Make a difference

We all can once we understand reality

So often our perceptions get in the way

Feeling that only certain people can make a difference

That we are not special enough

We think we should do this or that or be like this or that because others are

We feel dis-empowered because we are not famous or rich or important

We let these and other thoughts dominate our perceptions of our value, our worth

Time to stop doing this

You are letting your life slip away

It is a silly dis-empowering game

Not all of us are going to be celebrities, rich or famous

Nor would most sane people want to be

Nature does however expect us to do our best every day

Yes every day

And only this

So every day decide to be the best you can in whatever comes your way

And if you have aspirations to change the world then as all the wise men say start with yourself

Why?

Because only by getting your head clear about yourself can you then move on to making your contribution to changing the world

And yes you can

It is up to you

Do you have the courage and discipline though?

Because that is what changing ourselves requires

Lots of hard work

Then and only then will other things become clear to you

Things that allow you to see how and where you can make your contribution

Your heart becoming open to others

And your actions fitting your talents

So stop the self pity and get started

This life is so short don't waste time being frightened of shadows

How hard it can be

To find beauty in a life of stress

A life where there is not enough money

Paying the bills is a never ending fight

Little time to do anything other than work and chores

Just rushing from one end of the day to the other

Yes it is tough

Then add a little illness or pain and it feels too much

And yes in a way it is

Looking around others seem to have an easier life

And yes maybe they do

You have heard it before maybe

Hear it again

The only way out is inside you

Maybe you cannot change the things in your life today

Yes maybe you can find a way tomorrow if you are determined and strong

But the way today is inside you

To see and experience things differently

To know that nature only asks that we do our best each day

Being the best you can in all that comes your way each day

And changing your feeling of frustration to one of peace inside accepting that this is how it is

You will find a way to change things around over time and that for now this is how it is

Be the best you can in every detail

Smiling inside to know that it doesn't matter

Everything has a beginning, middle and end

Maybe this life is very hard for you

So be it

The truth be known it is for all of us one way or another

Keep going life can surprise us even while we pay our karma

Find pleasure in what you have and not in what you don't have.

Yes it is as it is and it is only you who can change this

It's how you perceive things

Our perceptions are all

Change them and your life changes

Make these changes today because tomorrow never comes!

Vote

Not in elections although you might well do that too

No we mean everyday

Everyday when you buy something you are voting

Every time you buy something you are voting

You are saying I approve of this product

I like the way it is made

I support it

Through more selective choices you can improve and strengthen the messages you send out

We are all sending out powerful messages

Take more time with your choices

Make sure they send the right message

Support only those purchases that endorse your views

Do not vote for companies or organizations that abuse and misuse

Voting for your choices does make a difference

Become more thoughtful and conscious of what you support

Just let go

When you want to find a way to grow vertically

To increase your consciousness

To evolve spiritually

Let go of what though?

Not an easy thing to understand particularly if we are new to this arena

If our life has been one of so called normal actions

Normal material life in the Western value system

Makes it not so easy to withdraw enough to see where we are

The starting point is usually that we do not understand or see how much tension we operate under

Most of us are stressed, it goes with being a modern human

So letting go means learning how to relax

Learning to slow the mind down

Learning to relax the body

And yes modern humans need to learn these things

Learning to just be without the need to think of or do anything is a novel concept for many

For most this is not the way to relax

Rather they take a joint, a line, a drink anything that will do it for them

Others a coffee, a dvd, film, tv, a book again anything that will do it for them

Maybe sex, an argument, endless telephone conversations anything to take us away

Away from what?

Ourselves

The idea of being quiet with ourselves is alien to many

Being alone even is a horrendous proposition for many

So one of the first steps in evolving consciousness is seeing how much we keep busy while calling it relaxation

Next is to let go

Right where we started from letting go is about slowing the mind and the body

Sounds simple

Can you even go five seconds without thinking?

Doubtful

Try it

Now see how letting go is important because if your system is constantly working then for sure you are not relaxing even if you like to call it that

Just letting go is not so easy but it is a starting point

A starting point on the long journey to higher consciousness

Parasitical mothers

Do you have one?

Mothers who decide to live their lives through their children

Trying to realize their own ambitions through their children

Using their children as personal slaves

Demanding attention

Demanding service

Often mothers say they dedicated their lives to helping their children

That they sacrificed their lives for their children

Up until the time their children leave home this might be true

After this time it is not true

Parasitical mothers will not let their adult children go

Intruding and controlling every aspect of their adult children's lives

Phoning every day checking what they are doing

Demanding service and attention from their adult children

Some adopt the poor me sick person approach demanding constant attention from the adult child

Controlling every facet of their lives

Interfering in everything they try to do

Never letting them free

Sadly many adult children do not even see what is going on

Don't you say bad things about my mother

She sacrificed her life to give me what I have

Many actually believe this self serving PR from their mothers

If you choose to give time to your mother fine

If you do not and resent her interference in your life then change it

Be firm and clear and if necessary cut communications with her

Do not ruin your life because of her selfishness

Parasitical mothers will not let go so it is up to you to break this unhealthy relationship

