BE A LAMP UNTO YOURSELF

“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves." - Buddha

    The world will not always be your friend, and even the people closest to you will let you down at times. You may do one hundred favors for one hundred people, and yet they will not do just one for you. You might do one thousand things well, but be ridiculed harshly for the one thing you failed to do. There is a never ending list of scenarios that make the best of us want to crawl under a rock sometimes and forget about humanity as a whole. The remedy to this, is to take the Buddha's advice and be a lamp unto yourself, be a refuge to yourself. You are the only person who will never let you down. You are the only person who truly knows what makes you happy. To put too much stock in what other people think, or say or expect from you will be like living the life of a pinball; always bouncing from pillar to pillar and falling into holes. You can only do your best where other people are concerned, but sometimes your best will not be good enough for them. But if it is good enough for you, and you have put your all into a task and are proud of yourself, you should be satisfied with that. This does not mean that you should be a selfish individual, not caring how other people feel. It is just that you could hand some folks $1 million in gold, and they would still find fault or complain about something. The idea is, that you handed someone $1 million in gold; perhaps you didn't have to, but you did. Be happy that you helped someone, even if they seem ungrateful or complain that the $1 million dollars you gave them was not a million and one. Or perhaps there are times when someone wants two hours of your time, but you can only give one. They may complain and scowl at you; but you gave that hour in your already hectic day. Do for others as you would want them to do for you. By doing, you'll be a lamp unto yourself and no one will be able to extinguish your light. Within yourself is the piece that you seek, it is not "out there" somewhere. And other people cannot give it to you by their actions or approval. Do your best, give what you can, be proud of yourself and nourish your own soul. Do what makes you happy, do the things that give your life meaning and don't worry so much about the negative words and opinions of others. It's what's in your own heart that shines the

light upon your path.