On this day of Thanksgiving, we are supposed to make time to be grateful and give thanks. But how is it possible to be grateful for a year that has been as difficult as 2020? A pandemic that is claimed the lives around the world. Not to mention wildfires, hurricanes, contested elections, civil unrest and horrible moments of inhumanity seemingly everywhere you turn. We did not want these problems. But they did happen. And while they are not all our fault, it is up to us what we do with them, what we turn them into, how we manage to become better for them. On the surface, much of what we are upset about or wish had not occurred is so unpleasant that gratitude seems impossible. But if we can zoom out for that more complete view, understanding and appreciation can emerge. First off, you are alive. That is the silver lining of every bad situation and should not be forgotten because our time here could end at any moment. Second, everything that has happened and is happening is ...
Freedom is a burden in the sense that we have to tolerate those freedoms that we may personally not agree with. Because who am I to compel you to live the way I want you to live. Freedom and liberty must to be rooted in a mutual respect. Would you rather people tolerate you and your freedoms or compel and threaten you to change them? It is better to tolerate those Liberties than to try and compel people to give them up. “If we are ever to lose the liberty of open speech we lose the ability to know what truth” John Milton – Areopagitica Without the ability to speak your honest opinion you can’t argue for the Liberties you desire to keep. Because we don’t all think the same, we don’t hold the same opinions. The burden of freedom and the truth can be a hard pill to swallow. We may be unwilling to unpack, think about, or face some truth in our life especially if it goes against our way of life or if it can completely change the current view of what we deem is right and wrong. “all that tru...
Rabbi Akiva “From the bad I see the good. From the troubles I see the redemption.” Rabbi Akiva said: “Beloved are sufferings” – a person should appreciate troubles, because from the troubles we grow. Without troubles a person does not access the deepest recesses of his potential. A great person becomes greater from great troubles.
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