New Year's Resolutions...

Life. Have you ever just sat down and thought about life? Why are we here? What is our purpose? Is there a meaning for our existence? Is there meaning for us being here? Humans, that is. These are the weird questions that I come up with when I have down time at work; that surely there is more to my life and existence than to get in my car, drive an hour, sit in a chair, and make phone calls all day. And I do this just so I can drive home, deal with kids and everything else, and go to bed so I can get up the next day and do it all over again. Do you ever wonder if there is more than this? Do you ever wonder why? Why the struggle, why the fight. Or for that matter, why the laughter and joy and all the other emotions that we feel as humans? Do animals feel the same way? Do they have emotions like we do? I like to think so. I believe that they do. It is obvious that a dog misses its master or mistress, that they grieve, that they feel loyalty and adoration, perchance even love. I believe that all animals have some measure of feelings. Elephants will group around a dying herd member and will not leave until they are totally gone. They often will travel many miles to get to a certain place before they die. Who is to say that is not some level of intelligence? Dogs can be trained but they have to have intelligence to be able to remember. They may not have short term memory but they do have long term memory and can make associations. They even communicate to a degree – scratching at the door to let you know that they want to go outside or placing a paw upon your knee to get your attention. Cats too will demand attention. I know that when my cat Shadow comes to bed at night and nuzzles my face and then curls up beside my head and goes to sleep that he is expressing his feelings towards me in the only way he knows how. And when my dog comes to me to hold her when she is scared and it’s thundering outside and she wants comfort, she is also expressing a level of trust and love – knowing that I will hold her and help to calm her fears. But humans – we are another story. Animals sometimes react on an instinctive level and humans are guilty of that as well. But we have developed free will and a thinking intelligence. But what is our purpose? Our true purpose? To destroy this beautiful world that we live on with our cars and emissions and our materialistic lifestyles? To interact with one another in harmony and mercy and grace? To compete and fight for resources until we are the last one standing? I don’t know the answer, and don’t pretend to know the answer. I have been doing some soul searching and introspection lately and the closest thing I have found to getting an answer came from somewhere that I never thought it would. I was reading on Christian Wicca. This subject has intrigued me now and I will be doing some more reading. During my reading, one part really and truly stuck with me. It is part of the Wiccan Rede. “An it harm none, do what you will.” Basically it means that you do what makes you happy and fulfilled provided that you are not harming anyone or anything. That you reap what you sow, treat nature gently and kindly and you shall have what you want, treat people gently and kindly and they will reciprocate. I am not naïve enough to think that everyone will be so gentle and kind and not take advantage of me but This is my New Year’s Resolution. An it harm none, do what you will. Blessed Be!