Are you a moral person?

What is a moral person? A moral person follows the way of goodness.

This implies that a moral person must understand and abide by certain universal principles.

This is why we should study the scriptures of the major faiths to clarify our path as 'a moral person'

Perspective

"Though God is the Absolute Being, He cannot be happy alone... even God needs a partner with whom to share love in order to experience joy and be happy." -Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Peace Messages

We all have aspirations and ambitions in life. And unfortunately, in today's society the ambitions most popularly desired are those related to pursuing money, power, and social status.

However, in the perspective of love, do these temporal and materialistic pursuits carry real value? Can a rich and powerful king with all the material blessings one could imagine feel fulfillment and happiness if he had no family or friends to share them with? That would be the loneliest and most unfortunate king.

The perspective of love and of our divine Creator is that our life has value only in the investment we give to our counterparts.

Practicing to have a pure motivation

We want to be people that can love unconditionally, without any inhibitions or selfish intent. However, in reality this is difficult to do genuinely with passion and to feel this level of love. But the key point to remember is that such a motivation can be cultivated through practice.

How do we practice to become a person of altruistic love? Through investing in others. In doing so, selfish thoughts and inclinations may nag at us, but regardless of these, if we choose to simply invest continuously without giving into these inclinations, eventually we will find a genuine motivation of selfless love welling up within.

Just like a great Olympic athlete must practice the same move thousands of times, undergoing great difficulty and pain in the process, eventually the move becomes natural and is done with comparative ease from when she first started. It is the same with selfless love. Through continuous practice what was unnatural and foreign at first becomes an essential part of our character such that we feel uncomfortable in not practicing it.

Spanish Lakes, Gallatin National Forest, MT - June 2013

Love motivated by a higher ideal

Love based only on our own emotions and perspective will most likely not last forever. To be honest, we are usually changing and inconsistent in how we think and feel. That is why love should be based and motivated by a higher ideal rooted in absolute principles.

The greatest ideal is the one advocated by all the great faith traditions, that is the teaching to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". This ideal of sacrificial and selfless love is the key to building lasting and joyful relationships from the inter-personal level to the societal and worldwide levels.

The extended family model also advocates for love motivated by a higher ideal. In an extended family model, each family member considers the implications of their actions not just for themselves and their spouse, but for their grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren. The nuclear family model, by contrast, tends to dismiss the larger implications of each family members actions in preference to independence and self-reliance, which is not a bad thing in itself but can discourage an important aspect of love.

Mt. Pilchuck area, WA, Oct. 2013

Happiness, ideals, and love

Happiness, ideals, and love are three words that people throw about carelessly without recognizing how to use them in accordance with heavenly law. And due to ignorance of the volatility a wrong guiding ethic in pursuing these areas can make, people are tricked into self & familial destruction.

We seek happiness and are encouraged to do whatever makes us happy. We have dreams and goals that people encourage us to pursue to 'keep us out of trouble'. And we aspire for love that is portrayed in movies as a panacea. 

However, aspirations rooted primarily in self-interest will inevitably bring destruction, if not now, then eventually. Love, as wonderful as it is meant to be, eventually leads to the most atrocious crimes when it is based out of a personal desire for physical pleasure. Ideals based on our self-centered ambitions will not have relevance to our ancestors, peers and definitely not to future generations Happiness that is not engendered by investing in others can not last beyond our physical life because it will not be a happiness of our eternal spirit.

This is why with every word we mention we should remember the guiding principles that they must abide by to realize our intended result. 

Rattlesnake ledge, Snoqualmie Pass/NorthBend area, WA - January 25th, 2014

The Greatest Position

"But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12

"Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave" -Matthew 20:26-27

How many people do you know who aspired to be great in terms of their position in a social hierarchy? Too often this lust for greatness in a worldly sense leads to the corruption of the heart. The world of our spirits and hearts is an eternal world, and yet this world is often disregarded in preference to the temporal world of egos and ambition.

The world of our spirits is based on the principle of loving others with a selfless and sacrificial motivation. Yet contrary to instinctive thinking, by denying our social status and pride to serve others, our spiritual being grows and prospers in this world.

