There are many advantages to being part of “the circle”, one big one being part of a community. People are becoming aware that they need their families, friends, and local communities now more than ever.

However, being outside of the circle does give one a perspective that cannot be attained any other way. Being inside is too conducive to the mindset of “following the crowd”, doing what everyone else is doing, because if they’re doing it, it automatically must be okay, right? Wrong. When did the human mind become this lazy?

Let’s face it, humans have been increasingly conditioned to not think for themselves. Certainly our education systems do not teach or encourage independent or critical thinking. In a locked down world our “permission” to move about, or not, increasingly makes it difficult to physically remove ourselves from the circle and gain that broader perspective.

So, what is one simple way that anyone can remove themselves from the noise of the circle?

Unplug from the phone, at least for some time every day. Phone addiction has become a disease, in and of itself.

If we don’t remove ourselves from the reinforcing thoughts of our peers and the media, when do we ever have time to get in touch with our own thoughts and feelings? I would wager that there are many who have a creeping feeling by now that society is not going in a good direction, but it’s just too easy to distract themselves and pretend it will all just go away, if they ignore it long enough.

No. It will not go away unless we start paying attention and intend for it to be different. One of the first ways anyone can take personal responsibility is to unplug from the incessant societal programming and give themselves time and space to think.

Susan L Hart © 2022 | HartInspirations.com | My ebooks

Einstein was an interesting man, not simply because of his scientific discoveries, but also because he was not a slave to his logic. This was also a feeling man who was a deep observer of life. Some of his conclusions about life were derived not from logic, but rather his innate intuitive sense of the universe, our world, and human nature.

I wonder what he would think of the state of our world right now? I’d like to hear from a scientist who also has a broader sense of life, who is not locked into his narrow lane of expertise, a true creative mind who is able to see the big picture, and who has a sincere love for humanity. Because frankly I’m not seeing a lot of that going on, and I am worried for our future.

One thing I believe Einstein would say (because he apparently did say it!) is that the same kind of thinking that created the problems is not going to solve them.

Increasingly there are new problems. The scientists and politicians who thought restricting everything around us was going to save us are only compounding the problem. Their solutions of restriction do not even make sense any more within the context of the problem itself, or the bigger picture of functionality of our world.

Very soon it will be time to accept that we are not going to be able to fix what we had and restore it to “normal”. We are going to have to imagine our way out of this. We will need to adopt Renaissance thinking, putting our creative minds together in a cooperative community to overcome the problems created by “the experts”. They are making a mess not just of our world, but of our very lives.

We are capable of this, but we first must adopt both the willingness to accept change, and the intent to dig in and do the work, together.

Inspirational Albert Einstein Quotes:

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

“Love is a better master than duty.”

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

“Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.”

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”

My ebooks | Susan L Hart © 2022

The below quotes from Anne Morrow Lindbergh remind me of one of the first Christmases away from my family whilst traveling. Heart sick in Australia, I was missing them terribly, so I went for a walk on a beach at Glenelg, Adelaide to center myself.

I had walked quite a few times there, but previously there were never more than a sparse few shells. That Christmas Day the beach was thick with them. I’m a huge lover of the ocean, and I walked in bliss for a couple of hours, soaking up the sunshine, immersed in the beauty, and collecting a few shells to takeaway. I felt that some angel had heard my prayers and laid these gifts on the beach to soothe my soul.

My family’s heritage strongly includes Scottish, and from a balcony high up on one of the apartment buildings overlooking the beach, some lovely lone sentinel, complete with kilt, played the bagpipes for me as I walked under a cloudless azure sky. I still see and feel all of it.

What were the chances? I suddenly did not feel so bereft; I was clearly cradled by energies watching out over me.

Everything is part of One. Never doubt it for a second…

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.”  ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

My ebooks | Susan L Hart © 2022

A fellow blogger commented to me recently that she would like to see some more personal content interspersed into my posts. For her, knowing who I am as a person and what brought me to this place and perspective would give context to some of the subject matter about which I write.

So, here we go, Rebecca. :). Firstly, from time to time I’m going to post some snapshots from my travels. I’m not the most traveled person in the world, but I’m more traveled than most. Apparently it is common for most people to live within a couple of miles of where they were born. Also I’m different than many travelers in that I have not been simply a visitor, but I have lived in several very different cultures.

I realize that not everyone can afford to travel, and neither does everyone have the desire. However, it would be really nice if we all could! Travel gives a person a much broader perspective of not just the world, but also themselves. So, perhaps it’s important to simply share a few photographs and thoughts about it. We’ll see how that goes…

Another part of me that many of my readers don’t know is that I am also a professional artist, although writing has become much more of a focus for me lately. I showed my work professionally in galleries for 20 years, and I also taught drawing to beginners.

In future my drawing talents will be used to enhance my books, rather than just showing art. Two of my books completed last year do incorporate my own art. I will be releasing more books this year, and I’m thinking about how I can enhance them with illustrations.

Also right now, like everyone else, I am finding it difficult sometimes to relax in the craziness that this world has become. I may also do some sketching just for fun, and incorporate those drawings into (for example) some posts about the importance of nature.

Those of you have been following my blog for awhile know that nature and our connection to Earth is an important theme in my writing. In my days of making and showing paintings, I have been primarily a landscape painter, so my art in the past also reflected my love for our Earth.

One more passion of mine is books and reading. I’ve been a voracious reader since I was  a child and old enough to ride the bus myself downtown to the library. Every Saturday I brought home a new armload of books. I’m not sure why, but I always gravitated to good literature. I devoured many of the classics that were written for children and adults.

Those books developed in me a love of language, and also a deep desire to travel some day and see some of the world. My first part-time job as a teenager was at the public library, and for me, this was a dream job. I now was immersed in authors and an expansive world of possibilities – and getting paid to do it! Traveling may not be possible for everyone, but certainly broadening the mind through books is for many people. For those who don’t even have books, my future big dream is to spend money from my writing – when it becomes successful enough – to provide books and learning in some areas of the world that are still deprived of this.

I’ve worked at my writing diligently for three years now. In the past year I feel I’ve made quite a leap forward (finishing three books) and it’s gaining momentum. I have several books planned for completion this year. If you’d like to receive occasional book news, please sign up here. When you do, you will receive a 20%-off coupon to save on my books at SusanLHartBooks.com.

As for my blog, I have 350+ blog posts under my belt, and I’m going to be looking for ways to expand it in ways that complement the content already here.

Anyway, that’s it for today, because now I’m rambling… 🙂  And thank you, as always, for reading! ~ Susan

Susan L Hart © 2022 | HartInspirations.com