The Doctrine

Be at peace with the world,
and be at peace with yourself.
Know well your limitations,
yet strive to overcome them.
Take joy from what you do,
and bring joy to others.
Be proud of who you are,
and of what you aspire to be.
Be not too proud though,
for excessive pride may lead to arrogance and vanity.
Be not afraid to speak your mind,
but be aware that words once spoken, cannot be taken back.
Always act on what you believe is right,
but be cautious of letting petty emotions cloud your judgement.
Believe what you will,
but be sure to hear both sides to a story.
Reality is just a word.
The earth was here long before you,
and will continue to be here long after you are gone,
remember that.
Know that beauty can be found in the most unexpected of places.
Know that the signs of love are many and great,
yet far too often they are overlooked.
Know that passion is the most powerful force in all the universe,
and that neither death, nor time, can touch it.
And finally remember,
that no matter the evidence,
no matter how much you believe,
you might always be wrong.

Hmm.

Not being sure quite how to review something like this, I'll just give you some quick feedback.

I thought it was well-written; you come across as somebody who has lived quite a long time, though, some elderly old man on his death bed giving a single slip of paper to his granddaughter or something. That's just what I got, though. The 'be nots', especially. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I like how you ended it, but it also made me think of something. For a finale, you tell us that someone may always be wrong, which is, I admit, a good spot to conclude on. But it also makes me think that somehow you're telling us that everything in the beginning and middle is subject to exceptions. You might want to get that impression across, you might not. I'm not sure of your purpose for this...

Unless you plan on keeping this until you're an old man on your deathbed, giving it as a final gift to your granddaughter. Hey! I feel a new story coming on!

Good luck with whatever this is for, and good job, too.

~Evi

you picked up perfectly on this, I have to say,

yes, these are thoughts I had on certain sunjects, and yes, the last part was very specifically meant to say that no matter what, everything I said could be wrong, everything I wrote there is subject to change, or exceptions. in fact the only two things on that list that hold true no matter what, are

Reality is just a word.

and

And finally remember,
that no matter the evidence,
no matter how much you believe,
you might always be wrong.

those two, I believe will hold true no matter what else may come, in fact, if you interpret them the right way, they mean the same thing, or at least close to it.

Thanks,
Peace

by the by, I am not an elderly gentleman, but if I were, this would be the exact kind of thing I would give to my grandkids before I died.