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Today's
quotation:
"Ideals
are like stars," Carl Schurz wrote. "You will not succeed
in touching
them with your hands. But like seafarers on the desert of waters,
you
choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your
destiny." Ideals do not determine what we do to make a living in life;
They govern what we become as we do it.
Joan Chittister
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Today's
Meditation:
Ideals
are a necessary part of life if we're going to live fully
and completely, for they are the guides that help us to
move in positive directions, adding quality to our lives
so that we're not simply moving through life without
direction. If I have no ideals or if I abandon them,
then I'm literally taking the wind out of my own sails, or
turning my ship in a direction that most definitely will
not turn out to be for my best.
We
see people abandoning their ideals constantly, especially
in the world of politics. The person who was elected
because they spoke of honor and integrity during the
campaign so often turns out to start making decisions
based not on ideals, but on expediency or party lines-- or even
money. Unfortunately, they get away with it very
often, and our young people have fewer and fewer role
models to follow who stick to their ideals and live their
lives according to them.
Ideals
most definitely shouldn't be static-- they'll change and
shift as we learn more about life and specific
situations-- but they should be respected because if we
don't have any guides in life, it's far too easy to do and
say things that are simply harmful to ourselves and
others. I want my ideals to hold me up, to support
me, to guide me, and to provide me with strength when I
need it. I want to follow my ideals because there
are no other guides available to me that are so personal
and so strong. My ideals will be centered around
love and compassion and acceptance and many other concepts
that allow me to see and respect the individuality of those people with whom I share this planet for a short
while.
Ideals
can be complex, but the best ones are the most
simple. "Choose the path that causes no harm to
others" is a wonderfully simple ideal that would have
very positive effects if we were to follow it. But
no matter how simple or complex, it's very important that
we know what they are and follow their lead, for our lives
otherwise would be a rudderless ship on a tumultuous
sea. While I don't claim to be able to control my
life completely, ideals give me a solid base upon which to
depend when I'm making decisions.
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For further
thought:
You
don’t get old from living a particular number of years: you get
old because
you have deserted your ideals. Years wrinkle your skin, renouncing
your
ideals wrinkles your soul. Worry, doubt, fear, and despair are the
enemies
which slowly bring us down to the ground and turn us to dust before we
die.
Douglas MacArthur
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