ideas

Pondering my philosophy. Many ideas that sometimes don't mesh.

I have been reading "What God Says" by Neale Donald Walsh. I have been listening on YouTube to Eckhart Tolle. I still listen occasionally to "Getting Into the Vortex" by Esther & Jerry Hicks, as well as have spiritual conversations with friends.

Christianity says “God, Our Father.”

NDW says God is not our parent but rather one with us.

The Vortex emphasizes being co-creators with God [or Source] of our own reality.

Tolle seems mainly about being present in the moment and having an alert awareness of our inner being, who we really are. He also describes us as usually living only in our thoughts and emotions. He encourages quieting the thoughts to access our conscious awareness.

I'm practicing connecting to my inner being but I still enjoy living in my thoughts. We shall see where these philosophical and spiritual thoughts will take me.

impression of Bright–Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich

I wondered how my philosophy would be affected by the book "Bright–Sided: How the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America" by Barbara Ehrenreich. I have not changed my mind, but I have discovered ways that I will need to be specific and clear when I share my own thoughts.

One idea that I like in particular is that smiles and kind words are contagious whether in person or through social media. That's what my goal is here.

The following are the most important ideas in regard to what I hope to accomplish.

1 - Ignoring reality will cause delusions. It is important to think positively but that needs to be tempered by truth and observable facts.

2 - Our thoughts alone do not cause change. Simply visualizing our wishes does not make them come true. We must use action and effort to achieve our desires.

3 - I have often struggled with, “if all I need to do is change my thoughts, what am I doing wrong?” The author stresses that we are not to blame for our own misfortunes. A lot of “positive thinking” literature claims that we can create our own reality. I agree, but to do that we must take action and try to find ways to feel positive in spite of negative circumstances.

The book was interesting. She made a lot of good points and did have me questioning my own ideas. Questioning is good because it helps us be more certain in our own beliefs. She goes into the history of how “positive thinking”  started. She shows several ways in which it has been detrimental in our culture, but her focus is on positive thinking in the absence of realistic and critical thinking.

The only way we can make change is by thinking critically, realistically, hopefully and putting those thoughts into action. It is amazing what we can do!

delight

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. - Khalil Gibran

 

I hope that the earth is enjoying you today!