u/seeker1375b

What is happiness? Most believe happiness comes from making money, having a house, family, material possessions, and enjoying life’s many pleasures. This type of happiness though, is fleeting, often disappearing as our circumstances in life change. The illusion of happiness is a result of accepting the beliefs of a self-centered world.

There is another definition of happiness though, arising from our spirit within. This kind of happiness is enduring. It comes from selflessly sharing our spirit’s innate wisdom and unconditional love to benefit all others.

With this realization, not only will we discover true happiness, but inner peace, eternal love, and a genuine understanding of the meaning of life as well.

There is never a reason to be cruel or unkind to anyone. We are all here to selflessly help each other. Each person has much to share. Though we may disregard much of what someone is saying if we do not agree with them, it is not a reason to treat them or anyone else without sincere respect, empathy, and gratitude.

Helping each other, regardless of our differences, without motive or benefit, is the reason for our existence. Always be kind to everyone, and perhaps, we may be able to foster a change in consciousness, a spiritual evolution, altering the course of our future.

Doing so, we may then be able to leave our children a world that is truly kind, compassionate, caring; a world of unconditional love.

There is never a reason to be cruel or unkind to anyone. We are all here to selflessly help each other. Each person has much to share. Though we may disregard much of what someone is saying if we do not agree with them, it is not a reason to treat them or anyone else without sincere respect, empathy, and gratitude.

Helping each other, regardless of our differences, without motive or benefit, is the reason for our existence. Always be kind to everyone, and perhaps, we may be able to foster a change in consciousness, a spiritual evolution, altering the course of our future.

Doing so, we may then be able to leave our children a world that is truly kind, compassionate, caring; a world of unconditional love.

The time we have left as we approach death is an interesting time in life. Many things, once thought to be important, no longer are. We begin to realize life really is not that complicated or complex; rather, it is quite simple.

The money, material possessions, job we had, and almost everything else we once thought defined what a successful life is, no longer matter. Nothing will accompany us when we die. We finally realize none of those things are, or ever were important. Do not wait until the end of your life to decide what is truly important. To discover what is important, close your eyes, silence your mind, and listen to the quiet messages in between your racing thoughts.

How many more innocents must die? How many more must struggle through life, homeless, hungry, afraid? How many more people and other forms of life must we abuse before we wake up and understand none of this is right? We live in a self-centered world, immunized from the innumerable horrors and challenges of others, worried only about our own success and survival, with little concern for others.

We must each make a choice in our life. To continue to ignore the inequities and needless struggles resulting from living in such a world, or to view the world through a different lens, one where we treat everyone, regardless of our differences, with compassion and unconditional love.

In a more compassionate world, we would help everyone in need, understanding every person, regardless of our differences, is equally important and that we are alive to sincerely care and help each other, not to continue to ignore those who are needlessly struggling.

War, hunger, poverty; greed, prejudice, inequity. Too many problems to list. Not one of these man-made challenges or emotions need exist.

By selflessly sharing the bounties of the earth, equally respecting all life and our planet, living our lives with unconditional love rather than fear, we would leave our children a world they would thrive in, rather than a self-centered world of malice and indifference.

After we have lived our lives, as we approach death, it is common to reexamine how our life went. Did we live a successful life? The end of life offers a unique opportunity to do this, because at this time, the ego, our learned self-centered beliefs, loosens its influence on us, and the spirit becomes our predominant reviewer.

At this point in the cycle of life, it no longer matters how much money we made, the size of the house we lived in, the job we had, or anything else associated with success, as dictated in the world by the ego. We are all finally equal now and we judge our success through a different prism: that of the spirit. When we review our lives, what we had thought was success often holds a different meaning now.

It is at this time, especially during the last few days of our life, we come to the realization what we thought was important, really was not. All the material things we accumulated, friends we had, places we visited, jobs we worked, amount of money we made, or any other comparison you can think of, which belongs in the world in which we had lived, becomes meaningless.

It is at that moment, the moment where the ego has minimal control over our actions and decisions, the true meaning of life finally becomes evident. It is then, despite how strongly the ego may have influenced our life before, the opportunity to view our life in a different way presents itself. At this time in our life, primarily viewing our lives through the eyes of our spirit, we may find we have many regrets.

We begin to understand the selfish pleasures in the world we had sought were not very important. As death becomes evident, we finally realize none of that matters. When we die, unless our culture is like that of the ancient Egyptians, our body will be buried or cremated, and nothing we accumulated during our lifetime will accompany us. Our body will then be placed in a coffin or urn, just like every other person who dies, regardless of their stature or their lifetime accomplishments.

