New Kinds Of Power

I have recently re-read several historical novels. Old stuff, mainly about ancient Egyptians and Romans. It's not surprising that the main topic, beside the actual "story", was the wild, unbridled desire for power through conquest. Each higher and lower leader dreamed of becoming a conqueror like Ramses II or Julius Caesar. Winning over other countries, adding new territories to their homeland... this is all that was in their minds and they strove towards this goal, often till death. What is in the mind of some of today's men (and some women, too)? It's still power - the magical word - although achieved in different ways. Now they don't go charging with a sword, bringing back slaves in chains. Times have changed but the desire is still there. Power today mainly means winning an election, leading a multinational, acquiring fame and wealth. Power, nowadays, is achieved through oftentimes sneaky maneuvering on the political scene, through sly business on the economic world, through racy, not rarely offensive performances on stage or on the screen. Yes, in the modern world also performers such as actors, singers and reality-so-called-stars have power because they can (and do) influence young people in particular with the way they present themselves. When they achieve their goal, politicians, businessmen and performers bring back - and can count on - not real "slaves", but devoted partisans, obsequious collaborators, passionate fans. It seems that human beings cannot avoid craving control in general, even in their family, over friends, co-workers etc. It is an innate characteristic of ours that, as usual, can be used either for the good or for the "less" good!

Your Improved Self

A makeup artist, after having made a lady up and taught her a few beauty tricks, said (referring to her skin): "Now, from dry and dull you have gone to creamy and dreamy." I really like this statement. Why? I don't actually know. It just sounds right. I have to think about it for a moment. Okay.The lady's face was dull, her skin was dry, it was evident she was not taking good care of herself. After learning how to deal with these flaws (also nature can be a bit "less than perfect"), after accepting the idea that, with some awareness of the situation and a little effort, she could enhance her natural beauty, she acquired a new self-confidence, she presented the world a better image of herself. I know that some will disagree, they will say that the natural characteristics shouldn't be modified in the slightest, that makeup tends to alter the real person. I dissent. In this enhancing, in this helping nature's gifts to shine brighter, I see a parallel with our own self. If you are a negative person, often angry, resentful, judgmental etc., wouldn't you like to correct these traits of yours and become a happier human being? You want to be liked more and feel better with an improved image of yourself. And so does the lady who wants to show a more polished, more attractive version of herself. And - mind you - both the lady and you will actually feel better about yourselves and consequently irradiate this new perception all around you. In this way also the outside world will perceive you as you perceive yourselves.

P.T. and TV

You might wonder why I often use (and will keep using) TV, and sometime movie, "stuff" for my blog. You may also wonder what such topics have to do with Positive Thinking. Well, there is a very good reason. Let's see. Some positive thinkers only speak and /or write about P.T. abstract, theoretical principles. Others focus more on the application of such principles in everyday life. I have been, and still am, following this second path in the books I write and in the workshops I give. But here, in this blog, I have chosen to concentrate non only on personal life and problems, but also on society, i.e. the  impact our present social environment has on our lives. And all the questions I ask have the primary aim of encouraging you to think and discover how you deal with such "stuff". Positive Thinking is an excellent tool in order to find the most suitable answers. Being positive does not mean to be naive, even gullible, all-accepting or un-discriminating. On the contrary, it makes you more alert, aware, capable of clearly seeing the difference between what is smart to accept and what is not. Your eye is sharper, your mind is quicker and you grasp the truth, the reality behind the appearance. You are able to understand the meaning that goes beyond the superficial perception. Positive Thinking can be used in every part of your daily life, from the way you see yourself in the mirror while brushing your teeth in the morning till the moment you go to sleep. In between, you use it in your usual dealings with family, friends, co-workers, clients, bosses. It can also be useful in choosing the (TV/movie) shows you watch, the books you read, the kind of entertainment you choose. Does this make any sense to you? I hope it does. It makes a lot of sense to me, because I know it works.

Viva el "advertising"!

