Life Makes No Promises
My brief existence has led me to few conclusions, but here is one: life makes no promises. Life never promised to be fair; it never said it would make you happy; or that you would be successful; or that you if you do right, you will be blessed; likewise, it never insists that you be miserable, or poor, or a failure. Life takes no accountability, it gives and takes without consideration for those effected. Life simply is.
I have been of this opinion for a long time, but only recently has it taken a forefront in my mind. I finished a book entitled The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, about the struggle of survival. This book, teamed with my surroundings of poverty and struggle, made me remember that life makes no promises. We see it everyday, even if we choose to ignore it. The injustices in life, which make us ask why would things be allowed to be this way? Or maybe the person who tries so hard, but just can’t make it, why? Then there are those that achieve so effortlessly. Or worse, those that waste what is so precious to others. As frustrating as it is to have nothing to blame, or to celebrate, it ultimately provides understanding.
It provides an understanding and a responsibility. Understanding that nothing was ever promised to you gives you a choice. You can realize everything you have and see a blessing, or consider everything you do not have and perceive a curse. That choice is largely influenced by the cards you have been dealt in life, but for myself and those that I have known in life, our cards are unquestionably a blessing. We therefore have the responsibility to share what we have with others. When God, or fate, or chance decided my path, or simply the circumstances of my birth, I had done nothing to have deserved my good fortune. Similarly, Youssef (the poor Iraqi boy who had his face set on fire) did not deserve the pain and the trauma that will likely scar the rest of his body and mind for the rest of his life. So why must we all behave like we are owed what we have. It is in the best interest of us all to even out life’s excesses and shortcomings.
This seemingly secular thought actually arrives at the same conclusions as most religious teachings. Be grateful, no matter what the situation; be generous when you can give what others need; be forgiving, for you never know the situation of another.
But you pay the price in sympathy. That emotion largely originates from the belief that someone does not deserve the fate given to them. I have never pretended to know why things happen to people, whether for good or bad. The question why is just as appropriate as why not? Both are equally pointless. Life (you can substitute God for life if it suits your tastes) decided an action was to take place; all you can do is help them through the bad and help them appreciate the good.
I did a lot of thinking as a kid, and one of the thoughts was… why were some kids born in Africa (it was one place to me back then) with hunger and disease, and I in America with food and fun? Why was I able to go to church and know Jesus when some kids in the Amazon had never, and might never, see a Bible? I used to come up with all kinds of possibilities. God knew that some kids would be bad, so he stuck them in the crappy places. Or perhaps, God knew some people needed more help to be good so he put them close to church. Or even, you were bad in a previous life and that decided things. But really, the answer that stuck was, nobody (human at least) knows why.
Take things as they are and act accordingly.
I have been of this opinion for a long time, but only recently has it taken a forefront in my mind. I finished a book entitled The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, about the struggle of survival. This book, teamed with my surroundings of poverty and struggle, made me remember that life makes no promises. We see it everyday, even if we choose to ignore it. The injustices in life, which make us ask why would things be allowed to be this way? Or maybe the person who tries so hard, but just can’t make it, why? Then there are those that achieve so effortlessly. Or worse, those that waste what is so precious to others. As frustrating as it is to have nothing to blame, or to celebrate, it ultimately provides understanding.
It provides an understanding and a responsibility. Understanding that nothing was ever promised to you gives you a choice. You can realize everything you have and see a blessing, or consider everything you do not have and perceive a curse. That choice is largely influenced by the cards you have been dealt in life, but for myself and those that I have known in life, our cards are unquestionably a blessing. We therefore have the responsibility to share what we have with others. When God, or fate, or chance decided my path, or simply the circumstances of my birth, I had done nothing to have deserved my good fortune. Similarly, Youssef (the poor Iraqi boy who had his face set on fire) did not deserve the pain and the trauma that will likely scar the rest of his body and mind for the rest of his life. So why must we all behave like we are owed what we have. It is in the best interest of us all to even out life’s excesses and shortcomings.
This seemingly secular thought actually arrives at the same conclusions as most religious teachings. Be grateful, no matter what the situation; be generous when you can give what others need; be forgiving, for you never know the situation of another.
But you pay the price in sympathy. That emotion largely originates from the belief that someone does not deserve the fate given to them. I have never pretended to know why things happen to people, whether for good or bad. The question why is just as appropriate as why not? Both are equally pointless. Life (you can substitute God for life if it suits your tastes) decided an action was to take place; all you can do is help them through the bad and help them appreciate the good.
I did a lot of thinking as a kid, and one of the thoughts was… why were some kids born in Africa (it was one place to me back then) with hunger and disease, and I in America with food and fun? Why was I able to go to church and know Jesus when some kids in the Amazon had never, and might never, see a Bible? I used to come up with all kinds of possibilities. God knew that some kids would be bad, so he stuck them in the crappy places. Or perhaps, God knew some people needed more help to be good so he put them close to church. Or even, you were bad in a previous life and that decided things. But really, the answer that stuck was, nobody (human at least) knows why.
Take things as they are and act accordingly.
posted by Anthony Jackson at 3:58 AM
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