Friday, December 13, 2024

We are at a crossroads, but the future is still ours

During this holiday time, you may be thinking about what you can give to your grandchildren. I suggest that give them the gift of a positive outlook on life and the gift of how you love the world. Teaching them to learn to love the world means that you teach them that they cannot be pleasantly indifferent about its future. Teach them that there is wisdom in knowing that change has come before and, what is more, that it will keep on coming, often when they least expect it; unplanned, spontaneous, and sometimes, even just in time.

Learning to love the world means embracing it in all its complexity—the beauty and the imperfections, the joys and the struggles. True love for the world does not permit complacency or indifference about its future. Instead, it calls us to care deeply and act thoughtfully, to recognize our role in shaping what is to come.

When we love something, we are compelled to nurture and protect it, to ensure it thrives for generations to come. This is the essence of love for the world: a commitment to its future, its people, and its potential. Such love invites us to believe in the power of progress, even when the present feels uncertain, and to trust that better days are possible.

But this love also carries with it a profound wisdom—the understanding that change is an inevitable part of life. History shows us that transformation often arrives unbidden, sometimes in the face of great adversity, and often just when it is needed most. Change can be unpredictable, even chaotic, but it also brings opportunities for growth, renewal, and discovery.

For those who doubt themselves or feel overwhelmed by the challenges of our time, this understanding offers hope. You don’t need to have all the answers, nor do you need to solve everything at once. Instead, focus on what you can love and nurture in the world around you. Each small act of care, each connection made, contributes to a future where love and fairness prevail.

The meaning of life is intricately tied to this act of loving. It’s about finding purpose not in grand, unattainable goals, but in the relationships, we build, the beauty we create, and the kindness we extend. Love—for people, for nature, for the possibility of something better—gives life its depth and its direction. It reminds us that even when the path ahead is unclear, we can make a difference, starting with ourselves.

Looking forward, let us hold onto the belief that the world is capable of surprising us in wonderful ways. Just as the sun rises after the longest night, so too can humanity find its way through times of darkness. By loving the world and investing in its future, we become part of the change we wish to see.

When you choose to love the world, you choose hope over despair, action over indifference, and connection over isolation. This love is not passive; it is a force that inspires resilience and creativity. It asks us to imagine new possibilities, to take risks, and to trust that even the smallest gestures of care can ripple outward in profound ways.

So, as we stand at this crossroads in history, let us remember that the future is not fixed. It is shaped by the love we give today, the dreams we dare to dream, and the courage we show in nurturing what matters most. Change will come—unexpected, unplanned, and often in ways we cannot foresee. But with love as our guide, we can welcome it with open hearts, ready to shape a brighter, more compassionate tomorrow.

The question is what keeps despair at bay, what keeps life meaningful, when the mind — that meeting place of the body and the spirit — comes undone. There is a recognition that there is something wider than thought, deeper than belief, which animates our lives an inextinguishable power of affirmation within us.

The meaning of life is something we have to formulate for ourselves, we have to determine what has meaning for us… However, in my mind, it clearly has to do with love — what and whom and how one can love.

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