P5 The Empire we’re in: Individualism & Consumerism

In the previous weeks, the government had made sure that the anti-vaxxers had no reason to demonstrate and/or smash things up.

12-storey floor of retail area inside of Berjaya Times Square shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mainstream churches have also opened their doors to the general public, but as before, the Corona Crisis, the huge shopping centra are and remain the main ‘worship temples’. There, in those shopping malls, people feel most at ease and satisfied that they can buy anything they want to own again.
For them, the big shopping mall is a sacred place to pay homage to their god (Mammon), money.

Consumerism has gone so far that lots of people when they buy something are even not interested in what the ecological footprint might be of what they buy.

Even though most people have become slaves to money, and therefore slaves to their employers, it is up to the Church to make those people realise how they have gone off the rails with their way of life and money-making.

It is up to the believer in the One True God to show people that there are much better ways than the worship of money, by which people are chained.

After the war in the Middle East seemed to have come to an end there was again a new war, the Russians invading Ukraine, we can see that Gog stood up and tries to go south to enlarge its world to get back a Great Russia or USSR. Others wonder who or what that “One World Government” seeking world domination might be.

Many do not want to know about God and His commandments and laugh at the idea of one world government or theocracy. The idea of living in the last days seems for many ridiculous whilst others think we can clearly see the signs indicating we are close to the times of the return of Christ, of experiencing the end of the world, there was something dramatic, inspiring, exciting about it all.

 

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Preceding

Material gain to honour God

Your position about materialistic desires having conquered the world

Looking for the consummation of presents

The Proper Place of Excess

Earth’s pandemic and T-shirts for young people

The meaning of life – Finding purpose

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Additional reading

1. Looking at an era of international “youth culture”
2. Looking on what is going on and not being of it
3. Not everything has to be reciprocated with money
4. An other trait for faith in Jesus and his God
5. Good to make sure that you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy
6. Hamas the modern Philistines
7. The post-Christian world
8. Today’s Thought “Flee these things” (May 24)
9. Today’s Thought “Keep your life free from … ” (June 06)
10. Today’s thought “Flee these things. Pursue …” (November 23)
11. Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:23-31 – The Difficulty of Money
12. Not created to be on our own (Our world) = Not created to be on our own (Some View on the World)
13. Missionary action paradigm for all endeavours of the church
14. True riches
15. Count your blessings
16. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
17. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
18. Last days and destruction of the flesh
19. Hope For, But Not In, Evangelicalism

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Related

1. P1 This might not be the End, but it sure feels like it / A.J. Hendry
2. What Does Larry Cohen’s THE STUFF Say About How Easily We Are Manipulated and Our Weaknesses Exploited?
3. America’s Shopping Addiction
4. The case against consumerism: Part 1 – The real cost of our everyday purchases
5. Extreme individualism is on the rise
6. Individualism and Individuation
7. Individualism in the Age of Social Media
8. Covid Evidence: Supply Vs Demand Shock
9. Community or Consumption: Social Ecology in Greater Manchester
10. Consumerism’s Effect on Creating an Addictive Society – Pt. 3
11. Time for a radical farewell to overconsumption
12. Is sustainable consumption fundamentally an issue of inequality?
13. The Money Problem
14. The control of money is where the true power lies – but only because of the way we think
15. On conspiracies, apocalyptic Christian nationalism, and how bad eschatology is ruining the world / Michael Frost
16. Tightened Covid curbs spark protests, riots across Europe
17. Be prepared – last-days spiritual warfare is intense
18. Is this how the End of the World begins?
19. What Shall Be The Sign Of Thy Coming? And Of The End Of The World?
20. Food For Thought
21. A Gate out of hell
22. In the Miso Soup
23. Quote of the day (20-Apr-2022)
24. Make more pies
25. Which attitude is better for our society?
26. The importance of the individual and the individual vs the group
27. Relationships help with resilience, not individualism
28. 4/1/22 – Individually Individual
29. Buying Stuff for Stuff
30. Dang, I shopped.
31. The Free Gift!!
32. Green Consumerism: Who Cares About The Environment?
33. faith in Christ for each other
34. A Saviour for the world, the Samaritans, and our individualistic selves (Growing Deeper with John 4:27-42)
35. Saved from what? (And For what?) [Sermon]
36. Breaking free
37. How to Buy Less and Buy Better with the Less But Better Method
38. J.B Mackinnon’s The Day the World Stops Shopping: Book Review

When Lambs Are Silent

This is part 5 in a series where we will be exploring and imagining how faith communities, and our community in general, may need to evolve in order to adapt to our changing times. You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.

