share what is in your heart

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. - Maya Angelou

You don't have to have all the answers. Just share what is in your heart. If we each share the best of ourselves, the world will be improved.

I share my smile, my art, my positive thoughts and my listening ear when someone needs to talk. What can you share?

Mister Rogers

I don't think anyone can grow unless he's loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be. --Mister Rogers

Because this comes from Mr. Rogers, I would guess he's talking about children. We should try not to focus on what they will become… Teacher, lawyer, nurse, etc. or even the type of person they will become. Every child needs to know they are special and important as they are at this moment just because there is no one else in the world just like them.

If a child feels loved, he or she is bound to be a happy, well-rounded individual.

That goes for adults, also. Each of us deserves to feel loved. We can accomplish any goal when our efforts are concentrated. And our efforts are supported and encouraged by people who love us. You can never say, "I love you" too often. It is so important to tell the people in your life how much you love them just the way they are.

I have love for all of my fellow humans. I hope that feeling comes across to everyone who reads this. You are special and important just the way you are!

being one

Aha! I think I finally wrapped my head around the premise of being one with God and the universe! Another step on my spiritual journey.

Yesterday I listened to a 1981 BBC interview of Ram Dass. He is an interesting character. The description he gave somehow made a lot of sense to me.

Paraphrasing.. Many planes of awareness.
First– separate, your body and my body.
Second– psychological, your personality and my personality.
Third– astrological, Gemini, Pisces, etc.
Fourth– individual differences, when I look into your eyes I see another human being just like me but with different packaging.
Fifth– being One, when I look into your eyes I see myself looking at myself looking at myself. We are One, all in costume delighting to be the many.

Going from the many into the One back into the many, to experience individual aspects of Itself. All planes of awareness are equally important.

Now that I have written it all out, I don't feel the same certainty I did at first. Still, I'm excited to explore these ideas further. What do you think?

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!

Land of Plenty

My friend, neighbor and fellow writer shared this with me and agreed to let me share it with you. Let us enjoy everything we can!

Written by Christopher Andrew Maier:

By an accident of birth, we are living in a Land of Plenty. We exist among the top 1 percent of the world who have enough to eat every single day, who have lovely warm surroundings when it is too cold, and cool, serene surroundings when it is too hot.

And political oppression is not even on our radar screen. The rest of our experience pales when faced with the real hunger, cold, debilitating heat and guns in the face that many people can not escape for lack of funds and awareness.

So “serene’ would be the operative word. We have the luxury to experience that, as well as the drugs and counseling to allow us not to suffer too much from anxieties. We [artists] also have the joy of creating with tools and materials that allow others to see into our Appreciation of Life, or our discouragement, for that matter.

The entire history of the human race has not been too sweet a trip. I think we are riding on a froth of whipped cream, far from the maddening crowd and the worst that life could be, what it is for countless billions right now, and stretching into the distant past.