Robert L. Martin

Salvation

Salvation

He was a hardworking, modest young man who had a low paying job, but his ability to economize enabled him to pay his bills and still save a little of what was left over for himself.
He had many other interests, but none to feel passionate about, like how artists feel about their work.  He didn’t completely understand what their passion did to them.  He liked to dream, but didn’t think an artistic mind had anything to do with his work ethics, the pursuit of excellence.  He used his imagination to amuse himself only, not realizing that an artistic approach to life could have a profound effect on himself.  It could teach him to be passionate and sensitive in the way he applied himself to reach his ultimate goal.  If he worked hard enough in his endeavors, he could reach it.
One day when he arrived home from work, there was a letter waiting for him in the mailbox.  When he opened it, he found that his single wealthy uncle had passed away and left him with his fortune.  Since his parents were both deceased, and he had no siblings, he stood to inherit everything; no need to work anymore.
After marrying a beautiful woman and buying a new house, cars, and a boat, he still felt empty emotionally, and his family suffered from his depression also.  When he used to work, he had a sense of worth about himself, even though his job was so trivial.  If he could think passionately about anything like his uncle did, he could work on something that would give him a sense of pride and usefulness.
He built a new factory with enough money left over to upgrade and nurture it.  His seldom used imagination flourished with his continuous planning on how to increase profit and productivity.  He inherited more than just money from his uncle.  He found himself through his uncle’s legacy.
“Trust in your dreams.  Be passionate about your endeavors.  Be bold in your efforts to reach your goal.  Don’t lose your passion about work even after you have reached your goal.”
He saved himself from an empty life with no meaning to it, into a meaningful life with a passion to love it through labor.  In a way, he was more spiritually fulfilled before his inheritance, then found himself through his spirit’s deprivation.

We are not all equal. But I would guess it is a human universal the need for strive and search and fight for those, the objectives you have settled inside. Having a north, an ideal, a road to your very personal and intimate heaven might be closer to happiness than plenitude itself. And the desired treasure, if any, might not be money for all of us. In fact, I would guess money searching gets closer to a mirage. One where you can get lost. On one of the multiple possible other sides, artistic explorations, expecting to excel, fighting with yourself to do it better, may be so delicious. At least, I see it this way. Jordan Peterson proposes happiness not coming from getting rewards itself, but from the encrypted pleasure of a continuous effort game. Love your writing developing these ideas. Thanks for bringing up this theme here.

Hi Grace. I love your evaluation of my little story. In fact I like it better. You have a wonderful gift of reading and writing.

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