In our last piece we discussed how our society, though regarded as secular, is very much shaped by its own God’s that demand allegiance and require our worship and sacrifice. We named these as Individualism, Consumerism and White Supremacy. In our last piece we dealt with the latter, in this article we will be talking about the former two.

Throughout the lockdown there has been calls to open various shopping centres, lament’s that we have not been free to shop, to browse and buy. And in Auckland last week, as Covid restrictions began to ease, the great Temples of this age…

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Material gain to honour God

Front cover of the first edition of Lenin’s Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, published in Moscow in 1909 under the pseudonym “Vl. Ilyin.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Around us we may find lots of material things which can attract and distract us. We have nature, something which can not be made by man but can only be adjusted or changed to man’s desires. We have all sorts man-made things which can be for use or just for being there, one moment to give pleasure, an other moment to be thrown away as useless.

The things from nature, the goods which make us able to create things they all come from somewhere. It is the earth that gives it to us.  But behind it is the Master Hand. What lots of people do not see or do not want to know is that behind everything made there is the Master Creator Who allows others to be and to create such things.

For many it is a very hard thing to believe that everything we can see around us and all things we can have is because God allows it to be there. It is there because of God allowing it but it also belongs to God.  We like to think that what we have is ours and no one elses.  Man wants to have everything for him or herself. Man wants to feed the “I” and wants to satisfy the “I”. Man thinks by taking all things for him/herself he can be and can satisfy the inner person and fulfil his “I am” ambition.

Strangely enough people want to gather as much as they can and safe it, though they will not be able to take it with them when they die. Their possessions will either go to someone else or be thrown away to be incinerated or to go in oblivion on the trash pile.

In this world there are so many who want to flaunt with what they can gather. They are so  proud, but in a way do know nothing, and dote on an argument and quarrel on the use of a word or on the way of life. With their earthly grabbing culture they are the cause of envy and controversy and blasphemy and evil premeditation.

Strife among men whose minds are corrupt and who are cut off from the truth and who think worshipping God is for worldly gain should alert us and make it that we keep away from such things. Those who love God should know that their gain is greater contentment, for it is the worship of God.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1Ti 6:6-7 HNV  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  (7)  For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.

Donkey cart in Conlig A change from all the materialism that seems to arise early in December – these children take to more traditional activities, in this case dressing up in Victorian fashion and parading along The Green in Conlig village. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Therefore, let us enjoy the beauty of nature and the God given things and let us be satisfied with food, raiment and shelter. For those who desire to be rich, fall into temptations, and snares, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which causes them to sink in degeneration and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: and there are some men who have coveted it and have thereby erred from the faith, they have brought to themselves many sorrows.

1Ti 6:8-10 HNV  But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.  (9)  But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.  (10)  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

In case you love God and you want to go for Him, you should flee these things; and follow after righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, and meekness.  We are told to fight the good fight of faith, and to let the right things reign in our mortal body, laying hold on eternal life to which we are called, having professed a true profession before many witnesses.

1Ti 6:11-12 HNV  But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  (12)  Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.

1Co 6:18 HNV  Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Rom 6:12 HNV  Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Nothing but the all mighty God, mighty Prince, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,  has immortality or deathlessness, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, and whom no man has seen, nor can see. To Him be honour and dominion for ever and ever. Even Christ Jesus, the son of God had to face death. He really died, was three days in hell and was than taken out of the dead by his heavenly Father, the Only One True God.

Even the son who has received authority from his heavenly Father to judge and to be a king shall have to hand over the Kingdom of God to his heavenly Father in due time, because everything belongs to God.

Like Jesus only did the Will of his heavenly Father, and not his own will, we should try to do also the Will of God. Like Jesus could not do anything without his Father, we should know also that nothing is possible without God as Sustainer of the world allowing it to happen.

As Christians we should know that we live in the world but should not be part of it. We may get many possessions but should take care those things do not take possession of us.
Everything what we gather in our life we should use for the good. Not only for the good of the self but also for helping others.

Let us remember that those things which may life easier for us should be used to to do God’s will and to honour Him by what we do with it. And let us go for the real treasures.

Mat 6:19-21 HNV  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;   (20)  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;   (21)  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Strife: heated, often violent conflict or disagreement; angry or violent struggle or quarrel; Contention or competition between rivals; trouble or discord of any kind; strenuous effort; open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)

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Preceding articles:

Thought of the day: We want more, i want more, but why is that?

