Too Much!

Looking around, listening to people, it appears that nowadays many can be considered 'neurotic' ("Neuroticism is a long-term tendency to be in a negative or anxious emotional state. It is not a medical condition but a personality trait"). Mental illness has always existed but this is not "a medical condition". It means that the brain is healthy. So, what it is that does not function properly? As to talk about 'personality' means to also talk about 'emotional patterns', neurosis can be mainly referred not so much to an actual 'situation' but rather to a 'feeling'. It is famously said that nothing is new under the sun, so it's clear that human beings have always experienced negative feelings, but - probably - not as widely as in our time. Now there is too much to deal with: too much technology, information, too many opinions, voices, "words". An overwhelming amount of stuff that clogs the natural flowing of life.

                

Quotable Quotes

Greek philosopher Socrates used to say, "Know yourself" because only by knowing the motivations that make you behave the way you do, are you able to carry out any adjustment needed in order to create a more rewarding life. Another famous quote is "Doctor, heal yourself" because, if you don't know how to make yourself better (you don't need to be a real physician, though!), you won't be able to help others. Finally, a piece of advice very suitable to the times we are living in, could be, "Love yourself". Is everybody aware of this necessity? Probably not. Why? Because it seems that nowadays many human beings don't really know how to love and/or how to take good care of themselves. They in fact feed their bodies with 'virtual rubbish', they let themselves be prey of dangerous addictions or harmful feelings. In so doing, they inflict painful wounds to their physical, psychological and spiritual selves. And others will be affected as well.

How Moods Work

Do you ever take the time to reflect upon your moods? If you do, you might realize how often you switch from one to another in the course of the day. Now you are feeling fine and then... just one word uttered by someone else can change your mood in a whim. And you don't feel so good any more! Did anything truly unpleasant actually happen? Did you get hurt? Are you in pain? Not at all. Yet your well-being has disappeared and has been replaced by upset, sadness or anger. Isn't it strange that one single word (or a gesture, a look, an expression) can be so powerful? But... does it really have such power? Yes, it does - if "you" give it the power. You can go back to feeling good by making the switch. After all, it's actually YOU who have the power!

Diplomacy, Not Hypocrisy

Many believe that you should tell the so-called 'truth' at all costs, that you should behave in the same way towards everybody. In a word, that you should always be "yourself". This principle is excellent, but only theoretically. Why? Because, as your interlocutors are very different from each other, you cannot interact with them in the exact same way. If you actually do so, you will end up creating a lot of uneasiness. You need in fact a degree of diplomacy (mind you, not hypocrisy): you need to take into consideration other people's feelings, beside yours. Therefore - if you care - at times you have to  change the way you express yourself, avoid a harsh comment or a sharp word. In case you refuse such compromise, and insist in always being your "whole & sincere" self, with your moods and self-righteousness, don't be surprised when uncomfortable feelings arise in your presence - because they certainly will.

Nature's Behavior

Nature is not affected by the crisis the world is facing. While human beings are worried, strongly affected both physically and emotionally, sometimes even in a state of panic, the natural realm is at peace. The sun rises and shines, the birds sing, the flowers bloom. It is springtime in all its usual glory. But this year mankind is not at peace. While plants and animals keep their pace and carry out their habitual 'activities', men and women have been forcefully halted. Their lives have been disrupted. They have been compelled not only to slow down: it's a lockdown. The result of such standstill? People certainly do not welcome it - and it is understandable. But the air we breath and the water that flows in rivers, on the other hand, seem grateful for this lack of interference from the 'outside', as they are allowed to regain purity, freshness, cleanliness. 

Fear Of The Unknown

In an episode of the original "Twilight Zone" an 1847 American pioneer - while looking for water - finds himself in 1961. He thinks a passing truck is a monster, he's afraid of a juke-box and other 'modern' stuff he sees in a small diner for truckers. He's afraid of what he doesn't know. Yes, one of the main fears of every human being is the fear of the unknown. Imagine you could make a journey into the future, into a world that is completely different from this one. Would you dare to go? And what about another kind of 'journey' you will have to make - sooner or later - because you won't have a choice? Better start to get familiar with the idea that the unknown might be a wonderful experience. After all, the 1847 pioneer - when he stepped into 1961 - found a mysterious drug (penicillin), that eventually saved his son's life.

Imaginary Fortress

There are some human beings who have built around themselves a "wall" so high and so thick that it is actually impossible for them to see anything that is outside, anything that is not a construction (= a belief) of their own mind. Therefore it's easy neither to deal with them nor break down such 'wall' because they refuse to acknowledge any unpleasant situation they are compelled to face. They prefer to not 'see' and go on living as if everything were fine -  while it is not. On the other hand, those they interact with may keep on trying to break the 'wall'  and make them face reality. No way! It's not possible to make someone hear if they pretend to be deaf, as you cannot compel an imaginary 'blind' to see. The metaphorical wall such people have built is their fortress. They believe they need it in self-defense against a fictitious enemy. How sad!

Is It Really You?

You might know a man who was a creative guy but then, after experiencing more than one failure, he had turned into a dull fellow. You might know a woman who was sweet and understanding, yet you wouldn't recognized her in the bitter, harsh person she is now, after her heart was badly hurt. You might have a friend who used to always be cheerful and who is now hardly recognizable in the sad, withdrawn individual he/she has tuned into. Some people undergo difficult experiences throughout their lives which literally transform them into someone else, someone you don't know any more. The sweet becomes bitter, the shy becomes presumptuous, the kind can easily behave rudely etc. Yes, life's struggles can change people, their minds, their hearts and, consequently, their behavior - sometimes for the best, other times for the worst. It is up to each of us to examine ourselves from time to time in order to check and see what we still are or what we have become.   *

Wondering

I can't help wondering: Who am I, really? What am I doing here and now? What is my place in the difficult situation the whole world is dealing with? Why is all this happening? I have no answer and, probably, neither do you. We can only try to find an explanation that might sound right to our own personal ears. What do you feel you should be doing? Acting, i.e. performing some activity in a specific field in order to feel useful? Connecting to people through the means of communication, comforting others, offering your availability for whatever is needed? Praying, meditating, or...simply thinking? Thinking about the things I (and probably many of you) can't help wondering about. Although there is no certain answer, we "feel" that there must be a meaning, a reason, a glimpse for possibility, maybe a  warning, definitely a fair cause for all that is happening. And there is also HOPE.

The Importance of Understanding

As you are certainly aware of the importance of understanding what is going on in your life, dig up your belief about "why" your life has unfolded the way it has. Why things have gone in such a way that you are "here", "now"? If you reflect with attention and honesty, you will discover that - no matter where you are - the path you followed was the best one for your  personal 'progress'. But... just a moment! It helped you to improve yourself only if you - all along - have been able to understand the reason for the challenges you have been facing and, eventually, learn the lessons they were intended to give you. Only in this case will you accept your being "here" and "now" willingly, even gratefully. Otherwise, you will possibly regret, resent, resist and feel a victim of a malevolent fate.