How Was Work Today?
September 27, 2008 by Aspen Eggimann · 2 Comments
I had to hold back a laugh a few days ago when I heard the above question. My cousin had just asked it to his brother in law.
The reason for my laughter? I was caught up in seeing the huge difference in the two people having this conversation about work. My cousin, David, had just gotten back leading a group, myself included, backpacking and exploring in Mexico. As part of his work he takes small groups down to Copper Canyon on cultural/humanitarian work. The trip goes thru the third world area of Copper Canyon to visit the Tamarah indians. Filled with helping people and moment by moment adventures. When he is not in Mexico he teaches wilderness survival. He doesn’t do it for money and he certainly doesn’t do it for prestige. He does it because its his passion, his dream.
As he asked his brother in law the “How was work today?” question I thought I saw a twinkle in his eye. “Oh you know, its work.” was the long faced reply. He brother in law is a banker.
Neither one leads a life the other should be leading. But one has a job, the other a dream come true.
After the humorousness of the moment was gone I was left deeply impressed by what I had seen. And it made me think a lot about my life and those around me.
I am sure most have heard the quote;
“Most people spend their lives working at a job they don’t like, to get money they don’t need, for things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
This may be an extreme statement on first hearing it, but for most it rings partially true.
Many people lead a life wishing they could do or be something they aren’t doing. They have a dream that they want to live, and yet when asked if they are living that dream they aren’t.
I believe everyone has a dream. Maybe from childhood, maybe not, but its real none the less. Dreams are important to an individual. When talking to people about their dream they come alive, their eyes sparkle and their voice gets excited. And then comes a statement I am sure we have all heard and said, “Oh well, maybe someday.” and the sparks are gone, the passion fizzles out and they go back to life just thinking about their dream.
Men and women all have a dream. Not just some or those who have thought about it or have been told they should have one. I mean ALL. Every single person if you search long enough has a dream inside them. And most of them aren’t living it.
The excuses for not living a dream are wide ranging. No money, no time, no resources, no skills, no support. In other words, no reason.
Why don’t we live our dreams?
Simple question, hard to answer. The answer is hard because it is so elusive. You really can’t tell why exactly. The excuses we use are just that… excuses. So what is the real reason? Fear? Laziness? Lack of faith?
If you are scared well… you should be. Living a life of dreams is scary. Not in the spooky sense. But in the difficulty and challenges. Its not easy and you will be tried, talked out of it, have road blocks put in your way and cross into unknowns. Yes it is scary. But worth it? Completely.
As for being lazy there really is no other reply then to get off your rump and start working. This life is short and there is no time to waste.
There is an old western quote that says;
“The cowards never started and the weak ones died on the way.”
At least start. Then you can figure out the rest as you go. But the truly strong start living their dreams now.
If we live a life without faith then it is no life. You were given your dreams for a reason and there is no power that would give you dreams and desires only to not give you a way of fulfilling them. Have a little faith.
“To dream anything you want to dream. That’s the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” - Bernard Edmonds
We are limitless in our capabilities, endless in our resources and have and untold potential to build anything we can imagine. So why hold back?
What is the one thing that makes you come alive? The one thing you would die for, or more importantly, live for?
What is your dream? And what do you need to do to start living it?
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
The Conservative/Liberal Divide
August 16, 2008 by Mike Wilson · Leave a Comment
The Politically-Induced “Split-Personality” of the Human Soul
I recently experienced an epiphany that generated hope out of a lot of frustration regarding the contending factions in American and world politics, and within my own heart.
I was discussing Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments with a colleague, in which Smith (according to my discussant) puts forth the idea that it is easier for human beings to be worried about right and wrong than it is for us to worry about the welfare of our neighbor. I interjected, stating that this is true for conservatives, but that the opposite is true for liberals. I then sat back amazed at the thought that we both had, almost instantaneously, that these two concepts need not be separated, and in fact belong together.
I have stated in the past that “the role of a statesmen is to help people that love God to learn to love their neighbor and to help people who love their neighbor to learn to love God.” However, I had never realized that this division between those who were more concerned with the right and wrong way to govern and those who were more focused on the necessity to care for the well being of humankind was a false and pernicious split of the divine nature of the human soul.
