Love for Life over Fear

“Love of life itself for the world around you can get you to let go of fear, as a loving act. You let go for the sake of all beings.” Adyashanti

When the world is overwhelming, and yes, it is so overwhelming, slow down and look around. There are people you love, animals you love, trees bursting with greenery, flowers promising the blossoming of life. The sun is bestowing it’s warmth, a soft breeze reminds you of a kindness in the air. Water shines the reflection of that warmth and love. Even as you drive through awful traffic, music accompanies you. Allowing a car in front of you, warms you with your own generosity.

Even as you deal with work, with difficult people, with bad news, pull in a deep breath of love, send out compassion and care. Expand your ability to love over the little annoyances, exercise the kindness muscles until you can find your way to love those you disagree with, those you find contemptible.

The world is large, full of dark and light, sad and happy, tragic and joyous. Lean toward the light, the happy, the joyous. Pull others with you like the rising tide of a tsunami obliterating the cruelty deep within our souls. Powerful love can overwhelm any detractor.

Turn your overwhelm into love.

 

One Thing

There is one thing Americans need now more than ever if we are to survive the current times. It’s a characteristic long admired in our country. It was demonstrated time and again by Hollywood legend John Wayne who embodies this word. Every action film is based on this quality. It is familiar to us all, but we may not believe we have it.

Grit.

The good news is you don’t need to limp, full of bullet holes, through the gauntlet to get the bad guy.  You only need follow your heart, your questions, and find persistence. There is a formula for how to do this.

Angela Lee Duckworth, a teacher turned psychologist, has a TED talk and book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which details what factors determine whether a student, or people in general, will succeed or fail. Grit, as it turns out, is more important than talent and IQ.

Let’s use this model to see how we might change our political circumstances. Each of us has a part to play in putting America right again. It may be an outer action or a more internal process but it’s important we each find our way. Many hands make light work and we need all hands on deck. Think about what is most troublesome to you about this new administration as you go through the four steps. It goes like this…

  1. Look at what fascinates you. There are questions that bounce around your brain, that may leave for a time, but always return. They will generally be ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ questions. Why do people do that? What makes this work? How does a person… ? There are many Americans wondering about how we got into this current political climate. What are the civic questions that pull at you?
  2. Decide on a question to answer and keep it a daily focus. Every day apply the skills and ideas you have to uncovering the reasons for what fascinates you. Continue to expand your skills, find answers and improve your personal best from one day to the next.
  3. Make a connection between your question and how it fits with the greater good. If, for example, your burning question is to understand the ‘other guy’ you could do it for yourself and leave it there or you could also help others around you understand the ‘other guy’. When our passions have a greater purpose, we tend to have more grit.
  4. Remember your brain is able to grow and change no matter your age. Recent science shows the brain is not fixed but always able to improve. Take heart your passions are something you can develop and build on. You are capable of your hearts desire and your abilities will improve over time with consistent effort.

Learning to stick with something is the One Thing that signals success in children and adults. It does not mean you have to stay with something if you lose passion, but do stick with something even if it seems too hard to accomplish. I know today’s America seems impossible and so scary, but we do have the capability to create the country we want to live in.

For me, ideas are my strong suit, writing is the passion I am developing and working on every day to get those ideas out in an effort to make the world a better place for everyone, specifically at this time, the America I hold so dear to my heart. I’m hoping to persist, to hold true to my fascinations and my faith, that I can achieve my goal.

Breathe deeply, focus on your passions, take time and energy to find the answers. This is the key to getting America back on track. I have faith in you.

 

Here is a short explanation of Duckworth’s findings.

 

Here is a longer interview from Google –

The Proper Care and Feeding of Facebook

Would you like to protect yourself and avoid being controlled by those who may not have your best interest at heart? With clearer information on how we have been (and continue to be)  manipulated, it’s time to make some needed changes in how you interact with Facebook (FB).

I remember some years ago, FB asked me if I agreed with the statement, ‘Facebook cares about me’. I responded with ‘Strongly Disagree’ because of the policy to sell my information, to change my settings – often to a more public option – without my permission and the lack of care on how that information might be used against me. Since then I occasionally get a message from FB saying “Because we care about you, here is a memory you posted last year.” or  a prompt to check my privacy settings. These ‘memory’  posts are randomly selected so the relevance is hit or miss. I have had FB select a friend and the pictures in the little video don’t match. It’s a mess and it’s too little too late.

Contrary to these attestations of caring about me, FB is a business that cares about profits and stock prices. It can’t be about you and your life. I don’t think there is a malevolent intent but there is a malevolent result. Mark Zuckerberg is managing a behemoth that has a mind of its own and he runs it under his own belief system that is likely insulated from and out of touch with the average American life.

