If you're insane you continue to live, if you're sane you die. Ironic, isn't it?
But that's what any religion in the world will tell you. We're here to learn our way towards enlightenment, we're here to clean our soul from sin, we're here because we are prone to evil.
... Could it be that everyone in the world is insane?
Then a second question pops up, which is about forgiving. If you've done something really wrong, does it really matter if you knew at the time that it was wrong? Does ignorance excuse our faults? Is killing because you're commanded to do so, less severe then killing because you can? Is lying because you don't want to hurt someone worst than lying because it's just in your nature?
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
… and everything is all a question of Life or Death, except when you stop caring anymore and all the commitments you hold towards what makes daily life a full lived life, become just a series of repetitive facts. We live with our owns or someone else's should's/could's/would’s and that is, for the majority of us, the main focus of our life.
Life "keeps" happening, we have no clue what we're doing on this planet, and the only thing you know for sure is that no one has it easy, just apparently. But we keep chasing the dream of being better, cooler, of being in love or flying free. Why?! ... Well, why not? At least let’s have some fun and excitement, right?! We don’t know what’s on the other side, or even if there’s an other side to this story so, while we can, we could “try” to do the best it’s humanly possible to make the most out of it. That includes jumping over our limits, recognizing our mistakes, raising our voice or quietly and warmly listen to another soul.
WE’RE FREE. We’re free to be, think or feel whatever we want. We’re just not entitled to own and experience all we want, but we can CHOOSE.
We forget we’re free in order to live accordingly with self-imposed standards, but how much do you know yourself? Who's inside your head?
We’re usually good at coping and surviving. We try the best we can not to let our losses keep us back. We focus on music, on a particular book, on a particular place, on a special hug or conversation, on a job promotion, on a new car, house, family, on a crazy experience and thrilling adventure, we travel and we share with our friends our "amazing" findings: yes, the world is round! As a last resource, we focus on breathing!
So, everyday, we're survivors. We CHOOSE life. We ask Why and we reply Why not, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Nietzsche. We even do more than that, we give meaning to our Life, also known as Happiness “a combination of pleasure, engagement and meaningfulness.”
Written somewhere was this idea that we ought live as if we were living already for a second time. Well, why not?
Life "keeps" happening, we have no clue what we're doing on this planet, and the only thing you know for sure is that no one has it easy, just apparently. But we keep chasing the dream of being better, cooler, of being in love or flying free. Why?! ... Well, why not? At least let’s have some fun and excitement, right?! We don’t know what’s on the other side, or even if there’s an other side to this story so, while we can, we could “try” to do the best it’s humanly possible to make the most out of it. That includes jumping over our limits, recognizing our mistakes, raising our voice or quietly and warmly listen to another soul.
WE’RE FREE. We’re free to be, think or feel whatever we want. We’re just not entitled to own and experience all we want, but we can CHOOSE.
We forget we’re free in order to live accordingly with self-imposed standards, but how much do you know yourself? Who's inside your head?
We’re usually good at coping and surviving. We try the best we can not to let our losses keep us back. We focus on music, on a particular book, on a particular place, on a special hug or conversation, on a job promotion, on a new car, house, family, on a crazy experience and thrilling adventure, we travel and we share with our friends our "amazing" findings: yes, the world is round! As a last resource, we focus on breathing!
So, everyday, we're survivors. We CHOOSE life. We ask Why and we reply Why not, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Nietzsche. We even do more than that, we give meaning to our Life, also known as Happiness “a combination of pleasure, engagement and meaningfulness.”
Written somewhere was this idea that we ought live as if we were living already for a second time. Well, why not?
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
"... ninguém é feliz sozinho, porque ninguém vive sozinho. O ser humano é o ser mais mortal no planeta, porque ele sabe que vai morrer, e o problema não é a morte, a morte é um facto, toda a gente morre, mas o valor da nossa vida, que falta vamos fazer? Seremos importantes para alguém? Uma vida pequena é uma vida que é fechada em si mesma. Uma vida grande transborda, vai para além da nossa borda, uma vida repartida. (...) Ser é ser-se percebido. (...) Uma amizade que acaba nunca começou. (...) Só gente desocupada começa alguma coisa... (...) Não seja uma pessoa "morna". Uma pessoa "morna" não faz mais do que é preciso, não dá mais do que é necessário, só ajuda se puder.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Stop the blaming and move on
... I would like to start this post with "F#%... what was I thinking", and of course, the answer is: I wasn't. But wait! I was thinking, subconsciously. It's so hard to see the whole picture, better put, to see the other side of events, like the moon that has one unknown side. It's just easier to point at what's wrong, at what we think it's not fair, name all the things we could have done, because it's just easier to blame ignorance. Well, that's how we learn to strive as kids, blaming the other, something else other than ourselves. If the toy got broken or missing, it was never our fault!!! And when we actually had to admit that maybe there was no one else in the room, well we could still blame randomness!
