So elusive is presence.
A precious gift when realized.
To be here, to be alive - the breath you take,
Oh what a blessing,
The gift of life.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
No more worries!
How do you spend the time between now and manifestation?
Regardless of the situation, there are times you pray that a miracle or divine intervention occurs to change or manifest an outcome you desire. So it may be to sell your house, get a new job, have children or in my case that a loved one will recover from illness. In this state of mind you are praying for a miracle. Between the conception of your request to the heavens and the outcome, be it your desired outcome or not, how do you spend your time “waiting”?
My thought is to spend it in a positive space. Because the outcome will occur regardless of whether you pray once a day or 27 times a day, whether you spend it worrying or laughing, it will occur. So I think it is important to focus on keeping a positive frame of mind - worrying or feeling depressed adds no value to the outcome.
I know this but I am slowly learning that worrying about a situation has no value. Worry does not enhance the outcome of your situation – for instance - if you are afraid that you wont get another job when jobs are hard to come by, the extra feeling of worry does not assist in ensuring that you get a job! Make sense? The point is, between the time you are asking of divine intervention and the time of manifestation, a positive attitude is more useful to you than a worrying, or sad one.
Easier said than done? Yes, but don’t try, just do. Pray about it then move on with your next daily activity, wash the dishes and try to appreciate that you are able to accomplish that etc… small wins – the goal is not achieve world peace but to be a part of the manifestation of subtle but big things. Each positive step is a move in the right direction, regardless of the outcome.
In silence, in love, in stillness, peace resides.
Regardless of the situation, there are times you pray that a miracle or divine intervention occurs to change or manifest an outcome you desire. So it may be to sell your house, get a new job, have children or in my case that a loved one will recover from illness. In this state of mind you are praying for a miracle. Between the conception of your request to the heavens and the outcome, be it your desired outcome or not, how do you spend your time “waiting”?
My thought is to spend it in a positive space. Because the outcome will occur regardless of whether you pray once a day or 27 times a day, whether you spend it worrying or laughing, it will occur. So I think it is important to focus on keeping a positive frame of mind - worrying or feeling depressed adds no value to the outcome.
I know this but I am slowly learning that worrying about a situation has no value. Worry does not enhance the outcome of your situation – for instance - if you are afraid that you wont get another job when jobs are hard to come by, the extra feeling of worry does not assist in ensuring that you get a job! Make sense? The point is, between the time you are asking of divine intervention and the time of manifestation, a positive attitude is more useful to you than a worrying, or sad one.
Easier said than done? Yes, but don’t try, just do. Pray about it then move on with your next daily activity, wash the dishes and try to appreciate that you are able to accomplish that etc… small wins – the goal is not achieve world peace but to be a part of the manifestation of subtle but big things. Each positive step is a move in the right direction, regardless of the outcome.
In silence, in love, in stillness, peace resides.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Gratitude in Retrospect
When I was 16, I had the fortune in being in some play as a lead actor - the unfortunate thing is that I cannot remember for the life of me what the play was about however it turned out to be a huge success. So much for that! LOL! But I remember that my father came to every play and each time I would deliver a joke or great performance he would stand up and clap/cheer loudly - the teenager in me was so embarrassed but in retrospect that is now a very dear memory to me because, it didn't matter to anyone else, but to my father I was a super star! May seem irrelevant but now I realize because of his pride in me I gained a level of confidence that has carried me through since his passing... and that... my friends... is priceless! Peace and blessings.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wangari Mathaai
It is with sadness that the world learned of Wangari Mathai's Passing.
Her legacy:
The enviorinment, womens rights, social justice among others.
She made our continent proud as the First African Woman to win a Nobel Prize. In her honor, I suggest that for every celebration in your life, plant a tree. Plant a tree when you graduate, get a promotion, have you first child etc. Honor these wonderful occasions by planting a tree - Thats what Wangari would do. In fact, when she learned she had won the Nobel Peace Price, she went out and planted a tree. It is so special to plant a tree because it is always there to remind you of these wonderful experiences we have had on earth.
Thank you Wangari, thank you.
http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/
Her legacy:
The enviorinment, womens rights, social justice among others.
