Ants Are Wise

Sitting outside, I've been observing a tiny ant's movements for a while. It seemed that the ant didn't know what it needed or wanted to do. It kept going forwards, backwards, sideways, without any apparent goal. But, in spite of appearances, animals - big or small - know what needs to be done. They have their instinct that guides them and they follow it. Human beings have a superior form of instinct called INTUITION that is able to guide them towards finding the most suitable path in their life's situations. How often do they follow its suggestions? How many are actually aware that such inner guidance exists and is always available?

Ups & Downs

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 isn't it? 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?

Asking

The Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y  Gasset wrote:

The difference between  an "excellent" human being and a "common" one is that the first asks a lot of himself while the second asks nothing.

How much do I ask of myself? How much do YOU ask of yourself? To what extent are we ready to go in order to live better, to "be" better? Do you prefer to bury your head in the sand - once again - and not think about it?

Alive Forever

While listening to some Strauss' music, a thought occurred to me: Great artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo, great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, great writers such as Dante and Shakespeare left "works" that will never be forgotten. This will keep them "alive" forever or, at least, for as long as our civilization exists. What about US? What about YOU and ME? Will we be remembered? Are we leaving behind something worth remembering, anyway?

Stuck But Smiling

Have you ever watched a toddler who is trying his first steps? He is happy. He moves forward, than stops. Now he seems stuck, incapable of moving, but he is still smiling. He is clearly gathering the courage and the strength to make another step. I can't help thinking about us, the "grown ups", when we find ourselves in a situation we don't know how to get out of. Unfortunately, we DO NOT smile while being stuck. We get upset, we worry, we fight, we reject, we oppose.... Who is more sensible, the baby or we?

The Power of Ideas

In an old episode of "The Twilight Zone", a man who believes to be the new Hitler is guided by this thought: AN  IDEA  IS  THE  MOST  POWERFUL  FORCE  OF  THE  WORLD". Simple, striking and... true! When you feel you are overwhelmed by a circumstance in your life, have you tried finding out what was the thought, the choice, THE IDEA that actually placed you in that situation? Do the same when you achieve your goal, when you create something new, when you change something old. You will be surprised to discover how great is the "weight" of your thoughts!

Raise Your Head

If you are used to looking down, you will never see the beauty of snow-covered mountain tops or a star-studded sky. You will be content with the usual daily routine and will go on believing that most of your dreams cannot come true. On the other hand, if you raise your head your view will broaden, you will be able to perceive possibilities otherwise overlooked or undetected. Express you gratitude for whatever you have now, but don't stop there. Dare to look "beyond", nurse the belief that you are more, that you can do more, that you "deserve" more!

Decide for Yourself

Imagine your life as a long slumber: while you are sleeping, you carry one without being really aware of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Earlier in life you have been guided by what you were taught by parents and teachers, now you are guided by what society and the media tell you. The result is the same: you tend to live a life that is not of your choice, that is subtly influenced without your realizing it. When you were little it was okay to have a guiding hand to lead you on the (hopefully) right path. Now it's time to wake up, stand tall, look ahead and make your own decisions with your own head and heart. Now, you have the choice!

Get Out of the Rut

You have been walking for quite sometime on the same path. Now you find yourself at a crossroad: if you continue to behave as you have always done, i.e. reacting in the usual old way, getting upset when facing any problem -  judging others negatively, hiding your true motivations to others and to yourself - the quality of your life will never improve. You will remain stuck in the same old rut, in spite of your trying to change circumstances and people. Nothing will ever change, until YOU change.

Peace

Is peace actually possible?

What does "PEACE" really mean for you?

What do YOU do to create peace in yourself, in your life, in your environment, in society?

Are you actually doing anything?

Do you even believe that creating peace is YOUR responsibility, too?

Create a New World

Now you know that you can choose another direction so...dare to dance to a never-heard-before tune! You are able to start new behaviors, you can leave behind aggressiveness, jealousy, procrastination, indifference, fear. You can forget the rude words you may have been using towards others as well as towards yourself. If you follow the path that your inner self is suggesting, you will be able to actually create a new world. Fantasy? Try and you'll see.

Willing to Pay the Price?

I man who was considered "different" was consequently judged mostly negatively. Nevertheless, he remained faithful to himself and chose to carry on his existence according to his principles and beliefs. He had to face many challenges, but he never complained. When he was older, he said: "I lived the life I wanted to live, and I paid the price." Doesn't this make you think about your own life? About the way you are living it? About what you do about it? About your awareness or lack of awareness of the capability you have of changing what you need to change? Most of all, would you be ready to pay the price to achieve the freedom of choice you are secretly longing for?

Positive Examples

There have been people, men and women, whose strong passion and beliefs made them able to operate great transformations in their environment and, sometimes, in the whole world. If each of us could have half the passion, conviction, strength, will power, determination, courage that those people had, our own lives wouldn't be the same. Seeing the unstoppable faith, the strong belief in what they were pursuing - in spite of the many obstacles they necessarily had to face - can be taken as an example of what the human mind and will power can do.

Still on Knowledge

You are often deceived by the belief that you can acquire "knowledge" by means of a superficial study. If you decide to learn a foreign language, for example, and you only learn the expressions found in a tourist phrase-book, you'll be only able to order dinner or ask for directions to a museum, but you won't honestly believe that you know the language. The physics you studied in school won't make a scientist out of you or knowing how to float won't allow you to participate in a swimming competition. A superficial knowledge of anything doesn't make you a well learned scholar. The same happens when you "believe" you know your true nature without examining your behavior in depth. The greatness of your spirit is a universe that you can and should discover in order to live a more fulfilling life.

You Believe You Know...

You erroneously believe that you "know it all" about who you really are. But you don't. No one does.You (and everybody else!) are like a traveler who, because he studied the map of  the new city he is about to visit, believes he already knows the place. Actually, he knows nothing. He has only learned the names of streets and avenues marked on the map. As to your knowledge of yourself, you are in exactly the same situation: you believe you know who you are by simply taking notice of your feelings, actions and reactions.  Your true self is something different, something much "more". The visible surface hides a huge  array of treasures, talents, possibilities and LOVE you haven't the slightest idea about, of whose existence you are totally unaware. Do you believe it might be worth looking for them?