Tag Archives: society

Stereotypical Walls

Stereotypes propagate a full spectrum of negative, divisive, and destructive effects. We know the usual ones, based on race, color, gender, economics, political affiliation, etc. The list is long and goes on.

It feels like society is intent on building more walls lately, not tearing them down. As much as there is a narrative about overcoming them, some of the tactics being used are actually reinforcing them.

It is a challenge for each of us, every day, to acknowledge and see past the stereotypes we carry within us. When we subscribe to stereotypes and labeling, we are not only doing an injustice to others, we also are to ourselves.

When we can personally overcome this sort of thinking and behavior, we become expansive and growing, big rather than small.

Let’s commit to adopting bigger thinking, wider perspectives, and to building bridges rather than walls.

Inspirational Quotes:

“….. it would be interesting to find out what goes on in that moment when someone looks at you and draws all sorts of conclusions.”  ~ Malcolm Gladwell

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“Once you label me you negate me.” ~ Søren Kierkegaard

“A stereotype becomes a stereotype when a significant percentage of the population appears to conform to it.” ~ Kelley Armstrong


Stereotypical Walls © Susan L Hart 2021 | Friendly comments welcome | Photo courtesy u_m5d2lywo, PIxabay

Sweetness of Life

Lately have you been tasting the sweetness of life upon your tongue? Or have the events and challenges of the past year(+) left you consuming too much bitter?

Even in the “most normal” of times (what does that even mean anymore?), we all can do better at seeing, appreciating, and tasting the sweetness of life. It’s all around us, all the time. But when we become mesmerized and overwhelmed by the bitter, it can become almost impossible to taste the sweet. This requires requires intention and focus.

Today take the time to taste and savor the sweet aspects of your life. (Children are very good at this. Observe and remember.)

Even if you can only find one small thing to do so, it’s a start. Focus on it and let it expand in your heart and mind. This is one of the important tools for living life consciously and deeply.

Let yourself fall in love with life, all over again.

Inspirational Quotes:

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ~ John Steinbeck

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” ~ Shauna Niequist

“Experience life in all possible ways – good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.” ~ Osho

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Sweetness of Life © Susan L Hart 2021 | Friendly comments welcome | Photos courtesy Pitsch and bhuwanpurohit, Pixabay

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Live Fully Today

There are many lessons being learned by humanity in these uncertain times. In the long run, the biggest one might prove to be, “Live life today and every day to the fullest extent possible.”

The events of the past year and a half have brought life into pinpoint focus. We all tend to live in the past or future too much. The more we are able to live in the moment, the fuller and richer life becomes.

It is important to learn from the past, but then let it go. When we hang on to regrets related to past hurts and mistakes, we are just wasting our precious time. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

On the other side of the coin, it is important to envision and intend to create the future you desire, but then let it go. Relax and don’t push at the universe. If your intention does not waver and your actions match it, then trust that the universe will help bring it to you.

Step back and enjoy today while you are in the process of creating your tomorrow.  Life is indeed short, and every day, every step of the way on your life path is a treasure.


Inspirational Quotes:

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” ~ Oscar Wilde

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

“I was smiling yesterday, I am smiling today and I will smile tomorrow, simply because life is too short to cry for anything.” ~ Santosh Kalwar

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ~ Mother Theresa

“The future depends on what you do today.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Live Fully Today © Susan L Hart 2021 | Friendly comments welcome | Photos courtesy James Wheeler, Pixabay

Where is Truth?

The truth is the truth. Constant, consistent, it vibrates to the inner core of our being. We feel the truth. Like the straight arrow, the truth seeks it bullseye. It does not take a winding path to some ever shifting mark in the sand.

Truth has come into question of late. What is it? Where is it? Why should any one entity have the ultimate say in what the truth is, to mold the consensual reality as they see fit?

Sometimes there is no instant way to pinpoint the truth, but what we can do is be widely observant, noting the incongruities and idiosyncrasies, and listening to our intuitive voices along the way. We can feel a vibe in any situation, be it positive or negative, when we’re paying close attention. Logic and intuitive reasoning combined help us to know where to properly place our trust.

If you are not already doing so, it is time to listen to your inner truth. In rune stones, Teiwaz (the arrow symbol) represents the spiritual warrior. Spiritual warriors do not put blind faith in the consensual narrative. With patience and perseverance, they observe, analyze, and go inward to compile their own conclusion.

As Albert Einstein said, “Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” This is your call to start listening to your own inner voice.


Inspirational Quotes:

“Whatever satisfies the soul is truth.” ~ Walt Whitman

“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.” ~ George R.R. Martin

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Chin


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Awakening Humanity

There is a spiritual revolution quietly brewing in the heart of humanity. A surging, monumental wave undulates persistently around the world. Can you feel it?

Isolation has had a way of removing our normal distractions this past year. Oh, we tried our best to fill up that newly available time with various projects and more social media. But that nagging feeling that our lives weren’t quite right in the first place, “what are we trying to get back to?“, has not gone away.

The curtain has been pulled aside, the yawning void has been revealed, and for some people that is scarier than any virus could ever be.

Questioning how we’ve been living our lives

I thought my life had meaning, now I’m not so sure. Why was I busting my butt all those mornings, commuting to a job I hated? Why did I put the dream of a big house before the dream of a happy and cohesive family? Why did I sacrifice my own dreams so I could try to measure up to society’s yard stick of success?

And on it goes. The monologue playing in your head will be different than the next person’s, but you get the idea. We are still in a time of extreme self-examination, as well as opening our eyes to the dysfunctional aspects of our societies.

Much of it is not pretty, so we are inclined to turn our eyes away. But wait! Isn’t that what we’ve been doing for too long now? Losing ourselves in our technological devices? Trusting that everything would be taken care of for us by external authority? Trusting that the formula for life that society insisted we adhere to was a good one? Trusting the message that we shouldn’t trust in ourselves, after all, what could we possibly know?

The big opportunity for change

To say that this time is important is hugely understating it. Humanity is riding the wave on the cusp of a gargantuan shift in consciousness. Change is a scary proposition and we have a tendency to avoid it at all cost. However, this current global situation has thrown down the gauntlet for you, me, and the rest of humanity. The big question hanging in the air, the pink elephant in the room is, will we rise to the occasion and create something better for ourselves?

Take the time to ask questions, and while you’re searching for the answers, listen not only to your head, but also to your heart and your gut. There’s a voice crying to be inside of you. It is your own, but it is also connected to all of humanity. Hear its song and feel its pulse. We are all inextricably connected.

Inspirational Quotes:

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”~ Eckhart Tolle

“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.” ~ John O’Donohue

“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

“When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him. In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus

“You have wakened not out of sleep, but into a prior dream, and that dream lies within another, and so on, to infinity, which is the number of grains of sand. The path that you are to take is endless, and you will die before you have truly awakened.” ~ Jorge Luis Borges

“You are never alone. You are eternally connected with everyone.” ~ Amit Ray

“The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss – an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed.” ~ Søren Kierkegaard

“A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good and handsome. And I was not afraid any more.” ~ John Steinbeck


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Awakening Humanity © Susan L Hart 2021| Friendly comments welcome | Photos courtesy Alex Azabache, Pexels and Free-Photos, Pixabay

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