Only you can do this

Wake to your own life

Frugality

Must be your move of choice if you wish to help

Help is probably the wrong word contribution would be more apt

Or even accept your own personal responsibility to act

We are all in this mess together all of us rich and poor mean and generous

The mess our planet is in is what we are talking about

Sorting this mess out is no longer a spectator sport

We are all involved we all created this mess over many lives

The childish idea that we could endlessly take and abuse without putting back and conserving is now haunting us

Whether it is too little too late does not matter

What matters is that each of us decides to change first right now without waiting to be told by any so called authority

Now is our time to act on a personal level as well as a global level

Gross consumption will no longer do

Showing off by buying endless things is out

We are in difficult times possibly terminal where each and every one of us must make our own choice to behave in a more intelligent manner

It is no use watching TV and saying "they" should do this or that

There is no they

Only us

To get this world changed and give our selves a fighting chance needs each and every one of us to change

Change our lives from more of everything to less of everything

This means frugality

Frugality does not mean poverty

It means cutting back

It means making sure you consume less

That through your own behavior you influence those around you

This is how we change our world

Start today please

Choose frugality for life please

Just money

And once you’ve got it

Now what?

Of course it is never enough you must have more

So sit with others like yourself

And preen

The fight to get it, those long hours, all that scheming

The compromises all those deals

The questionable behavior

Result in yet another driven person

Empty inside

Few feelings, they went long ago

Just buying

Is it life they buy or just things?

Or is it just a temporary respite from the loneliness inside?

What a sad con believing that the things you buy is the real game of life

Only when you have all the toys is this clear

But then this cannot be admitted, all those wasted years

What a shame but it is never too late to find the truth

This would indeed be unusual but then it can be done

Sadly not many will

Most will just keep busy running around until it is time to go

Look around you and see who has life satisfaction

Not the ones who keep taking, surprise surprise it's the ones who give

A life spent taking and you lose

A life spent giving and you can find peace of mind

Selfish or selfless, taking or giving we must all choose our own way

Choose wisely

Self Reliance

By ourselves is evil done

By ourselves we pain endure

By ourselves we cease from wrong

By ourselves become we pure

No one saves us but ourselves

No one can and no one may

We ourselves must walk the path

Buddhas merely show the way

We all need time

To ourselves

For ourselves

Do you get time for yourself?

Do you take time for yourself?

Often we get so caught up and so busy that we do not make time for ourselves

For a while this is fine then comes the day where things come unglued and bang

We lose our cool and explode

This experience can shake us to see how violent we can be

Afterwards we can experience a great tiredness

Not nice

We wonder where did that come from?

Frequently our life sweeps us up again and we push aside thoughts about our outburst

Shrugging our shoulders, getting on with our life

Guess what in a few weeks, months or even years the same will happen again

Certain things might push our buttons and make us explode

These are important as the root cause once identified can be alleviated

However today we are looking at the time you give yourself

However busy your life

However much you love your partner, children your mother whoever

Take time for yourself

Make time for yourself it allows you to see where things are going well and other areas where maybe you need to give some attention

It is surprising how many people do not know themselves

Always have reasons why they cannot find time to do things purely for themselves

Do not be one of them because ignoring your own needs leads to problems

Problems that will not go away without your attention

But apart from anything else it is nice to create and spend time with ourselves

It changes the rhythm of our life

It shows us clearly how wound up we are, where we have tension

It gives us different perspectives

Giving time to ourselves is not a luxury it is important to our well being

Take time for yourself.

Mmmmm - 59

The word religion

As every dictionary can show, comes from the Latin word religare, to bind or collect together

Thus whether people pursue a common idea with or without, a deity in it,

if they are bound together by the same and one belief in something, then that belief is a religion

Not our common understanding to be sure, however it is interesting to know the actual derivation of a word and how it can come to mean something very different

Everyday

We get out of bed

Do you stretch before getting out of bed?

Just a thought because it is a good idea and helpful for our systems

Do you wake up naturally or do you use an alarm?

If naturally then do you find thoughts coming into your head as you wake or do you take a while before thoughts come you way?

Do noises disturb you or do you sleep right through noises in the early mornings?

When you get out of bed do you have a fixed routine?

So many different ways to handle a simple yet important part of the day

If you are under stress then you can well wake up feeling tired

With a negative feeling about the coming day

If you have something nice in front of you then a totally different feeling

Sometimes you can't even sleep for the excitement

Or if traveling a nervousness about being late wakes us differently

As with most things in our life by themselves they might not seem important, however collectively all our little things add up to how we experience our lives

Getting out of bed starts us off every day

Consequently how we do it can shape our day

Try to start each day with pleasure at the idea of the day

Whatever it might bring is unknown to us when we get out of bed so better to treat it with pleased anticipation

This even if we are not looking forward to something because seldom do things work out as we imagine and having a more positive attitude might help change what comes our way

How it turns out is unknown but whether it is going to be good or bad it still makes sense to approach it positively

Taking the time once we are out of bed to meditate is not many peoples idea of how to start the day however if you do this even for five minutes you will find it makes a difference

Why?

