The optical delusion of separation

"A human being is a part of the whole called the “universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of…consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affections for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in all its beauty, Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."  (Albert Einstein)

For me this quote by Einstein really hit home because it makes a point to speak on what life should have within it for everyone. It’s too often that yea, we help our family and friends when they are in need but if someone who we don’t know asks us for a favor we turn our noises up. I remember an incident that occurred in front of a 7 11 which is a quickie market for all of you who may not know. This gentleman whom was dressed in kind of dirty clothes asked another person who was entering the story could he have any change that the person who was entering the store could offer. Do you know what? The man who got asked the question said in a very rude tone, “No man go away.” As the man whom asked the question started to go the other man quickly said, “hey man, why don’t you go get a job and stop asking people for money? It’s because you are too lazy to work huh?” Then man whom asked the question in the first place replied, “Hey, I have been trying to find work” then the other man simply uttered quietly to himself, “yea right you bum” and walked into the store. Now was all of that necessary? I mean if he didn’t want to give the man any money he should have just said no and left it at that. Who knows what the man who was begging had gone through in his life? Who knows what type of upbringing he had, who knows what wrong doing may have occurred within his life. It’s a wonder that people are so judgmental to others when the truth of the matter may be that if they would have gone through half of the things that the person who they are judging went though they may be in a worst off condition.

When I look at a person whether it is someone I know or not I can always see a spark of myself within them. I know that they have good in them and if they are in a messed up situation they didn’t consciously choose it. At times in life we all do walk down the wrong roads and then we tend to find ourselves in a slump. When I was around 26 years old or so I made some horrible decisions with my money and because of those decisions I nearly got evicted from my apartment. There was a time when I fell behind on my electric bill payments and it got shut off for a day. Times when I have done things in the pass that may have caused hurt and pain to others. I have been in slumps plenty of times in my life and I’ve been in that sad place. These situations do tend to make us stronger once we get through them but they do occur for all of us. You can’t judge someone in a way that you aren’t judging yourself anyway because we really can’t give out what we don’t have within ourselves.

To come to a realization that we all are One in this world is to come to a freeing insight. Some people hang around only people that they have known for a long time. Some people never leave there neighborhoods, they never venture out so that they may broaden their horizon and to me this is ashame. They never give to a person who looks as if they are in need, instead they judge, assuming that the person is just going to go and use the money that they may give them for drugs. How can anyone make a judgment on what the person will use the money for? I say if you have it and someone asks, if giving a person a little money isn’t going to hurt you financially you should give to them every single time no matter how the person may look. You have no right to judge anyone, you don’t know what they have gone through or if they are going to use the money for food or not, if you were in their shoes you may be the one who would be on the drugs. Plus even if they are on drugs who gave you the right to tell them that it is wrong for them to do the drugs. I say this, at lease this person won’t break in someone’s car or house looking for something to sell so that they may appease their drug habit. My house and car has been broken into before and for the things that were taken I am assuming a person simply did the act so they would have something to sell for money for drugs, or maybe for food who knows but imagine what would have happened if when that very person asked a stranger for some money and they would’ve just given it to them? That person may not have broken into my car (the repairs cost more money than what the person took) or my house. Think about it that way.

Again (this statement needs to be repeated plenty of times) we all are One. Yes I do love certain people who are in my life but I have love for everyone to whom I meet and even those that I don’t. This light of love is bright enough to shine on everyone, not just the people that I know on a personal level. We are all One with the universe because we are made of the same stuff as the universe is. We are made of energy just as the universe and even the particles which make up our bodies can be found in space. We are One with each other, with all of the plants and animals. We are One with people who live in a way that we may not understand, that aspect of them does live in us and remember, if we were to have gone through whatever that person went through then we probably would be similar to that person if not the same. We are all One, One universe One Love and One light and we all need to start acting that way. Animals like that ants who come together as One and live in harmony have been around a lot longer than animals who don’t live in this way because it is all of our true natures and it is the way of things. So remember, every time you make a negative judgment on a person you are simply calling out an aspect of yourself that you simply don’t like. Why not give away a smile or a little cash, some food and some insight that is worth getting. Why not be love, share love and look at everyone to whom you meet as a part of yourself. If everyone thought this way there would be no wars, no robbing, no murders and no issues in this world. This Oneness thing is the answer to all of the issue that we are having and it is a spiritual thing; it’s an inner thing so let’s get it started. Remember, we are all One. ONE LOVE!!!

