Newspapers set the tone of doom. But what do you want to see?

There are people who only see, or rather ‘choose’ to see, disgrace in everything. The ‘good’ is always where they are not. And they say: “The best life is abroad”, “People here are no good”. The good marriage is the other’s and the neighbor’s grass is always the greenest.

Ah, poor people who have decided to view life through the most pessimistic and sad lenses. But, the best gift we have received is called: free will. And we can choose to face life as we see fit.

How good it is to decide to see beauty in life. How wonderful it is to see beauty in all of God’s creations. How delightful it is to decide to live and not show that you ‘live’ on social media. How good it is to decide to enjoy everything that is in this world, and that was made exactly for me. Ah, if only people knew that we need to open ourselves to live what we are made for. If they could see – in advance – what is destined for us – true jewels – they would have the courage to leave their comfort zone.

Some people think that to live is to indulge in things, which, deep down, destroy them. They need ‘crutches’ to ‘enjoy’ life. This is actually called self-destruction or in other cases self sabotage.

To understand and enjoy the beauties around you is so simple it is scary. It is coming across some ‘problem’ and knowing that it is there exactly for me to learn from.

To look at the ‘rain’ and know that it is necessary to water the most beautiful flowers and that I will only be able to eat from its fruit if I understand the importance – of this rain. To understand that for each thing there is a time and that for my own good I should not follow trends that do not ‘resonate’ with me. That no, I will not lag behind if I do not keep up with the ‘latest trends in education’. A pause is necessary in our life, I better stop on my own, otherwise life will take care of itself. If I can’t run away from something, let it be my springboard for change. That guilt serves no purpose, at most as a ‘nudge’ for me to do differently this time.

You will always have the choice to see what and how you want. This power of choice is so powerful that most don’t have the courage to use it. It is easier to complain than to change. To be the master of your own history is to be committed to your actions and to understand that we are co-authors of this world and of our history.

People who decide to open up to the beauty of life, change attitudes, hold their tongues, and work on what is needed. They say goodbye to the world of lies and sensations that the material world will never be able to give. They finally understand that real ‘bombs’ in our life and society are necessary to find buried treasures.

Nurya Ribeiro