Amongst the world's greatest

Look at the four above and tell me what they bring to mind, four who represent good for billions of people around the world in different ways. Teachers with so much wisdom and who taught us so much about how we can be better, inspired us to become better, to reach our potential. There are many others too, I am sure you can think of more.

Do you know what these people represent to me? Failure.

Do you know why they failed? Because they are teachers and we did not learn from them. Sure, some may have adjusted their behaviour slightly but how many of the class attended but keep failing the test? It is the teachers fault is it not? They did not say it simply enough or it lacked detail, it was not tailored for me the individual and it didn't speak to everyone... Who else's fault can it be but the teacher's?

I am not religious in the slightest and I am agnostic on the existence of a God but, it does not mean that I cannot hear the words of the religious.

Take this from Jesus for example:

Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. - Jesus Christ

What does that bring to mind when you read that, is that what you see in the world, or does hypocrisy come to mind where people condemn each other for actions no worse than their own? The lesson failed did it not, they all did, except perhaps 'An eye for an eye'. Perhaps that is why we are too blind to see.

But of course, religion has failed us all and we can do much better than the diatribe designed to control the brainwashed masses. Let us turn our attention to the rationality of science instead for it is there that the lessons that lead to truth will be found.

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein

Hmm, does this mean anything to you? Do you see this lesson of one of the most celebrated minds to have lived echoing and resonating through society in your experience or, do you see the rivalry, jealousy and desire as we strive to collect more, no matter the costs we inflict upon others.

But science is heartless, we cannot put the morality of humankind into the insensitive hands of a mathematician for we are not numbers, we are living, breathing members of society. We must come together, turn to the social, the charitable, someone looking for equality.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

Are we that change, are the problems facing the world how we wish it to be? For that is the lesson, we act and the world follows, it can do no other which means what we have today, is how we wish it to be for we learned the lessons and acted accordingly. Didn't we?

But please, we all know that society and community can never please us for there is always compromise, some people will always have more and others less, the system is unfair and those that try are bound to fail. We must be individuals and we must turn to spirituality.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. - Buddha

Are we there yet, do you feel enlightened, are your behaviours and emotions that of someone who understand this life, someone who is at peace with who they are and takes responsibility for the challenges faced? Do you act as if no one can save you, are you willing to walk the path alone?

These lessons and the multitude of others are not new and have been reiterated a million different ways by hundreds of millions of people for millennia. We see them in our feeds on pretty pictures of sunsets, the words of the greatest minds and the most compassionate hearts the world has seen. But, they are the words of failures nonetheless for they have failed to teach us well enough that our behaviours changed. We listened to the words over and over, and chose to remain the same. Will they always be failures though?

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. - Buddha

If you read this far... Now, you know. To not act, is to fail.

Taraz
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