If anything is sure, it is uncertainty
HELLO MI neighbour! Where will you be when the clock strikes midnight tonight? Some who’ll be present at 11:59 p.m. will be absent for the midnight strike. Like they say, “Here this minute, gone the next.” That’s life.
Our lives are perpetually dogged by uncertainties, and if anything is sure, it is uncertainty. No confusion intended. Reality is, no one knows for sure what the next moment brings.
Why do some of us live as though we are in control of time and circumstances?
What’s up with this neighbour who threw a big stone into his neighbour’s yard after a quarrel with a promise to deal with his case later that day? As fate determined, the threatener went on the road that same day, met in an accident and did not return to keep his promise. I hope he had repented before his demise. Take note.
Did you hear of the angry boss who threatened to fire a worker if he did not complete an assignment by 8 a.m. the following day? Well, while yelling at someone else, a few hours later, his blood pressure skyrocketed, he got a massive stroke and was buried a few weeks later.
Forgive my morbidity as I try to make the point: we are not as strong and powerful as we think we are. Always endeavour, therefore, to be at peace with everyone and dig ditches for none.
SHIFT FOCUS OF CONTROL
As indicated earlier, in every situation that we find ourselves, there are factors that we can control and factors that we can’t. Understanding how to manage in life’s sea of uncertainties is always useful. By focusing on the things we can control and leaving the rest to the Almighty, starting now, our little island can be a little paradise. We can never control the thought processes of crazy drivers, but we can control their influence on how we behave on the roadways.
According to the experts, to cope in an atmosphere of uncertainty, it is important that we shift from an external to an internal locus of control. An external locus of control means that we perceive the environment to have more control over our behaviour than ourselves. An internal locus of control means the opposite: we perceive ourselves to have more control over our lives than the environment.
People with an internal locus of control tend to be happier and more proactive than people with an external locus of control, because they tend to “know the time of day”.
Whether we are controlled by external or internal factors, one thing we are certain of is that whenever we “love our neighbours as ourselves and do unto others as we would have them do unto us”, we find true meaning to life.
“Maturity, one discovers, has everything to do with the acceptance of not knowing.” – Mark Z. Danielewski
“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. (Psalm 90:12)
Let’s say thanks to some neighbours as we reach to others listed below. To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 334-8165, 884-3866, or deposit to acct # 351 044 276 NCB. (Bank routing #: JNCBJMKX) or send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR C/o 53 Half Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Or contact email helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Mr Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.