Mini-MAX-malism: A Bigger Approach to Less is More

Stop and Think

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Less… is still enough

Less for more

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Additional reading:

1. What Are You Seeking?
2. Souls and Religions with Nirvana and light
3. Finding Beauty Amongst the Trash
4. True happiness, love and perfection
5. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
6. Purify my heart
7. Two states of existence before God
8. A good idea to halt all activity for one hour some day
9. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
10. Rest thy delight on Jehovah
11. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
12. Humbleness
13. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God
14. What happens when we die?
15. Is there an Immortal soul
16. Looking on what is going on and not being of it

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Further reading:

• What is the Root of All Evil?
• Love of money
• Money! money! Money! It has become our goal and our god!
• For The Love of Money Is The Root of All Evil
• Materialism
• Self-indulgence
• Your Business, Your Money, Your Faith
• Money & That Love of it
• Not That Rich
• The danger of riches: Mark 10-11
• the true riches
• How to Lose Your True Wealth
• Loving Money is Spiritual Suicide
• Our world is hell
• The modern prosperity teachings
• Possessions and the kingdom
• Serving two masters
• A Crown Of Splendor
• Watch Your Focus! 1 Timothy 6, March 23, 2014
• 1 Timothy 6:6-10
• Stay Focused
• I’d Rather Die Poor Than Live My Life Without You.
• Generosity
• Sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor
• February 18 – Contentment
• Woes and Watchout Warnings
• Materialism vs. Excellence
• Make Your Time Count
• Love not the world

Related articles

• I Am God. (justinianrogado.wordpress.com)
• Why Hell is Going On in the World (planet.infowars.com)
• John 3:1-17 God Loves us Sooo Much RSUMC 20150531 (mysundaysermons.com)
• We Serve The God Of Amazing Worth (brandinicolejm.wordpress.com)
• Material and RaisedButton. (chromiumcodereview.appspot.com)
• How To De-stress In The Material World (For Free!) (wakeup-world.com)
• Different kinds of wristbands (slideshare.net)
• Mexico politics (nation.com.pk)

Stop and Think

To remember:

• time flies by  > so we better make the best our of it and take care no time is wasted
• sometimes we don’t really stop to think
• for many materials seem to rule the and their world
• problem in the world = the materials that cause greed and chaos
• because of greed: wars have been fought + lives have been lost + people have suffered
• they definitely don’t come with us to an afterlife.
• we think materials are what will make us happy
• real way to get a sense of worth = helping somebody in need, loving somebody, listening to others
• go back to our basic human needs, stand outside and look up- = actually see something
• distraction from own realities
• to fill void = only one way > through love

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Preceding article:

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

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Related articles

• Greed in Grieving
• “Seeking is endless.
• the whys and the lies…
• Don’t Worry, Be Happy
• What Makes Human Beings Happy? Part 8
• The Gateway of Hell
• 3 Thieves That Steal Your Peace of Mind.
• Wealth Matters: Skimping on the Splurges, Even as a Millionaire
• Skimping on the Splurges, Even as a Millionaire
• Bluwolf Emailed to us Today: “It Is The Time”

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Lindsay Felderman confesses she is a person that likes to shop and buy new things.  Over the years she has accumulated a lot of stuff, from clothes to shoes to hats to Apple products to video games and more, like so many people have gone from one shop to an other or looked at the internet shops to find their liking.

Though many focus on gaining material wealth her eyes may have gone open by two life events that have happened/are happening now that are making her come to the realization more and more, that things are just things, and that what is more important is creating memories with people that you love.

What may be the changing elements that people come to see that they have to live more simply.

She writes:

if we haven’t used/seen/worn something in the past year, it’s out of here.  Going to charity or the garbage.  No need to keep so many physical items around.  I have learned over the years and the amount of times I have moved, that stuff is just stuff, but every time I settle down, it seems I collect more and more.  Well, not this time.  I am getting rid of the clutter and starting fresh. {The Meaning of Material Things}

Today lots of people have lost track of the necessities of real life making issues. Several youngsters are clinging to the idea of having the most recent newest thing brings happiness, and want to do everything to get the new hipe. They have no idea any more that material things are nothing without real people behind it that get their love from those around it.

For many people it takes a lot of time before they come to see what Lindsay came to see and feel when she and ‘her’

Samantha and I’s families met for the first time, Ever, in almost 3 whole years.

