One of the other things that is a focus in the book is relationships. One of the “books” is actually titled Three Love Problems, so obviously this book talks about this a lot. One thing I learned from this book, or I guess it would be better to say I was reminded of this. When you start a relationship with somebody, whether that be romantic or other, you will always have certain expectations, about the person and about the relationship. Those expectations should never be based on something false, and you shouldn’t ignore anything about you or the other individual when making them. Also, generally your expectations aren’t completely met by the real thing. If things turn out better than you expected, don’t doubt that, just enjoy it. If they turn out to be what you see as worse, don’t focus on your disappointed expectations. Accept the person and your relationship for what they are, and focus on what you can do improve the relationship for both of you. I think we can see all the time that people forget this in our world today. You can see it in the high divorce rate. People dream up these grand expectations of their marriage and their spouse, and then when life gets a little difficult, they turn their backs and run, instead of working towards a new realistic goal. I understand that sometimes it is hard to be let down, but I plan on working harder to accept what comes and make the best of it. Because if you can’t’ accept reality, you’ll only feel worse.
Finally, the book ends with this quote:“for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts, and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs” For some reason when I read this quote, it really resounded with me. There are so many people in the world who make a big difference, just by living their lives. Generally they go unnoticed, and they are never recognized for the good they did for the world. But they never expected that or asked for it, and I guess that is what made them so good. In my own life I can think of so many people who’ve made a difference, just by being themselves. Sometimes I can see what someone has done for me, and when that’s the case, I try to thank them for it. But often, it isn’t until many years later that I see what they did for me, and there are some people who I may never fully appreciate in this lifetime. I wish that we could all see the way others influence us, because then maybe we’d all be a little kinder to each other.
I also think it is so important to realize the potential you have to do good for other people. When I realize that I have the ability to make a difference, it makes me feel a lot better about myself. Lately, I’ve had a really hard time recognizing my own value, and feeling like I am at all important in this world. But, in reading this book and thinking about the things I’ve written above, I’ve been able to see things a little more clearly. I have a role to play in this world. If I didn’t, then Heavenly Father wouldn’t have created me. I have people and communities that I am supposed to interact with, and people that I can make a difference to. Every person in this world has a place that no one else could fill. Everyone has an enormous potential for good. All we have to do is recognize that fact. We have to realize that we are not alone in this life, that we can change the lives of others for good, and that there are people that we need to work with to create the relationships that make this life worth living.
