Love and Courage

To [many] work is not a gratifying opportunity to do good, but a necessary evil they would gladly forgo if they won or inherited a fortune. It is just a livelihood, a vital drudgery. Its meaning is the paycheck and the value it has in terms of service to their community is indifferent or very subordinate.

Their calculating and uncaring attitude is recognizable. Whereas people who heartily act in the interest of others are gracious, they are perfunctory. At best, in establishments that demand courtesy from employees, their behavior is irreproachable, albeit artificial. "Can I be of assistance? Here you are. Will there be anything else? You're welcome" ? no genuine attempt at pleasing, just a vapid exercise in politeness and efficiency that follows a procedure and arouses a feeling of satisfied indifference as would a serving of plain noodles. They do the minimum that is required of them, to maintain their employment, and gladly do nothing provided they get paid all the same. They never miss a break. Come the end of their working day, they rush out before the first second of the next hour has passed. They live for their time off and dream of a permanent vacation, as though leisure were the essence of happiness.

What about the dignity of making oneself useful, which is the antipode of this levity? What about love ? I mean the desire to live usefully in the service of others? This desire builds on gratefulness, with a view to worthiness. I start from the assumption that love is a characteristic of people who appreciate living in society, thanks to a combination of positive attitude and relatively favorable social environment. To sum up, the more they love life, in company with others who take part in their life, the more they love others.

Now, feeling this love is one thing, acting upon it is quite another, which needs courage. Actually, a lack of courage would not only render this love inactive but also tend to destroy it in order to avoid shame. The mind is a double-edged thinking tool that can cut its way in and out of truth by means of veracious statements or specious arguments. Love may be denied despite every reason for loving. Therefore, courage is a rich trait of character without which love is unable to flourish, neither as an emotion nor as an action. Of course, where laziness and cowardliness have rotted or stunted love, dignity ? which stems from the act of loving ? is but a potential bloom. May courage be cultivated! I hate to think that the soul has such a capacity for beauty and yet can remain undeveloped, morally retarded, as ugly as a shriveled growth that an earnest gardener could have transformed into a heavenly rose.

On reflection, courage should be valued above all other virtues, since it constitutes the necessary condition for developing them. It is not a sufficient condition, however. It is capable of nothing by itself while everything depends on it. Courage is the force that can raise life to joy and joy to love and love to dignity, insofar as the human nature aspires to these difficult heights, though it is always tempted to go for the easy and low option. This nature is indeed dual. People are forever torn between their lofty aspirations and their base temptations. Their choice to honor these aspirations or surrender to these temptations determines their moral status, admirable or pitiable.

Admittedly, the more you are afflicted with misery, the harder it is for you to lead a courageous and honorable existence. It is not surprising that children who grow up in miserable circumstances sometimes display miserable attitudes and behaviors once they are adults: low self-esteem and under-achievement, resentment and aggressiveness, alcoholism and drug addiction, vagrancy and crime, among others. These attitudes and behaviors deplorably impact the other members of society who are worried, troubled, harmed, or perverted by them. The problem is clearly cancerous. I hope that the future will bring effective social measures to better assist these children in their pursuit of happiness and worthiness. Benefactions, family allowances, subsidized housing, free health care and school education, together with scholarships, are present solutions that rely on private charities or government policies and call for improvements through greater creativity and generosity.

Bearing in mind the deplorable impact that the children of misery can have on society, as they sometimes grow into failures, misfits, or outlaws, I feel compelled to underscore the utilitarianism behind this generosity. Just as these children arouse compassion, they are a cause for anxiety in everyone who is aware of this possible impact. Their welfare is actively sought, both for their sake and that of society at large whose interests are at stake. Likewise, employers who care about their employees, while caring about their business, always offer them the best possible working conditions. These employees are joyful and grateful as a rule, which ensures a superior efficiency and loyalty on their part. Good spirit is good profit.

Some dream of equal opportunities for everyone. Will this dream someday become a reality? Everywhere in the world, it meets with inequality ? between those who are born lucky and those who are not, relatively speaking. Is it a lost cause? I believe so, though I am a firm believer in progress. Even a welfare state with the most extensive social assistance could only reduce this inequality, not eliminate it.

What if it resorted to communism to reduce this inequality further? History suggests that a communist regime would prove ruinous, economically and psychologically, in the long run. The equal sharing of resources between people, imposed on them by a centralized government regardless of their respective contributions to the common good, is an untenable and unviable totalitarian approach. In a word, it is an absurdity.

