Choices

'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so'

-William Shakespeare, Hamlet; Act II, scene ii

I first saw this quote in the most unlikely of places imaginable: pasted above a urinal in a toilet at my BMT company.

Unlike most of the other motivational quotes that just try to inspire blind courage or endurance, this one is special.

When you think about it, its meaning is deep and universal.

That things, by itself, are never created evil or good. It is human interpretation that makes them so.

There are always two sides to a coin. What may aid you today may, under different circumstances and demands, come to haunt you tomorrow.

Nuclear fission can be harnessed for power generation, or its awesome destructive power.

Discipline may be used for the general well being of an organization, or come to maximize firepower and effectiveness in war.

The Light may grant you peace and wisdom, but it may also nurture complacency and ignorance for the Truth outside the Light. It may blind you to the Truth that lies out in the Dark and suffering.

For the Truth is made of both Light and Dark.

The list goes on.

Therefore it is human choices that dictate good and evil, not the object itself.

We were given the power of choice, and the power of wisdom to decide what are the choices we should make.

We have always known what is right. It is just accepting it that is difficult.

For each person, object or event that may come our way, it is in our choice to make it good or evil.

For each new thing that comes our way, we are given a chance of a new start, to determine which paths you want to take it to.

Whether will one choose to bring it to good or evil, the Light or the Dark.

Whether will one choose to use it for short term gains, indulgence in the vanities of the world, or nurture it well for a deeper sense of happiness that lies ahead.

The answer may come easy, but having the will to follow it is not.

Temptations here and there, false promises around the corners, and gross errors of judgement brought forth by an over-reliance on emotions.

Sometimes such things are just beyond our current knowledge.

Inexperience perhaps? We always have fear and hesitation for all things new.

Nobody likes travelling in uncharted territory.

But should we give in to fear, stop and simply do nothing about it?

If so then how is it that we will learn, so that this fear may pass away from us once and for all?

It is not the immediate fear that we should pay attention to, but what lies at the end of the road that matters.

It may not be happiness, but the value of the lessons we may learn along the way is worth all the same.

It is so because it brings us closer to achieving happiness when the opportunity arises in future.

In all optimism and desire this may be the start of a long, long journey ahead.

The choice to what ends do we use to achieve that happiness lies within us all.

Only those that lies in Truth will survive the ordeals to come. Those that lies in what is false will wither when the hardest of storms come.

To eat the harvest for many years to come, one must put in the time and hard work. There is no shortcut.

Technology may make things easier, but work still must be done.

Sometimes it is pushing ourselves to exert that effort that is the hardest of all.

I was fortunate enough to be given the means to see what is life about.

But this knowledge comes with responsibility for those who do not yet have it.

Judgement may be deceiving, but judge we still must, with whatever that we know as fair.

For many years many events have come to hone the accuracy of my judgement.

Like all things it is not perfect. A circle of errors exists for each judgement I make. For some matters it is smaller, some are larger.

And the Lord has make it so that this may be the test for what I have learnt in the years before.

A chance to explore places I never have before.

A shot at happiness, or at least to understand the subtleties of achieving it.

Joy cannot be without rationale. It may make you neglect the important things that are yet to come.

The path is set but the obstacles and dangers are many. There are also paths that lead to nowhere but darkness, and some segments so narrow one wrong step may be the end of it all.

Have no fear. If we already have what it takes, we will see it through in the end. If we do not have it yet, then pray for the strength and willingness to learn it along the way. If the time is truly not yet, take this as a valuable lesson.

Enjoy it as much you one may, but do keep in mind the things that must be done.

Always bear in mind that there are always two sides to a coin, two uses for gold.

Good and evil.

The same applies here.

And how will I want to go from here, is all up to me.

I already know what I want and how to do it.

It is the will to follow what is right that I must keep.