A Final Thought for 2007...

In this last year we have seen so much...had so many differing experiences...that in some ways it is dizzying to me because of the variety and depth...

There has been such extreme negativity and such pain...and yet...in the last year...there has been such enormous prevailing hope and continuity of the human spirit...there has been such depth, courage, love, understanding, and guileless optimism...I find it difficult to find fault in where we are headed...even with plenty of blame to spread around...I see a bright future...although realistically I also see major changes in our near future collectively.

I have found in my own search a profound need to be centered on meaning. To find the things in my world and perception that need....NEED....my attention...my focus...my thought...my depth...

I have written about several of these subjects in this blog. I have focused on the things that have struck me as profound and I have spent my time and my energy on thoughts and assertions that I deemed worth my energy. Again I will state that this is a forum for my own thought and attempt at wisdom...or at the very least a desire for and search towards thought and understanding that will lead to growth.

I have been in the business of instruction, advising, and guidance....for many years now. I am at least fairly good at it...not as good as some...better than others....good days...bad days...and basically....from a profoundly fundamental standpoint...I am just passing on those things I know...or at least...seem to understand ...to stay in line with an earlier blog. But if you have been reading me...listening...paying attention....you will have noticed one foundational theme with my writing. I work from the position of optimism and positive perspective.

Even in questions of and conversations dealing with negativity...I still attempt to put a positive spin on my perspective...because quite frankly...I do not see...nor do I find...any worth or value...in negativism...skepticism...rhetoric...critique...for each of their own sakes...the only time each of these things even might find value...to my perception...is when it is used as a teaching tool...but these things being used as tools...MUST...have an underlying lesson...foundational idea...a message...a...meaning...because if there is no foundation...no message...no....meaning...then skepticism...rhetoric...critique...have no purpose...no real voice...and therefore are being presented as nothing more than antagonism...and this...is utterly useless. There is no lesson. There is no message. There is no meaning. It is truly...a waste of time.

Why...would any person...choose...to waste their time...in this fashion...is beyond my understanding. I choose not to. If I write something here...in this place...it is for a reason and a purpose...there is a message...and a meaning. Now there can certainly be debate in how useful, needed, or wanted these meanings and messages might be. I do not claim to be profound. I only assert that some of the things I have written have been profound to me. But in everything I have tried to get across...I have worked at placing a purpose at the heart of my intention. A meaning...and a reason.

I will continue to do so in the years to come.

Regardless of what debate might lead to...I am certain...within myself...that I am approaching everything I do in my life...with a reason...an intention...an assertion...and therefore a meaning. Even meaningless activities contain meaning for me at this point. I view even those seemingly mundane things previously viewed as purposeless activities, as purposeful in that I need to vent stress and often that can be done in activities that from the outside seem pointless.

But in everything...there is a point. In everything...there is a reason. I may not even understand what the reason is...because I am so far from omnipotent...it's a joke. But there is a reason. Even in those things that are most often viewed as tragic...one does not heal from them...or even accept them...until one can see the growth from it...and therefore put it into a positive light.

Those that are forever wounded by an event...and never heal...are like that because they can not accept...and can not reframe it into a positive in their own lives and perceptions. They just get stuck.

Therefore...there is no point in finding fault...there is no purpose in finding blame...there is no value...in searching for what is wrong....the only truly valuable thing there is ultimately...is in finding how to take something...and see the light in it...to find the good...to sift and search...and find that which is the lesson...and learn from it...so that one may heal...and move forward...and move on...

This...is my mission...and this...is my purpose.

May 2008 be even more awesome and carry with it more growth and depth than the year past. God bless you to every eye that reads these words and ear that hears the message.

A thought...

How is a thought tied to so much that we own and so much meaning that we take on? Is it that we are simply what we think? Are we that simple or is it deeper than simple reflection?

If we think about something it affects us...meaning how we feel. If we feel something then it will change our perception. Our behaviour is challenged and changed by what we feel as well as what we think. So if we think something then it can change how we feel as well as how we behave.

So...what we think...really...is who we are. If one simply concentrates on ideas and opinions....perceptions and points of view...we will begin to see who we are...because who we are is in what we think.

Unfortunately...most of us do not live by this understanding and are not careful with our thoughts. We allow negativity, suspicion, stress, frustration, resentment, and immaturity to rule our minds. The person that we hurt the most in doing this is ourselves. Can we truly be honest and respectful in our lives if we allow these negative and destructive paths to lead us?

I truly believe that we need to focus on the things that bring us to our joy.

The problem for many is...they do not even know what their joy...even is. So the question is...how do you discover your joy? If you already know what your joy is...then the quest is how do you participate in your joy? What will it take for you to be happy?

This is a good question because we quite often approach our lives with a get-me-by attitude. But searching for your joy and focusing on being happy are not easy things to do. Attaining the balance needed to be truly happy is a great deal of work and therefore not easy...but it is worth it...because ultimately...balance...is the best way to finding peace...and finding peace...inside oneself....finding balance...is about finding one's joy.

Something to think about...

I heard a quote today which struck me. I was listening to Deepak Chopra talking about Buddha's teachings and a new book that the good Dr. just wrote titled: Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment. Sounds like a good book...

He said, "a philosophy...that remains a philosophy....is worthless".

Of all the different things that we can look at and discuss...of all the different perspectives that we may take on and debate...of all the principles that we can relate to and grow from...

...it is the depth and breadth of understanding...of one's personal journey...individual growth...and lone path...to know one's self...and...how we integrate into our consciousness...being a part of a system that is so much bigger than we are as an individual...and no matter how we transition through the thoughts, ideas, and moments of our journey...that we will forever be a part of a larger system of life and consciousness...and our goal...our goal in this....

Our goal is to get it...to really get it...

How many of us really do? Really get it...

To see that how we react to a system affects a system...which has an effect on a system. We are permanently impermanent...and just as we are never to own the same moment twice...other than through memory...we will always be a cause for an affect to someone else in the system...which will have an effect on them...which will cause them to pass their affect on to someone else in the system...which will cause an effect on that third party...and so on.

How can we travel through our lives mindlessly affecting...and effecting our system...and take no accountability for this? How can we create such waves and wakes in our system and not be aware to their effects? Are we really people of depth and quality...substance and integrity...love and empathy...if we treat our participation in our system as if we are in the dark and no one can see?

Participation is happening whether one wants to or not just by the nature of the system...because even apathy or dissociating from the system creates an effect. There is a shadow to us all...and we need to be aware of our shadow...because there are things lurking there that can harm us...and harm others...and the fact is...if one stands in the light...there is a shadow...it is only when one stands in the darkness that there is no shadow...but what is the value of staying in one's darkness?...and how will one ever know one's self...if one stays in their own darkness...

Some Interesting Quotes...

I came across some interesting quotes that...well...frankly...support many of the assertions I have made in several of my blogs...and these things I believe to be true...at least I can say they ring with truth to me...enjoy.

