The Value Of Reflection And Appreciation

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we are bombarded with advertisements, social media, opinions, and new trends. It is fast-paced. It is intense. We feel that if we don’t keep up we are losing out. And while innovation is exciting and wonderful, so is the ability to slow down and breathe.

Our society is so ramped up that slowing down is almost frowned upon. Not having the latest gadget or fashion item can cause us to feel left out or deprived. While I enjoy innovation, technology, and the wonderful products of today, I also enjoy solitude’s beauty and deep meaning. Without time for reflection and pause, life becomes almost like an automatic reaction to all the stimuli surrounding me. And I believe that life is a learning journey of reflection and understanding. Incorporating reflection into everyday life makes me appreciate today's innovation, technology, and wonders much more. It helps me realize that these things are a bonus as I reflect and focus on the real itinerary of living: learning, loving, growing, appreciating, and improving.

I believe that creativity is woven into the fabric of life. We are all creators. We all have unique gifts to share with the world. But I think many of us get stuck. We become so focused on what is happening around us that we neglect our own gifts and talents. That is where reflection and pause come in. They guide us where we need to go and inspire us to do the things we are good at doing.

Stillness Speaks available here.

When I become still, it inspires me to want to contribute my gifts and talents to the world. It helps me dream about what I can do. I see the beautiful planet and I realize the abundance available to us. It is humbling. I think about others who lived before us and how their contributions gave us so much to appreciate today: electricity, appliances, and clean water pumped into our homes are just a few. It’s all a matter of balance: taking time to stop and breathe. To create an ebb in the continual flow of life. It moderates us. It secures us so we can reflect before we act. It is also important in the natural world. We need balance to protect and sustain our natural world so that it can protect and sustain us.

Take a moment to reflect on what you love. On what you enjoy doing. On where you hope to be ten years from now. If you love art, create it! If you love music, write it! If you have an idea, do it! Dive into life! Do what you love and love what you do! Appreciation and reflection open doors and enlighten the heart. They help you think of new possibilities and expand your mind. When you use your talents to help others and to improve our world, it will bring beautiful things to you. And it will heal your soul!

Freedom Comes After Decimation

Freedom. A word that we love. Personal freedom, financial freedom, business freedom. And of course, historical freedom. I come from America, the land of the free. The idea of freedom is hypnotizing. But freedom comes at a price. In order to be free, we have to be decimated: decimated on a personal level. For some of us that means financial decimation. For others that means mental decimation. For many that means decimation on all levels. Those are the people who really end up experiencing freedom.

I define decimation as being ground to a pulp; as being brought to a state of complete questioning; being in a state of total disrepair. People who are decimated are people who's preconceived notions have been ground to fine powder; people whose assumptions and ideals have been challenged to a point where they are no longer sure of what's true and real. Those are the people who are forced to look around and see the world anew-to understand that they know nothing of truth and that freedom comes only from learning the truth.

Many times we think we know what freedom is-until we are decimated.  Then we pick ourselves up from the dust and rubble and realize we really didn't even know what we were talking about in the first place.  True freedom isn't money, power and prestige.  True freedom isn't winning at the sake of causing others to lose.  True freedom is peace and happiness.  How many of us can say we are truly happy?  Most of us believe happiness hinges on what happens in our lives day to day.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  Happiness is a peace-an internal knowing of truth-on the inside of us that doesn't change with the tide of life. It's knowing who we really are, where we came from, what we are here to do-and being okay with that-despite who and what is happening around us.   It's our purpose, our mission, our true selves hiding beneath the flesh and bones of our bodies.  It's our eternal identities.

Our nation was decimated by war before we became free. And now as we look around, we see that once again we are being ground into fine power to awaken from the lies surrounding us to seek freedom again. We've lost ground-we've forgotten how much we had to lose to gain what we sought so readily. We've forgotten who we really are.  So now we're being forced to lose what we thought we had gained in order to learn how to acquire what we all want and need with renewed vision.  In all honesty, if we could wake up again and call ourselves 'one nation under God' we'd be accomplishing a lot.  Oneness is part of freedom as is our eternal truth. This knowledge is part of the life learning process in coming to grips with what freedom really means.  Unfortunately it seems life runs in circles. Cycles of loss and gain.  Being ground into a fine powder to destroy assumptions, prejudices and preconceived notions is a way of coming to freedom and truth. We are all born, live lives that teach us truth and then we graduate to heaven to see what this earth has really taught us. How do we learn? Hardship and pain.

Do you feel like you've been ground into fine powder? That you don't know who you are anymore or what the truth is versus the lies? If you do you're in good company. It's common to all of us humans on this planet. When you find yourself in this situation, try to find peace with it. Try to be grateful for the lessons you're learning. Because if you meet these processes head on and refuse to become bitter, you will eventually find freedom-the freedom and truth you need. Remember: some of the greatest people who lived had to fight the hardest and had to lose darned near everything in order to gain what they really needed to learn. Never give up and never lose hope!

You Can't Have One Without The Other

There is an unfortunate tendency in our society to focus on social class and egoism. While I completely understand the differences and needs of particular social classes and the importance of individualism, when it comes to our society working together for good these tendencies cause problems.

In the study of society, or sociology, differences in society are categorized as class, race, gender and geographic location. These differences affect how people can access resources and opportunities. (Reference: What are social divisions?)

Social divisions stem from the idea that society is separated into the powerful and powerless. Those in lower socioeconomic classes have fewer opportunities for things like education, health care and employment. Those in higher socioeconomic classes have an abundance of pretty much everything. (Reference:  What are social divisions?)  For far too long, our society has valued the upper socioeconomic classes such as doctors and lawyers and undervalued the lower socioeconomic classes such as fast food workers and janitors. But the truth of the matter is, we can't have one without the other.

(Celebration by Diamante Lavendar)

It is an inconceivable notion that some people are more important than others in a society that hopes to accomplish its very best in the given moment.  Yes, doctors and lawyers are important. But if society valued all walks of people more, perhaps lawyers and doctors would be in lesser demand because there would be less fighting and stress!  Who would clean the rooms and hallways of the hospitals if everyone were a doctor? Who would prepare gourmet or classic meals, create beautiful pieces of art to appreciate or music to calm the senses?  Who would make sure the factories worked correctly and that we had safe water, pipes, heat, electricity, running vehicles and amusement parks to occupy ourselves?  It takes all of us to create a happy whole.

Democracy is defined as "a system of government by the whole population through elected representatives". (Dictionary.com).  Are we truly being aptly represented by our officials?  Everyone matters.  Every life is important.  It is a travesty and a shame when some are deemed more useful than others.  Even in the Bible it says, "There is one body, but it has many parts.  But all its many parts make up one body.....if all parts were the same, how could there be a body?"  (1 Cor. 12:12 and 19).

We all matter.  Our lives matter. Our souls matter.  Our means of living matter.  When we are each contributing positively to the value of the whole, who can truly say one is more important or meaningful than the other?  Deep down, we all need the same things and crave the same things.  I believe it's time to value the parts of society contributing to the sum of our society's parts.  Even Aristotle said,  "Mathematically, the whole is equal to the sum of its parts, neither more nor less." Then psychological Gestalt theory took it a step further, stating that "The parts, when working together, are able to achieve an outcome superior to one or two people working alone."   (PubMed.gov:  The whole is more than the sum of its parts:  Aristotle, metaphysical).

I know Aristotle was onto something but I believe the Gestalt theory summed it up beautifully. If everyone worked together in harmony and synchrony, wow, what an amazing society this would be!