Believing is Personal…

Okay…I am cheating. I was going to go through each line and just put my own words, but the problem is that Sarah said it so well and there isn’t much that I don’t believe in as she does. We are individuals, we are not the same people, but as she says there are “core ideals, principles, preferences and opinions that are just solid within us.” I personally think that is great! There are people that would say, “But what about individuality and aren’t you just group thinking?” Nope! These are values I hold dear to me. I just happen to share the same values as someone else. I am just going to go through and add my own comments though, just to make sure I get the chance to express my individuality. 😀

The original post was on Sarah Lopez’s Blog. I tried to past a link, but it didn’t work.

There are so many things to believe in and it is a list that likely changes or evolves over time as we evolve as people.  That being said there are those core ideals, principles, preferences and opinions that are just solid within us.  I, myself believe:

-in family, big family and all the chaos that comes with it

(Absolutely agree with this. I love my family very much and I get sad when I don’t have them around. I will have time for quiet when I am dead.)

-in friends because family is not always just about blood

(I have some wonderful friends that I feel are as good as family. And sometimes they have been better than family.)

-the idea that everything truly does happen for a reason but the reason isn’t usually clear right away

(I have experienced this for my self so many times in my life. I have seen from my own experiences this to be true.)

-in laughing as much as you can, it’s good for the soul

(I would rather laugh than cry. And it can actually help you to feel empowered in a bad situation if you can just laugh, not like a maniac or something, but laugh at just one piece of the irony that is life to clear the way for thought)

-being rude as if you have no concept of manners is not ok and it really pisses me off

(What has happened to common civility? I try to teach my grandchildren to have manners. I tell them it isn’t even so much for the other person as for yourself. If you can look at yourself in the mirror and say “At least I know I treated someone with respect and dignity and that is what matters most is that I know I am that kind of person.)

-in using common sense and making an effort to not be an idiot

(Ha..that can be hard to do. I try. I have been told that I have great common sense, though I wonder where it goes from time to time.)

-alcohol is lovely and amazing when used correctly

(Hard Cider in the fall and yummy fruity drinks in the summer. Luckily I don’t really like the taste of alcohol so it is easy for me to use sparingly.)

-rainy, cloudy days and fall are Mother Nature’s way of showing us she is the shit and that the world always has beauty somewhere

(Fall, Autumn is my favorite time of year. Most see it as a season of ending. I see it as a season of transition that puts on one of the best shows on Earth.)

-you can never stop learning or stop growing as a person

(I think people truly grow old when they stop trying to grow and learn. You can always learn and explore no matter what your age. My grandmother never stopped learning until she died at 92.)

-being open minded and non-judgmental opens the world up and makes it a more interesting place

(Being non-judgmental is a difficult thing to do for anyone. There is always a temptation to judge. It helps people feel superior and secure in the thought that what they think and believe is right. How do you know when it is wrong? When it hurts someone else, tears down their happiness and sense of self and makes your soul cringe because inside you know you were wrong. What is the best way to avoid that feeling? Remember love and compassion are more important than judgement.)

-photography and the idea that you can capture a beautiful moment in time forever is one of life’s most amazing aspects

(I thank God that he gave the inspiration for the invention of the camera. One of the best inventions ever.)

 -it’s ok to be opinionated

(I can agree with this somewhat, but there are dangers in being so opinionated that you don’t listen to reason or open your mind to other possibilities. However, could you imagine how boring it would be if we all just agreed on everything and no one was allowed or wanted to have an opinion of their own?)

-loyalty and integrity are top qualities in a decent human being

(Loyalty and Integrity are truly top qualities in a decent human being, as long as they do not blind the person to doing things that hurt others. But, I suppose your level of integrity may not be up too high if you were so loyal that you were blind to or willing to do bad things for someone.”

-a witty, sarcastic sense of humor is key to survival

(Yes. Can’t say much other than YES!)

-in having a big heart and helping others

(People are so afraid at times to put themselves out there to trust and help others. When they do this they lose out on so many opportunities to grow into someone amazing.)

-with age comes a sense of comfort with one’s self

(I hope that is true. Still working on that one.)

-in finding your own personal, spiritual path to walk through life not someone else’s

(Each individual in this life ultimately will find they walk their path alone. They will have company, they will see other paths and groups of people to walk a path with, but ultimately their own personal journey is the one that emerges.)

-in forgiveness, grudges and regret are poisonous to the soul

(I will never say that forgiving someone is easy. You do not have to forget what they did and in some cases it is impossible to forget what someone has done to you. However, forgiving someone is an absolute necessity. Not only for your own soul, but perhaps theirs as well.)

-everything hard I have had to go through has made me strong

(In the last few years I have come to realize that I cannot change a single thing in my past or perhaps one or two, but not all the bad things. I would not be who I am today and I am really starting to like that person.)

-mistakes are inevitable, its human nature, but you should learn from them and use them to help you grow

(Why is it so hard for us as human beings to realize that no one is perfect? That humans are faulty, they make mistakes. You can demand perfection and you can try for perfection from yourself and others. Just don’t expect it. When it happens it will be even more special because of it.”

-karma fully exists and works in mysterious ways

(What goes around comes around.)

-brownies are the best chocolate product ever made

(Hmmmm..nah..truffles and chocolate covered cherries. Cella cherries, not the milky inside kind.)

-that gentlemen are a dying breed and people with sons need to take care to raise boys with the notion of being a gentlemen (one of my personal goals in life for my sons)

(Men claim that the feminist movement has led to the decline of the gentleman. I say that is BS!!! You are responsible for your own behavior whether that is good or bad. You are responsible for teaching your children to respect each other. Male, female, white, black, rainbow colored, gay or straight. Teaching your children to have respect for the rights and integrity of others is what is important.)

-that if more kids had a solid family and were taught ethics and values we’d have a lot less rude people

(Whether that family is composed of a mother and father, two mothers, two fathers, grandparents or whatever combination it is the fact that the “parents” need to give their children stability, teach them values of respect, compassion, thought, learning and self-responsibility that is important. Children would be happier and more likely to be polite.)

-food is one of the most amazing joys of life

(I love to eat, much to the chagrin of my waistline and scale)

-drama after adolescence is ridiculous and it should go elsewhere

(I believe in expressing yourself as a person when you are unhappy or happy, but have to admit that the whole “drama” scene I see played out all too often is annoying.)

-that writing and blogging keeps me sane and happy….

(Since I have found blogging I have to admit that I find I truly get anxious and miss it when I am not active. I think I have found my niche’).

Thank you Sarah for the inspiration. 😀