Taking Stock
I was almost amused at how much panic the stock market dip of this week caused people with money. Just when they thought it was safe to wade in the capital along comes some crisis in Greece and a few fat trading fingers and the whole house of cards comes crashing down. It recovered. Never mind that the Greek people will be suffering from this monetary puzzle for years, at least our stocks are safe.
If you spent a lot of time worrying about this, I would suggest you need to look at your priorities again. Real people are suffering in this recession. Those of us fortunate enough to have a little investment need to take a look at the bigger picture and imagine how we might be part of the solution in getting people back to work.
I believe that the best way to find the more of what we are looking for in life is to first take stock of what we have. Not in some platitude to an unnamed God but some real heartfelt appreciation of what few blessings we have. Thankfulness, I believe, is one of the touchstones of meaning and it helps us to adequately judge what we are really looking for in the world. When we take stock of what we really want we will often find it is not more things. “Imagine no possessions” sang John Lennon (although I am reminded that he was a millionaire).
Imagine (pray if you can) that the world could provide for each according to their needs. Imagine what it would mean to stand on the side of love, not profit, and take stock of what you have and what you can do with it.
With Grace and Grit, John
