This I Believe

I believe in personal integrity. When I was young, my father said to me (your personal integrity is the only thing you will every have in this life that no one can take away from you. All other things, people, property, even your life can be taken away; but how you choose to conduct yourself cannot be taken away, you can only give it away.) Most of the people that knew my father would not think that this basic simple man would be capable of such profound and clear ideas, but he was that and much more.

I believe in the power of freedom and what it can do. The concept of people being free is a wonderful idea, but there are as many versions of freedom as there are people. The idea of being able to make decisions on one’s own behalf regardless of what others think is central to freedom. When the exercise of this freedom is outside of the morays of a society is then our cultural laws come into play.

I believe in the power of logic and truth. This has enabled me to see clearly through the mire and sift the wheat from the chaff while making life less chaotic and more predictable. It also allows me to see the falseness of some people and their actions along with the truly wasteful nature of deception.

I believe in being self-reliant. I was taught from an early age the personal strength and confidence that comes from doing things for and by yourself. There is also a therapeutic benefit to setting goals and meeting them, regardless of how simple the task.

I believe in the power of listening. Because of my stuttering I was afraid to talk when I was a child due to ridicule and greatly developed my listening skills. I find this a powerful tool. It has become a personality filter for people that I meet. My father once said, (No one ever learned anything with their mouth open.) and I try, as much as I can to listen more than I speak. When talking, you aren’t listening and are concentrating on your ideas, not the ideas of others.

I believe in the power of art. Since mankind scratched his first drawing on a cave wall or emoted vocal sounds or moved in dance like movements, people have been driven to express him/herself. As humans, we cannot seem to live without it in some form or another and it drives us to achieve.

All of these things; integrity, logic, truth, listening, self-reliance, and Art are all part of my personal Rules of Engagement. When I am confronted with a crossroad in life, regardless of the complexity of the situation, I consult all of these beliefs. It allows me to confront and resolve conflicts in my life’s path without fear or chaos. For me there was no wailing and gnashing of teeth in writing this essay, because I live it every day.