Why Conflict Starts and How to End It

"Conflict always comes down to defending a shaky sense of self" according to ZEN teacher Norman Fischer. Norman did not write the book, he is just reiterating what was discovered centuries ago.  That's all any of us who claim to have wisdom have discovered.  We are NOT the originators of these "NEW FOUND" truths.  The understanding of life has been the goal of humans since the beginning of human life. At some point we ask, "What is life?" and "Why am I here?"

Some of us choose to find the answers and try to practice these because so far our way is not bringing the peace and prosperity we desire.  Once we figure this out we don't have these answers because we are not living the peace and prosperity we desire we need new information.  We study to bring our peace into focus.  Once inner peace is approaching, the conflict with others not on the same inner path, begins.

Back to conflict. As long as there is an "I" and you are an "I" there is a division. Difficult people are hurt all the time.  If you accommodate, they take advantage of you, if you resist it fuels their attack, the biggest trap is to think you can do something, say the right thing, to change them.  You cannot.

Hurt of anyone has to be dealt with inside that person alone.  So the only option we have is to understand their confusion and love them anyway.  This does not mean you have to have them in your life, nor does it mean you have to remove them from your life, it means one of you has to stop fighting, stop resisting. You do not have to grin and bear it, you really are free of it. This takes practice. This is a practice I study daily to keep my chaotic mind in check. It is not always easy, but it is getting easier. I do not always win my peace of mind but I am aware and getting closer every day. The danger of my confused thoughts is the only cause of my fear and pain.

"It takes two to fight, one to stop and walk away. Always walk away from words, only fight to protect the innocent." ~ LMS

The challenge became mine, when I decided to find inner peace. It is easy to be silent in times of conflict because you fear the difficult one. It is easy to get angry and loud. But to be silent and walk away because you love them and know they alone will need to find their own peace.  In your mind peace, the only battlefield you can control in life. This is the life I want. To do this I have to drop the illusion of "I."

Thankful to know this and have found teachers to explain it in a way I can apply to my life now. Yes this resonates with my soul. You decide what is best for you, you know best.

When is Enough, Enough?

Over the years many teachers charge for their courses, it is business, I understand.  But at what point do you have enough money to stop charging when you are teaching the same thing over and over?

To be totally ZEN you would teach like Jesus taught and never charge a cent.  You would walk through this world and let nature take its course.  Some days you would eat and other days you may not.  To live like this it would be much easier not to have a family. All enlightened men and women do not teach of money to achieve inner peace. They teach of believing the universe has your back. The universe in its purest form has no money. This monetary exchange is manmade.

Mother Theresa wanted to help the poor of the world, she needed money in her lifestyle. The Catholic nun knew the Catholic Church was not going to give her the money to do this. History has proved the Vatican is not going to close down that palatial palace for the Pope and his Cardinals to fund the poor she lived among and helped every day of her life. 

So she got smart about money.  One way she made much needed money was to write books. She made over $300 million in her book sales to fund her cause. Her cause to bring food, water, medicine to the poor was an ongoing need, Jesus taught the poor will be with us always.

How much money do you need to fund your lifestyle?  Once you know the lifestyle you want, then the universe will help you afford it. The more you want, the more you will work for it, otherwise you will settle.  You will sit down and say, "This is good enough. Why should I want more? I don't want to do more work."

Today in my blog I'm just putting it out there for us to think about?  What did you want most of all from life?  Do you have it?  Once basic needs are met, how much more do you need?  What will you do with your life once you get that?  When is enough enough for you? Is it okay to want more?

The time and work involved to have more... are you and I willing to give that to have more?

Thankful for all I have now, and intrigued to see where the next decade takes me. 

Animalistic Freedom

Going on a walk today I met a young man riding his skateboard along with his small dog.  The dog was white with a black circle around its left eye, like the dog in Little Rascals.

The dog was running ahead of the man and he was letting the dog go all over the sidewalk as he skated behind, they were having a good time. Happy dog, happy man.  I commented to him with a smile, that the dog looked as if it was taking 'him' on the walk and he replied, "Yes, animalistic freedom instead of me controlling him, makes us both happy."

This walk will work if you have the time.

Thankful for another beautiful day to walk and meet other smiling faces along the way.

