ALIVENESS is a noun – the state of being ALIVE. Here are 2 of the definitions of alive from the Encarta Dictionary, on-line:
a.live (adjective)
4. full of life
Full of energy and vigor, and with a zest for and interest in life.
5. animated
Active or animated, especially full of busy activity or a sense of excitement.
Those of you who have read other posts I have written know that I value attitude as an essential factor in emergency preparedness and outdoor adventure.
I read an excerpt from a book recently that has had me reflecting on my attitude and state of mind as I go about my daily routine. I want to take this opportunity to share some thoughts and insights on the value of ALIVENESS.
I’ll begin by sharing two quotes. The first from the excerpt I read, and the second from President Harry Truman – put on the side of a design-it-yourself mug given to me by my daughter:
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
— From a spiritual mentor of Gil Bailie as quoted in Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and advise them to do it.
— Harry S. Truman
The more I study and observe the current political, social, emotional and moral state of our society the more I realize how mentally and spiritually numb most people are today. People are out of balance and out of touch with the realities that are all around them. They are incapacitated by fear, unhappiness, confusion, dependency, indoctrination, ignorance, and the list goes on and on. Folks hope for change and security – without the capability for felling ALIVE and DYNAMIC.
While I feel blessed to have finally grasped the true value of ALIVENESS, I am filled with compassion and sorrow for those who have not realized its worth. The less than honorable agendas and schemes of those who exert the most powerful influences on our society today have robbed so many of the ability and yearning to feel and act ALIVE.
The difficulties of the present have enabled many people to seriously consider and critically assess their response to the uncertainty and anxiety of these times in which we all find ourselves. Use this opportunity wisely.
Evaluate – embrace – and embody the actions and attitudes that awaken in us the exhilaration of ALIVENESS. Quietly reflect on what it is that makes you feel truly ALIVE. We all have had times in which we have felt joy, passion, excitement inspiration and fulfillment. What were you doing when you felt these emotions? Strive to do it again and again! It is never too late to grow from just existing, reacting and filling space, to waking up and LIVING.
Because what the world needs are people who have come ALIVE!!
February 2011: A new quote –
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
— Thornton Wilder
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