The Final 10 Words

This is the final day of this 10-day meme and I've had a lot of fun with it.  I hope that reading through these have helped you to get to know me a bit better.  Today we end with 10 Final Words. 

1 - PEACE  Although I have worked for peace throughout my life, I know, deep down, that true peace in this world is highly unlikely.  There are too many areas of potential disagreement, there are too many people who are dogmatic, and more than anything else, there is too much evil in the world to achieve peace.  But it is something that we should always be striving for, because not striving for peace is giving in to evil and that, I refuse to do. 

2 - SPIRIT  Some people might call this God or any other of the 1000's of names out there for Spirit, but it is the Song.  The Song of Creation.  The Song that guides all of us and when it is in harmony, so is the world and your life, and when it is not, then evil has entered in and must be stopped.  Spirit guides, inspires, and consoles.  Call it by whatever name you want, worship it or not, it is there and I am grateful for that. 

3 - FRIENDS  Where would be we without friends?  These days it is not essential to have our friends down the street from us, although it's nice when that is the case.  Friends support you when things aren't going so well, inspire you with their own activities, and relate to you and your values on so many levels.  Where would be we without friends? 

4 - WILDERNESS  This Earth is so special, and those places that we have left untrammeled and undeveloped are becoming more and more rare.  We exploit this world; digging for metals and gems, tilling large tracts of land for farming, and building dams on the rivers.  We build cities without the resources around them to support their populations, and we look upon undeveloped lands as potential areas of future exploitation instead of areas of beauty.  Shame on us! 

5 - STEWARDSHIP  Continuing on with the above, we are Stewards of this world and we are failing in our trust. We are short-sighted and look no farther than the next week or the next year.  At this rate we will have this Stewardship pulled from us forcibly.  Then again, we may just do it to ourselves because of that Evil that was already mentioned. 

6 - LOVE  The old statement is "All You Need is Love".  That is patently false, but love can accomplish miraculous things, and when we allow love into our lives, it always enriches it.  It is not easy to love.  Nothing can hurt as much as love when it spirals into hate, nothing can plumb the depths of a soul as deeply as love.  We celebrate it, we mourn it, and it defines our humanity.  Maybe it is true....maybe all we need is love after all. 

7 - COMMUNICATION  When did we forget how to talk?  And even more importantly, when did we forget how to listen?  Communication is not one-way, it is an exchange of information and ideas between two or more parties.  All views should be given equal weight, and all views should be listened to.  Then action can be taken based on the best for all within the goals of the discussion. 

8 - EDUCATION  Everyone deserves a basic education.  Everyone should at least know how to read and write and do basic arithmetic.  That means everyone - both men and women.  Some people may need additional help to be able to read or do figures, and there are a few, but only a very few, who won't be able to accoomplish one or the other.  Education opens up possibilities and opens up the world through books. 

9 - DREAM  Where are we without dreams - without the desire to improve ourselves, to do something for our families, to change to a people-friendly regime from a totalitarian one?  Dreams are such a small thing but they can change the world.  Don't be afraid to dream and to chase your dreams. 

10 - COURAGE  It takes courage to stand up and speak, to stand in the way of the exploiters and guard the exploited, and to fight for justice.  Often to be courageous you have to be willing to stand alone against others and hold your position.  Courage requires that you put your personal safety away and be willing to take the risks.  Choose why and when to act in a courageous manner, but don't be afraid to take that step when necessary. 

So those are my final 10 words, and it took me longer to compile this final list than any of the other ones.  Live well, love life, celebrate the Song, help your neighbor.  Make this world a better place, one small step at a time.