What makes life worth living?
Wealth?
Sex?
Power?
All the bits of stuff we think are so important?
There's no arguing that for some, for many, it is exactly that that makes life worthwhile. Many folks just say that being happy is what makes life worth it. How do you define happiness?
Yes, success in a career, success in relationships is a definite part of happiness, but in my opinion, it isn't enough. In this world of plenty (at least in the first world and many of the second world nations) and technology, things like computers, DVD players, cell phones and the internet have been reduced from luxury items to instruments of survival. My question is this:
Is it enough to survive? To merely exist? Or do we need for there to be something more?
I believe that we do need more. But we have to go back in history a bit for some examples. Some of the most enduring stories and legends of the Christian world revolve around people like Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the knights of the Crusades. Having said that, one could ask why these stories just seem to stick. One answer is that there seem to be countless books and movies devoted to the subject. While true, it only feeds into perhaps the real reason. We live in what sometimes seems an empty world. Devoid of any higher meaning. It is assumed that church goers have found their higher purpose. The Holy men and women of the East can seem almost alien to our culture, but you just have to close your eyes and reach out with your feelings and you can sense a power, an energy there. But by and large, there seems to be little in our world to believe in, to have faith in. No higher callings than self service. The old stories I mentioned earlier have a common thread. Once, it was known as the Chivalric Code. One version of it looked like this:
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry
From Chivalry by Leon Gautier
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
Reading this old code, you can almost hear clashing swords and the cries of battling knights! Basically, this code tells us that we must be brave and courageous, loyal and respectful, honest and forthright. We must protect those weaker than ourselves. That, I think, is the single most important aspect. Helping those that are weaker than we are, that cannot help themselves.
Efforts have been made to reclaim some of the spirit of the old code. Those efforts usually are focused in community service organizations such as the Kiwanis, the Jay Cees, the Knights of Columbus, the Freemasons. With the internet, groups of people from around the world have gathered in chat rooms and on message boards, looking for the modern equivalent of the Chivalric Code. One of those communities is the Jedi Realist movement. The members of this community don't believe they can do mind tricks or levitate things, but rather try to apply the philosophies gathered from fiction and apply it to their world. They also have something of a code. Several actually, but all say basically the same thing:
We therefore agree that the ideals of our Order, which will live in our membership, should always be based on the premise that a Jedi must embody at least these principles:
1. Believes in, and has faith in, the Force and the inner strength it provides.
2. Disciplines the mind with study to gain knowledge and wisdom.
3. Disciplines the body with exercise to gain strength of will and of body.
4. Disciplines the spirit through meditation and connection to the Force to gain serenity and focus.
5. Tempers the emotions with self knowledge to gain humility and compassion.
6. Strives to achieve balance in accordance to the will of the Force.
7. Demonstrates respect and compassion for others as well as the self.
8. Serves others rather than rules over them, for the betterment of all.
9. Accepts the responsibility to pass on learning to those who wish to know the Force.
10. Views the world critically and objectively, and is willing to challenge conventional thinking.
11. Strives to use inner strength, conviction and wisdom to defend, protect and serve.
12. Respects life in all its forms.
13. Accepts and exercises the responsibility to do what needs to be done, without thought of recognition or reward.
14. Approaches life in a forthright and honest manner.
15. Faces the challenges of life with courage, humility and wisdom.
This code says many of the same things in a more detailed way. It does add an emphasis on self knowledge.
Why am I so long winded about this? What is it I'm trying to say? The original question was what makes life worth living? I tell you that what makes life worth living is to live to a higher purpose. Our world is one where each of us has countless means of communications available, yet we so rarely talk. We don't want to get involved in the lives and problems of others. We don't want someone else's clutter in our lives.
I say it's a matter of perspective and choice. Some will consider getting involved as opening themselves up to the 'clutter.' For those of you who chose to get involved, I believe that you are participating in life, itself. You grant yourself a much richer and more fulfilling life. One with substance and meaning. It means creating a greater connection between yourself and the world around you. The Buddhists have a concept where life is like an infinitely vast fishing net. Every knot in that net holds a bead. Each bead reflects every other bead. The idea is that all life is interconnected, like the reflections in the beads. Affect one thing, one person's life (hopefully in a positive way) and you have an affect on all things. Raise the level of compassion in the world.
If you've gotten this far, and are still interested, you may be wondering how to achieve this. Start small. With a reasonable goal. Stop and consider what you believe in. Maybe even write down a code of your own to follow. What are you passionate about? Make a pact with yourself to do one thing for someone every day. Help someone study in school. Help a little old lady carry groceries to her car. Hold open a door for a mother or father pushing a baby stroller. I guarantee that if you do this, you will receive a surprised and thankful smile. If you are wanting more, consider doing volunteer work at your local school, library or even hospital. These places always need help. Turning into a glutton, wanting to do more? See if your community has any Community service organizations like those I mentioned earlier. All are looking for new members almost all the time. Especially young, enthusiastic members.
Ok, I've written just about as much as I think I should for one blog entry. Let me close this with a couple of questions. 1. Do you believe that chivalry is dead? 2. How do you think you could help your community
Wealth?
