Saturday, December 9, 2017

First week of advent - Saturday

Neale Donald Walsch suggests in his Conversations With God books that if we don't like the word "God" we substitute the word "Life." Instead of saying, "God loves us," we say, "Life loves us."

During this Christmas season we reflect on the Life we have been given, what it means, what we should do with it, how we should respond to this gift.

During this contemporary time of materialism we are constantly encouraged to grasp for more. Nothing is ever good enough. We are satisfied momentarily and then want something more. The technical term the psychologists use for this phenomenon is "hedonic adaptation."

The stoics tell us that what we should strive for is contentment. We should eschew desiring what we don't have and focus on satisfaction with the things that we do. During this advent season we re-focus on what Life has given us and as we feel the increase in gratitude and appreciation we are then able to allow our gratitude and appreciation spill over to others. We are reminded, forcefully, during advent what it is we have received from Life that we can share with others.

Sheyrl Crow sings

My friend the communist
Holds meetings in his RV
I can't afford his gas
So I'm stuck here watching tv
I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that)
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

 

1 comment:

  1. I like this post a lot. Watch this dramatic scene with Meryl Streep and Rene Zellwinger to the end. click here

    ReplyDelete

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