The title of this post is a riff on Acts 4:20 ( I hope this isn't sacrilegious). I was trying to convey that we are but the sum of all that has been poured into us. Everything we add to ourselves produces a new self, for better or worse. Like the Fibonacci sequence, we are the sum of what came before. When I add new experiences, new friends, new knowledge, I become the sum total of that and what I was before.
So we should be cautious about what we are adding to our "selves". Whenever we read a book or magazine, watch a television program, hear a song on the radio, or make new friends we should ask ourselves- does this add to me in a positive way? Guard yourself from taking on unnecessary additions. If we go through life soaking up all it has to offer, we may find that a regular purging is in order. As our life-goals and priorities change, so too must our additions change. We must learn to shield ourselves from harmful additions that would serve only to weigh us down. These may be activities, people, or a combination of both.
There is so much knowledge of good things I have yet to learn. There is so much growth I need to undergo so that I can obtain the capacity to learn that knowledge. There are so many people I need to meet who will enrich my life. That is why I cannot allow anything to become a barnacle on my hull. I cannot support any parasitic activity; I need all my strength to grow and improve. Allowing carnal things and superfluous things into my life now makes no sense: I simply don't have the time. I cannot afford to lose a second. That is why we should never look back. Continue to surge forward, open to new experiences. Rearrange your life and its contents accordingly.
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