Namaste

It makes no since to be a hypocrite!

A woman once went to Gandhi to ask a favor. When she arrived within Gandhi’s presence she said, “Please tell my son to stop eating sugar because he eats too much of the stuff.” Gandhi instructed the woman to come back in two weeks and ask of him the request. So in two weeks the woman returned and once again made her request. Gandhi quickly said to the boy, “Stop eating sugar.” The woman then asked why Gandhi didn’t say this in the first place two weeks ago and Gandhi replied, “Because two weeks ago I was eating sugar”.

In any situation or within any circumstance it makes no since to become a hypocrite in order to have your wishes meant. Change is an inner thing and one cannot claim a change unless one undergoes a change within themselves. Everyone wants the best for their loved ones. We all want the best for our friends and family, for our children and for any children that look up to us so we may give orders to these people so that they will find health and happiness in a way that would bring greatness to life for them. But as I stated before, being a hypocrite in any circumstance makes no since and is just as dishonest as telling a bold face lie. Hypocrisy is truly on the same level as thievery because you are stealing something that you cannot possibility claim because you don’t practice it within your own life. Let me say it again, being a hypocrite makes no since in life, none at all.

So don’t try that “they should do what I say and not what I do” mess because (and I don’t mean to sound negative when I say this but this truth needs to be spoken) that is just plain dumb. If you smoke and you don’t want your child to start smoking then I suggest you kick the habit first. If you are having premarital sex and you want you a child to wait until they get married to have sex you really need to kick yourself in the pants. If you drink and you feel that I should stop drinking so that I may think a little clearer and not make dumb decisions well…what I said speaks for itself because if you decide to make a statement like that to me or anyone you are doing just what you don’t want me to do. So come on people, you cannot sit somewhere and tell someone that they need to stop doing something that you do yourself. If you want your spouse to be more loving YOU BECOME MORE LOVING FIRST and I don’t care if you are the most loving person you know. Don’t ask of others of something that you don’t do yourself. Because (and I know I said this already but I am going to say it again) that is just plain stupid!

Everything that you want someone else to do for their personal betterment you should want for yourself. Yes I do tell people they need to adapt a workout regimen so that they will live a life of wellness but do you know what? I work out myself. I tell people they should eat healthy and I do so myself. I tell people that they should be more loving because every day I work on becoming more loving myself. I tell others to have an open mind on things because my mind is open. I say that people should read and learn something every day because this is what I do. But do you seriously think that I would tell someone that they should wait until they get married to have sex? No because I didn’t do that myself. I don’t tell people that they shouldn’t drink because I like to drink some wine a few days a week myself. So in closing of this blog I just want everyone to seriously be the change that you would like to see occur. With that you yourself will make this world a more loving place to live and then after you have made the change within yourself you can start spreading a message of the same change but still, not in a forceful way ether. The best way to spread any message is not to speak it anyway but to simply do it. You will have an easier time convincing more people to follow a certain change if they see the benefits that it has in your life anyway.

