Tag Archives: culture

Divided We Fall

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“Together we stand,
divided we fall”,
a lofty premise
that has never
really taken hold,
at least not with
humanity.

See how easily
we are divided
by self-serving
leaders and media
who know how
to manipulate
our fears.

“Sticks and stones
may break my bones,
but names will
never hurt me”,
a child’s retort
for behavior we
never outgrew.

See how easily
we label and
judge each other
with broad stroke
assumptions and
misperceptions,
rolled into hate.

We can blame
the leaders if we
want to, but,
we need to look
at the behavior
we emulate
and perpetuate.

Please share, thanks!

Freedom of Spirit

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Someone once told me, “Music is part of the joy wave”. This is not hard to grasp, when you consider that each generation has its music, its sound, that special combination of notes, words and beat that resonate and speak to the heart and soul of the people.

Post WWII in Russia, there were citizens who risked their own personal freedom to bring western music to the people. It had been banned. Only particular Russian music could be possessed and played. This is a story about more than music. It is one of freedom, and the will of the human spirit to overcome soul crushing oppression.

It’s a fascinating story, even if you’re not particularly a huge music lover. Rest assured, there is something that you love as much as they loved music, and that you would go to any lengths not to lose. You can read the story of Bone Music here:

Bone music: the Soviet bootleg records pressed on x-rays

In freer Western societies, it may be hard for people to comprehend not having the simple access to music they love. That basic freedom of choice just is. And yet, is it? Right now there is heated dispute about who should decide and dictate what people can think and say. I stand back from it and wonder, why is this even in debate? Were we not born with the inalienable right to think our own thoughts and express them freely?

Food for thought for your soul.

Words Are Seeds

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Words are seeds and they have power. The moment they leave our mouths, we have planted a thought or feeling in someone else.

When words are rooted in negativity, they can create great destruction. Sometimes the destruction is maliciously intentional, which creates its own karma back to the speaker. For indeed, what we sow, we reap.

Sometimes the hurt and destruction are unintentional. We can simply sometimes be careless with our words. We don’t think before we speak.

The world desperately needs our good words. It’s time for each of us to plant more positive, expansive seeds. Words of love. Words of gratitude. Words that initiate cooperation. Words rooted in grace.

“Raise your words, not your voice, it is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” (Rumi)

More Inspirational Words Quotes:

“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” ~ Cassandra Clare

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. ~ Jack Kerouac

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice.”
~ T.S. Eliot

Honing Your Wisdom

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Some people have trouble believing in their own wisdom, therefore they do not question anything around them. “Why should I question? There are experts out there who will tell me what to do.” The ability to question and to apply one’s own critical thinking to any situation is not a sign of weakness, but rather it demonstrates maturity.

How did following the crowd in anything become synonymous with strength? I suppose there is strength in numbers, so therein lies the crux. Following the crowd is easy and feels like the safe thing to do. It requires considerable inner strength to develop and maintain one’s own convictions, particularly when they fly in the face of the crowd.

There are those who talk about “love and light” as if that is the solution to all problems. Love and light are very important, yes, but that is only part of the equation. Part of living your own light is having discernment and the strength to say no to that which does not resonate with your own inner wisdom.

Inspirational Gautama Buddha quotes:

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

“Three things can not hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth.”

“Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.”

“Greater still is the truth of our connectedness.”

“Doubt everything. Find your own light.”

One Bit of Love

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“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

I sorely need Mr. Bennett’s words this morning. In the aftermath of 18 days of protests and food shortages that I posted about in It Could Happen to You, the agreements reached between the CONAIE indigenous federation and the government on Thursday have at least brought peace back to my corner of the world. And yet, I’m left with this creeping feeling that it’s not over yet. Not even close.

Yesterday I tried to take a break from “real life” by turning on the radio, and baking without concern for how we would replace the propane or the ingredients. The road blocks have been cleared, and goods are flowing again. I tried to lose myself for a little while in a very simple and familiar task.

Real life managed to worm its way into my mind, however. My thoughts drifted to the CONAIE protestors, who were now making their way back home, but to what? The poverty they are trying to overcome will most assuredly not be resolved with the words and signatures committed to paper on Thursday. The agreements they made in order to restore peace fell far short of that for which they were asking.

