If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

� PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

I am an incorrigible optimist. I�m aware of the threats that surround us, but I haven�t lost my faith, I haven�t lost my hope. And I haven�t lost my confidence that people working together harmoniously can bring about a change for the better in the world that our children will grow up in.

It�s not for governments to improve our lives. It is for each individual to ask himself or herself, �Should I continue to make things which destroy life, or can I lend my expertise and my experience to benefit life, to help life?�

We get discouraged because we don�t see life as it is. We feel we can�t make a difference because we don�t see things as they really are. When we see life as it is, when we see people as they are, all sorrow will fall away, all suffering will come to an end. This is the great message of all religions. When we see life as it is, all sorrow falls away.

I am also an optimist and a realist, and I prefer to look for the goodness in all of humankind. Yet there is always the minority who would be dishonest and resort to trickery and cheating, but ultimately, they will fall by the wayside and disappear from our community. It always happen – just give it some time.

Very often, people ask, of the hundreds of applicants that we have to deal with every month, how do we know each one of them is honest? We don’t and we will never know for sure, but we believe in the goodness of all humans, so we work on trust and goodwill with sufficient prudence of cross-checking where necessary. And eventually, if there is dishonesty, it will reveal itself and things will work out as it should.

Trust the Universe. It knows better than us.

So yes, Winter comes and goes, but Spring is never far behind.

May we all be surrounded by positivity – positive energy from people with positive and wholesome intentions!

Happy Dongzhi (Winter Solstice)! (For the Chinese, you are now “officially” one year older!)