Friday, November 18, 2016

Choice 2

Daily I feel and live within a very strong and unconditional love for everything and everyone, an attitude that arises through my relationship with the force I call God. Life is also very difficult for me, being older, disabled and having a speech impediment. I work constantly to balance the two - my challenge. Just the same, it is a wonderful life. I find myself wishing that others could experience the love and peace that I feel. That love and peace requires focus, concentration and de-emphasizing the importance of the recent worldly accomplishments, enjoying them but not believing in them, a way of life I suggest in my book.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Choice

Today and ever since the election I have been reflecting on lessons contained in the movie "Avatar". In that movie people with short term financial interests wanted to take over the planet, Pandora. The residents of that planet had a very spiritual and connected way of life, honoring everything and everyone on the planet. The residents had a very special relationship with a particular tree they called the "home tree". At one point one of the potential invaders commented that "it’s just a tree" and later in the movie destroyed it. The residents then threw the invaders off of the planet. Thinking of the movie as a metaphor and Earth as our Pandora, we did not throw the invaders off of the planet - we put them in charge of it, with the expected consequences. As I point out in my book, the spiritual life requires focus but is also magical, like Pandora.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Behavior Change

Yesterday my wife, Maria, got upset with me for being to abrupt, even harsh, which she took as personal criticism. I definitely was overly abrupt, though my behavior was a result of my own frustration over my poor communication and not directed at her. I kept thinking of a phrase that I have heard in recovery meetings "if I am not at fault, there is no solution". I modified my behavior to be more pleasant. Today we dealt with a difficult bureaucracy (M.V.A.!) and I maintained a pleasant, less abrupt attitude for which she commended me. My challenge now is to keep it up.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Humanity

Today I became lost, frustrated and angry because of my efforts and eventual failure to navigate through technology, supposed technological advances. This condition is short-term, trivial and will pass shortly but is increasingly common in a world that is becoming more technological and lacking the love I mentioned yesterday and speak of in my book. On the other hand there was the young man who stopped to offer me help this afternoon, the laughter of the plumber who fixed my toilet and the love of my wife. This was a day of contrasting options and my choice is obvious.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

My Approach

I am not very political since politics does not meet the need, nor is it responsive to the general public. I care, very passionately, about all people and this earth that supports us. Recent events in this country are and have been very reactive and fear-based, an approach that I used with limited success for many years. I now use a love-based approach, which I explain in my book, Three Simple Questions: Being in the World, But Not of It. My approach is based on three questions to consider when planning any sort of activity. The questions are: would I do this in front of God, or whatever you call that power/force?; is my name really on it or is it really my responsibility?; will this increase the integrity of the universe, or is this loving? I wrote and published the book as part of my effort to change the world.