When I finish watching the news these days, I find myself spending time afterwards reflecting on how crazy this world has become. Taking time to read posts on social media also makes me wonder about the direction of our world – everyone, no matter their age, now has a platform to express their opinions (good and bad). I find myself thinking about the “old days” and why can’t it be simple again? I know there is a lot of aspects in our Government that are difficult, especially when it comes to Third World countries, tariffs, embargoes, treaties, proclamations, etc. But normal everyday life should be simple it should be easy. We sleep for an average of 8-10 hours a day, so that leaves 14 hours that we have to communicate with others.
I read a book a long time ago titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. The idea of the book was that if we went back to the things we learned when we were young and applied them to our everyday life, the world would be a much better place:
Share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, wash your hands before you eat, when you go out into the world – watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
If we added the Commandments to that list: You shall have no other gods before me, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, Honor your father and your mother, You shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, etc.
And of course, I would add the simple concept of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
Why can’t it be simple? It seems so simple!! Maybe I am wired differently than others … I truly don’t find it difficult to live simple. To be able to breathe in and breathe out, or as I tell my children – Just Be. Maybe I owe it to my parents. I have always lived by the “Love God, Love Others” concept. Forgiveness is so easy, loving people is so easy, not yelling, saying please and thank you, yes mam and yes sir, opening car doors and doors to buildings and smiling – it’s not hard. There was a Christian slogan several years ago- “What would Jesus Do” and yes there were bracelets that had WWJD on them. But if we stopped before we acted and reacted and thought about what we were getting ready to do or say, or we actually thought about all the things I mentioned earlier … then I really think we would be heading in the right direction.
So, my question is Why Can’t it be Simple?
