I was thinking the other day.. about how people fashion their life philosophy around their current conditions (financial, family, work, etc.) i realized that i do the exact same thing, and until now i figured it was completely normal. but i started to wonder.. what if my conditions changed suddenly? i will use myself as an example to make it easy.
i am the father of 3 children. i have a WONDERFUL wife and live in a townhome. we used to have a home, but working in the automotive industry is a bit sketchy sometimes and we have moved around a bit. burnout is something i deal with daily, but i keep busy and make money. of course, i would like to change careers and live in a home- and this is the focal point of this discussion:
-we all want something we may not have - how we deal with it is up to us
i have a feeling that we cope with these issues by surrounding ourselves with s upporting ideas. for example, i look to new age type books for positive thought, new age philosophies that support living a life not based on materialism. of course, i would love to have lots of things, but these philosophies tell me that having "things" does not make me happy. i also have read books that talk about "living in the moment" and "being one with your source (God)."
i do believe in these ideas and i think it makes daily life much better for me and my family. what i am starting to question is if my adopted philosophies would change if i was suddenly rich and successful by our modern-day standards.
perhaps i would not be so concerned about whether i have things or not. maybe i would be a more charitable person to others in need. maybe i would breathe easier, joke around more. live life a little fuller. I would hope so, but it is really hard to say unless you are in that position. as you are probably aware , there are plenty of rich, successful people that are unhappy and come to destructive ends. maybe they had no philosophies or were stuck in a pattern of destructive behavior. it is important to realize that we as human beings are frail and susceptible to harm just by our very own thinking and beliefs.
i can't give you the answer to this perplexing question, but i can nudge you a bit and ask you to think about your current situation.
-what inspires you, motivates you? can you live a more full life?
-can you improve not only your life but the lives of others?
food for thought..
