Comparing

Probably no-one has escaped asking him/herself, "Am I good enough? Am I smart enough?". Different circumstances or situations define your thoughts and beliefs. The input given to you by your parents, teachers, social / religious / political environment, i.e. the "education" you received since a very early age has definitely influenced not only what you think about the world and people in general, but also - and mainly - what you think about yourself. You tend to judge your skills and capabilities making reference to a set of outside models that may not reflect your true 'self'. As a consequence, you keep comparing yourself to the "models" that are repeatedly shoved under your eyes. If you believe you are not up to them, your self-esteem plummets, your self-worth plunges. Not a pretty feeling. And not a truthful one.

What To Expect?

One rather puzzling question: Should I expect the best or prepare for the worst? The answer depends on how you perceive the world. If you have convinced yourself that it is a dangerous place, where everybody 'out there' is always ready to harm, betray or cheat on you, then you had better prepare for the worst because this may be what you will actually experience. Your belief makes you behave in a way that will probably attract negative outcomes. On the other hand, if you perceive the world as a friendly place, your attitude is more open, accepting, welcoming, so the response you get has more chances of matching your conviction. Naturally, even if you are 'negative', you might get some good results and, if you are 'positive' you might get bad results. The most logical attitude? Expect the best but, deep inside, be prepared to accept "any" outcome.

Of Tigers and Eagles

Have you ever read the stories of the tiger who was raised among sheep and the eagle who was raised among chickens? At the beginning they are similar: both grow up believing to be - respectively - a sheep and a chicken. The ending is quite different, though. While confronted with the truth of their real nature, the tiger trusted the evidence and started to behave like a tiger, while the eagle didn't accept to take such idea into consideration and went on believing she was a chicken. The symbolism of such stories is evidently referred to all human beings: them, me, "you"! Can you accept the idea, or even just the possibility, that you are much more than you believe you are? Can you perceive the beauty, the goodness, the love that exist in the depth of your being? Worth thinking it over!

Good & Evil

The question about 'good' and 'evil' is most certainly among those that have puzzled the human mind since the birth of consciousness. Why do they exist? How do they coexist? Which one will prevail? Will 'one' ever prevail? No-one really knows. You can only make suppositions, according to your your personal way of interpreting Life and the World. When everything goes well, you tend to see your environment as a Garden of Eden. When things don't go well,  when you see or experience 'evil', such garden becomes a thorny wood, with no way out. Apparently. A way out can be found - through your attitude. You don't ignore or deny the presence of the thorns, because you can't. They are there, and there is a reason for them to be there. The same is for "evil", bad situations or  wicked circumstances. The balance they provide to the human existence must be accepted and dealt with, in spite of the fact that you may not understand their hidden wisdom.

Higher Power

A question that almost certainly every single human being has asked him/herself is, "Is there a higher Power in the Universe?". Well, is there? No one knows, because no one has ever seen "It". In our world you are used to perceiving - by means of your senses - the actual cause of whatever effect, or result, you see  or experience. As to a higher Power (whatever you may choose to call it) the situation is different. You see what "is" in your reality, but you cannot "see" what the first origin is. Many answers have been given throughout the millennia. Some are totally intellectual, others are spiritual, according to the kind of individual who is asking. Yes, there is a Source, say the believers. No, there is no Source, rebut the non-believers. There may be "something" but it's not sure, say the skeptical. Everyone has their own answer, according to who they are, or who they 'think' they are. What is 'your' answer (if you have one)?

Fair or Unfair?

One very important question that you might have asked yourself concerns the fairness of Life. When you find yourself facing a difficult situation, it's only natural that you feel perplexed, as you can't understand why it happened "to you". You believe you don't deserve it, you are certain it is not your fault, you can't detect any reason for the predicament to have occurred. Let's see. If you look at a puzzle, you realize that the shapes of the pieces are all different. Some are prettier that others, some have brighter colors than others, some are easier to fit in the pattern than others. Would you discard any of them? Could you? Not really. Each is indispensable for the completion of the picture - in order to carry out your project. Your task is to find the right place for each piece. Similarly, your life's job is to become aware of the meaning each experience you encounter has for you (i.e. for your spiritual progress). Refusing to acknowledge any occurrence, ignoring it,  criticizing it, be unwilling to learn from it, even hating it, will only make you miss your "goal" as a human being.

The Unexpected

Ask yourself: “How do I face the unexpected?”. Here there is some deep ‘digging up’ to do. On a superficial level, you will immediately answer that you are ready to face the new, that you are able to deal with any unexpected fact because you are totally open-minded and you don't have pre-conceived ideas. Are you really?  Do you really? Dare to search inside yourself and see if you find any little fear lurking from the deep. If you do, try to understand where this fear comes from, why it is there, who or what might be its cause. On the other hand, you may be the brave type who can truly face any unexpected circumstance with courage. Where does such strength come from? Who or what gave it to you?

Power

Many different definitions of the word "power" can be given.

In the dictionary, I found these:

"The ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality. (the power of speech)"

And:

"The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. (She had me under her power)". 

What is your definition?

Mine is: The capacity to be yourself, to express who you are in total freedom.

Unconsciously Unaware

Certain days, throughout your life, happen without you realizing at first that they are going to change the whole arrangement of your existence. They start normally - as any other day. You go around behaving as usual. Then you do something, or something happens that will influence, affect, even determine what you will be experiencing, enjoying, suffering or bearing for the rest of your life. You may call it "destiny": a pondered choice that you made - being sufficiently aware of the consequences, thus 'creating' your life. On the other hand, you may also call it "fate", if you later realize that your life-changing choice has been completely independent from your conscious will because it simply 'had' to happen. The choice that you had thought to be free, was instead determined by mysterious forces that led you - unaware - in 'that' specific direction.

October 4th

Today a well-known, interesting as well as intriguing historical figure is remembered: Saint Francis of Assisi. He reminds me of another spiritual leader: Siddhartha (later named Buddha, the Awakened One). They both realized - at a certain point of their lives - that a "rich" existence is not the real goal of Life. Both the son of an Italian wealthy merchant (1181-1226) and the Indian prince (5th century BC) gave up all their comforts to embrace selflessness and poverty. So different as to time, place, culture and education as they were, yet they both reached the same conclusion: Life does not consist (only) in the pursuit of material satisfaction. You certainly do not need to do what they did. You do not need to leave your assets and become a beggar. But what you need to become aware of is that, as long as you don't look for, find and understand your spiritual needs, you will never experience true fulfillment.

Motion

Have you ever noticed how your spirit is never totally at rest? Even when you have no real preoccupations, there are always tiny little worries that keep you "on the go". As the sea water is continuously in movement, so are the human mind and heart. Your mind cannot survive without thinking and your heart is unable to experience complete peace. When the sea is calm, with no big waves, it is in a state of relaxation, but it still has a slow, never-ending motion. Your "self" is the same: it can experience a relative calm and serenity, but never total absence of worries. After all, such is the human nature. The still water is dead, in order to be vivifying it must flow. Similarly does our spirit need to revolve around thoughts and feelings in order to be "alive".