As you already realize, when you get something for ‘free’, you are paying in one way or another. On FB you are paying by handing over your personal data. Every click, like and share tells them about you. Every survey you complete, every test you take, any and all actions give them more and more data. Many of the “I bet no one will share this” or “I know which of my friends will respond” is just a manipulation to get you to click. Don’t fall for it. This data doesn’t stay with FB, it is sold and used by countless organizations some with your best interest in mind, some with intentions to engineer what you believe about the world to their advantage.

In the beginning, this was used for advertising by FB, Google and all other internet providers. It was creepy to have an ad come up from something you sent in an email, but, we got use to that. It is utterly wrong that now this information is spread around the world unscrupulously and into the hands of some very disturbed people who use it to manipulate our thinking, feelings and how we see each other. Time to make a change.

  1. Go through your ‘Likes’ to weed out any person or site you are not sure is legitimate. This will be many or most of your likes. If someone wants to know what you like, get together, have a cup of tea or go for a walk and chat in person. Remember that? If they are far away, talk on the phone, write a snail mail letter or go for a visit. You deserve the vacation.
  2. Go through your friend list and do likewise. Unless you are a band, or a writer, or a something that you want to promote, there is no reason to have friends you don’t know. It was a cool thing to say I have 634 or 1015 friends, as if that said something about how likable you are. We are all over that now, right? Let them go.
  3. Do not get your news from FB ‘Unlike’ all or most of your news preferences. If you get your news from FB, it is skewed to what you want to hear. It is very important to pay for a subscription to an international, national, city and local newspaper, to visit their website to see all the news they believe is fit to print. Visit legitimate news organizations with differing viewpoints. You need to see all the happenings, not just what FB deems you need to know. Realize this is a manipulation to keep you coming back and clicking, outraged, interested, learning, some of it is good, but it is incomplete to say the least. Don’t allow yourself to be controlled. If you can’t afford to pay for subscriptions, do your best to visit a wide variety of news websites and ensure they are legitimate with real, live journalists.
  4. Facebook functions like a casino where time stands still, likes of your posts are affirming and the lure of dopamine lurks in the stories you love to read. The whole idea is to keep you on FB, scrolling, clicking and possibly purchasing. The longer you are on, the more they will get to know you, what you want and sell you something whether it be that bicycle built for two you were checking out or the next president of the United States. There are no clocks, no changes as time flies. Set aside a time of day or day of the week for FB. You don’t need more than 15 minutes if you have reduced your feed to just your friends. Break the addiction, move on to something useful such as going for a walk, talking to a friend in person or reading a book. Turn off all notifications on your devices to keep from being drawn back in.
  5. Facebook is for connecting and seeing what your friends are thinking. It can be about posting a news article you believe will be beneficial for your friends. It is about seeing what your friends are up to but remember FB tends to get just the good parts of our lives. Few people post the bad and the ugly and I appreciate it when they do, but remember, FB is tallying your thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes to make a profile to keep you logged in and scrolling. Think about that when you post.

Ignore the hype, the sensationalism, the lure of fake news that is so prevalent on FB. Hone in on your friends. Think about every click. Better yet, head outdoors, talk to your neighbors. There’s a whole big world out there waiting for you.

Congress Votes with Lobbyists

Congress rarely votes for their constituents. Think about that. Issues important to the American people are rarely discussed in a meaningful way. Open and ethical debates are a thing of the distant past. Legislation is written by corporations and handed to congresspeople to be voted into law. Does this benefit the average American? No.

What Americans Want

Most Americans want tax reform to assist the poor and middle class.

Most Americans want healthcare at an affordable cost.

Most Americans want choice for women about their own bodies.

Most Americans want waiting periods to buy guns. Also, for convicted violent felons, potential terrorists and domestic violence offenders to be denied the ability to purchase a gun at all.

Most Americans want to stop lobbying.

Most Americans want Citizens United gone, gerrymandering fixed and campaign finance reform.

Why doesn’t this happen? Because we, the people, have lost our ability to vote out any poorly performing representative. We have to keep a careful balance of democrat and republican because ethics have gone by the wayside, democratic controls have been eroded and we can’t risk upsetting the precarious apple cart. And they know we will not vote them out, so they don’t have to bother with what we want.