At that moment, just before we die, we finally understand we truly are all equal. No one was ever better than another. Race, money, prestige, no longer matter. As we get closer to our death, it becomes evident the self- centered path the ego had us follow to find success and happiness may have not been the right path after all. The fear, hatred, and prejudice we once felt are no longer important to us, not because we are going to die, but because it never did matter.

After we have lived our lives, as we approach death, it is common to reexamine how our life went. Did we live a successful life? The end of life offers a unique opportunity to do this, because at this time, the ego, our learned self-centered beliefs, loosens its influence on us, and the spirit becomes our predominant reviewer.

At this point in the cycle of life, it no longer matters how much money we made, the size of the house we lived in, the job we had, or anything else associated with success, as dictated in the world by the ego. We are all finally equal now and we judge our success through a different prism: that of the spirit. When we review our lives, what we had thought was success often holds a different meaning now.

It is at this time, especially during the last few days of our life, we come to the realization what we thought was important, really was not. All the material things we accumulated, friends we had, places we visited, jobs we worked, amount of money we made, or any other comparison you can think of, which belongs in the world in which we had lived, becomes meaningless.

It is at that moment, the moment where the ego has minimal control over our actions and decisions, the true meaning of life finally becomes evident. It is then, despite how strongly the ego may have influenced our life before, the opportunity to view our life in a different way presents itself. At this time in our life, primarily viewing our lives through the eyes of our spirit, we may find we have many regrets.

We begin to understand the selfish pleasures in the world we had sought were not very important. As death becomes evident, we finally realize none of that matters. When we die, unless our culture is like that of the ancient Egyptians, our body will be buried or cremated, and nothing we accumulated during our lifetime will accompany us. Our body will then be placed in a coffin or urn, just like every other person who dies, regardless of their stature or their lifetime accomplishments.

At that moment, just before we die, we finally understand we truly are all equal. No one was ever better than another. Race, money, prestige, no longer matter. As we get closer to our death, it becomes evident the self- centered path the ego had us follow to find success and happiness may have not been the right path after all. The fear, hatred, and prejudice we once felt are no longer important to us, not because we are going to die, but because it never did matter.

When you look at another, do you see our differences or our similarities?

Most judge others by their differences, observing their race, appearance, sex, and in numerous other ways.

Those, however, who see only our similarities, truly understand the genuine worth of another is not on the outside, but rather may only be found within.

Instead of helping others, we harm them.

Instead of loving others, we judge them.

We spend our seminal years when we are children being socialized to accept these self-centered beliefs, then often spend the rest of our life trying to undo the damage and prejudice embracing these views resulted in.

As you are growing up, you will notice life can appear to be very challenging. The world is not always a very nice place to live in. You will see many things that make you wonder why bad things happen to so many. You will see people who do not have enough food to eat or a place to live, and others, who do not like someone because they are different.

Regardless of what color your skin is, the country you live in, your beliefs, or any other differences there are between us, it is important you do not believe anyone is better or more important than anyone else. Every life is equally important, regardless of any differences there are between us.

Living a good life has nothing to do with the job you have, the amount of money you make, if you are famous, or anything else you may hear about when you are growing up. Rather, the only important thing is that you are a good person. Be someone who truly cares about others feelings, helping them whenever you can, treating everyone with kindness and love, even if they do not treat you that way.

You will find there are many in the world who are unhappy, afraid, and worry only about themselves. Please, do not be like them. You can change the world if you simply listen to the quiet voice in your heart and share the loving messages you hear with others. Embrace life with awe. Be kind to everyone. Share the goodness in your heart with those who are different or struggling. And, most importantly, treat others like you wish to be treated.

If you do this, you will be happy. Choose not to live in a world where everyone is afraid, worrying only about themselves. Instead, be compassionate loving, respectful, humble, and optimistic about life. Be courageous. Care about others feelings. Be friendly and help them if they are different or in need. If you do this, you may find your life will be happy and meaningful.

The path you choose through life will decide the future of the world. The older generations have not done a very good job taking care of our planet or each other. It is up to you, therefore, our children, to make the changes that must be made, by always choosing the loving path in life.

When you look at another, do you see our differences or our similarities?

Most judge others by their differences, observing their race, appearance, sex, and in numerous other ways.

Those, however, who see only our similarities, truly understand the genuine worth of another is not on the outside, but rather may only be found within.

Many close their eyes, pretending not to see the struggles of others, ignoring their pain, tears, hunger, senseless deaths.

We must all open our eyes, pretend no more, selflessly help all who are struggling.

Only then may their challenges be mitigated and our world finally begin to evolve.

