Altruistic people, who remain mindful and true to their values of helping others are more like to experience beneficial emotions such as love and joy, while helping others. Research also indicates that people who practice mindfulness (noticing the experiences in the present moment rather than fixating on the past or the futures) are more likely to be altruistic and exhibit better mental health. In fact, people who tend to be more mindful and those who follow their values are less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, and are more likely to recover from addiction, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. In contrast, people who are more impulsive are more likely to be driven by immediate gratification, are more likely to struggles with their academic commitments, and may be more likely to struggle with regulating their emotions. You may have been told that you have already spent more than enough time remembering your past and analyzing it. Many kinds of recovery treatments do direct people to stay away from their painful pasts and focus on learning new skills and new ways of retraining the brain.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 5

Philosophers currently place less focus on remembering and more emphasis on learning to cope in the present. We once spoke so freely of causes as things having the power to compel the occurrence of effects and always took for granted that the power or efficacy of a cause never extends to things past or that causes occur after their effects. This priority of a cause to its effect was, moreover, considered to be a metaphysical necessity and not a mere convention of speech. It is generally assumed that nothing past is within the power of anything. Things past are unalterable; they are and must forever remain whatever they have been. Things present, on the other hand, are sometimes alterable. They can be changed in numerous ways, depending upon what causes act upon them. We all face challenges, but it is not the size of the problem that is important, it is our perception of that problem; it is how big or small we make it in our minds. Do not be intimidated. Those for you are greater than those against you. Put your shoulders back and hold your head up high. You are not weak, defeated, or powerless; you are a child of the Most High God.  #RandolphHarris 2 of 5

The totality of all beings forms an absolute unity. It is a dynamic ideal unity that make the moral World one as nature is one; it makes history one, all human generations one being, the process progressing according to one rational—moral law, which directs human events through the belief in God. History is this the history of ideas, incomprehensible without God revealed in history. The goal of history is the kingdom of God, incarnate on Earth. The basic stuff of reality is not the individual or the individual intellect, but a God-given ocean of ideas to which we are united metaphysically and historically. Egoism is original sin and leads to both moral and logical error, and only by overcoming it can we find truth and salvation. Thus altruism acquires a logical ground. The capacity for salvation and for the furtherance of history and its predestined end lies in the nature of humans as a social being. Sympathy, love, compassion are our spiritual characteristics. Society awakens our spiritual powers and preserves and transmits them well. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5

Providential reason guides history, but humans are free and responsible in that, as essentially a moral being, and they can and should submit to universal moral reason. The characteristics of evil ways into which many have fallen as a result of egoism will contribute nothing to the kingdom of Heaven; they will become like illegitimate children having no inheritance. They will become restless, more homeless than nomads; having no past, they will be unable to see a future or to find any meaning in their individual and spiritual lives. You do not have to focus exclusively on the painful parts of your relational legacy. One must also learn to honor the strengths one gained from early experiences. If you have witnessed a lot of dysfunctional behavior, it may have helped you learn how to avoid potentially harmful situations and people. Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually.  #RandolphHarris 4 of 5

Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of God’s presence. If everyday decisions are not according to His will, God will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence. If you remain true, you will get the sign that God is with you. When you become so worried, confused, or annoyed that you do not know what to do next and feel inclined to panic—do not! Stand true to God, and He will bring you out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned. Make a determination to trust in God. A peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him, will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him. Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it matters most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5