A lot of conventional wisdom seems to mitigate against being good and doing good. Evil men seem to prosper while the good guys finish last. The meek and the humble are often taken advantage of and exploited. Those who seek to live upright lives often end up getting the short end of the stick. Indeed, the children of this age, of this world, seem to be more shrewd and end up having more of everything. But are they happy?
Never has the world seen so much abundance and prosperity than during our present times. And yet there has never been as much loneliness and anxiety as today. There has never been as much materials things to be had than ever in history. And yet there is so much hunger and thirst that these material things cannot satisfy. Never has the world seen so many ways of connecting and reaching out to people. And yet, there is so much bickering and divisions among nations, among peoples, among groups and even within communities and families.
I count myself among the children of the light. There is a spark within me, a flame burning deep inside, a light that seeks to ignite and cast out the shadows in my life. That light is the consciousness that tells me who I really am, the spirit that seeks to find/encounter my source and my end. Science tells me that matter is indestructible. It merely changes and is transformed into different shapes and forms. Is my consciousness and this light within me merely the result of the complexity and design, the shape and form, that matter has taken in my particular existence? Or is this consciousness, this spirit within me, just temporarily residing in my material body until the time comes for me to be reunited with my source and my end?
I do not pray for material possessions or physical comforts for these have been given to me even before I had asked for them. I am deeply grateful for the joys in my life. These too have been given to me even before I had asked for them. I do not seek pain nor sufferings. But I will welcome them for it is during such dark moments that I see the light within me truly shining through. I seek not tears nor sorrow. But when they come, I am still thankful for the waters of my tears serve to wash away the grime from my daily living. And in the utter weakness I feel when I cry, I regain and renew strength of my spirit.
For such are the mysterious ways of life. For such is the mystery of my God.
“For the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
Luke 16:1-8