Words from Dic(tionary)
Aim: (v) 1. to point or direct an object at a target 2. have the intention of achieving.
There seems to be a missing step.
Matter of fact, as I looked at the definition of “aim,” I realized what is creating much of our social upheaval. People are deciding they are ready, and they’re just firing away.
The aim is not clear.
Whether it’s about politics, religion, abortion, pornography, drug use or even guns–we figure that as long as we are ready, we should be able to fire. No wonder so often we’re missing the mark.
There is no aim. There is no taking a moment to find out if we’ve actually got a bead on our target.
So it become all right in our culture to call “close” a “direct hit.”
People speak their minds and then get criticized for their comments, only to return the next day to apologize in pre-scripted contrition. Might it have been a good idea to aim–even though you thought you were ready to fire?
Can I give you three considerations we can use as human beings if we will practice the art of aiming?
1. Excitement is not passion.
You can get people excited about almost anything, as long as they believe there will be approval or money. Passion is finding the root cause and the value of our endeavors before we start pursuing the mission.
2. “Firing” places a bullet in the air which cannot be retrieved.
As I get older, I find myself less willing to pull the trigger, and having much more fun practicing my aim. When I was younger, I thought it was powerful to do as much as I possibly could until exhaustion rendered me useless. Now I realize that saving my energy for heavenly ventures is the guarantee for earthly pleasure.
3. Being sure is the only guaranteed path to ending up wrong.
The slight adjustments we make in the brief moment after being “ready”–when we aim before firing–alleviate most of the embarrassments that come through shooting the wrong target. And it’s just fun to slow down and then discover that your choice of delaying prevented tons of stupidity from having its day.
If life is a firing squad, it’s important to be ready. Clean your gun, load it and be available. But don’t ever fire off in some wild direction because your temper, your beliefs or your friends have forced you to do so.
- Take aim.
- Find out what’s important before you squeeze one off.
Because it’s much more difficult to swallow your pride and admit you’re wrong than it is to lower your weapon … and be grateful that you didn’t do something reckless.
Words from Dic(tionary) 