What caused this split? Does the division naturally exist, or is it something passively imposed upon us by society, environment, upbringing, etc.? Or is it an active process in that we choose to deny a certain portion of ourselves? It’s likely that we are somewhat naturally compartmentalized (Jefferson uses the argument between the Head and the Heart to demonstrate his internal strife) to allow us to deal effectively with things of the heart (the welfare of others) and the cold, hard facts of the head (what is wrong and what is right). However, the environment which we are exposed to will generally accentuate one compartment over the other.
Environmental exposure is not sufficient to explain the entire situation. Human choice also plays an important role in moving us to predominately concern ourselves with either the importance of determining wrong and right or the importance of the welfare of our neighbor. As we understand this dichotomy, we can begin to see the perspective of others without falling prey to the common, unhelpful tendency to characterize those who promote a different portion of their soul as “cold-blooded, heartless conservatives” or “bleeding-heart liberals” and “do-gooders” (said with the patent EIB network mocking sneer).
In order to solve the problems we face as human beings with the determination and desire to promote freedom and prosperity and goodness, we must heal this rift within us and in society. Of course most of us will still retain a residue of the predominate portion, but our determination must be to let go of standard, tired, staid definitions and categories and embrace the whole human soul.
Classical literature plays a powerful role in this transition. Examples from the moral dilemmas discussed by Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Orson Scott Card (to name a few of my favorites) help us to ask the hard questions of ourselves and help us bring unity to our soul.
Another, more important, source of healing is to recognize our dependence on God and His emphasis on law and love, justice and mercy. He knows our soul and our individual make-up, and how to bridge the divide and reconcile in us the sadly split portions.
After recognizing one’s dependence on God, the next step in the healing process is to pick up a literature classic and engage the author in the conversation and, with profound introspection, ask “How can I become a more complete human being?” Without this wholeness, our statesmanship and our pursuit of the cause of liberty will not only ring hollow, but it will come up short.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
Be a Trim Tab
March 23, 2008 by Stephen Palmer · 1 Comment
In a world of more than six billion people, it may often seem hard to believe that we can make an impact individually. However, the 20th Century genius Buckminster Fuller sheds some light on what one person can do by becoming what he calls a “trim tab.”
He said, “Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary–the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab. It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go. So I said, call me a Trim Tab.”
Never underestimate the influence that you as an individual can have. Find what you were born to do, become a “trim tab” in your sphere of influence, and the world will change because of it.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
Reviving the Spirit of Providence
March 7, 2008 by Stephen Palmer · Leave a Comment
Are you doing what you were born to do?
Our earliest citizens believed in an ideal that they called Providence, which is something that has been largely forgotten today. To believe in Providence is more than just believing that there is a God, although that is certainly a part of it.
Providence is the belief that every individual has a unique mission that they alone can perform and that the world suffers when they don’t fulfill that unique mission. It’s having a relationship with your God that gives you the faith and motivation to fulfill your unique mission regardless of the consequences.
How do you know if you are doing what you are born to do? A good indication of that is if you can’t wait to jump out of bed and begin every day with excitement and purpose. If you find yourself dreading going to work you know that something must change.
The best thing you can do for yourself and for society is to find and develop your passion–to revive the spirit of Providence in your own life.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
Embrace Your Weaknesses
February 28, 2008 by Stephen Palmer · Leave a Comment
We waste so much time and energy lamenting our flaws and weaknesses. If only I was taller, we think. If only I could sing better. If only I was a faster reader. If only I was a more persuasive public speaker. If only I didn’t have to wear glasses. If only I could run faster and jump higher. If only…
If only we could realize that our weaknesses are hidden pearls, possible goldmines of opportunity and success. Then we could fully submit to God, accept–rather than resist–our current state, embrace our weaknesses, and unleash our potential. Our weaknesses, far from being annoying obstacles, can be precious keys that open the doors to our success, wealth, and happiness.
It was precisely the weakness of the American army during the Revolutionary War that led Washington to be creative, to innovate and beat the British the only way that they could have been beaten. Thomas Jefferson was shy and considered himself a poor public speaker. Is it any wonder, then, that he found his voice through writing, and produced one of the most powerful political documents in all of history? Louis L’Amour began as a second-rate writer, and his numerous rejection slips propelled him to travel the world and work various jobs to gain the experience and insight that led his treasured tales of adventure.
Jacques Lusseyran, a leader in the French Resistance to the Nazis, also found his greatest strength because of a weakness.
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