If we listen to the pundits, what seems to be the driving forces in our lives or should be, is the attainment of power, the feeling of success and finding happiness. It also seems that one leads to the other. One cannot be happy if one is not successful. And on cannot be successful if one is not in power somehow in some way. Power leads to success and power and success lead to happiness.
On the surface, that seems logical and it probably is from a secular standpoint. People in power are successful in their given vocations, whatever those vocations may be, from CEOs in business, to presidents of universities in education, to bishops in religion. They have power and are successful and thus, we presume and assume, happy. Whether they are or are not happy is up for grabs. We’d have to ask them. If they said they were not, we, as secularists, would have to wonder why. That’s the world we live in.
But we also live in another world, not a competing world, but a world that looks at life being more than striving for power, success and happiness. We see life being about peace, love and joy. We desire peace of mind, love of the other, joy in simply being alive. What we know is that peace, love and joy do not bring power, success and happiness nor do power, success and happiness bring peace, love and joy.
Power in and of itself does not bring peace of mind. The powerful person is always on the lookout for someone more powerful to come along and take away that power. On the way to power and success one often acts in very unloving ways. In fact, it is almost a rule that one has to step on and step over others to gain success and power. And then there is happiness. How does one define it? Are we ever totally happy or do we constantly strive for more and better to be happier than we are now?
On the other hand, no amount of power and success can bring internal peace because they are inherently averse to peace. When we are at peace with ourselves, our life as it is, we are able to give ourselves in love and are able to be loved. And when we are loved and loving, we find joy in simply being alive. That does not mean that one cannot be a person in power. It simply means that striving for power and maintaining it can be so consuming that finding peace of mind, being open to love and being joyful is difficult if not, at times, seemingly impossible.
Given in the world we live, it almost seems, sadly enough, that we only find peace and love and joy as we grow older, when the pursuit of power, success and happiness has lost its charm and driving force. But at least we have found it or are on our way to finding it. We’ll probably never we be totally at peace, always open to love and being loved, filled with Godly joy. And maybe that’s good. It’s something to look forward to each day. What can be more rewarding than a peaceful day, a loving relationship and the joy that that brings?
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