This same thinking, in varied measures, is what brought your grandparents' families thru The Great Depression. It's probably the only thing that will move us through the Depression we have now, too. Move us through, and bring us to something better on the other side anyway.
http://countrylife.lehmans.com/2010/05/22/a-new-roadmap/
...... Rather than pursue money, career or any of the other things normally valued by this world we live in, they called on graduates to deliver healing, hope, justice and peace where ever they go. They said we must love the world and show that love to everyone we encounter. They called on them (and on us) to build a world where, 50 years from now, relationships matter. And, not just relationships with family and friends, but relationships that span race, religion, political differences and miles of separation.
This is pretty high-minded thinking. Do I really want my child to make the kind of sacrificial decisions they encouraged? What kind of world would we create if our decisions were governed only by our own needs and wants?
The great paradox is that simply aiming for a life that safe, happy, successful and family oriented often fails, anyway. What any of us would do to fulfill our wants for today may be the very thing that causes us to miss tomorrow's achievements.
Good choices are made based on long-term goals, not short-term dreams. Strangely enough, we often gain the most when we serve others. We usually thrive when we have values that matter, and live them day in and day out (even when those same values require us to make tough decisions).
In the end, I accept the challenge to "Be the Change." Fear may lead me astray, but hopefully faith that I'm doing the right thing, living for what matters and honoring a higher call will bring me back.
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