Is this all there is...?

I love the title of this post. Take a few minutes and think about that phrase. Think of every situation you're facing right now. Some are good situations some are not. Doesn't matter. If it's good can it be better? If it's bad can it be better? Evaluating the phrase really causes me to pause and evaluate. The opportunities that have crossed my path are quite astounding but so are the disappointments. So really the common thread to every opportunity or disappointment is me. After all it's my life. I own it. I'm a perfect study of man's free will. I choose the things I listen to. I choose the things I see. I choose the things I believe. I choose the things I don't believe. It's my choice to enjoy a sunrise. It's also my choice to not view a sunrise. I can eat steak or I can eat salad. I choose to take the responsibility for my choices. I can also choose to blame anything and everything besides me. There is a pattern to all of this. No matter what life throws at me or any of the participants partaking in a portion of my life, I control my destiny.  How many times have I thought "you don't understand, you haven't walked in my shoes...". So what! I wouldn't ask anyone to walk in my shoes. My shoes haven't been bad and they haven't been spectacular but they are my shoes, my destiny, my path and do not belong to anyone else. So, if I'm traversing my destiny why would I settle for it not being what I want it to be. I am capable of moral choices that lean to the right and immoral choices that cause pain and suffering. I choose my enemies and I choose my friends. Choice. Choice. Choice. This is where I can bash all of the external influences that lean our morality to the, for lack of a better term, dark side or I can build up all of the moral influences that lean our morality to the light. But... it's not about the external influences when we make our final choice. The studies all show what goes in influences what comes out but I cannot blame those influences because in the end I make the choice. This is such a huge topic. I choose how to discipline my children. Am I always correct with the disciplines I choose? Absolutely not. Do I always select the right words when speaking to others? Ask around. You'll be correct if you assumed I'm often not the nicest guy around. Do I make the right choices when it comes to giving my all to every relationship in my life? Give me a break, YOU KNOW THE ANSWER. If you jump to the top of this post I made a couple of statements about making things better. In every question I know I can do better. I can pay more attention to details. I can listen better. I can count to ten before I open my mouth. I can evaluate how my actions are going to be viewed by others. Again, choices.
This topic can span out over miles of different venues. I want to make choices that please me. I want to be selfish. I want me time. I want this or I want that. Really? What part of making things better do any of these comments fall in. If we take the time to evaluate the freedom that comes with making others happy. The freedom that comes with making things better is exalting. Ultimately I need to ask myself a series of questions before I make choices that affect those around me. Who is in a position to get hurt if I choose this path? Who stands to gain from this choice? Who can I help by making this choice? If I set goals in my life where and how does this choice fit in with the completion of my goals?
At some point I have to operate under the premise that people are good as a whole. I understand there are people in my life who cause problems and distress but does their life show a consistent patter of evil? Are their actions based on temporary circumstance that influence them to cause pain and suffering? What can I do to make their life better? There it is. What can I do to help make things better? I grieve when they're grieving. I rejoice when they rejoice. Thing is am I giving the grieving and rejoicing my best? Have I committed to give my best to everyone in my life? Most of the time I have giving my best to be contagious. If I commit to make every effort to help, grieve, rejoice, and love then I usually see a change in the way others respect and help me.
I'm going to close with this. Look at your situation. Look at the situation others around me are in. How can I make everything better? Give my/your best. Don't expect great returns, this is not a tit for tat effort. This is an opportunity to make a difference in your destiny. When you improve your destiny you improve the destiny of others. Whether it's by actions, words, or whatever, make a difference. You decide. It's your choice. What are YOU going to do?