Because it calms us down, settles our minds and puts them in a softer mode

Better still is to think about the coming day before going to sleep so that you know what has to be done and when

When we wake we have no pressure we know what we are doing

We do not start the day in a panic worrying and stressing about what has to be done

We get out of bed so many times in our lives that we hardly notice how we do so

Try being conscious as to how you start the day

Does it help or hinder you?

Review your daily start to the day and make it the first pleasure of the day

Not some mountain to climb full of worry and pressure

You get out of bed everyday

Do it better i

Improve your start to the day

Everyday

Placebo

Is something we sometimes read about

Placebo is a substance or procedure which a patient accepts as a medicine or therapy but which has no specific therapeutic activity for the condition.

Any effect is thought to be based on the power of suggestion

In it's common form we come across it in descriptions of medical procedures

A pill of chalk or some other innocuous substance

Through research we now know that the placebo effect is often huge

Particularly when suggested by an authority figure

A placebo can offer up to 35% of the efficacy of any treatment

Over one third of the cure can be in suggestion - a placebo

Less considered are how we are constantly manipulated in other areas

In sense a placebo effect

If we look we can see the placebo effect in marketing, in PR, politics and of course in
advertising

Most of us have bought things because of the idea that somehow a brand is better than a non brand

That a celebrity uses a certain product therefore so should we

That using brand x toothpaste is best because doctors use it, recommend it

A new car is better than an old one

That our sexual desires will be met if we smoke a particular cigarette, drink a certain spirit

That if we vote for party x we will be given heaven on earth

Is there an area today where manipulation and suggestion are not used?

Question?

How many of your decisions are made through laziness?

How many are made because others make the same choice?

How many are made because you feel it will enhance your image?

Take time to consider why you are buying a particular product

Or voting for Fred

Or following a recommended procedure and swallowing particular pills

Too often we surrender our choices to others who manipulate us for profit or power motives

Review your decisions and inform yourself of the real merits of suggested choices

Leave the placebos to others

Live life with less illusion.

See suggestion for what it is manipulation and subtle pressure and sometimes not so subtle at that.

Understand when you are being offered a placebo

Lots of evil

Long before Christianity people understood and knew that evil was around them

They did not think of or understand the idea of a devil because before Christianity there was no devil, the devil being an invention of the Christian church

Evil though does not exist in nature

There are two forces in nature one of creation and the other of destruction

Both are needed and cannot exist without each other

Without destruction there is no possibility for creation, the destruction being a condition for the renewal of life

Creation follows destruction as night follows day, the two being part of the whole

Evil only came many many millions of years ago when human beings developed the power of mind

Mind was the major evolutionary step where man saw himself as separate and distinct from his fellow men

In our history as man began to use his mind for selfish and egotistical reasons so began the increase in evil

This started the growth of evil on this planet

Evil has grown as man has become more selfish

Evil though is a necessary stage in mankind's evolutionary journey

A stage where he can develop conscience

A conscience of morality and ethics

Of right and wrong

Evil shows man more and more clearly that he is responsible for his behavior

What he needs to do and how he should behave

Without evil would man learn these lessons?

Would we as individuals?

For the temptation to selfishness and evil are inside us all

And this fight is really the fight described in all the world's major religions

A fight that if we lose then humanity loses

If humanity loses then humanity goes

And at this time evil and greed are kings on this planet

Will we learn in time?

Learning the truth

Of all the humans to have lived in the past two hundred years H P Blavatsky (HPB) was one of the few to be have been taught directly by Masters.

Or to be more accurate one of the only ones we know about

A Master is a higher being who has totally mastered his or her mind, thoughts and emotions, and has achieved great knowledge and power and become united with the universal soul

Throughout history there have been Masters as indeed there still are today

True masters are not known to the public and seldom come into the public eye

Occasionally and at particular times in human history they come to teach publicly

HPB worked directly for her Master during her remarkable life

Many have wondered how HPB knew so much detail on so many subjects

The following is her explanation of how she was taught and learnt

"Knowledge comes in visions

First in dreams

Then in pictures presented to the inner eye during meditation

Thus I have been taught the whole system of evolution, the laws of being and all else that I know

The mysteries of life and death, the workings of karma

Not a word was spoken to me of all this in the ordinary way, except perhaps by way of confirmation of what was thus given me

Nothing taught me in writing

And knowledge so obtained is so clear, so convincing, so indelible in the impressions it makes upon the mind, that all other sources of information, all other methods of teaching with which we are familiar, dwindle into insignificance in comparison with this

One of the reasons why I hesitate to answer offhand some questions put to me is the difficulty of expressing in sufficiently accurate language things given to me in pictures and comprehended by me the pure reason, as Kant would call it

Theirs is a synthetic method of teaching

The most general outlines are given first

Then an insight into the method of working

Next the broad principles and notions are brought into view

And lastly begins the revelation of the minuter points"

The fight

Is between spirit and matter

Between light and goodness

Darkness and evil

It began on our globe with the first appearance of contrasts and opposites in vegetable and animal nature, and continued more fiercely than ever after man had become the selfish and personal being he now is

Nor is there any chance of it's coming to an end before falsehood and lies are replaced by truth

Selfishness by altruism, and supreme justice reigns in the heart of man

It is selfishness, especially; the love of self above all things in heaven and earth, helped by human vanity which produces mortal sin

Man has to become acquainted with, and gain the mastery over, every nook and corner of his heterogeneous nature, before he can learn to discriminate between himself and his personality

To accomplish this difficult task two conditions are absolutely requisite

Good thoughts, good words, good deeds

And two one must crush the personality beyond resurrection

HPB

Old sounding words perhaps however they say how it must be

Can you see why this applies to you?

