Greed, hatred, anger and things the world can do without

War is looming over the earth. The economic downslide is global. People are suffering everywhere. There is a mounting atmosphere of fear and hatred. In the midst of business and seeming bustling activity, most people are still unfulfilled, depressed and lonely.

If I were to reinvent the world, I would make it a place of happiness, abundance, beauty and love. I would fill the world with music and song, holiday celebrations and friendly sports festivals, and activities of merriment, learning and camaraderie.

In my vision of utopia, the very things that make us miserable would have to be outlawed. Life is a torment because of the following:

• Greed

Avarice, sphincter of the heart. – Matthew Green, English poet

Greed is the excessive covetousness for more than your share, for more than what you deserve. Greed is the number one destroyer of trust and friendship. Business partners cheat partners; people cheat on others to get more than what is really due them. Greed strangles the heart and condemns the soul to the eternal fires of hell.

• Fear, Worry & Insecurity

No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, statesman

Fear renders man useless. It discourages trying, daring, doing. Fear freezes the mind and shuts the door to learning and enlightenment. Worry and insecurity are fears. For growth and beauty to flourish, fear must be banished. Trust in the universe, love and self-confidence are fear’s antidotes.

• Loneliness

Who knows what true loneliness is – not the conventional word, but the naked terror? No human being could bear a steady view of moral solitude without going mad. – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born English novelist

With all the dizzying flurry of social and commercial events going on around us, many people are still lonely. This is all the more evident in big cities where people turn into faceless entities in the crowd. People are afraid to reach out and become involved. To combat loneliness, we must cultivate true friendships and meaningful relationships.

• Envy & Jealousy

Jealousy is all the fun you think they had. – Erica Jong, US author

People envy others for what they seem to have. They feel shortchanged and cheated if they don’t have or experience the same good fortune. There is no need to envy anyone because you, too, can get whatever you desire if you work hard for it. The question is, are you willing to give your all to get it?

• Negativism & Pessimism

If we see light at the end of the tunnel, it’s the light of the oncoming train. – Robert Lowell, US poet

We doom ourselves with our negativism and pessimism. Being negative or pessimistic is all a matter of attitude. The brilliant hues of the rainbow are there but what we see are gradations of gray because we see through gray-colored glasses. Positive thinking, feeling and doing, and a truckload of optimistic anticipation are what we need to change the way we see and live life.

• Bitterness & Resentment

I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. – William Blake, English poet, painter, engraver

Bitterness and resentment keep people from moving on. Holding a grudge, harboring old grievances and disappointments as well as excessive possessiveness block the way to advancement both for you and the one you resent or try to control. Forgive and let go. And let the mighty universe take charge.

• Hatred & Anger

I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am. – Anonymous, a "foreign friend" of Samuel Johnson

If you feel hatred or anger towards someone, you are giving that person the importance that he does not deserve. In doing so, you are actually doing yourself more harm. Why waste energy on someone who does not care about you and how you feel? Bless and release. By setting someone you hate free, you set yourself free.

• Prejudice & Discrimination

Prejudice. A vagrant opinion without visible means of support. – Ambrose Bierce, US author

A prejudice is a pre-judgment. It is a veil fabricated by your feelings and emotions through which you see things. And more often than not, it paints a not so accurate picture of what you are viewing. The only way to see clearly is with fresh eyes and an unbiased heart.

• Poverty & Hunger

In the Lord’s Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach. – Woodrow Wilson, US Democratic politician, president

To solve poverty and hunger, we must plant. Then we are assured of a harvest that can feed the world. We should also plant seeds of love in the hearts of all men so that those who have plenty would share their bounty with those who have little.

• Disease, Pain & Suffering

Life is pain and the enjoyment of love is an anesthetic. – Cesare Pavese, Italian poet, novelist

Most people are resigned to the belief that life is pain. But suffering is lessened when someone knows your pain and gives you comfort. In life’s valley of tears, compassion alleviates suffering and love heals everything.

• Religious Disagreements & Political Wars

It takes two flints to make a fire. – Louisa May Alcott, US author

All wars are undertaken for the acquisition of wealth; and the reason why we have to acquire wealth is the body, because we are slaves in its service. – Socrates, Greek philosopher

Why are we always disagreeing and trying to impose on others what we believe is right? We need to realize that the diverse cultural, religious and ideological persuasions of the world make it colorful and interesting. And we must celebrate this diversity! We must look for a win-win solution for every little argument all the time.

• Impossible

The becoming of man is the history of the exhaustion of his possibilities. – Susan Sontag, US essayist

Many people give up before they even try. They say, "It’s impossible!" and slam the door of rich possibilities right in front of their face. Instead of saying it cannot be done, you should exclaim, "Yeah, why not?" It is in believing that the impossible is possible that we create miracles in our life.

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