Beautiful Skin

It has been a long time I didn’t write my thoughts, however this “Beautiful Skin” thought always comes to my mind, and this time it conspired with my fingers, eyes and mind and managed to get me write it.
Oh, who’s “me” if not the mind, eyes, fingers, legs…. ? ๐Ÿ˜›

Beautiful skin?

You see a person and you get attracted to that person. Have you ever considered yourself being only attrated to hir (Leary’s gender-unspecific term) skin?

How funny it is when our genes, which work on the subtlest level, fire up chemicals of admiration when they spot a healthy match. To add to what evolutionists say, we don’t get attracted to “ugly” people because we perceive them as unhealthy and carry unfit genes.

I come to look at it differently, when my system spots a match, a moral/humanistic versus genes/instinct argument arises:
Genes: That person’s ugly, keep away from me
Moral: Why judge by the appearance? What do I know beyond the skin of that person?

In these days, which controls which? The genes control the moral, or the moral controls the genes? Or there’s a mechanism in between balancing the two and what is it?

Those who have public speaking phobias are advised toย envision the audience naked (in fact, that’s what an instructor once told us in a public speaking course), thus they gain relative confidence by mentally lowering the audience’s. Similarliy, when the “Beautiful Skin” argument arrises, always remember that beneath this beautiful skin lies a mass of raw flesh and a thick skeleton.

Let your instinct cool down and be open to more than “skinny” opportunities.

Remote Relatives

Oh Remote Relatives….I got some relatives living outside, some here, some there, some in Honolulu and some In Zimbabwe.

But hey, I am not talking about them. I am talking about something like that:

“I know that that that that man told me is a lie.”

๐Ÿ™‚ Perplexed? it is simple to understand, it talks about that, and how that that is a lie, don’t you approve with that? ๐Ÿ˜›

So what is God?

How many times have you really though of “What is God” by yourself?

Maybe you tried many times but you were afraid then you remembered what others tell you about God.

Let me ask you, do YOU know God by yourself? Or you know God through what others told you? Be that your holy books, teachers or schools?

You have to make sure that you can only know about something when you experience it, not when you read or were told about it.

For some, God is the almighty creator, who loves us all and takes care of us, answering all our prayers.

For others, God is not one, but a group of intelligent beings (you can name them aliens) that created us through biological engineering and through crafting our DNAs delicately.

As long as we follow what others say about God, we will always have confusion, fear and instability and doubt in our mind.

So, what is God?

Geometrical Love

Who said that geometry is for scientists only? ๐Ÿ™‚

Have you ever heard of Love Triangle or Love Rectangle for example?

A love triangle is a romantic relationship involving three people, where each person is involved with another in a way.
It can be two people loving the third, while the two hate each other. For example a girl had to choose between two guys, one who is so nice with good a character, while the other guy is a wild and outlaw sort of character that is daring and adventurous.
It can also be where person A loves person B and person B loves person C, however transitivity does not apply (as it applies in mathematics), meaning person C cannot love person A or else we would have homosexual relationship! ๐Ÿ˜›
In general love triangles are not stable relationships and can lead to murder or suicide when unresolved conflicts arise in this relationship.

Now there is what is called “Love Rectangle”, it is when four people are involved in a relationship. It can ben two girls in love with two different men, but then later on, they happen to swap boyfriends and a new relationship get formed.

And last but not least, it is worthwhile reading about the “Triangular Theory of Love” at Wikipedia.

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_triangle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_theory_of_love
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyamory

Quality of Love

I have long felt compelled to talk about the quality and kind of love that we, lay people, have experienced.

The people in a relationship love

This can be a boyfriend/girlfriend, this can be a love affair, something of that sort.
Usually this sort of love is governed by fear of losing the lover and mostly by jealousy.
We think that if our lover loves another person then we will miss our share.
In that relationship, we see love as a divisible entity, as if when consumed somewhere else we will feel some lack.
I would not call this as love, because this love is tainted with fear and with so many conditions and carefulness.
We try to hold our love and feelings and only share it when the right person comes or if our lover behaves.

Brotherly or Sisterly Love

This love is still conditional and only shared with our “brothers” or “sisters”. We only love those who are good with us. This sort of love has less selfishness to it, and more true love and a sense of sacrifice and genuine will to help the others within our circle.

Parental Love

Parental love is the kind of love that a mother or father share with their children.
This love is governed by self-sacrifice, by protection and by care and gentleness.

Parents often forget themselves and only focus on their children.

Unconditional Love

It is the “unspoken” love. We rarely have the chance to experience what this love is.
We cannot image that we could love people and share our love while there will still be plenty of love for everyone.

