Tag Archives: mind body spirit

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.

Becoming Civilized

Are we a fully civilized society? We assume because we have advanced forward in linear time that it is naturally a given we are also more progressed in terms of our knowledge, wisdom, and sophistication. But are we?

How sophisticated is it to indulge in the kind of social behavior we witness in society at the moment? As our buildings get taller and our computers become faster, we are forgetting the fundamental human skills needed to build a truly great civilization. In short, we are losing touch with our humanness, our decency, our respect for the Earth that serves us.

There are societies we label as primitive that have or had a much greater grasp of the ethics and integrity of a respectful and fulfilling society. I suggest that it is time to put our inflated egos aside and learn from them, in order that we may incorporate some of their higher principles back into our modern life.

Additional thoughts:

Star Trek fans, remember the “Prime Directive”? It is a law of noninterference that dictates that there be no interference with the natural development of any primitive society. In the Star Trek stories, the defining line is to have achieved warp speed technology on their own. These days I wonder what civilizations might be observing us and just shaking their heads. “Sorry, we would really like to help you, we see you are floundering around and it is really painful to watch. But, you haven’t figured out certain things on your own yet… Give us a call when you get it.

Your Contribution

Life is not about what we can take from it; life really begins with what we contribute to it.

What real meaning is there in “me, me, me”? The big house any person managed to earn with the sole goal of pumping up their own egos, to gain status and impress their friends, will prove meaningless on their deathbeds.

The real question to be answered is, “Is the world a better place because I spent some time here?”

Inspirational Service Quotes:

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather… try to become a person of value.”
~ Albert Einstein

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”
~ Mother Teresa

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
~ Tagore

“Strength does not make one capable of rule; it makes one capable of service.”
~ Brandon Sanderson

Building a Life

There are two essential things, I believe, which bring happiness to people. One is to love and be loved. The other is to feel productive, to have a sense of purpose in life.

If we are lucky, we do work that we love. If we do not love our work (I have been
there, done that, and likely most of us have at some point in our lives), nonetheless, there is satisfaction in the expending of energy to build a life.

Building a life. Within the current scenario in society right now, let’s not lose sight of our desire, and our right, to build lives that we love. Much of our sense of fulfillment is rooted in our deep human drives.

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Path to Knowledge

There are many paths to knowledge. The Earth has been speaking to humanity forever and she has not stopped. Our heartbeats are intertwined, and yet lately humans are abandoning her in favor of technology.

Keep technology in its place. It has its uses, but we are still organic beings. The Earth and nature speak of ancient wisdom that no computer will teach you.

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." John Muir