Disgning My Way Forward

by Shaun Michael Samaroo
After reading Edward de Bono's book 'New Thinking For The New Millennium' today and Paul Zane Pilzer's essays on the new economic climate available to people today, I have learned so much.
I have learned that I can design my future. And I am trained as a Journalist, which means that I can use my media talents and skills and experience to teach people about how they can improve the quality of their lives.
Pilzer stressed that the world today demands 'wellness' - or quality of life. And he said that this new century would see people want understanding. So a whole industry has opened up for people who can teach others about ways to improve their quality of life.
As a Christian, de Bono's concept of designing the future resonates with my presuppositions. I believe that I am created in the image and likeness of God. And God according to the Bible is the Designer, the creator, the Constructor of the "heavens and the earth".
So therefore I am a designer, an engineer, a constructor, a creator. As a human being, I have the astonishing potential to design my future, to engineer the way forward for my life. I do not have to subject myself to circumstances and situations and peer pressure and conventional thinking. I have to learn to think creatively, constructively and to employ what de Bono calls "design thinking" in my life.
My life is in my hands, and I can choose what my future is going to be if I engineer the way forward. This engineering process calls for solid choices, for sound decisions. This is why I must continue to study and learn about the world and about myself and about God, so that in my choices I can make the most informed decision.
Like an engineer constructing a hydropower project, I have to plan the architecture of my life, dig out the river bed so that the water that is my contribution to society can flow more powerfully and freely forward, and have enough boundaries to channel the water - my life - in a forward, progressing and advancing direction.
Reading the ideas of these two guys has added a lot to what has already been going on in my mind. I have realized that I have to work to maintain good physical health, to continue to develop a sound mind by reading good books and talking to sound minded people, to pray and study the Bible everyday, and to develop and execute a financial plan.
I have developed a passion for what some people call a "presupposition theory" of life. This is to say that I believe that if people can change their presuppositions - the basic assumptions in their sub-conscious mind that dictates how they react to life - then they can live more empowered, fulfilling and rewarding lives. Quality of life, therefore, depends on one's presuppositions.
But presuppositions interact with context - the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual atmosphere that constitutes one's space, or environment.
So people must develop ways and means of engineering, of designing their context: their social, psychological and emotional space. And people must develop daily habits that develop their presuppositions along what I believe is the best way to live - the Judeo-Christian way.It is not that I have the answer to life's issues, but I have discovered, I believe, a way for people to live better, for them to enjoy a better quality of life.
These ideas of mine I have to teach in a motivating yet entertaining way, and have people adopt them.One technique I am starting to grasp is the role-playing method. This is where learning becomes a fun activity for those involved.
I want to develop role playing games for families and groups to daily carry out the following four activities: 1. Reading good literature such as poetry and the classics2. Studying the Bible and praying3. Exercising and developing a preventative health lifestyle4. Entrepreneurial activity to improve financial well being.
I really believe that I have a responsibility as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ to teach as many people as possible how to improve their quality of life. I want to teach people to engineer their future, to design their lifestyle in such a way that they know peace and joy and kindness and love.
I want to teach people through my books (fiction and non-fiction), my video documentaries, my websites, my newspaper and my seminars.
The world today is crying out for one thing - understanding. If I can open the eyes of people, using just words as my tool, just as God uses His Word to direct us into eternal life, then I can really enjoy my life here on earth.This lifestyle would be living out the commandment of in the Bible to teach His righteousness to people. Righteousness means the right way, as detailed in the laws, commandments and statutes of the Word of God according to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I can be like a tree planted by a river, where people can come and pick good fruits and eat and have their well-being.I have a healthy dissatisfaction with the mundane life of work and pay bills. I suffer a lot financially for this. But I am holding on, in determination, that I can design my future forward.
I have started with this wonderful and motivating advice from Pilzer and de Bono.
Life is all about what we leave as our legacy. And we do not leave material gain, or the education we put in our heads, or the good times we have had. What we leave behind, what lasts for eternity, is our sharing, our contribution to people around us.
How do we affect the lives of others, allowing them to live better, helping them to achieve quality of life - well-being?
This is my goal. And I pray that God would grant me the grace to improve as many people's lives as I can.I will start by visiting shelters and senior citizens homes in the Toronto area and giving motivational talks. This way, I want to help the least among us to rise up and shine. If I can succeed at this, then I am unto something good. My life would be fruitful and fulfilling.
HOME Copyright @2005 Shaun Michael Samaroo
Designing my way forward