Children are educated by what the grown-up is and not by his talk.
Carl Jung

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha <--This one is Mindfulness

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.
Abraham Maslow

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
Lao Tzu

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
Socrates

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mohandas Gandhi

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.
Plato

You shape your own destiny.
Chet Atkins

All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.
Lao Tzu

Conflict cannot survive without your participation.
Wayne Dyer

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
Buddha

Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.
Carl Jung

We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what we're capable of.
Phil McGraw

It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are our teachers - they help us to learn.
John Bradshaw

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Carl Jung

The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates

Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you.
Wayne Dyer

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.
Lao Tzu

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Buddha <--This one is Systems Theory

I eventually gave up being an analyst. You had to be too passive and not speak up.
Albert Ellis

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
Wayne Dyer

Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.
Aristotle

Years from now, after I'm gone, someone will listen to what I've done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me.
Chet Atkins

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Action expresses priorities.
Mohandas Gandhi

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.
Socrates

He who knows others is clever; He who knows himself has discernment.
Lao Tzu

Education is the best provision for old age.
Aristotle

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Lao Tzu

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Plato

It is better to travel well than to arrive.
Buddha

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.
Standing Bear

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.
Buddha

Be the change that you want to see in the world.
Mohandas Gandhi

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.
Lao Tzu

Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.
Mother Teresa

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Lao Tzu

Be careful for what you are shooting for...because you are likely to hit it.
Doc Mompean <--OK OK...I couldn't resist throwing one of my own quotes in LOL

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Change in all things is sweet.
Aristotle

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
Lao Tzu

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.
Socrates

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Wisdom begins in wonder.
Socrates

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
Lao Tzu

What do you think?

The rhetorical question...

The American Heritage dictionary cites a rhetorical question as being: A question to which no answer is expected.

The same dictionary also defines rhetoric as: 1. The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively. 2. A style of speaking or writing. 3. Language that is pretentous or insincere.

Having a definition is a great place to start with a journey...

About this term...I will be clear here...I personally am not interested in being pretentous nor am I interested in being insincere. There is no value in this to me and I have no interest in my being in the world through either of these lenses.

I am interested in the art of using language effectively and pursuasively...but in my opinion...effectively and persuasively actually includes definition and meaning in what is being said...otherwise it is essentially...simply...talking without actually saying anything...and quite frankly....what is the point of simply blowing wind?

I am more interested in depth...and I think my postings attempt to do this...and I will continue to pursue doing the same...

So...rhetorical questions...are really just for making a point...but they are not really a way of discussing anything of depth, personal value, or meaning...because by definition...one is not looking for an answer...or to use an old adage...one can not see the forrest for the trees.

How does one define integrity? A personal definition?...

Again the same dictionary defines integrity as: 1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 2. Soundness. 3. Completeness; unity.

So...personal integrity...it should include the above definition...and be added to because it is personal...of course this is my opinon. But it is a deep question...because most people are not honest with them selves...much less being honest with their wife/husband....children....parents...siblings...employer...so how much personal integrity is one living with if one isn't even the least of what qualifies unity and completeness? Soundness? Morality or ethical codes? How much self respect is one living with if one does not have personal integrity? These are not....rhetorical questions...they are deep....meaningful...respectfilled personal questions that....again in my humble opinion....should be asked by every individual...and not just asked...but answered.

What does it mean in your life? What defines your personal integrity? What defines your self respect? How closely are you living up to what you think you should be doing? Are you close...or are you still searching for what this is...in your own life?

Language is important...and usuage of language is important...but if it does not contain meaning...then...well...what are we doing that has any real importance or value? Where is the personal growth? I would invite the reader to read one of my older posts. http://thethoughtlounge.blogspot.com/2007/05/meaning-making-machines.html

Personally...I am interested in my own growth as a person...my own development...my ability to understand depth...not simply rules...the lessons of the ten thousand things...and the letting those ten thousand things go...to again refer to and quote a very old text.

Namaste

Response to two...too...

Marc Malkin said...
TOPICS

Workplace Taboos

Knowledge as function, mechanical function, is necessary. Knowledge, in relationship, in human relationship, is destructive.

Attachment disorder

Since I have spoken on knowledge in a couple of the most previous posts I thought I would add just a bit to it....by this request...just for fun.

Knowledge as function...mechanical function...is necessary. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement as I'm sure anyone who is living in the United States in this day and age probably would. Most of our lives is managed and in even some cases controlled by mechanical function. Vehicles for travel, alarm clocks and watches for being prompt, ovens, refrigerators, and microwaves for feeding ourselves and families, computers for our knowledge, professional pursuits, entertainment, and communication, cell phones, home phones, IPods, TV's, radios, medical tools and functions, power tools, railways, planes, trains, heavy equipment, and on and on...

Just in our medical community alone...the growth, development, and advances that are keeping us as a society and community healthier are adding to not only our collective length of life but also...and in some ways more importantly...the quality of our lives. If one wanders back just a hundred years ago the quality of life has risen dramatically.

Knowledge in relationship...in human relationship...is destructive. This to me is more of a cynical statement...or maybe it is a question...although either way there is some truth in it. It can be destructive. But...even though I do say there is truth in it...I do not believe that the statement...in and of itself...is true. Knowing that your partner is human and fallible is important to being able to "forgive them their trespasses"...to quote a famous prayer.

Knowing a partners personal ideosyncratic peculiarities allows us to be human together and form a true partnership...one based in equality...and of course I am describing a primary relationship. This philisophical statement is also true for friendships and family...professional relationships...and community relationships as well...but it is in the primary relationship with one's significant other that this philosophy is most true.

My personal assertion is that while knowledge can be painful...it is the honest expression from the people with whom you are having these relationships with...that creates open communication...and therefore...is a healthy thing. Be it positive or negative information. No one enjoys being hurt and I think personally if there is something that one believes will hurt someone else they know...especially if it is a close relationship...the information should be handled with care...but I do believe that the old adage "honestly is the best policy"...is true. Now having said that...I also believe the feelings of the person being addressed are very important as well...so there needs to be a balance between expression of opinion and empathy.

But if the "knowledge" is not opinion...but information....as in...I did something that you should know about...then this question filters down to one of personal integrity and quite frankly...my opinion on this subject is rather strong.

If...it is a matter of telling someone of information in which you know will hurt...especially it if is information that involves an act of your own that exemplifies your own "lack of" personal integrity...then it is healthier...to be honest...and start again from a place that is open and clear. It is painful...and can be wrenching...and there is something to be said for timing in when to lay it on the line...but in my opinion...holding back the truth is dishonest, non-authentic, and completely anti-genuine.

One's own personal integrity is really all we as individuals own. We can only...really...be as good as our word and who we are as people...so it is in this frame that your statement holds validity Marc...because if the knowledge we understand...is to be harmful to someone in our lives...the most painfilled truths...are those which involve our own lack of personal integrity. Be it our own act or holding knowledge of anothers...for the purpose of hiding truth from those we care about.

I will say this...there is an arguement for keeping something from someone for the sole and intended purpose of "not" hurting them...and I think we have all...or at least most...done this at some time. There are times when this seems to be valid and...honestly I don't have all the answers as to when this discretion is valid and when it is not...but I do hold that more often than not...the right thing to do...is to be honest...with diplomacy and empathy for the respondants feelings...but all the same...tell the truth.

I have found in my experience and observations...that the lack of truth....is more destructive to relationships...and tears people down. In knowing that the person one thought they could trust to be open and honest...isn't. So...tell the truth.

The book reference...

Hiya Terry...and everyone...

I just wanted to hand out the name of that book I brought up in my other post...it was late at night when I wrote that other post....ya know how it is....I have to take advantage of the times the two year old is asleep LOL...anywah...I dug it out and just wanted to share...

The name of the book is "As The Future Catches You (How Genomics & Other Forces Are Changing Your Life, Work, Health & Wealth) by: Juan Enriquez. "Juan is the director of the Life Sciences Project at Harvard Business School" <--from the jacket of the book.

Good book and a quick read...and an insight as to where we are heading.

Enjoy...

I liked your last quote...and I highly agree with the good father. As far as your assertion that a knowledgeable person is not necessarily wise...I wholeheartedly agree...some of the most educated people I have met....are the least wise as well.

First Response...

