I recently came upon a major accident on a city street. This was more serious than most; the head of the scooter driver had struck the window of the car, which had subsequently shattered. He lay prostrate, unconscious, on the road, as the emergency personnel attended to him. The scene seemed to pass in slow motion with no one unduly panicked or concerned. They were efficiently doing their job.
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How do I stay positive in a negative world?
This is the modern day dilemma, I posit, for every thinking human being. We are smothered in waves of negativity. How do I live that positive life we hear so much about? It is to be noted that there is no optimistic or cynical reality. Life is what it is — a series of incidents unfolding in time. What is true, however, is that I fully “color” my consciousness. What I see is. My worldview is the net sum of me.
閱讀全文 How do I stay positive in a negative world?
Create a colorful life
The pandemic has seriously limited our opportunity to interact with others. Life has lost its color! The interplay provided by the computer screen is simply not enough. I have often heard this complaint touted. An endless cycle in human history: intense periods of joy and excitement — or, perhaps, pain and suffering — and then nothing, a type of societal fatigue. It is a concomitant period after wars, plagues, or environmental catastrophes. (1) The danger is that a type of human cancer can creep into this pause — this lack of direction in history — as we saw in Germany after World War One and in Russia after the Russian Revolution. (2)
These were external factors, however, to the average individual. “I was swept up in the tide of history,” to paraphrase Brutus. (3) This is no longer the case. Now, that we have the ultimate in human connectivity, the Internet, we can no longer blame our boredom on elements outside our authority. “My reality is my fault” rings hollow, but it is the truth. We experience ennui because the collective we, as individuals, cannot naturally stimulate our consciousness into a state of joy. This requires effort and thought — prayer and mindfulness. It demands critical thinking.
Many do not want to undertake this self-study, unfortunately. To avoid this introspective work, we are altering our perception of reality with more drugs and alcohol than ever before. (4) We cannot take the stress — poor babies! The healthiest and wealthiest population in human history, living in the best of times, and we are bored. (5) It would be funny and ironic if it wasn’t tragic. An over abundance of data has brought us to a state of mental overload. I can, for example, have hundreds of channels on my television. (6)
So, what can I do to return color to my life? I must get to work! Initially, I must stop and truly believe that I am in control of my reality, the world that I occupy. It is not mentally further than my jurisdiction. In turn, becoming more observant of the physical world is a requirement: its flora, fauna and human beings. Life is extremely interesting. We just need to stand back and use our curiosity. It begins with a quiet walk in a park or a stroll in the mountains. Many venerable sages suggest taking our shoes off if possible and feeling the ground or the grass. When we do this, two things come to the forefront: connectivity, my appreciation of time and my place in it; and secondly, the realization that I am in charge of my gift of imagination — I am only limited by my own power to dream. Then, color will flood into my life. The philosopher, writer and conservationist, Ralph Waldo Emerson,(7) leaves us with a thought : Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.
A closing thought: We are subjected to so much noise that it is hard to find peace and the time to reflect. But to grow, we have no choice. Jim Kwik (8) tells us to not look at our phone for the first two hours of every day. Use this time to exercise, meditate and write in your notebook: increase the connectivity with your self. The alternative is the blankness you see emanating from most people. I am sure this is not want you want. But sadly, only I can start my journey. I must begin individually if I want to help the people that I love collectively.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about adding color to our life and encouraging others to be positive, as well.
To be noted: From Edvard Munch (9) — To be a painter, one must work with rays of light
Just for fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypJDXayM5FM
For reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jremlZvNDuk&ab_channel=BigThink
This week, on your reflective walk, please ponder how you can bring color into your life.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Don’t be a wage slave – critical thinking is great!
Quote: I am a novel only needing to be opened and read.
Footnotes:
1) Rebuilding the world after the second world war
2) Chaos In The Aftermath Of World War One: The German Revolution: 1918-1919
3) Julius Caesar RSC Theatre Production [FULL PLAY]
4) U.S. death rates from suicides, alcohol and drug overdoses reach all-time high
5) Proof that life is getting better for humanity, in 5 charts
7) LITERATURE – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am a disappointment to my parents
I was a disappointment to my parents, my father more specifically. This changed when I was much, much older, but it took a long time. I grew up in an isolated village just after World War II. The era was still heavy with the suffering and responsibility of the previous epoch. The war years had infused the time with a fear of the future, a fear of the unknown. The worldwide conflict had brought so many “firsts” forward: first in military aggression, first in physical destruction, and first in incomprehensible immorality, to name but a few. (1)
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I have my own path
Many parents try to direct their children onto a given life path. This is usually not done out of family vanity or societal positioning. It is done out of safety or, as I like to think, out of fear for their offspring’s well-being. It is an understood fact that the majority of modern human beings have no goals whatsoever. (1) Parents feel that it is incumbent on them to aspire to do something in this regard. The attempt, rather sadly, is usually pointless because I must discover my own path.
閱讀全文 I have my own path