Sometimes It's Easy
tom walsh

  

Sometimes, when you're walking down the street and you see a couple coming your way and you notice that they're carrying a garbage bag--because they're picking up litter and trash as they walk along--it's easy to see the goodness in other people, and to feel positive about the ways that other people live and the things that they do.

When a co-worker gets a phone call and is told that someone turned in the digital camera that she had lost a few days earlier, it's easy to believe that there's a great deal of goodness in the world, and that most people, when given the opportunity, will do the right things rather than the selfish or greedy things.

When I see someone compliment another person for no obvious reason, or encourage them to do their best even when that person gets no obvious benefit from the other person's action, then it's easy to see that human beings are generally very helpful and considerate beings, whether we always show it or not.

When I read about lawyers taking on cases for people who can't afford legal representation, or doctors and dentists performing surgery for people who need it but can't afford it, or business people donating their time and money and resources to help those who are less privileged than they are, then it's easy to believe that there's hope in this world for a better world, one that we're hopefully working towards every moment we live.

When I see kids sharing with each other; athletes demonstrating good sportsmanship; students acting with integrity and character; mothers and fathers treating their children with dignity and respect; successful people sharing credit with others who contributed to their success; husbands and wives being faithful to their spouses; "famous" people showing humility; researchers devoting their time and energy to developing products and medicines that will serve humankind--the list could be endless--I realize that there are far more people working to contribute to the goodness in the world than there are trying to harm the world and the people in it.

In theory, of course, I don't need to witness any of these things to know in my heart that human beings are basically good, caring, and compassionate.  But it seems that many people are afraid of showing that side of themselves, so sometimes it's nice to be reminded that this world basically is a very good, very positive place in which to live.  And the people who are here with us want to contribute to the positive side of life, even if all of them aren't able to do so because of their fears or insecurities.

I'm very grateful when others make it easy for me to see the goodness, for those are the times when I feel most optimistic about the lives we're leading and the world in which we're leading them.  Their example makes me want to emulate them, and it thus becomes even easier for me to contribute to life in positive ways myself.

For those of you who make it easier for me:  thank you!  I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude!

  

quotations - contents - welcome page - obstacles
our current e-zine - the people behind the words - articles and excerpts
Daily Meditations, Year One - Year Two - Year Three - Year Four
     

Sign up for your free daily spiritual or general quotation
~ ~ Sign up for your free daily meditation

  

  
tm

All contents © Living Life Fully, all rights reserved.

   

 

We have some inspiring and motivational books that may interest you.  Our main way of supporting this site is through the sale of books, either physical copies or digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the online reader).  All of the money that we earn through them comes back to the site in one way or another.  Just click on the picture to the left to visit our page of books, both fiction and non-fiction!

   

      

Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.

    

Explore all of our quotations pages--these links will take you to the first page of each topic, and those pages will contain links to any additional pages on the same topic.

HOME - contents - Daily Meditations - abundance - acceptance - achievement - action - adversity
advertising - aging - ambition- anger - anticipation - anxiety - apathy - appreciation - arrogance
art - attitude - authenticity - awakening - awareness - awe - balance - beauty - being yourself
beliefs - body - brooding - busyness - caring - celebration - challenges -
change - character
charity - children - choices - Christianity - coincidence - commitment - common sense - community
comparison
- compassion - competition - complaining - compliments - compromise - confidence
conformity - conscience - contentment - control - cooperation - courage -
covetousness
creativity - crisis - criticism - cruelty -  death - decisions - desire - determination - disappointment
discipline - discouragement - diversity - doubt - dreams - earth - education - ego - emotions
encouragement - enlightenment - enthusiasm - envy - eternity - ethics - example - exercise
experience - failure - faith - fame - family - fate - fathers - fault-finding - fear - feelings - finances
flowers - forgiveness - freedom - friendship - frustration - fun - the future - garden of life - gardening
generosity - gentleness - giving - goals - God - goodness - grace - gratitude - greatness - greed - grief
growing up - guilt - habit - happiness - hatred - healing - health - heart - helpfulness - home
honesty - hope - hospitality - humility - hurry - ideals - identity - idleness  - idolatry - ignorance
illusion - imagination - impatience - individuality - the inner child - inspiration - integrity - intimacy
introspection - intuition - jealousy - journey of life - joy - judgment - karma - kindness - knowledge
language - laughter - laziness - leadership - learning - letting go - life - listening - loneliness
love - lying - magic - marriage - materialism - meanness - meditation - mindfulness - miracles
mistakes - mistrust - moderation - money - mothers - motivation - music - mystery - nature
negative attitude - now - oneness - open-mindedness - opportunity - optimism - pain - parenting
passion - the past - patience - peace - perfectionism - perseverance - perspective - pessimism
play - poetry - positive thoughts - possessions - potential - poverty - power - praise - prayer
prejudice - pride - principle - problems - progress - prosperity - purpose - racism - reading -recreation
reflection - relationships - religion - reputation - resentment - respect - responsibility - rest
revenge - risk - role models - running - ruts - sadness - safety - seasons of life - self - self-love
self-pity - self-reliance - self-respect selfishness - serving others - shame - silence - simplicity
slowing down - smiles -solitude - sorrow - spirit - stories - strength - stress - stupidity - success
suffering - talent - the tapestry of life - teachers - thoughts - time - today - tolerance - traditions
trees - trust - truth - unfulfilled dreams - values - vanity - virtue - vulnerability - walking - war
wealth - weight issues - wisdom - women - wonder - work - worry - worship - youth - Zen sayings

spring
- summer - fall - winter
Christmas - Thanksgiving - New Year - America
Native American wisdom - The Law of Attraction
obstacles to living life fully - e-zine archives - quotations contents
our most recent e-zine - Great Thinkers - the people behind the words - articles & excerpts