Can you see how selfishness is at the core of your experience of life?

Selfishness gets in the way of solving so many things

Take time to see yours

They just drifted away

My friends

I thought they were forever

Then one by one for different reasons they melted away

Some moved away

Some fell out

And my partner did not like others

Over time we had nothing left in common with each other

And so we came down to the last one or two

And what have I learnt from this?

That nothing lasts for ever even in my short life

I am the centre of my life and others just come and go

What is really important is that I be true to myself

That I am honest with myself

It is really nice to have one or two friends

In reality that is all that anyone has one or two real friends

Humans who you can talk with about anything

Who know you through good and bad

Who will be there for you in times of need

Does not matter if you are rich or poor one or two real friends is all most of us really have

Give pause though and consider if you only have one or two friends and that they are getting on with their lives and you with yours

Then learn to be polite and nice to those around you because they are the ones who you see every day

They are the humans who are in your life day to day

So if they are in your life respect them

Give them presents

Presents of your good energy, a smile, a word, your attention

Give out love

Giving out love or light is a good feeling that you can help make their day more pleasant for no other reason than you feel to do this

The more we give out the more life teaches us that this is the way it should be caring for each other

And when we care and pay attention to others then life looks after us too

Selflessness is truly the way to grow

And as we grow so our values and energy changes in positive ways

Ways that show us how satisfying it is to help others

How this brings a greater taste to our lives

As a bonus it makes us feel better

So even if your day in mundane and filled with the usual stuff you can come to the end of it and know that you did your best

That you contributed to someones life

Your friends will always be there

The people you mix with day to day they are in your life too

Respect and honor them as you would have them do to you

GM - Genetic Modification

Genetic modification actually cuts the productivity of crops, an authoritative new study shows, undermining repeated claims that a switch to the controversial technology is needed to solve the growing world food crisis.

The study – carried out over the past three years at the University of Kansas in the US grain belt – has found that GM soya produces about 10 per cent less food than its conventional equivalent, contradicting assertions by advocates of the technology that it increases yields.

Professor Barney Gordon, of the university's department of agronomy, said he started the research – reported in the journal Better Crops – because many farmers who had changed over to the GM crop had "noticed that yields are not as high as expected even under optimal conditions". He added: "People were asking the question 'how come I don't get as high a yield as I used to?'"

He grew a Monsanto GM soybean and an almost identical conventional variety in the same field. The modified crop produced only 70 bushels of grain per acre, compared with 77 bushels from the non-GM one.

The GM crop – engineered to resist Monsanto's own weedkiller, Roundup – recovered only when he added extra manganese, leading to suggestions that the modification hindered the crop's take-up of the essential element from the soil. Even with the addition it brought the GM soya's yield to equal that of the conventional one, rather than surpassing it.

The new study confirms earlier research at the University of Nebraska, which found that another Monsanto GM soya produced 6 per cent less than its closest conventional relative, and 11 per cent less than the best non-GM soya available.

The Nebraska study suggested that two factors are at work. First, it takes time to modify a plant and, while this is being done, better conventional ones are being developed. This is acknowledged even by the fervently pro-GM US Department of Agriculture, which has admitted that the time lag could lead to a "decrease" in yields.

But the fact that GM crops did worse than their near-identical non-GM counterparts suggest that a second factor is also at work, and that the very process of modification depresses productivity. The new Kansas study both confirms this and suggests how it is happening.

A similar situation seems to have happened with GM cotton in the US, where the total US crop declined even as GM technology took over.

Monsanto said yesterday that it was surprised by the extent of the decline found by the Kansas study, but not by the fact that the yields had dropped. It said that the soya had not been engineered to increase yields, and that it was now developing one that would.

Critics doubt whether the company will achieve this, saying that it requires more complex modification. And Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute in Washington – and who was one of the first to predict the current food crisis – said that the physiology of plants was now reaching the limits of the productivity that could be achieved.

A former champion crop grower himself, he drew the comparison with human runners. Since Roger Bannister ran the first four-minute mile more than 50 years ago, the best time has improved only modestly . "Despite all the advances in training, no one contemplates a three-minute mile."

Last week the biggest study of its kind ever conducted – the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development – concluded that GM was not the answer to world hunger.

Professor Bob Watson, the director of the study and chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when asked if GM could solve world hunger, said: "The simple answer is no."

This article does not touch upon the other dangers that this situation is producing upon the land, animals and insects that used to feed and live on crops and crop fields

Not to mention the long term effects on humans of eating GM foods

Eat natural foods where you can

Learn to read labels

Do not pay attention to industry and media hype

Move towards simplicity

Move towards less red meat, less white breads, sugar and salt

Instead plenty of salads and vegetables

What a world

Self respect

Is something we have or we don't

Something that is with us for life

Something that defines how we are

How is yours?