She made our continent proud as the First African Woman to win a Nobel Prize. In her honor, I suggest that for every celebration in your life, plant a tree. Plant a tree when you graduate, get a promotion, have you first child etc. Honor these wonderful occasions by planting a tree - Thats what Wangari would do. In fact, when she learned she had won the Nobel Peace Price, she went out and planted a tree. It is so special to plant a tree because it is always there to remind you of these wonderful experiences we have had on earth.
Thank you Wangari, thank you.
http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What a waste of time…
What a waste of time listening to the loads of speculation in my mind. Don’t believe everything you think! The mind is a wonderful thing - it can roam free and allow you to explore any possibilities you desire. Everything you see began with a thought. First somebody thought about it and then made it happen. So yes, the mind is awesome! But, as with any freedom comes responsibility(Viktor Frankl). We must be responsible for our thoughts and what we allow to roam into our minds. So a friend or loved one upset you and you argued and you felt bad etc. Two months later, there you are, consumed in your thoughts, populating and justifying your point of view. In some cases you are trying to make sense of the situation but then you get caught up in the emotion that they invoked within you and you begin to travel down the senseless load of speculation… “you know what, that woman is just a..” It is a waste of time however. The only person you have control over and can truly understand is yourself - you only know you, and you will never be able to enter somebody else's mind to get answers and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Its easier said than done, but you must make the effort to let go of these time wasting thoughts so that you can enjoy your life in the present moment. We have one life and it is here and now. Now is the most important moment – not tomorrow, or next week at graduation or when you win the lottery one day… its now. Cause guess what, all those things will 1. Come and go 2. Occur in the present moment – life doesn’t have tivo, you can't fast forward to next week then return to now. We only have now and its beautiful - and when we are consumed with such time wasting thoughts, they rob us from now. Peace and blessings.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Want to do charity in Africa?
The biggest mistake many of my good hearted friends who would like to do charity in Africa make is making assumptions. These assumptions are of perspectives based on their own realities and almost absolutely independent of the community they work in or want to work in. Here are a few tips:
One: Poverty is relative – Just because I live in a mud hut does not mean I am poor. My ancestors lived in mud huts for centuries and they are just fine. The building materials are friendly to the environment, I use less and waste less. If you want to help me, help me because I asked, not because you decided I have problems. If you come to my village you will not find me crying wallowing in my poverty. In fact you will probably find me doing what I do – providing for my family the best I can. I am not on anti-depressants and I can assure you that there are people like me from wherever you came from – struggling to do this thing called life.
Two: Ask yourself truly what you are going to do in Africa. What is the goodwill you seek to do motivated by? Is it because your friends will think highly of you? Is it because you think that the people you are going to “help” need you? If that is the case, save you thousands of dollars for a plane ticket and volunteer at your local shelter, Samaritans Purse, Goodwill or whomever is working in your own community. Chances are you will understand the needs of your own home better than you will in foreign lands. If you just want to help elsewhere because you have the capacity then surround yourself with honest people who can help you understand the culture of the place you are going to. Understand the needs gap and then empower. Do not give hand outs – otherwise you're no different from the arrogant self serving idiot that thinks they can solve systemic problems that you can’t understand over a limited period of time.
Three: Don’t be a part of the problem – there is a saying – the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Without understanding the people you hope to serve, your efforts can end up detrimental to any progress towards the growth of these communities. Community growth and development has to occur organically with real lasting solutions. Yes, some of it is trial and error but you must be careful when dealing with human beings. We hear of several stories where donations have been pocketed by corrupt individuals never reaching or benefiting the grass root level.
Four: Be careful of your own self. This goes back a little to tip number two. Every human being sees the world through their own eyes built on their own personal, cultural and social experiences. It is not common to find a pet sleeping in their owner’s bed in an average African household because it is considered an animal and animals live outside – this may be viewed differently in some parts of the western world where sometimes there is a human like affection towards pets and pets are considered to be family members. This is just a small example where if one were to come into a foreign community with their own conceptions, the opinions would be inaccurately influenced.