Anonymous said...
"Thank you, for the invitation. I'll have a go at it. The intent is to playfully, play the role of the critic with the interest of provoking your intellect, challenging your position and raise your skill. This course of discourse, I choose is only beneficial to us both if in fact the true spirit of your invitation is in the manner of the democratic judgment. Rather than creating an oppositional attitude.

“Anchors”

I was challenged to overcome the confusion of ideas’. And statements that I, believe unintentionally insult the reader. Or I missed the purpose of this entirely. The subjective opening was a respectable introspective story. However, the change in tone within the second paragraph is bewildering. I am still unsure if it was your attempt to present satirical write. A comically ironic Wood Allen’esk Characterization of a wax-prophetic nincompoop.

First, that "there is very little that we actually know in this life."

This remark seems to arise from a time long past. As though, you are borrowing from someone else’s idea. Not a very contemporary idea. Today, I read the distaining remark on human intellect and knowledge with wonderment. Human intellect and knowledge have progressed considerably. Having come through the age of discovery, energy and entering the information stage. Some authorities on the matter are actually calling this era we live in the "Information age". Not because of the World Wide Web or advancing forms of electronic communications. Is that what you think, “The Information Age” means?

The use of the pronoun “we” as a way to avoid a subjective tone. Was that your intent? There is a considerable amount that "we" know. For GOD sakes man, "we" can actually measure the amount of uncertainty associated with the value of X. You down with Entropy? Ya, you know me !!“We” can land a probe on a planet some 48 million miles at its smallest distance to our planet. And study it.

Second, that our "fallible" and "imperfect" senses cloud our perceptions.

You discredit your own assertion of uniqueness, by finding fault in the very tools with which uniqueness can be surmised. From first to last these imperfect and fallible senses provide you with an ability to conjecture. And an attempt to strengthen your position by demonstrating the limitations of human optics is by no means, defining fault with the senses. Nor backing up your claims. If you want to see farther down the railroad tracks … pick up a pair of Binoculars. ("we" discovered the limits of human optics ages ago… that’s why "we" created telescopes, micro-scopes etc...) Thank you, Galileo Galilei. Please, read “Sensors, Filters, and the Source of Reality"ROBERT G. JAHN AND BRENDA J. DUNNEPrinceton Engineering Anomalies ResearchPrinceton UniversityD-334 Engineering Quadrangle School of Engineering/Applied Science Princeton NJ 08544-5263e-mail: rgjahn@princeton.edu; bjd@princeton.edu

Thirdly, ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS.

You attempt to redefine that which has already been defined with poorly contrived mixed metaphors, "Our anchors are those things which keep us grounded and balanced" In fact, the ballast or Keel is what stabilizes a ship. Not the anchor. The anchor is to keep a ship from drifting to far from a desired location. "Grounded", is the one thing a ship never wants to be. What do you mean, when you say; "profoundly anchored …?" And your use of "it"… instead of they or them. "We strive to attain 'them' and then work hard at maintaining 'them' " This would be grammatically correct. However, your meaning was lost somewhere in the continuous us of "it". Stop it !

Lastly, I am familiar with the prose "Do we not…" this and "Do we not…" that. Establish your own prose. Be unique!

You speak to human value. The value of a human. Collectively, "we" will set that price. Throughout human history, rightfully or wrongly. "We" always have made the valuation. You may personally contribute to adjusting the scale. But, "we" will never, nor have we ever allowed a single individual to establish the scale.

I know this last part was a smelly retort. I just couldn't help myself.Best wishes, Keep it real !"

To anonymous...whomever you are...I will first say that I am thankful for your responses and your input. I respect that you have taken the time, effort, and energy to respond to what I have written and I respect what you are saying. I am grateful for your interest and humbled by your interaction. Thank you...

Since we are in this discussion and I am responding to your ideas I want to be able to talk to
"you" and since I do not know who you are or have anything to call you...I will from this point name you simply for the purpose of giving myself a reference for you...as opposed to just calling you anonymous...or anon...or mous...it is a bit more human this way...and since I know nothing about you...I will give you a gender neutral name just to cover all bases.....Terry.

If at any point you wish to correct my feeble attempt at familiarity I openly invite you to do so...but for the time being and with the information at hand...Terry...I will respond to your first post and see if I can clear some things up.

Your opening paragraph set the tone for the rest of what you wrote, and I was glad to see that your stated intent was fun and to be intellectually stimulating which for me is something I am absolutely interested in. I love a good challenge and constructive criticism means I have an opportunity to learn . If you have actually read the rest of my postings then you will understand learning and personal growth are things I am very interested in.

As for the blog about "Anchors"...I am sorry if you felt insulted by my assertion and equally if my writing was not clearly articulated...which may have unintentionally missed the target for you as a reader. Be that as it may...and after going back and rereading the post again myself...I will say Terry...that I stand by what I wrote and the assertion I made in the blog. Let me please explain...

The second paragraph was not meant as satirical nor was it contrived. It is a statement of understanding...explaining that I...as an individual...have not only the belief....but also the humility and depth of understanding...that I am not solely responsible for any intellect, understanding, gift, or wisdom that I possess. I believe that I collect things along my path...as a beachcomber collects shells and sand dollars among the drifting waves...

The ideas...perceptions...beliefs...faith...understanding...education...and even a shot or two of wisdom...these things and more I pick up along the journey...but I am not arrogant enough to believe that I am who I have become, simply and solely because of me. Frankly that thought is just too simplistic and as persons of depth and intellect we should see that we are not responsible for all that we understand. It was this place of collective wisdom in me...that I am not solely responsible for what I understand...that other forces....God...other people...fate...faith...Karma....call the sources whatever labels you will....they have all contributed to my growth and development...This is what I stated in the second paragraph...and it led me to the point of the blog....anchors....

Now...I seem to have touched some chord with you on this point...so let me start by saying...the word anchor...has more than one definition...it is certainly used and understood to be related to nautical activities and while I will say that I much appreciate your schooling me on the finer points of a nautical vessel and the correct usage of a ballast and keel...again...I stand by not only my usage of the word....but it's meaning as well...and you actually made my point for me...let me explain.

In the American Heritage Dictionary...the first definition of
"anchor" is that of a boat anchor....but the second...says...and I quote...
"2. A source of security or stability." It is to this reference I wrote to and in this context in which I made my assertion...we all...all human beings....use things in our lives to give us a feeling of safety and security...stability...if you will...so while I actually did not make a nautical reference...I did reference the word correctly...for a source of security or stability...is something that keeps us grounded....and balanced...it is something often used in the therapeutic world and I beg forgiveness for not being more clear...but I would invite you to go back and reread the blog....I did...more than once...and that is the foundation from which I write this response.

As for the comments concerning what we know...you are right!....absolutely right!!!...my reference hark ens back to ages ago...multiple millennia in fact...it comes from Plato's book "The Republic" as he was referencing teachings of Socrates and I by no means meant for this idea to come across as original. Far from it. Again I apologize if my writing reads as something it is not...I meant no disrespect to Plato...or Socrates...or to the reader...but I find...that even though these thoughts were written more than a couple thousand years ago...they are still as true today....if not more so...than as when they were first put down...pen to paper...again...please allow me to explain...

I used a clumsy reference to our senses to create a hypothesis...being that we do not "know" much of anything...but this reference is frankly true...and has again and again been proven scientifically in laboratories...our five senses are not as sharp as we would love to believe...and our greatest achievement...I personally think...as humans...is our brain...frankly...and our brains are extremely fallible...I mean...really.....come on Terry....you don't actually believe...that we as human beings know much....do you? Really?!? Come on....

Nah....I will tell you what I believe we are...what we have achieved...what we are...ultimately....is just cleverness...we are very clever...we are good at being clever....but knowledge? True knowledge?....Sorry Terry...mankind has not proven ourselves in that regard yet...not even close. Let me take what you have given as examples...