Do you respect yourself?

Do you stand up to your darker side?

Do you acknowledge that you have one?

A side that comes out and undoes those nice things you do.

If you cannot respect yourself then do not expect others to

Most humans can feel and sense dishonest people

If you do not respect yourself your hiding or blustering can be felt

It is not comfortable to live a lie

Many do

Tough for them nature and karma will find them out over time

How do you feel about yourself?

If like most there is work to be done then get on with it

So many people live life like it is some sort of dress rehearsal for a magical later time when they will finally get around to all those things they always meant to do

Never happens, well seldom and usually because nature intervenes and says enough

By slowing you down through some life changing situation nature can demand your attention

And for some even this is not enough, sorry silly people nature always wins

Nature tests all of us and it is how we face these challenges that counts, not necessarily the outcome

For healthy self respect be honest with yourself

Test your integrity rid yourself of self serving illusions

Perceptions based on unreal and false assumptions

Base your self respect on what you have earned through your endeavors

Face your fears and yes you have some

At the end of it all only our vertical growth counts for anything

Vertical growth means spiritual growth

Not burning incense with a silly smile wearing funny clothes

Rather the nice things you do unasked for by others

The growth of compassion in your heart

The thoughts and actions you give to the wishes and well being of others

Through this we gain self respect

By being nicer human beings our self respect grows to the point where we truly like ourselves

Self respect.

Why?

Did things go wrong?

I got through all the interviews

It was all agreed

All tied up

Then suddenly without warning I didn't get it

Shock

Horror, disbelief, rage, anger, violent thoughts

Many or all of these go through our minds

Immediate thoughts of how to change it around

Slow realization that it is final

No way to change anything it's gone

All those ideas of a brave new job gone

And all that time and effort I invested

No payment for any of the time I spent

I could have been looking for other jobs

Wasted time

Or was it?

Every interview process is a learning process

Every time we walk into uncharted waters we learn

True all true however the major lesson is this

You were lucky to learn that it would not work out early in the game before you had invested even more of your time

Lucky not to get the job because for whatever reason given it was not for you

And who knows what would have happened had you been taken on?

Adopt a philosophy that accepts rejection with a smile understanding that it was not for you

Learn to keep things at arms length emotionally

Let go of your ego

See that it does not matter, other things can now come your way, be open to new ideas and possibilities

One day at a time

Pick yourself up and be extra busy push thoughts of the rejection out of your mind

It's gone

Over

Move on

Let time pass and later, much much later, you might understand why it did not happen

From the East

If wisdom were to vanish from the universe no one yet would suspect himself a fool

He who neglects his duty to his conscience, will neglect to pay his debt to his neighbor

Two things are impossible in this world of illusion, to enjoy more than karma has allotted; to die before one's hour has struck

He who has subdued himself, may hope to subdue others. One's own self is the most difficult to master.

Hatred is never quenched by hatred; hatred ceases by showing love; this is an old rule

Daily practical wisdom consists of four things - To know the root of truth, the branches of truth, the limit of truth and the opposite of truth.

The road to sin is a wide highway; the way out of it a steep rugged hill

Thoughts alone cause the rounds of rebirths in this world; let a man strive to purify his thoughts, what a man thinks, that he is; this is the old secret

And lastly

Man consists of desires. And as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his will, so is his deed; and whatever deed he does, that he will reap

Books and articles galore

On everything under the sun

Ever more of us on the planet

Ever more of us writing

More of us hustling

More and more book titles every month

Often more confusion and junk

Why?

Simply stated there is only so much genuine talent

So much genuine knowledge

So many possible insights or genuine advances

The number of titles on any given subject is far greater than the available talent

Beware the hype on the dust jacket

Beware the gushing praise

Check out who knows what in the area you are reading

And that does not mean the hype on the dust jacket

The extravagant claims frequently hide the reviewers own ignorance

Take the time to check out the author's background

So many titles available

So little genuine knowledge

And that's just non fiction

In the field of fiction so often authors having found a storyline then repeat it over and over with slight modification year after year

Formula writing

Magazines too find a formula and churn out the same things week after week

Same same same and do we notice?

Do people buy to learn or reaffirm?

Do you read to learn or reaffirm your points of view?

Do you read much at all?

We watch lots of TV although many are getting bored with the endless violence and poor choice

So people are spending more time on line

Moving away from control over what they watch

With reading it should be the same, move away from what you already know

Move away from the breathless hype

The popular choice

Move into areas new to you

Make time for reading things that advance your knowledge of the truth

Many of the things mainstream society believe to be true are not

The true story of where we came from for example is far more exciting than any Hollywood fantasy

Reading is also relaxing taking our minds into other realms

Taking our minds off our worries

Opening them to ideas

Learning should be a life long journey

Many lives are just repetitions of things learnt while young

Is yours?

Reading is often the easiest way to access new knowledge

Inform yourself about where to find the truth of things important to you

Enjoy finding out what others have to say.

