For much of the 18 years of RJsCorner existence, have been about “Having My Say” in 500 words or less. I do enjoy the challenge of just 500 words, but there are times when I need more, sometimes much more. That’s what “Contemplations” is going to be all about.

Whenever I think of the word “contemplation” I think about that chilly January morning (as illustrated here) in the year 2000 when I was standing at Battery Park in NYC and looking at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I don’t know how long I stood there, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all those whose first site of America was seeing that lady with her torch in the New York City harbor.

I think the most powerful God given emotion in this world for me is empathy. That is being able to put myself in another’s situation in life, and truly feel what they are feeling. If everyone felt that emotion strongly, wouldn’t the world be a better place? This feeling goes hand in hand with the Christian’s belief of being your brother’s keeper. I think almost all religious belief systems are also founded to one degree or another on these words.

If I can accomplish it, empathy will also play a central part in all my soon to come “Contemplations On Life” (COL) short stories. Everyone in life has their personal struggles with adversity. Understanding that, and practicing empathy to help those struggling would assuredly make the world a better place.

Come back in January 2025 to see what I have to offer.

P.S. Since this post was written I decided that “Contemplations” does not adequately describe what these in-depth stories are all about. So… I have changed the title more simply to “In-Depth” . 😎