Sex?
Power?
All the bits of stuff we think are so important?
There's no arguing that for some, for many, it is exactly that that makes life worthwhile. Many folks just say that being happy is what makes life worth it. How do you define happiness?
Yes, success in a career, success in relationships is a definite part of happiness, but in my opinion, it isn't enough. In this world of plenty (at least in the first world and many of the second world nations) and technology, things like computers, DVD players, cell phones and the internet have been reduced from luxury items to instruments of survival. My question is this:
Is it enough to survive? To merely exist? Or do we need for there to be something more?
I believe that we do need more. But we have to go back in history a bit for some examples. Some of the most enduring stories and legends of the Christian world revolve around people like Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the knights of the Crusades. Having said that, one could ask why these stories just seem to stick. One answer is that there seem to be countless books and movies devoted to the subject. While true, it only feeds into perhaps the real reason. We live in what sometimes seems an empty world. Devoid of any higher meaning. It is assumed that church goers have found their higher purpose. The Holy men and women of the East can seem almost alien to our culture, but you just have to close your eyes and reach out with your feelings and you can sense a power, an energy there. But by and large, there seems to be little in our world to believe in, to have faith in. No higher callings than self service. The old stories I mentioned earlier have a common thread. Once, it was known as the Chivalric Code. One version of it looked like this:
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry
From Chivalry by Leon Gautier
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
Reading this old code, you can almost hear clashing swords and the cries of battling knights! Basically, this code tells us that we must be brave and courageous, loyal and respectful, honest and forthright. We must protect those weaker than ourselves. That, I think, is the single most important aspect. Helping those that are weaker than we are, that cannot help themselves.
Efforts have been made to reclaim some of the spirit of the old code. Those efforts usually are focused in community service organizations such as the Kiwanis, the Jay Cees, the Knights of Columbus, the Freemasons. With the internet, groups of people from around the world have gathered in chat rooms and on message boards, looking for the modern equivalent of the Chivalric Code. One of those communities is the Jedi Realist movement. The members of this community don't believe they can do mind tricks or levitate things, but rather try to apply the philosophies gathered from fiction and apply it to their world. They also have something of a code. Several actually, but all say basically the same thing:
We therefore agree that the ideals of our Order, which will live in our membership, should always be based on the premise that a Jedi must embody at least these principles:
1. Believes in, and has faith in, the Force and the inner strength it provides.
2. Disciplines the mind with study to gain knowledge and wisdom.
3. Disciplines the body with exercise to gain strength of will and of body.
4. Disciplines the spirit through meditation and connection to the Force to gain serenity and focus.
5. Tempers the emotions with self knowledge to gain humility and compassion.
6. Strives to achieve balance in accordance to the will of the Force.
7. Demonstrates respect and compassion for others as well as the self.
8. Serves others rather than rules over them, for the betterment of all.
9. Accepts the responsibility to pass on learning to those who wish to know the Force.
10. Views the world critically and objectively, and is willing to challenge conventional thinking.
11. Strives to use inner strength, conviction and wisdom to defend, protect and serve.
12. Respects life in all its forms.
13. Accepts and exercises the responsibility to do what needs to be done, without thought of recognition or reward.
14. Approaches life in a forthright and honest manner.
15. Faces the challenges of life with courage, humility and wisdom.
This code says many of the same things in a more detailed way. It does add an emphasis on self knowledge.
Why am I so long winded about this? What is it I'm trying to say? The original question was what makes life worth living? I tell you that what makes life worth living is to live to a higher purpose. Our world is one where each of us has countless means of communications available, yet we so rarely talk. We don't want to get involved in the lives and problems of others. We don't want someone else's clutter in our lives.
I say it's a matter of perspective and choice. Some will consider getting involved as opening themselves up to the 'clutter.' For those of you who chose to get involved, I believe that you are participating in life, itself. You grant yourself a much richer and more fulfilling life. One with substance and meaning. It means creating a greater connection between yourself and the world around you. The Buddhists have a concept where life is like an infinitely vast fishing net. Every knot in that net holds a bead. Each bead reflects every other bead. The idea is that all life is interconnected, like the reflections in the beads. Affect one thing, one person's life (hopefully in a positive way) and you have an affect on all things. Raise the level of compassion in the world.
If you've gotten this far, and are still interested, you may be wondering how to achieve this. Start small. With a reasonable goal. Stop and consider what you believe in. Maybe even write down a code of your own to follow. What are you passionate about? Make a pact with yourself to do one thing for someone every day. Help someone study in school. Help a little old lady carry groceries to her car. Hold open a door for a mother or father pushing a baby stroller. I guarantee that if you do this, you will receive a surprised and thankful smile. If you are wanting more, consider doing volunteer work at your local school, library or even hospital. These places always need help. Turning into a glutton, wanting to do more? See if your community has any Community service organizations like those I mentioned earlier. All are looking for new members almost all the time. Especially young, enthusiastic members.
Ok, I've written just about as much as I think I should for one blog entry. Let me close this with a couple of questions. 1. Do you believe that chivalry is dead? 2. How do you think you could help your community
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