Simplifying Life with Love, Tempered by Respect

By Apolinario Villalobos

A positive life or rather, way of life is supposed to be ruled by just love and respect. Basically, we should love God, love life that He gave, and love others, be they within our family or strangers, as well as the so-called lesser creatures.  And, with love, comes respect. That is how life should be lived…supposedly.

But because of selfishness, life has been polarized. At one end are those who are exploited by others and at the other end, are those who exploit them. Life has become complicated because of the emergence of the mentioned evil desire.

If only we can simplify life with love tempered by respect, then, there will no longer be a desire for anything that is more than what we need. Selfishness is the reason why man is never satisfied. Man covets those that are not his. He even covets those that are not yet on hand.

Because life today is ruled by strength and money, man can no longer say that in order to survive, he can just run to the wilderness and harvest food, just like they do in the days of old. Today, living is simply a choice between simplicity but entails a lot of physical sacrifice, and complexity which calls for a lot of spiritual sacrifice. Simply put, it is either to live with hunger and needs, then die with a mouth agape with pain, or live in luxury, and die with a reluctant and heavy heart due to the amassed wealth that will be left behind.

But, since God gave man intelligence and free will, the choice is his. One encouraging fact, however, is about the seeping in of a need among many men and women, to reach out to Him, as they approach the threshold of their life. Unconsciously, there is a transformation in the way they live, leading to one of simplicity. Many are surprised about their loss of interest for socials, but veer their interest, instead, toward religious congregations. Some even start donating their wealth to worthy causes. If ever there is a need for socials, simple “ballroom dances” in multi-purpose halls are enough.

One only needs to look around to see this phenomenon – senior citizens smiling their way to their respective Church, with some donning work clothes on weekends to render volunteer service for community outreach projects, while others protect themselves with umbrellas on their way to depressed areas to conduct Bible studies. They all seem to shout to the world that they can still do something for the love of God and others despite their age. With their simple acts of living, they, indeed, are showing love and earning respect!