21 - Freedom Rings
Another July before us, with Canada celebrating their national holiday, and all our friends in the US about to celebrate their July 4th holiday, and perhaps most importantly, another Midway celebration comes to us at the Temple. Truly we are blessed to have so much to celebrate, and the Midway packs all of these things in, together. What a truly efficient holiday.
One of the things we like to do, is use this time to reflect on what has been, and the plans yet to come to fruition. In reflecting, take a moment to go back to first principles, and more specifically - the First Keystone: Strive to be efficient, competent, and autonomous.
Given we are so blessed to be a part of the Temple, and our proclivity to ABS (always be striving [for betterment]), lets dig deep into what it means to be efficient, competent, and autonomous.
Efficiency, we know. This is our fundamental value, the very core of our beliefs, the unassailable yardstick we strive to measure ourselves against. Volumes have been written about this, and it remains simple. Be judicious with your time and your effort, both are limited. Maximum output with minimal input. Waste not.
Competence may take a bit more work - it asks us to actively pursue the things we do not know, improve ourselves, and be able to bring others up with an application of our skills.
Autonomy asks us for another sort of competence - the ability to fly without guidance, without support. It does not ask us to always do this, merely to have the ability to do it. In life, hard times will surely present themselves, and those who are capable of being autonomous will sail through these times much more easily than those who are not able. Be in that rarified group, and use your skills to help and lead others.
Remember to spend the next few days reflecting on these, and do something positive for the community! Reach out to someone with whom you may not have spoken in a while. Think about something beneficial for you and your neighbors. Visit a part of your community that you normally do not walk in. Push that envelope, just an extra 1% or 2%! Live! :)
