On these pages we'd like to examine aspects of life that tend to hinder us from living a full life. There are many of them, and every individual experiences most of them during a lifetime.  But as with most things in this world, what we go through and what we feel aren't necessarily the problem; how we react to our circumstances very often determines how we feel.  Some people can lose a child in a car accident and get on with their lives, while others fall apart, break down, and lose their love of life.  Some people find the failure of a business or project to be debilitating, while others see the same circumstances as a challenge to be worked through.

These pages will be much more challenging than the others, for us to make and for you to read.  We must be sure that we're not focusing just on the negative issues, but also on positive ways of dealing with them.  We must read about the obstacles with an open mind, sometimes admitting to ourselves something that we might not want to admit.  We must search open-mindedly to find resources that will be helpful, not condemning; we must admit that changes may be needed in certain areas, and start the process of change rolling.

advertising

anger

arrogance

brooding

busyness

change

change 2

choices

comparison

complaining

conformity

control

covetousness

criticism

cruelty

desire

discouragement

doubt

envy

failure

failure 2

fault-finding

fear

finances

greed

grief

guilt

hatred

health

idleness

idolatry

ignorance

impatience

jealousy

laziness

loneliness

lying

materialism

meanness

mistakes

mistrust

negative attitude

pain

perfectionism

pessimism

possessions

prejudice

pride

resentment

revenge

risk

safety

self-pity

shame

  sickness

solitude

stress

stupidity

thoughts

trust

unfulfilled dreams

vanity

weight issues

worry

Nowadays, though, with the overwhelming amount of news that focuses on death and sickness and natural disasters and violence, we tend to see the negative more. If you get up in the morning and watch the news, then go to work and see only your co-workers, then maybe stop at the grocery store on your way home and then watch the news again, how much of an opportunity have you had to see the beauty of humanity to contrast with the garbage you see on the news?  Not very much, unless your co-workers happen to be great people who aren't so busy that they can't let their better sides show (and many people are).

Our world is still a beautiful place, and the people in it are still beautiful. We see more violence on the news these days, but that doesn't mean people are worse.  In my experience teaching, I still find that my students are caring, loving people who are looking to make a positive mark on the world.  They have hopes and dreams and desires, and they work hard to get ahead.  The world is not in the hands of terrible people who will blow away others in rage or frustration; the world is in the hands of those who love and who do their best to help.  We may not always agree with their methods, ideas, or ideals, but we must trust that they're doing what they truly feel is best for all.  The greedy and the arrogant will always be around and sometimes will even be "in charge," but their power will always be fleeting; their time will always be short.

When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game when new Scouts joined the troop.  We lined up chairs in a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver.  The Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern before our adventure began.  But as soon as the victims were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs.  I think life is like this game.  Perhaps we spend our lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in reality exist only in our minds.  We're afraid to apply for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language, call an old friend, write our Congressman - whatever it is that we would really like to do but don't because of personal obstacles.  Don't avoid any chairs until you run smack into one.  And if you do, at least you'll have a place to sit down.

Pierce Vincent Eckhart