[December 30, 2022] Some people succeed in life, achieving fame, family, and riches. And others fail. So many fail because they don’t actually figure out what they want. And the probability that you will get what would be good for you, or even greater than what you might want, is zero. Why? Because you don’t try.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened…” – Matthew 7:7-8, the Bible
This part of the Bible says more in just these few words than all the wisdom of most philosophers of the past. I certainly do not have the background, education, or experience to parse its whole meaning, but I can try to give a bit of an understanding.
I think this verse means something like the following. Imagine that you were caring for yourself like someone you actually care for and then figuring out what it would take for things to go as well for that person as possible. What would their life have to be like for that to be the case?
But people don’t do that. They don’t think about the difficulties in their life and then imagine what their life would be like in three years, what their needs would be, and figure out what it would take to get there. They must figure out what they need most because they can’t have everything. There is a sacrificial element to this; you must give up something for what you need.
They have to aim at that and aim well. My experience in the military has been that if they figure out what would be good for them and then aim at it, they get it. That path to get there may not always be straight or good because we tend to deviate from the good path, and random events happen to us all. That path is also full of dragons that we fear and are inclined to avoid.
The reason people fail is that besides not knowing where they are going, they also don’t set up their criteria for success. And since success is a very narrow line and very unlikely, the probability that you will stumble on it randomly is zero.
Here is my proposition – an ancient proposal – if you want something, you can have it. Now, the question would be, what is “want?” That means reorienting your life in every possible way to make the odds that that will occur as certain as possible.
That is the sacrificial idea. You can’t have everything, but perhaps you can have what you need, and maybe all you have to do is ask. But asking isn’t a whim or wish; you have to be deadly serious about it. Live properly in the world so that being would justify itself. Aim high. Aim at a noble goal. That makes life worthwhile, and you get what you want.
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The Bible is amazing with great depth of meaning. ✔️
Bless you sir for speaking truth
… and bless you too Ayn Jalut for being part of our forum on being a better leader, better person.
As well, Happy New Year.
General Satterfield, this article is now one of my favorites.
General Satterfield, this is now one of my favorites.
If you want something, you can have it. Now that is something to sit down, with a cup of coffee, and think about for a few hours. 😘
Got that right Tomas. Lot’s to think on. But if you read the Bible and read about what the meanings are, by those who study the Bible, you will gain a much better understanding of the world and people.
Easy to say, hard to do. Takes time. Takes a bit of research. Would be nice if Gen. Satterfield provided links to articles and books that elaborate on these points.
Loving this website. Happy New Year to all. This article is profound in many ways. But what Gen. Satterfield is doing is telling us a lot about how we should view the world and behave properly if we are to have a life worth living. We don’t teach this to people any more and we are paying for that with an epidemic of narcissism. Cheers!
“You can’t have everything, but perhaps you can have what you need, and maybe all you have to do is ask. But asking isn’t a whim or wish; you have to be deadly serious about it. Live properly in the world so that being would justify itself. Aim high. Aim at a noble goal. That makes life worthwhile, and you get what you want.” == Gen. Doug Satterfield. A great comment.
Yes, the best part of the article. Gen. Satterfield nails it. ✔
Yep, Pen Q you da man too.
Well said, Gen. S. Thank you. As a Christian, I can appreciate this article more.
One of Gen. Satterfield’s best articles. Ask, and you shall receive. Who would have known that the Bible is actually right about what drives humans, what we fear, what we are attracted to, and what makes us tick. The fact that the Bible is a collection of the best stories of mankind means a great deal, and more of a great deal than I believe any of us realize. We are human. The Bible is about being human, our struggles and our salvation (creating meaning in our lives).
Amen Max.
Dont you just really appreciate this blog.
Yup, that’s me reading this blog for a better life.
Some uneducated and unindoctrinated (is that a word?) will not like this article because they will see it as advancing superstition. What they do not know is that they have fallen for the Marxist ideology of our age. They are slaves to their Marxist masters and don’t even have the awareness to free themselves.
Well, it is now New Year’s Eve and 2023 is just around the corner. Will 2023 be a better year for humankind? If the tyrants of the world have any say, then the answer is no. Putin, Xi, Biden, and others. Yep, included Biden because all is wants is to control us. Be free, my friends.
Yeah, why do “progressives” (actually neo-Marxists) invent Constitutional rights and fight to destroy others. Are they just suckers for Communist propaganda, or what.
Yep, they are suckers but also non-thinkers.
That is this century’s 64-dollar question.
New to the website. I hope I can learn a bunch from you folks….. 😀👍✔😉❤👀😎
Welcome, da man. I wish you well. You will find this forum as a convenient and productive place. Read the comments, study the article by Gen. Satterfield, and think about what is written here. Then see if you can apply it to your life and the good parts, apply to others in your family and community. That is what will help make you a better person.
Welcome to my website, Da Man.
Thank you sir.
Amazing article. I never thought of it this way. The Bible is, indeed, full of great human philosophy.
Sometimes I wonder just how much I do not know and will never know. Yet, the young millennials and Gen x and y youngsters think they are morally superior to the rest of us and they know everything. And what they do not know is unimportant.
I get that feeling everytime I read Gen. Satterfield’s leadership blog. Oh, a note to new readers, please get a copy of the book, “55 Rules for a Good Life” and you will be glad you did. See the link above.
Got my copy, thanks Ursala. I haven’t seen you on in a while. I hope you are well.
Hi Janna. Great to see you on this morning. I love this website.
❤❤❤❤❤
Yep, that is the point if it helps motivate you to learn more.