Taking Photos

A family went on vacation to a lovely place for the first time but, instead of enjoying the beautiful views, they kept busy taking photos. And the photos were not even to keep a memory of the trip…it was for showing their friends! Is this the way you live your life? Sadly, it may be so. You do deeds without really paying attention, you hear people without really listening to them, you look at things without really seeing them. Why does this happen? Because you are not “in the present”. You are often involved in thoughts that concern the past or the future. You love remembering what happened yesterday, as pleasant or unpleasant it might have been. You keep making plans that may just be fantasy. Do you unconsciously believe that it’s a good exercise for your memory cells?

Conscious Walking

The lyrics of a famous old song say: “Let’s forget about tomorrow, for tomorrow never comes”! How true! But how overlooked such reality is by most of us! Tomorrow never comes because, when it does, it’s not tomorrow anymore, it is “today”. So, if you concentrate on what you are doing now, you consciously create your life moment by moment, always knowing what you are up to, and enjoying every step of the trip towards your destination. Once you know what your destination, your goal is, forget about it and move forward, one step at the time, being always aware of where, moment by moment, you are putting your foot and of what is there, right before your eyes.

From Friendship to Acquaintance

Friendship is important in everybody's life, as all human beings need to live in a social environment. Total solitude is a state rarely sought after. Living among others may also mean making friends. Having a true friend (and being one) means that you trust and feel comfortable with that person. When you trust and feel comfortable, you often experience the need to confide in such person. In fact, almost everybody feels the desire to share their feelings and occurrences. People need to be acknowledged and sympathized with. In case you realize that you are not interested any more in telling your friend what is going on in your life, in your mind or in your soul, you must accept the fact that such friendship has dissolved. It has been demoted to the rank of acquaintance.

A Recurring Question

It is interesting to raise questions about the meaning of things, the motivations behind actions (yours and others’), and try to find reasons for people’s behavior. You may feel that you are "stuck" but, at the same time – and this might sound contradictory – even in such case you have the sensation that you are still going somewhere. You perceive yourself as able to deal well with others, you can understand and accept them the way they are. This makes you feel more serene because you are really trying to neither judge nor condemn anybody. Yet, you still feel in a rut - as positive as it can be, always a rut - where you don’t find any new stimuli, where you don’t find tools that would allow you to do more. In the end, you still wonder if this is "all there is".   *

Clarity

Reflecting upon some aspects and relevant feelings experienced during the human existence, love is certainly one of the most cared and talked about. But, in spite of saying that love is eternal, that you believe that your relationships will last forever, you often end up in a situation that makes you realize how a major change in your feelings has taken place. Although such awareness tells you that things have deteriorated, you might continue affirming your love for that person, your capacity to deal with the situation. If you do, you are deceiving yourself. No blame, here. It simply happens and, when it does, just accept it and be honest about it. Then, it will be easier to decide on the following step.

Dictator vs. Leader

A “dictator” in Ancient Rome destroyed the opposition, gave strong doses of propaganda daily, often built around a cult of personality, etc. In modern times a similar individual refers to himself as "the Leader”. Leader comes from an Old English word meaning 'to go before as a guide’, to lead the way. Now, ask yourself: ‘What is the path I want to walk on throughout my life? What destination do I wish to reach?’ Then, ask yourself if you are willing to follow the self-called “leader” wherever he takes you,  blindfolded, without ever wondering if his is the best route towards your destination, or if you would rather check where you are heading, just in case such path ends on the edge of a precipice. So, beware of any path scattered with hate, discord, division because it will bring you just there. Reflect on what your stance is in front of such a dire possibility.

A Desirable Equilibrium

Life has many different facets, just like a precious stone. According to the way you look at it, it shows one or another. Two of the most important ones are  material and spiritual achievements. There is balance when you get enough of both, and you may be among the lucky people who succeed in such endeavor. However, sometimes it happens that you receive too  much of one and/or too little of the other. You might have money, success and friends while lacking real love and spiritual fulfillment. On the other hand, it is possible for your mind to reach higher goals while the physical or emotional side of your existence is less than satisfactory. What can be done to reach an acceptable equilibrium? As usual, no ready-made answer is available. You have to work it out - on your own.

Truth vs. Impressions

Imagine that you are sitting at the back of a car during a ride. You lean back and the constant movement makes you feel like relaxing. You close your eyes and experience the sensation of speeding forward. Then, suddenly, the sensation reverses and you feel like speeding backwards. Both seem real. As such incorrect perception gives you the sensation of a dual reality, you may wander: "To what extent can I trust my senses in my everyday experience?" Yes, to what extent? Sometimes you are so certain that something is true that you could swear on it, but later you have the proof that it was not so. That event did not happen the way you recall it. The action of that person did not correspond to your judgement. So, how true are "impressions"?

Descent

A clear pattern can be detected in the history of mankind. At the beginning, it was just a small group of people who got together in order to survive. Then they evolved into a more advanced form of society which, through progressive ‘leaps’, achieved higher and higher levels. In Roman history, for example, a bunch of settlers were able to create a mighty empire. But, after reaching the top, it started to decline till its greatness faded. Our world (at least a great part of it) is now in such descending parable. Political, economic, social, cultural, artistic peaks are crumbling down. Even technology, while ‘progressing’ exceedingly fast, is failing to make people happier. If “progress” is supposed to create a truly better life for mankind, the present world situation sadly shows just the opposite. Can you perceive any glimmer of re-climbing?

                        

 

Ocean of Gloom

I wonder: how positive can we be in the world we are living in? Negativity has always existed but...the past is past, and what interests us here is the present situation. You read or listen to the news and find that they are 99% about 'bad' stuff. There is so much verbal, physical, emotional abuse at all levels. TV movies are mostly about killing, aggression, blood. Reality shows, that seem so well liked by many, revolve about bickering, offending and blaming each other. Most commercials concern disease, medicine, food that harms your health and makes you gain weight, expensive 'systems' to make you lose that weight... Good news and good programs exist, but the majority show otherwise. To live serenely enough, you must learn how to navigate through this ocean of gloom, and try to avoid being reached by its waves.