What I believe (2014)

Thoughts for the day

James E. McGuire

February 26, 2014

          Frequently, I say, “I am not a Renaissance man.  I was born 500 years too late and, in any case, I am not smart enough to know all there is to know, the goal of the Renaissance man.”  My values and beliefs are, however, shaped by the Renaissance.  These are my five core beliefs.

.      Pursue happiness.  People do have fundamentals rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We owe it to ourselves to try to live a happy life:  to be at peace with ourselves, with others, and with the world.  In work and in play, we should do those things that bring us happiness and joy.  “If we are not having fun, we are doing something wrong.”

          Use reason.  Central to being human is to recognize the human brain and to use it to its full capacity.  While never ignoring feelings and spirit, the use of reason and the human brain is central to solving any of the problems that we face.  There is no human-created problem that cannot be solved using human-created solutions.  This is an article of faith, but it is faith in reason, not in miracles.

      Be hopeful. Optimism is a state of mind—a world view.  I believe that problems can be solved; that things can be made better; that each person, starting with myself, can become better.  Alternative world views—pessimism or fatalism do not lead to happiness. 

           Be thankful. We should have a thankful heart—prepared to give thanks for all that we have and all that we have been given.  Thank all those who care for you. If you have a god, give thanks.  If you have no god, have a thankful heart and give thanks to the Universe that you are alive and aware and can say and feel, “Thank you.” Be grateful when you awake in the morning that you are here to enjoy another day.

      Learn and Teach.  Learning is part of living.  As long as we are alive, we should continue to learn. Teaching is what we owe to the next generation.  Each of us has an obligation to transmit our knowledge and values from one generation to the next.  This is what it means to be human. None of what we know and what we can do would be possible if others who have gone before had not taught us.  “If I can see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.”