Solving for X...um...math...OK...I've studied through Calculus myself and while it is a systematic method of solving a problem...it is simply a tool...you said it yourself...and is used as such. Not to minimize it's complexities because even though I have personally learned higher math...I am not a mathematical kinda guy...Entropy...again a tool to measure disorder...being able to create a tool...is cool....it is clever...very clever...but that...in and of itself...does not equate to knowledge...

We also "know" how to create a rocket that we can fuel, project through a trajectory, land, and communicate with...through millions of miles of space...truly clever!...but...we can't figure out...how to keep a 14 year old from walking into a school...with loaded weapons...(another clever tool)...and shooting other children and teachers...and then themselves. We can not figure out how to stop genocide...in our own time...right now...even though we still have members of the families and military that won WW II for us...and members of our human race that survived the Nazi death camps....all still alive today to tell the story...

We can't get and keep millions of Americans off of alcohol...meth...tobacco...to even save their own lives...not to even mention what kind of atrocities they commit with and to their children...because we don't "know" how...

We have people starving to death in the streets of this country...not a third world country...but right here in the good old USA...and we don't "know" how to get them all fed...children included...

We are at war with two countries so far...at the moment...and have at least another 2-3 that we are seriously threatening...and yet we are leaving China alone...trading as long as the day is...like there is nothing going on...because we don't "know" how to control others...and keep ourselves safe at the same time...

We have a country where respect for self is a dying art...not the common place...not anymore...and families being torn apart because of so many people being overwhelmed...because they individually....and we collectively...do not KNOW what to do...

Suicide rates...drug and alcohol dependency, greed, violence, crime, a degrading of our educational systems, a breakdown of common decency and respect, out of control health care and insurance systems and markets, global trade deficits, honesty, integrity, parenting, divorce, sexual predators, an absolute over population of our prison and jail systems, compassion, caring, corporate malfeasance, gang and organized crime, genocide, murder, racism, sexism, social class war, the separation between "haves" and "have nots", and on and on and on and on....

We don't KNOW....how to repair any of this...and soo much more...

Nah...sorry Terry...we don't "know" much of anything at all.

We have a new religion these days...and that is science...many folks look to science as the new frontier...the new "god"...and don't get me wrong...I appreciate all that science has to offer...I benefit from it personally and I thank God for it every day...but I know it's limitations...and I see it's fallibility. There's so much it has done for us and can do. But...If we were so smart...how come we can't cure the common cold?

How come I have a son who is currently talking to me about his own death...at the tender age of 23...because he has Cystic Fibrosis...and he can not be cured...no one can grow him new lungs...not yet anyway...the best we can offer him is to give him someone else's lungs...and of course only if they die first...and that will only mean he will have a likelihood of another 7-10 years...if he doesn't reject the organs...he might see that anyway...and who knows where the medical community will be by then...with another political system we might actually have a visionary in the white house who sees stem cell research for what it is...a way to save lives...but here we sit...with politicians blocking funding...because they can not agree on whose life it is that should be lost...because let's be honest Terry....someone is going to die...so these folks think they are clever enough to "play God" and know...who should be the one to choose to die...the little young one...or the older one who is already here...do any of us truly know what is right...do you? Do I?

Knowledge...if it is TRUE knowledge...should lead to wisdom....and lets face it...it you Think...you know something...it is wisdom that allows you to KNOW what to do with that knowledge...so come on Terry...really....how much do we really know?...I mean let's be honest here...we are clever hairless little apes...but wise?....sorry man...it just ain't so...not yet anyway...I mean hey...we are working on it...yeaup....but we ain't got it down yet bro...Hey man...you said keep it real...I'm keeping it real...

Oh...and that comment about the "information age". Actually...that term...the "information age" is an economics term...it is not referring to the web...nor is it referring to computers at all...not directly anyway...it comes from a conversation on economics...you know..."agricultural age", "industrial age", "information age"...it is a term that is talking about commerce...NOT electronic communication...but the selling of information...so...to answer your question Terry...yeah I do know what the term means...and where it came from...but...did you know....that we are actually leaving the "information age"?...There are some...like a business professor at Harvard University who has written a book about a very interesting trend in which we are actually steeped in currently. I will try to get the author's name and title of the book for you in my next post...it's a good book and a pretty quick read...but basically he says that we are now entering a new age...a new age is dawning that is now focused on intellectual property...patents...and copyrights...and truthfully...that is why we are farming out all of our information selling to countries like India. That's why anytime you talk to an American company anymore...on the phone...you are actually talking to someone on the other side of the world.

See...first we grew and sold food and other ag products...and then we learned how to build factories to build widgets (that's what we called 'em in business school;)...then we learned that information was valuable and we could make a lot of money with that...and now Terry...now...it is ALL about patents and copyrights....that is why Central and South America are chopping down their rain forests so that they can start growing food...because even though we still do it here some...we are letting that market go...and as for manufacturing...most of it is already gone to other countries too...we farm out our farms and our industries...and now we are doing it with our white collar jobs and businesses as well...the info....and the real money now....is in patents...and copyrights...and this country leads the world in these forms of revenue...by a margin that is staggering...and that is why the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" has grown so far and so fast. It is escalating...and will only get worse. Globally...we are in a dangerous trend...with no end in sight....and we are in trouble because of systems theory...which I will go into in another post...this one is sufficiently long enough as it is...suffice it to say...I should call this one good.

Oh...there is one last thing...before I wrap it up...you wrote a response to my blog from Monday night...and I think you might have misunderstood what I was trying to say there...I was trying to reassure you...because of your comment..."This course of discourse, I choose is only beneficial to us both if in fact the true spirit of your invitation is in the manner of the democratic judgment. Rather than creating an oppositional attitude." I was trying to reassure you that I would not be coming from an "oppositional attitude" for the sake of arguing, competing, or opposing...quite the contrary...I have opinions and I express them...but I try to do so with respect for whomever I am speaking with. When I said I would not participate in something that turned unhealthy...I spoke for myself...and again I hold to that...this is a form of voicing a personal boundary...as well as making a commitment to keeping my self in check as well. But I work with people on a regular basis whom cross such lines at will and while I understand that this does not represent everyone...I still find myself taking such precautions and deeming them necessary because I have learned in my personal experience...that even the most schooled and scholarly can have issues with crossing personal boundaries...and I therefore find it a healthy practice to voice a concern early on simply to have the air clear rather than leaving things in such an ambiguous state.

I hope to post again soon...and again...thank you Terry....and thank you all for the input...I really do appreciate it.

First...let me say...

WOW!

I am both impressed and excited by reading the responses and I want to acknowledge, honor, and appreciate everyone who has taken the time and energy to respond and give their input as well as make their requests.

I also want to let everyone know why I have not responded in any way until this moment. I have been out of state visiting family and we just got back...late this evening. For family and friends...Joan and Kelly, Bonnie, Judy, and Darleen are all doing well and we had a great visit with all. They were all very happy to see and play and visit with Sarah and I am sure Heather will be blogging about it very soon...hopefully pictures to follow as well.

For those who have responded I will say this at this moment. I am thrilled with the ideas...appreciate the advice...and I am very appreciative of the challenge and critique...as well as the level of both....and also wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity for this....if I may borrow the phrase..."course of discourse"...I shall respond to that particular response in a separate blog dedicated to the ideas, comments, challenges, and critiques of this unnamed source.

