Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Link
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Escape-Daniel-Gordon-Gibson/dp/B000066F17
This is a CD we found years ago. I find it to be the most calming music I've ever heard and I still wouldn't part with it for anything, many years after first hearing it. You'll have to buy it, but it's well worth it. Enjoy.
This is a CD we found years ago. I find it to be the most calming music I've ever heard and I still wouldn't part with it for anything, many years after first hearing it. You'll have to buy it, but it's well worth it. Enjoy.
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J65GxJ2v9Wg
Great video of calming music to help settle your emotions. Click the link and feel the relaxation!
Great video of calming music to help settle your emotions. Click the link and feel the relaxation!
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Quote
"Thoughts are the language of the brain. Sensations are the language of the body. Emotions are the language of the soul. Our job is to listen to our whole being; all three." -Me
I just thought it would be fun to quote myself. It was. :)
I just thought it would be fun to quote myself. It was. :)
Link
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/the-agony-of-perfectionism/284178/
An interesting, short article that talks about the way happiness is linked to perspective and approach to life.
An interesting, short article that talks about the way happiness is linked to perspective and approach to life.
Friday, March 18, 2016
"I'm not a racist, but..."
Those words seem to follow me where ever I go in life. And they're always followed by something racist. Or sexist. Or homophobic. Or some other form of bigotry. Bigots don't want to think of themselves as bigots, so they just don't ("I'm not a racist, but..."). Because if they did, that reality would cause them to feel a lot of different emotions. And that's what they don't want, because emotions are scary to them. Bigots are people who are afraid. They are afraid of things they don't understand. And what they don't understand is anything that falls outside of their realm of experience. (I don't think I've ever met a well-traveled bigot. As soon as a person gets out and sees the world, they stop being afraid of every little shadow and just get on with the business of living.) So they live these little, tiny lives and spend their time hating everyone who's not in their immediate circle, all because they are too afraid to look at things they don't understand. It's sad, really. Because of their fear, they are condemning themselves to a permanent state of patheticness*. So, the next time you encounter bigotry, calm the desire to punch the person in the head by reminding yourself that they are just sad, little people, living in a state of patheticness.+ Then just move on, knowing the world is doing the same.
* Made up word, used exclusively for bigots.
+ It is also acceptable, but commonly futile, at this point to try to explain the error of their ways to them. You can do it! Good luck.
Caption: "Bigot" search photo of two awesome people who have learned to conquer their fear standing near a state of patheticness.
* Made up word, used exclusively for bigots.
+ It is also acceptable, but commonly futile, at this point to try to explain the error of their ways to them. You can do it! Good luck.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Quote:
"You gotta know that some people are soul dead; they will never hear. They have no ability to do anything but promote evil. If I can say one thing to you, focus your energy on those who can hear."
-from Yearning Wild, by R. Glendon Brunk
-from Yearning Wild, by R. Glendon Brunk
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Link:
http://raisedgood.com/extraordinary-things-happen-when-we-simplify-childhood/
A great article about the mental health consequences of "too much".
A great article about the mental health consequences of "too much".
Sunday, March 6, 2016
"Emoting" Versus "Expressing Emotion"
I find the word "emoting" to be a better way to describe what I am saying than "expressing emotion". This is because many people get confused if I say "express your emotions". They think this means they should speak about their emotions. "I feel angry." But really, expressing is about releasing the energy of emotion, commonly through crying. So I just say emoting, and don't have to worry about that dang "express" word.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Emotional Control
"As we scramble for the crumbs they spit out,
frothing at the mouth about the scapegoats that they've chosen for us.
With every racist pointed finger I hear the goose-steps getting closer.
They no longer represent us. Is it not our obligation to confront this tyranny?"
