"we all feel it; we all know it; everything is changing...."
i read a very good article this past weekend in parade magazine. written by marilyn vos savant, it deals with what each of us can do to make our world a better place. i can not find the article online in order to produce a link for everyone, so instead, i will reproduce here for you what i found most memorable in the piece.
"as the millennium dawns, we stand poised at the edge of the future. this is a special moment. it is not just the beginning of a new year. it is not just the beginning of a new century. this is the arrival of the future -- the start of a brave and beautiful new world. we all feel it; we all know it; everything is changing.
we've all heard of the 'seven deadly sins: pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth'. they warn us of what not to do. but we need more than that now. good people can become active. we can look to the opposite of the 'seven deadly sins'. i'll call them the 'seven sacred virtues', guides to living in the future. they are: humility, generosity, restraint, kindness, moderation, charity and diligence."
marilyn does then go on to elaborate on each virtue, but i must leave that for another day, if at all. i was very much taken by the positve slant to her writing and by her approach. i am immediately able to call up images and instances of how i can and will incorporate these virtues into my life in a more meaningful way.
charity, perhaps more than any other virtue, has struck a responsive chord in me. the act of giving without condition. what a thing to do. and the thought that my giving to another might make it possible for them to reach down to help someone themselves, so that they too can feel the satisfaction of being a benefactor as well as a beneficiary... how do i calculate the good that comes from that?
having humility instead of pride, generosity instead of covetousness, restraint instead of lust... kindness instead of anger? these are the virtues that will take me to a better place. and so, i'm on my way.
:)
mark |
