I believe…
I believe that all people have inherent worth and that given opportunity, skills, and support they will strive for “good”. I believe that we, all humans, are loving beings and that by and through love we can achieve amazing things. I believe that this journey called life is paradoxically unique yet similar. I believe that we can grow from this human experience, not only in moments of glory but in moments of distress. I believe that I have to constantly be mindful and aware so that my beliefs do not negatively impact or stifle the beliefs of others and that’s not easy, but I believe it is worth it!
Life’s Great Questions
I don’t feel right in the world and I’m trying to figure it out. Is it true, as some people say, that if you’re doing what you’re “supposed to” or fulfilling your true “mission” in life then God (or the Universe or whatever you choose to call it) will provide?? If that is true, then I’m missing something, but what?
I’ve tried to really contemplate this. Is there something that I’m missing? Am I not fulfilling enough in this life? Maybe there is something greater for me, but if there is it isn’t showing itself to me. I know it would be silly to suggest that my “right path” will reveal itself and be an easy-breezy stroll in the park. I don’t expect it to be handed to me and I do expect to have to struggle for what matters. I just can’t figure out what that is.
I’ve given some thought to the fact that perhaps this is a character flaw. Is it that I was born in a capitalist society so I have been somewhat socialized to want - and then want more. Perhaps that is why, even as I grow/learn/love/experience, I never feel satiated. I am on a continual journey, I never stop learning, I never stop striving to be my best. I find ways to succeed professionally, personally, spiritually, physically, emotionally.
Maybe that is what life is about - a constant struggle to be my best. Perhaps, I need to learn patience or some other virtue or life lesson. I’m just confused. Here I sit, trying to do my best - trying to remember that it isn’t all about me and acknowledging my place in this world. Still questioning, wondering.
I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing, if I’m doing enough, or if I’m doing it well enough. I just hope and pray that I will either learn to sit with the questions or find some answers.
MOTIVATION
Whenever you are about to take on a new challenge and really try to make a long-lasting change, it is beneficial to assess your motivation. Why do you want to make said change? Are you really committed? Why are you really committed? I am working on becoming more healthy so today I wrote a little about my motivation. It is just kind of rambling, so forgive me for that.
WHY: I want to be healthy so that I am not embarrassed to be out in public. I want to feel confident and find my voice and I think being healthy is a big part of it. I also want to feel capable to do more things. For example, I want to be able to climb mountains - take up hiking and participate in marathons or building houses. I feel like much of my life is spent being sedentary and that’s okay - sometimes, but I also want to have the ability to do more - be more active. I do not want to be concerned about longevity. My family genes say something about how long I might live and many of my grandparents (if they did not fall sick with some ailment like cancer) lived long lives. I do not want to live old and sick - old = yes, sick = no. As I get older, I can tell that my body is in decline - my eye sight is failing, I am much more susceptible to getting sick, it takes me longer to recover, and under stress I feel much more lethargic. I feel like becoming more healthy, I will be more resilient. I think this will improve two-fold. 1) I will be able to handle more stress and not succumb to it, and 2) I feel like a benefit of healthy living is less stress. I care about myself and I want to be young and healthy for much more than just now. I need to think about my future, and my future certainly isn’t worth a bag of popcorn and chocolate.
HOW: -be more active -drink more water -portion control -balanced diet -decrease sugar intake
WHEN: Now!
looking outside myself
Almost invariably after struggling with depression and starting to feel better, I recognize that I have been entirely focused on myself. I am not saying that my problems or experiences are insignificant or invalid, but I think too often I forget to look around me. I forget to realize what I have and remain so focused on what I don’t. I forget that there are other people in this world, around me, that are struggling too. I forget to remember what I have learned through my experiences. I am once again, looking outside myself. And it feels good.
I am NOT Trayvon Martin
I am not Trayvon. I am white. I do not have to worry about being killed because of the color of my skin. I don’t have to worry about being considered ”suspicious” by those in power, whether that be a neighborhood watch captain or a judge on the bench. I am a loud and proud ally to POC, but I CANNOT understand their experience, because I have always had and will always have white privilege. So white people, PLEASE STOP SAYING “I am Trayvon Martin.” You are missing the point.
So let me get this straight—in Congress you can:
- Shout “You lie!” during a Presidential address
- Shout “Baby killer!” during a House member’s adress
- Drop the F-Bomb while speaking in what is supposed to be a civil and professional environment
But you CANNOT, however:
- Wear a hoodie to protest the unjust shooting of a minor, and to speak out against the widely prevalent issue of racial profiling
This is America.
