“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of the hidden powers and possibilities within himself. A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being. For such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought. As he develops a right understanding and sees ever more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss, fume, worry, and grieve. He remains poised, steadfast, serene." ― James Allen
On this spinning rock, we call earth is also the place we call home. A space that we mold while it shapes us. As we wake up daily to discover our stories' new elements, America, a young country, is still waking up searching for meaning, relevance, and truth. A nation is not a physical thing; it is a set of ideas, laws, customs, and imaginary boundaries that can be changed. For this reason, we must understand that we mold the world that, in turn, shapes us. It is easy to take the eraser end of the pencil and remove what's there. By flipping that same pencil, we could rewrite laws and redraw regions or, as our state representatives often do reshape election districts. Therefore, manipulating and disguising the actual "will" of the people.
Long ago, people commonly understood that the land belonged to the individuals that emanated from it, and the people belonged to that land. They would reshape and cultivate that land, and then that land would, in turn, take care of them. As the earth and times changed, people's needs would change. Therefore, they would need to reimagine the soil's use, ultimately meeting the inhabitants' needs. America has found itself in the same place, where many of the laws, systems, and institutions are out of step with the people's needs and must be reimagined. Now, we have known this for many years. However, the power structures have been defiant and indolent to the cries of the earth, the times, and people. The destiny of humanity irretrievably binds all men's lives. As one's action, Adam condemned all men, and by another's demonstrations, Christ rescued humanity. My life's failures and successes are made by one but have a ripple effect down the streams of life, affecting unsuspecting souls whose paths I will never physically cross and faces I will never actually see. I will be mindful of the things I say and do because we all influence humanity's trajectory. Today, I will be great, and you must be outstanding too because all life, past, present, and future are wrapped up in ours.
The destructive grind of 2020 has taught us that we need revolutionary change, not merely reimagining systems, institutions, and laws. We need something much more resounding. A reimagining of the technical, social construct causes a shift back from selfish too selfless. We need a revolution of self. If we don't evolve towards our better selves and submit our "wills" to the higher good, then the American experiment is doomed. We must use our vote to be heard and our transformed lives to reshape our nation. There is nothing new under the sun. Everything we see today has been reimagined from its previous form to its current state. Let's recast our future along with our nation to a more enduring symbol of freedom and justice for all.
The Apostle Paul noted: "In whom the god of this world hath "Blinded the Minds" of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV.)
Notice that he said that the minds of men had been blinded and not their eyes. Because we don't see with our eyes, we see through them. It is our minds that perceive and interpret. Like there are levels of thought, there are levels of perception and consciousness. Two people can look at the same thing and yet perceive something different. Now, this does not make one good or bad; however, it is critical in one's development. We live and make choices based on our consciousness. When we know better, we do better. "My people perish due to a lack of knowledge." The larger question is, what do we know because knowledge feeds our consciousness?
It is still too early to close that door shut because one of the great lessons of 2020 is that so much can happen within 24 hours. We are currently losing close to 4,000 lives daily, and our hubris, tone-deafness, and tribalism are primarily responsible. It is not a hoax; it will not just go away; it is not a left or right-wing conspiracy; It is a virus, a deadly pandemic. It is an unfortunate occurrence and inconvenience, which sometimes happens in life. But it's not what happens to you that determines the outcome; ultimately, it is how one responds that is critical. The almost unbelievable thing is that the leading scientists warned us that this could happen. There is something to be said about unity and brotherhood. When a group, team, or nation is unified against a sworn enemy, powerful and reaffirming outcomes become possible. Surprisingly, the media, scientists, and those that agreed with them became the enemy. While the real enemy, the virus, ran wild, indiscriminately destroying lives, families, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. Simultaneously, we were busy bickering like petulant kids in a sandbox. And the President continues to work on his golf swing while taking momentary breaks to sow more discord into the election system's confidence. As the virus increases its intensity, a vaccine has now arrived, and as 2021 begins. We hope that the conclusion of Corona is also near. My question is, what did we learn about ourselves, our fellow men, our country, and our world? It appears that we are still in class, wrestling with the very elementary of lessons Christ espoused. A house divide against itself cannot stand. Are we indeed conscious, or has the evil one blinded our minds?
From the time we enter the world, most of us are met with love and compassion. It's nothing like seeing the innocence and beauty of a newborn. As they get days older and begin to open their life-filled eyes, we understand the promise they hold at their fingertips. So, we do all we can to give them the best opportunities that life offers. However, as parents, our jobs are much more intuitive; deep down, we know we must prepare them for life. And though it causes us pain to see them hurt, injured, or wounded, we know that these momentary discomforts are a necessary part of their development. Therefore, we attempt to manage the risk and the extent of possible and foreseen injury. Now, this is great; however, we must continue to be aware that life within itself is a teacher, and it uses pain as its rearing tool. So whatever lessons I missed or my parents fail to teach, life is there waiting for the opportunity to fulfill its rearing responsibility. Now, this will not be counseling, coaching, or a pity party session, but it will be a calculated jolt of pure pain. The pain is terrible, but on the other side of the pain is an opportunity to become wiser.