Morality and Civilization Is Up to Women

As time goes by and we watch the world, we all eventually realize the differences between men and women.  Men love their rules and crazy dreams to the point of war and this is called politics.  Women bring education and a faith in something good to the humans we raise, it's called home and family.

We need both in moderate amounts to bring peace to this planet and according to the numbers, life on planet earth is getting better.  Steven Pinker wrote a book titled, Enlightenment Now.  He warns against listening to any news channel about the things they want us to worry about each day when in fact if you see real numbers, the  world is less violent than 30 years ago. Technology helps with making life less stressful as long as we can turn it off.

Thankful to see positive concrete numbers supporting what we all know to be true. Life is getting better everyday.

Ayahuasca and DMT

It seems the ayahuasca tea served at the Shaman Peru cleanses is a psychedelic drug from plants in South America.  Too much DMT and you see psychedelic images, too little as in depression and you see black and gray images.  Our body produces this in the center of our physical brain in the pineal gland.  Some say this is the "spiritual" molecule that meshes the natural world or physical world with the spiritual world.  When we are too far off the center evidently that is when problems make us seek medicinal or addictive remedies.

The scientist believe when this molecule can be controlled it may be the answer to alcoholic and drug addictions.  So that is what the people are experiencing down in Peru. A rebirth of getting in touch with nature and self through a plant induced euphoria.  My question is how did the natives in a third world country come to know this plant when made into a tea creates this phenomenon?

Will wonders never cease?  Nature and man always find a way to connect.  The fact that this happens is further proof to me that the universe has our back. After all people are getting healing through this. One scientist that studies DMT and the effect on the brain does not believe in God however after her Ayahuasca tea trip believe the energy of being must go on to another level, she is just not sure where. She now admits she is a "spiritual" person.

Thankful that science is catching up with spirituality in reality.  I believe the two are inseparable, always have but cannot prove it. Others much more educated in the field are beginning to do just that, proving it.

Here is a DMT molecule...

Shaman in Peru

There is a solution that some Americans are finding by visiting a Shaman in Peru.  The first time I heard of it a friend of our daughter's had gone for a month and found through the plant based cleansing she felt renewed, awake like no other time before.

Then I heard of a life coach who is excellent teaching how to overcome the damage of a narcissist in your life, went down there with her brother for 6 weeks.  She and her brother cleansed with these powerful plant based solutions and baths.  They saw hallucinations and received answers from beyond this dimension.

Tonight I saw a Netflix documentary "The Last Shaman."  This young man was severely depressed and he went to Peru for the same kind of ritual healing.  They all received a healing, a rebirth, a new beginning, a new way to look at their life that lightened their spirit and gave hope.

There must be something to this for it is working for them.  A reconnection with nature seems to make them reconnect with feeling in their body.  For many years I have been reconnecting with feelings in my body.  It may be that I disconnected at a young age to survive emotional trauma I experienced growing up in a home that did not give the emotional support I needed as a foundation for living a peaceful life.

In every story I have listened to it involves an extra sensitive child that grew up in a household that focused on success in academics, money, prestige, position, and beauty.  The individual that was not interested in these things was pushed and ultimately became angry for not being listened to.  Each left the family in search of peace to find the only peace we can truly have which is inner peace.

What these dedicated men and women put themselves through to see this, was hard. I guess for them it is a crash course in the University of Life.  I prefer taking life one day at time and learning as I go, which is what I have done.  Would I have gone to Peru for this spiritual cleansing? Maybe, but my life's path did not take me there. What I do know is we all get to the top of the mountain in our own way and time. This is all that matters.

Thankful for inner peace which I cultivate every day.

Laugh Out Loud Fun Evening

I highly recommend seeing comedians that don't use foul language, tell sexual jokes, or focus on politics for a fun time out. There are quite a few but Gary is definitely one of these. Ryan Hamilton is  a newcomer to mainstream America, kind of like Jerry Seinfeld, and Jay Leno. We went to see Gary Gulman at The Comedy Works in Saratoga, NY and it was one rip roaring hearty fun evening.

He was tweaking his new comedy special for HBO and he did a 75 minute bit.  It was wonderful. He is so charming and engaging, a true talent. Funny? Hands down makes fun of himself, his funny thoughts, (we all share at times) and life in the 70s.

Thankful to have a date night out with two great guys, my Sweetheart and Gary Gulman.