Saturday 15 May 2010

Entitlement And Appreciation

What's the key to being resilient, tolerant, adaptable, humble and less judgmental?

I think the answer lies in believing that nothing you have is deserved. Not in the sense that you don't reap anything you sow, or own anything you create, but in the sense that you're never entitled to anything in the first place.

With such a mindset in place, everything can be appreciated at greater depth. The value of everything and anything becomes illuminated with clarity now that one realizes that for everything one owns, a million other things might've conspired such that one's possessions were never to be. Our very existence and life experiences will be taken less for granted, as will the lives of others, particularly those who are underprivileged. Our achievements will be deservedly attributed more to the conditions around us - such as our friends and family - we now recognize more clearly as having allowed us to seize the moment, rather than arrogantly believing that we are all just our own islands.

I believe the world can be beautiful once again with this perspective in mind.

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