The Buried Life

What do you want to do before you die?


I watch this show on MTV called The Buried Life and this is what they set out to do: cross off 100 things they want to do before they die. Some of their adventures seem unusual and borderline inapporpriate, i.e. streaking at a stadium and getting away with it, getting married (in vegas), getting in a fight. But the other part to their show proves the point, they ask people along the way the same question they set out to achieve, and help them accomplish their answer to the question, which I believe should be the greater influence.

To be honest, I feel inspired by this, not for the entertaining value it merits (which it does have), but for the effort to actually to help a fellow human being. Some of their examples are not just vain attempts to gain something monetary or temporal, but have real value to the person. These examples include: helping a son's father find a home, saving a Canadian forest from further destruction, reuniting long lost friendships and relationships,and helping teens deal with emotional and physical images issues . These are four young guys looking for fun adventure, but they are also looking at the bigger picture-when you bring dramatic positive change into someone's life, it carries out and has a multiplying effect-which should be the motive for such an adventure.

How do we start answering the question?
Lets start by using the 'pay it forward' approach- simply doing a random good deed or helping a stranger in moment of need-is a good beginning. Then, choose a short term goal and a long term goal, write it down, and set out a plan. I think with the holidays and new year approaching, we can use the 'resolution mentality' to start planning and thinking of our 'bucket list' so to say.

What do I want to do before I die?
-Short term: Start a club/group in Appleton, WI
-Long term: Start a non-profit organization

Throwing away the marble ash tray

One of my sales guys told me the other day that he was on Day 5 of quitting smoking. After two bouts with cancer and constant sickness, he finally decided to take his smoking seriously. The other day he was talking about how mentally draining it was weighing on him- the habit of the mechanics of smoking (he just wanted to have a cigarette in his mouth) and not the actual material in the cigarette- he felt drawn to smoke again. He explained how he needed to get rid of everything that brought that habit to existence. One of those triggers was his antique marble ash tray he had since he was 19 which he always kept polished and in good shape. So he decided to throw it away- what are the things we need to throw away in order to make us better and break the habits that bring us to "cancer and constant sickness"?

For him, there were other things that he needed to change, but I believe that marble ash tray symbolized his struggle. He said it was very hard to throw away, and for us, we probably recognize "materials" we should "throw away" . We seem to put ideas into our head of objects or people that we think are momentus and will bring value to our life, but on the other hand, bring cancer to our life. In certain past situations, I seem to place myself in environments that I believe I can change and bring good to them, yet ultimately, it is that environment that changes me.

For my coworker, he thought he could beat cancer, get healthy, enjoy his life without changing the things his doctor told him to do- to quit smoking, drinking, eating healthier- because he thought those things had value. But, he then realized with the help of others, in order to cure diseases you need to change exactly what are causing those diseases, both physically and mentally.

Was there a time where you had to throw away the marble ash tray?

If not, keep this analogy in mind, when you come across a similar situation with yourself or somebody else.

Distractions

Speaking of distractions- what kinds of distractions could we minimize in our life to be better persons? There are distractions that are a part of our nature, part of our thoughts, that we cannot control and only contain, yet there are ones that lead us down bad paths of habit. For me, since I moved to Appleton, I have more time to myself than ever in my life, but I am tempted even more to feed some of the distractions that lure my way. Some of those distractions include, i.e. the couch and the TV, which help me to relax and are not in themselves bad, but they still can create habits of laziness if practiced more and more.

Whenever I find myself starting to walk in those explicit distractions, I need a plan. The plan revolves around discipline- throwing the body into submission in order for my inner self and will to be stronger than it-which, for me, consists of exercise and reading. Those two things fill up my body and mind with discipline, physically and mentally. Of course I believe those two things must be centered around prayer and spiritually growth. But I feel disciplining the mind and body, and I would say, "mortifying" them, uplifts my heart to want to grow spiritually.

What are things that distract us and what are the things that discipline are mind, body, and spirit?