Chapter 98 A Moral Duty to Mankind.
We have seen misery brought by the lack of morality. We realise that life is after all, too short and priceless for pettiness, heartlessness and conflicts. There is now the pressing need to bring good into the world. The beautiful writing of William Penn amplifies lifes preciousness and purpose: "I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to my fellow being, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again. Martin Luther King, Jr. echoed this sentiment: "Lifes most persistent and urgent question is, What are we doing for others.
We must, to give meaning to our lives, find and serve something big, something beyond ourselves. One way, is to lose ourselves in others and put them first, especially those badly in need of help. William James stressed this point: "The most important thing in life is to live your life for something more important than your life. Gloria Wade-Gayles concurred on this, "What matters is that we recognise our smallness in the universe and see kindness as the only avenue toward a larger self.
Let"s make our lives worthwhile. Albert Einstein proclaimed, "Only a life lived for others is worth living. That is the way to go and we have so much wonderful work to do. On the contrary, when we stop making contributions, we begin to die spiritually. The famous German writer Goethe concluded, " A useless life is an early death.
Personally I think it is a shame for someone to hang around for 75 years and just walk away without contributing something. Kahlil Gibran commented, "If your knowledge teaches you not to rise above human weaknesses and misery and lead your fellowmen on the right path, you are indeed a man of little worth and will remain such till judgement day.
In great contrast, Mother Teresa and others lived lives marked by priorities, purpose and peace. The George Soros Foundation in New York spends over US$300 million a year on charities! Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson got together and created the historic We Are The World song for Ethiopian relief. Performed by 43 celebrities, the song eventually raised almost US$50 million. Pop stars still team up regularly for concerts to give to AIDS, cancer and various causes. The Make A Wish Foundation in the U.S. helps to make wishes come true for terminally-ill children.
We live life to its fullest when we live for a worthy cause. We earn our normal living by what we get, but we make a meaningful life by what we give. Besides, in giving, we get more, as the saying "The more you give, the more you receive goes. Our successful Oprah Winfrey revealed her secret: "My prayer to God every morning on my knees is that the Power that is in the universe should use my life as a vessel or vehicle for its work. Her wishes were more than answered! Mother Teresa and many other great people also enjoyed this spiritual awakening believed that their actions were directed by divine forces in the universe. Now, you can take this same path to greatness. Start now!
Our God-given psyche feels the joy of doing good. Each of us has the conscience, the innate leaning towards charity. Many are either too busy or bashful to do something. We need to take courage and initiative, and act. The distinguished writer George Bernard Shaw remarked, "This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one; ...the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances... John A. Holmer supplemented this: "There is no experience better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. If you bring happiness to others you just cannot keep it from yourself. No one can dispute that doing good makes us feel good; this is because when we love, we feel noble and saintly.
Love. We are co-dependent on each other - though some of us may not realise - like a tree that is part of the forest, a wave that is part of the sea, we cannot separate ourselves from one another. We are all part of a vast ocean of love. Loving others open the door to the treasure-chest of God. Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do things beautifully. Hence our duty to society and love for humanity should combine nicely to provide that needed impetus and results. Interesting to note, we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving! When we love, giving comes naturally. Giving is gaining, just as working is winning. Elisabeth KublerRoss enthused, "If we make it our goal to live a life of compassion and unconditional love, then the world will indeed become a garden where all kinds of flowers can bloom and grow. Mother Teresa reiterated, "We can cure physical diseases with medicines but the only cure for loneliness, despair and helplessness is love.
Promote acts of kindness. We find that whenever we decide or act with kindness, we usually make the right move. It is high time we do little acts of kindness on an individual level. Lets do it candidly and randomly throughout the day, making daily charity a part of our lives. The smallest act is worth more than the biggest intention. There is no such thing as a little unimportant act of kindness; all such acts are valuable. The influence and benefits of kind words and good deeds are almost eternal.
Emily Dickinson declared, "If I can stop one heart from breaking,…If I can ease one life the aching,…I shall not live in vain. We are here for a reason, lets find it and enjoy it. In the game of life, the spectators seat is not good enough, we must play our parts. Whoopi Goldberg expressed her hope on this: "When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope theyll remember and be kind to someone else. And itll become like a wildfire.
Selflessness. How beautiful this world would be if everyone were selfless; but selfishness has made society ugly, and greed has made people hungry. William Gladstone lamented, "Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race. It hampers us from pursuing useful and charitable goals and keeps others from reaching theirs too. In contrast, selflessness brings self-denial and altruism. Let us now give in a way that would continue to benefit others long after we are gone. That reminds me of an old Indian saying. "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.
Your divine obligation. Thousands of near-death experiences (NDE) reported world-wide over the years described supernatural encounters with a powerful Being of Light who emitted the purest form of love, peace and understanding. The experience also included reviews of the subjects past lives and a question along the line of "What have you done with your life and for your fellowmen? We dont know when we will die, we give ourselves peace of mind if we do everyact of life as if it were our last. Albert Schweitzer stated, "A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him… and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help. Nowadays, too many of us stand up for our rights and too few stand up for our duties. When all is said and done in this world, there is more said than done!
It is sad we have not obeyed our conscience. Lack of care for others brought a situation where half the world doesnt know how the other half lives. There is much to explore and learn, much fascination awaiting us. What a boring earth this would be if we came and did nothing! Life is short, the world has abundant opportunities, why do we solve problems with violence? Why dont we evolve and enlarge that joy of helping others? Lets fall back on our psyche and concur with French writer A. Camus, who stated: "I know only of one duty, and that is to love. James Lowell noted, "Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weighless than a single lovely action.
Being dutiful to others is a part of true success, riches and greatness. The great prophet Mohammed asserted, "A persons true wealth is the good he or she does in the world. R. W. Emerson observed, "The greatest men in all ages have been lovers of their kind. All true leaders of men have it. Faith in men and regard for men are unfailing marks of true greatness. He added, "To share often and much…to know even one life has breathe easier because you have lived. This isto have succeeded.
Many of us are well above the poverty line, past that mark, it is time to give. Bernie Tapie agreed, "Lack of money is a cruel deprivation, while, past a certain point, an excess of money means nothing. The luxury of doing good outshines many other personal enjoyment. In this world of ups and downs, our best motto should be: Have charity in anothers trouble, and courage in our own. When we are old and grey, we will look back on our lives and recognise that the moments when we have really lived are those when we did things in the spirit of love. Dr Maxwell Maltz concluded, "To contribute to life is to contribute to immortality.
Let us leave this chapter with the touching words of St Francis of Assisi, and make them the mission statement for our existence: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness,joy.