Five: The media over the last 30 years has done a tremendous job of painting Africa as a hopeless, disease infested continent. When you go there you will find that there is everything – probably the largest resource of precious minerals in the world, skyscrapers, town and cities, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, night clubs, shopping malls, wild life, beaches… All colors of people black, white, mixed race, Asian heritage… All sorts of livelihoods, marketers, engineers, business people.. all sorts of institutions, universities, schools, libraries, a rich culture of art BUT that is not what mainstream media focuses on. So when you arrive on the continent and are fixated on that media perception, you interpretation can go two ways – positively or negatively. It is therefore important especially to us to appreciate the continent and its vast diversity and beauty and furthermore acknowledge it, because then, we will welcome you. We will not want to welcome you if it appears that you look down on us. We don’t need that and hence some of us are weary of foreigners. It is our nature to welcome strangers as we would our own and that’s how we got colonized.
So my good hearted friends that like to do charity in Africa – ask yourselves why? If you can answer honestly then bear in mind these few tips. Learn learn learn about the charity work currently going on and figure out whether you fit in that puzzle. If you are honest and realize that you are driven by an egoist need then just take a vacation in Africa – you will still be helping by promoting the tourism industry which provides jobs and livelihoods for many of our people, it is one of the largest income generating avenues for many African countries – you will have a good time and we will welcome you back happily every time.
One: Poverty is relative – Just because I live in a mud hut does not mean I am poor. My ancestors lived in mud huts for centuries and they are just fine. The building materials are friendly to the environment, I use less and waste less. If you want to help me, help me because I asked, not because you decided I have problems. If you come to my village you will not find me crying wallowing in my poverty. In fact you will probably find me doing what I do – providing for my family the best I can. I am not on anti-depressants and I can assure you that there are people like me from wherever you came from – struggling to do this thing called life.
Two: Ask yourself truly what you are going to do in Africa. What is the goodwill you seek to do motivated by? Is it because your friends will think highly of you? Is it because you think that the people you are going to “help” need you? If that is the case, save you thousands of dollars for a plane ticket and volunteer at your local shelter, Samaritans Purse, Goodwill or whomever is working in your own community. Chances are you will understand the needs of your own home better than you will in foreign lands. If you just want to help elsewhere because you have the capacity then surround yourself with honest people who can help you understand the culture of the place you are going to. Understand the needs gap and then empower. Do not give hand outs – otherwise you're no different from the arrogant self serving idiot that thinks they can solve systemic problems that you can’t understand over a limited period of time.
Three: Don’t be a part of the problem – there is a saying – the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Without understanding the people you hope to serve, your efforts can end up detrimental to any progress towards the growth of these communities. Community growth and development has to occur organically with real lasting solutions. Yes, some of it is trial and error but you must be careful when dealing with human beings. We hear of several stories where donations have been pocketed by corrupt individuals never reaching or benefiting the grass root level.
Four: Be careful of your own self. This goes back a little to tip number two. Every human being sees the world through their own eyes built on their own personal, cultural and social experiences. It is not common to find a pet sleeping in their owner’s bed in an average African household because it is considered an animal and animals live outside – this may be viewed differently in some parts of the western world where sometimes there is a human like affection towards pets and pets are considered to be family members. This is just a small example where if one were to come into a foreign community with their own conceptions, the opinions would be inaccurately influenced.
Five: The media over the last 30 years has done a tremendous job of painting Africa as a hopeless, disease infested continent. When you go there you will find that there is everything – probably the largest resource of precious minerals in the world, skyscrapers, town and cities, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, night clubs, shopping malls, wild life, beaches… All colors of people black, white, mixed race, Asian heritage… All sorts of livelihoods, marketers, engineers, business people.. all sorts of institutions, universities, schools, libraries, a rich culture of art BUT that is not what mainstream media focuses on. So when you arrive on the continent and are fixated on that media perception, you interpretation can go two ways – positively or negatively. It is therefore important especially to us to appreciate the continent and its vast diversity and beauty and furthermore acknowledge it, because then, we will welcome you. We will not want to welcome you if it appears that you look down on us. We don’t need that and hence some of us are weary of foreigners. It is our nature to welcome strangers as we would our own and that’s how we got colonized.