Democratic societies, on the other hand, leave much to be desired, but are certainly the most satisfactory to date. They are based on freedom, talent, chance, and merit, while including a safety net for those who have fallen off the high wire of health and success. Things merely have to improve. The status quo is a steppingstone to brighter days.

Forget perfection, which is deadly and imperfect after all: an illusion. However bright the future may turn out, it will not be without shadows. Unhealthy, unwise, unsuccessful, unhappy, and unkind adults will keep bringing children into the world. Assuming these children will benefit from improved relief measures, they will nevertheless suffer from a difficult youth, lacking in the material and spiritual advantages luckier children enjoy. Like their previous counterparts, they will be confronted by the challenge of growing into the opposite of their parents ? that is, into healthy, wise, successful, happy, and kind adults. None but the strong will overcome. Only they will appreciate the divine justice that counterbalances the problem of inequality: The less luck people have at the start, the more merit they have in the end if they make a success of their life. This principle is universal and timeless; it is applicable here and now. May the objects of our compassion fill us with admiration as they rise from their woes to become our heroes!

This victory against the odds is an extreme. I can think of a second extreme, as pathetic as the first is heroic. Contrary to expectations, some people born of goodhearted and well-to-do parents are miserable individuals. They are insatiably selfish and shockingly ungrateful, so infantile and spineless that play and rest are their sole ambitions. Did they have a weak character to start with? Did their parents kill them with kindness and spoil them rotten? Is that why they have no soul?

Laurent Grenier's writing career spans over twenty years. During this time he has broadened and deepened his worldview, by dint of much reflection and study, and in the end has crafted "A Reason for Living," his best work to date.

Official web site: http://laurentgrenier.com/ARFL.html

---

Its Not My Job to Free Tibet

I hate saying that. It feels so very wrong. It's... Read More

Make Mistakes! Its Okay - Really!

When you fall, do you get right back up? Do... Read More

Unintended Consequences

Direct Answers - Column for the week of May 26,... Read More

Where You Can Find Sympathy

Ask any of my kids and they'll tell you immediately... Read More

What Footsie Taught Us!

We have just inherited a rag, tag and bobtail of... Read More

Vistas

The other day I found myself frustrated with the slow... Read More

Change

Those of you, who can fathom yourselves welcoming and enjoying... Read More

Recipe for Success

"Desire is a tremendous force, and must be directed in... Read More

Life is Art

In my years teaching people to be successful, I have... Read More

How To Walk On The Path Of Peace (Part 2)

If you are praying daily for wisdom, for peace, a... Read More

Look To Trees To Help You Keep Balanced And Focused While Achieving Your Dreams

Do you remember looking up through the branches of a... Read More

Follow Your Dreams: Believe In You

What you believe in the inside, to a large extent... Read More

Switch to a Better Channel!

Peril, catastrophe and disaster.These are our friends, allies and mentors.Appearing... Read More

Each Moment Is To Be Treasured

Let us grasp and treasure each precious moment of our... Read More

Big O

Growing up, I remember my Dad had some really good... Read More

Tending the Fire

In old buildings there was a boiler room where men... Read More

The Importance of Friendship

My students and clients have constantly heard me stress that... Read More

Have You Ever Felt GOD in You?

God is the primordial Creative Force that is believed to... Read More

Ignorance and Fantasy

Are beliefs not often the children of ignorance and fantasy?... Read More

Discernment and Judgement

Discernment is an inner guide or compass. It is loving... Read More

Being An Adult

I have always thought that grandparents were the icons of... Read More

Leaving The Child Behind. Recovery From Child Abuse

I looked at my father for the last time before... Read More

The True and Magnificent Power of Giving

You've probably heard of the popular saying "It's better to... Read More

Here is The Inspirational Wisdom From The Masters

Have you always wanted to do invent something, create something,... Read More

Accept Every Invitation

How often do you decline an invitation because you have... Read More

7 Strategies to Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks

You Can Overcome panic attacks and anxiety! That is great... Read More

The Power Of A Dream - Success Always Start Off With A Dream

Back in the good old days of school, the teachers... Read More

Count Your Blessings

Each day brings a new beginning. It's a new leaf... Read More

Innocent Fun

Just the other day, I escaped the business of my... Read More

The Road Not Taken

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 24,... Read More

Showing Your Appreciation - How To Make Others Feel Special

"There are fine things which you mean to do someday,... Read More

Stay With It!

I walked out of his office inspired. All I could... Read More

Transform Old Grumpy

This is a true story. A woman had Snow White... Read More