To whomever you are...I will say....I immensely and deeply appreciate your thought, insight, and energy to what I have written...and I will give you some of the same in response...all in the spirit with which this blog and my request were created in. I have no interest in oppositional attitudes just for the sake of competition or a war of words. I see that kind of discourse without potential for my personal growth...and my personal growth is why I decided to begin this blog...I have only the desire to exchange ideas and at most mildly spar through intelligent but friendly discourse and philosophies for the sole purpose of personal growth and to have fun. Once play has been extinguished and competition has been firmly implanted in it's place for the purpose of "Winning"...I'm out...because it then can turn to personal attacks and is no longer of any personal interest to me...neither in the giving or receiving roles...

I have no desire...and if one has read my blogs you will see....for doing anything other than pursuing my own growth and my own health. Once any game... intellectual or otherwise....becomes unhealthy to me...then I am ready to pursue another course that will prove to be more productive...all this to reassure and say...I have no desire to make a challenge a matter of personal power and control...I actually spend a good deal of my professional life showing people how to achieve their goals by pursuing another...more healthy course of action. I will also say that I welcome a challenge and difference of ideas...and I am completely capable of agreeing to disagree if that is what is called for....so I welcome the critique and challenge...

So...with that said...I will respond once I have had some sleep...and am more re energized so that I may give you a response worthy or your comments.

To others...Marc....Mike...and G...I thank you for your suggestions...I will be blogging on these topics as I see them interesting as well...I appreciate the advice and will take it to heart...and to Mike...yes...I do still teach...currently I am teaching Psychology...at a two year college....and I enjoy the banter, challenges, and the many differing directions that my students always take us to...and yeah...I think that would be a great series of blogs on these experiences LOL...thank you for the interest.

Anywah...thank you all again and I will get on this as soon as I can.
Thanks again...and I will talk with ya soon ;)

An Open Invitation...

So far with this blog I have tried to talk about subject specific items and deal with these items in some relatively intelligent manner with the hope that I might actually say something interesting.

It's been a bit of hit and miss but overall I am happy with what I have written and discussed here. I have hoped for more response but in rereading some of the subjects, and my writing as a whole, I can see how I have not been as inviting to you readers as I should...so I would like to do that now.

I invite you to contribute to what is happening here....please...give me some topics you might like to read and have me write about. Things that interest you that I could create a dialog with. I also would invite you to respond by leaving comments on any of the topics I have already covered if you so feel inclined...as well as any of the topics upcoming....I would welcome what you have to contribute and be honored by your voice here. This includes challenges as well as support...who doesn't like a good friendly challenge? I believe this is how we learn...this is the wonderful thing about free speech...we can disagree agreeably...and hopefully learn from each other...

I will interject at this point...I do this not because I have run out of topics...far from it...but I want to be more interactive and for those that visit...make them feel welcome and part of. I know this is my blog but this is also a public forum for thoughts, ideas, and conversation. I hope that I am able to teach some, be entertaining some, and also interact some. Everything up until this point has...as it reads to me...been more from the teaching voice...I would like to keep that...but expand on it to include other things...one of them being your voice as well as mine.

I know I can be long winded and certainly can deal with topics in a heavy handed sort of way...and frankly I am OK with that and don't apologize for it...because it is part of who I am and how I write...but I do not want to alienate anyone from what I started this blog to be and that is a place to share ideas but also be an open forum for an exchange of ideas and thought. Thus the name...

So...without further dalliance...I openly invite you to participate...does anyone have a question or thought to share? You have read many of mine...what are your thoughts on the subject? What should the next subject be? What do you want to talk about? Say....hey....what's on your mind? This is after all...the thought lounge...

Anchors...

As I travel down the lively and trodden path that I so often choose in my life, I will many times look up and see that I have stumbled in to a rediscovered but forgotten lane, teaming with memories and a completeness that I only know from having reached the end of this circle at a prior juncture. In some ways the story of my life is a story of repetition and recycling of experiences into a new and fresh moment and meaning. While I have seen the cycle of life repeat itself around me many times already and old things become new again...I always understand that it is with this insight and perception that I receive lessons and knowledge...however mundane or creative they might be.

Whatever understanding and knowledge I possess at this moment in my life...I do realize that it is with great leading by someone or something far greater than I. I have been gifted free will in this journey described as life...and I may choose how I perceive and view things about and around me...but it is with a great and profound respect that I humbly accept anything that has been bestowed upon me in regards to any ability to the understanding of any thing.

It is from this deep respect...this place of humility and reverence in my mind and in my soul...that I hold as a place of foundation. An anchor to those things in me that...in a moment of pride or arrogance...I might elevate to actually coming from me...but I know they do not. It is wrong for me to assume myself so superior to another...that I would believe myself more important...more knowledgeable...more understanding...more educated...more compassionate...more empathetic...more creative...or more valuable. I am not.

What I am...is unique.

There is very little that we actually know in this life. Most of the things we think we know...are things we take in through our abilities to perceive the world...our imperfect and often fallible senses. How is it that when standing on a set of railroad tracks...and gazing down the tracks towards the horizon...the tracks seem to converge? Do they converge? No...they do not. How is it that our memory of an event differs from a picture taken from it or a video long since forgotten which documented the memory? How is it that with given the right stimulus...we human beings remember things that never happened? Can we create pseudo-memories? Yes...we can...and we fully believe them. How can it be...that what things we hear...smell...taste...touch...and see...can so often be so different than the exact same things experienced by another standing right next to us?

It is because we are all unique.

But don't we all fail? Don't we all succeed? Do we not all bleed red and live in accordance to our own nature? Do we all feel the same pains and desire the same outcomes when faced with those pains? Do we not all love? So how is it that we are unique...if we are all so much the same? It goes so far beyond our senses and simply our experience. It goes down to the very core of who we are as individuals. Those things each of us sense as important. Those things that we...each of us...base our lives and existence on...what we stake our purpose in...what we anchor ourselves to...

Most of us are profoundly anchored in our sense of safety and security. We strive for attaining it and then work hard at maintaining it. We focus on it actually...at times...to our own detriment. But it keeps us anchored. There are some...for whom....safety and security only come by letting go of things that are held secure...things that are considered by the individual as safe...and it is there...without the appearance of safety and security that this individual feels safe and secure...because they believe that in their lack of safety and security...they are truly living...but it is an anchor all the same...

Our anchors are those things which keep us grounded and balanced. When an individual is most out of balance...it normally is coupled with their being untethered from their anchor...and away from their foundation. No matter how feeble our attempts at reconciliation towards balance come...we will not find our joy...our sense of serenity...our focus...our foundation...when we are untethered from our anchor.

So...I ask you...you who are reading this...what is your anchor? What is it in your life that anchors you?

And...

Do you have your joy? Your......joy....

Not your sense of safety and security...not your money...not your hobby or your profession....unless that is your joy...not your place in life...or your lot....not your accomplishments or those things you've amassed....

What...is...your....joy?

Balance...

Life is funny ya know? Sometimes...it just seems like life is just raining good stuff down on ya from all angles and all is well...and sometimes one just feels like one is getting all wet. But therein lies the good stuff...the marrow...the place in between....and just when the image of altered balance comes into focus and one can see where their own mistakes lie...the lesson emerges and one has the opportunity to learn.

Out of all the things that we focus on in our lives and all the myriad of messages that are besieged upon us daily...we have a tendency to become very out of balance if we do not pay attention to our priorities and our focus. In the content of our lives there is a hierarchy of importance and yet...our emotions can lead us to a series of choices that, if left to their own destitute and infectious ends, can leave us in a query about the state of our purpose and the dilapidated sense of safety that we coddle and elude ourselves with.

