I LOVE watching old documentaries. They seem to bring you back in time, you see places that are now totally different, you see buildings that do not exist any more, people who may or may not have passed away long ago. I am watching one now and I see some men walking in a wood. I can’t help wondering about them. Where are they now? Are they still alive? What were their stories, their lives like? Were they aware that their images might be seen after a long time, in other countries, by people they would never know? Movie pictures are something magical. They make you actually see with your own eyes something that happened long ago as if it were happening right now. You are familiar with this idea but, if you reflect upon it, you realize how miraculous this is. The past becomes present once again, in front of your very eyes. It makes you think that “nothing” really ends, that nothing is ever over. Also “people” are never actually erased from the whiteboard of creation.
What does all this wondering mean? Where does it bring me? It leads me to simply consider the fact that each of us is someone who actually exists, who has a specific place here on Earth, someone who can still have a “presence” after a long time, who can be remembered, or acknowledged, or thought about. Each of us means something not only to ourselves, but also to others.
You have certainly experienced a sort of uneasiness in the presence of a person you know, someone who, due to the way they speak and behave, make you wish you were somewhere else. On the other hand, you surely know someone else whose presence is always welcomed by all because of their good attitude.
You, too, can influence others. Think that, just by looking at you, people can be affected positively or negatively, they can be either inspired, depressed or uplifted by the aura that surrounds you. Your being here, now, means a great deal to others and you must become aware of this wonderful power you possess. Therefore, do not waste the opportunity to make your existence a beautiful example of a life well lived.
How can you live “well”? How can you do good to your fellow human beings and be “happy” at the same time? The Greek philosopher Aristotle said that our happiness depends upon ourselves. It does, indeed. How can you “know”? Try remembering one specific time when you experienced a sudden burst of happiness without apparent reasons. I am sure it happened. It may happen even now. All at once you feel contented, you just “know” that everything is fine, that all is going the way it should. You are aware that this feeling comes out of the blue and it may last just an instant. Nevertheless it is highly meaningful, if you briefly ponder upon it.
If this sudden happiness blooms out of your inner self, like a magic flower, it can only mean that you have the capacity to be happy, it means that the most wonderful feelings are innate inside of you and they can blossom at any time, if you only allow them, if you maintain the right disposition. Isn’t this good news? Isn’t it reassuring to know that your spirit is naturally wired toward cheerfulness, bliss and optimism, that there is a place in you that has the power to make you experience such uplifting sensations? On the other hand, when you tend to accept gloomy thoughts coming from outside of you, you are making a different (wrong?) choice. It’s up to you to decide.
The world you live in, your environment, your workplace, your family are all pawns on the chessboard of your life. You have all the “elements” you need to carry out your game and you are also responsible for how you decide to use them. Be wise enough and move them in a sensible way so that you may eventually corner (= finally control) your negativity and declare, “Checkmate”!E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.com
— Elsa Franco Al Ghaslan, a Saudi English instructor and published author (in Italy), is a long-time scholar of positive thinking.
E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.Blogspot.com
Creative Thinking: Checkmate!