So my good hearted friends that like to do charity in Africa – ask yourselves why? If you can answer honestly then bear in mind these few tips. Learn learn learn about the charity work currently going on and figure out whether you fit in that puzzle. If you are honest and realize that you are driven by an egoist need then just take a vacation in Africa – you will still be helping by promoting the tourism industry which provides jobs and livelihoods for many of our people, it is one of the largest income generating avenues for many African countries – you will have a good time and we will welcome you back happily every time.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Passion
Today was an interesting day. I thought I would dash to the gas station and get fueled up for the next day and then get back home and relax but that was not how it happened. You see, life is interesting – I had envisioned my evening in front of the telly having dinner and later take a walk outside but I spent most of the evening at the gas station trying to get my car to start. Now the irony is that I got home from work, then left to go across the road for gas with hopes of getting back in 5 minutes. If I had not moved, I guess I would have found out the next morning that the car was out of order and I would have had a crummy morning.
I digress however… this story is about a 16 year old two weeks shy of graduating from high school. He works at the convenience store and is always so kind to me. I must describe him – he is about 5ft 6 Inches, red head, pale with a ton of freckles. He has a punk rock hair cut (I would say) - it’s probably the latest fashion right now for kids his age… After getting gas, I tried to start my car but it just wouldn’t cooperate.
Now, I knew nothing about this young boy except that he worked at the gas station. When he saw that I was having car trouble, he came out and began helping me investigate the car problem. He took apart the battery terminals as well as the connections, cleaned them out and did a number of other things to try and get it to start. I could tell that he clearly knew what he was doing so I asked him where he learned to do all this. He said it was his hobby and furthermore, his own car, which at this point was pulled up to my car for a jump start - was a re-modified creation of his own. The child blew my mind. As we kept talking I couldn’t help but notice his speech impediment – I later found out that he would be graduating from a private school that I think serves children who have different academic needs.
This is the thing that I learnt from my young friend – if you are passionate about something just do it! You must be the number advocate for your talent - the Number one believer. Don't wait around for someone to push you or the magical signal from the winds(i.e. whatever is making you procrastinate). If you are a good writer, singer, shoe sales man, just do it because your talent is a gift to the world and in turn a shift to manifesting your reason for being here on earth. This boy knew his cars and knew them really well. I hope that he becomes a super car engineer or whatever the highest ranking position in the car world is – scratch that, I hope that he fulfils his heart’s desire in whatever work his talent will lead him.
So, I am passionate about writing - I got my butt of the couch and wrote this piece recognizing that it is important to do what you are passionate about – in this context, it will surely do you and us good.
I digress however… this story is about a 16 year old two weeks shy of graduating from high school. He works at the convenience store and is always so kind to me. I must describe him – he is about 5ft 6 Inches, red head, pale with a ton of freckles. He has a punk rock hair cut (I would say) - it’s probably the latest fashion right now for kids his age… After getting gas, I tried to start my car but it just wouldn’t cooperate.
Now, I knew nothing about this young boy except that he worked at the gas station. When he saw that I was having car trouble, he came out and began helping me investigate the car problem. He took apart the battery terminals as well as the connections, cleaned them out and did a number of other things to try and get it to start. I could tell that he clearly knew what he was doing so I asked him where he learned to do all this. He said it was his hobby and furthermore, his own car, which at this point was pulled up to my car for a jump start - was a re-modified creation of his own. The child blew my mind. As we kept talking I couldn’t help but notice his speech impediment – I later found out that he would be graduating from a private school that I think serves children who have different academic needs.
This is the thing that I learnt from my young friend – if you are passionate about something just do it! You must be the number advocate for your talent - the Number one believer. Don't wait around for someone to push you or the magical signal from the winds(i.e. whatever is making you procrastinate). If you are a good writer, singer, shoe sales man, just do it because your talent is a gift to the world and in turn a shift to manifesting your reason for being here on earth. This boy knew his cars and knew them really well. I hope that he becomes a super car engineer or whatever the highest ranking position in the car world is – scratch that, I hope that he fulfils his heart’s desire in whatever work his talent will lead him.
So, I am passionate about writing - I got my butt of the couch and wrote this piece recognizing that it is important to do what you are passionate about – in this context, it will surely do you and us good.
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