Kindle One

The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.

Carl Jung
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Hello Lora
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One of the great mysteries about human beings is that so many people don't believe or understand that goodness, virtue, honesty and excellence are really the most important qualities in life to be strived for. Oh, you can call me an innocent fool of you wish, but too many thinkers of the present and past have agreed that we survive only because we shun the self destroying evils that grow in the swamps of ignorance. I often wonder what dangerous weed it is that people suck on to make them oblivious to any wrong doing. Cheating, lying, stealing, infidelity, crime and revenge are justified up and down the stairways of our lives and they leave behind a small but loving group of stunned victims.

I read a lot of philosophy, and the best thinkers have agreed through the centuries that the pursuit of virtue is man's greatest responsibility and when achieved his greatest reward. While hedonism, egotism, nihilism and a false sense of entitlement have been liberally handed out to the unsuspecting non-thinkers. Where do those come from? A talking serpent? ("You shall not surely die.")

When I read the comments iI get about what I've written I always think I'm preaching to the choir and trying to convert the converted. Do the people who really need to read this read it? How much light can one man shine in the darkness and how much compassion can he show for the people living in it.?

People who live in the dark don't care about themselves, even as they appear the most self-concerned, self-righteous and self-important. People who live in the dark are squeamish about true courage, the courage it takes to be good. People who live in the dark are morally corrupt and they don't' know it.

The darkness is always around wherever there are shadows and it's ready to entrap any one of us, even saints. And that is why the light must always be lit, as the ancient Hebrews learned. One match can't do that much, but it can light another and that can light a candle and the candle light can set some rolled up paper on fire which will get the wood stove going. Twigs form the wood stove will light the lamps. So there is heat and light.

If you have one match, one good idea, one simple desire to help, one chance "to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being," there is no telling what can come of it for the benefit of those who aren't listening to my sermon.

DB - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
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