Namaste

Life arising in suffering

"When I was young I believed that life might unfold in an orderly way according to my hopes and expectations. But now I understand that the way winds like a river are always changing ever onward following God’s gravity towards the great Sea of being. My journeys revealed that the way itself creates the warrior, that the very path leads to peace, every choice to wisdom and that life has always been and will always be arising in mystery." ( Quote is from the book 'The Journey of Socrates' by Dan Millman)

I loved and then I lost and following wondered why or how it could have occurred. I was kind and they made fun of me, poked at me because I didn't think or act like them. I was too shy at times and missed out on a great much in my younger days. I felt lost but I still had this spark within that dictated to me that I deserved love and only love and with that my happiness would be found. Lost and alone, confused and upset I set off on a journey that would forever change my life. Love ones have passed and many loses have occurred, I've been rob and stolen from, I've been placed to the side as if I was a pain within another’s life and with all of that and because of the spark I still chose love. Then with that decision I arose from it all like a phoenix from the ash. I realized that with the pain came pleasure, I grew and became stronger, I researched, started to read more and study to widen my mind but most of all and most importantly I decided to take a glace within. To find something that was never lost, to come up the mountain of life and to reach the peak and then on arrival come to a realization that this peak was actually just the beginning and I had a long way to go. I became a warrior of such, to fight the battles that were brewing within and to take charge. In this war I captured the flag from the enemy within and brought it to base so that my lieutenant would give me horror and reward, the flag I took is love and my lieutenant is God. I brought Love to a Loving place, I allowed Love to realign with itself because all and all, God is Love anyway. But these battles that were fought all unfolded within. With that I learned that heaven is within and so are the burning pits of hell. I then understood that everything that occurs in life is for my higher purpose and benefit. No matter how harsh it became, it was for my benefit because life is about the simple joys of the matter anyway. It’s not about the suffering but sometimes in order to reach a destination I may have to walk through a few storms here and there. But to say that my destine place was for the storms is to not see the truth at hand; BUT to gain an understanding that these storms may be part of the journey and also to gain an acceptance of this fact is to gain a simple and needed peace. So with these words yes life in itself does arise in mystery just as your mother went through her birth pains to bring you into this world. Just as our greatest God realized masters have gone through certain types of suffering so that you could gain insights and become free. Do you think that Jesus' life was simply about the hanging on the cross or the love and light that he brought to the world? But even though his life wasn't simply about the suffering the suffering had to occur so that his mission could be accomplished. His life just like yours and mine is about the joys and the happiness. Happiness is the key to life and the only way to gain happiness is through Love. Sometimes it does takes a big pile of shit to fertilize a blossom for growth just as it takes the mess of suffering at times to bring forth the Love and the beauty that life was meant to become for you and me. Remember that and take it in strive to realize that everything that happens in life is for your greater benefit and always, always be and radiate love; I simply can’t say that statement enough!

Namaste

Being proactive!

Its one thing to act in response to what another's actions would entail and it's another to ONLY act in response of what another's actions would entail. In my life I have truly never been a simple reactive person. At one time I was a person who didn't act at all to any situation, simply sitting in my own fear shell making a dying instead of a living and in many ways being that way is worst then being a reactive person but I still am not excusing the reactors of the world. We all have a purpose, a dharma, a personality and a place in the universe. If we only react to others then we are simply puppets with strings that the person who we are reacting to made the actions are pulling in the first place.

Let me quickly explain what a reactive and a proactive person is. A reactive person is a person who doesn't do anything or make a move unless it is off of another. You can easily control an individual whom has this personality trait. Just simply insult their mother (you don't even have to know their mother) or there girlfriend or there kid. Insult their ethnicity, their religion, their life philosophy and they will act in a way of anger and probably attack you. Or say something sweat to them, this will make them smile, say something that goes with their life's philosophy and they will love you (not real love by the way). Say something nasty and they will cringe, say something so called smart and they will come up to you with admiration. Don't take a person like this out anywhere to have fun. If you do and this is a dancing spot they will wait until everyone in the spot is dancing before they even begin, if you take them to a eating establishment, even though this person may be hungry and the food is out they will still wait for someone else to grab the first chicken wing before they make an attempt to eat. If they want a raise at a job they will wait for two or three other employees whom do the same task as them to ask before they even make an attempt. Even though they may be interested in a certain individual on a future significant other level they will wait until someone else gains interest before they do something. That is a reactive person and to me a person like this is nothing but a puppet.