This is the guiding principle that molds the lives of all the greatest men and women in history and should guide our decisions in each circumstance we encounter.

Rattlesnake ledge, Snoqualmie Pass/NorthBend area, WA - January 25th, 2014

Nature cleanses the mind

Going out in nature allows you the opportunity to see what thoughts you are habitually grooming in your head. Being in a pristine environment untainted by social pressures, you see how much concern we often place on what others think of us, and the effort we put into ephemeral appeasements to suit such social circles.

We should take time to go into nature and purify our mind to root ourselves in the fundamental principles and laws that the universe operates by.

Mt. Baker wilderness - October 2013

Circumstance

Many things in life are out of our control. This is a lesson that is easy to catch in nature. Storms come out of nowhere, bears attack, avalanches occur, etc.

It is easy to see that circumstance is a changing variable in our lives.

Yet, in any harmonious entity, there cannot only be a changing variable, there must also be an unchanging variable.

What is the unchanging variable? It is our attitude.

When we think of every circumstance as an opportunity to offer gratitude, to grow our spirit, and to love others - this is when our life can become vibrant and purposeful.

Baker Lake, WA - October 2013

Where are you really going?

In today's society we emphasize the importance of preparing well for our future by studying hard, getting work experience, etc...

But I question if this type of preparation is really adequate in becoming truly successful people in the long term. The missing component is motivation. WHY study hard and getting good internships?

If the motivation is to become rich and powerful, it could easily lead to becoming a corrupt businessman who exploits others with his/her superior knowledge and experience. Yet isn't the general assumption of those advocating for youth to get good educations usually that they should study to become wealthy? 

Contrarily, if our lives were meant to be lived for the sake of love, we should dedicate our studies for the sake of benefiting our family, society, nation, and the world. This is the correct motivation that must guide our studies if we want to find real success that not only I as an individual can acknowledge but countless others as well.

Spider Gap, Mt. Glacier Wilderness, WA in July 2013

Nothing of value comes easy

In today's society that advocates so heavily for individual freedoms yet diminishes our sense of personal responsibility, we often forget the fundamental truth that nothing worthwhile comes for free. The truth is, even though the world has evolved to give all people great liberty in their decisions, this doesn't guarantee that people will put in the effort necessary to accomplish something of meaning.

We should take our freedoms with a deep sense of gratitude and humility before God and feel that we have been given a special responsibility to make a meaningful contribution to the world through our personal hard work.

Artificial environments tend to breed an inauthentic character

In today's developed world, our society's rapid advancement has lead to lavish comforts and excesses that people in primitive societies can hardly dream of. Yet while enjoying these physical conveniences, it's easy to overlook the unintended effects of such an environment on the development of our character.

If you live in a big city with a steady income, you can basically live to about 70 without much worries of death. On the surface, of course this seems like a good thing. But people that never really consider death as something imminent tend to indefinitely delay the effort of reflecting on whether they are living a purposeful life or not.

On the other hand, in 3rd world countries, life is much more delicate, and because of that people tend to reflect more on what kind of life they want to lead while they still have the chance.

In a big city, you can do dumb things like doing a back flip off a 2-story building for a dare, and perhaps not die because of advanced medical care. Of course, it is good that we are able to help foolish people that make poor decisions, however this commodity also dims our sense of the natural law of cause and effect that also applies to making sound decisions in how we treat others and what we do for our spiritual growth.

In contrast, if you make a similar 'wrong move' in the middle of a wilderness with no advanced medical care available, most likely you will suffer the full consequences of your decision.

For all these reasons, I feel it is good for 'city folk' to be given the experience of living for a good amount of time in a third-world country or in a wilderness setting. In such places natural law is much more apparent and an environment conducive to honest self-reflection is provided.

Stone Mountain, Georgia, 2012

While at first we might cringe at the discomforts, most people find greater solace through the experience that surpasses the temporary distractions. And upon our return to our homey civilization, we can also find a greater appreciation for the conveniences we previously took for granted.

Love cannot be realized alone

Love is a term that has been twisted and muddled by today's society beyond comprehension. It seems as if love can mean a million different things and a new meaning is invented every day. However, contrary to today's concept, there are fundamental principles that govern and dictate what love is.

