By Nova Veraley V. Grafe
People have long dreamed of living in a fraternal society they can trust; of being one with others; and of living a healthy, peaceful, and dignified lives in a world that could watch over them. These are what human beings dream of. You, I, we all aspire for these.
But, let’s take a quick glimpse of what is happening around us. Social unrest, crimes, corruptions, chaos, and death are very sad realities. It is as constant as change, as regular as the ticking of time. It has weakened the bonding of our families; endangered the union of every community, every country and every race.
Who among us would want to make our lives vulnerable to the invasion of hatred, anger, indecency, idolatry, envy, selfishness, corruption and war? These root causes of our impurities may lead us to act improperly. Emptiness in our hearts may create a continuous moral hollowness in this world. What then can we contribute to respond to the ailing needs of our society? Are we ready to make a difference in our lives? Focus. Let us change our paradigm.
According to Melody Beattie and I quote, “ Gratitude makes a sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” And from Harvey Firestone, I quote, “ You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.” This simply means that in everything we do, we need to reflect and examine the deepest part of ourselves, our attitudes that strongly influence the way we
handle differences with others. It is but simple to say “ Thank you,” “ God Bless you,” “I’m Sorry,” “ I accept your apology”… but can you recall the first or last time you did it to a friend or a foe? Patience is a test between pride and humility. Let us learn to live life to the fullest by accepting our strengths and weaknesses, being pleasant to others even if others are not, sharing our blessings even if others will not, and above everything believing in God’s wisdom because He knew from the beginning that our keeping Him in focus would keep us from being distracted with worldly pleasures. Humans are saved by grace through faith but will be judged by works.
If we continue to cultivate and nurture the values expected of us we will be able to contemplate our way of life not only in terms of today and tomorrow, but in terms of how God will ultimately judge our life as we continue to exist.
I long to see a better world ahead of me. Somewhere my family would enjoy and live harmoniously with the rest of mankind and nature. As an instrument of change, I am aware that everything should start within me—my values, my motives, and priorities in life. I wish to convey this message to everyone.
With all these, we will be assured that all men, women, and children in every part of the world will live a world of love and harmony; a world with boundless progress; and a world where dignity is respected.
