1. The art of living

The art of living can be defined as a set of means that are directed towards a defined objective and as a set of knowledge and rules of action that help people to realize their potential, discover their personality and reach adult maturity.

Art is a discipline that enables a person to maintain control over his or her various physical, psychological and spiritual mechanisms. It is a special technique for living to the best of one's ability; it is a constant adaptation of each faculty to the varied demands of life; it is the search for adequate responses to the essential needs of the human being.

The art of living is a technique to help me build lasting friendships, where I can, without diminishing myself, welcome and accept others as they are, unconditionally.

The art of living focuses people on the present moment, on the days that remain to be lived, taking them one by one without rushing into the future. We need to re-evaluate the present in order to live it beautifully and effectively.

The art of living is a dynamic that must constantly bring me back to the present, that must make me aware of the essential needs of others, that must help me to look within to discover the true values that inhabit me, that build my confidence, that bring me closer to others without my being afraid of being broken.

Excerpt from the Collection Volontaires de Dieu, Father Louis-Marie Parent, O.M.I.