We all face challenges in life, times when we feel like the bottom has fallen out and nothing is making sense.
While it may be tempting to give in to vengeful thoughts and actions, teachings developed in every culture point to the same principles. As we live by these ideals, life finds a way of sorting itself out.
British author James Allen knew a life of hardship. His father lost his factory job, so he left his wife and children behind to go to America and find work. He died shortly after his arrival in New York and James had to find work as a teen. Life gradually improved as he established himself as a writer and it was by expressing his core philosophies that he gained his greatest notoriety.
Allen became known for his book As a Man Thinketh, which is now in the public domain and still widely read. His lesser known 1910 work, Above Life's Turmoil, beautifully summarizes how we need to live when our worlds are turned upside down. The ideals Allen tells us to embrace are purity, patience, humility, self-sacrifice, self-reliance, fearlessness, knowledge, wisdom, compassion and love.
To be pure means to have utmost respect of ourselves and of others. In essence, it means to actually live by principles, to do what we know is right.
Humility, self-sacrifice and self-reliance can perhaps be looked at together. Embracing self-reliance we recognize the fact that we do indeed have within us what is needed to overcome any challenge. Self-sacrifice recognizes that it will not be easy and we will have to work hard. Humility balances out the other two principles. We do not know everything and it is good to ask for help. We learn from others as we progress and we gratefully accept their support.
To live with fearlessness is simply to move forward in the confidence that all will be well. Fear is perhaps the most destructive emotion. It tells us that we have to get the other before they get us and that what we have can be taken away and never replaced. To live in fearlessness reminds us of the folly of this thinking. Regardless of what happens around us, we always maintain the freedom to choose how we will respond. That is indeed our greatest human power.
Knowledge is valuable because there is always more to learn. We gain greater understanding of the world around us and can thus respond to life more effectively. Wisdom takes this concept even further. We comprehend how to use knowledge to bring about the greatest good, thus bringing joy and meaning into our lives.
Love is greatly misunderstood, but it is perhaps best defined by St. Paul. It is patient and kind. It always rejoices in truth and always hopes. It does not judge and is not self-seeking. Love always perseveres. When we look on ourselves and others in this light, we cannot fail. Our impact will be enduring.
Love also allows us to see with compassion. We make mistakes, and so do others. Embracing this concept leads to profound forgiveness, which is perhaps the highest ideal a human being can obtain.
These principles presented by Allen may seem unrealistic, but as I study people who triumphed over insurmountable difficulties, I see how central they were to their thoughts. It does not take much effort to find them in the writings of Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl or Rwandan Genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza or Nelson Mandela or any other person who has tapped into the greatness which lies in all of us.
Yes, we will face challenges in life, and there is little we can do about what happens around us. What we do control is the way we respond, and that more than anything will determine our success. The path is clear. We need only take it.
-- Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.