She came to feel one of the most elementary things for building up a real ‘home’ and a real ‘family’ and got to see what

transpired that day was truly magical, it was so special,

that she will never forget

Each one of us only brought certain family members to the event for various reasons.  But each one of our family members meshed in a way that I couldn’t have planned myself.  Every one was laughing and joking, and conversations were flowing all over the place.  Every one truly wanted to learn about the other.  There was not one dull moment.  It was honestly the way that family should be.  No drama, no fighting, just pure love, honest and true love.  I know this is really mushy, but if you know anything about the history of Samantha and I, you will know that this was a moment we were not sure would ever come. {The Meaning of Material Things}

It is incredible how many broken families we can encounter today. At school we find classes where there is not one kid who still lives by both its parents. Divorce seems to be the key word of this contemporary society where not many want to take time to talk with each other and to make it worthwhile living with each other instead of living next to each other.

Lindsay Felderman got reminded that family is what you make of it, but also came to see how it is possible for others to be there for you and how valuable this is. This is the most precious treasure so many do not seem to find, though it is so close at their doorstep.

Much more people should be there for each other,  willing to share their love and time for each other, with comprehension and with patience. It is so important

That people who truly love you, will be there for you.  That they will love you no matter what, that they will take you in their arms and hug you because you are special and unique and just You.

But to come to such a position people do have to be wiling themselves to be just their own and not somebody who fits the common trend of homogeneous people, wearing those clothes that shops and fashion magazines dictate.

When a person is really just herself and is willing to give her self openly to somebody else and to share herself with others than the doors may go open to build a good relationship and to build real ‘family’.

It is unbelievable what that lady could gather in whatever time it took to collect more than

18, 30 gallon trash bags, filled with clothes, shoes, hats, purses, and accessories galore.  … They were just taking up space in our closet for no other reason than to take up space.  That wasn’t all we gave away though, just the 1st round.  I would say by the end of it, we had close to 30 bags that we donated, and a bunch of boxes of DVDs and books as well.  It felt great to get rid of so much Stuff.  That is all it was, just stuff, taking up space. {Do What You Say}

She also recognises that this doesn’t even include the amount of crap she had collected by the years and dared (at last) to threw away. We do not know if it would have been wise to throw a way her school projects she did when she was a kid, even to her high school yearbook, because in our country (Belgium) a student has to keep the school material for ten years, because it can always asked a s a proof of studies and work done.

She went with the mantra that,

“I will always have the memories”.

but has forgotten that perhaps one day in history she perhaps would have children and later grandchildren and than she will not have anything to show and to share.
Naturally there is no need to continue to lug around physical items to remind oneself of those memories, as long as they are not destroyed. For the moment she thinks it is impossible that her memories can ever be destroyed, but then she forget that accidents and illnesses are possible to wash away any sort of memory and by then it can be useful to have some materials to bring back the memory. (The writer of this article your reading, speaks of experience, having had a memory loss after a very serious car-crash.)

Though lovely to hear Lindsay Felderman immediately felt lighter as she packed and got everything moved to her new place in one weekend.

But the point of this all,

she writes, is

I did what I said I was going to do.  I didn’t just talk the talk, I walked the walk.  I wrote about how material things aren’t the true meaning of life, that I was going to start to purge the majority of mine and I did it.

We are taught from a young age, that actions speak louder than words.  But many of us still grow up to be big talkers.  We talk about our dreams and what we could be doing.  But very few of us actually act on those dreams.  We let life get in the way, and we let our words speak louder than our actions instead of the other way around. {Do What You Say}

Today we do not find many youngsters with aspirations and when we encounter people who say they want to do this or that, we see that they are not really taking steps to do so. Not many want to do what they say, but it seem Lindsay took the courage to do so.

Can you do it as well?

She concludes

You gain more credibility in life when you just do what you say you are going to do.  Plus it feels better, you say something and you do it.  People around you begin to trust you, they believe that you will do the things you talk about.  When you only sit around and talk about it, you just become a talker, you become noise in their ear.  Much like the “wamp, wamp, wamp” noises that the adults in Charlie Brown made every time they were talking to the kids.  You don’t want to be that person.

Be someone who makes a difference, makes a change, follows your dreams and most importantly: do what you say. {Do What You Say}

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Preceding articles:

Mini-MAX-malism: A Bigger Approach to Less is More

Less… is still enough

Less for more

The Art of Doing Less – Your Time is Finite

Thought of the day: We want more, i want more, but why is that?

