Here's another he sent to my inbox this morning...... "Today I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions." -----Marcus Aurelius
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But this one struck me as beautiful. So I replied to him.............
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That's a good quote. That's so much who we are: creating our own troubles through our own flawed thoughts and feelings, our inadequacies and shortcomings. But consider this, it's our imperfections which serve both as blessing and burden to us. And have you thought further that, surprisingly, burdens can be turned into blessings too if harnessed brilliantly to serve that goal. There is potential in our troubles --- potential to become better versions of ourselves. Isn't that what life and the pursuit of happiness is all about?
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We search high and low, turn night into day, travel far and wide, spend our pockets dry --- to have better education, better jobs, beautiful homes, nice clothes, a grand car, take fantastic vacations to some exotic island, acquire gadgets to make our lives easier, etc. --- all these with the goal of making our lives and ourselves much better than we were yesterday.
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All good, of course. One word of caution though... be master of your journey -- not let the journey be your tyrant. Success is a head twister. Because you could easily lose your mind and heart with just one sloppy thinking or neglect. Sloppy thinking is when you believe how great you are with your prowess - abilities - success - power. This will lead you to think you're irreplaceable, indomitable, indispensable, unique, invaluable. Caution, you might simply self-destruct with those thoughts. A better self doesn't mean an overblown self-evaluation. Human and spiritual pride quite easily can push you off the cliff.
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A better self stands on firm ground in the midst of big dreams and lofty ideals............ understands well its strengths and weaknesses and acts accordingly........... knows that there will be both wins and losses and thereby adjusts its sails to address both............ is aware of its puny presence in this huge wide Universe but believes that its tiny insignificance as compared to its bigger and grander brothers and sisters is still a presence which help contribute and create the Universe. A better self knows its own value and asserts it in communion with God's divine design for life and the world.
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Lastly but certainly not the least, a better self understands that its greater battles are fought within.
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May your day be blessed with God's grace, light, peace, and immense joy for blessings beyond compare. May you have these and more, by God's design.
Mr. Quote Man, a good friend of many years, has this 'bad' habit of sending me quotes with the evil intent of seeing it percolate in my mind like boiling water in a pot. He finds such utter delight over my battles with thoughts and words. Weird man - good friend.
.
Here's another he sent to my inbox this morning...... "Today I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions." -----Marcus Aurelius
.
But this one struck me as beautiful. So I replied to him.............
.
That's a good quote. That's so much who we are: creating our own troubles through our own flawed thoughts and feelings, our inadequacies and shortcomings. But consider this, it's our imperfections which serve both as blessing and burden to us. And have you thought further that, surprisingly, burdens can be turned into blessings too if harnessed brilliantly to serve that goal. There is potential in our troubles --- potential to become better versions of ourselves. Isn't that what life and the pursuit of happiness is all about?
.
We search high and low, turn night into day, travel far and wide, spend our pockets dry --- to have better education, better jobs, beautiful homes, nice clothes, a grand car, take fantastic vacations to some exotic island, acquire gadgets to make our lives easier, etc. --- all these with the goal of making our lives and ourselves much better than we were yesterday.
.
All good, of course. One word of caution though... be master of your journey -- not let the journey be your tyrant. Success is a head twister. Because you could easily lose your mind and heart with just one sloppy thinking or neglect. Sloppy thinking is when you believe how great you are with your prowess - abilities - success - power. This will lead you to think you're irreplaceable, indomitable, indispensable, unique, invaluable. Caution, you might simply self-destruct with those thoughts. A better self doesn't mean an overblown self-evaluation. Human and spiritual pride quite easily can push you off the cliff.
.
A better self stands on firm ground in the midst of big dreams and lofty ideals............ understands well its strengths and weaknesses and acts accordingly........... knows that there will be both wins and losses and thereby adjusts its sails to address both............ is aware of its puny presence in this huge wide Universe but believes that its tiny insignificance as compared to its bigger and grander brothers and sisters is still a presence which help contribute and create the Universe. A better self knows its own value and asserts it in communion with God's divine design for life and the world.
.
Lastly but certainly not the least, a better self understands that its greater battles are fought within.
.
May your day be blessed with God's grace, light, peace, and immense joy for blessings beyond compare. May you have these and more, by God's design.
That is a wonderful exposition and an elaborate discourse on the underlying meaning of the Roman emperor's quote.There is always the underpinning of divinity in all the actions of better self.
ReplyDeleteI like this..........."There is always the underpinning of divinity in all the actions of better self." Beautifully said.
DeleteThank you and may the day be good to you beyond measure.