A Moment of Philisophical Thought

Being only a few days removed from the Jewish holiday of Passover, and having just been introduced to a very interesting blog on Stoicism by Dan, I wanted to take a quick moment to explore our lives in a more meaningful way.

Before you read forward, I need to explain that I am in no way a religious freak. I do not feel that any one religion is better than another. In fact, I like to think that the best religion would be one that would take aspects from all of the world's religions. Do not always accept what you are told to be true and right. Make up your own mind and develop your own sense of spirituality.

In the story of Passover, we encounter the tale of Moses and the burning bush. God (depicted by the burning bush) is explaining to a downtrodden Moses that his path is the right one, and to remain steadfast in his beliefs. Moses has to have faith in his ways and continue to do what might not seem to be the right choice at the time. Moses, with God's help, goes on to free the slaves from Egypt, thus giving us the story of the Haggadah.

What I draw from this tale, every time I reread it is this:

That which was meant to endure cannot be destroyed.

Stoicism leads you in the same direction. One major aspect of the philosophy explains that nothing is bad, which can be turned to good. In essence, everything has a lesson and a purpose. If we take that philosophy to heart, we will always have a positive outlook on life.

We do not live in a world of fantasy. We have harsh realities to deal with on a daily basis. Marcus Aurelius, an avid follower of Stoicism stated:

“Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed.
Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been."

In essence, he is explaining that we control our own worlds. If you do not let things effect you, then in actuality, they can't.

At the restaurant I have been introduced to many new lives. I see a lot of people looking at their hardships with negativity. If you take time to turn those problems upside down, you will see that they are merely paths to new enlightenment.

When you are forced to deal with a life altering injury, consider the strength that you have gained from enduring the hours of pain. Remember that learning to walk again allows you to appreciate every step that you take, if only for a moment.

When you appear to lose all your friends because of an unfortunate mishap, consider that true friends do not run from your adversity, rather to it. Maybe they have opened up your world to find truer friends.

When cancer strikes the most joyous of people, the truest of heart, consider it a challenge to overcome and a chance to truly enjoy the lives that we take for granted daily. See that the path that you take to make it through the struggle, shows you that you can conquer all that life places in your way. (My thoughts and prayers remain with you.)

Much more on these thoughts in future blogs. Until then, remember that life is precious, every moment is a blessing, and to treat all people right, even if they do not follow the same philosophy.

As always, with love...

~Joshua