True...we do have a choice as to how we lead or follow...our nemesis...our hearts...as opposed to the logic and rationale of our minds...yet it is truly in our feelings that we loose ourselves and have the potential to loose so much more. We are complex beings and to allot an importance to our emotional life is our destiny and is quite healthy...it can create balance in one who is overly rational...but the balance is one of a very fine line for if the importance allotted is overextended and overemphasized we will surely fall into a deep well of suffering and longing...the likes of which are painful and at worst deadly.

Balance...in and of itself is a simple concept...however to create balance in one's own life, mind, and spirit is a complex task. A task that involves labor and tenacity yet is as subtle as it is vital. A task with meaning and deep reverence to those things held as important but left in a state of graceful abandon and acceptance. A place of personal accountability and integrity holding a deep wealth of wisdom and yet having the ability to be open and flexible to learning new knowledge and new directions.

Balance...means different things to each individual but also has a collective meaning that we all recognize and own in our hearts and understanding. We yearn for balance and for many of us it eludes us with the cunning and stealth of a great hunter/warrior. Even when worked at...often...we come to realize we are still continually making mistakes and choices that although show effort and attempt...leave us no more balanced than before and therefore leave us in a state of question. Do we repeat the mistake and try again...or do we change our tactic and reverse our course? Are we ever to gain an ongoing balance? Is this even a real and true option?

Or is it closer to the fact to say that just as riding a bike...a straight line is actually a series of left turns to center followed by a series of right turns to center to create the illusion of a straight line. The wobbly straight line is actually a wavy line impersonating a straight line. It is only upon close examination that one can tell the true nature. Balance therefore is never a steady course but a series of waves and corrections to bring one back into center. Balance...without it...we have chaos...and with it...we can achieve serenity.

The Flow...

Many years ago I was in a time in my life where my world was falling apart and I was confused, depressed, and my world had gotten very small. I became a single father...my marriage had failed...and I was at a loss as to where to go...what to do next....so we went camping up the Northern California coast...up past Eureka...and before Crescent City...to try to get my head on straight....and on our way we stopped along a few beaches...just to take it all in...

It was a cold overcast grey afternoon with the surf crashing on the shore. The waves raised up four or five feet as they pounded the sand upon meeting with the earth and as I looked across the stretch of coastline in front of me heaving and swaying back and forth in an eternal and violent dance...I noticed a strange sight. There was a stick...in the surf...stuck firmly in the sand...in the middle of the waves...at an angle...pointing away from the water. I spotted it and thought that it looked strange...this stick...out of sorts...pointing up the beach and towards the woods and mountains as if a figure on a ship of old...leading the way...and I wondered what in the world it was doing there...

I wondered if someone had stuck it there and thought...well...they must have haven't they? Every wave came crashing against it and as each wave pulled itself back into that wet salty expanse of the sea...there stood the stick...proud...strong...fighting...standing...and so I watched this stick...I couldn't take my eyes off of it really...it must have stood three feet above ground so I thought that it must have at least that much below ground level as well...and then another wave hit...with force and ferocity....and then receded as if whimpering back to the sea that it came from...to come back and try again...and yet the piece of driftwood stood...

Wave after wave...it would come in....engulf and completely submerge the stick...and then recede again so that I could see the stick in it's entirety...I was mesmerized.

I stood there...cold...bleak...misted...damp....depressed...curious...wondering...and then quiet...letting the experience just simply take me....I took it in...breathed it in with my spirit...and as I did...I heard the small...still voice...the one that comes when God is trying to talk to you...it is never thunderbolts and lightening for me...it is a small...still voice...and you have to shut the hell up inside yourself to hear it...and in this experience...for me...with this stupid stick...on this cold and damp beach in Northern California...I heard that voice...talking to me...directly....and He said...as I let my mind and my eyes take in this simply yet extraordinary scene...."This...is the flow." I heard it...and then I questioned it.

The flow? The flow....uh...the flow of what? As I asked this I watched another wave come crashing in. He said..."This is the flow...of life. When you are overwhelmed...and life has you engulfed...when life has simply overtaken you...you are submerged". As this finished I watched the wave recede again...and He said..."And then you can breathe".

I watched again...in utter amazement...at how simple...how very simple this message was...and how very accurate. The wave comes in...and the stick disappears...completely under water. The wave retreats and there again I can see the stick standing...and I realized that of course...the stick is standing throughout...even when under the water...it stands...waiting for the water to recede...so that it can again breathe.

Brilliant! In the very moment when I was in dispair...overwhelmed...submerged...I looked up...and God led me to a truth...a truth in life and in the universe...a principle in life.

Everything...runs on this flow. Life, energy, water, physics, gravity, chemistry, geology, health, disease, relationships, communication, politics, philosophy, religion, music, yoga, art, and even God Himself. Even in the worst of it...you will have that wave recede and be able to breathe.

There is pressure applied...pressure maintained...pressure released...and then pressure reapplied. In a circular cycle it just keeps going on round and round...like the rotation of our planet...and the morning stretch we do to squeeze our veins to make our blood flow after we awake from a nights rest. A way of restarting our bodies. Our lives work the same way...we just need to pay attention to the flow...see it...recognize it...take accountability for it...because the flow is there...life is....the flow.

Choice

It's funny how some things you go through in life are pivots and some things are not...and often the pivots are things we are not expecting would be such life changing events. Some things are obvious...like the birth of a child or sudden death of someone close. In those moments we see our world crumble and fall away...only to give way to a new perception and a new life. One turn and everything we thought we knew is gone...to be replaced by something unexpected and fresh...although many times the newness is not welcome...at least at first. Sooner or later though...we learn...adapt...and become the change we have experienced.

Sometimes it is not such an extreme event that is a pivot for us...and yet it sends us careening into a whole new direction...something we had not expected...and something that has the promise of a new experience.

What we do with our life...our view...our perception....our perspective...from that point on is about choice. How we choose to see things...all things....HOW we see things...IS a choice. We do have freewill in this regard and it truly is freewill although many people choose to be blind to this as a fact. How many times I have heard individuals complain because of "things just being the way they are" and how they don't know how to or "can't" DO anything about it...

Truth is...we choose how we see things...

Sure...environment will play a role in to how an individual is raised and taught to view things...and that is also absolutely true. However...our minds are free...and no one can restrain your mind unless you let them. This is also absolutely true.

Our genetics play a role in this as well...I mean...you are a part of who you came from...and this is also absolutely true...even if that fact is unsettling to you and you do not want it to be true....it is a biological fact...and yet...even in this truth....we have choices as to how we will take this information and process it for ourselves. It is up to us and how we perceive it and what meaning we give to it...which is our choice.

Choice is a funny thing because we always have a choice. Sometimes the choices we see seem to be all negative...but even in the worst situations there is always a choice. It might not be a great choice...but there is always something there...and most of the time...the very least of these choices...has to do with how we choose to see something...and how we will move on based on that choice.

Truth is....how we choose to see it...

Truth is...I choose to choose...and not have my choices made for me...

Truth is...I choose to hope...and I choose to believe I will be blessed for this choice.

Respect

Respect...is a term that is not nearly used enough in it's proper context and meaning in my humble opinion. For if one truly were to respect something or someone else...they must first respect themselves. So to me...the term respect starts...it begins...with self-respect...and respect for others flows from there. I've heard the same said about love...and I believe it's true.

To respect one's self is a responsibility...to one's self. It is a right. It is a duty. It is an established act of kindness to one's own development. It is part of our personal integrity. It means to be accountable...to one's self. Respect and accountability do after all...go hand in hand...as they should. They are pieces of each other and found in self-respect is accountability. In accountability...is found self-respect. When one has done something wrong...somehow harmed someone else...regardless of intention...what a person might have meant or wanted...by taking accountability...especially to those that one loves and cares the most for...is showing one's respect for self. Your own personal truth...must have accountability in it...for if you are not accountable to yourself...then how can you possibly be accountable to others?

