"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit". ~Nelson Henderson
To care for others is to care for one self. I asked this quote to family members, friends, and even strangers to see how they would respond. Most of them reacted to it the way i thougt they would. One of the people i asked, told me that it meant "being selfess, understanding other peoples problems and being diverse" thats what crossed his mind when i read him the quote.
Im not surprised to see that there are people out there who understand the values and morals that should be upheald in society.
As i was reading the chapter i realized that many people are scared to take a stand because of all the things they could loose when they stand up for something. Nothing in life comes easy. Looking forward to a future where you COULD make a difference is a long shot away and looking at the present and giving up all that is comfortable and safe in this economy is not practical.
A quote from the Bible came to my mind as i was reading the chapter " Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Now thats pretty powerful and saying a lot. How can you possible expect others to treat you and do things for you selflessly just because you might do it for them.
In the book, Loeb tells the story of Jorge Rivera who worked at ASI and was not getting paid enough. He talks about how he took a stand and the company raised his pay. When he realized the power that he possesed and the changes that he could make he spoke up. What shocked me was the fact that the company manager told Jorge to "look out" forhimself and that they would take care of him. They kept telling him to worry about himself.
If everyone in the world looked out for themselves, worried about themselves and didnt care about the wellfare and livelihood of others around them what would this world be like?
Seeing beyond oneself and ones own families and friends is very important to further the country and further the causes they trouble us all.
You never know who is watching you and looking up to you for inspiration, wating for you to step up.
When we think we are not treated fair and we dont have enough think of all the othes out there who are also feeling and going through the same things.
"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all". ~Leo Ro
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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Like you said, it's not surprising that many people know the true meaning of morals and values, yet many people are willing to override their belief of what's right and not take a stand or help others.
ReplyDeleteYou're right again, when you say that many people are scared to lose something.
However, not helping others and taking a stand is a way people begin to lose themselves. You aren't bettering yourself by not helping others, you're just making your life seem meaningless and unimportant. You're just another face in the crowd. What ever happened to helping others, and doing the right thing because you knew it was 'the right thing to do'?
Seeing past personal fears is the only way to better America. It's the only way we can save ourselves.
Its deffinitely takes a lot of courage for one person to take a stand for what they believe in and actually do something. So many of just wait around hoping that someone besides ourselves will stand up and be the one to make a difference. Although if we continue to wait for someone else to do something, then nothing will ever get done or be accompolished. We must be brave to go out there and get our feet wet.
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