There are a lot of unsatisfied people in the world. It seems like there is some void that people just can't seem to fill. I went shopping with my parents a few days ago. I was just browsing the sale section in the store my mom was interested in when a lady beside me suddenly said, "This looks good on me right?" I looked around to see who she was talking to - and it was me. I told her, "Yeah, I like that it has pockets. It's always good to have pockets." Then she frowned, staring into the mirror. She then asked, " Do you like this shirt?" to which I responded, "Yeah, I am a fan of polka dots, so I would like it."
The conversation continued like this to the point where she invited me to her change room so she could try on the shirt with different cardigans. Each time, she asked me if I liked it. I said, "Um.. well I won't be seeing you in it... so... if you like it you should get it." I really didn't know who she was and I didn't really care what she wore, or if it looked good on her. I wasn't sure why she was asking me. I have nothing to do with her, why does my opinion matter to her?
I was thinking about this and then I realized that a lot of people aren't satisfied with their lives, always wanting more money, more clothes, fame, etc. But even the wealthiest celebrities who have money and fame aren't happy. So I thought to myself, if I found a solution to this problem, then I would be rich. If there was a way to obtain life satisfaction - I could make millions. Let's take a look at the market: well it seems like everyone wants to be satisfied with their lives. Is there a need? Yes. There are definitely people who are not satisfied with their lives. Hmm... this looks like a good problem to solve, and I believe I have found the solution, at least - for myself.
In design, we are taught to look at the state of the art; what is the current best solution to the problem? If the solution I have isn't better, then it is not worth pursuing. The current best solution for people to get life satisfaction is money, love from friends & family, fame, and accomplishments (awards, records, etc.). The problem with these things is that they are temporary. Money doesn't last forever, and your friends and family aren't perfect - they may not always express enough love to satisfy you.
But what if I told you there was a solution that was self-sustaining? That seems to be the trend right now - aquaponics is a good example of a self-sustaining ecosystem. A self-sustaining solution would mean that you wouldn't need money, fame, nor love from another person.
What does it cost?
This is another key difference from the current solutions - it doesn't cost you anything, unless you want it to. The idea is that you invest your love into the people around you. Making another person happy brings satisfaction to your own life - I see this in my land lady, who was delighted to know that I was starving after my 5 hour bus ride home and had extra food she could feed me. Accepting her help and eating her food made my stomach happy, but it also made her feel happy - she did something good to help another person out and it gives the sense of self-worth.
How is it self-sustaining?
God loves us - he shows this to us through our lives and through the other people who show us love. I see how much God loves me on a personal level when I reflect on my life - the events that happened to me and how each person I met got me to a point where I realized that none of this could have happened coincidentally - since this happens way more than I am aware. For example, I initially wanted to get into mechatronics - a different engineering program. But instead, I got offered Systems Design Engineering, which I found to be much better and I love the program (some of my peers may not agree). I really believe that it is for me now that I think about it and meeting all the people I have met since starting the program (in my class and at the school) have really changed me into the person I am now - someone who has a better understanding of what my life's purpose is and where I am going in my life. I realized that if I had gotten into mechatronics instead then I would probably hate myself and not know what to do with my life. This is just a small example of the many things God has done for me to prove that he loves me.
So first - I have all this love from God that I found by reflecting on my past and the people who have invested their love into my life. I went to visit my friends this weekend and every conversation I had was meaningful and whatever I needed to have resolved was resolved, and I left feeling very satisfied and full of love. It was a spontaneous trip I had been hoping to have for a while (just for fun) and when the opportunity for the travel arrangements arose, I took it - and it just happened to work out that everyone I wanted to see was there, and were free to meet (or made time for me). I hadn't really even put too much thought into why I wanted to go but I just knew that it was something I needed to do. I wish I could share more with you but this is a public post so you can just ask me :P
So I am satisfied now with the love that I have received from God. Then I invest it into someone else. When you give to someone who is in need, you are really giving to Jesus. As a Christian, I believe that God lives in me (we call this the Holy Spirit). When I prayed for forgiveness and for Jesus to save me from my sins, I also invited God to live in me - to change me into someone who is more like him - someone who is more loving.
And God has an unlimited supply of love because he is love, so his love comes back to me again. And it's a cycle! It's funny because God's love is actually still there whether or not I love other people, but when you have the love that God has given you - you just want to share it with others. It's almost as if you want to be part of this whole love cycle, and God is inviting you in.
So that's it! We get satisfaction in life knowing that we are loved by our designer on such a deep level - one where he cares about every aspect of my life, and he shows it all the time. The only thing that stops us from seeing this love is us. We aren't always looking in the right place for love. We need to be more aware of the things that are going on in our lives - to wake up and really look for how God has been and still is present in your life.
What do you have to lose?
Nothing. Since it doesn't cost you anything, you don't lose anything by trying to find God in your life. And God promises that if we look for him with all of our hearts, we will find him. So this is the best investment you could make - you don't need to have money to have life satisfaction. You just need love, and God's love is free for those who want it. Loving others is a byproduct of the love you receive from God, so you will want to give it away when you have it because it is so good. We can all be rich - not with money, but with love.