If one respects themselves...they work at bettering themselves. If one respects the life one has been given....and the multitude of opportunities...the host of chances that come one's way...then taking every day to be and do your best in who you are...and how you live...is making the most...of those chances and opportunities.

Establishing a forward movement in one's life that includes caring for self but also shares caring for others leads to respecting self...because by caring for others we gain our self worth. If all we do is attempt to care for self and our self interests then we are not respecting the contribution that we are capable of making nor are we embracing the opportunities we are given to contribute to the well being of another. In being so selfish and ego driven...we are in a sense jailing ourselves in our own makeshift prison.

We sometimes do not recognize our situation as such...because our perception is awkwardly askew...which may happen for a wide variety of reasons...but the bottom line is...we create our own world. It is "our" world...and in "our" world the way we see things is king. But by a simple shift in perspective...looking at something from a different angle...we can create an "AHA!" moment. A moment that is truly inspirational and pivotal...in our growth. When one takes a look at problem solving...the shift in perspective usually comes when a person can reorganize a problem...and see it from a different place.

Many times...we as imperfect human beings...do not see what is "really" going on because of the place that we stand...our placement for our perspective...and if we do not move...shake it up a bit if you will...then we will only see things in one way...which by definition makes us short sighted...and limits our view.
This also is disrespectful to others...because we are inherently imperfect...we many times do not see things as others might...because of our limited set of experiences that we draw from. We can negate the opportunity to learn something important from someone by dismissing them too quickly...without hearing them out and seeing if what they are saying might have some truth in it. Something we can learn from. Even those with a wide and varied set of experiences in life are capable of short-sightedness and therefore can, if they aren't careful, disrespect themselves and others by being closed to new possibilities. That closed mindedness and lack of vision disrespects ourselves because we limit our opportunities to learn. This also limits God's voice in our hearts because we will stubbornly not listen to a truth being told to us...and many times...it is told to us repeatedly.

As I said in another post...when the truth is told to a person it rings in them like a bell. Sometimes...if it is a particularly strongly held truth...one might even physically feel a reaction as their spirit, energy, mind, or soul...however you might choose to categorize it...recognizes the truth...and the reaction creates an involuntary response because of this recognition.

Truth is...how we see it. But the truth is...what is true...is true...no matter how much we might protest. A simple truth...disrespecting one's self...is all too common...and all too avoidable...which to my way of seeing things...my perspective...makes this element in an individuals life a tragedy...for if one thought enough of one's self to respect one's self...well...oh what a world it could be...what a joy one could bring to others...and thereby themselves. What a blessing we could be to each other...if we only respected ourselves...and by doing so...respected each other.

Maybe...if we respected ourselves...and thereby each other...we wouldn't have to hear so much about things like this other post...and our world and society would be a better place to live in...this is from my other blog which can be found in my links section...about a recent experience of ours...

911what-is-your-emergency

May God be with this man and his family...and with us.

And...may we teach...and learn...to respect ourselves...and each other...so that this sort of thing can become simply stories which are told of how things used to be...

Moments...Truth...and Being in the Now

We live our lives in the most fleeting slivers of time. Moments...that if taken for granted can be missed. Opportunities and chances for growth...shared trickles of movement that lead us to another level...or another thought...and another space...where another moment can take place.

In any given moment a miracle can happen. A message of truth given to you by the heavens..by God...by another's spirit...by the truth that lives within each of us that is untapped yet exists as clearly and focused as the rush we get up our spines when someone speaks a truth to us...

When someone speaks a truth to you...it rings in you like a bell. Things that you recognize...as truth. There are times when you might not be ready to accept that truth...so you find a "reason"...a justification really...to ignore or otherwise disregard it...but it still rings that bell.

Truths like;
Common sense is not common.
Love conquers all.
Communication is the key.
One lives their life in a series of moments...and the moments pass.
Time is a healer.
and...
The value is in the journey...not the destination.

Hearing the bell inside you and responding to the sound of a truth is as natural as breathing however there are those of us and times I think...for all of us...that we get in our own way. In those moments where a justification is more important for one than hearing an actual truth...hearing the real...then we know we are not in the now. We can not be fully present if we are not in the moment. If you are there but not really there then it doesn't really matter to those around you...if you are not fully engaged.

Being in the now...is hard....making no mistake about it...keeping in each moment is actually virtually impossible because even watching the moments pass takes one out of the moment...however...the lesson is in staying in the moment to the best of one's ability...which to me...means...not numbing out...or engaging in or seeking behaviors that cause you to get out of the moment...stay numb...not being present...and even though there are times when we all seek those moments...because we get overwhelmed...life....is just...too...damned...short...to keep getting caught up in that repetitively...it is a trap...

As hard as it is...staying in the now...being here...right where you are right now...staying in your truth....and staying in your moment...is the real...is where God can do His work...and is where you can find yourself...is where one can find their own personal truth...and find their serenity...
As the wind blows....

Meaning Making Machines...

As human beings...we are all meaning making machines...

We make meaning out of anything...we make meaning out of everything....we make meaning out of nothing at all...we put meaning in where it actually doesn't even belong...and we sometimes...many times...credit meanings to a place which they have not been earned...

We tell ourselves all sorts of things in our heart of hearts...when we are alone...the things we believe of ourselves to be truths...which we write as scripts when we were children...not the things that we sell to the world about ourselves...our face to the world in a way....because the face the world sees quite often is not the real us but a projection of what we believe the world wants us to be...the best foot forward so to speak...but the things that we believe about ourselves...in the dark...in the corners of ourselves...nasty negative things...the things we actually believe...which at some point in early childhood...for a variety of reasons...we took on as our own personal definition...

A definition that from the beginning...was never an actual truth...but simply a perception...something that we came to believe about ourselves...I'm not likable...I'm not lovable...I'm not worthy...I'm not valuable or "worth it"....and for whatever reason...at the time....the perception seemed real to us...

But the truth is...really....whatever created the belief...was...never...real.....it was never ever real...never a real truth...it was always just a belief...just a meaning that was attributed to some event or statement that somehow transformed in a persons mind and belief system...and they took it into themselves...turned it into their own personal truth...so that their experiences underlined this belief...see?!? I failed!...I fell!...I screwed this up!...I knew I wasn't likable, lovable, worthy, valuable...so one creates defenses in order to help one cope...be strong...survive...but the definition?...was never real...

This was a story...a script....one wrote for themselves...in early childhood...so one's personal definition has come from a four, five,or six year old...and one's actions, beliefs, and experiences...even in adulthood...are guided by the personal definition of a child...

Meaning making machines....

What meanings have you attributed since you started reading this?

See what I mean?

How many meanings are real? How many things do we create meanings in because we "need" it to mean something? How many meanings are there to help us simply feel safe and secure? How much of our meanings actually mean something? I mean...welp...I ask you...what does it mean to you?

The funny thing is...sometimes....it doesn't mean anything at all...and we?....we have to find a way to accept that...because that itself....in and of itself...means something to us.

Time...

Have you ever noticed how time seems to change in different areas of one's life? It is the same sixty minute clock...the same 365 day calendar...the same 60 second minute...but somehow...someway...the older that I get...everything seems to be speeding up. I feel like I am on a ride and I am headed downhill...and as time goes on...I am picking up speed. The momentum is increasing and I am somehow just along for the ride.

Meaning that I can't stop this...it seems....no matter how hard I try to slow it down...no matter how much effort I put in...no matter how far I have come...no matter what I say...think...scream...whisper...hear...react to...calm down...meditate...become mindful of in any moment...ponder...wonder...or cartwheel my way through this life...I can't seem to find the brakes. Not to stop it necessarily...cause that isn't really what I want...just slow down a bit...

