Out of My Mind: What really is quality of life?

Quality of life - just what does that mean to you? And how do you find it?

Today, it seems to be a byword with some politicians.

They claim to want to provide a “better quality of life” for the residents of the area they wish to serve. Can they actually do that?

What is quality of life?

Is it being able to breathe without an oxygen tank? or walk? or see? or hear? There are people who have been deprived of good health or mobility or one of their senses who still rejoice in a quality of life because they rejoice in what they have and don’t focus on what they don’t have.

There are wealthy people who are miserable and despite the trappings of luxury, don’t have a good quality oflife. There are poor people who struggle to stay warm and to feed their families, but who enjoy a fantastic quality of life because they know that relationships are eternal and all that is temporal is fading away.

A house is not a home; a home is a haven, a peaceful place where loved ones dwell. There are many houses in our community where strife and conflict are present destroying “quality of life” for the children there.

Sadly, there are children in our community who don’t know that life does not haveto be one major battle or drunken brawl.

Abraham Lincoln once said: “Most people are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Quality of life depends more on one’s attitude than on the externals and it is not provided by a government - city, county, state or nation.

A community swimming pool or skate park does not improve one’s quality of life;

one’s attitude of gratitude for one’s blessings does.

Somewhere in the past 50 years, as we Americans have enjoyed prosperity and freedom from war, we’ve become self-indulgent, selfish, demanding brats. We expect the government to provide things we ourselves should provide. We no longer recognize that one should use self-restraint, self-discipline and sacrifice in the short term to receive in the long term. We demand our government to provide things for which we should work and we fail to be charitable because we want the government to provide for others.

Do we not realize we are the government? Taxes we receive are taxes we (or someone) pays.

It’s time to wake up, to give instead of take.

There are multiple opportunities in our community (and others) to serve. There are civic organizations, committees, boards comprised of people seeking to serve their fellow man. Find a place and give, serve. Giving to others will actually encourage you.