Who do you look up to? Who are your own personal heroes, mentors, and true friends? We have our sports heroes and national heroes. We have the heroes of fact and fiction. We have friends who are close to us, and ancestors who lived long ago. What characteristics do we look for that make them our heroes? People who are courageous and strong individuals who show love and kindness. Those who are charitable and giving. We have learned from others that we cannot love without being giving. Charity is a service performed without expectation of receiving something in return. We truly become like those whom we follow. To become we must learn to be similar. We must learn to fill the wells of our hearts with compassion and giving and love. Sometimes we can effectively do this preparation on our own. Sometimes we need help and support. But it is something that does not happen by magic or without conscious effort on our own part. We sometimes need to be willing to change. We need to be willing to be a receiver as well as a giver. That is part of the circle of life. Being willing to participate completely in the process of humanity. Dont be one who begins and then short-circuits the process. Allow it to play out to its continuous ends. Continuous and ongoing like the ripples in the pond that spread when the stone, or goodly deeds, are dropped into the midst. We find that it is easy to love those who love us first. Now we must be different. Now, we must be those who are ready and willing to make a change. We must step forward and be the one to love first. Choose carefully those whomwe follow. There are awesome examples all around of mentors we can place upon pedestals. But beware of your choices upon those pedestals. We are all human, and fall short of expectations from time to time. Be aware and accepting of human frailties. But there are some who have transcended the shortcomings of mankind. There are some who can not fall. For Christians, that would be Jesus Christ. Most deeply religious faiths have their perfect heroes. Find yours. Find someone to be your ultimate mentor. Your guide on the path. Your lamp in the darkness. |
