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Ideally, everyone should practice the 'Golden Rule' which is do unto others as you would have others do unto you. As an example - should we eat, knowing that every day thousands of people parish from starvation? Why should some be seemingly condemned to a life of misery, disease and poverty while others are over-blessed?
As a lad of twelve I became aware of the many ramifications and benefits of the Golden Rule if applied properly by the majority of people, and have spent a lifetime pondering why many obviously do not believe in it or attempt to practice it. I have also come to strongly believe that the Golden Rule is a guide for every facet of one's life. I am not a 'religious' person, yet I believe in a Higher Power. I also believe when a person expires that he or she will be held accountable for all the positive things he or she accomplished - and all of the negative things. Nobody realy knows what happens after this 'judgment,' but I think there are many like myself who do not wish the sum total of our lives to be weighed and 'judged' on the negative side. Furthermore, I have found that it makes one feel good to be positive rather than negative. None of us are perfect - we all make mistakes - yet our mistakes should not deter us from our dream. As in my example, if we dream of curing world hunger but only manage to help the destitute in our own communities, that is still more than if we had done nothing at all. Perhaps mankind is the sum total of our dreams. Some of us limit our dreams, others dream impossible dreams. I believe that the Golden Rule and impossible dreams have gotten us where we are today, and can take us to a much more enlightened world and society in the future. |
The Impossible Dream
To dream the impossible dream,
to fight the unbeatable foe,
to bear with unbearable sorrow,
to run where the brave dare not go...
To right the unrightable wrong,
to love pure and chaste from afar,
to try when your arms are too weary
to reach the unreachable star!
This is my quest --
to follow that star
no matter how hopeless,
no matter how far --
To fight for the right
without question or pause,
to be willing to march into hell
for a heavenly cause!
And I know
if I'll only be true
to this glorious quest
that my heart
will be peaceful and calm
when I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this
that one man, scorned and covered with scars,
still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable stars!