‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?’ (Reflection #7)

Men were given by God a chance to live a good life, so those who will work hard will truly have more of life than those who are not. We are being blessed with good hands and minds and use the way He wanted us to do. But man’s nature is very ambitious. We are not contented to things that within our reach and within God’s providence. We want to have it all for we know that when you have all, the world will give its very eyes on you. We are sometimes greedy of the things the world can offer –wealth, fame, wonderful career and all that, without realizing that our minds and even our hearts can no longer recognize others welfare. We are sometimes enjoying much of the pleasure the world offers, forgetting that we have souls to be fed with spiritual thoughts to keep our limits.

            Most ambitious beings were driven by selfishness. For instance, an entertainer who would love being at the height of success will do anything just to have it. There are cases, which might be true to some personalities, offering their souls to darkness in order to live the way they wanted and be applauded with millions of hands. They are happy to be recognized by the world as a great performer who could fully satisfy the needs of the audience. Another thing also is there are people who will take life to solely own everything. As what we can observe today, even members of the family will hurt each other just to have what they believe they owned. Simply, man is more attracted to the alluring offer of the world than to what is really more essential to our life—the spiritual aspect.

            “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul”, is a merit to forming our personal values for it teaches us that what the world offer is not accountable to save our souls. In this way, we will understand that there is more of life and it is more profitable to have a dignified and valued life than having all those secular things that loses our very soul. We need to flourish our soul with goodness for it is the only way where fulfillment and true happiness comes. Materials things cannot give us perfect happiness, but our happy soul can.

Do Laws limit our freedom? (Reflection #6)

Freedom stands for something greater than just the right to act however I choose—it also stands for securing to everyone an equal opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Mike Treder). On the other hand, Laws, rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts (Wikipedia). Both are giving opportunities to a good life. The latter is somewhat our aim to let our struggles within be heard and freed and have the feeling of being happy, while the former is the external control in which we are to abide to be able to enjoy harmonious living.

             Do laws really limit our freedom? Laws were created to control society’s acts of immorality, not humane and even distracting our environment, but not to limit freedom. The definition above is making sense that freedom is not about to have all we want, but to experience equity in life. Laws are certainly a means that adheres to giving order or to protect all forms of life. It has been set so that all forms of life will be given a chance to live in a world harmoniously, be connected and give equity. It was actually supported with facts that have gone certain observations that are beneficial to all, not to a certain individual or group, and is based on what is moral. For instance, the law of giving punishment to criminals. If criminals will not be punished to their immoral acts, our world will no longer be free from distress. They will continue doing crimes and will eventually create chaos among men, and because of that man can no longer experience true freedom. Because there is law punishing the criminals, crimes are minimized and people in the society will be protected and people will be given fair action based on what they have done in the society.

            If we are to adhere to laws, I would say that our freedom will be a smooth sailing one not being limited. Freedom and laws, for me, will be working altogether because laws will give mankind the true freedom in a sense of giving them the assurance, providing the good way of life or conduct which is beneficial to all. J