Life, Death and Living Dead

I have known them. Who? People that were fully alive. They oozed life. They were smart, funny, intuitive, genuine, spirit-filled, wise, generous, open, accepting, forgiving, and attractive to all.

I have also known these – the dead. Those who are gone, remembered, adored, loved, missed, storied, honored, revered and ours.

Then there are the living dead. Those living but suppressed, lonely, unsure, unconvinced, halted, forfeited, wrong, missed, unknown, pushed away, taken advantage of, hopeless, sorrowful and just clueless about what to do or if to do.

The first position is advantageous.

The second position is due all of us.

The third position… well, that is debatable. This is why there is an entire industry afloat of self-help gurus, supposed secrets, “spiritual” principles, inspiring stories and subliminal tapes available to you, me and the world. In the end, though, it is simply a decision that turns death to life for the masses huddled in this place of mediocre experience and unfulfilled expectations.

So, if it is so easy why aren’t more people making it?

One reason – we have made decisions before and they haven’t worked out. Some of our decisions were okay. Some of our decisions are decent. Some of our decisions are horrible. Some of our decisions are stupid. Some of our decisions are pitiful. So, why make another one if we have no clear track record of success and forward motion?

I think we are bound to decide. Even in not deciding we have made a decision not to decide. How cruel is that? Our very decision to not make a decision decides we will stay in limbo, stuck, dead to our life and dreams.

What is another reason we might decide not to decide? When we do not know the effects of our decision or when we do not know how our decision will affect people who are important to us. So, we wait, we wonder, we pray, we wish….and we decide to not decide for another day.

Life, we know you are there. God, we know you are life. Meet us in the middle, please.

~ by phil underwood on 17 November, 2007.