Love cannot be substantiated without your object partner. Without a partner, there cannot even be the concept of love. Yet no one denies that love is the way to ultimate fulfillment in life. With this understanding it is implicit that we should treasure, serve, and uplift our object partner, even willing to sacrifice our life for his/her sake.

Once we realize our partner is such a precious gift that we should treasure, it is unimaginable to fathom the kinds of sinister acts people commit upon their counterparts in today's society. Yet if you ask the culprit of such acts, you may likely find they think they did it out of 'love'.

The reason the notion of love has become twisted in today's society is that we have lost appreciation for these fundamental principles that govern the universe. We have replaced them with our own deceitful falsities made to appear like natural laws but which have actually been manipulated to accommodate to selfish tendencies.

Mirror Lake, Spanish Peaks, Montana in Summer 2013

The Great Oxymoron

In the Bible it states, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life... will save it."

While it seems to be a contradiction, what this passage indicates is a critical point for leading a faithful life. When we try to walk a righteous path, the world threatens us with death in terms of the worldly comforts and easy-going way of life we enjoyed in the past.

This is because the world of the past does not agree with righteousness and moral principles.

However, the moment you choose to walk a path based on moral principles, you open the door to a new world that welcomes you if you are willing to keep walking. But at some point you must also close the door to the old world, the world that is bereft of absolute values, yet deceitfully seems to be the source of life as we know it.

This is the dilemma that occurs within us that Jesus was referring to. But once we can shut the door to that old world, losing our life as we knew it, we realize that what we thought was life was actually the path of our own spiritual destruction and the new path is one that offers us liberation.

Passing Hyas Lake, WA in May 2013

How big is your dream?

There is a saying by Les Brown: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”

What is your dream? 

Throughout history, people have had dreams and ideals that they strove for both large and small. But people that were remembered were people that had dreams that were not only large enough to be noticed, but deep enough to touch the hearts of people without exception of nationality, culture, or creed. 

Such a dream must be rooted in the fundamental principles that govern all people and the natural world undeniably. The most basic of these principles is that any dream or aspiration should benefit the greater good. 

So go ahead, dream big. But remember that the biggest dreams are not your own, but are actually the dreams of the one who created the universe based on the principle of true love. 

What do your decisions say about you?

Often times without realizing it we make careless decisions that determine the fate of our life.

Say a person is eating a candy bar and carelessly throws the candy wrapper on the ground out of laziness. While the person may make an excuse, such as that he/she was busy and didn't have time to find a trash can, from the standpoint of a rational bystander, that person will be deemed as a litterer. His/her own conscience will also recognize that he/she has littered, although a justification was attempted.

Based on the precedent, when the environmental society is looking for a director of environmental protection, that person would not feel qualified, and neither would he/she be trusted with that position.

My point is that we can see how our actions can determine our fate. We should always be careful to make decisions that lead us towards the fate our conscience desires.

Life is dynamic

In today' traditional education, it is easy for us to become influenced by the concept that world should operate in a straight-forward and simple manner, as it is explained to us in our textbooks.

However, in reality, the world is made up of complex relationships that are constantly changing. Even the sun which we hold to be our constant source of light is expanding and will one day explode. Clearly the practice of living is something that cannot be taught through classrooms alone.

We need to experience and engage in life in order to become real experts in any field of study or any endeavor. Especially due to the fact that each person has free will, we can never create an ideal world without learning to adapt to unexpected changes. This approach to life is crucial to not only accomplishing great objectives but also to cultivating our own character and spirit. By navigating turbulent life courses, we also have the precious opportunity to see our own rough edges and things we need to improve in ourselves.

Finding excitement in boring environments

It is sometimes difficult to keep a positive attitude when you are not in the most exciting environment. However, is that is not an excuse to give up!

We can find gratitude and excitement even when we are not able to find stimulating surroundings. It all starts with our mindset.

If we choose to think that being in a boring circumstance is a challenge to see how much I can focus on something positive and meaningful, we can change the entire situation into an exciting contest of sorts.