Via Feminist is Not a Dirty Word
- MYTH - Immigrants don’t pay taxes
All immigrants pay taxes, whether income, property, sales, or other. As far as income tax payments go, sources vary in their accounts, but a range of studies find that immigrants pay between $90 and $140…
Men for Women’s Choice
I AM A MAN FOR WOMEN’S CHOICE
February 2012
From Michael kimmel, NOMAS Spokesperson
Like an ever-growing number of men around the world, we think that women should control their own bodies. We hold these truths as deep moral beliefs. All humans should have the right to autonomy and bodily integrity. For women and men, this often means the same thing, but for women it has an additional meaning: the ability to make choices regarding whether she will bear a child.
We believe that no man should be able to force a woman to bear a child she does not want. No man should be able to limit her ability to obtain safe and effective means of contraception.
We believe that the government has many important roles in our society. But the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.
There are those (including some who support this statement) who believe that abortion and contraception interfere with the workings of God. Men who support women’s choice respect each person’s right to make their own birth control and abortion choices based on their beliefs. At the same time, we share the belief that none of us has the right to limit or interfere with a woman’s moral position or personal choices, nor interfere with health care providers who are assisting her right to exercise those choices.
As men with strong moral beliefs, as men for women’s choice, we especially emphasize our belief that no man – no husband, no boyfriend, no judge, no doctor, no politician, and no religious leader – should have control over a woman’s body. Ever.
With a wave of fresh attacks on women’s rights, now is the time for us, as men, to speak out with loud and clear voices to express our profound concern. We urge men:
• to speak out in our communities, media, places of worship and halls of government in support of a woman’s right to safe and effective means of contraception and abortion;
• to oppose arbitrary laws and regulations that make it difficult to obtain these medical services;
• to keep abortion out of criminal law and see it solely as a medical procedure to be utilized by a woman in consultation with her doctor;
• to support enhanced government funding and policies to ensure that women’s reproductive rights are not only rights on paper, but that all women, regardless of where they live, where they work, or their financial resources, can obtain safe and effective birth control and abortion if they so choose;
• to support positive sexuality education in our schools that focuses on healthy relationships, sexual decision-making, and reproductive health (including the safe and effective use of birth control);
• to support political candidates who support these rights.
There is something about standing on the edge of civilization, where land and ocean meet and stretched before you is nothing but miles of open sea. My heart is here! Although there are worldly barriers that keep distance between us, I will not stop reaching for home. My new home - my pacific home on the edge of forever.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. ~Loren Eiseley
One day you wake up and you realize that you are the only one standing in your way. Dream big! How does so much doubt find its way to us and prevent us from living our dreams. Whenever I doubt myself, I’m going to try to remember these two words.
From this day forward I want to always DREAM BIG!
Bored People Die Younger
How to Beat Boredom and Live a Longer, Happier LifeIn the 1970s, the then-famous actor George Sanders shocked the world when he killed himself and left a suicide note that explained, “… I am bored.” Killing yourself is a pretty extreme response to being bored, of course, but several studies of late have found a startling connection between chronic boredom and early death… perhaps a literal demonstration of “bored to death.” In one study, researchers conducted initial interviews in the mid-1980s with 7,500 civil servants in the UK. When they returned to update information about 25 years later, they found that people who had said that they were bored in the original screening were nearly 40% more likely to have died than those who found their lives more interesting. The same study revealed that people living with high levels of tedium were 2.5 times more likely to die of heart disease than those who did not. This is certainly an interesting demonstration of the powerful connection between mind and body. Read MoreDr. Jay’s Note: Since boredom is a subjective perception, you have a choice in whether or not to partake in it. It is up to you to add some juice to your daily life & your available options to do this are almost endless.One of the quickest ways out of boredom is through the service of others - Look for ways that you can give back & make a difference in our world. Practice gratitude for what you have - read ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by by Viktor E. Frankl. Show appreciation for others with kind words & watch how much impact your kindness has on them. Learn to be silent & meditate. Begin a new activity or hobby. Get out into nature often. Listen to uplifting music. Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Et Cetera :)
It would be absurd (if not impossible) to feel happy while countless other beings all around us are miserable. Seeking happiness for oneself alone is doomed to failure, since self-centeredness is a major source of our discontent. Even if we display all the outward signs of happiness, we cannot be truly happy if we fail to take an interest in the happiness of others. Altruistic love and compassion are the foundations of genuine happiness.
– Why Meditate? Working with thoughts and emotions. ~Matthieu Ricard
For too long anger has consumed me. I am going to make a conscious effort to use that anger to fuel my motivation. What is it that I want out of life? I can use the energy created from anger to fight for it - and I intend to do so!
The first step is always the hardest. It is never easy challenging the deep feelings of degradation and despair. But ease has never been a good determining factor.
About me
My job is to try to help people deal with their problems - including depression. I realized, I better find a way to work through my own. I have been trying to be very analytical and figure out the problem, but once I found it I realized it may never go away and it made me hopeless. That's when I decided there has to be a way NOT to focus so much on the problem and to find Light in the Darkness. Everyone probably has good ideas for seeing the good in life and letting it help you get through - I decided I would try this blog-thing and post something every day that helps me find the light.
