The importance of being earnest

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” (Jimmy Carter) The days are getting shorter - there is more darkness than light and people are starting to feel it. November and December tend to be insanely busy months. Year’s end is approaching, companies are both gearing up for the holiday season and the annual financial statement. Meeting after meeting, working late into a shortness of sunlight. This can be a taxing time, our resolve may slip - often where we least want it to. This frequently leads us to questioning our circumstances - the time before year’s end is also one of reflection and self-evaluation. For the sake of the argument, please ask yourself the following question now: Am I capable of giving my best and investing in what is important to me or are circumstances dragging me down to an extent where I am not paying attention, where I am not capable of focussing and not capable of acting responsibly towards myself and others? While I admire people who can honestly say they are happy with their situation 100% of the time, in all likelihood, most people will have have areas in their lives they are not completely satisfied with. Areas in which they either do not want to act responsibly (towards themselves and / or others) or are incapable of doing so. Please take a few minutes and try to identify a factor in your life where you are not feeling you are giving it your best. Think about why that is - are there external factors? Is the problem within yourself? How does it make you feel? Do you feel guilt? Indifference? In stressful times, we are sometimes painfully reminded how scarce our resources are. We are not machines - we need time for ourselves, to recharge our batteries, to grow as individuals and to work on our personal happiness. If we are incapable of taking care of ourselves, we are incapable of taking care of others. In order to live up to the Creed, we need to be able to function on an emotional and a physical level. Is it worth pursuing things in life which do not allow us to give our best? That may be unsatisfactory to ourselves and to others because these things are either not important enough to us or because they are happening during a time where other events are too overwhelming for us to focus on that which is dear to us? Do we not owe it to ourselves and to others to always give our best in what we do? I opened the sermon with a quote by former president Jimmy Carter. While Mr. Carter certainly did not have Jediism in mind when he was talking about his faith, I believe that this quote is equally true for us Jedi. I personally believe that it is essential to be earnest in whatever project we do. To be earnest towards ourselves and towards others. I personally believe in not beginning undertakings that I know I will not be able to see through responsibly, with focus and perseverance. If circumstances change, I see no shame in quitting (within reason) once I realize that I am about to let others and / or myself down with unfocused action. We have one life and one chance to make it count for something - so let us make everything we do in this one life count.