In those circumstances, challenge yourself to become the most excited person in the world even while in the most mundane situation. Remember, your investment to live a purposeful life will never be wasted.

Living for the Greater Good

Altruism is an often referenced virtue in movies. We usually depict a hero as somebody that sacrifices him/herself for a larger cause.

Altruism should actually be the natural course of action for everyday people as well, but sadly that is not usually the case. The reason it should be natural, is that when you give yourself to serve a greater purpose, naturally that greater purpose will include your own benefit as a vital component of that greater purpose.

Say sacrifice my extra hours of sleep in the morning to cook breakfast for my family. At first, it may seems like I lose something, yet in the long run, my family will be thankful and learn from my example. Eventually other family members will also hopefully wake up early to cook breakfast for me as well. This is just the natural way things should work.

Sometimes it may seem like the benefits are long in returning to us, but our faith should lie in the natural law that by living for a greater good it will ultimately lead to a prosperous, harmonious world for all.

Consistency

It's easy to be a good leader for a day. But being consistent is the real test of our character.

How long can you stay consistent in practicing the virtues you aspire to represent?

Though our reality may be far from the ideal, what is important is that we put in consistent effort everyday to improve our reality.

Money, position, and power

Today I watched Gladiator. Some profound learning points from that movie were that we should not lust for money, position, and power. The central dilemma was that corrupt leadership in Rome coveted the position of emperor and pursued that ambition at the expense of the people of Rome. Yet a former army commander set another precedent by sacrificing his position, honor, wealth, even his family, and eventually becoming a slave for the sake of the Roman people. Eventually this slave became a gladiator who won the hearts of the people and brought order to Rome.

While this is not so historically accurate, the lessons of the movie are impressive.

Raise the bar

How we assess our current state is important in determining our drive for achieving greater goals. If we base our self-assessment on comparing with friends, then probably we will not be very motivated to achieve much more than our friends have. 

Great historical figures do not do this. They assess themselves based on a higher standard than the average person. They definitely don't simply try to be as good as their friends, rather they seek to be the kind of person that is needed to achieve a great task. 

If we see ourselves in that light, until we reach our lofty goals, we know that we still have a lot to work on in ourselves. 

Lead your life

Too often we get distracted and dissuaded from our goals and objectives based on circumstances. People don't believe in us, challenges come, but we should never forget that we are the ones ultimately who decide what direction we will go and what attitude we will take.

Let's take a proactive and purpose-driven approach to surmount the obstacles we face rather than letting these obstacles lead us.

A person of character

One of my favorite quotes is by Woody Allen. He said, "Your character is more important than your reputation. Your character is who you are. Your reputation is who people think you are."

This is important to remember because often times, we are tempted to forsake our character for the sake of salvaging our reputation. Yet in our hearts we always know what the right path is, whether we follow it or choose not to.

Think of a coach that pushes his team harshly and earns the reputation of being a heartless coach. Though he may suffer from this stigma for a while, eventually as his team excels his character of being an extremely caring yet strict coach will shine through.

If we always base our actions on what will immediately grow our personal fan base, most likely we will quickly become the most popular friend amongst our social sphere yet most forgotten soul in the records of history.

Our purpose is to give

Most issues in the world can be broken down to a simple cause: people do not want to give or invest in others. Nations fight, families divorce, kids get depressed, all over this simple flaw.

Why do I call it a flaw? Because it goes against natural law. In nature, we see the polar opposite of this vice, we see "living for the greater good". It is undeniable that when a creature in nature dies, it lends its body as nutrients for the soil and for future life. Because of this, nothing can exist solely for its own sake in nature.

We see that nature is comprised of complementary entities that are only able to survive through their mutual giving. A bee can only get honey through a flower, and a flower can only reproduce through bees. Protons and electrons must interact in harmony to form an atom.

We should expect the same for human beings, however we quickly realize that human beings, unlike the natural world, have the ability to choose whether to stand by this universal law or to abandon it. Yet we should constantly remind ourselves and others around us that by choosing to abandon the law of living for the greater good, investing in others, we will inevitably lead to the ruin of ourselves and of the greater good.