-from The State Lottery by Propagandhi
Yes, it is. And we do that, not through bloodshed, but by learning how to take care of our emotions. Sounds crazy, huh? Well, go ahead and take a gun to a local seat of government and see how well that works for you. It won't. The only real answer is to learn how to not froth at the mouth about the scapegoats (homosexuals, abortion, immigrants, etc.) that they've chosen for us. To not be so swayed by our emotions that we point racist fingers, deepening the divisions among us. Our emotions control us only when we refuse to take care of them. That's when we're vulnerable to outside influences. And when we're vulnerable to outside influences, we get situations like our current crop of presidential candidates. We continue down this path at our own peril.
-from The State Lottery by Propagandhi
Yes, it is. And we do that, not through bloodshed, but by learning how to take care of our emotions. Sounds crazy, huh? Well, go ahead and take a gun to a local seat of government and see how well that works for you. It won't. The only real answer is to learn how to not froth at the mouth about the scapegoats (homosexuals, abortion, immigrants, etc.) that they've chosen for us. To not be so swayed by our emotions that we point racist fingers, deepening the divisions among us. Our emotions control us only when we refuse to take care of them. That's when we're vulnerable to outside influences. And when we're vulnerable to outside influences, we get situations like our current crop of presidential candidates. We continue down this path at our own peril.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Down the Rabbit Hole of Responsibility/Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/bitter-sweets-inside-big-chocolate%E2%80%99s-child-labor-problem/ar-BBqc4as?li=BBnb7Kz
That boy's eyes are breaking my heart. His name is Ibrahim and he harvests cocoa for a living in Africa. It's dangerous, hard work and he's just a boy. And I just ate chocolate on my oatmeal. I know most people would say, "nothing I can do about that" and move on, but that's not the point of this blog. This blog is about our emotions and how they impact us. His eyes are impacting my emotions.
Obviously, the chances that he's ever picked a cocoa bean that I ate chocolate from is pretty much non-existent. But that's irrelevant. He and his haunted eyes are just a window into an industry and a group of people who are suffering because I, and you, support the practice by eating chocolate.
So what can I do? Well, I could stop eating chocolate. My money would no longer be supporting other people's suffering. I'd be free from responsibility. Hooray! I'll sure miss my chocolate, but that's a small price to pay to know that I will no longer be responsible for the look in his eyes. Excellent. Done. I'll go eat a banana instead. It's healthier anyway. Wait. What? Bananas are harvested by child labor too? Okay. Fine. No more bananas. But I'm really hungry. I'll get a burger. Dang. Nope. Besides the cruelty to the cow, there's the significant issue that rain forests are continually being cut down to let cattle graze, so I can eat a burger. The more rain forests we lose, the less ability we have to sequester carbon, the more global warming we are causing, the more the sea levels rise, the more people will suffer. Okay, this is beyond ridiculous. I'm just gonna sit here on my chair and refuse to eat until I figure out what to do. Crap! This chair is filled with harmful chemicals and was probably made by child labor too! Almost certainly someone suffered for it somewhere along the way. WHAT CAN I DO???
The reality is that even if I gave away all my possessions, waved good-bye to my loving family, and headed to Africa to become a cocoa harvester, it would only be a symbolic action. It wouldn't change anything in any large-scale way. The people ultimately responsible for continuing the suffering of other people, the heads of the cocoa companies, the banana companies, etc., wouldn't even know what I had done. If they somehow did know about it, they wouldn't care. If they somehow cared, it still wouldn't change their decision to let other people suffer.
The reason they wouldn't change their decision is not because they are evil. It's because we have allowed a global economic system to develop that is based on the suffering of other people. Trying to create change by clamoring for it, one situation at a time, will never do anything except allow the system to stay in place. If we really want things to change, we have to become a group of people who will no longer accept a little boy's suffering so we can eat chocolate, or bananas, or... The only way to do that is to turn inward.
By turning inward, we can examine our emotions and find our own solutions as to why we're so okay with other people suffering for our benefit. If enough people do that, we can create a culture where individuals take responsibility for their emotions and the outcomes of their emotions. By creating peace in ourselves, we will bring peace to the world.
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