The Joker

The joker In the pack is our emotions

When without warning everything feels terrible

Nothing seems worth doing

Life is heavy and unpleasant again

Negative thought on negative thought

You might not believe it but those negative thoughts can be tamed

Banished every time they appear

Those feelings of uselessness and severe depression can be brought under control

Follow this

In the sixties many people were doing acid, LSD and everything else they could lay their hands on

Then the word began to get around about bad trips

Not realised was that the bad trips were usually a function of the person's fears

Funnily enough even today we do not understanding that if you have fear then indeed a bad trip can well come your way

Not as a result of drugs but simply because the fear will manifest as anger or depression when something triggers them

If you have guilt, suffer from stress, harbour dishonest or negative thoughts then many things can act as the trigger

What we call emotions are often triggered by our fears

If you have fear then negative experiences are more likely

What is in your mind in the box labelled negative

Things undealt with are going to spring loose

It is only a question of time

Not if just when

So to lessen your bad times get rid of your fears

Which leads us to your memories

Your stored worries

Your unresolved issues

Fear of or memory of bad experiences

They can be removed

If they are not removed then believe more negative experiences are coming your way

More downer negative days

So removing those stored memories is necessary for a more pleasant life

This is not easy as we like to hide our fears, deep deep inside where we won't stumble over them

As with physical pain we avoid those things that might hurt us so with our emotions we avoid those areas where we might get hurt

So when someone touches or gets close to this area off we go denying and hiding those that we have fear of

To remove this source of violence or fear means addressing the memory that triggers them.

As a first step locate those easy ones, often things that you have been putting off

The less serious ones

It is tension that triggers negative thoughts and actions

So make it your job to take things less seriously

The more pressure you remove from your life the less likely the explosions

Learn to see that life need not be so serious

We make it serious

We ourselves create our world

We imagine our negative futures

Imagine instead positive scenarios

Pay more attention to having fun in your own life

Relax more

As you get more relaxed so it is easier to approach your fears, to find the causes of things

If you do these things then the joker will appear less often in your life

Little worries

Like eating too much

Feeling overweight

Too much sun

Not enough sleep

Working to much, no time for anything else

Or just plain worrying about something all the time

Not big worries but there is always something that we worry about

Over time worrying really affects us

It negatively affects our immune system

It certainly damages our physical health

Our sense of humor goes missing

Our balance and objectivity is impaired

Our ability to enjoy life suffers

A long list to be sure

We are not stupid so how come we let this go on?

Seldom do we consider that the act of constantly worrying about things all the time is avoidable

Worrying seldom brings solutions

Things we worry about seldom turn out as we imagine

So why do we do it?

Habit

Fear

Lack of thought about what it does to us

So take time to talk to yourself, yes sometimes we need to do this

Get your own attention for a minute

And agree that as worrying is not helpful and is certainly detrimental to our well being we choose to stop it

Next decide to notice how much you worry and yes you need to do that too otherwise you will just plow on with worrying about this and that

Decide that every time you catch yourself worrying you will move your focus of attention onto something in your life at this moment now

In other words stay in this moment now and stop projecting what ifs

If you can become more and more conscious about how much you worry this is a good starting point

Becoming able to move your attention and focus from worrying to things in the here and now will over time help to relax you

The more you can chill, relax the better your state of mind

It is only the start of the long journey to find peace of mind

A phrase used so casually and so little thought about

Peace of mind is what we are all searching for because it offers total protection

Protection from the ups and downs of life

The ability to handle all that life sends our way with equanimity

Start looking consciously for yours today

Peace of mind is the best known protection from the harmful and negative challenges of life

Worrying is the best known way to cancer and ill health

Let your little worries go they are cumulative and dangerous

Cycling

Warm weather arrives and thousands more cyclists take to the road

More and more every year

Cycling brings so much

Different perspectives on life

Different perspectives on your town or city

Good exercise

For work and leisure

Freedom from standing around waiting for buses, subway cars and the rest

Pleasure of riding when and how you want

Can cover quite a distance in a short time

Changes your psychology

And you do you cycle?

Skateboarding and roller blading might be a bit extreme

But cycling?

From road bikes to mountain bikes and other types in between there are so many choices today

Many have disc brakes, good gears, and modern suspension

Ranging from cheap to mega expensive

In many places you can hire them

Pick them up at one point and leave them at another

In Paris hiring is all the rage while in Denmark and the Netherlands most have cycles

And you?

Why not change your life and habits this summer?

Cycling is such a change

I do not love him

Or her

A saying we have all felt or said at some time or another

Question?

Does love come to you like some sort of present from the outside or do you open to love from the inside?

Modern Internet dating says you advertise your wares and people out there respond to your profile

A marketing, advertising campaign

Many sniff that this is not the way to find love

And the alternatives?

Parents send their children to certain schools so they can create the right relationships

Live in certain areas

Join certain clubs

Move in certain circles

Go to certain churches

Send their children to particular riding, dancing, sailing, ice skating, music and other schools

Go to certain places on holiday

And so it goes on the list is endless

Parents trying to stack the cards in their children's favor

And does it work?

Not so that you would notice

According to the best available information divorce is chosen by fifty percent plus or minus within the first five years of marriage in many countries today

And this across all sections of society

And marriage itself?

