I’ve said it before, but cannot say it often enough. Each lesson in life is a challenge to us. It is put in place for us to deal with, so that we may learn, and aspire to things greater than those the which we have previously come to understand, and with which we can hope to make a better, more complete future.
Here I am saying it again, this time about a lesson that I have been learning for the majority of my days on Planet Earth.
As is so often the case, the “gelling of” this lesson was born out of a simple statement, made about something that seems to have little bearing on the nugget of wisdom in question.
The essence of the statement considered is, “Because folks don’t seem to be concerned about children outside the womb, it seems amazing to me that they care about those not yet born.”
To begin with, this statement is errant in that, most of the folks I know, who worry themselves about the unborn, have every bit as much concern about those already born as they do about those in the womb. The difference between them, is that those in the womb are being killed—not dying, mind you, being killed—at an ever more ridiculous pace. On top of this, they have, if it can be imagined, even less ability to defend their existence than even the youngest of those outside the womb, much less those who are older.
That’s not to say that there aren’t children outside the womb both being killed, and dying. There are a good many so, and they are around the World, as well as here at home. The funny thing is, as a rule, there is little killing in the United States (none sanctioned by sensible humans) and comparative to the rest of the planet, very few dying. And of those dying, work is being done every day to limit their number—to keep them from being memories of grief to their parents other family, and caretakers.
In this, I digress. The thing I wanted to be clear upon, is that even those whose lives appear at present, to be horribly bad, have a chance at futures that cannot presently be imagined.
Clearly, it is possible for things to become better or worse for pretty much any and every body.
You can be quite sure, prior to his diagnosis, that the former captain of industry, Steve Jobs thought he had a good many more years left to him. Sadly for him, those he loved, and the folks who loved him, it was not to be the case.
On the other side of that same coin though, a quick look at that individual’s life should make it clear that things can go in just the opposite direction. Mr Jobs spent a good deal of time “on top of the World.” To be fair, even prior to his apparently untimely demise, and even the diagnosis that portended it, he also had some times that were not nearly so wonderful.
And the former head of Starbucks, Howard Schultz can be said to have had a “rough start.” Up to this point though, that doesn’t seem to indicate his “end.” Imagine coming from “the projects” and considering a run for the United States presidency! Like him or not, you have to admit the story is more than a little inspirational.
Though your highs may not have been nearly so high as for either man—and frankly, so many others, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Sowell, and Clarence Thomas, come to mind as examples—to this point, equally, your lows may or may not have been as low. Even so, you have—it is pretty well assured—had both highs and lows. I know this is the case for me.
About this point, it should be pretty obvious what I’m getting at here. The simple point is that, no matter what your past, no matter even your present, your future is “up for grabs.” You have the right, even the authority, to “steer your own destiny.”
For the unborn though, they have no such authority; or more correctly, that honor has been afforded their “carrier.” I use the term, not at all as one of derision or scorn, or any other evil of mean-spirited intent. It was used for the sole purpose of making it clear that the child temporarily relies on the mother for his or her (or their) health, happiness and wellbeing.
The argument can be made that an unwanted or in some wise “damaged or incomplete” child can count on a life of misery. My point is, that’s by no means a “foregone conclusion.” In fact, once born, there’s no telling what might happen to the child in question. Further, there’s no telling what “gifts” that child or those children may bestow upon the World, or some small or large part of it.
If you don’t believe this, perhaps you should consider the children “in miserable circumstances” spoken of by those making the statement at the beginning of this text.
How many such children started life in far from perfect circumstances, only to have their lives changed in ways totally unexpected?
Maybe the outcome they received was not what they would have liked. Perhaps they didn’t have an end that was wonderful or extraordinary. Even so, many of them had lives they would never have dreamed of having in their earlier, less fortunate days.
The obvious point here, is that life can change for the better or the worse, in a moment. And since it’s true that things can move in either direction, even a child, or an adult for that matter, who is in the most unfortunate of circumstances, can experience a shift at any time, that puts them into at the very least, better, if not fantastic and entirely unexpected circumstances. True that this can work in the “opposite direction,” lest you assume I am saying otherwise.
This fact is no different for people “riding high” than those in a “pit of despair.”
The point then, is that one ought not assume current circumstances, are final circumstances in the “earthly sense” unless, the person in question passes from this mortal coil. As such forfeiting the life of another human—yet born or not—is something one ought not do without extremely good reason, and even then great care should be used in deciding to do so. This is in direct contradiction with the current mindset on this matter by most.
Okay, I’ve overshot my limits yet again. May your time be good, and thanks yet again for reading.