On Matters Of The Heart

On Matters Of The Heartn © Lee Wise All rights reserved Joining the song of many authors sharing their insights innthe fields of personal success and self development, I trustnwe would sing in unison a chorus entitled... "Matters of the Heart Matter Most." Another tune creatively shared and expanded upon by manynwould reflect the closely related theme revolving around thenpassionate plea to "follow your heart" should you seek thentrue meaning of success and the experiential knowledge of anfulfilled life. And to this I *might* stand in agreement but *only* with thenfollowing modification in place: Matters of heart do matter most but only when the heartnstrives to be... Motivated by love, Rooted in the highest values of life, Held in check by integrity, And kept in balance by gracenbecause it understands the meaning of nbeing forgiven as much as it does nthe practice of being forgiving. I hear of dissatisfaction in the supermarket while standingnin line, see the heartache in the lives of people because ofnbroken trust, and watch "in your face" televisionnprogramming pit one person against another... Demanding their rights, Doing whatever it takes to obtain larger sums of money, And proclaiming their independent strength as if the King of Kongs suddenly found his or her way into the body, mind andnsoul of the latest contestant. I witness the fallout when people "follow their heart" tonsomeone other than the one they pledged to cherish shouldnlife prove to be more downsized than upscale on the streetnwhere together they now live. And yet those left behind often inherit a legacy of graspingnon to what left over emotional and physical strength theynrealize only to realize that the struggle to understand andnmaintain a sense of inner peace and confidence will mostnlikely be a life-long battlefield on which they must fightnand for which they never enlisted. A pessimist I am not, and my glass does not remain in ancontinual state of being half empty instead of half full. I listen to the pleasant sounds of birds outside my housenentertaining me with their songs of joy and encouragement, Hear and enjoy the laughter of my grandchildren, rejoicenover and over at the joy in the eyes of my wife, And sing way, way too loud and off key within thenclosed-windows-while-the-song-blares-LOUD in my oriental Lincoln (1995 Suzuki). In brief, I do love and appreciate... Life, Many people, The family entrusted to my care, The neighborhood where I live, My church where I worship, And my country. But my heart experiences a measure of sadness andnfrustration as I witness the on-going promotion of a "follownyour heart" and "I am the greatest" set of philosophiesnthat... * Flaunt false pride instead of respectful humility, * Personal dominance over personal conce for others, * The pleasure of self-indulgence over the pain of self-n control, * And striving to win what matters least at the expense ofn all that matters most. And what does matter most in my opinion? You read my answe at the beginning of this article. My answer is: "the cultivation of a good heart." A heart... Motivated by love, Rooted in the highest values of life, Held in check by integrity, And kept in balance by gracenbecause it understands the meaning of nbeing forgiven as much as it does nthe practice of being forgiving. This cultivation of a good heart knows little of a streetnnamed "Without Struggle," and even less of one bearing thentitle "More Convenient Than Not." Many times that which holds the most value also contains thenseeds of that which demands the most effort. And so it is with the determination to preserve, protect andnnurture a good heart. I imagine you to be one of the many precious individuals whonplaces a high price tag on such an effort, and to you Instand in applause while encouraging you to stay in the game. And yet we both hold these truths to be self evident: We won't win every play on the field. Nor will we give a sterling performance during each act ofnthe play. But we remain convinced of the inherent value of taking ournbest shot at maintaining and passing on to severalngenerations beyond our own the enduring legacy of a goodnheart. The best to you my friend: the very, very best. Lee nnn=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=n© Lee Wise All rights reserved. You may freely distributenthis writing. The copyright and this resource box must benincluded. Avoid pain/create pleasure. For A Beautiful Moment In Timengo here -->www.motivation-for-daily-living.netn=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=