Mud Flap Philosophy

During a recent journey I was passed by a speeding truck and its mud flaps caught my eye. They read:

Think Safe
Act Safe
Be Safe

What struck me was not any loose gravel but the simple formula of “think, act, be” and that it could be applied to anything. What came to my mind first and foremost was consciousness, a quality that we humans have but one which is often sadly lacking. Some regard our species as the highest beings on this planet, yet we often think, act and behave as if we were the lowliest of God's creatures.

Animals, in my humble opinion, are the greatest embodiment of God because they never intentionally harm others, go out of their way to harm anyone, or even think harmfully of anyone. They exist in the purity of their being and do what they merely do. A duck is always a duck in the morning, afternoon and evening. It is never anything else, pretends to be anything else, nor wants to be anything else (as far as I know). There is no duality and no ego. A duck, unlike a human, lives in perfect harmony with itself, with others and with its surroundings.

Think conscious, act conscious, be conscious. That’s what those mud flaps said to me. Our problem is we think too much. Our gift is also our poison.

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

— unknown

Or, it becomes your fate. Fate is the result of our actions if we do nothing, while destiny is actually the result of actions if we take an active role in the piloting of our ship, or in some cases, semi-trailer truck. As it was once said, God gave us all a boat, but if we want to keep away from the rocks we have to start rowing.

[photo: unknown]