Have you checked your blood pressure?

If you check your blood pressure you might find that in the morning it's normal, later in the day it's rather high, at night it's definitely low. Is it normal or it isn't? Should you do something about it? What about your spiritual state? Sometimes you feel fine, everything seems to be going your way, then things start to become..."too much" (work, stress, preoccupations, responsibilities, worries...). Eventually you feel totally down, drained, tired, ready to give everything up: the "What's the use?" attitude. What to do? How to deal with it? Do you ever EVEN think about it?

Are You “Open”?

Is your mind open to new possibilities? If it is, it will be easy for you to accept new perspectives and possible change. If  it is not, it will benefit you to do something about it. Being closed-minded, in fact, precludes the possibility of a better, more serene life. It’s a cage that you voluntarily create, day after day, which you end up being totally unaware of. You believe you are free while you are not! Do you prefer to overlook, to ignore this thought? If you do, you have already answered. 

You are a universe

There are millions of plants and animals on Earth, and they are all different. Looking at people – I mean really "looking" at them and seeing how diverse they are – their features, their body shapes, their characteristics, their ways of dressing, moving etc.. – makes me wonder… Each individual is a whole world, complete and independent (to a certain extent) from all the other “units” (bad word, I know). The only connection is purely non-material, and it’s wonderful that it exists. Other than that, every person is a mysterious universe, sometimes loving and caring, other times nasty and threatening, maybe boring or funny, but always intriguing and fascinating! Do you appreciate yourself enough?

The Stars and You!

Long ago I read a science-fiction short story about a time when human beings lived under a dome. Then, for some reason, this dome was going to be be opened and people would see - for the first time - the stars. They were so scared that chaos ensued while waiting. This story fascinated me and - since - every time I look at a starry sky I can't help thinking that now people are not "afraid" of stars but, on the contrary, they are totally indifferent to their mystery. They don't even notice them, the inconceivable distances, sizes, amount of light and energy have no impact in their lives. But if you take the time to really "think" for a moment about the stars, you will be overwhelmed by the grandiosity, by the infinite, unreachable reality of this universe in which you live. And you will "feel" that your presence here is a miracle to be grateful for.

We are no Beethoven. So What?

In a cute little cafe' some musicians gather weekly to play just for fun. Whoever wants to join in, is welcome. Different kinds of music, of instruments, of styles, of voices... But all harmoniously blended. Is life similar to these improvised concerts? I think it is. When thoughts and actions are positive, also relationships (with others and with self) are okay. When they are not, they resemble a badly matched band where the musicians are unable to play together. No one expects the perfection of Beethoven's 5th symphony played by the Metropolitan Philharmonic. We can be contented with a simple, pleasant melody, because this is what life is able to be - in spite of all its mistakes and imperfections.

I Belong to You

At a recent memorial service I attended, the minister spoke about marriage and used the expressions: “I belong to you, you belong to me.”  “I’ll take care of you.” While I agree on the words “I’ll take care of you”, I don’t agree about the “belonging” part. You can never BELONG to anybody, no matter how great your “love” is, no matter how much you wish to be “one” with the other person. In spite of all the beautiful feelings that people have for each other (romantic love or any other kind), each of us is basically ALONE. Some might disagree, but if you really think about it, if you examine yourself at a deeper level, you will find it to be true. Sad, but true!

Be!

A poet wrote that,
if you cannot be a road, you can be a lane;
if you cannot be a sun, you can be a star.
Winning or losing has nothing to do with greatness.
What matters is to be the best you can be.

Is there a hidden meaning?

In a book I recently read, something the author had written struck me. Quote: Getting into marriage or a relationship, there are two basic dynamic attitudes, "I am going to get something out of this person" or "I am going to share with this person". While believing this observation to be true, I can't help thinking that it might not be true for ALL cases. You might "know" that you have to be with that person for no specific, "personal" reasons. The relationship may dissolve into nothing, but the situation it brought you into is what really counts. Such situation may include a place, a job, children, friends etc...Things and/or people that HAD TO become part of your life. Getting into that marriage or that relationship was simply the cathalist for the unfolding of the "web" of your life.

C.S.I.

The other day a saw a college student wearing a tee-shirt with three big letters printed in front: CSI. They make reference to the well-known TV show “Crime Scene Investigation”, I thought. A fan, I thought. But, when he got closer, I could read the smaller letters under the acronym: Can’t Stand Idiots. Wow! What a statement! I then remembered having seen – long ago –  another tee-shirt  with the caption: “I am surrounded by idiots”. A similar bold affirmation. What to make of them? Are the “young” people who wear them, right? Are they wrong? Do they really believe they know it all? Don’t we ALL believe the same? i.e. I am right and you are wrong, I know better than you, You don’t understand, etc… A little self-examination might be useful at this point.

Madhouse

I think it’s Yogananda who said that the world is a madhouse. We all behave like crazy people when we create illusions and believe them to be real. On the other hand, some “craziness” is necessary to lighten up our existence. In fact, why take ourselves so seriously? Great saints like Joan of Arch, St. Francis of Assisi and Sri Ramakrishna were considered insane. Just stop for a minute and think about how important you believe every single happening in your life is. But… is it really? Is it really worth getting upset because…. or being angry at…. or resenting …. labeling…. judging…. How much lighter – and merrier – life would be without all these burdens!

Living with ease

A line in a meditation prayer I love says: "May I live with ease". What does it actually mean? The definition of "ease" is 'Absence of difficulty or effort'. So? What difficulty or effort? Does this refer only to material stuff or could it also mean something else? What about making life easier  by stopping our continuous, never-ending flow of thoughts that jam our minds? I believe that we voluntarily, although unconsciously, make our lives more difficult than they actually are. Aren't we often  creating fictitious situations (usually negative) that do not exist at all? Don't we have a tendency to see a rope as a snake? If we really encounter a snake on our path, we'll deal with it. But if we "think" it is a snake while it's not, we - ourselves - create "dis-ease". Let's give our minds a brake, let's briefly relax and just BE.

Ignorance

A short story narrated by Anthony de Mello, SJ:

One disciple was said to be a real prodigy, as it seemed he knew almost everything. People from all over were seeking for his advice. When the Master was asked if the disciple truly knew as much as they said he did, the Master answered: “That man reads so much I don’t see how he could find the time to KNOW anything.”

What about the many so-called “experts” of today? Do they really “know” what they are talking about or do they simply repeat what others have said?

Stick and Wisdom

I recently talked to a handsome young man, a beautiful soul indeed. After seeing him many times around town, I finally struck a conversation with him and his adorable little daughter. The reason for my interest in him is that he always carries a staff with him, a tall straight fair wood with some feathers tied on top. He told me that the staff symbolizes "Who He Is" because it contains a lot of his energy, that he keeps conveying into it. So, I reckon, the staff is a symbol, a visible expression of his true nature. Isn't it wonderful to be able to  SEE your "Self" materialized in a tangible object, which you can actually have a "physical" connection with?