Did you know that potatoes grow solely under the ground? Like a lot of root vegetables, the underground portion it the portion we want to harvest. When the little shoot starts growing out of the ground, the farmer keeps covering it with dirt, making a big mound for the potatoes to grow. Now, no potato farmer can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that their crop will be abundant. They just don't know. They must take faith in their own skill and in mother nature. They have faith that their own hard work will pay off in the end. There are no pre-orders, no estimated profit, only faith and hope. We forget that life works this way too. Our leaves are what we show the world but it is what is underneath that really matters. We can go around looking at people in their Abercrombie & Fitch clothing or their Vidal Sassoon Haircuts and believe that we know something about them. We can assume all we want, but it is only our faith in what is growing under those things that should be abundant. With our children this is most obvious. We rely on our own skills as parents, cover and nurture our little "seedlings" and help them grow without ever really knowing if we are doing it right. We can only carry faith and hope in what we are doing.
Have you ever been in a friendship where you believe the person is less than you expected, only to be shocked when they show some sort of extraordinary feat? Let's say you always thought your friend a bit frugal. You, on the other hand are generous and luxurious, constantly telling your friend that she should "Lighten up, it's just money." (as you sip giant, fruity, self indulgent cocktails at The Elephant Bar when you know damn well the rent is due.). Then one day the two of you are shopping and she splurges for those Jimmy Choo's she's been eyeballing and even buys you a pair! Are you shocked? Of course you are, but, that was your harvest. Your impact in that person's life for growth. Now, the shoes probably didn't change her life, she may have even experienced a little buyer's remourse but, for that moment she was outside of her element. She had grown in some way. She felt emotions that were once foreign to her. Now, that is a really monetary way of showing what I am talking about but the message fits into all of life's metaphors. We are a society of surprises! Just when you think you have got someone pinpointed...Boom! They go and change on you! So why are we so lacking in our faith for people? Well, it comes from a lack of faith in ourselves.
We do not realize that we impact others so much. We walk around believing that we are living in our own worlds, living our own lives, experiencing our own experiences. But we are really building up lights that cast upon all we contact. "No man is an island." Now most of us take this saying and picture a man sitting on and island, isolated from the world, but lets lake a literal translation before we open up the symbolism. No man IS an island. An island is a piece of land in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by nothing. A continent however, is lots of countries surrounding each other. So, if no man is an island, then we must all be countries, living amidst other countries on the big continent of life. This means that even though we are separate, we are unified. Get it?
So don't go out and splurge on designer shoes if you don't want to, all I am saying is remember your impact. Have faith in the growth that you aid in others. Have hope that the harvest will be abundant. Have faith and hope like the potato farmer. After all, we may not have been blessed with a "Green thumb", but we live in a Miracle Grow kinda world! Go forth and grow!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Concsious or Conscience?
In life we are faced with the choice of living to the fullest or wallowing in our own self pity right? Eleanor Roosevelt said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." but does that negate any responsibility for our own actions and feelings? If you are hurt isn't it ,in essence, your own fault for allowing yourself to be upset? That is what most people have turned to thinking. It is a great way to go about life feeling completely responsible for your own pain and completely apathetic to any pain you have caused. You are now free to roam about the world carrying only your own feelings of pain. Does this sound crazy to anyone? It sure does to me. When did we stop giving a damn? That is what I want to know! Ideas like this are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what I refer to as "the true swine flu".
In todays world it goes without saying that self gratification is an epidemic. I won't say that it is world-wide, but it's effects are. We have numbed ourselves to the idea of pure selflessness. Even if we are somewhat giving, or caring, we are still caught in the rapture of our own agendas. I was at the movies yesterday twice. The first time was with my seven year old daughter. I took her to see the movie "17 again" with Zac Effron (she thinks he is so cute!). The movie took a look at a man who gets a second chance to make a big decision he regreted. His whole married life, the man regreted chosing his love over his future. I see this a lot. The youth of today associating love, marriage, and the "simple" things in life with a barrier that holds them back from their dreams. The second movie I saw with my girlfriends. It was called "Ghosts of girlfriends past". This film looked at a man who couldn't get past the idea that love was a falicy until he witnessed it (love) with his own eyes. He also had no real clue that he had hurt so many women just by leading them on. A real look at the way society today views reality. We are all convinced in some way or another that "Today" is the reality and nothing lead up to it! We conveniently forget those whom we may have hurt along the way so that we are not burdened by the thought of it. We have given an eye for an eye and become blind.
I am not saying that we are all bad, but we have not allowed Conscience to fully integrate into our lives. We are so preoccupied with our immediate day-to-day activities that we forget that we are all here together. We are all connected! Conscience is not Jiminy Cricket sitting on your shoulder telling you right from wrong. True conscience is the empathy that you feel for your fellow man. The way you feel when you see a horrifying news story, or when undenyable tragedy strikes. But most of us only know that feeling in those bad situations. We forget that we can carry smaller bits of that empathy and share them with the world.
So, if you have made a wrong in the recent past and you feel like you don't care, sit back and think about what would happen if you started. You would be truly free from the negative feelings of guilt that you may not even realize you are carrying. You will see the world differently...and perhaps, the world may see itself differently. Eleanor spoke of inferiority...and true, no one can take your power from you unless you let them. But power is not happiness. And let's not forget how despenseable that is. It has the power to be given or taken away with no permission. No "Sure, go ahead and take it all" or "No, let me keep it". Happiness is like running water. It can drown you or you can thirst for it...but it is all around if you know where to look.
In todays world it goes without saying that self gratification is an epidemic. I won't say that it is world-wide, but it's effects are. We have numbed ourselves to the idea of pure selflessness. Even if we are somewhat giving, or caring, we are still caught in the rapture of our own agendas. I was at the movies yesterday twice. The first time was with my seven year old daughter. I took her to see the movie "17 again" with Zac Effron (she thinks he is so cute!). The movie took a look at a man who gets a second chance to make a big decision he regreted. His whole married life, the man regreted chosing his love over his future. I see this a lot. The youth of today associating love, marriage, and the "simple" things in life with a barrier that holds them back from their dreams. The second movie I saw with my girlfriends. It was called "Ghosts of girlfriends past". This film looked at a man who couldn't get past the idea that love was a falicy until he witnessed it (love) with his own eyes. He also had no real clue that he had hurt so many women just by leading them on. A real look at the way society today views reality. We are all convinced in some way or another that "Today" is the reality and nothing lead up to it! We conveniently forget those whom we may have hurt along the way so that we are not burdened by the thought of it. We have given an eye for an eye and become blind.
I am not saying that we are all bad, but we have not allowed Conscience to fully integrate into our lives. We are so preoccupied with our immediate day-to-day activities that we forget that we are all here together. We are all connected! Conscience is not Jiminy Cricket sitting on your shoulder telling you right from wrong. True conscience is the empathy that you feel for your fellow man. The way you feel when you see a horrifying news story, or when undenyable tragedy strikes. But most of us only know that feeling in those bad situations. We forget that we can carry smaller bits of that empathy and share them with the world.
So, if you have made a wrong in the recent past and you feel like you don't care, sit back and think about what would happen if you started. You would be truly free from the negative feelings of guilt that you may not even realize you are carrying. You will see the world differently...and perhaps, the world may see itself differently. Eleanor spoke of inferiority...and true, no one can take your power from you unless you let them. But power is not happiness. And let's not forget how despenseable that is. It has the power to be given or taken away with no permission. No "Sure, go ahead and take it all" or "No, let me keep it". Happiness is like running water. It can drown you or you can thirst for it...but it is all around if you know where to look.
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