I have three grown children...four in all. Two sons and two daughters in that order. They are currently 25, 23, just recently turned 21 years...and the little one is now 22 months. I watched my older three grow and it amazed me because no matter how good or bad things got...time marched on and they grew. They are all amazing people and I am very proud of each of them. But watching them grow and become the people who they have become was very hard...because...well...there has been so much that has happened...and so much to see...sooo much to learn...and teach...and I wanted what I could not have...which was to hang on to those years...but time changes that...time changes the relationships...as it should...but there is a piece of me that remembers...and it makes me smile...and want to cry...all at the same time.

The kicker here...is that almost two years ago now...I started all over...and I LOVE it...and I fear it...and I am enjoying it...all at the same time. Time is such a trip. I didn't have gray hair the first time around. I didn't have a hitch in my giddy up...and I didn't look in the mirror and wonder what the hell happened to me. I have all those things going on now...I try not to dwell on any of it too much...but it is all there...and yet...here I am...with our Sarah Bear in tow...doing it all again...but this time...things are a bit different.

I find myself already missing things that have passed...because I already have the experience of having it...and then having to let it go...because that is the nature of time...and of parenting...because Sarah is growing so fast...and learning at a rate that amazes me...she is truly awesome. I love that little girl...and the time I get to have with her is precious to me. She is a joy in my life and an absolute blessing in every way and sense of the word....and I am already missing the time that is slipping away...it is all bittersweet...but that is the balance of life...anything in too large a quantity is unhealthy...anything overdone is somehow less than...so maybe it is with time as well.

If we were to have more time...for ourselves...with our children....which I have often wished for and wondered about...would it actually be worth it? Better for us? Better for them? Would we do the right thing with that gift? I would like to think that I would...but I am not so sure...I hope that I would...but I wonder...maybe God knows what He is doing after all right? Maybe this is just as it is supposed to be...and because of that...it is up to us...and the effort that we make of it...to make our time quality time...and not wasted time...I see so much waste through my work...and it is such a problem and a shame...there is sooo much pain out there...it is painful to see...and yet...it is a good thing that time is there...to heal us...and lead us to the next phase...and help us find our way.

Process...

Everything...has a process.

Each thing we do...each nuance of our lives...each pattern we repeat...each dollar we earn and dime we spend...each word we utter and thought we justify...each cold we catch and form of travel we take...each sport or hobby we embark on...each class we take or creative endeavor we create...each job we undertake...each argument we make...each relationship we work through...each chapter of our lives we begin and end...everything....has and is...a process.

The trick to learning something...to really getting "it"...is to figure out it's process. So there is no amount of money you can not make...no business you can't build...no amount of love you can not create...no amount of pleasure you can't reap...no amount of satisfaction you can not reach...no path to enlightenment you can not take...if you are willing to put in the work...to learning the process.

Do you want something in your life? Is there something missing for you? Is there a part of you that has a wish that needs to be fulfilled? Is there a wish that you do not have but think you should have? Hope you can find? Something you want to learn? Something you want to earn?

Whatever it is for you....there is a process...a way of discovering it if you do not know....and....attaining it if you do. All you need to do...is answer one simple question...(OK OK it isn't THAT simple a question LOL).......that question is....what....do....you....want? Once you have something in mind...there is a process to figuring out a way to make it happen...and you can make it happen. First though...you have to know...what you want.

There is even a process to figuring out a process. Whenever I teach anything...the very first thing I like to start with...is quite simply...a definition. So first....define what it is you want to learn...or are going to study. Once you know and can spell out exactly what it is that you are going after...define what that thing means to you....and the rest is just fleshing out the details.

There are many ways to flesh out details and figure out a process...Internet searching, libraries, book stores, gurus, mentors, volunteering, information interviews, pleasant conversations with others who already know about what you want to know, therapy, counseling, support groups, community programs, classes, getting certificates and degrees, instructional tapes/CD's/DVD's, experimentation, risk taking, and many many other ways to try to get information and direction towards anything and everything you want to accomplish.

The key to success and living your dreams....whatever they may be....is in the process....it is the journey...not the destination....it is the process....that will teach you...inspire you...lead you...and help you to overcome. Find the process...and you can fulfill your hopes...your desires....your dreams....whatever they may be. Find the process....find YOUR process....

Effort

I was traveling down the Interstate yesterday taking my daughter to a Dr. appointment in another town about 50 miles away and I saw a very large bird in flight...hawk I think...beautiful...soaring...effortlessly...lifting and shifting on the long breath of the wind...and the word that came to my troubled mind in the moment was freedom. Freedom to be who he/she is....whether just out for an afternoon cruise or looking for a meal. Freedom to just be. Freedom to do with one's time what one will choose...instead of what is so often forced upon us.

Freedom.

Then it occured to me that the freedom I was imagining wasn't really real. It was after all...my imagination...all too real to me and me alone...but to the hawk...more than likely...they weren't feeling free...they were probably hungry and feeling the need to feed without the freedom of traveling to a local supermarket to achieve one's goal....Mr./Ms. hawk has to work for it...of course even in this freedom one isn't really free...because it takes some sort of way to pay for all these choices in the grocery store...and without the money to exchange...well...there ain't no free lunch....as they say...so where is all this freedom?...good question...

I love the word...freedom. I love the idea of freedom...although I am not sure which I love more...the word or the idea...I love it so much that I thought about tattooing it across my back...but the more I thought about it...the more I started to come to the conclusion...that it isn't really the idea of freedom that gets me so engaged...it was what freedom represents to me. In a word...my favorite word...of all words...serenity. The idea of being free to me is the opportunity to truly find serenity in my life...in every aspect of my life...without interference from governments, employers, advertisers, peddlers, wars, mind games, emotional disease, trauma, drama, or even my own voice...which is the loudest of them all. To truly find a place in me...that is serene...that I can find my serenity...this is my desire...this is my goal...this is my wish...

Right about now you might be wondering...why the heck did he title this effort? It is because of that hawk....it is because of the journey of my mind...my heart...my spirit...it is because of the countless ways that I try to find that serenity...that freedom...that freedom of my own time...and my own mind...that I must pursue...I must actively seek...putting out the effort...the DOING....of what is ultimately my journey...and the consistant feeling of becoming lost in the struggle...and then having to find me again...and find that still small voice of God in me again...that is what makes this a struggle...and what takes the effort...towards my own personal growth...finding a way...to BE...in the now...like Mr./Ms. hawk....just being in the now...not in the future or in the past...just right now...

The effort...the struggle...the journey...is the story...is my story...my own personal truth...as it is for each of us...and we find it where we will...wherever we will...wherever we are open to seeing what is already there...in the moment...in the now. So I would say...to other fellow weary travelors and seekers of their own personal truths...look....see what is already there...and be open to the message that comes to you from it...for it does speak to you...if you will just get yourself out of the way...if only...so that you can hear it. Just as the hawk soars...what does it speak to you?

1st post...new addition

OK...today is the first....of many to come...and I have finally joined the electronic world...of putting my two cents in....or should it be sense...since this is The Thought Lounge....a place meant for casual statements and deep thought...blind sensibilities with hopefullness in abundant display with an occasional swipe at humor all wrapped up in what I will attempt to be something or someone with some intelligence...and something interesting to say.

I hope.

Or....maybe not and it'll be lame.

I will say I am seriously trying to not let that happen.....and all at once admitting that it is a distinct possibility...all in the same type written breath. SO...we will see...as for now....the journey....has begun.