We Need Brave Congresspeople

The issues listed above would greatly improve the lives of all Americans, not just the top 20%. If we want these issues to become a reality, we must put consistent and intense pressure on the most likely representatives and senators willing to enact this legislation. Look for organizations like the ACLU, the League of Women Voters and others specific to these issues to support in this endeavor. Send emails and make phone calls regularly to those congresspeople you think will listen and keep talking about the top three ways to support democratic principles – Citizens United, Gerrymandering, Campaign Finance Reform.

Together we are much stronger than any corporation. We must only believe it. Act on it.

Becoming What You Want America to Become

What do you wish was happening in America right now? How do you want Americans to handle the conflicts and disagreements that will surely continue to arise? Are you waiting for the world to change? Waiting for the world to change to make you feel safe? How can the world be different if you are not different?

If this country needs critical thinking, are you a critical thinker? If this country needs understanding, are you listening and understanding those you find hard to comprehend? If this country needs love, are you loving your neighbor?

You have a unique gift. You have a part. Are you exploring what that might be? Are you acting on what you know is the right thing? It’s not the same for everyone. It’s not necessarily public or loud. But it is in there. Take some quiet time. Listen. Move with the mystery that makes mountains rise up, that causes flowers to bloom and tears of compassion and joy to flow for our fellow human.

Your life is the greatest gift you can offer the world. In reality, it’s all you have to give. How  might you live to encourage the expression of your gift? This is what America is about, becoming who you are, freedom to discover and be, who you are. The American dream is about opportunity, no matter from where you come. It’s about innovation, creativity and the environment to explore all you can be.

Live the American dream. Be the change America needs.

How to Move America Forward

Easy as apple pie. A no brainer. It’s a simple action we all can take. It takes some willingness to do some google research, reading some political platforms and watching carefully if your representatives are voting in a way that matches the promises.  Know what you want and hold your representatives to that standard. Talk. To. Your. Neighbors. Talk to people in other districts, respectfully and with a willingness to hear how others see issues. Have a conversation.

This change of focus is 180 degrees. A focus away from helplessness and giving our power to others, to one of hope and action, turning toward what is good, what is valued, what is right. Every look back into history shows that eventually good overcomes destruction. In this time of human evolution, we are looking to overcome the insidious dysfunction that may lead to an impending destruction of democracies here and around the world. The dysfunction is in how we talk to each other, how we see each other, how we fall for anything that matches our world view. We need to open our minds, talk to each other and find common ground in our common values.

The nervousness in this country is from a deep knowing that potential evil is loose and an abiding uncertainty we are unable to stop it. Good news, we can stop it. Its what Americans are made of, its what we love best, when good finds its power to keep the world safe. Every blockbuster Hollywood film has this as its theme, the heroine always wins. We can win too.

We have been hoping our representatives had it under control. We thought they could find a way through the gridlock to get something done. Never happened. We can march, protest and make calls until the cows come home, and that is an important part of the process, but the action that will make lasting change is the one that lets your representative know what you want and to see results in congressional actions, to talk to others, broaden the discussion to create solutions.

Values. Morals. Ethics. This is the focus that can bring us together. All people have the same needs and wants, the same desire for clean air, water, food, education, access to healthcare and appropriately used taxes. The question is how to go about accomplishing those goals, finding the balance between unwieldy government overreach, protection of the disenfranchised and protection of the populace from unethical practices.

As I say over and over again, this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. There is a lens from which to find candidates, people that will work together with the opposite party to find solutions based in common values. Remember that solutions are not a one shot deal. It is a process that grows and changes as the country and its people grow and change.

Trump policies could also be the focus that brings various groups together and that is already happening. Find, encourage and vote for candidates that will work as Senator Warren or Senator McCain or any other politicians who want to work for the common good of this country together. That is the lens that will save us all.

Biggest Fake News of All

The one thing that will bring this country down is not Republicans, not Democrats, not power mongers, not CNN or Fox News. The one thing that will make it all fall apart is believing the House of the US of A, is deeply divided.  Too many Americans falling for this lie forced upon us by the storytellers who need the division to keep the story going.

We hear all day, every day about the deep divide, the hatred, the troubles between political parties, friends and family. The racial abyss that can never be crossed. The liberal agenda, the conservative plan to destroy this country. This is the biggest lie ever perpetrated on the American people.

I know, you think I’m nuts. How can I not see what destruction the other guy is trying to wreak in our lives? Actually, the “other guy” is mostly a sought out event uncovered by “journalists” looking for anything ranging from minimal disruptions to horrific devastations. And they can find them every day, but these events are not representative of this nation. Read that again. If it were true, you would see much more about this, close to home and in your own life.

