Life is a Gift- a Spiritual Philosophy

Now, let's add this well known Advice to this page

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the Spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

It is a real possession in the changing future of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is.
Many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment
it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of Spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond wholesome discipline,

Be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees & the stars;

You have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at Peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors & aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep Peace with your Soul.

For with all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams,

This is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

AMEN

My good friend, Dr. Gayle Fuqua, sent me the following 'food for thought'.

We both thank the author of this Insight.

Sent : Tuesday, March 04, 2003 7:43 AM
Subject: Ah, YES, it’s SOOOOO clear now!

At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being
tough on Christians. At the first class every semester, he asked if
anyone was a Christian and

proceeded to degrade and mock their statement of faith.

One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand

when asked if anyone was a Christian.

The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?"

"Yes he did, sir," the young man replied.

The professor responded, "If God made everything,

then God made evil, and if we can only create from within ourselves,

then God is evil."

The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have
once again "proved" the Christian faith to be a "myth."

Then another man raised his hand and asked,

"May I ask you something, sir?"

"Yes you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said "Sir, is there such thing as cold?"

"Of course there is, what kind of a question is that?

Haven't you ever been cold?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold does not exist.

What we consider to be cold, is really only the absence of heat.

Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat,

but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to

describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, "Sir, is there such thing as dark?"

Once again, the professor responded "Of course there is."

And once again, the student replied "Actually, sir, darkness does not

exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light.

Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens

when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?"

The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders

and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist.

Evil is simply the absence of God.

Evil is a term man developed to

describe the absence of God. God did not create evil.

It isn't like Truth,

or Love, which exist as Virtues like heat and light.

Evil is simply the state where God is not present,

like cold without heat or darkness without light.

The professor had nothing to say.

And my friend concludes “Why didn’t I think of that as I reflect on this beautiful Insightfulness into the TRUTH of the Universe!"

And finally, there is this to illustrate the great difference in the way men and woman see each other, and may help to explain the way we treat each other, depending on whether we reflect the masculine or feminine sides of Life.

and directed the students to punctuate it correctly.

The men wrote: "Woman, without her man,

man is nothing."

ONE WONDERS WHEN WE WILL RECOGNIZE 'WHO WE REALLY ARE' AND REALIZE THAT LIFE MUST BE LIVED IN AND FOR GOD AND GOD'S PEOPLE'

Mother Teresa put it this way: "Whatever you do for your family, for your children, for your husband, for your wife, you do for God … Let no one ever come away from you, without coming away better and happier … All we do, our prayers, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus. Our life has no other reason or motivation."