Don't be institutionalized

It's amazing how people can be trapped in their own bubble and become oblivious to the situation of the world around them. However, to be people who make a significant impact on the world, we cannot fall into this trap.
Regardless of what social circles, organization groups, or affiliations we may be a part of, we should never lose touch with the larger scheme of things that will ultimately sway the direction of whatever smaller groups we may cherish by it's prominence.
For example, political parties often quarrel with each other in attempts to gain the upper hand over the other. But they should not, as they often seem to, forget the larger purpose of serving the best interest of the nation.
Let us not be institutionalized but be always keep a broader perspective as residents of a diverse and grand world.

Becoming better than our parents

Every generation looks to their children as the future, and they have hope to create a better world for their children than what they were given. However, the most significant gift parents can give to their children is to guide them to be even better in terms of character than they themselves could be.

Would a parent be jealous if his son was recognized more than himself for being a man of virtue and integrity? Just the opposite - the parent would be proud of his son as an extension of himself. So as children strive to be better than our parents, it is not at all an issue of contention, but rather a way to honor and uplift our parents by developing a more noble legacy that they can also take part in.

A life of meaning

Everyone wants to live a purposeful and fruitful life. Yet how many people lead their lives into situations that are far from purposeful? With reflection, we realize there are many challenges and pitfalls on the 'straight and narrow path'. 

How can we fortify our resolve and sincerity towards our lofty aspirations? We must train ourselves constantly to be aware of and avoid the pitfalls that lead us astray, while also challenging our own concepts and self-imposed limitations to see our true potential. 

The reality is that we struggle to face our internal dynamic honestly. That is why at times we should go to a training ground designed to reflect our internal state so we can see ourselves without pretensions. Nature is a great setting for this type of reflection, because nature does not lie. If you are hiking a mountain and you fall off a cliff, you will die. If you are short-sighted and eat all your food on the first day of a 7-day hike, you will feel the consequence. If you arrogantly think you can cross a river on a slippery log carelessly, you may fall and get soaked. These are lessons that can help us reflect on our internal state and overcome our limitations for the sake of purifying ourselves of ways of thinking that limit us. 

Being consistent in spite of feelings

As much as we may try to avoid it, different feelings come to us throughout each day - most of which we did not particularly seek for or expect. For example, say you're walking outside on a sunny day and a bird poops on  your head. It is natural to feel upset. However, at that moment we have a choice. We can either get stuck in the feeling of being upset or we can focus our thoughts in a more positive direction. To do this, it helps to always remember your life goals and purpose so that you have a general 'positive track' to orient your mind on when different feelings come to us.

Honestly, we don't have much control over our feelings, but when situations bring certain feelings to us, we have to choice to take a deep breath, refocus our thoughts, and make the actions we can to keep us out of the trap of a negative or unproductive feeling.

Respect

Respecting others is an elementary concept yet it is extremely significant. The saying does go, 'All I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten', right?

Showing respect means recognizing the value of another person as part of our common humanity. As members of the human race our value for each other comes from our acknowledgement that we share in our Creator's love and are the result of His investment.

Not only do we respect others, but with the same perspective of seeing value in others, we also invest in others to uplift them. This perspective allows us to bring out dignity and nobility in others and in ourselves

Love means investment

There are many concepts of love. People say they love someone or something, but what do they mean?

I would like to propose that love is the result of investment. If you invest yourself in someone or something, that means you love him/her/it. 

Without investing ourselves in someone, can we really say we love them? It is probably more likely that we like something about them because it benefits or pleases us. But I would not consider that a genuine form of love. 

Appreciating our heritage

Often times when we become successful, we fail to recognize those who paved the path for us. However, every endeavor since the beginning of human history has been on the foundation of those who previously paved the path. Ultimately, this line of appreciation should extend to the Creator of the Universe, regardless of what you may call Him by, for He laid the foundation for human existence and prosperity in the first place.

In light of this, we should never be so arrogant as to claim any successes we may achieve in life as purely our own to claim.

Also, in challenging times, we can think of future generations that will appreciate our persistence in surmounting the challenges of our day for the benefit of our posterity.