I am busy reading 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand, while at the same time spending a lot of time doing Yoga. I don't agree with all the sentiments of either, but there is a common thread that I find very appealing. That what you do matters. That you have control over far more than we are willing to let on.
A lot of religions or philosophies seem to absolve people of responsibility for their actions. They say that the circumstances in which we are found are something we must just accept/bear. I like philosophies that empower. One of my favourite quotes is from 'Starter for Ten' :
The people who care about you the most don't care if you make mistakes, it's what you do next that matters.
I don't think this absolves you, or says it is okay to make mistakes. If you make a mistake, you have to own it and accept the consequences. There is nothing that will magically make that mistake disappear. When you act, things are affected. Acting in the knowledge that forgiveness is available can be an escape route. What you do matters.
Guilt or blame after mistakes are useless emotions. You can however act. You can do something. While there are admittedly plenty of things that are out of our control, I think we tend to overuse that as an excuse.
The one thing we will always have control over is what we do next.
2 comments:
Atlas shrugged, hey? Good luck reading that bloated beast of a book. I started a year ago. Got to page 352 and decided to get on with life.. ;) Cheers!
Yup, made it through quite quickly actually. BUT I have to admit to skipping/Speed Reading through the seemingly obligatory Ayn RANT. She has another one in the Fountain Head (which I read next).
Fountain Head is more readable.
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