Daily Meditation-June 4, 2021-The World is not Perishing
Today’s Quotation:
The world is not perishing for the want of clever or talented or well-meaning people. It is perishing for the want of people of courage and resolution.-Robert J. McCracken
Today’s Meditation:
Am I contributing to the downfall of the world? Am I providing a role model for others of someone who stands by my beliefs and is willing to support other people who are being abused and manipulated, or am I providing a role model of someone who is completely self-interested, without a thought given to others? And remember, even if we do think of others often, we can’t be a role model through thought alone–people can see only what we do, not what we think.
I’m not sure that I believe that the world is “perishing,” but I do know that the world situation isn’t nearly as positive as it could be, and many people suffer needlessly at the hands of others. There are many injustices that we could do something about if we made the effort.
On the other hand, we all have only so much time in each day, and we all have responsibilities and obligations that may prevent us from devoting time to things that demand our courage. I remember a Dickens novel–Bleak House, I believe, in which a woman spent most of her time trying to raise money for the poor children of some far-away undeveloped country, while her own children were completely neglected, with clothes that were falling apart and having to make their own meals.
Sometimes, it takes the greater courage to toil away in silence, unnoticed, as we make sure that the people we love don’t suffer from our neglect. One day we’ll send them out into the world, and the type of persons we send out–one who will contribute to the love and peace of the world or one who will contribute to the greed and enmity of the world–depends on our willingness to stick to our resolve to provide.
Questions to ponder:
1. What things that you’ve done have taken the most courage?
2. What’s the most important part of being a role model to you?
3. What kinds of things in this world can you personally help to alleviate or make better?
For further thought:
We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and the courage to stop what we shouldn’t do. -Richard L. Evans