The root problem lies in the fact that we live in a world that’s way out of sync with our basic human and spiritual values. The requests made by the CONAIE on the face of it were logical solutions to obvious disparity between rich and poor. However, the real problem has not yet been addressed. I do not believe the government sees these people as part of their human family. They see them as an inconvenience, people who although seemingly integrated into the society, still cling to values to which the government cannot relate. These people are getting in the way of global profit-driven and political agendas. There is still a vast chasm between the two worlds.

I do not share the feeling of elation that I see many around me expressing, that they can now go to the grocery store and get exactly what they want. (Really, are you that one-dimensional?) That feeling they have came at a very high price, but they do not realize it yet. They have a difficult time relating to the person for whom 15 cents on a gallon of gas makes a huge difference. Yes, they too may be on a budget, but 15 cents is not their breaking point (yet).

To come to full circle on all of this and back to Roy. T. Bennett’s quote, I see from these 18 days that I must be resolute in centering my mind and heart in the creation of solutions, not focusing on the problem. I went to the mercado (farmer’s market) one week ago, before the protests had been resolved. Fresh food was becoming more scarce, and certainly potatoes were much harder to find. I met a lovely indigenous woman and her husband who were still selling them. When I asked the price, the lady hesitated. I could see she struggled internally with what was fair for both parties concerned. With dwindling products, customers were becoming sparser in the mercado, and clearly my wallet would bear a higher asking price.

She conferred with her husband, and they did quote a fair price within the context of what is normal, but was it in the middle of this crisis? I gave her a bill, for which she went to a neighboring vendor to seek change. When she returned and handed it to me, I gave back to her some of it, to the extent my own conscience felt it was now a fair exchange. She knew then that I saw and felt her plight. and I was rewarded with a big smile.

Of such interactions are real and solid bridges built. It is our direct human contact and commitment to change that will transform the world, and from the bottom up, not the other way around. We each can personally construct the bridges that build a better society, one bit of love, compassion, and understanding at a time.

We must all be committed to this, because we live in a world that’s in extreme flux. This crisis, and all the others like it brewing around the world, are not going away until we all take responsibility for solutions, and personally get in the game.

Turning Point

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It just keeps coming around again, and when it comes right down to it, are any of us really surprised by that? War is a theme on this planet; it is a way of life. It repeats again and again throughout history.

When will it end?

When humanity decides it has had enough of the destruction, chooses Life, and evicts the self-serving war-makers from this Earth.

“Listen up – there’s no war that will end all wars.” ~ Haruki Murakama

“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
~ George Orwell, 1984

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” ~ Albert Einstein

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ~ Voltaire

“Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?” ~ Laini Taylor

Our Next New Frontier

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Famous explorers of old had the support of their kings and queens to discover new lands, fresh opportunities for growth and settlement, expansion of old empires. Supplies and some men and ships, plus gold coins as incentive and fortification of the spirit, got the job done. Rumors of more riches to be had, as well as peoples to be conquered, further fueled the desire of some power hungry leaders of exploration.

But for the more common men and women who followed them into the New World, their reasons were different. A deep desire burned for a new life outside of their known society, to feel the wide open spaces where one’s spirit could breathe again, and explore the freedom of a more personal say in the course of one’s own destiny. This was not an easy path. It took courage, sacrifice, hard work, and diligence to make a life in unknown territory.

Determination of the human spirit

History has a way of repeating itself. We see patterns of domination and control, followed by humanity’s uprising of spirit to find a way out, onward and upward. The human spirit has proven over and over again, it will never be defeated. Sometimes it gets lost, but in times of challenge it reveals itself one again, ready to blossom and flourish.

Our current experience is feeling limited in potential and tired in spirit. In short, it is old. The question to ask ourselves right now is, “What is that next frontier we want to carve out? How does that next new world we desire look and feel?”

We will create that next new experience

Consider that since new places on this Earth are getting used up, perhaps that next frontier is not one just fueled by spirit, but it will be one OF spirit, an expansion of our collective consciousness.

It is time for us to develop that vision in our imaginations, creating and honing it with the fire of our deep desire. This new world will be ours. We just need to muster a little courage to head out into the unknown, and we will never look back.

Hart Inspirations

Susan L Hart, Author

Tag Archives: culture

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Determination of the human spirit

We will create that next new experience

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