All of us live our lives with great expectations. We dream of a life that is full of love, exciting challenges, and usually luxury. But, what happens when our expectations are blunted by reality? What do we do then? In some respects, the response to this question is greatly influenced by our past, and will likely determine our future happiness.

I love the old saying:

Things are never as good as you hoped, or as bad as you imagined

We need to accept that fact as a natural part of life. Most of us, if we are fortunate enough, will live our lives mostly half-full. But, we in the U.S. and EU have to realize that over half the world faces circumstances much more dire than ours. Jesus taught me that one of the most important things in life is to be my brother’s keep, and according to him, everyone is my brother. My study of Quakerism has shown me that all of us have a piece of God inside us, and that no one is more important to God than another. When that baby in a third-world country dies because of a lack of food, healthcare, or shelter, we should mourn his passing because that baby’s slice of God was needlessly extinguished.

Maybe, instead of taking that planned weekend getaway to San Francisco, or New Amsterdam, we should seek out ways to help our brothers who are in dire need in the U.S. and across the world. If you do that, even minimally, I can insure you that that act alone, will make your life more fulfilling than any dreamed weekend getaway can ever do.