Word Goal

I have always been intrigued by the power of words, and by their value. Their "power" refers to how capable they are of influencing people, their "value" refers to their intrinsic moral weight. Some people are mainly interested in using their words to gain control, to be accepted or feared, to make others believe in them, to establish a kind of verbal supremacy that eventually becomes actual material power. A few are more interested in the spiritual meaning of the message they try to transmit, so by their words they don't expect any material outcome, just a transformation of a character, a newfound life purpose or a worthy motivation. What do you expect to achieve through "your" words?

Your Voice

What use do you make of your voice? You will certainly answer, "I speak". Right and, by speaking, you mean that you are capable of communicating with your fellow human beings. Now a question arises: "how" do you communicate? If you care to answer, you might be willing to examine your usual tone of voice, the words you use, your facial expressions and body language that accompany your words. But there is an additional question that might be interesting to consider: what about your "inner" voice, the expression of who you really are - not the way you speak to others? Everyone has an inner voice, although some might be unaware of its existence. Ask yourself, "Have I found my inner voice? Am I able to express my tue essence? Do I embrace who I really am?".

Mad World

An old movie was entitled "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World". It was a comedy, it was supposed to make people laugh, and probably it did. Looking at today's world, though, we don't feel like laughing. Next to the few funny or uplifting news, we hear about many dreadful happenings. Yes, we all know that the human nature is what it is, that the bad must necessarily coexist with the good... and so on. Yet, it's not easy to go out, or let your children go out, or simply stay at home, and contemplate the possibility that something terrible might happen just like this, in an instant, with no hint or clue. Should you be "afraid"? Maybe... or maybe not. Luckily, we have also been endowed with a little feeling called "hope". In what? In whom? Who knows?

A Useful Quote

Existential Needs

What would our existence be if we weren't able to live together with other human beings? It would probably be a continuous fight, there would always be winners and losers, those who overpower and those who are overpowered. The prevailing feelings would be fear, resentment, aggressiveness... Luckily, this is not the case. Negative feelings do exist, but not to the extent of totally destroying peace. People "are" able to live together and they do want peace. Their greatest wish is to have a more serene life, a life that is in harmony with natural laws.  In order to achieve such an inner serenity, human beings need to feel loved, respected and esteemed. They need the awareness of their intrinsic value. As a newborn may die if it doesn't receive attention and love, an adult who feels neglected, unappreciated or despised may end up depressed and choose to withdraw from the world.  

  

Manifesting Feelings

How valuable is a feeling if you don't express it? How meaningful is a "positive" feeling if it is not made manifest? Can you say that you really love someone, for example, if you respect them, if you are faithful to them, but you don't care to share with or listen to them, if you take them for granted and never show them appreciation? What about a "negative" feeling that is kept buried in the deep of your spirit for the sake of keeping the peace? Wouldn't it be better to find the courage to express what you feel, no matter what the outcome might be? As usual, no easy answers, here. Just think about how you behave towards "another" and also about how that "certain" other behaves towards you.  Could there be a way to make things better?

Does Life Have a Meaning?

During a lesson, I asked my students, "Do you have any questions?" and one (a witty elderly gentleman) promptly answered, "Yes, I have a question: what is the meaning of life?" We all laughed because it was clearly intended as a joke but the "question" actually wasn't. What do "you" think the meaning of life is? Probably every human being will give a different answer, or none at all. Some might say that the meaning of life is to learn, others might say it is to evolve or to love, or...they simply don't care. They say, "We are here, we are alive, we carry on as well as possible. Why ask questions?". They may be right. Who knows? Wondering about existential topics can be either an excellent intellectual/spiritual activity or a mind-blowing, possibly a depressing one, due to the utter lack of definite answers.

Brainwork

Sometimes you feel the need to ask questions, you want to know why things happen, your mind spins in a whirl of thoughts, doubts and hopes. Then it quiets down, it wants to rest and relax. No more nagging thoughts, no more need to ask, to find out, to "know". Life happens and you feel that accepting it the way it is, is the only way to live it. Not a bad decision, as long as it lasts. Then your mind wakes up and starts wondering and wandering once again. It's a sort of merry-go-round that moves - first slowly, then faster and faster. After a while it halts briefly, just to take a short break, and then it resumes its unstoppable spinning. All this, over and over, throughout your whole life. Or... maybe not. Maybe your mind prefers to slumber, to live in a quiet sort of fatalism. It is your decision, your choice, just as everything else.

