I would like to hear about a defining moment which changed your outlook on life.

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   brewskitimeguyposted 12 years ago

   I would like to hear about a defining moment which changed your outlook on life..good or bad
   
   I am sure that there has been an event that made you sit up and take notice...would love to hear abut it

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   I was taught at the age of 15 that no one is promised another minute on this Earth. Most people still have that place they can go to in their minds where they think "That could never happen to me." Well, It can. I was taught this by seeing my best Friend hit and killed by a hit and run driver.

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You know I had a moment like that when my best friend, who was a police officer with me died one night hit by a car and he died also...so I know how that can affect you.  thanks for sharing

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      JThomp42posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It really opens your eyes to your own mortality.

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   yoginijoyposted 12 years ago

   When I was 20 years of age, I moved to another country where I didn't know anybody. I wanted to grow and learn and it was one of the best years of my life! I even moved back there a couple years later for another year. If you're wondering which country, it was Spain.

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I went to Hait years ago to work on an agricultral project.  Landing in PoteAu Prince and realizing that I was the minority really opned my eyes, and experiencing the kindness the people shared with me was amazing.  thank you for sharing

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   TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years ago

   Strange as this may sound, one of the most defining moments in my life came from a  Geology professor who taught me that the earth and everything on it and in it constantly changes.
   
   I had never thought about this before...that the only constant in life is change.  It made me view everything differently, because I realized that no matter what my situation, sooner or later, it would morph into something else!

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i like your train of thought...and it is so true...thank you for sharing

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   Lady Wordsmithposted 12 years ago

   When I saw the picture of the Pale Blue Dot for the first time ('The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) from Earth' - Wikipedia). 
   
   That picture explained everything to me, the whole thing, the reason for my existence (there is no reason), gave me my freedom to be whoever I want to be, made me realise how small I am, allowed me to choose to spend the rest of my whole life pursuing happiness in whatever way I see fit, enabled me to find compassion for everyone I encounter who is lucky enough to be alive on this tiny speck of a planet.  The picture shows very clearly how utterly and completely alone we are in the universe - yes, there's a good chance that's there's life on other planets, but it's probably not close enough for us to ever reach.  I find that aloneness beautiful, and mystifying and not at all frightening.  I find it inspiring. 
   
   The Pale Blue Dot completely changed my life, and I've been blissfully happy ever since I saw it.

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      isn't it amazing how something as distant as a picture of the earth, can put our lives in perspective.  I love your words and your thoughts...thank you so much for sharing

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   msorenssonposted 12 years ago

   I do not have such one defining moment...............

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I would guess that you might say that life is a continuous defining moment, which is a great way to look at it.  thanks

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   Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

   Watching both my parents die in front of my eyes. My father had a heart attack when I was 19 (he was 55) and my mother died quickly of cancer after suffering for years from diabetes. I agree with JThomp42, death does do something to you. In the first case I had to drop out of university and take on two jobs to support our family, in the second I took a better look at my own health.
   
   Death makes you look at life from another perspective; realising how frail it truly is and how we should truly cherish it when we have it.

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      last November I went to hospital for what I thought was an allergic reaction to a prescription, only to find out that I had a funky blood disorder and had I not gone in would have certainly died.  Changed my view on things..thanks

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   whonunuwhoposted 12 years ago

   It was the time that I saw two friends burning to death in an accident, despite my efforts and others, we could do little to comfort them and they perished. This is when I decided to devote my life to the Lord and serve my fellows as a teacher of the handicapped, which I was blessed to do for more than twenty-five years. Our lives and experiences help to mold us each into the people that we are.

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      brewskitimeguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      When I was a volunteer firefighter, I had the same experience, it does put things into a proper perspective.  Thank you for sharing

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