Very rarely we defend ourselves, our self unknown cause. We don't know exactly why we did it, but we did, and it felt OK, except when the final results came. Maybe at this point you can say that's commonly known has being stupid. Ok, it is being stupid, but that stupidity had meaning. You choose to be stupid.
And it doesn't happen only when we're kids, even as full grown adults we still have the same reaction when things go wrong: "oh it wasn't my fault...!" because, even if there's no one to blame we can still shrunk our shoulders and pity ourselves, therefore, not really owning the blame, and in the same line of though, never owning the solution either. So the point I'm trying to get is that, we are the ones to blame, but we don't have to.
That's why, over and over, the guru's of thought and consciousness repeat the same mantra, be honest with yourself, let go, stop judging, embrace your true self, etc, meaning, yeah, you're "stupid" sometimes but that's all part of it, no need to scrutinize that. Let it be. In that stupidity there might be a meaning for something you're missing out.
Another example of that non-real acceptance of the self. When we get into an elevator and there's a mirror what do we do? If there's someone else inside we turn around and face our back to it, but if you're by yourself, confess it, you just stare at your own reflection and try to look the best you can. But we're shy to do it in front of others, as if it was a sign of weakness or proof of shameful vanity.
Neither. When you're honest about who you are, good or bad, you enjoy your own reflection, even if there's someone also being reflected in that same picture. Things get easier when you're not ashamed of yourself, and for others it's actually a relief to be close to someone real. We all want to look our best, which is the same as saying, we all want to be our best. Watching someone trying is so inspiring, as failing can be too. It's only when we don't take that good look at ourselves and admit our own flaws in front of others, that we go around being shitty.
I wish I could go back and do things differently, I wish I had been awaken to all the open windows in front of me, I wish I had had the courage to take that good look at myself and see it clearly how wrong my actions were. But hey, no blaming, no excuses. Plain simple observation. I wasn't right, I did wrong, I was selfish. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes again, but now I need to step out of this cross and get on with it.
Let's learn to name things exactly as they are and stop pretending. There's always a mirror somewhere for us to look at. "Just" be yourself to know yourself well. Don't waste time blaming. Take note of the mistake, repeat the test again if you can, but if not, move on, lesson learned. As once said "The unexamined life is not worth living." But sorry Socrates, Life itself is so worth living. Take that good look in the mirror, specially if you're not alone, laugh at it, appreciate it, improve, but leave the elevator.
Very rarely we defend ourselves, our self unknown cause. We don't know exactly why we did it, but we did, and it felt OK, except when the final results came. Maybe at this point you can say that's commonly known has being stupid. Ok, it is being stupid, but that stupidity had meaning. You choose to be stupid.
And it doesn't happen only when we're kids, even as full grown adults we still have the same reaction when things go wrong: "oh it wasn't my fault...!" because, even if there's no one to blame we can still shrunk our shoulders and pity ourselves, therefore, not really owning the blame, and in the same line of though, never owning the solution either. So the point I'm trying to get is that, we are the ones to blame, but we don't have to.
That's why, over and over, the guru's of thought and consciousness repeat the same mantra, be honest with yourself, let go, stop judging, embrace your true self, etc, meaning, yeah, you're "stupid" sometimes but that's all part of it, no need to scrutinize that. Let it be. In that stupidity there might be a meaning for something you're missing out.
Another example of that non-real acceptance of the self. When we get into an elevator and there's a mirror what do we do? If there's someone else inside we turn around and face our back to it, but if you're by yourself, confess it, you just stare at your own reflection and try to look the best you can. But we're shy to do it in front of others, as if it was a sign of weakness or proof of shameful vanity.
