A SATISFYING LIFE How to Attain It

Conclusion of  A Satisfying Life-Just a Fantasy?

No matter where you live, human relationships can be a source of constant distress, making life less than satisfying. At work you may become the target of backbiting. Your accomplishments may incite others to jealously and make you a victim of unfair criticism. A person you have to deal with from day to day could rub you the wrong way with his strong personality. At school your child may be bullied , harassed, or ignored. If you are a single parent, you know that this does not improve your lot in life when it comes to your relationship with others. All such problems today add stress to the lives of many men and women. 

The effects of stress may quietly accumulate over a period of time until the breaking point is reached, without warning.  Thus, stress has been called the silent killer, and chronic stress, a slow poison.   "Today, stress and its resulting illnesses  impact workers in almost every corner of the world," says Professor Robert. L. Veninga of the University of Minnesota.  It is said that stress-related diseases cost  the U.S. economy $200 billion a year. Stress is even called America's latest export, and references to the word "stress" can heard in many  of the world's major languages..  When you are stressed and fail to finish things that are scheduled, you may develop guilt feelings. A recent study reports that the average person  spends two hours a day feeling guilty. Still, some have been able to cope with stress and make a success of their lives. 

How can you cope with such daily problems and live a satisfying life? Some consult self-help books and manuals by specialists. Are such books dependable?  Dr. Benjamin Spock, whose book on child-bearing has been translated into 42 languages and has a circulation of almost 50 million, once said that  "inability to be firm is .  . .the commonest problem o parents in America today."  He then went on to say that the professionals, including himself, were largely to blame.  "We didn't realize, until it was too late," he admitted, "how our know-it-all attitude was undermining the self-assurance of parents."  So, then, we might well ask 'Whose advice can we safely follow in order to live a satisfying life today and in the future?

Next time: A SATISFYING LIFE How to Attain It - 2. Hints for Living a Satisfying Life

From The Watchtower magazine