Intention

Scenario: I know something that you don't know.

Two possible attitudes:

Teaching - I tell you, so that you know it, too (= you learn, period).

Sharing - I tell you because I think you might be interested (feelings involved).

The problem arises when the two attitudes get mixed up, and I am perceived differently from what my intention originally was.

Second Chance

Do we always have a second chance? Some people may say yes, others may say no. What do "you" think? Recall a circumstance where you did not achieve the result you were hoping for, where you made a mistake, where you mishandled the situation. You later regretted it and wished it never happened.  You may have hoped to have another chance. Later... did anything happen that might have offered you the opportunity to try again, to endeavor to behave better, to make a greater effort? And if it did (as most possibly it "did"), what did you do about it? Were you smart enough to grab the opportunity? Or did you overlook it, ignore it, not believe in its real meaning? You may not be used to seeing a wider picture. You may be closed in your little box of guilt and regrets and can't see how generous the Universe can be. Time to change!

A New Garment

If you decide to change your attitude, you can do it in spite of the pre-conceived belief that this is the way you are and there is nothing you can do about it. On the contrary, you can definitely do something about it. Imagine yourself taking off a garment you do not like any more and, having found a new one, wearing it with joy. How smart and proud you will look! You may know that the etymological meaning of the word “personality” is “mask” (from the Greek “persona”). Therefore the way you present yourself to others (your personality) is nothing but a sort of metaphorical cloak in which you wrap your true Self. As it is just a wrap, a cover, you can change it by discarding it and replacing it with a new, more suitable one. If you make a decision in full awareness, and if you are determined to operate a transformation in a specific side of  your multifaceted identity, you "can" do it.

Serenity at Stake

By now you should be convinced that negative feelings and consequent behaviors are harmful to both your body and your spirit because they produce significant alterations inside and outside your Self. Never surrender to any of them, never believe to be incapable of doing what is needed to make changes. You surely can and will  do it because your serenity is at stake. With such decision, along with your persistence in putting it into practice, you choose the quality of the life you are going to live from now on.

Belief, Faith, Hope

A belief is the result of reasoning. You may say, "I believe that following a healthy diet is good." or, "I believe that allowing anyone to own a weapon is bad." Your mind reaches a conclusion based on practical situations. Faith, on the other hand, is something that does not depend on reasoning: either you have it or you don't. You say, "God (or life after death) exists." (or doesn't). It's an innate feeling that is totally independent from your voluntary decision, based on  logic or 'proof'. Hope, finally, is the need to have something good to wish for, a positive expectation about the future. Therefore, a belief is a choice based on reasoning, faith is an unexplainable 'knowing', hope is the undeniable need of the human spirit.

Self-Centeredness

Moods that have their foundations on negative feelings can only bring dissatisfaction, sadness, even unhappiness. It is a distorted vision and a wrong perception of the way life should be led that make you proceed, day after day, in a state of incertitude, anxiety, fear. All negative feelings, in fact, have their roots in the fear of either not getting what you want or losing what you possess. Life presents itself under many different aspects, so you tend to believe that it is extremely complicated. Make it easier by convincing yourself that serenity seems not to exist simply because your mind and spirit are wrapped up in self-centeredness. Decide to discard it, at least partially, and life will become much simpler.

Is Life a Struggle?

The feelings you experience depend on the way you put yourself in front of what happens in your life. It is how you face people and situations that materializes in the deep of your heart, giving rise to feelings. If your attitude is aggressive, your soul seldom experiences peace because that particular facet of your personality creates an emotional “environment” that influences your whole way of being. Your spirit is always agitated, even the traits of your face show a sullen expression. As a consequence, you end up living as if you were on a perpetual battlefield. Some people state, with a sort of gloomy satisfaction, “Life is a struggle”, and it can certainly be, if you believe it is, and allow it to be. But it is not Life’s Rule. It is a man-made directive that has conditioned almost everybody’s mind since long ago.