Finding Wisdom (part 3)

After realizing that I had made Heatlh Realization the yardstick by which I measured people, places and things in my life I found myself at a crossroads. Health Realization had provided me with a tool by which I had gained incredible insights into my daily life. I found happiness and contentment more so than I had ever dreamed possible. I found depth and perspective with people and events that before had ruled my life. My trap was that now I found myself ruled by a master of my own creation. A master that even I could not satisfy.

I wonder now how many of us are doing the same. What "rules" have each of us made up that we see as the way in which we must live our lives. Oh, I know, the rules themselves are made up with only the best of intentions. Whether the rules have to do with physical, personal, spiritual care or something else, rules are always envisioned as a way to point us toward a more satisfying life. The problem comes when the rules cease being a tool and start to become the master of your life.

It is hard for me to look back and determine exactly when I noticed my life being run by the rule which I made up which was, "Health Realization is truth." Looking at it in print makes me realize how foolish it is. However, we all make up rules to live by. Some are as old as the ages. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Some are more contemporary. "Someone who attends religious services atleast once a week is more content than someone who does not attend religious services weekly." Now, each of these "truths" has some wisdom in it. The question is, "How far am I willing to go in judging the world by these truths?"

The first thing for me to see in these "rules" is that they aren't really rules at all. They are more like good ideas that someone thought to write down. The second thing is that the words used to describe these rules are truly a distillation and generalization of the "truth". By that I mean, sure, it is a good idea to eat apples and attend religious services if that works for you. But if you are allegic to apples or have a job which mandates that you work during the time of a religious service then I don't think anyone would recommend taking either of these "rules" literally.

And perhaps that is where I should stop. There is all kinds of wisdom out there in the world. Some may make sense to you and some may not. Taking any advice literally (including mine) entails the risk of allowing it to potentially rule your life. A focus on rules, of any type, takes me away from my true job in my life which is to live a good one. Enjoyment of life through living in the moment is our best defense of living life by the rules which we all make up from time to time. Live it to the fullest.