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Whys and Whats
All of what we are, at any given moment, is the result of choice and possibility. In the same way, all of what we might be is the result of choice and possibility. What we were might also be a result of choice and possibility. However, what we believe we were, so much depends on what we choose to remember about our past.
Is the world a scary place? Does the light of creation breathe in every living thing? Is life a struggle? Does love and peace come easy? These are all answered within the realms of choice and possibility.
In some ways, it is a matter of the mind. And what happens in the mind, is this. When we think a thought, the possibilities become present. When we make choices, either to act or react, smile or frown, breathe deeply or pay little attention to breathing, possibilities become real. Often, it is not the decisions we make, but what we choose to think which creates the most impact.
If I come to a fork in the road, and have to decide between right or left, that is a choice. If for the 45 minutes leading up to that fork, I thought, that regardless of the path, I would end up where I should be, I would be more likely to make a wise choice. But what is right or left, anyway? The belief that everything will be as it should be means more than the decisions we make.
Often, if we are making a big purchase, or working on a relationship, or planning our future, we stop and consider possibility. We analyze and prepare, we gather data and compare, we might even do some type of research. But what of the decisions we make on autopilot? Those times we arrive at a destination and do not remember the exact roads that got us there? What about the times our minds drifted to other things and we realize it is late in the day?
Bruce Lipton explains these events as if there were a result of a cassette player in our mind. That we need to change the cassette, or programming, in order for our lives to change. Rich Guzzi offers that what affects our thinking is buried in the mind and that hypnosis helps correct our subliminal thoughts. Wayne Dyer believes if we make a conscious decision to look at things differently, then the things that occupy our mind will change. Mike Dooley suggests that we are God incarnate and create everything around us through our thoughts and the actions that are a result.
And here I sit, with many choices and many possibilities before me. What I would like to do now is offer a simple explanation of all of this… though simplicity might be a stretch. Choice and possibility have so much to do with our attentions spans. It is easy to get lost in the abundance of choice and possibility, and our attention spans shrink with every social media post, advertising blurb, needy friend or stranger, or unlimited choices for cheap entertainment. It is important to remember that most everyone, even those in religion, are selling something. What they need most to effectively sell their product is your time spent thinking about what they have to offer.
Personally, I like the idea of free enterprise. I am, among other things, a capitalist. I offer things for sale and search out things to buy.
What I do not do, is value those transactions over the smiles of those around me. Also, what I offer to the world, and what I purchase, are those things that I believe have intrinsic value. Hopefully, they help others and myself in some way. And if I can help others do the same, then that is all the better. These are choices and possibilities. This is what I choose. Am I a capitalist? Yes. Do I want some of the money that others have? Yes. Do I believe I deserve it more than anyone else? Of course not.
This is an encouragement to all that read, to pay attention to the “why”, of the “what”, that is going on in the world today. We cannot judge the motivations of others, but we can pay particular attention to what others have to gain by what they are creating in the world. While I was expressing concern over the current pandemic, my thirteen year-old son said, “I wouldn’t worry about that too much.”
Thinking he had heard some good news, I asked him why I should not worry. He said, simply, “If you worry about it, it will affect what you do in other parts of your life.”
And so, he taught me a lesson, as he is prone to do. We should be smart and informed, but realize there is always an angle. Even I have an angle. Obtuse, I believe.
If you need a word from a master on the subject, take these words from Jesus, when he said, “Be as innocent as doves, and wise as serpents.”
Serpents were a symbol of wisdom in his day and not only the representation of temptation. Innocent as doves. Wise as serpents.
I might also offer the words spoken to me from my 10th grade geometry teacher. “Don’t let everyone know… everything you know.”
We do not have to express opinions on every topic that comes up. We do not have to respond to each piece of writing we see. In this way, we might even suspend judgement on situations or hot button topics. Without naming everything we see or labeling everything we believe to be divine. And yes, even see the goodness in the world and not what others consider to be a personal hell. If you squint real hard, and pay attention to what your soul is speaking, you might even see heaven. It is a possibility… but it is also a choice.
