darkness

Some interesting thoughts about perspective in the book “The World I Live In” by Helen Keller. The most important, I think, is that she said her world was no less than anyone's who can see and hear. She described a very broad, wonderful experience based in the senses of touch, smell and taste.

The thought that lingers with me is that darkness was not something negative for her. While so many of us, especially when we are young, fear the dark, Ms. Keller grew to be very happy there. She wrote a poem called "Chant of Darkness." Throughout the poem she repeats these lines:

"Out of the uncharted, unthinkable dark we came,

and in a little time we shall return again

into the vast, unanswering dark." Helen Keller

I've always imagined heaven/ where God lives to be a bright, sunny place. This gives me a different picture. It sort of fits with the idea that our universe is dark. When we look out above our planet, space is dark except for the objects in it. If God created our universe, perhaps he meant darkness to be comforting. Perhaps heaven is dark except for the spirits in it.

I'm not sure where I'm going with these thoughts. Curiosity is a wonderful thing that leads to learning. And there is so much in life to learn!

the pale blue dot

We humans take up such a very small part of the universe. A character in a movie I saw a recently (Men Women and Children) claimed that this made him feel as if nothing matters. He had watched the YouTube video "the pale blue dot" from Carl Sagan.

So, I watched it myself. At the end, Mr Sagan encourages us to be kinder to one another and cherish our planet. If this is all we have, let's make the most of it.

But I also believe that our words and actions matter. They affect our own lives and the lives of people we know. There is also a ripple effect. Our smile given to another may improve their mood, which can affect others they see. Who knows where the effects end? Could the ripples cross the globe, the galaxy, the universe? We will never know, but maybe.

So let's choose our words and actions to create the world we wish to see. Peace, love, and understanding!

write our own

So sad to say goodbye to Downton Abbey. Loved the characters and their stories. I'm always glad when a writer gives his characters happy endings. My first thought was: wouldn't it be nice if we could all write our own happy ending. My next thought was: actually, we can!

We're not in control of everything in our lives, but we are in control of our actions and reactions. If we work hard to pursue our goals, we often get what we want. If we run into unfortunate circumstances, it is up to us to make the best of it.

Some people meet one unfortunate circumstance after another and feel like nothing ever goes their way. Some people are unlucky. But we still have control over our feelings. This is not always easy. Anger and depression don't always go away just because that is our wish. Changing our feelings is possible, even if it takes lots of effort and time.

I work hard to release my anger and sadness so that I can move on to being happy. It often takes time and effort, but it is so worthwhile. I choose to feel good because that is what I want out of life.

Being happy is a choice. May you have good luck in your pursuit of happiness!

Helen Keller

 “I who cannot hear or see have every reason to sit in a corner with folded hands and weep. If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life,--if, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing.”

Excerpt From: Helen Keller. “Optimism.” 37Fides, 2012. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/PR7KI.l

Find ways to be happy. Ms. Keller did it. I'm doing it. So can you!

find some strength

With some early morning time to myself, I’ve been reading the Bible a bit. I’ve been doing this a lot lately. I’d like to learn from God, find some strength, and learn to listen. I’m kind of muddling my way through, but I think that’s ok, it’s part of the process. This is such a hard time in my life and I need help. It would be nice to add a deeper spirituality. Like the Blind Mellon song –“when life is hard you have to change.” With a little luck, it’s for the better. 

From my book, Finding Our Light

simple

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. --Thich Nhat Hanh

faith

I think it's healthy to question one's faith from time to time. I've been reading "The Crone" by Barbara G Walker that some friends gave me. I've only read three chapters so far, but I am amazed at the history of feminism and religion.

For thousands of years, there have been stories about who created our world. I know about Christianity from the Bible. I've read briefly about Hinduism and Buddhism. So many stories about what we need to do to live our best life.

Learning about so many other stories in this book has me wondering. Aren't we all just making up stories to make ourselves feel better and explain things we don't understand? Maybe if they are just made up stories, the atheists are right and life is simply what we see in front of us.

I started thinking about what that would mean for me. I would feel very lonely. I like believing that there is something or some One all around us. When I'm alone and frustrated, angry or sad I do feel like there is someone with me.

Maybe it's only part of my personality or part of my intuition. It's kind of nice to think that somehow I am comforting myself.

Still, I choose to believe we are part of something greater that we can only try to understand. So, I do have strong beliefs though my faith is uncertain.

I hope that you are confident in your faith. Or, if you believe we are only what we see, I hope you find comfort and understanding in other ways.