The bible says that Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. The question is, have we? Have we come to understand that certain life principles will break us before allowing us to make a mockery of their existence? Many of the significant figures in the bible carried lifelong wounds due to a spiritual encounter, disobedience, judgment, or symbolizing what they had overcome. Just ask Adam and Eve after the fall, Jacob, after his wrestling match, Paul and his thorn in his flesh, and of course, Jesus on the cross. Pain and suffering have a purifying effect on the hard-headed and stubborn. More importantly, the pain, suffering, and wounds should be indicative of our wisdom. As they say, there is nothing worse in the world than wasted talent, a lazy man, a nasty woman, and an "OLD FOOL." Many admire and desire great wisdom, but wisdom comes from great pain and suffering and the wounds to show for it. Wisdom is not learned; it must be discerned; it is not taught; it must be caught; it is not found; it must be revealed. It is a gift to the overcomer.
In difficult times there is always a ray of hope. Something that will allow us to keep our head raised and our eyes fixed on the goal of truth, freedom, righteousness, and justice for all. There will be seasons of difficult times, but they don't always last. We must find our collective character to avoid the abyss. We must return to our founding principles and the word of God, neither of which we have yet to live up too, but we will if we stay the course if we abandon hate and divisiveness and embrace love and compassion. As Dr. King noted, for America to reach its promise, we must have a Revolution of Values, a kind of revolution of self. We have work to do.
America, it is paramount that we recognize the pain and suffering we have all endured, the massive loss of life, and the open wounds that are still festering. Only a fool repeats the same mistake that caused them significant loss. We must find our way to forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. We must embrace the lessons of 2020 and grow from them, but this will require a purifying and challenging process. A process that involves humbleness and a pliable heart because we must transform (from caterpillar to butterfly) our wounds into wisdom.
I spent yesterday reflecting on 2020, attempting to evaluate my success and failures, and noting the many lessons this year are still teaching. I am grateful to have the opportunity to live and to see this consequential time. As I make plans (not resolutions) for 2021, one can see that we as a people have many challenges ahead. The conversion of the information, social, technical ages, and the dawn of artificial intelligence has wreaked havoc on our sensibilities and caused the whole world to be in flux. As Sophocles once proclaimed, "Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse." Many of these advances are blessings, but in the hands of evil men, a curse. And as Each of us seeks something concrete to trust in, the truth is being distorted daily. As a man falls into the dark abyss of nothingness, he must find his character to save himself. Rediscovering truth and righteousness can help keep us from this onslaught of manipulation and deceit. In one passage of scripture, Jesus found it necessary to differentiate himself from the manipulators and deceivers by proclaiming: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows] (John 10:10 AMP)."
Living life more abundantly is about living it more richly. It's not about living a life of poverty or existing as a miser; neither does it mean spending money you don't have. To live life richly and more abundantly is to take advantage of every second, to seize every opportunity, to live every breath as though it is your last. To be free of hate, envy, greed, worry, lust, and any other sin, to forgo degenerate culture. Sin makes a prisoner of men. While the truth frees and a righteous life fulfills. Life is not about the multitude of things but the richness of moments. 2020 reminded us that life is more significant than our challenges and more consequential than our disagreements, but is made great by true love, forgiveness, and understanding, not by proclaiming a slogan or returning to past defeated ideas. Our future is ahead of us, not behind us. Life moves forward, never backward. As the Apostle Paul noted: "I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind me, and I struggle for what is ahead. I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed (Philippians 3:12-16 CEV)."
Jesus spent his life getting us to understand that he came to fulfill the law, not to have us limited by it. He moved us forward to grace a more malleable interpretation of it. A law that was not rigid but fortified in love and compassion. Our future depends on our ability to live peaceably with our fellow man. We are being destroyed by our "own" hubris and lack of empathy. As Christ came to raise the level of our existence, we must follow his example and raise our level.
How cumbersome would it be to pursue those personal attributes that would lead one from ordinary to extraordinary? It would be quite simple, merely seeking the highest good in all our endeavors. Holding the truth high while resisting the lie, not the untruths others peddle, but the lies we faithfully tell ourselves. It's your life; it's your responsibility, so be "GREAT" or go home. In 2021, I will live my life with more passion, love, and consideration. I will maximize every breath I have in being and doing good. I will continue to help build my fellow man, regardless of race, color, or creed. I am a child of the Most- High God, a son of humanity, and a proud American, entitle to every conceivable freedom and luxury God intended for all his offspring. Blessings to you all, and may you experience life in 2021 to the full until it overflows.