The Death of Achilles, by Peter Paul Rubens.*
A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.
Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.
Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."
The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.
One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.
Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.
So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!
Watch your thoughts ; they become words.
Watch your words ; they become actions.
Watch your actions ; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
*picture courtesy of Women in Greek Myths.
exactly. our character can either make or break our destiny.
ReplyDeleteleft you a birthday greeting on your previous post.
Very wise words. Strange that very few of us are listening. It seems that greed is more powerful than happiness...
ReplyDeletehi, evi! saw it, thanks much! i also believe in that. but like what sidney said, only a few listen. and sometimes we are guilty of some of the things written above.
ReplyDeletethis is almost the same with Leo Tolstoy's short story... i cant remember bthe titile though..
ReplyDeleteAll very true. I think "balance" is the key word.
ReplyDelete"Christ said, seek you first the Kingdom of God and everything will be added to you."
ReplyDeleteIf we'll follow these words of Christ, i am sure everything we did on earth will be useful enough for us to have the salvation and life ever lasting.
tell me one day if you remember, monmon!
ReplyDeletei think so, too, irene.
hope the words will not be misinterpreted though, SEL. but i agree that if we live according to according to God's word, life will be easier. easier said than done goes to cliche.
loved this post.
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my blog.
will u mind if i link you up?
"Watch your thoughts ; they become words.
Watch your words ; they become actions.
Watch your actions ; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
-i'll keep these words.
they're much like yoda's saying:
fear leads to anger,
anger leads to hate,
hate leads to suffering,
suffering leads to destruction.
anyways,
thanks.
godbless.
hi, bulitas, no problem about the link. thanks.
ReplyDeletehad visited your blog before when i was still in blogger. i noticed that (without offense) that your blog looked more friendlier than before. layouts do speak so much about the owner/writer. dont you think?
fear leads to anger,
anger leads to hate,
hate leads to suffering,
suffering leads to destruction.
that is one adage to remember, too. thank you for returning the visit.
It would be nice to slow down once in a while and get away from it all...
ReplyDeleteagree, single. that could help refresh the mind, the body, and most of all, the spirit.
ReplyDeleteWe see it all the time... people who have all the money in the world... they have fame, fortune, everything... but they're still unhappy. Sometimes, those who live simple lives are the happiest of all. I like this post. Thanks for visiting my blog Bing.
ReplyDeletethanks for returning the visit, toe. saw you at irene's place, got intrigued by the alias. hope you enjoyed the visit.
ReplyDeletealam ko na yung title...
ReplyDelete"how much land does a man need?"
relative nga 'no, monmon? title pa lang, e.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us this insightful post, Bing.
ReplyDeleteTruly, the best things in life are free! But it appears that many people don't realize this. Sad, huh?
P.S. Belated Happy Birthday! :-)
thanks, jayred. really sad..
ReplyDelete