Only 1 life that soon will pass…
Only what’s done with love will last
Many years ago I saw a drawing of an elephant with 5 men who were all blindfolded. Each of the blindfolded men were experiencing the elephant in a different way.
- One was sitting on top of it.
- Another was holding the elephant’s tail.
- One was holding the elephant’s trunk,
- while another was hugging the elephant’s leg.
- And the 5th was grasping the elephant’s ear.
I don’t recall whether or not there was a caption that went along with the drawing, but I was strongly impacted by the message it conveyed. It was obvious that each of those men, if asked to describe the elephant, would have completely different opinions.
That drawing still sticks in my mind today and reminds me that we all see things differently, even though we may be experiencing the exact same thing.
If you will let this image impact you the way it did me, you can become a more understanding person of people and situations in your life. You can become a little more tolerant of things you don’t understand, because you will know that there is always more to every situation than meets the eye.
Our Senses Are Limited
Also, it’s important to realize that as wonderful as it is to have our 5 senses, they are limited.
Just for example purposes, let’s talk about our hearing. Most of us know that dogs and cats can hear things that we humans cannot.
According to Wikipedia:
The range of human hearing is typically considered to be between 20 Hz and 18 kHz.
The top end of a dog’s hearing range is about 45 kHz, while a cat’s is 64 kHz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle
Keep this thought in mind when we get to the section on faith.
Perhaps it is why the bible tells us to:
“walk by faith; not by sight.“
2 Corinthians 5:7
Happiness – A Universal Desire
What is happiness and why do we want it?
According to dictionary.com happiness is:
- the quality or state of being happy.
- good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
Do you agree with this definition? It’s not bad, is it? But there’s so much more that we could add to it. Don’t you think?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not happy at all and 10 being very, very happy, how happy would you say you are right now, BEFORE reading any of my posts?
Now remember that number. Perhaps you could write it down somewhere. Let’s see if we can work together to raise it up just like a student would work to raise up his school grades.
I’m going to give you some ideas. You can take them… or leave them, but I hope you’ll at least give them all a fair chance.
Without giving away my exact age, as of the time of this writing I have been on the planet for over half a century. Since I don’t know you personally, I may be old enough to be your father, or young enough to be your son, but I trust you’ll agree that that would be enough time to gain at least a little wisdom. Of course, you’ll have to be the judge of that as you read more of the content.
One of my primary goals in creating this site is to pass at least some of that wisdom on to you through the words on these pages. Please understand that I am NOT saying that I am smarter or more intelligent than you or any other person that has or will ever visit this site. Just as each of the blindfolded men have information not shared by the other four, it’s the same with you and me.
In fact, I want you to know upfront that although I’ve been on this planet for over half a century,
There is really only one thing I know
“for sure”…
And that is…
I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING
“FOR SURE”
That may sound like an amusing statement and it is, but… it is also a truthful statement. There have been times in my life when I sincerely felt that I was absolutely certain about a particular thing… and then later found out that I was either dead wrong or did not have all of the pertinent information which led to my incorrect conclusion(s). There have been times when I have misinterpreted my source, and there have been times when my source was incorrect, even though they thought they were being truthful. I suspect this may have also happened to you (or will at some point in your future). And let’s not forget what I just mentioned above about our limited senses. They too may contribute to our errors in judgment.
As we move forward, you will notice that I talk about some of my own personal experiences, but I will also be referencing things I’ve read in books or heard on audio books by some of the greatest authors of our time.
But mostly it will be about things that I’ve noticed that I’ve not heard very often (if at all) that seem like common sense, yet could be very helpful if people would think about it in the same way that I do. I often find myself thinking “Am I the only one who thinks like this?” and when I point these things out to others, they are quick to agree that they make perfect sense.
I firmly believe that these things can and will help you if you will adopt them, but…
First…
I Need to Gain Your Trust
If this words on these next few pages are really going to help you the way I intend them to, then the first thing I need to do is gain your trust.
Most of you who are reading this, will not know me, so I need to make a connection with you… I need to relate to you in some way so that you can get a sense of who I am. You will need to decide if I am a credible source, and whether or not I am worthy of your time and attention.
How Will I Do That?
The only way that I can do that is by holding your attention long enough to make some interesting points that accomplish those things. Otherwise, I will lose you and you will go on with your life and forget all about this site. And that would be a shame. I am hopeful that this will be one of those sites that you will bookmark and want to return to frequently knowing that there is valuable information that is free and available to read or reread any time you want.
What I Ask of You
If you will commit to reading at least two chapters/posts, I feel very strongly that I will gain your trust… that you will get a sense of who I am… that you will decide that I am a credible source and that at some point, you will be glad that you gave me a chance to serve you.
This site is about me helping you… helping you to become a little more faithful, a little more grateful, a little more understanding, a little more forgiving, a little more thoughtful, a little more caring, and a little more loving.
Why?
Because these are the things that beget happiness.
Happiness is a side effect
What I intend to do over the next 9 posts or so, is to share some thoughts and ideas that could possibly help you to see things a little bit differently than you do now. And if I succeed, I’m sure you’ll be a little bit wiser, a little bit smarter and a little bit better!
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
Proverbs 4: 5
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