This love does not know color, selfishness, desire or any sort of interest. This love is invading, it goes to all the people that we see without any discrimination.

That sort of love has been practiced by saints, sages and masters of old times and contemporary times.

Conclusion

There are many sorts of love relationships, and it is up to us to animate this love with selfishness or with selflessness. May all the sages inspire you so that you become a channel of unlimited and unconditional love.

A sense of gratitude

It is said that one can never appreciate the gifts that God gave to him unless one loses them.
It is also said that one should look into other’s miseries and see how much God has been grateful to him in comparison to others.

In that respect, one find himself many times plunged into pleasure seeking (in all sorts) on the expenses of the other(s), doing the impossible to get what one wants and never considering the other(s).

It is our selfishness that drives us to misery,
by wanting more than by giving,
by desiring more than sacrificing,
by greediness more than generosity,
by taking care of ourselves more than look out for the others,

Sometimes you realize…Sometimes you get awakened and you see yourself how much you want, you need, you you you you, and at that moment you remember that it is not all about YOU. It is at that moment that one should stop and change his heart. It is at that moment that one should feel a sense of gratitude towards his creator who put him in situations that helps him realize.

May the moments of realization be many in your lifes, and may you be accompanied by the light, wisdom and acceptance of others, dear Reader.

My favorite prayer – The prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Ever since I learned this prayer, and when I feel overwhelmed, I recite it.

This prayer is by Saint Francis of Assisi


Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

I am not a religious person, and I would not call this a prayer, I would call it a message for us to follow, a way of life. Thank you Saint Francis.

So…where’s Waldo?

In the past, when you were a small kid, you may have seen a big picture with lots of people in it and you are supposed to find just one guy wearing a certain outfit. Now you remember?

This is called “Where’s Waldo” in America, while it is called “Where’s Wally” in U.K, and actually many different names in different countries.

Sometime you may want to call your friend Waldo, when he’s in a picture with one hundred people and it is hard for you to spot him/her! ๐Ÿ™‚


Links:

Google on “Where’s Waldo”
Wikipedia’s “Where’s Wally”
Where’s Bin Laden
Amazon books

Addiction, Oh Addiction

Addiction Addiction Addiction,

How intelligent you are,
You come disguised in many forms,
Your happiness is my misery,
You block my vision and give me sweet things,
You make me forget that your sweetness is only temporarily,
You make me desire things out of my reach so that I suffer,
You come to me day and night and distract me from reality,

Oh Addiction, You look like a wolf disguised in sheep,
You sound nice, We defend you, and then we fall,
You even bribe our minds so that we defend your purpose,

Oh Addiction, Go away, Go away, Go away.

When I say I want to do it, then I do!

Notice how many “I” are in that title, and notice how many “I” you say when you’re talking with your friends or when you’re talking with yourself or even when you just writeย  a note of some sort.

“I” sometimes appears the center of the “universe” and in fact this “I” is the center of your universe as long as you are self-centered and selfish.

Most of the time people become angry if we tell them: “Hey, you are selfish!”, and the only reason they react like that is because that is a painful fact.

Today we are not going to discuss about selfishness or selflessness, rather we are going to scrutinize this “I” and how it works.
From the next line and on, you are required to take special attention of the “I”s you see in the text and of the date and time when the narration occurs:

Saturday night: You are in the restaurant with your friends, and you see nice food, but you remember you’re on diet, however for this night you say to yourself:
“Fine, tonight I will cheat but starting Monday I will resume my diet”
Later that same Saturday night, you remember that you want to make use of your Sunday fully, so you say:
“I want to wake up early tomorrow and I want to do all sort of activities, so let me set my alarm to 8am”

Sunday morning: The alarm yells at you, and you wake up lazily and remember that you said that you want to wake up early, but then you say:
“Nah…I don’t feel like it, I want to sleep”

(Are you still paying attention to all the “I”s?)

So what is happening? You see the contradiction?
Perhaps you never give it much attention, but this contradiction occurs all the time, you say one thing and you change your mind the next moment.
Why???

It is only because there is not just one “I”, there are many “I”s and in that example, the “I” of Saturday is not the same “I” of Sunday morning.

You have to realize that we are not ONE, we are to consciously “fight” to become one with ourselves.

If an example helps you understand better, you may imagine that “I”s live in your mind separately in different compartments, and each “I” comes forth only in certain times and circumstances.

Monday morning: “Oh, today I am on diet as I promised myself”
Monday lunch time: “Oh, nice food today, I want to try it”

Again, we have the “I” in the morning before meal, while the “I” in the lunch time is still sleeping. When lunch time comes “I” of the morning goes to sleep and “I” of lunch time awakes and wants to eat!
How lovely they are, those “I”s work in shifts, what a luxurious life they lead, ironically better than ours.

