Tag: better world

Let Compassion Be Your Compass

So many other emotions and impulses can so easily become our “true north.”

I’ve always felt compassion is a noble aspiration. It brings together love and empathy.

It requires us to temper the pompousness of our hot takes with an understanding of who we really are – both us and the person on the other end of our actions and words.

It calls on us to see our flaws and our greatness and the same in the other person. It asks us to stand their shoes and see their perspective for a moment.

It puts to rest the idea that there’s one privileged way of seeing the world and opens us to the possibility there as many ways to see it as there are people.

Our consciousness encompasses the reality that our perspective is sacred, but no more so than someone else’s.

Despite the vast commonalities of the human experience – commonalities we can and must draw upon to solve many of our problems – compassion brings us to an undeniable truth.

It’s possible to be someone who works alone on a tractor all day on thousands of acres and has a life experience that leads to you to certain, very valid conclusions about life.

It’s equally possible to be someone who lives in a big city, rides the subway or sits in traffic, has people “on top” of you all day, and has a life experience that leads you to equally certain, equally valid conclusions about life.

Compassion is understanding that process and seeing those different roads as not a threat, but a natural outcome of different people and different experiences leading to different conclusions. It’s embracing that and being big enough to encompass it all without anger, judgment, or fear.

Compassion is an ultimate expression of the concept of freedom. It goes beyond an intellectual acceptance that there are different views in life and all the way to a deep understanding that it’s supposed to be that way and it’s OK.

It asks us to grant the same grace we seek from others. That grace? It’s the grace to be accepted for who we are, for where we are on our journey, and what our unique life experiences have taught us.

When we can grant that grace as readily as we expect it, that’s compassion. We will find no solutions to the difficulties in the world nor the difficulties in ourselves without its light shining within us.

Have a peaceful and prosperous day!

Ray

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5 Ways to Mentally Deal with Wars and Rumors of Wars

The world has been mesmerized in recent weeks by the aggressive war in Ukraine initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. I will leave aside commentary on that war in this post. Suffice it to say this is a situation that could have and should have been avoided, but here we are.

The question at hand is how do we deal with the horrific scenes coming out of Ukraine and the fears of this escalating into war between nuclear-armed powers? In many ways, it feels like the nightmare we avoided during the 50 years of the old Cold War.

Here are five ways you can deal psychologically with this situation.

  1. Know your limits – There’s wall-to-wall news coverage on the current horror and speculation on what could happen next. Know when you’ve had enough. Turn it off. You can’t expose yourself to this all day long day after day and expect to stay mentally sound.
  2. Do something constructive – Many feel helpless and a need to “do something.” Figure out a way to help. Donate some money or food. Go volunteer with a group helping over there. Do something to make a positive difference. It can help alleviate that helpless feeling.
  3. See a positive outcome – There’s massive amounts of worry and angst that this awful situation could get even worse, even turn into World War 3. The world and the situation need a large number of people not giving into that energy and staying focused on a positive outcome to this situation.
  4. Look for opportunities – One of my favorite Einstein quotes is, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” What’s going on right now is horrible, but where’s the opportunity? What do I mean? One of the biggest things we can do in a situation like this is learn from the mistakes that led to it. That’s hard to do in the moment, but we must understand that there were ways on all sides to prevent this outcome. We must understand how we missed those and make sure, when we are given the next chance, we don’t miss them again.
  5. See the beyond – This one is related to the previous two. This situation will end at some point. All events – positive and negative – change the landscape of our reality. Fortunately, we have a say in what those changes are. Let’s begin now seeing what is possible for a new and better future coming from this situation. Let’s create the energetic gravity NOW for that better situation.

Finally, I’d say this. The hatreds and divisions forming because of this situation will have to be released when this is over. That will be hardest for the people most affected – the Ukrainians – but we must do it. Those hatreds have no place and no purpose in that better situation in the future. They only serve to continue pulling us backward just as this war is attempting to do.

Wherever you are on your journey today, know that you are awesome!

Ray

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The Change Is Us

Happy Friday, dear readers.

When the world comes to a challenging moment, we have a tendency to look to the sky or look to our leaders to do something about it. I’m all for trusting in God or the Universe. There is always a big plan in the works, but we should remember our voices, our actions, our commitment to affect change is part of that plan.

World leaders? They often had a hand in landing us in the difficulty. I have less confidence there. Still, we can influence that too, whether democratic or not, all leaders, when it comes right down to it, are subject to the will of the people.

Our hand is weakened when we trust lies and fear-mongering. We must stop buying into their low energy arguments that frighten people into going along. We must stand committed to not electing nor supporting leaders win by dividing people and severing us from our highest impulses and aspirations.

There’s a great quote by the American comedian Lily Tomlin. “I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.”

You are somebody and so am I. We can wait for change like it’s a

THE CHANGE IS US!

Wherever you are on your journey today, put your mind on your side.

Ray

11 Things We Should Know By Now

Good evening, my friends. The events of the past week have reminded us that Covid is not the only virus running through humanity. Inhumanity, selfishness, and ego also run rampant.

Vladimir Putin’s unjustifiable attack on Ukraine is horrific, but only the latest example of this kind of behavior among nations, especially those with lots of power.

Not only is horrible for the people of Ukraine, it’s a gut punch to species we could be and should be in 2022. There’s this fear that there’s not enough and I better get mine that ruins the minds of powerful men and wrecks nations and the world.

I got to thinking. What are the lessons we should have learned by now, but haven’t. I’m sure the list could be much longer. Here’s 11 than relate directly to the events of this week.

In times like this, it’s more important than ever to put your mind on your side.

11 Things We Should Know By Now

  1. War solves nothing. It just kills people.
  2. When you attack someone else’s country they don’t greet you as liberators.
  3. Peace is not just preferable. Peace should be an existential goal of our civilization.
  4. Big countries bullying little countries goes well at first and then turns destructive for the big country.
  5. When this war of aggression is over, we should not have decades of renewed Cold War over it. There’s nothing that serves the people of this planet less.
  6. Nuclear weapons are no longer a deterrent. They only give those who have them free reign to behave as they wish.
  7. Russia is not the first large country to attack a weaker nation based on crap evidence. Some of us need to sweep our own front porch.
  8. If we spent the money we spend on weapons on this planet on productive and aspirational things, this damn species might have a chance.
  9. Only love conquers hate. Only justice conquers injustice. There’s no path to peace. Peace is the path.
  10. Leaders bent on division and destruction and ego should not be leaders on this planet anymore.
  11. We are running out of time to learn these lessons and apply them.

Powerful Acceptance Affirmation

I know there’s pain, but there’s also ecstasy. I know there’s setback, but there’s also triumph.

The wise, enlightened, courageous soul has a heart ready to face and embrace it all.

As hard as it is for us to understand sometimes, there’s a whole other level of consciousness where we understand, accept, and even choose every experience.

Why not get on board with that right here and find peace in it right now?

Never forget how awesome you are!

Ray