A lot of us go through unbelievable hardships in life. Very many of us have had to go through tremendous turmoil, unfortunate tragedies, and unbelievably tough times. For some of us, maybe our parents were rather cruel and unstable; or perhaps such was the case regarding some of our teachers or classmates. Or maybe some of us have had to deal with significant physical or socioeconomic handicaps. Many of us have had to face real pain involving the loss of a loved one or dear friend. Most of us were shaped to be programmed by a society that is competitive, money oriented, and extremely superficial (in terms of deep meaning and real integrity). Most of us have been harmed psychologically (by cruelty and indifference); many of us do not even realize the vast extent of the damage that has been done to us. Beyond the past, we all, whether we like it or not, are facing a very precarious future. The world is getting more and more dangerous, more and more divided; we have not fundamentally changed (psychologically) since our early barbarian ancestry days. And now, with nuclear armaments being able to wipe out billions and with germ warfare a real possibility, here we sit. Violent winds and ferocious storms and wildfires are increasing as pollution gets far worse, as many politicians are indifferent, and as fossil fuelled homes and vehicles run rampant.
Given the aforementioned circumstances, it would be very arduous to be truly stable in such a tough, unstable world (such as it is). It would be very easy to remain truly stale in such a tough, unstable world (such as it is). One cannot really blame others for their staleness and lack of depth; they were educated and programmed to be that way. Many cannot change; many do not want to change. We were taught that we are separate from each other. We were taught that we are different. Within all of the vast darkness, there can be light and real intensity. That light must shine from you; it cannot merely be given by another. Such light is never really just secondhand; however, darkness can easily be secondhand (or of a residual, shadow-like, cold recurrence). To be a truly bright human being, here, has little to do with intellectual capacity, with copying and mimicking.
Struggling in Life (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017
Struggling in Life (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Wonderful and insightful. You sure do put a lot into your posts.
We sure hope so, Bonny! 🙂
So true Tom. I make an effort to shine brightness on the good things in life, Sometimes it is hard to do so.
Yes, S.B., it’s sometimes hard; however, to do otherwise is a bit cadaverous. Keep shining! 🙂
Great post Tom.
Thank you much, Sylvia! 🙂
Great thoughts Tom, and what a most beautiful close up picture!
Thank you! (The photo was taken in our backyard!) 🙂
Woww wonderful and exotic insect Tom! Magic capture! 🙂
Thank you, Marcela! 🙂
Very good post Tom, is true, we need more light in our hearts! 🙂
🙂 Yes indeed!
So much yet
to be learned
from the 6 legged 🙂
I wonder why I was so happy 70 years ago when I was just a kid even though it was wartime? Can’t have anything to do with my current jaded outlook on life or the times we live in. Your blog hits is right on the head