Editorial #289 What Would You Die For?
For thousands of years, great minds have asked: “What is the purpose of life?” If there is an answer, it should be the same regardless of nationality, culture, ethnicity, personality or individual core values.
An easier question is: “What are you living for?” Why do you get up each morning? What are you trying to accomplish? What do you want from life, other than dying healthy? Answers are always influenced by selfish, self-centered desires with little consideration for altruism. The hardest question is: “What are you willing to die for?”
We celebrate Memorial Day to honor those who gave much and some who gave all in the service of the greatest country in world history because of its conviction to “One Nation, Under God with Liberty and Justice for All.” If every citizen truly believed in the words “Under God” this would guarantee our nation would never violate our core values, the golden rule and the Ten Commandments. It would not be tolerated by God. No other country in the world has these words in their constitution because they do not want God in control.
Evolution controls our mortal existence, constantly stressing our species to better enable survival. Survival of the fittest is nature’s cruel law that dictates if and how we survive. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Our obligation is to teach others the wisdom for success before we die in order for others learn how to survive without reinventing the wheel.
The virtue of altruism puts that question in a completely different light. Mothers will tell you they would die for their children. Our soldiers in the military are willing to die for our country. Christ died for our sins. This leave a huge debt we should try to repay before we die. One would think, since we all had someone die for us, we would feel some obligation to know what we would be willing to die for.
It should not take an entire life time to figure that out. Sadly, most die before they have an answer. They only had a life time to prepare.
My father told me the purpose of life is to save our soul, and he followed that by saying: “If you set a good example and make the world a better place, you will probably save your soul in the process!”
During these troubled times, with the Memorial Day observance, it is the best time to start figuring out what you would die for. The best time to figure that out is like planting a tree: it is now or 25 years ago! The choice is yours!
This is Keith Kube wishing you the best in making the world a better place.
Keith has a regular commentary on WJAG 780 radio at 7:40 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Check his website www.keithkube.com for past editorials.
