“The Standard”

Life's battles are exhausting for everyone. No one is exempt from feeling the stress and pressure and even torment at times, even when it feels like you are the only one...you are not. The key is to surround yourself with support and strength of various kinds. Reject the pride of saying, “I can do this on my own”, when you don't have to. Listen to truth and hope and turn from pessimistic fairy tales created by those who have hardened their hearts to courage and are grounded in their own fluffy kingdom of comfort.

The story of Moses, Aaron and Hur, fighting the spiritual battle while Joshua led the physical battle, couldn't be more relevant now. The imperative things that many are doing to uphold righteousness are empowered by the weak arms of the strong hearted. Nothing we do matters much, if we don't have a standard to hold up. A measurement of right and wrong that everything can be compared to and evaluated by. Standards are just that...unchanging, reliable, real and necessary. Necessary for order, balance and justice. Even us spontaneous, free feelers need and love order, balance and justice. Imperfect humans couldn't survive without it.

I think the state of affairs in the past few decades or so, as far as divorce, suicide, depression, substance abuse (including food) and the overwhelming majority of people in therapy or on medication should gives us the heads up that the new way of thinking...the enlightened ones...have dropped the standard and accepted a damning way. Look around. Evaluate. Don't ignore or make excuses for it. Though seemingly few, those who treasure the standard, need to jump in the battle and hold it up higher. Even if the battle is long, find strength in a firm stance and in those around you.

This painting was Inspired by a realism image of the same, by an artist whose name I cannot find. This is my impressionist interpretation of it. I am grateful for the sharing of beautiful ideas :)