Why “Selfishness” Doesn’t Properly Mean Being Shortsighted and Harmful to Others

Looking at a conservative review of Shop Class As Soul Craft

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

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Related articles

• Apple really thinks it’s a bigger deal than the industrial revolution (AAPL)
• Instagrams You Need To See From The CFDA Fashion Awards
• Apples to Apples hits iOS today as a free download
• Apple Watch owners not rushing to recommend it to friends and family
• DOJ Spends Nearly $800K on Video Game to Curb Aggressiveness in Boys
• Do I Need A Family Trust?
• Families gather for fun at Citi FM’s Family Day Out
• Healthy Families: Part II
• From Heaven we came, and we shall return
• The 60 Richest Families Behind the N.W.O.

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Lots of people wonder why they live and have to struggle so much. More people do think they can enrich their life with several gadgets and do think when they live without caring about the rest they may enjoy it most.

The materialistic mind shall not find peace and a state of peace is far away from those who only think about themselves.

We should not go to try to find meaning behind every bit and piece of the day. We should be aware that we do live in a time system which shall always be imperfect. No government shall be sufficient to bring everything all right for every body. Only the governing system that shall come after World War III or Armageddon shall bring relief. though we do not know when that final point of the world-system would come, at the time that the master rabbi Jeshua (Jesus Christ) will return, we can already work on a better system to take into account every creature and to give it the full respect it deserves.

The world is created out of chaos and the void but got turned over by mankind and filled with a lot of rubbish, trash defiling nature. In case we work at it to get again some order we also will find a better way of living.

Peace is in every bodies hand. It is there to make easily when the person wants to put aside his own individual egoism. when we let go of all the bothering things, the struggles we have in us and we do encounter each day, than we shall find ‘soulavement’ mitigation of all inner and outer pains, alleviation of ‘ourselves’.

It was material desire and greed which brought sin in the world. This materialism has grown unto unseen proportion; But this also means we are coming closer to the end times and to the point that some may think there is reached the point of no return, but at the other hand where is reached the point that more people their eyes shall be opened and who will find the way to a better life, making the relation of the in God’s image created human being back into a good relation with the rest of the creation.

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Preceding articles:

Less… is still enough

Less for more

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Additional reading:

1. Fear, struggles, sadness, bad feelings and depression
2. Finding Beauty Amongst the Trash
3. Watch out
4. What Are You Seeking?
5. A bird’s eye and reflecting from within
6. Walking in the Light of Life
7. True happiness, love and perfection
8. Getting fate in your change to positiveness
9. Lose a little inner peace
10. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
11. We all have to have dreams
12. Walking in the Light of Life
13. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
14. Peace Takes You
15. Humbleness
16. Being Religious and Spiritual 4 Philosophical, religious and spiritual people
17. Looking for True Spirituality 1 Intro
18. Looking for True Spirituality 8 Measuring Up
19. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark
20. Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.
21. The World framed by the Word of God
22. Scripture about Creation and Creator Deity
23. Coming to the creation of human beings in the image of God
24. Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden 2
25. God’s wisdom for the believer brings peace
26. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
27. Cry out to Yahweh
28. Give your tears to God
29. Looking forward to the return of Jesus
30. Israel, Fitting the Plan when people allow it

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Related articles

• A New Life (birdchirp.wordpress.com)
  The putting on the new man is the counterpart of the putting off the old man, and what that is Paul explains when he says, ‘that ye put off concerning the former conversation–that is, concerning your former way of life–the old man, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind’ (Eph. 3:22, 23). Our old ways and character are to be laid aside, and therefore to put on the new man is to assume a new character and new ways. To put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to make our own His character.” – Marcus Dods, D.D.

Let's Reach Success

I’ve heard many answers to the existential question about the meaning of life.

And as with everything else, each individual has his own view according to his beliefs and experience, things he wants and is going through right now.

But there is one problem – he puts meaning in every little detail of his average day and sometimes that affects his version of his mission in life, and eventually his actions.

Life is about more than the daily worries, fears, people that come and go, and things we pay too much attention to.

And in this – finding meaning in life – we’re all equal, because the goal is one.

Peace of mind.

Life is about finding peace inthe chaos, silence in the noise, meaning in every event and wisdom in hardships and grief.

Because peace is the highest happiness.

It’s hard to find with all the distractions around…

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