by Belinda Beasley

Created on: November 07, 2008

Through the ages, humans have always lived busy lives. Those lives have been filled with heartaches, joy, pain, happiness, sadness, and a whole host of other emotions. There have been triumphs and failures, reasons to laugh and reasons to cry. Perhaps in the past, human beings paid more attention to the truly important things in life rather than being so busy that they couldn't take the time to enjoy a beautiful sunset or hear the wonderful sound of a baby's first cry. Today, there are many technological advances that allow humans to multi-task more than ever before. However, I often wonder if these wonderful inventions also have contributed to the hurriedness that seems to fill our days.

In today's society, it seems that people are always on the cell phone, sending a text message, or perhaps en e-mail or instant message on the computer. They rush through their days making the next big deal, or trying to land that huge account, or trying to find a better job that pays more money. At the end of the day, too many people are exhausted; they go home to a family that may not even have the time to eat dinner together because the teens have soccer practice, the mom has choir practice, and maybe another child has some other activity. As a result of all this rushing about, too many families don't even really know each other anymore and real friendships often aren't developed and maintained because humans don't have time for such things. Yes, in today's world humans are connected through all the electronic gadgets, but as I've often said, we are so connected that we're disconnected.

As humans rush through life, I think we miss a lot of the important things that really do matter more than landing that huge account, or getting that next, more wonderful job. Many years ago, I heard a pastor say that he had the opportunity to visit people who were dying, and in his role as pastor, he made some observations about people at the end of their lives here on earth. People who are facing leaving this earth to go to the next life don't wish that they had worked more hours per week, or worked harder to get a bigger paycheck. Instead, these people often have expressed regret that they didn't take more time to get to know their families or a neighbor who was having a hard time; they were expressing regret that they didn't pay more attention to the truly important things in this life on earth.

Life here on earth is a temporary situation, but too many humans seem to forget that fact. The world just might be a better place if humans would take the time to spend some time with an elderly parent, enjoy a glass of tea with a friend, or just sit and talk to a spouse or young children. Spending time with others and truly getting to know them, knowing what makes them, as fellow human beings, laugh or cry, can be so fulfilling. And at the end of life here on earth, perhaps there would be fewer regrets and more smiles when reliving memories of good times with friends and family, enjoying beautiful sunsets, or engaging in a beloved hobby.

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