Pope Francis' Recipe for Happiness
I am taking the easy way out today for my blog. I found this list on the internet and found it worthy of some meditation. I offer it here just as he stated it.
1. “Live and let live.” A similar expression in Rome is, “Move forward and let others do the same.”
2. “Be giving of yourself to others.” People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because “if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid.”
3. “Proceed calmly” in life. He used the image of a pool of water – to have “the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life.”
4. “A healthy sense of leisure.” We’ve lost the pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children.
5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have the day off because “Sunday is for family,” he said.
6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. “If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs’ and be more vulnerable to suicide.”
7. Respect and take care of nature. “Isn’t humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?”
8. Stop being negative. “Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem.”
9. Don’t proselytize; respect others’ beliefs. “We can inspire others through witness….”
10. Work for peace. “The call for peace must be shouted.”
Which one is our favorite? Which one is the most challenging? Which one resonates with your own life?
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