What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?
Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.
It’s not always easy to live by this principle, but it gets me through most days.
What is your favorite quote?
Letting go of the pain is not about forgetting the past; it’s about remembering the future.
What’s a skill you consider basic, that most people don’t actually know how to do?
When I was younger, we were taught respect; for our elders, for teachers, especially for our parents. And respecting those people gave us a high level of self-respect.
But that education is very rare today. People grow up, and are even being raised, to not respect anyone else, to believe that they are the most important person in the world, and that no one else’s rights matter. As a result they don’t even respect themselves.
So, what basic skill is missing that most people don’t know how to do it? Respect for others, which in turn generates self-respect.
Do you think everything happens for a reason?
What’s strange about this question is that many people don’t believe in any sort of supreme being, but they believe everything happens for a reason, which suggests that someone is in control.
Confused yet?
Then add to that the fact that, if everything happens for a reason, there’s no point teaching our children to be careful when crossing the road, or using knives, or carrying scissors. After all, if everything happens for a reason, then we have no control over it.
Interestingly, many do believe in a supreme being, God, and that his sayings are recorded in the Bible. One of those sayings, recorded at Ecclesiastes 9v11 is, “time and chance happeneth to them all.” In other words, he does not control everything that happens to us. He gave us free will. And accidents happen.
We like to think that everything happens for a reason because, when accidents happen, we don’t want to be held responsible for our actions; we want to blame someone else.
Because the truth is that things often do happen for a reason; for the reason that we made a choice. All our choices have consequences, whether good or bad. And we need to stop trying to find someone else to blame and start taking responsibility for our own choices.
What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?
It has to be from Pat Boone’s version of the Speedy Gonzales theme song. I was telling my grandchildren about it only two days ago. It’s not the song itself. It’s the two comments by Speedy.
Hey Rosita, come quick. I have to go shopping downtown for my mother. She needs some tortillas and chilli peppers.
And the second one, as someone who grew up with what were called Green Shield Stamps, in the UK,
Hey Rosita, come quick. Down at the cantina they’re given green stamps with tequila.