Neither. When you're honest about who you are, good or bad, you enjoy your own reflection, even if there's someone also being reflected in that same picture. Things get easier when you're not ashamed of yourself, and for others it's actually a relief to be close to someone real. We all want to look our best, which is the same as saying, we all want to be our best. Watching someone trying is so inspiring, as failing can be too. It's only when we don't take that good look at ourselves and admit our own flaws in front of others, that we go around being shitty.
I wish I could go back and do things differently, I wish I had been awaken to all the open windows in front of me, I wish I had had the courage to take that good look at myself and see it clearly how wrong my actions were. But hey, no blaming, no excuses. Plain simple observation. I wasn't right, I did wrong, I was selfish. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes again, but now I need to step out of this cross and get on with it.
Let's learn to name things exactly as they are and stop pretending. There's always a mirror somewhere for us to look at. "Just" be yourself to know yourself well. Don't waste time blaming. Take note of the mistake, repeat the test again if you can, but if not, move on, lesson learned. As once said "The unexamined life is not worth living." But sorry Socrates, Life itself is so worth living. Take that good look in the mirror, specially if you're not alone, laugh at it, appreciate it, improve, but leave the elevator.
unexamined life is not worth living
Friday, August 7, 2015
Thursday, August 6, 2015
... give LOVE that one more chance.
(...)
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?..
'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves"
_
Under Pressure, Queen
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?..
'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves"
_
Under Pressure, Queen
Need a push towards feeling better... here : )
“If you don’t like something, change it.
If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
—
Maya Angelou
“You’ve always had the power …
you just had to learn it for yourself.”
—
Glinda the Good Witch of the North from “The Wizard of Oz
If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
—
Maya Angelou
“You’ve always had the power …
you just had to learn it for yourself.”
—
Glinda the Good Witch of the North from “The Wizard of Oz
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Monday, August 3, 2015
Unlock it
Why do we feel we need to search for ourselves? We're right here...
But we get sad, or we get frustrated or we get indecisive on which way to go and boom, you need a psychologist, you need a Reiki Master, you need a super flirting date... something.
This whole thing of finding your purpose, yourself, your connection, your strength or magnetic field alignment, oh man, it's for heroes only, right? Well, ask someone who has survived something far worst than feeling sad and they will probably tell you a bit about that promised land, where the truth and wholeness are possible. They kind of have found it. But do we need to be throned away against a solid wall to get it? Is that the only way? Why aren't we smarter about being?
Well, maybe we don't talk much about it when we're growing up, and later in Life, we don't want to be labelled loonies for bringing that subject up. So we're a bit left alone when it comes to learning how to be. Despite the well known Shakespeare drama-question "To be or not to be", we don't consider that time must be put in figuring that one out. In daily Life we basically have two choices: we can make jokes about it or go "Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels".
We secretly wish to be a hero, successful, happy... but...
What it is that we feel has something is missing?
...
What it is that makes you fight yourself or with others?
...
What it is that we feel as not part of this great world?
...
The answer: Breathe.
Stop everything you're doing, stop that guilty trip, stop the excuses, stop... and take one long deep breath. To just breathe it's such an amazing feeling. If you doubt that than stop breathing or imagine a wave coming in and you didn't get that extra inhale...
We are here, and we only get frustrated if we say to ourselves, or others, that we are frustrated because of this and that. So, stop blaming. Be here, move, speak, dance but stop blaming. Stop blaming you or others. Deal with it, fix it, change it, don't waste more time trying to feel good about something you feel it's wrong.
You feel lost. How can you be lost, if you know where you are? You're only lost if you want to be somewhere else and you don't know how to get there. But if you just want to be, you know where you are, here.
And if you feel that there's a connection missing, with the world, with nature, with people, with self ideologies, then, I'm sorry to upset you one more time, but make that connection. Make shit happen.
If you don't paddle to a wave, you will not surf any wave. You have to paddle, paddle, paddle hard and go for it! Then let it flow... feel it, be present, be attentive to what's in front of you, enjoy the ride while it lasts. P.S. You'll have to paddle again after.
It's your effort and preparation, and then your letting go, your trust in the unknown, that makes life an amazing miracle experience. That positive attitude, that good vibe, comes from pushing yourself beyond what you know with a strong trust in your preparation.
