I think progress is defined differently for people. One person may look at the technical aspect of our world and believe we have advanced greatly, while another person sees the deterioration of relations and believes technology is the culprit. This mindset could go the same way when talking about building skyscrapers versus the vegetation that is lost. Do our kids learn more but get less because of their busy schedules? Are we so busy trying to get ahead that we are far behind to the most important aspects of life? Put any topic up for discussion and I imagine you could find the other side of the “progress” question. For everything good we find, there’s probably someone else who could find the bad.
However someone sees it, I find it mind-boggling how so much of what we believe has always been taken for granted as the truth. I mean, who told us that our information was safe with companies and government officials that are now being hacked, or that our money was good at the bank because of a sticker on the door? How about that job promotion you’ve aimed for over the last decade; only to find it has become obsolete or outsourced? Can we really trust all companies and individuals to really care about what is right versus what is right for them? Was there ever a guarantee (the one we expected for so long)…or should we have gotten one? Did we simply take what we saw or heard as gospel?
I’ve always known of corruption, but it seems so heightened today and I don’t like what I see happening in our world. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe not. Perhaps it’s just that news is continuously in our face, or that there are so many more of us today. Whatever the reason, we can now see how what we thought was valuable information about us has actually been readily available to others for quite some time. For me, the worst came when they took God out of the pledge of allegiance. I did not like that change. That was the beginning of what I see as today’s mess.
One example is the 140 million Americans who put their blind faith (which wasn’t really their choice) into large companies who have every detail of our identity? Or what about the doctor’s office who wanted our social security and driver’s license numbers? Where is that information now? It makes you wonder, where is the accountability from those who have not held to their part of the bargain? Maybe there was no agreement…just the faith that we were being taken care of, and we took that to the bank. In fact, we can’t even correct the situation because it’s not in our grasp.
Now that we know our information is not as valuable (or safe) as once thought, should we change how we think and feel about our information…and what really is valuable in our lives?
Do we need to come to a new conclusion on how to handle our financial affairs? Do we need to take a new look at what really is valuable? Perhaps, we should look more closely at what would be left if everything material was taken away from us. It could happen…and you have to wonder what you would have left of your life if it did.
- Did you spend enough time nurturing your relationships?
- Did you spend time finding your purposes in life? What are they???
- Were you all there at dinner, but with your heads bent to your phones?
- Did you forget how to connect with others? More importantly, have your kids missed out on social interaction due to technology?
- Were you so busy working that you forgot to spend quality time with the family?
- Did all of your friends go elsewhere because you kept putting them off?
We all have our faults in this game of life. As you know, no one is perfect. I know I have plenty I could rattle off…but I won’t. 🙂 The key is to be part of the solution in life…not the problem.
Still, my point on writing this article was about the naïve assumptions many of us have made through the years. We believed much of what was told to us, and I still wonder how much of it was true. I think we are just beginning to see how deep the corruption goes in this United States of America; not to mention, the world.
I don’t want to end this note on a negative note…hard to believe, I know. What I do want is to get these points across to you:
- Rethink what you know to be true. Consider your options and protect yourself as best you can. All of us could stand to wake up to what is factual in our lives.
- Revise your plan. If you feel you aren’t as secure as you’d like to be in this world, revise your efforts to what feels right.
- Open your mind, listen to your gut, and pray to God for clarity of your situation.
- Think small. It’s the little things in life, ya know, that mean the most.
- Look for your real purpose. Everyone has a job to do in life, but is it part of your purpose? If you look hard enough, you will find something that makes you very happy; perhaps a hobby, helping others, or simply reading a book. Then, once you find what makes you happy, do more of it.
- Find the reason for your season. In other words, find the real value in your life. There are people in your life who will be better off with more of you in their life. Once you revise the plan to keep you safe, you will focus better (and easier) on more tangible things…like good relationships and real purpose.
- Put your faith first in God and then to you. Then, we have relationships…and they are necessary and important to our lives. But if you always ask for God to help you first, He will. Your answers will come when you least expect them…and they probably won’t look anything like you thought, but you can bet you’re being led.
Whatever comes our way, we will be okay when we find the value in what is truly important.
Loving with Purpose 