From Mark: You may have just beat the system with this web site. I had been discouraged. There is hope.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Skyer [mailto:Lazur@webtv.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 7:51 AM
To: Happiness
Subject: RE: Message to Karl Loren from the Happiness On Line Org
Hello Karl.
You replied that you'd like more about my favorite parts and my reasons for mentioning moral drift.
What I see in my observations may be a set of causes and effects of which other people's moral perversions and the illness it causes in us would be subset: disappointment, for _any_ reason, accumulating over each person's life, adding up to the true cause of their death.
This is hard to avoid. Every time a man takes a gamble and loses, every time he _doesn't_ gamble on a project that turns out to be a winner, he holds the memory of another 'failure', another 'mistake', another 'stupid' move.
With all of the choices in man's life, the number that are destined to be percieved as wrong ones is staggering.
Within this could be the 'mistake' of raising the family members that broke your heart, (although up until your article, I saw this theory in terms of financial mistakes only.)
It's the connection between my theory and yours that made the effect others breaking our moral code a standout.
Cause: my 'mistakes'/Effect:' there is nothing 'for' me in this world'.
This is the other half of my equation, that ones' life ends when there is nothing in the 'outside world' 'for' you.
Although I find much 'out there' 'for' me, and much that is new, I've also seen my neighborhood change into mall/condo complex that 'has nothing for me.'
Music, movies, etc. are as a rule, not being produced to appeal to a 53 year old man. The number of friends who have moved, changed, or died is getting quite large.
To the extent that I've made 'good' decisions, I've replaced the old with the new, or found more enduring artifacts of my past, (record collecting); to the extent of 'bad', I 'pine' for the old days.
Under almost all circumstances, this is a losing game. My hope is that by being conscious of the equation , one can process the disappointments, find more 'for' themselves, and live their full life.
Regarding other favorite parts of your site, I can't say; I'm more impressed by the total, and the accumulating knowledge an interest of the man behind it.
It would seem that you may well have 'beat the system' that I refer to above.
thanks.
MS
My guess is that you might well understand yourself a bit better?
I would, if I could, put a title on your message that you have now done two things:
I am not trying to draw some religious lesson ("salvation") from this -- just your recognition of how the behavior of others can affect you. It goes, fortunately, in both directions. The immoral behavior of others can make YOU sick, but their uplifting moral example can make you happier.
Any one person can be, all by himself, the center point of a spreading ring of calm around himself.
You point out that your neighbors are the "movie and mall" set, and that is not your style. It may be much too big a jump to get them to share your view of all this, but if you find one who will listen, on some small point, then THAT MUCH of your environment got THAT MUCH better.
When we see the moral corruption around us it is easy to feel that it is hopeless cause to change society. But, when you view this immorality as a one-at-a-time challenge, and even then, to not even utter a single evaluative comment -- just give a copy of the Book to some friend.
Stop!
Just give him the Book.
He may not read it. He may even throw it away.
You may wish him as somewhat less of a friend, after that. What is important to you should be important to people who are your friends.
After all, that is how I regard you, now.
So, you give another copy to another friend. There could be many of these efforts.
One day someone is going to get out of this material as much as you are getting, and he may well then join you in spreading the word.
You become an island in the ocean -- but the island is expanding and soon can connect up with other islands of morality.
Can it be done? The real question is, "Can you possibly afford to NOT try!"
If I have beat the system, as you say, it can ONLY be because of people like you who share my views and because of that enlarging circle of others, not known to me, who start sharing these concepts.
It is like oil on a troubled sea. The water calms!
I very much look forward to hearing from you again when you get the books, and hope you will help all of us (whoever they may be) spread the word of the need and value of a moral code.
Cordially,
Karl Loren