What are your choices and possibilities?
Is the world a scary place? Does the light of creation breathe in every living thing? Is life a struggle? Does love and peace come easy? These are all answered within the realms of choice and possibility.
In some ways, it is a matter of the mind. And what happens in the mind, is this. When we think a thought, the possibilities become present. When we make choices, either to act or react, smile or frown, breathe deeply or pay little attention to breathing, possibilities become real. Often, it is not the decisions we make, but what we choose to think which creates the most impact.
If I come to a fork in the road, and have to decide between right or left, that is a choice. If for the 45 minutes leading up to that fork, I thought, that regardless of the path, I would end up where I should be, I would be more likely to make a wise choice. But what is right or left, anyway? The belief that everything will be as it should be means more than the decisions we make.
Often, if we are making a big purchase, or working on a relationship, or planning our future, we stop and consider possibility. We analyze and prepare, we gather data and compare, we might even do some type of research. But what of the decisions we make on autopilot? Those times we arrive at a destination and do not remember the exact roads that got us there? What about the times our minds drifted to other things and we realize it is late in the day?
Bruce Lipton explains these events as if there were a result of a cassette player in our mind. That we need to change the cassette, or programming, in order for our lives to change. Rich Guzzi offers that what affects our thinking is buried in the mind and that hypnosis helps correct our subliminal thoughts. Wayne Dyer believes if we make a conscious decision to look at things differently, then the things that occupy our mind will change. Mike Dooley suggests that we are God incarnate and create everything around us through our thoughts and the actions that are a result.
And here I sit, with many choices and many possibilities before me. What I would like to do now is offer a simple explanation of all of this… though simplicity might be a stretch. Choice and possibility have so much to do with our attentions spans. It is easy to get lost in the abundance of choice and possibility, and our attention spans shrink with every social media post, advertising blurb, needy friend or stranger, or unlimited choices for cheap entertainment. It is important to remember that most everyone, even those in religion, are selling something. What they need most to effectively sell their product is your time spent thinking about what they have to offer.
Personally, I like the idea of free enterprise. I am, among other things, a capitalist. I offer things for sale and search out things to buy.
What I do not do, is value those transactions over the smiles of those around me. Also, what I offer to the world, and what I purchase, are those things that I believe have intrinsic value. Hopefully, they help others and myself in some way. And if I can help others do the same, then that is all the better. These are choices and possibilities. This is what I choose. Am I a capitalist? Yes. Do I want some of the money that others have? Yes. Do I believe I deserve it more than anyone else? Of course not.
This is an encouragement to all that read, to pay attention to the “why”, of the “what”, that is going on in the world today. We cannot judge the motivations of others, but we can pay particular attention to what others have to gain by what they are creating in the world. While I was expressing concern over the current pandemic, my thirteen year-old son said, “I wouldn’t worry about that too much.”
Thinking he had heard some good news, I asked him why I should not worry. He said, simply, “If you worry about it, it will affect what you do in other parts of your life.”
And so, he taught me a lesson, as he is prone to do. We should be smart and informed, but realize there is always an angle. Even I have an angle. Obtuse, I believe.
If you need a word from a master on the subject, take these words from Jesus, when he said, “Be as innocent as doves, and wise as serpents.”
Serpents were a symbol of wisdom in his day and not only the representation of temptation. Innocent as doves. Wise as serpents.
I might also offer the words spoken to me from my 10th grade geometry teacher. “Don’t let everyone know… everything you know.”
We do not have to express opinions on every topic that comes up. We do not have to respond to each piece of writing we see. In this way, we might even suspend judgement on situations or hot button topics. Without naming everything we see or labeling everything we believe to be divine. And yes, even see the goodness in the world and not what others consider to be a personal hell. If you squint real hard, and pay attention to what your soul is speaking, you might even see heaven. It is a possibility… but it is also a choice.
What are your choices and possibilities?
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