A cynic is someone who believes that people are motivated by self-interest, who is distrusting of human sincerity and integrity. A terrible doubt is now worrying me: Have I become cynical? Have I become suspicious? Am I an "unbeliever"? Sigh. I think I have, although it's absolutely not my nature. But my cynicism is only restricted to TV commercials, thank heaven! I still love and trust my human fellows. But I have totally stopped believing what they present on television. Although I don't watch a lot of TV, I can't avoid seeing things that compel me to think and, consequently, I feel the need to express the results of my mental "wanderings". So, here is the thing. I have stopped believing in all the ads that are inexorably broadcast every few minutes. I see only a stage (it actually is, isn't it?), where paid people tell you what to do, accept, believe in but, most of all, what you must buy! I am not convinced at all of the sincerity and truthfulness of  those eternally smiling faces, of those white-teethed mouths that glorify not so much the "goodness" of a product (as they used to, and as it reasonably should be), but just try to fill your mind with the incredible amount of money you are going to save, with double offers, free shipping, free gifts and huge discounts. I would like to know if there are people who are still lured by these fantastic promises (and who actually call within the next ten minutes to get an even better offer!!!). Yes, I think there are still lots of trusting human beings who keep on listening and ... buying. Otherwise, how could the advertisers afford to pay so much for their ads?
P.S. I would love to know where the readers of this blog reside. These are the countries I could find out: USA-Canada-Argentina-India-Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia-Italy-Australia-England-Estonia-Philippines.
*If I overlooked any country (the map I have is very small), please let me know. Thank you, I appreciate it. :o) 

Dislike At First Sight

Totally by chance, I happened to hear a brief part of a conversation between two young college students, who were laughing and joking in the friendliest way. At a certain point the boy says: "I know, you used to hate me." The girl answers: "I didn't hate you. I don't hate anybody. I just didn't like you." This simple exchange of words had for me an interesting meaning, good food for my usual reflections. I won't spend any time on such a big word as hate. I don't even include it in my vocabulary. But the rest is worth discussing. First of all, a question. Would you care to remember a situation where you met someone new, let's say a new co-worker, and you didn't like him (or her) at first sight? Maybe there was something in the expression of his face or in his attitude that you did not find pleasant (stuck up? pretentious? too friendly? not friendly enough? keen on impressing you? talked too much? talked too little?). It could have even been the way he was dressed, clothes that you did not find appealing or appropriate. It's quite natural to judge a person at first sight, it's a human trait, although certainly not the best one. At this point you had two possibilities: one, keep your distance, avoid him as much as possible, continue maintaining your labeling. A second possibility could have been giving your co-worker (or whomever) the opportunity to show you who he actually was. Listening to a person, giving them your attention, trying to understand who they truly are, where they are coming from, what their ideas and dreams are, might make you realize that your first impression was wrong. You could even become friends. Which is the path do you usually prefer to take?

Reality Shows

Is being yourself (or pretending to be, which is more likely, in my opinion!) a talent? Talent means skill, that is the particular ability to do something. Since reality shows have started being popular, quite a few years a go, if I remember right, I have often wondered what they actually were. I was not interested in watching, but I was curious to know what they were about. I was told that you just watch people, famous or not so famous, while they are going around living their lives. So? I asked. Why do people need to watch other people doing the things that they, too, do? It's not a show where you follow a story, or listen to music, or have fun with jokes. It seems to me that there is nothing interesting. On, the contrary, I was told by "followers", people like to see how others  live, especially if they are reasonably well known. All right. Then I also realized that some of these stars have acquired fame and wealth for just being in the show. I remember asking about a certain lady whose face and name I was seeing everywhere...on the Internet news, on magazine covers etc. I thought she was a singer or an actress. No, I was informed, she is a reality show star. And what does she do? I asked. Nothing, was the answer. She is just in the show. Cool, I thought, that's an easy way to become rich and famous. Another facet of today's society.

Either.....Or.....

A surreal story with lots of truth in it: A woman is living a good fulfilling life: she is a university professor, she has a loving fiance and is getting married soon. After she is seemingly "almost" hit by a car, she starts getting strange visions, people who know her but whom she does not recognize, a mysterious bus that appears out of nowhere, clearly showing to be waiting for her to get aboard. She refuses to go, till she realizes that she is actually dead and the perfect life she saw herself living was the life she could have had - had she made different choices. Wow! Isn't that interesting? She had been afraid of daring, she had never had self-confidence. She had wanted to be a professor but she remained in her waitress position. She was in love with a neighbor, but she never had the courage to show him friendliness.... She never believed that she deserved to be happy, that she could actually be happy, that she was able to make the right choices and carry them out. Isn't this the same situation of many fellow human beings? How many believe they can and  so they "do", and how many believe they cannot and therefore never achieve their dreams? Remember the famous quote "Whether you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right".