How many people do you think have had your credit card? Thousands? Every time you paid for something, someone had your credit card information.  How many of them stole your identity? For most of us none and for some of those that have it stolen, it was their very own family or friend. This sort of activity is the exception, not the rule. But the media needs you worried, afraid and tuning in to make sure you stay up on all they ways you could be taken out. Your fear and anxiety get you to click and they make money.

You are falling for a media trick even the media has forgotten they are perpetrating on the country. At least I hope they have because otherwise, they are the most despicable of all. I think the media believes they are doing what is right to expose and “inform” but much of the media machine is about generating fear and divisiveness so you’ll keep tuning in.

I’ve written about this before, the turning of the news broadcast from a series of educational facts and events meant to inform about our world, to a money making venture that required large numbers of viewers. What is the result? Fires, wrecks and stories that pit one person against another, often David and Goliath stories where the little guy wins. Stories of corruption and devastation. Luckily, these stories are far and few between. Unfortunately, media then must exaggerate and embellish and talk about whatever story they can, for as long as they can, with whatever “expert” or talking head they can find.

Eventually, Americans become immune, because we can’t take it over and over again. So the media ramps it up, gives emotions to politicians, makes guesses as to what peoples’ intentions are, and suggests scandals at every opportunity.  This has led to the conspiracy theory boom in recent years.  The National Enquirer was a rag we laughed at when we found a copy in Aunt Mildred’s bathroom with hyped conspiracy theories we all knew were too bizarre to be believed.

We all knew no one was crazy enough to believe that garbage… but hmmm… now it seems we’ve got plenty of folks who do. Why? Because it’s become mundane just like the rest of the the “news”. It seems normal. Because media of all kinds portrays it that way.

So glad you read this far, because there is good news. The vast majority of people are good, maybe misinformed, maybe misunderstood (including you and me) but ultimately just want to get along and be safe. The antidote is to actually get to know your neighbor, to relax, breathe and begin to look around at what is in your neighborhood you need to understand better.

Be careful of the biggest lie of all – that we can’t get along – that we can’t understand one another – that we don’t have common goals – because guess what, we do.

Have You Heard About the Left’s Hatred?

It’s widely reported by conservatives who make this stuff up all the time, so, it must be true, yes? Have to keep that divide going or maybe we’ll find a way to talk to each other. And the right is full of hate as well. Everyone hates everyone.

But what if we found we didn’t hate each other? What if it turns out it’s not true? Hate is a big word. An inflammatory word. There may be a small part of the population that is in full hatred mode, but I don’t think it is the majority of folks.

What if we didn’t fall for that characterization?? Believe it without question?

Then, oh-the-horror to politicians that need the divide, maybe we’ll find a way to get along. Maybe we’ll figure out what we want in common.

Then! Maybe we won’t need politicians who look for ways to make themselves and other rich people richer as the main goal in serving this country.

THEN We might boot them out of office.

THEN!! We vote in folks who want to fix problems, not just be right, or in control, or force their narrow agenda. The world might become a better place…

I vote for that.     Literally…  I vote for that.

Change in the Air

There’s something afoot. The wind is rising from a new corner. A fresh air is coming through from parts unknown. Allow yourself to slow down, settle, listen. It is not strident, yelling, worried or fearful. There is a peacefulness surrounding you, in you, always ever present, speaking in soft tones of hope and renewal.

When difficult times rear up, the answer arises as well. An opposite but not equal response. A more powerful riposte speaking through stillness, creativity and an innovation never known before, but obvious in its brilliance.

You have a part in this. Still yourself and open to the space where time and place don’t exist. Lean against a tree, feel the wisdom of the roots deep in the earth and the branches drawing in the light. Allow yourself to set aside everyday thinking tuning to natures steady rhythm of fall and rise, and her persistent cycling in and out of dark to light.

What if? What if there is an answer? What if the answer is different than anything we have thought of before? What if the answer goes against convention? What if we take a new path? What tickles at you? What ideas come to you about how the world might respond to our latest crisis? You can hear the whispers, if you take some time to tune in.

It may be a meditation or prayer you add to the fabric of humanity at the break of dawn or the setting of the sun. It may be listening carefully to those who seem opposite you, looking for connection. It may be action you take in your neighborhood, learning about how to solve hard problems. It may be an act of generosity. It may be in a school, a church, a temple, a campaign or a homeless shelter.

Today is about rising up. A phoenix from the ashes. A joy the world has not known, but is ready to embrace, is at your fingertips and will come from your very hands, head and heart.

Breathe

Listen with an open mind

Rise, bring your energy to the world with love and care

All hands on deck. Everyone turn to. This is a group effort. Survival of the fittest group. Rise up and shine. Lift up and rejoice.

You Are. I Am. We Are. One