Interconnectedness.

   Knowing that there is nothing that is not part of the whole.

   I had a really great topic planned out for today's entry.  It sounded good, it felt good.  I got up at 3 AM this morning with a really foul belly and now, whatever that marvelous topic was is gone.  Oh well, Sometimes inspiration needs a good plan to get out of the way first.

   I have really been enjoying Siddhartha from Hermann Hesse.  A marvelous read and interesting in that the first half of it focuses on traditional Indian philosophies and the second half seems to seek balance between western thought and eastern tradition.  I like it.

   I tend to be of the same piece of cloth.   Interconnectedness is a teaching of the Dalai Lama and part of traditional Tibetan Buddhism.  The basic principle is that all things are of the same stuff (science tells us this is true) and that there is, in the big picture, no real separation of things.  It takes real humility to consider this teaching.  One must then accept that even the lowliest of things and creatures in creation have equal intrinsic value.  Even thought we may be at the top of the pyramid, spiritually speaking.

   I am not here to convince or persuade.  I am here to get your gears moving and perhaps allow you to, for just a moment, broaden your horizons of perspective.  To consider, that we are very small parts of the enormity of the big picture.  That, even though, immensely small and unimportant in this big picture, we play a very very significant role in the grand scheme of things.  It is the smallness of your being, that can gives us the perspective to see what we are really capable of and can free us from the idea of importance that keeps us from doing it.

   Our bodies are just temporal shells for our beings, our souls if you will.  Just as a temple is built to be a physical representation of a home for a god, so our bodies are a physical representation of our being, a home for us during this temporal existence.  As expressed by the saying that we are spiritual beings have a physical experience, not the other way around.  And just as the temple does not define the god, it just defines what the people who built the temple thought the temple should look like, not to sum up or define in finite details what or who the god is, also our bodies do not define the being within.  It is our temporary home for the duration of our human lives.

   Our beings are not defined by the proper or improper function of our bodies, by their appearance or by their capacity.  A man without legs is no less a seed of the eternal than a child with no speech or someone that might be a classical beauty in every sence.  We are not our bodies, they are the temples we reside in.

   The being within is defined by the fact that we are here.  If we are here in this life, then our life is justified.  Creation / God determined the value is already and placed each one of us here.  If it were not so, we would not be here.  Simple!  Hard to grasp perhaps for some, yet still very simple.  To grasp this now leaves us the freedom to make the most of the time we are granted in this temporal form instead of passing time trying to define or justify something that already is.

   Each and everyone of us have an immeasurable value as compared to what our minds can comprehend in our current "human" state.  This value is present in all of us.  Part of the understanding or the realization that we get from this principle is what gives our lives clarity and joy.  Perspective.  Our responsibility is to recognize it in each individual that we encounter.

   May each of us "see" this value in ourselves and in those we meet today.  May each one of us bare record of this sacred teaching by giving a smile to all as we move among everyone this day.  May we find that significance bares far greater joy and clarity than importance every can.

Peace, clarity and vision be yours this fine day!

Billy B

Brotherly Love

   There has always been something about an image that shows peace and tranquility that stirs me.  Something deep down feels connected with these two things.  I wish I could share that feeling with all who would listen.  

   A feeling that has become more prevalent in society, as a general rule, is how often we forget that each person is not the same as us and does not seen things just as we do.  Meaning, when we forget to consider another's viewpoint, we segregate ourselves from the power and presence of brotherly love and the connections with others that makes life so enjoyable to participate in.  Such as sharing, appreciation, love,  personal connections and communion with our fellow beings.

   When will we, as a people, give up the need to feel important and focus on making others feel important?  In my opinion, most of the challenges that our country is facing right now and all of the division in our government  is caused because we as a people have forgotten to love our brother as ourselves.  The golden rule in it's most basic form.  How often, as a people have we chosen self service over service to others.  This is a general statement and not aimed at anyone individual, not even our politicians because they are just a reflection of our our country's current attitudes and perceptions.  When we as a people change, so will they.  When we as a people let go of our ego and the need to feel justified then will our society as a whole begin to become a real world power for good, again.

   Some might see this as a political statement or entry for my blog. I would suggest otherwise.  It's really about perspective.  About how we view the world and our value scale for those around us or even those we may not be able to see.  Knowing how important and what a miracle each one of us is, gives perspective that increases the expression of brotherly love.  I believe, that when we doubt or have fears about our own self worth then we become self serving because we lose perspective, the big picture is no longer in view.

   So, the question becomes, how to we bring big picture thinking back into view or restore our non-egocentric perspective?  I personally like meditation or reading materials that inspire me to be more than just an individual.  During the Blog Hop this month I am giving away a copy of the Tao Te Ching, one of the oldest and most influential documents of human history and very much focused on having a social conscience.  It is both poetry and spiritual instruction.  (Not using the words religious instruction as it works with all faiths and spiritual belief systems.)  Such sources or your own preferred methods and practices that allow one to re-center ourselves, IE; "Get out of your head and into your heart."  grants us the peace to accept ourselves and others as we are.

   It is my sincere wish that we will all accept everyone around us spiritual beings and not as labels.  That each one of us will know peace that comes from the core and is a wellspring of goodwill and brotherly love.

   May you see "brothers" today where before you saw "others".  May peace bloom in the garden of your life.

Peace of soul and mind to all,

Billy B

 

Life has challenges.