Only fifty percent want to get formally married

Whether or not we marry might not be important

How we choose each other is more so

Physical lust for each other is one not so helpful criteria although it is amazing how many men go down this road

On the other side marrying for financial security is a route chosen by many women

Neither is very sound leading as they do to trouble as the parties begin to understand what they have done once the novelty wears off

Becoming aware of each other's real character

Finding the hidden nasties that were not apparent in the first flush of relationship

Myriad little disappointments

So examining what we are doing is a useful starting point in trying to find a better way to steer the odds in our favor

So often our objectives are muddled

Our perceptions of each other unclear

Often we are chasing our parents ideals not our own

It is from their perspective, from their times handed down by their parents even

Marry a professional man is another example of old thinking

Why?

Because a professional today is just as likely to lose his job, be flung out, more so than a craftsman who has enduring skills

Marrying for trophy reasons again so many do

Just to impress the world, not sure the world really cares though

Look at what you want

Is it realistically attainable?

Can you deliver?

Start with yourself

What are you bringing to the relationship?

If you want a trustworthy honest partner

Are you trustworthy and honest?

If you want loyalty

Are you loyal?

Humor

Are you so funny?

Want him to love you, do you love him?

If you cannot love yourself then how can you love another?

A simple challenge and one that needs looking at

So many do not love or like themselves

Later they then project this dislike onto their partners once the novelty of the relationship has worn off

So the starting point is myself learning and accepting how I truly am, because otherwise I live a lie which one day will out

Liking and loving ourselves is harder than it might sound, and do you?

Only when I like and love myself can I really fully open to another

Love is so often conditional, meaning that it is not really love

Even or particularly when the conditionality is hidden and never spoken

A hidden agreement a transaction no less, this is not love

Love is unconditional, can only be unconditional

Unconditional love can only arise if we can let go our fears

Our conditions

What is your sign?

You might not believe in such things however your likes and dislikes to put it another way are certainly a factor in any relationship

Do you know yours, do you know what works or does not work with another person?

Can you step beyond your parents?

Or are you actually inviting someone else into your life to share your parents?

Your views of children are they shared?

Is religion an issue?

Would you let go your religion?

Can you compromise?

Do you compromise?

What is your view of life and what it is about?

So many issues, things to ponder

The main one though is creating in yourself what you hope to find in another

Finding the truth about yourself is a good starting point

Whether you meet over the Internet a party, family, or friends are maybe not so important

Being able to open yourself to another before making commitments most certainly is

And we cannot do this if we are playing games with ourselves

Sharing a life with another is not easy

Reducing the variables is certainly a start

Maybe living alone is also an option

Maybe the hassle is not worth it so live alone

Quite so, however if this is your choice then choose it after looking at life with another otherwise it could be that you are running away, hiding, rationalizing your fears

Many do

Whatever you choose make your choices on the basis of knowledge not unchallenged perceptions.

Liking

Myself, do I?

Do I like others?

Do you change your mind?

Are you moody?

No matter, liking or disliking is about what pushes our buttons

Good and bad

The game is to increase what we like and lessen what we do not like

Take five things you do not like

Are they the same as five years ago?

Turn them round and try saying I like, this might sound silly but try it

What does this show you?

Practice this exercise and start to notice how many dislikes are no longer so important to you

Let them go, make them likes

Having more likes than dislikes is surely easier on yourself

We can loose so much energy disliking things

Make your dislikes likes.

Consciously liking things in life moves our energy into a more positive state

Moving our energy into a more positive state is good for our health

Our immune systems improve the less stress we put upon them

Liking more things in life and disliking less is a positive move

Noticing something we do every day consciously is helpful to our wellbeing

Liking

Plan b)

For much of our lives we have no plan b)

For most of the time this is fine

For some situations however it makes sense to have a plan b)

These situations range from a fire where you live to fire at work, flooding, electrical failures, a car crash, stolen laptop, loosing your mobile phone and so on

Do you have all your critical documents and emergency items easily to hand?

If you lose all light in your house or apartment do you know where things are?

If you lose power can you get at your critical possessions?

We spend lots of time in our cars do you have sensible items for survival in your car?

You lose your luggage

Your wallet, handbag.

And so the list goes on

Not a big deal to arrange things

But a big deal on that one occasion in your life when you need them

Be smart take that little time.

Have a plan b)

Jorge Lorenzo

Is a young Spanish motorcycle road racer

He is also the reigning 250cc World Champion

He moved up to the Premier class this year and amazed everyone with his speed and ability in the big class

He won his first race at the third race of the year having finished third and second in the previous two races

After the third race he went to hospital and had an operation to reduce the pain in his right arm which had been swelling up during the races

He then flew to Shanghai for the fourth race of the year and in early practice had what is called a "high side" accident

This happens when the bike spits you off in his case at around one hundred miles an hour in what everyone agreed was one of the most vicious high side accidents any one had ever seen

He was thrown into the air landed hard on his feet, fracturing his left ankle and sustaining severe trauma and bruising to parts of his right ankle and foot.