If you're feeling fragile, and we all get broken with Life's sneaky "surprises", hey, accept it and recognize it, but don't just stay there, do something about it. Preparation is key, whether in school or in Life. Same thing. Prepare yourself for life's exams. If you flunk, you will have to repeat the test, don't doubt it. You'll go over it again and again until the lesson is learned... you're wasting time if you're waiting for a miracle.
When it comes to Life, here some simple guidelines...
1) Hangout with your family, kids, friends, make new friends...
2) If it matters (but really think first), speak it out loud;
3) Find the problem and really work it out, don't just hunch your shoulders;
4) Try it and be surprised, be more generous and helpful, let yourself change and be the change;
5) Find that "bigger picture", there's always more than you think behind words and behaviors;
6) Pray, meditate... and forgive, yourself or others. Let the past go.
Each of us it's like a cloud on it's own. Together we're an immense sky. It can rain or shine. Be as open and helpful as you can be, without ever forgetting that you can change that sky. It's all good, whether it rains or the sun is shining. Both moods are important.
But we get sad, or we get frustrated or we get indecisive on which way to go and boom, you need a psychologist, you need a Reiki Master, you need a super flirting date... something.
This whole thing of finding your purpose, yourself, your connection, your strength or magnetic field alignment, oh man, it's for heroes only, right? Well, ask someone who has survived something far worst than feeling sad and they will probably tell you a bit about that promised land, where the truth and wholeness are possible. They kind of have found it. But do we need to be throned away against a solid wall to get it? Is that the only way? Why aren't we smarter about being?
Well, maybe we don't talk much about it when we're growing up, and later in Life, we don't want to be labelled loonies for bringing that subject up. So we're a bit left alone when it comes to learning how to be. Despite the well known Shakespeare drama-question "To be or not to be", we don't consider that time must be put in figuring that one out. In daily Life we basically have two choices: we can make jokes about it or go "Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels".
We secretly wish to be a hero, successful, happy... but...
What it is that we feel has something is missing?
...
What it is that makes you fight yourself or with others?
...
What it is that we feel as not part of this great world?
...
The answer: Breathe.
Stop everything you're doing, stop that guilty trip, stop the excuses, stop... and take one long deep breath. To just breathe it's such an amazing feeling. If you doubt that than stop breathing or imagine a wave coming in and you didn't get that extra inhale...
We are here, and we only get frustrated if we say to ourselves, or others, that we are frustrated because of this and that. So, stop blaming. Be here, move, speak, dance but stop blaming. Stop blaming you or others. Deal with it, fix it, change it, don't waste more time trying to feel good about something you feel it's wrong.
You feel lost. How can you be lost, if you know where you are? You're only lost if you want to be somewhere else and you don't know how to get there. But if you just want to be, you know where you are, here.
And if you feel that there's a connection missing, with the world, with nature, with people, with self ideologies, then, I'm sorry to upset you one more time, but make that connection. Make shit happen.
If you don't paddle to a wave, you will not surf any wave. You have to paddle, paddle, paddle hard and go for it! Then let it flow... feel it, be present, be attentive to what's in front of you, enjoy the ride while it lasts. P.S. You'll have to paddle again after.
It's your effort and preparation, and then your letting go, your trust in the unknown, that makes life an amazing miracle experience. That positive attitude, that good vibe, comes from pushing yourself beyond what you know with a strong trust in your preparation.
If you're feeling fragile, and we all get broken with Life's sneaky "surprises", hey, accept it and recognize it, but don't just stay there, do something about it. Preparation is key, whether in school or in Life. Same thing. Prepare yourself for life's exams. If you flunk, you will have to repeat the test, don't doubt it. You'll go over it again and again until the lesson is learned... you're wasting time if you're waiting for a miracle.
When it comes to Life, here some simple guidelines...
1) Hangout with your family, kids, friends, make new friends...
2) If it matters (but really think first), speak it out loud;
3) Find the problem and really work it out, don't just hunch your shoulders;
4) Try it and be surprised, be more generous and helpful, let yourself change and be the change;
5) Find that "bigger picture", there's always more than you think behind words and behaviors;
6) Pray, meditate... and forgive, yourself or others. Let the past go.
Each of us it's like a cloud on it's own. Together we're an immense sky. It can rain or shine. Be as open and helpful as you can be, without ever forgetting that you can change that sky. It's all good, whether it rains or the sun is shining. Both moods are important.
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