   I know that we have all heard the saying "Stop and smell the roses."  I wonder though how often we take time to marvel at the beauty around us.  I find it immensely humbling to see everything that goes on around me in nature.  The picture above was taken about 7:30 last night just a couple miles from our home.  It was a marvelous full moon sunset!

   My wife and I have had are share of challenges, when we were young in our marriage we lost our second child at birth.  We named her Alexis because one of the meanings for her name is "little angle", we had some very expensive medical bills to go along with our loss and of course, as young parents, we questioned if it was our fault in some way that our daughter did not remain with us.

   Not even six months later we received a call at just after 1 AM to find out that a close family member had taken his life to compound our heartache.  This particular year was very hard on us.  We dealt with dramatic financial challenges, we hurt deeply over the loss of a child and the loss of another close family member, my lovely bride was emotionally very confused and lost.  I stumbled on as best I could.  Last of all, I was still quite young being in my early 20's so I was not the most skilled or prepared to help console my wife while she mended her broken and troubled heart.

   We went through an a lot that year, both as individuals and as a couple.  Personally, I can share with you the lessons that I learned.  First, love the one you are with.  Yes, I love our daughter that came into our lives for such a short time however, once she had left, her needs were meet and it was my wife, best friend and wonderful companion that was still by my side, who needed my love and support.  Secondly, never, ever forget to show and express your love, every single day!  This one lesson is probably the one that saved our marriage from certain disaster.  Lastly, true love's value is immeasurable.  Don't forget this lesson and in the words of Winston Churchill "Never, never, never give up!"  True love is beyond the value of any career, possessions, worldly titles or perceived opinions of others, it's value is beyond anything that you can imagine.

   I acknowledge how incredibly blessed I am to have true love in my life.  I can tell you that true love is worth fighting for.  My life would be much poorer without it.  I also learned that we must all go through moments in our lives that test our metal.  My wife and I now understand much better that the short time our daughter was here, she was to bless us and yes, because of the challenges of that year and her brief stay with us, we have been blessed in more ways that we can count.

   It is so easy to judge a situation "good" or "bad" and we probably shouldn't.  The situation we call good today will most often lead to some of our greatest challenges and those times we call bad will bring us our greatest blessings.  Developing the faith and courage to accept life as it is can be one of our greatest and most powerful assets in having a marvelous life!  Appreciating every moment will give us clarity that we would otherwise miss out on.  Failing to step back and breathe can give us cause to take life as a personal affront and miss the grace and bliss that is life it'self.

   It is probably the strength and bonds our marriage gained from that year of heartaches and blessings that we have been able to survive as a married couple through the many other challenges that have come our way.  We are in our second decade of marriage and have three beautiful children that have growth to be healthy, happy and active parts of our lives.  We still remember and carry in our hearts the one that visited us twenty years ago and most of all, the beauty she gave us by allowing us to see that some blessings are to valuable to overlooked, even if their visit seems way to brief.

   Every morning the last couple of years, I have taken to the habit of being available to watch sun up and "greet the new day".  It has proven to have a very powerful positive effect on my life.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for more clarity and positive energy in their lives.

   Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.  Even when you do not feel like it.  Remember, smiling sends endorphins to the brain that help you feel better especially when you don't.  They can also give you perspective to see the blessings that might not be so obvious.  Most of all, never forsake the value of love.  Love takes effort, grace under pressure (ie; focusing on your partners concerns and not your own) and a willingness to go the extra mile whenever, wherever.  On the flip side, love will return to you blessings that you simply cannot find anywhere else.  Love creates synergy that returns blessings to you that are much greater than those that come from the efforts of one.

   May you remind the ones you love, just how much you do love them and appreciate them in your life today.  May you smile when you don't feel like it.  May you feel the bliss of being loved, this fine beautiful day!

Thank you for reading.  Peace be unto you and yours.

Billy B

Getting more than you imagined.

   A tweet inspired me today.  "You can be self centered and get what you want or you can be non-egocentric and get more than you imagined."

   I have been asked to give a short presentation to a group of Technologists today about how technology is no excuse for poor people skills.  As I have prepared for this little presentation, I realized that sometimes our poor people skills is caused by us listening to the wrong voice within.  Meaning that being self serving, (intentionally or unintentionally) we assume that others know what we are thinking or see things just as we do.

   You know what happens when we assume, we make an ....... out of "u" and "me".

   I agree that technology has become very important to us all whether we realize it or not.  The question is, do we allow it to complicate our lives or do we use it to allow us to focus on what matters most.

   There are people who will get attention because of what they will do for it and there are people who will get attention because of what they do.  Do we understand the true measure of intention?  Do we realize that the true rewards we receive is determined by our intentions?

   When self serving, we get our own reward immediately.  Just as Jesus said of those that pray on the street corners, they get exactly what they wanted.  Instant gratification in essence.  When we serve others with real intention (not simply as a hired hand or by obligation) then there are rewards that come from sources you could never access through self service.  Such as love, appreciation and loyalty, these are the rewards and blessings that come through selfless service.

   I am not perfect, nor would I suggest that I know more than anyone else.  I have learned from my own experiences that when we look beyond ourselves and seek the well being of others, our eyes are opened to a life that becomes a magical work of art that can stir the souls of men to even greater causes and greater good.   To put it another way, selfless service creates big picture thinking and big picture results.

   Who wouldn't want to be part of something bigger than themselves?

   May you find yourself in the service of others this day.  May you see the canvas of your life intermingled with the greater cause of humanity.

   Peace and Big Picture living for each and every one of you.

Billy B