LESSON OF THE DAY 503

Ayah of the Day:
The secret of the heavens and the earth belongs to God. And the decree of the end of time is as the blink of an eye, or even quicker; for God has power over every thing. [16: 77]

Hadith of the Day:
Sadaqa appeases the Lord's anger and averts an evil death. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Your fear of Allah is commensurate of what you know of Him, and your lack of fear regarding Him is commensurate with your ignorance of Him. [Abu Bakr radi Allan anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Give up the idea that "more is better". We live in the most affluent culture the world has ever seen. Estimates are that although we have only 16 percent of the world's population in America, we use almost half of the natural resources. It seems to me that if more were actually better, we would live in the happiest, most satisfied culture of all time. But we don't. Not even close, we live in one of the most dissatisfied cultures on record. It's not that having a lot of things is bad, wrong or harmful in and of itself, only that the desire to have more and more and more is insatiable. As long as you think more is better, you'll never be satisfied.

As soon as we get something or achieve something, most of us simply go on to the next thing--immediately. this squelches our appreciation for life and for our many blessings. It seems that whatever we do--buy a home or a car, eat a meal, find a partner, purchase some clothes, even win a prestigious honor--it's never enough. The trick in overcoming this insidious tendency is to convince yourself that more isn't better and that the problem doesn't lie in what you don't have, but in longing for more.

Learning to be satisfied doesn't mean you can't, don,t or shouldn't ever want more than you have, only that your happiness isn't contingent on it. You can learn to be happy with what you have by becoming more present-moment oriented, but not focusing so much on what you want. As thoughts of what would make your life better enter your mind, gently remind yourself that, even if you got what you think you want, you wouldn't be one bit more satisfied, because the same mind-set that wants more now would want more then.

Develop a new appreciation for the blessings you already enjoy. See your life freshly, as if for the first time. As you develop this new awareness, you'll find that as new possessions or accomplishments enter your life, your level of appreciation will be heightened. An excellent measure of happiness is the differential between what you have and what you want. You can spend your lifetime wanting more, always chasing happiness--or you can simply decide to consciously want less. This latter strategy is infinitely easier and more fulfilling. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Food for Thought:
No one, regardless of how much he or she wishes it, can put understanding into another human being. Understanding can only come from doing.