“Do not spoil what you have by
desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the
things you only hoped for.”
— Epicurus (341bce–270bce)
We are characteristically
short-sighted regarding our lives, what we have, what we need, and what we
desire. Being human is the essence of getting life wrong. And being human is
the manifestation of every human being.
We spoil what we have now—what we
have plain sight for—by looking a little too far in our quest for the
domination of our desires. And our desires are supplanted, more often than not,
by what we see in others’ lives. There seems always the mode of comparison that
takes us to a nether land of bountiful dissatisfaction.
Such a thing of looking over the
fences of life, unless we have the role to do that, is pointless in that it
dissuades us from a focus on the things God has already given us; those things
we ought to be poignantly thankful for.
These are opportunities. Whether
we take the opportunity of gazing over the fence or we take the opportunity for
enjoying the things we have is a crucial decision; backed by a commitment
regarding our focus.
Perhaps even more we might just
act. Perhaps we might simply act in a thankful way disregarding the
circumstance and cost and situation of fact regarding others’ lives.
Enjoying States of Steady and Slow
Progress
The key to contentment in life
could be boiled down to being sufficiently pleased—without overdoing
it—regarding the steady pace of life; not becoming too frustrated, nor too
driven to succeed.
Why are we in such a hurry to
achieve? Why are we in such a hurry to acquire? What possible satisfaction can
we gain in desiring the next thing if there is always a ‘next thing’?
There is wisdom in contentment and
contentment in wisdom.
As we reconcile the fact that we
are blessed in this life—and all are—we begin to increase the notion that the
blessings we enjoy are beyond acquisition. God has blessed us with life, with
memory, with hopes for the day, with the ability to experience things, and even
with plain breath.
When we slow down in life,
enjoying the natural pace of things, we become blessed in our experience of
peace; a peace anyone can have anytime.
***
We have all achieved and acquired
much in life; much to be thankful for. The moment we slow down and consider how
much God has blessed us is the moment we enjoy being simply who we are.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.
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