Are you leading a Fraudulent Life?

Ranger Station Olympia State Park, Washington

08©

Today is a time when a person is extolled to live a quality life, a superior life, to live in the moment, to live a life of integrity and one of peace. At no other time in history has so much information been available to guide one with tools and skills to achieve a superior life. However, despite all of that there are still people who will not reach for their highest potential but often times will actually seek their lowest common denominator by living a fraudulent life.

Which can be disheartening as it is as easy or as hard as you want it to be to be the original you as there is not one other person on this amazing earth who is exactly like you who is so wonderfully made, so why settle for anything less? Yet there will be those who as one poet said rather have “contorted nonsense” then to take as much time as needed to lift them up rather then expend energy in the quest of having a fraudulent life by mimicking others.

I know most of us have at one time or another have heard the phrase “Imitation is the highest form of flattery". We have probably had it said to us or reference to another person.

Can you imagine for one moment what would have happen if Jesus Christ became imitators of men rather then fulfilling his God-given responsibilities even to the point of being that ransom sacrifice for all of mankind including the ones who vilified Him and put Him to death?

Can you imagine for a moment if we all became imitators of Christ? And how happier we would be? And while in a whole different category, imagine for a moment of all those untold heroes and sheroes who had a vision a belief and spent their lives and some of them cut short, because they were reaching out not only to live their highest life, but leaving a legacy to be emulated?

Imitation in itself is not necessarily a bad thing particularly if it’s for the common good, but credit should always be where credit is due. Unfortunately for some, there is a tendency of mimicking other people, plagiarizing their words, actions or thoughts, then somehow believing if they write the words differently or does it long enough they can convince others or even more sadly, themselves, that what they are doing is original or of their design.

The late Dr. Martin Luther King when introduced to the words of Gandhi by his wife, the late Corretta Scott King, routinely quoted and used Gandhi’s words in many of his speeches. He even went so far as to pattern what became a huge Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s pattering the concept of non-violence on Gandhi’s words and actions. The crucial part, he never took Gandhi’s words and accepted credit for them.

The great wise King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes said "there is nothing new under the sun". It’s been done, maybe a different spin on it or maybe a deeper definition on something, but it’s been done.

It would simply be a far more honorable thing for one to acknowledge in word and deeds what might have inspired them to be a better person, to lead a better life and not behave as if they have operated in a vacuum. Unfortunately sometimes when people behave in a fraudulent manner, it might not necessarily come from a willfully harmful place, but more of unsureness that what they have to offer to themselves and the world might not be enough. But instead of taking A.I.M

Advance-do something differently

Invest- in some quiet time

Mellow- Self explanatory
They would prefer investing their energy in selling themselves short.

The beauty is there isn't a person on this earth that does not have something wonderful to contribute to the world, so the effort that is put in imitating someone demeans not only the one imitated but in the end demeans the imitator more so. And the unfortunate part is when you commit fraud, in the end when it is reveal you are the one who is harm in the end.

It is far better for people to be a most excellent rendition of themselves rather then a fraudulent ".other”. And by doing that they not only lift themselves up, but they lift up the rest of the world in the process.

Now how cool is that?

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