Living in the Moment

A day-at-a-time relationship with life acts as a deterrent to the scarcity principle that threatens my psyche.

The scarcity principle sees life as holding a limited amount of satisfying objects or experiences, and if one does not gobble them all down the same year, or stuff them into three weeks of living, they will be gone.

The day-at-a-time way of living sees that one cannot be in two places at once or do everything there is to do.

Setting priorities or doing only the amount of activity that is comfortable has no bearing on what will be available to me in the future.

All it really means is that by the time the future comes, I will be able to be in it in the same way I am in the moment, and that I will not have burnt myself out with anxiety and worry.

Living a day at a time is the only way I can enjoy what lies around me, what I already have.

The desire for imaginary benefits often involves the loss of present blessings ~ Aesop

Hundredth Monkey Effect

The Hundredth Monkey Effect is a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached.

By generalization it means the instantaneous, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability.

The story behind this supposed phenomenon originated with Lawrence Blair and Lyall Watson in the mid-to-late 1970s, who claimed that it was the observation of Japanese scientists.

The story of the hundredth monkey effect was published in the foreword to Lawrence Blair's Rhythms of Vision in 1975. The claim spread with the appearance of Lifetide, a 1979 book by Lyall Watson. In it, Watson repeats Blair's claim. The authors describe similar scenarios.

They state that unidentified scientists were conducting a study of macaques monkeys on the Japanese island of Koshima in 1952.

These scientists purportedly observed that some of these monkeys learned to wash sweet potatoes, and gradually this new behavior spread through the younger generation of monkeys—in the usual fashion, through observation and repetition. Watson then claimed that the researchers observed that once a critical number of monkeys was reached—the so-called hundredth monkey—this previously learned behavior instantly spread across the water to monkeys on nearby islands.

This story was further popularized by Ken Keyes, Jr. with the publication of his book The Hundredth Monkey. Keyes' book was about the devastating effects of nuclear war on the planet. Keyes presented the hundredth monkey effect story as an inspirational parable, applying it to human society and the effecting of positive change.

Since then, the story has become widely accepted as fact and even appears in books written by some educators.

Unity in Diversity

I recognize the soul in others. I look past the superficial qualities that seem to separate us.

Though we are different on the surface, in education, looks, position and power, one thing within each of us is the same - our humanness.

Some are more in touch with this than others.

Those who are better humans perhaps are more fully aware of their own divine natures.

And perhaps once they become expanded in thier awareness, their life announces its' purpose through clarity.

These vehicles of body and mind are what we were given to search out our own lessons and to grow through life.

I will be a better human today through being a better soul.

I look past the surface.

Understanding

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. ~ Albert Einstein

In light of the recent reports on the killing of Osama Bin Laden I find myself bewildered and surprised at the showy outcome.

It sadens me greatly to see the shocking display of our fellow man rise up in cheers when another is slain?

I am not a supporter of war or terrorism, I am from Canada and am very proud and humbled to live in a free nation, but I feel that if we really took the time and understood one another, and what makes each and every one of us tick, then we could never really hate each another.

I truly believe that understanding is the key to relationship and love.

When Albert Einstein said that peace cannot be kept by force, he affirmed what many people around the world came to realize in their relationship with Iraq.

Yes, the USA felt they needed to remove the "tyrant", and yes the USA felt they needed to remove the governmental dictatorship, but peace can only be achieved by and through the understanding of the mind and culture of an these ancient people.

As I write, the tensions in Iraq have not been resolved.

As with countries, so with people; peace can only be achieved by respect that is based on understanding.

Understanding and respect are key steps in our dance of life.

What Could Be So Important?

Make not treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break in and steal. Find your treasures in heaven. Wherever a man’s treasures are, there will be his heart. ~ Jesus Christ

After working through a stressful day yesterday, today I retreat to do a bit of soul searching; as a friend of mine suggests.

I am grateful to have friends that are true to themselves, who give freely selfless advice, thier words free flowing with encouragement. 

My stressful decision reminds me of the following story, a story of peace and how stress surfaces without it.

"When I travel, I carry a black briefcase that contains all of my important materials, including a computer, airline tickets, checks I have received, and an address book. Because these items are so vital, I keep the briefcase with me almost all the time.

Before delivering a lecture one evening, I set the briefcase down next to the stage, and when I looked for it after the talk, it was not there. Suddenly my heart seemed to skip a beat, and I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. My fear that the satchel had been stolen was almost debilitating.

When I asked the lecture sponsor if she had seen the briefcase, she answered, “Oh, yes, I put it in my office for safekeeping.”

While I was relieved that the briefcase was safe, I could not help but notice how I had tied my peace to it. I asked myself, “What in that briefcase could be so important that I would lose the peace of God with it?” I wondered how much the anxiety over protecting the property had cost me in the long run. It was a poor trade."

What you possess, possesses you.

Whenever we value a thing more than happiness, we pay a dear price.

Things can be replaced, but peace cannot.

Is there anything you value so much that you would lose your happiness if you lost it?

Have your succumbed to worshiping at the altar of fear rather than the citadel of trust?

What is your black briefcase?

The Sufis suggest, “Do not value anything that could be washed overboard from a ship.”

When we remember we are here to love, all else becomes secondary.

First-Class Flying

Above all things, reverence yourself. ~ Pythagoras

The movie Defending Your Life suggests that when we leave this world we review the experiences in which we succumbed to fear rather than choosing love.

As the character Daniel reviews his life, he realizes that he consistently denied his own good, until the following event:

After a devastating divorce, Daniel was left with a small amount of money and an airline ticket for a vacation in the Orient.

When Daniel arrived at the ticket counter for his pleasure outing, the agent told him, "You have seat 38B."

"Does that mean I’ll be sitting in the back of the plane between two other people for ten hours?" he asked.

"I’m sorry, sir, there are no other seats available."

"How about in first class?"

"There is one first-class seat left; to upgrade will cost an additional $3,000."

Daniel deliberated for a moment, then exclaimed, "I’ll take it!"

Do you love yourself enough to give yourself what would make you happy?

Can you trust that your happiness will not take away from another’s good, but will only add to the sum total of joy in the universe?

Asking for what you want is not selfish; it is your responsibility.

The more you honor yourself with beauty, play, and joy, the greater will be your capacity to love and serve others.

I accept the best that life has to offer.