~ The Seeker ~

We spend our entire life seeking, looking for happiness, love, and meaning in our life. We search for these throughout the world, believing religion, money, material possessions, having a family, prestigious job, or any of the many other things we learned would aid our quest.

Though we may have led a successful life, what we are searching for may not be found in a self-centered world. It may only be found within, where the answers we have sought our entire life, searching endlessly for in the world, have always been.

On top of a tall rocky mountain peak covered in snow all year, a river begins its long journey to an ocean far away, being energized by the melting snow. Along the way, other steams join its trek, as the twisting river begins to grow in size and straighten its path.

Many along the river’s edge use its water to drink and grow food for sustenance. They also pollute the water with waste destroying its purity and beauty. By the time the river reaches the ocean, little is left of what it looked like at its beginning.

We, humanity, are the river. We begin our journey at birth, pure, knowing only unconditional love. As we begin our voyage through life though, we are exposed to the self-centered beliefs that influence and dominate us until our demise.

Instead of the purity and splendor we once knew when we were born, our life has slowly decayed. By the time we reach the end of our journey, reviewing the life we had led, many will have regrets. What once began with beauty and love, now is unrecognizable.

The time we have left as we approach death is an interesting time in life. Many things, once thought to be important, no longer are. We begin to realize life really is not that complicated or complex; rather, it is quite simple.

The money, material possessions, job we had, and almost everything else we once thought defined what a successful life is, no longer matter. Nothing will accompany us when we die. We finally realize none of those things are, or ever were important. Do not wait until the end of your life to decide what is truly important. To discover what is important, close your eyes, silence your mind, and listen to the quiet messages in between your racing thoughts.

When we are born, the ego, our learned beliefs, is created. The ego is self-centered, worried only for what is best for us; it has little concern for anyone else. It teaches us we will find happiness, success, and meaning in the world by making money, having material possessions, a family, and enjoying the best things money allows us to do. The result of living in such a world are greed, prejudice, inequity, and many of humanity’s problems caused by following this self-centered path through life.

When we approach death though, an interesting thing happens. Our ego realizes that it, along with our body, will perish. It therefore releases its hold on our life. At that time, without the ego’s dominance, we begin to sense our spirit, a piece of god present within every life. Its voice had been muted until now by our overpowering ego. Our spirit tells us happiness, success, and meaning could never be found in the world, as we believed. It must first be found within, by embracing the inherent wisdom and unconditional love of the spirit, then selflessly sharing its wisdom and love to help others find happiness, success, and meaning in their lives as well.

If this happens only as death approaches, it is too late for most. Though they may have led a successful life, accomplished all their goals, had wealth, when they die, their life will have been lived without meaning or purpose.

We need not wait though, until we approach death. It is possible to awaken earlier in life, sensing the first loving messages from our spirit within. To do so, sit silently, listen intently to the quiet whispers in between your thoughts, then follow the messages you hear.

Imagine god is a star representing warmth, light, universal wisdom, and unconditional love. Next imagine the rays of the star, which are part of god, represent the spirit or a piece of god. As the rays travel through the dark universe, they reach a planet. Everything the rays touch are therefore infused with a piece of god. On our planet, it matters not if the rays touch mountains, rivers, rocks, flowers, trees, people, animals, each is infused with the spirit of god.

A piece of god therefore resides within not only each of us, but within everything the rays of the star infuse with its light as well, intimately joining each to the other. Though we are all different, we are linked by the piece of god within each of us. The meaning of life is to selflessly share our light, warmth, wisdom, and love with all others to help them discover their light within as well.

God does not see differences. Every life is inextricably connected by the spirit. Each, therefore, regardless of our differences, accomplishments, or genus, infused with the rays of the star, is equal; no one life is, or every has been better, or more important than another’s. When we die, our spirit will then return to its star, until it will join a new life when its rays leave their source, infusing another with a piece of god once again.

When you look at another, do you see our differences or our similarities?

Most judge others by their differences, observing their race, appearance, sex, and in numerous other ways.

Those, however, who see only our similarities, truly understand the genuine worth of another is not on the outside, but rather may only be found within.

We each choose our destiny; it has little to do with wealth, fame, race, religion, or any other comparison differentiating us from each other.

If we choose to seek our destiny by following the self-centered beliefs of the world, then, though we may be successful in life, our destiny is to live a life of mediocrity, one without true purpose or meaning.

If, however, "Despite" our circumstances in life, we follow the spiritual path instead, selflessly sharing our spirit’s wisdom and unconditional love to help others, our destiny will be to live a life full of eternal love, inner peace, and an understanding of our life’s true purpose.