I may not be the person I see myself truly becoming one day yet, nor do I see myself as that hurt and fractured little boy anymore either. What I do see myself as right now though, is someone who’s determined to be filled with as much peace, love, light, and joy as humanly possible. That’s why I end each and every entry in this blog in the same way, with those four words.
Peace is because so much of this world is at war with each other and within themselves. I spent a good majority of my life being in constant conflict with so many others and myself, until it made me sick on every level. Now I do my best to have inner peace no matter what’s going on in or around me. It’s tough sometimes, but most definitely necessary, especially since I live in a world where people continue to go to war and create nothing but more chaos.
Love is because so much of this world is consumed with hate towards each other and themselves. I spent a good majority of my life being filled with so much hatred towards those who I felt wronged me and towards myself due to all the unhealthy things I kept doing, until it made me sick on every level. Now I do my best to love all others and myself unconditionally, even when hate is thrown on my doorstep or when I make an unhealthy error in haste. It’s tough sometimes, but most definitely necessary, especially since I live in a world where people continue to fuel it with more and more hate.
Light is because so much of this world is still consumed in darkness, either by living in it or creating more of it. I spent a good majority of my life immersing myself in that darkness through various addictions and toxic behaviors, until it made me sick on every level. Now I do my best to remain clean and sober from all of them on a daily basis and be more of a beacon of light for those still sick and suffering, even when darkness keeps on trying to tempt and beckon me back into its icy grips. It’s tough sometimes, but most definitely necessarily, especially since I live in a world where people continue to remain in darkness thinking it’s their only choice.
Joy is because so much of this world is still consumed with sadness about so many things, both internally and externally. I spent a good majority of my life remaining sad about plenty that happened like my father’s suicide, my mother’s tragic drunken fall down the stairs, or events like 9/11, until it made me sick on every level. Now I do my best to constantly purge myself and let go of any past or present sadness I find in or around me and replace it with joy knowing that each has only made me spiritually stronger. It’s tough sometimes, but most definitely necessarily, especially since I live in a world where people continue to hold onto sadness like it’s their best friend.
So hopefully now you have a little better understanding of why I end each of my daily blog entries with the words “Peace, Love, Light, and Joy” because I’m sure you would agree that our world most definitely needs a lot more of each of these things…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
Great post.