What is it with our kind? Always trying to figure out what we believe in, and then as soon as we do, feeling the urge to question, challenge and reexamine it? Really, it’s exhausting all the soul-searching and philosophy-defining, just plain tiresome! I think perhaps, long ago, this sort of belief challenging was reserved for religious matters, but these days it feels like one is expected to have a firm position or general belief system on just about everything. Religion, politics, education, love, relationships, medicine, technology, food, entertainment, family, and on and on. Is it any wonder, that most of us feel so scattered when our minds are being stretched out in every direction, and we are constantly trying to mesh all of the information we are taking in with the things that we believe to be true and the experiences we have encountered without alienating anyone or closing our minds to the possibility that we might just be...wrong. I’m probably more guilty of this than most, so don’t think I’m pointing a finger, but today in a quiet moment I found a sliver of clarity amongst the usual angst of my philosophical wanderings. I’ve decided to make a list of things that I know to be true. Nope, that’s a terrible idea. I don’t know anything, really. In fact if I were to make such a list that would be the only thing on it.
1. I don’t really know anything for sure. --BLAH
Instead, I think I’ll call my list “things I choose to believe” because then no one can ask me “how do I know for sure” because no matter how scholarly you are, that question will almost always stump you. I’m making this list to remind myself of the things that somewhere inside I know to be true...because I choose to believe them. These things may not all prove true for you, and perhaps I will amend a few of them for myself along the way, but today I needed this reminder, if you make a list, send it my way, I’d love to see what you choose to believe too!
1. God: He is. He sees. He cares. He doesn’t need us to recognize him, but he deserves the recognition.
2. Although my choices matter, and alter my path, I am, in this moment, where I am supposed to be. *"I thought about one of my favorite Sufi poems, which says that God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen."
— Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Love is not a feeling, although often (thankfully) feelings are symptoms of love. Love is an act of your will, a choice that you make with everything to lose and to gain every time.
4. Nobody fits in the box you try to put them in. People are unpredictable, surprising, and capable of more than you think on both ends of the spectrum.
5. Faith is believing in what cannot be seen or proven, but that doesn’t stop us from trying to prove to everyone else that what we believe is the right way to believe. This is futile, silly, counterproductive.
6. I will never be the best version of myself, but the only way to be the best that I can hope to be today is to keep trying to be the best version of myself despite the knowing that I’ll never get there.
7. There is a lesson to be learned in every moment. Yup, even this one...and that one...
8. Everyone has scars, everyone has a past, some see these as roadblocks, others see knots to climb on a life-rope. (Cue: R.E.M “Everybody Hurts)
9. I can’t take a firm position on whether change is good or terrifying, but I’m sure that it is coming..it’s always coming.
10. Smiles and hugs are a renewable resource, just like kind words and thoughtful gestures. It’s selfish to hoard these when so much good can come from giving them freely.
11. We CAN make things better, we CAN change the world-- one person, one moment, one generosity at a time.
12. Fear is the thief that keeps coming back and stealing all your favorite things. The door is unlocked, so he keeps coming back..Turn the stinkin deadbolt!
13. Happiness is fickle and fun...Contentment is wise and wonderful.
14. Everyone you encounter is a teacher with an objective that can only be achieved if you are a willing pupil.
15. Knowledge is power, education is a life raft, children are unfinished books with pages that you write on whether you mean to or not. Once it is written, it’s always there.
16. The earth is round, the galaxy is vast, the entirety is wondrous, and awe-inspiring, and meaningful.
17. It is in human nature to dramatize things that don’t matter and trivialize things that do...I’m doing it right now...no biggie!
18. Some day, I will answer for each of the days of my life. There will be times when I stand tall and times where I shrink back, but knowing that the day is coming means I ought to be mindful of creating more “stand-tall” moments when I can.
19. The only way to be completely in control of your own destiny is to make your life devoid of people..(and that’s a terrible idea)..the very fact that we let people share in our journey means that we are surrendering some of that control..Okay, I hate this one...but I still believe it to be true.
20. The best things in life (friendship, love, success) are worth fighting for, working for, and usually require a great deal of effort for us to prove we are worthy of the gift...or tenacious enough to overcome our unworthiness ;)
21. In the end, everything is gonna be all right. I do believe that one...I hope you do too!