Lorenzo came back to the circuit the next day, was lifted onto his bike and finished practice in fourth position, a remarkable feat itself considering his pain

He raced and amazingly came in fourth in spite of not being able to move around comfortably on his bike, 800cc racing bikes require a lot of foot movement to help steer them

Jorge Lorenzo showed will power of a high order

He showed courage to get back on his biike and go quickly after such an appalling accident

The world of motorbike racing is one where everybody gets hurt from time to time

Riders know this, they accept that it goes with the job

Will power however separates them

Some never really come back after accidents others come back, seemingly more determined than ever

Will power is not something easily understood by those who have never been to the limit

It is however something that lies dormant in all of us

Have you used yours?

Do you use yours consciously?

The need for will power can manifest in many of our activities

It is important to understand our will power because one day or another for sure we are going to need it

Our mental attitude to adversity is key

Our will power is an extension of our mental approach to life

This mental approach is indeed something we can toughen up

Take time to improve your mental hardness

Our will power can prove critical in many situations

Jorge Lorenzo is learning a lot about his

The race in Shanghai was on his 21st Birthday.

Spare a dime

Give me your change

I have no food

I have no work

What is you reaction?

Do you give?

What feelings do you have for the other person asking?

Do you judge them?

Do you observe they don't really look so bad?

Do you have points of principle?

And what might they be?

Your life is most certainly influenced by what you do in such situations

How you think about others less fortunate than yourself has an effect on the karma you are creating

If you are traveling in countries where there are a lot of beggars then maybe best to give once a day and then learn to live with beggars

Wherever you are find it in yourself to be generous

A heart that has compassion is moving in an evolutionary direction

A heart that is closed is moving in a decaying direction

Selfishness is one of man's greatest problems in our modern world

So many are totally preoccupied by their own lives

Leading selfish greedy lives

Unprepared to accept any interruption of their lives by others less fortunate than themselves

All of us will need help from others at some stage in our lives

Yes all of us

A simple test of yourself is would you like to be treated this way?

The way you treat others would you like it?

Treat others with compassion

This does not mean being an idiot it does mean having thought for the well being of others

Life can bring us so many surprises

Bring nice surprises to others when you can

Our parents

Know what they know

Previous generations of parents would be comfortable to admit that they did not know many things

They openly worked hard so that their children would have the chance to know more

To move beyond where they had got to

Somehow this seems to have got lost

Many parents today are pretending that they know a lot

Are certain of how things are

What a joke!

Look around you who really understands why things are as they are?

Few people today know, did many ever?

Particularly today as our problems mount

Or were they always there and we just did not want to see them?

We thought we were so clever

Then along comes what we call global warming, vanishing species and introduces the idea that we are on borrowed time

Now it is official we are in a mess

Now maybe we can officially accept that we don't know as well

Finally

So lets be sympathetic to our parents they knew little about many things

Because society knew little

Humanity today knows little

The more we learn about our world the more we have to admit that we do not know very much at all

Good news

Only when we get real can we start to learn and grow

Pretending we have answers when we have no clue is not helpful

The starting pint for any enquiry has to be an inventory of what we do know

Not the bullshit

Not the perceptions

The truth

And this will take several generations to get to the truth of things because we have so many vested interests who want to deny the truth

Religions

Scientists

All have vested interests

Many would prefer to die rather than acknowledge that they do not know

So lets be kind to our parents because they did not know

Just make sure that when it is your turn that at least you have taken the trouble to inform yourself

That you know what you know and acknowledge what you don't'

So that you can have a worthwhile relationship with your children and theirs in turn

Parenting was never easy

Dome well it is the most challenging thing any of us can do

How will you do, how are you doing?

GM crops

Genetic modification actually cuts the productivity of crops, an authoritative new study shows,

undermining repeated claims that a switch to the controversial technology is needed to solve the growing world food crisis.

The study – carried out over the past three years at the University of Kansas in the US grain belt – has found that GM soya produces about 10 per cent less food than its conventional equivalent, contradicting assertions by advocates of the technology that it increases yields.

Professor Barney Gordon, of the university's department of agronomy, said he started the research – reported in the journal Better Crops – because many farmers who had changed over to the GM crop had "noticed that yields are not as high as expected even under optimal conditions".

He added: "People were asking the question 'how come I don't get as high a yield as I used to?'"

From The Independent newspaper issue of - 20.04.08

And so it goes on

Time after time we have been told that GM crops are the answer to the world's food problem

Many Governments have forced GM foods on their citizens

Governments have pushed for their introduction at every opportunity

Governments have repeatedly denied that they have any harmful effects

Now we have evidence that they are not the answer quantitatively

If not quantitatively then how about their safety?

We are now left with the yet unsolved question as to how much harm they actually cause

To human systems over time

To immune systems

To other animals, insects and birds what harm do they cause?

Given a choice many animals will not touch GM foodstuffs

Again we are told they cause no harm

How can anyone know?

Answer

They cannot GM modified foods have not been around long enough for anyone to say categorically that there is no harm

Next time you are in your local Supermarket look at the number of soya based products

Then see how many are GM soya

It is your choice what you put in your system

Personally we prefer those products that are the most natural and the least modified

Open your eyes to what you put inside you because by the time we do have evidence about the dangers of GM foods it will be too late

Make your own choices, informed choices