This week, the tragedy of the earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti is by far the dominating news story, as it should be. As our hearts go out to the Haitians, their families, and their friends, the thought of money and material objects are removed from the fore, as it should be.
Tragic (or near tragic) events are unfortunately the only means for most of us to place our existence on earth into meaningful perspective. But is this really necessary? Can those of us who have never been close to death really shed our desire for money, material wealth, and social status and simply focus on the beauty and gift of life? Who is more fortunate, those who have faced death and lived, or those who have never faced death but kill themselves slowly for lack of appreciating life?
To finish this post, I'll leave you with some quotes from a few people who made poignant and profound observations of life as a result of being near death or of surviving horrific tragedy...
"I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person." ~ Socrates (Spoken to Plato and his followers just moments before drinking the hemlock that would take his own life, the result of a forced ultimatum from Greek aristocracy: Denounce your teachings or die. Socrates chose death. For more click here).
"If your kids want to paint their bedroom, let 'em do it. Don't worry about the resale value on the house." ~ Randy Pausch (A quote from his "Last Lecture," which was one of the most watched videos on the Internet in recent history, Mr. Pausch delivered the lecture to a large audience knowing he would die within months. The video actually was a moving statement on life perspective, intended for his children. He died less than a year later. Click here to view the video.)
"Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human." ~ Viktor Frankl (Survivor of the Haulocost and author of the epic book, Man's Search for Meaning
. Click here for more on Viktor Frankl.)
My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti...
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