Pickle Ball and the Meaning of Life

I was playing in pickle ball league a couple of days ago and between games I went to visit with the monitor of the league who is also one of the instructors at the PB facility. I like him because he has helped my game and is a great guy. He likes me because he works there and has to. I get that a lot.

Anyway, he looked at me and asked if I had any questions. He thought I would ask him about pickle ball, but I looked at him and said, “yes, what’s the meaning of life?”

I thought I was being funny, but he took it seriously. He thought for a few moments and said,
* Love everyone every day to the best of your ability.
* Always be kind.

Where have you heard this before?

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” In the OT it is Leviticus 19:18 and in the NT its in Mark 12:31 and Matthew 22:39.

Pretty profound for a Sunday morning PB league. Of course it seems like a lot churches preach a false theology that only some are one’s neighbor and others are not. Both the OT and NT very clear, one’s neighbor is everyone. No exceptions.

Being kind is free, and is pretty easy to do. But sadly, to often some choose a different route.

Some days a go a friend in my AZ HOA posted on social media a message regarding the restaurant which is part of the HOA. Essentially my friend said the purpose of having musical artists perform at the restaurant is to bring in more customers and revenue and it only works if patrons use the restaurant for food and beverages. The logic is easy to understand and sensible.

Seems hard to argue with this logic but some on social media did. Disagreeing is not a problem, thoughtful intelligent people can disagree without being disagreeable. However, my friend was attacked for her opinion and the attack was neither respectful or kind.

Being unkind has become a National trend. Obviously in politics but also other areas. Being unkind is something I feel has been increasing in my AZ HOA. That’s sad, because if your are fortunate enough to live in my AZ HOA, you should start every day with a smile and end the day with a thank you. And in between, strive to be kind.

We are fortunate to live in another HOA in MN and again I am thankful. I am sure unkindness exists in the MN HOA, but I never seen any. Disagreements, yes of course, but unkindness, no.

Every day we have a choice. We can choose to treat the others we encounter during the day with courtesy and respect or not. Again, its a choice. We can choose to disagree without being disagreeable.

What is the meaning of life? Books, even sections of a library have been devoted to it. But maybe it is as simple as my PB instructor said, love everyone and be kind every chance you can.

When I was in college and President of our social organization, we invited the Associate Professor of Music to speak at our banquet. He had students who were in our organization they all said he was a great teacher and very kind person. His story was amazing. He grew up in Southern California in an upper middle class family. He was of Japanese decent with his family immigrating to the US years earlier. After Pearl Harbor he and his family were rounded up and sent to a concentration camp. His parents lost everything. You know what the theme of his message was. “Love Everyone”. Impressive coming from someone whose family along with over 100,000 Japanese US citizens were put in concentration camps and lost everything during the war.

Good advice then and good advice today.