THE GOOD-ENOUGH LIFE

Let's be honest:  Love is not all that you need.  However... When you do have love in your life, it makes up for many things you may lack.  But if you lack love, then no matter what else you have, or how much you have it will never be enough.  

By:  UNKNOWN 

In the beginning, Man went to work in the morning and came home in the evening, while Woman stayed at home and took care of the house, the children, and Man.  Then  World War II came, and Man left for Europe or the Pacific.  Woman was asked to support the war effort and spend some time in the factory just temporarily, until Man returned.

Not only did many women realise that they liked working outside the home, but men conceded - some reluctantly , others gladly - that women could do the work.

Even though women workd outside the home, expectations remained high for their roles inside the home.  They'd come a long way, baby, but they still had to get dinner on the table, take care of the children, do the laundry, clean the house, remember to send birthday cards to relatives, and keep their husbands sexually satisfied.  Society essentially  told women that, sure, you can have it all - but if you're going to do it all, you'd better do it well.

Today, while women on average still do a lot more work in the home than men, they are not the only ones who have to do it all and do it well.  An increasing number of men are asked, are required - and, yes sometimes even want - to contribute more in the home and become more involved in the raising of their children.  

There was a new world order, one in which both men and women had more priviledges and more responsibilities.  Unfortunately, though, the feminist revolution, with all its significant achievements, was as unable to slow down earth's revolution and extend our days beyond twenty-four hours.  So while demands on our time increased significantly, there was no corresponding increase in our time and no corresponding decrease to expectations.   

Men and Women were officially banished from Pleasantville. In their new world - a world which is more equitable and fair, and also more demanding - can Man and Woman find happiness?  The answer, to many, seems to reside in achieving what has become to be called "work-life balance." 

EVERLASTINGNESS AND PARADISE ARE THERE, AND NOT HERE!

Do you wish to stay young, healthy, rich and immortal? If you desire these things, you will not find them in this world; however, you can find them in the Hereafter. Allah, the Exalted, has decreed misery and impermanence for this world. He has called this life a trifle and an enjoyment of deception.

There is a well-known poet from long ago, who for the greater part of his life lived a life of penury. In the prime of his youth, he wanted money and could not get it. He wanted a wife too, but he failed in that pursuit as well. When he became old, with white hair and brittle bones, he became rich. Many women were now willing to marry him and he lived a comfortable life. The irony of his story is that he was poor when he was able to enjoy all comforts and that he became rich when he could no longer enjoy the pleasures of life. He composd these verses in the latter part of his life:

"What I desired to own when I was only twenty,
Came into my possession after turning eighty.
Young Turkish girls now surround me,
Singing and wearing silks and jewels.
They say, 'Your moans keep us awake all night long,
So what is it that you complain of?'
I said, 'Of being an Octogenarian.'"

"The example of this world is that a rider who seeks shade under a tree - to rest for a short period of time - and then he gets up and leaves."

LEAVE THE FUTURE ALONE UNTIL IT COMES

Be not hasty and rushed for things that have yet to come to pass. Do you think it is wise to pick fruits before they become ripe? Tomorrow is non-existent, having no reality today, so why should you busy yourself with it? Why should you have apprehensions about future disasters? Why should you be engrossed by their thoughts, especially since you do not know whether you will even see tomorrow?

The important thing to know is that tomorrow is from the world of the unseen, a bridge that we do not cross until it comes. Who knows, perhaps we might never reach the bridge, or the bridge might collapse before we reach it, or we may actually reach it and cross safely.

For us to be engrossed in expectations about the future is looked down upon in our religion since it leads to our having a long-term attachment to this world, an attachment that the good believer shuns. Many people of this world are unduly fearful of future poverty, hunger, disease, and disaster: such thinking is inspired by the Devil.

Many are those who cry because they see themselves starving tomorrow, falling sick after a month, or because they fear that the world will come to an end after a year. Someone who has no clue as to when he will die (which is all of us) should not busy himself with such thoughts.

Since you are absorbed in the toils of today, leave tomorrow until it comes. Beware of becoming unduly attached to future prospects in this world.

GRIEVE NOT AND ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Do I put off living in the present because of fears and apprehensions about the future or because of hopes of the magical garden beyond the horizon?

2. Do I embitter my present life by mulling over events that occurred in the past?

3. Do I wake up in the morning with an intention of spending my day usefully?

4. Do I find that I am benefitting from my life when I try to concentrate on a present situation or task?

5. When will I begin to live in the present moment, without worrying too much about the past and future? Next week? Tomorrow? Or today?