Aspire to Inspire

In a recent class discussion about how we should live our lives, and whether we should strive for remembrance after our deaths or not, I had a philosophical epiphany. ( I am not sure if that's what it would be called but I though those two words sounded intellectual together )

Some of us wanted to live lives and be remembered afterwards, some of us wanted to live lives they enjoyed and not care much about remembrance since after death it wouldn't do them much good.

I thought, if I aim for the moon, I have a chance of landing on the stars. I would like to be remembered for the good things I have done, for the good books I have written, for the movements I have started and at the same time enjoy the life I had. If I pursue my passions, I will enjoy life and have a positive impact on society.

And maybe, I won't be the best writer, or the best artist. Maybe I won't be able to compose a classic piece, or find the cure for cancer. But I could aspire to inspire. Maybe I won't do all the amazing things myself, but maybe I will be able to touch the hearts of future best-seller writers, painters, musicians. Maybe their inspiration will be I.

And maybe, my name won't be printed in books, or mentioned for prizes, but my soul will reach a state of ataraxia. And that should be enough. After all, the star I land on may not present the same view as the moon, but it will be the star people at the moon admire.

Lots of dolls,
-Belle

Words of Week 4

Logophile: One who loves words
Misconstrue: Get a wrong or false impression
Eutony: The pleasantness of a word's sound
Resplendent: Richly colorful, bright, attractive
Wanderlust: Strong desire to travel
Offing: The more distant part of the sea seen from the shore, beyond anchoring ground
Evanesce: To disappear, fade away, vanish

Tolerance.

"I think we need to tolerate each other's religions and beliefs."

I know I use a lot of words in my posts, but it is only because words trigger my brain to connect points and analyse my life. Since coming to the U.S. I have heard the phrase "religious toleration" more than I had to. It bothered me that people have to be reminded to be "tolerant" of others' religions. What does tolerate mean anyway? According to Google, the definition is "allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference."

Why tolerate? Why not respect, or appreciate, or recognize, or acknowledge? Why tolerate?

I have a religion, you have a religion, you don't have a religion, whatever. We should tolerate each other? NO. Instead, we should respect each other. We should appreciate the diversity we are exposed to. We should recognize the different belief systems. We should acknowledge that by having different views and perspectives, we can achieve more together. We shouldn't tolerate each other, we should be thankful for our differences, and treasure them. 

For me, respect is something every human being deserves. No matter how different a person might be, I need to respect them because they are human, and they need to respect me in return because I, too, am human. We need mutual respect in this world, not mutual tolerance. 

Tolerance is offensive. Tolerance is when my baby brother won't stop crying, but I have to endure it because I have no way of getting rid of it. Tolerance is that endurance. I don't want anyone to think like that about me, or my religion. I don't want to be someone people dislike, and practice a religion that is misjudged. I want respect, not tolerance.

Lots of lemons,
-Belle