Then you have a proactive person. A person who has control over their lives. A person who isn't going to wait for people to start dancing before they dance, a person who will grab the chicken if they are hungry and the chicken is out even if no one else will grab a piece, a person that will make a move on an individual whom may be a future significant other even if no one else show interest, a person who will ask for that raise the moment they feel they deserve it. This is a person who truly Loves themselves and who really embodies the meaning of a strong individual. This is a person who even if they don't acknowledge it does radiate what God is and means to the fullest. This also is a person who I can admire to the fullest.

So there it is. I put this in my post because I want more proactive people in the world then reactive. Reactive people don' t really live and have no control over there actions. Why would you put your life and the actions you take in someone else's hands? I want all to read this post and to say yes, I want to be proactive no matter how weird I made seem or how afraid I may be. Have courage, love yourself enough to take that power that you have within and use it to make your life exactly what God put you on this earth to make it. Do it, be proactive, take that chance, love that person, go get that raise, heal the world and make it shine from the inside out!

Namaste

shades of grey exist

"The good guys and bad guys aren't as easy to tell apart as I used to think they were. You can't look at someone with your eyes and take their measures. You have to look with the heart"

As I finished reading a fiction series of books which I have been reading for the past four months I came across this quote which was literally the last sentence at the end of the last book in the series and I couldn't help but realize and feel the truth that those very words held. So remember, as we go about our days working to make a living and to do what is just for our friends and family to judge someone simply for their stark actions or by their appearance alone simply doesn't begin to define what's really brewing within a person's soul. There is a saying that goes like this, "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck" and I have to say that things simply aren't that simple. Come to everyone you encounter with a heart full of love and an openness to accept them. Look at them in a grand light, a light which can only shine goodness and go with the feeling that you gain from them instead of simply their actions and physical appearance. Look with your heart instead of your eyes and you will see a beauty that isn't seen by many but a beauty that is more real then any other beauty that exist. There are shades of gray in the whole scheme of things so to see a person's try nature you really do need to use that heart of yours and open those eyes of the heart to see the in real sight. So as we go with our weeks of struggles and life lessons we should take heed and gain the lesson of the heart so that we are able to see the true loving intentions that we may miss if only looking with our eyes which have more so been dirtied by this fear based world that we find ourselves in anyway. Look with the heart, not simply the eyes and the truth of it all will be told in full.

Namaste

Light Breeze (by Rumi)

Tonight as I sat, reading poems by Rumi I came across a poem that I feel I must share with all whom comes across my blog post. I need not say anything else about this beautiful poem because it truly does speak for itself.

As regards feeling pain, like a hand cut in battle, consider the body a robe you wear. When you meet someone you love, do you kiss their clothes? Search out who's inside. Union with God is sweeter than body comforts. We have hands and feet different from these. Sometimes in dream we see them. That is not illusion. Its seeing truly. You do have a spirit body. Don't dread leaving the physical one. Sometimes someone feels this truth so strongly that he or she can live in mountain solitude totally refreshed. The worried, heroic doings of men and women seem weary and futile to dervishes enjoying the light breeze of spirit.

Namaste

That inner growth

If not for that inner growth I would not even bother. Yea, I workout a lot but if only to appease the vanity, I would not even dare. If not for that inner growth I would not even try. I make an effort to express Love because of that inner aspect, this is where worlds are created from mere dreams and passions are discovered. That inner aspect, where my true soul mate lies, where heaven dwells with all of its perfections. That inner growth is the only true growth. Allow your inner dwellings to sprout as a plant from a seed and then water it with the essence of Love which is the food that this inner aspect does crave. That inner growth is the only true growth that exist. Its best you realize that now before its too late!

Namaste