Never Look Down But Always Look Up

Depression, mood disorders, personality disorders and all other forms of mental illness are eating away at the fabric of our society. Millions upon millions of dollars each year are spent on treatments, medicines, counseling and long hospital stays for men, women, and children from all walks of life. The suffering millions include the rich, the poor, the successful, the failures, the famous and the infamous.

In short, mankind has lost its way. We no longer have a clear idea about human nature, Mother Nature, morality, immorality, right, wrong, or anything in between. How did we get this way? What can we do to turn it all around?

When a person has lost sight of his goals, of what is truly important, of whom he is in relation to the God who created all that is, the result is a breach. Something goes out of sync and out of control. There is no longer harmony. Life must resemble a symphony if there is to be happiness. All the aspects of your being must be moving in the same direction, towards the end in mind. That is harmony. The opposite is discard, which sends chills up the spine, and causes one to wince.

Part of our problem lies in the preoccupation we have with ourselves. A person, who is always thinking of himself or herself first, will soon end up last. It is only a question of time before the obsession with themselves causes others to distance themselves from such an unhealthy outlook. We are not the only ones who matter. Other people matter too.

Everyone has feelings, dreams, aspirations, likes, dislikes, and heartaches. Why not step back and give them a little room too. The person who not only wants it all, but expects it all, will surely be disappointed. His straight ahead gaze will one day become a permanent stare, focused on the gutter of regret.

It is time to change our outlook. It is time to look out and look up. Look up at the universe around us. Go out to the sea, to the desert, or to the mountains. Choose a night that is clear, crisp, and devoid of moonlight. Raise your eyes to the heavens and contemplate the beauty and grandeur before you. In doing so, you will feel small but not insignificant. You will feel humbled, but not humiliated. You will contemplate the whole of humanity, not just your own destiny. Maybe even more important for your psyche or emotional and spiritual wellbeing, will be the realization that you and others must matter.

Such an awakening can only bring happiness and a feeling of harmony and contentment. Many lifetimes could be spent in contemplating the universe around us. It is simply too big to ever understand. Some of its parts move too fast for us to ever appreciate. Ranges of temperature are too extreme to have meaning for us. Here are a few examples.

Our galaxy, The Milky Way, is only one of tens of billions of galaxies. It is a spiral galaxy containing one hundred billion stars. To travel across the galaxy would require one hundred thousand years at a speed of five trillion, eight hundred million miles per year. The universe began almost 14 billion years ago in a blazing explosion of energy called the Big Bang. Galaxies which were formed during the aftermath are still moving away from each other at increasing speeds. Our solar system is almost five billion years old. Our sun is now in middle age and one day, about five billion years from now it will die, and our Earth will die with it.

Time is difficult to grasp where the universe is concerned. Huge numbers are thrown about because small numbers just will not do. How about a billion? It is a number much in use these days. We speak of billionaires or a two hundred billion dollar trade deficit. What is a billion? It is a thousand millions. Did you know it has only been a little more than a billion minutes since Christ died on the Cross?

Now go back to the Milky Way Galaxy. Remember I said it was only one of billions of galaxies in the universe. It contains about one hundred billion suns or stars. The average distance between each star is about five light years. It takes one hundred thousand light years to cross the galaxy.

Are you beginning to get the picture? Quit looking at the gutter. Get rid of the morbid obsession with self and start dreaming again. Look for truth. Search for the truth. Grow up as your grow old and grow wise as you grow up. Do you matter? Of course you do, or I would not have shared these thoughts with you today.