Category Archives: Life Inspiration

The Great Escape

What would you like the world to look like in future? Do you give much thought to that? It is important to observe carefully the societal trends we see developing right now. Those are going to dramatically change the landscape, and very quickly too.

John Muir (1838-1914), an influential Scottish-American naturalist, whose letters, essays, and books have been read by millions wrote:

“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news.” ~ John Muir

If John Muir was weary of being a “money making machine” and dreaming of escaping from society in the late 1800’s, I wonder what he would be feeling today? It amazes me, really, how much the landscape of society has changed in just one hundred years. I wonder, what it will look like in another hundred?

The current changes hook into so many aspects of our lives, it is hard to know where to start in the analysis. However, there are key themes that reside at the very root of the welfare of our souls, such as integrity, freedom, fulfillment, love, happiness, connectedness to each other and the Earth. These are just some examples. What other ones can you identify as important?

If ever there was a time for you to become more observant and to use your critical thinking skills, it is right now. This is no time for complacency or taking things for granted. The very future of our world rests in our own minds, hearts, and hands.

Photo courtesy Frederico Erthal, Pexels

What is Life?

How do you define life? Many of us, much of the time, tend to be so wound up in the doing of it, we forget to make time to contemplate why we are here, what is the meaning of life, what gives it quality and fulfillment. Do you ever ask yourself, “What am I really aiming for here?”

Life is not simply about “not dying”. Something to think about… There is this important concept in life called BALANCE. Let’s not lose sight of it.

“Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.” ~ Rumi

“The aim is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive.” ~ Carlos Casteneda

A Free Mind

We owe it to ourselves to expose our minds to many points of view. Reading widely and diversely is a good starting point. In a time where everything is increasingly politicized, mass media narrative can easily become a form of advertising for political agenda.

A free mind yearns to see beyond the consensual narrative and reality.

The public narrative, and particularly on social media, is becoming deeply divided. So many people seem to be locked into their chosen echo chamber, parroting what they hear from their particular group of friends and political party. Where is the independent thinking? Where is the open-mindedness, where people can at least consider a differing point of view, instead of viciously attacking the “opposition”, trying to make them conform?

Observing the meltdown in society right now, it seems that the answers will not be found in the same old paradigm, the normal duality of “it’s either A or B” choices. We need to find a meeting ground, a creative way of melding diverse ideas into a new model for humanity and society.

True to Yourself

Are you being true to yourself? This year 2020 has magnified everything – people who are critical and judgmental if we don’t adhere to their opinions (or worse, they are outright aggressive), events in our society that do not feel right, they do not ring true, but we stuff it down inside and quietly acquiesce.

These little betrayals of ourselves, our gut feelings and own wisdom, eventually add up and take their toll. It is called selling our souls, piece by piece. We can ignore the discomfort in ourselves about it for awhile, but eventually it’s time to pay the piper. At a certain point, we just do not feel good about how we are treating ourselves.

Be true to yourself. No one is going to hear you or respect you if you don’t do that for yourself, first and foremost.

Re-examine all you have been told. Dismiss what insults your soul.
~ Walt Whitman

Your Sacred, Sane Place

Technology does not only offer us speed and a wide array of information. It also gives us distraction, noise, and confusion.

Do you have a place where you can go daily to claim a quiet interlude, far away from the fray and anger of the world? Our modern world is always a noisy place, but someone turned up the volume full blast on us at the beginning of 2020. When you add it onto the discouragement and loss around the COVID scenario, mentally and emotionally it can feel like just too much some days.

People often equate the word sacred with church, but have you considered, finding the sacred has to begin with your own internal landscape? If you do not honor the sacred within you, if you do not recognize that you are to be honored first and foremost, sooner or later you will have nothing left to give to anyone else.

If you have not already done so, establish a sacred place where you can find some quiet and cultivate peace within yourself. where you can start to hear your own voice again. A little piece of nature may be a very good start.

As the famous nature enthusiast and writer John Muir said, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”

“Your sacred place is where you can find yourself, over and over again. ~ Joseph Campbell

Photo courtesy Stijn Dijkstra, Pexels