Issue 40.10
From the earliest recollections of my youth I remember the elderly generation giving counsel and suggestions on how to go about doing things. I also remember thinking that they didn’t know as much as me, and that “times had changed”. Now that I have grown a foot or two and have experienced some of the punches that life can throw, I welcome their wisdom. It has been said that with age comes wisdom, but for some, age comes alone. I hope to be included in the former rather than the latter group.
The former United States President Ronald Reagan said, “I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future”. His counsel still resonates with me. There is something about reviewing the lessons of the past to prepare us to face the challenges of the future. It’s not that President Reagan or the elderly generation I spoke about were overly brilliant, but they had learned a very important lesson. They realized that life was governed according to principles and they lived their lives according to those principles.
Principles are unchanging. They are present even if we do not acknowledge their existence. Stephen R. Covey explains them this way, “The reality of such principles or natural laws becomes obvious to anyone who thinks deeply and examines the cycles of social history. These principles surface time and time again and the degree to which people in a society recognize, and live in harmony with them, moves them toward either survival and stability or disintegration and destruction”.
Principles are different from values. Values change, principles do not. They apply to individuals, to marriages, to families, to private and public organizations of every kind. Such principles include integrity, honesty, human dignity, service, fairness, patience, excellence, nurturance, and encouragement. They are fundamental and have proven to have enduring, permanent value.
At Pine View Mortuary, we strive to run a principle-centered business as we serve your family. To experience this service, give us a call today at 435-986-4222 or visit us at pineviewmortuary.com