When trying not to inconvenience ourselves,

 we need to be sure that we’re not inadvertently 

inconveniencing others. 

Preparing to drive a few hours to a monthly class I teach at a correctional center, I decided to get a coffee from our town’s very own, newly opened (Yes!) Starbucks store. Knowing two routes, I chose the faster and more convenient one for me.

Things went well until I hit the last red light.

I was in the single lane for cars going straight as well as for those turning right. Needing to go straight, I waited for a green light. As I drove through, I glanced in my rear-view mirror to see how many cars were turning right. They all were!

I was in the correct lane and following the traffic rules. At that intersection, even with a red light, drivers would have been able to turn right should there be no on-coming cars. I realized then that stopping at the red light prevented them from doing so. I was holding other people up.

In focusing on my own needs, I had inadvertently inconvenienced several people.

Nurture good seeds . . . (Click image for video)

“Character is destiny.” 

While the above quote feels like something the Buddha might have said, it was actually articulated by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. What is character? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines character as “a composite of good moral qualities typically of moral excellence and firmness blended with resolution, self-discipline, high ethics, force, and judgment.”

If that’s character, then that’s what we too need to develop!

Character clearly rises above belief systems. For instance, it could well be what is referred to as the “good men and good women” we read of in the Amitabha Sutra.

With character, we will be honorable, disciplined, diligent. And wise. We will firmly set ourselves on a path that far surpasses the ones where we all too often meander habitually along—the path of self-centeredness and personal convenience.

With character, we will determine our destiny, a better future.

Not just for us, but for all those we care about, have cared about, and will care about in the future as well.