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If you have questions feel free to ask me, and I will do my best to find you answers, be open minded and listen to what you have to say. I know that people don't like it when other people try to "force" their ideas onto others - I don't believe that this works so I won't try to force anything. Thank you for reading.
The conversation continued like this to the point where she invited me to her change room so she could try on the shirt with different cardigans. Each time, she asked me if I liked it. I said, "Um.. well I won't be seeing you in it... so... if you like it you should get it." I really didn't know who she was and I didn't really care what she wore, or if it looked good on her. I wasn't sure why she was asking me. I have nothing to do with her, why does my opinion matter to her?
I was thinking about this and then I realized that a lot of people aren't satisfied with their lives, always wanting more money, more clothes, fame, etc. But even the wealthiest celebrities who have money and fame aren't happy. So I thought to myself, if I found a solution to this problem, then I would be rich. If there was a way to obtain life satisfaction - I could make millions. Let's take a look at the market: well it seems like everyone wants to be satisfied with their lives. Is there a need? Yes. There are definitely people who are not satisfied with their lives. Hmm... this looks like a good problem to solve, and I believe I have found the solution, at least - for myself.
In design, we are taught to look at the state of the art; what is the current best solution to the problem? If the solution I have isn't better, then it is not worth pursuing. The current best solution for people to get life satisfaction is money, love from friends & family, fame, and accomplishments (awards, records, etc.). The problem with these things is that they are temporary. Money doesn't last forever, and your friends and family aren't perfect - they may not always express enough love to satisfy you.
But what if I told you there was a solution that was self-sustaining? That seems to be the trend right now - aquaponics is a good example of a self-sustaining ecosystem. A self-sustaining solution would mean that you wouldn't need money, fame, nor love from another person.
What does it cost?
This is another key difference from the current solutions - it doesn't cost you anything, unless you want it to. The idea is that you invest your love into the people around you. Making another person happy brings satisfaction to your own life - I see this in my land lady, who was delighted to know that I was starving after my 5 hour bus ride home and had extra food she could feed me. Accepting her help and eating her food made my stomach happy, but it also made her feel happy - she did something good to help another person out and it gives the sense of self-worth.
How is it self-sustaining?
God loves us - he shows this to us through our lives and through the other people who show us love. I see how much God loves me on a personal level when I reflect on my life - the events that happened to me and how each person I met got me to a point where I realized that none of this could have happened coincidentally - since this happens way more than I am aware. For example, I initially wanted to get into mechatronics - a different engineering program. But instead, I got offered Systems Design Engineering, which I found to be much better and I love the program (some of my peers may not agree). I really believe that it is for me now that I think about it and meeting all the people I have met since starting the program (in my class and at the school) have really changed me into the person I am now - someone who has a better understanding of what my life's purpose is and where I am going in my life. I realized that if I had gotten into mechatronics instead then I would probably hate myself and not know what to do with my life. This is just a small example of the many things God has done for me to prove that he loves me.
So first - I have all this love from God that I found by reflecting on my past and the people who have invested their love into my life. I went to visit my friends this weekend and every conversation I had was meaningful and whatever I needed to have resolved was resolved, and I left feeling very satisfied and full of love. It was a spontaneous trip I had been hoping to have for a while (just for fun) and when the opportunity for the travel arrangements arose, I took it - and it just happened to work out that everyone I wanted to see was there, and were free to meet (or made time for me). I hadn't really even put too much thought into why I wanted to go but I just knew that it was something I needed to do. I wish I could share more with you but this is a public post so you can just ask me :P
So I am satisfied now with the love that I have received from God. Then I invest it into someone else. When you give to someone who is in need, you are really giving to Jesus. As a Christian, I believe that God lives in me (we call this the Holy Spirit). When I prayed for forgiveness and for Jesus to save me from my sins, I also invited God to live in me - to change me into someone who is more like him - someone who is more loving.
And God has an unlimited supply of love because he is love, so his love comes back to me again. And it's a cycle! It's funny because God's love is actually still there whether or not I love other people, but when you have the love that God has given you - you just want to share it with others. It's almost as if you want to be part of this whole love cycle, and God is inviting you in.
What do you have to lose?
Nothing. Since it doesn't cost you anything, you don't lose anything by trying to find God in your life. And God promises that if we look for him with all of our hearts, we will find him. So this is the best investment you could make - you don't need to have money to have life satisfaction. You just need love, and God's love is free for those who want it. Loving others is a byproduct of the love you receive from God, so you will want to give it away when you have it because it is so good. We can all be rich - not with money, but with love.
---------
If you have questions feel free to ask me, and I will do my best to find you answers, be open minded and listen to what you have to say. I know that people don't like it when other people try to "force" their ideas onto others - I don't believe that this works so I won't try to force anything. Thank you for reading.
