Philosophy of Life

Do I have a philosophy of life?  I'm not sure, I do know that if I have one it has changed a great deal over my lifetime.  The changes came about through hard -learned lessons on life, love, parenting, and responsiblity. Some lessons were learned from life experiences, some from books, others from observations, many from stories my mother told me and some from animals and even some from televisions programs especially the ones like 20/20, 48 Hours, and Dateline.

I would almost like to write this as a poem, but poetry sometimes stumps me. So I write essay style and from my heart.  

Being honest with oneself and others seems to come first. I learned this the hard way when I was very little, and fear seemed to rule my thoughts.  It is important and at times difficult which brings me to my next little guide: do not use the pretense of honesty to hurt or embarass someone.  If it is necessary to say something that is honest, but that will hurt, do it gently and privately.  Which brings me to gentleness.

Be gentle with everyone - children, animals, eldrly people, spouses, friends, and neighbors and  perhaps most importantly with one's self - not just physically  gentle but verbally and emotionally gentle. People are fragile and most will appreciate a little sensitivity at a tough time.

Last of my philosophies is respect.  We all appreciate respect and we all need give the same respect to life in all forms: people, environments, property, animals and each other.  Respect is the lubricant that lets the wheels of civilization turn smoothly.  Deborah Norville from the TV news program "Inside Edition" has written a book ( 2-3 years ago) about just this topic - respect. It should be required reading in all schools.  Think how different the world might be if we could all simply respect each other.