On Matters Of The Heart

On Matters Of The Heart
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

Joining the song of many authors sharing their insights in
the fields of personal success and self development, I trust
we would sing in unison a chorus entitled...

"Matters of the Heart Matter Most."

Another tune creatively shared and expanded upon by many
would reflect the closely related theme revolving around the
passionate plea to "follow your heart" should you seek the
true meaning of success and the experiential knowledge of a
fulfilled life.

And to this I *might* stand in agreement but *only* with the
following modification in place:

Matters of heart do matter most but only when the heart
strives to be...

Motivated by love,
Rooted in the highest values of life,
Held in check by integrity,
And kept in balance by grace
because it understands the meaning of
being forgiven as much as it does
the practice of being forgiving.

I hear of dissatisfaction in the supermarket while standing
in line, see the heartache in the lives of people because of
broken trust, and watch "in your face" television
programming pit one person against another...

Demanding their rights,
Doing whatever it takes to obtain larger sums of money,

And proclaiming their independent strength as if the King of
Kongs suddenly found his or her way into the body, mind and
soul of the latest contestant.

I witness the fallout when people "follow their heart" to
someone other than the one they pledged to cherish should
life prove to be more downsized than upscale on the street
where together they now live.

And yet those left behind often inherit a legacy of grasping
on to what left over emotional and physical strength they
realize only to realize that the struggle to understand and
maintain a sense of inner peace and confidence will most
likely be a life-long battlefield on which they must fight
and for which they never enlisted.

A pessimist I am not, and my glass does not remain in a
continual state of being half empty instead of half full.

I listen to the pleasant sounds of birds outside my house
entertaining me with their songs of joy and encouragement,

Hear and enjoy the laughter of my grandchildren, rejoice
over and over at the joy in the eyes of my wife,

And sing way, way too loud and off key within the
closed-windows-while-the-song-blares-LOUD in my oriental
Lincoln (1995 Suzuki).

In brief, I do love and appreciate...

Life,
Many people,
The family entrusted to my care,
The neighborhood where I live,
My church where I worship,
And my country.

But my heart experiences a measure of sadness and
frustration as I witness the on-going promotion of a "follow
your heart" and "I am the greatest" set of philosophies
that...

* Flaunt false pride instead of respectful humility,
* Personal dominance over personal concern for others,
* The pleasure of self-indulgence over the pain of self-
control,
* And striving to win what matters least at the expense of
all that matters most.

And what does matter most in my opinion? You read my answer
at the beginning of this article.

My answer is: "the cultivation of a good heart." A heart...

Motivated by love,
Rooted in the highest values of life,
Held in check by integrity,
And kept in balance by grace
because it understands the meaning of
being forgiven as much as it does
the practice of being forgiving.

This cultivation of a good heart knows little of a street
named "Without Struggle," and even less of one bearing the
title "More Convenient Than Not."

Many times that which holds the most value also contains the
seeds of that which demands the most effort.

And so it is with the determination to preserve, protect and
nurture a good heart.

I imagine you to be one of the many precious individuals who
places a high price tag on such an effort, and to you I
stand in applause while encouraging you to stay in the game.

And yet we both hold these truths to be self evident:

We won't win every play on the field.
Nor will we give a sterling performance during each act of
the play.

But we remain convinced of the inherent value of taking our
best shot at maintaining and passing on to several
generations beyond our own the enduring legacy of a good
heart.

The best to you my friend: the very, very best.

Lee

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