15 Comments

Powerful stuff, Adam. You're inspiring more people than you can imagine. God bless & Merry Christmas!

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Thank you 😊

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Of course, I wouldn't be proud of myself.

I do indeed have many regrets.

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As do I.

But today is a new day. If you haven't already, strive to be a better person than you were before. We can't change the past, but we can be better people today.

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God bless and Merry Christmas to you and yours, Adam. I appreciate how your writing makes me think of the deeper meanings of life and how to bring about positivity. Something I can always appreciate a refresher on. Hope you have some good memories made this holiday season with your loved ones.

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Thank you Chrissy and God bless you too.

I'll be spending time with family. Stay safe and blessed.

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I wondered about this and the scary thing is? I have no idea. I could be a candidate for Heaven. Hell, or in between. It kind of depends on which aspect of myself I focus on at any given time.

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What a wonderful reminder of what is really important. Your wise words have been a real blessing on my life’s journey. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

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Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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I couldn't agree more with your reflections in this post - I feel that facing and owning accountability is one of the most powerful (and at times, difficult) things we can do as humans. It is what separates the adults from the children-parading-as-adults (IE adults who are emotionally and psychologically immature (eg narcissists), who will seek any way possible to never be accountable for their nefarious actions.

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Thank you and I agree

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"Proud," Mr. Coleman?

No.

"Content?"

Yes.

It's not an academic question. Having been loaded into an ambulance during a medical emergency during which cardiac arrest and respiratory collapse (acute cardiogenic shock) took place, I faced what should have been my final moments. They would have been, except for proximity to a trauma center and successful resuscitations.

My only concern before consciousness fled, was one with which I am wholly content.

Contemplating what might be referred to as the "Akashic Record" of my own life, however, leads me to the conclusion that "throwing myself on the mercy of the court" to rule on the balance of sin with redeeming thought, emotion and action, is the only hope for salvation.

I sincerely doubt that I'm a statistical outlier.

That said, it's good that you have realized the "ripple effect" you (and all the rest of us) have on others. Yes, your "reach" is greater as a public figure, but only regarding expression, which is only part of it. Your direct example and presence with those IRL is the other aspect.

Expect awareness of your influence on others to grow, as the years pass by. I've been rather startled to learn of how my own actions of as many as five decades past, presented an influence that wound itself through the entire lives of others. Not all of those actions were wise, noble or virtuous.

All are sinners, all need redemption and salvation. I am no exception to that rule and pride is not something I can justify when contemplating being judged by my Creator.

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This is a trap. As humans we are faulty, and as we grow into maturity we make plenty of horrible decisions often in good faith! Switch the focus from would you be proud of your actions, to would God be proud of your development. This perspective allows one to re-experience those tough lessons from a position of self-care instead of shame. We are (mostly) all trying our best. Trust the process, and look up.

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The reason I frame it this way is because these people express regret and appreciation for how they treated people. It was shown to them for a reason and they were given another chance by coming back.

So this isn't to say forget God, this is to put ourselves in a similar position watching ourselves amd conduct. He's clearly showing them how relationships are important to Him.

It's to show our behavior and words have major a impact beyond what we presume, accentuating the importance to love one another.

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I greatly appreciate your thoughts on this matter and there is a lot kf wisdom in your worda. Plus I certainly agree that entrenching shame doesn't necessarily do anyone any good (although shame does have its place if it is deserved). But often we must look deeper, or in Jungian terms, seek to face our shadow...so much of what we do is done without conscious knowledge or understanding, and by endeavouring to unveil some of those underlying / subconscious mechanisms we can grow to be better, to ourselves, our fellow humans, and to society.

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