A man has made at least a start
on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which
he knows full well he will never sit.
—D. Elton Trueblood
Our lives are enriched by
the contributions of those who lived before us. Many men and women gave more
than they ever took from society, and now we enjoy the rewards. Some people
were fired with a spirit to beautify the world and planted trees that will live
for 200 years. Others wrote music that speaks to us from another generation,
and others established a government that guides our principles of justice. They
gave so much because they knew they were a part of their community and the
world.
I may not make the great
contributions that will make me famous, but I can enrich my life and the lives
around me when I contribute freely to improving the community and the world. I
can do this when I simply say hello to my neighbor, when I serve on a volunteer
cleanup committee for a local park, Habitat for Humanity, Caring For The
Homeless of Peekskill (C.H.O.P.), and The Food Pantry. These are vehicles that
I use to help beautify and contribute to the world, and that gives me a feeling
of peace and self-respect.
I wasn't always the person
I am today. Knowing who I was and who I aspire to become has given me grace. Being
angry, violent, believing in nothing greater than myself, and holding on to the
"me against the world" attitude has caused much harm to my self and
to those around me. I have a CHOICE and in the M.A.S. I was conflicted for a
greater portion of my life lived. Recognizing that I can live different to make
a difference has done wonders for my children, my wife, my family, my friends,
even some strangers, and me.
The phrase 'joy (AND)
happiness' always struck me to be odd. The use of the word 'AND' was always in
question- as if joy and happiness were separate entities, and today I believe
they are separate in definition.
Happiness is still
something I have yet to achieve. I feel as if it is measured by time. For
example when someone is happy it describes (to me) a length of time. Happiness
seems as though it is a feeling that must be achieved. And forgive me, I can be
wrong but I find when someone is happy it isn't for a second, a minute, hours,
or even a day. It is a state or a period in their life that they have experienced
'happiness'. I have witnessed people in the act of giving, caring, and planting
those trees that were not happy. Yet still they gave.
Joy is a feeling that I
have experienced many times before but was too ignorant to recognize. Recently
I am blessed to recognize the energy or the electricity it shocks my heart
with, my soul, M.A.S. I feel joy is measured by moments, overwhelming instances
that cannot be denied, and pure genuine emotion. For example, joy blasts our
beings, it shocks the body, it creates tears that cannot be held down, and it
sits heavy and in the gut. Again, forgive me, I can be wrong but joy does not
have to be achieved, it happens whether we like it or not. It cannot be
obstructed. It cannot be controlled. I have witnessed people and myself that
weren't happy experience joy in a moment, isolated tiny events, and it is
obvious (to me) when it occurs. In the act of giving back to the community,
giving back to the universe as it had given to me helps me to feel joy. Planting
a tree and seeing it grow knowing I will never sit in its shade gives me joy.
Seeing people do for others gives me joy. My heart pounds, my eyes well up, and
my spirit is touched when joy overwhelms me.
This is only my opinion.
This isn't science, nor are they facts. This is not meant to offend those who
claim to be happy- it's just when I hear or read the word happiness it still
seems so foreign. However, joy is familiar to me, as this year it has shaken me
over as over again. I am so thankful for these moments and without shame.
Plant a tree.
Peace.
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