Spencer
Decision Point
There comes a point in every person’s life where the road you’ve been traveling comes to an end.
Or maybe the road continues on, but you realize the time has come for you to take a different road. A higher, better road. Where a new and brighter destination awaits.
Perhaps the path you have chosen has taken you as far as possible, or even led you backwards.
Maybe you’ve fallen into a ditch and can’t for the life of you climb out. Moving forward has become impossible.
The good news my friend, is you are not stuck.
To find release, you need only listen to your inner self. It whispers to you in the wind and in dreams, telling you: The chains that bind you are as dust compared to the power of your spirit!
One decision, backed by will and intention, is all that is required. You need only decide, and it shall be done.
Do not think that there is more to it than this. For in thinking it is so, you will make it so, and thus defeat yourself.
Search not for secret formulas or magic spells. Do not put your faith in esoteric or “occult mysteries”, step methods, or pop psychology.
If the milk is sour, throw it away. If the meat is rancid, toss it out.
You wish to change? Then decide to change. That is all.
And if it should come to pass that months later, you still have not changed, search no further for an explanation than this: You simply never truly decided to change in the first place.
“Oh, but I did! I did!” you say. Yet a moment’s honest reflection is all that is necessary to see that your so-called “decision” was half hearted at best.
Understand this – if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice: a choice to remain trapped in bondage, a voluntary servitude, so to speak.
And there, you shall remain, until such a time that you actually do decide. And remember this – that each and every day you put off that decision, you choose to remain in that rut, you choose (by default) death over life, darkness over light, and evil over good.
Because that which robs you of your free will is death. That which drags your spirit downward is darkness. And that which strips you of your dignity is darkness. This then, is what you choose every day.
All this and more is yours, and shall remain yours forever, for want of a simple decision.
What Path Are You On?
So where are you on your path?
Are you choosing to focus on what is positive and most productive in your life?
On creating, building, and contributing to society and those around you?
On love, friendship, and harmony with the people around you?
May we daily utilize our God-given intelligence to make the right choices. May we see each and every day as an opportunity. An opportunity to redeem ourselves from past mistakes.
And if, in the past, we have harmed ourselves through poor choices, or the darkness of addiction, may we now see clearly the hurt we have caused ourselves and society, and therefore choose the higher path of sobriety and integrity.
Let us, from this day forth, put the past behind us, and choose light over darkness, truth over lies, and life over death.
Living Well
Marcus Aurelius once said,
“Wherever it is possible to live, it is possible to live well”.
Meaning that no matter how adverse the environment surround us, it is still possible for us to live with respect and dignity for ourselves and those around us.
For those of us who are incarcerated, it is tempting to want to give in to despair, to cease striving to better yourself, to think it’s no use even trying. For many, after a few years in prison, a feeling of extreme powerlessness often sets in. It just goes with the territory.
But we need not (and should not) use our circumstances as an excuse to mistreat others, or withhold our compassion, or give up on self-improvement. In fact, adverse circumstances should make us even more aware of the need for self-improvement, the need to love our fellow man.
For though we may be unable to change the world in our present state of confinement, we at least can strive to improve out own little corner of that world, to spur ourselves on continually onward and upward in our never ending quest to do better and be better.
Even if the rewards are are few.
In prison, where the brevity of life (if we but open our eyes) is so apparent, we are daily reminded of the transience of all things; of the supreme value of small moments, the priceless nature of kindness for kindness sake. When we fully realize how short is our span of time on this earth, we can begin to understand how absurd is the grasping after luxury, after fine clothes, and bling. There’s nothing like a decade behind bars to awaken a man to the joys of simplicity, the rewards of living with less, of living in harmony with nature.
A good book. A sunset. A few good friends. A freshly grown tomato. A full moon. A small bonfire. Good conversation.
And most important, someone to share it all with. So whether you live in a prison, a ten-million-dollar mansion, or a small, one-room cabin back in the woods, it’s possible to live well.