Life

If our lives are a canvas, then what kind of picture are we painting? We don’t have to be a celebrity or a genius. What’s important is to fill our canvas in our own style and to our own satisfaction.

Life

Everyone born in this world has a unique role that only he or she can fulfill. Were this not the case, we would not be here. The universe never acts without cause; everything invariably has a reason for being. Even the weeds people love to loathe serve a purpose.

When we are aware that each moment of each day, each gesture and step we take, is truly mystical and full of wonder, we will live our lives with greater thought and care. We will also have greater respect and appreciation for the lives of others.

Life is the blossoming of flowers in the spring, the ripening of fruit in the fall, the rhythm of the earth and of nature. Life is the cry of cicadas signaling the end of summer, migratory birds winging south in a transparent autumn sky, fish frolicking in a stream.

The voice is a mirror of our being, of our state of life. Our voice forthrightly reveals our true character, our cultivation as a human being. Our voices are ourselves.

The course of our lives is determined by how we react—what we decide and what we do—at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person’s true worth and greatness.

Of course, people want to live long. But in the end, what matters more is what we have been able to leave behind—the value we have created in our lives, the number of people we have made happy and how much we have been able to grow and expand as a person.

While it is important to win, it’s even more important to remain undefeated no matter what happens.

Stories of Hope

Refusing to Hate

Jose Abueva

Jose Abueva’s family was brutally murdered by Japanese soldiers. Yet the Filipino educator’s story is not one of hatred, but of forgiveness and hope for a harmonious future.

Stories of Hope

The Writer's Path

Chingiz Aitmatov

Author of what has been called “the most beautiful love story in the world,” Chingiz Aitmatov underwent severe suffering in his youth.

Stories of Hope

Facing Challenges

Whilst the stark truth is that hardship and difficulties are inevitable and inescapable, the definitive question may be whether we yield under their weight or use them as an opportunity to better ourselves. Read here ...

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Stories of Hope by Daisaku Ikeda

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