This “I” concept has always been there, hidden and encoded, in the scriptures, gospels, mythologies (depicted as soldiers and warriors), so it is nothing new.

If you have more interest in the nature of the “I”s and how to unify them, you only have to start observing yourself and become more aware.
For a more structured approach then studying the works of G.I Gurdjieff and his pupil P. D. Ouspensky would help you alot.

I rest my case! (pun intended)

Cracking the password

The subject of this article should be: “Saying the right things”, but it wouldn’t have be as a catchy title, no? Well now read on:

Have you ever stood in front of a system where you are asked to enter a password, and if you don’t guess then the system blows up or alarms would set off and you will be torn into pieces by guard dogs?

Of course not, you see that only in movies. Maybe you haven’t been literally into such situations, you’ve experienced something similar, so let me illustrate by an example.

Whether you know it or not, almost daily you are in “Saying the right things” situation.
Be that with your boss: you want to make sure you’re polite and saying the good things about him.
Or be that with your friend, even girlfriend or boyfriend, where you must to some extent always think and formulate what you’re saying to-the-word, or else some neural connections will change in the recipient’s brain and you will start to experience totally new behaviour from their part.

I am not saying to let the words flow out as you breath in and out without auditing them, however why the constant fear of being misunderstood, or even worse, correctly understood but then sentenced to death afterwards?

Have you noticed how sometimes people, no matter how close they are to each other, are just waiting each other to do just one mistake?

All it takes is just one “bad” word and then everything is changed after that.

But why? Why do we wait each other around the corner?

I can think of many reasons, but one main reason is much evident: because we are not in accordance with ourselves.

Say for instance that you tell someone close to you (I won’t ask you to do this to a stranger):
“Hey you’re ugly” or “That dress is aweful” or “I hate your nails” in a serious tone then no matter how much know that person, you won’t be treated the same by that person afterwards, not to mention the instant reaction!
Why? Because that person is already repeating his own mantra in his/her head: “Oh, I am looking okay today, am I beautiful? No I am not, I am ugly” and just in the right moment you ignited his/her internal conflict, and now you have became the sole reason for his/her misery.

Let me share that story with you:
The other day, it came to me to that I should “destroy” a friend I was chatting with.
No, not just another karate trick or stuffing a bomb in her mouth or something…but instead just uttering certain negative words that might trigger the defensive and reactive part of her. And guess what? At first, she wasn’t even caring (that was her protective system rejecting all the words), then little by little, words started touching her and she really became aware of all her protective aspects. I asked her to focus on what part the protection is, and she said that her mind is trying to defend itself and preserve certain ideas and false believes, then I stressed her not to protect herself, and slowly she started to really feel sad and in contact with her worst fears. After an hour long session, I was afraid that I might lose my friendship with that girl, but she turned to be strong and she even now love me more and became more open to me, she told me that she feels unshakable and more in contact with her trueself.

As they say: “Reading things is not like experiencing them”, one day will come and whatever you are defending will collapse and you will taste the freedom from fear.

It is worth mentioning that Lord Shiva from Hindu mysticism is known for his destructive properties, that is, he destroys all the limis within a person, if you’re curious you know what to do.

Silence: The sign of acceptance

Do you know the origin of “Silence is a sign of acceptance” ?

In this article, we are going to discuss some feeling that we all experience when we are about to either stay silent or reply/take action in a certain situation.

The question is: “Would you explain yourself or you accept being silent?”

Sometimes circumstances present themselves where you are misunderstood, or did something wrong or whatever thing that requires your explanation. Then you think “the more I talk the more complex the situation would become and if I keep silent then they would think that I am guilty and that I accept my misdeed”.

It once happened to me, actually it happens all the time, where I had the choice to either explain myself or remain silent; I remained silent and experienced a rush of thoughts racing each other trying to reach my mouth and tongue before my mind could even catch them. All they wanted was to defend me even if I did not consciously ask for their help.
I noticed a thought pattern like this:
– What if they take this or that image of me?
– What if I am not accepted anymore within their circle?
– What if what they think I really did what they thought I did?
– Hey, I am innocent, don’t get me wrong people…

At that moment, I stepped back and asked those thoughts “why are you worried?” Why are you concerned about what they think of you?
Then suddenly, relief swept my entire being as a new wave of realization and understanding filled me: “Worrying will take me no where, and whatever happens will happen for my good, I simply don’t want people who are condemning as my acquaintances”.

We may spend a huge amount of time thinking and worrying about what others are thinking of us, however we spend less time reflecting on how we think about ourselves

The Unexpected Guest

Hundreds of years ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe, there lived a very poor man and his wife. Their names were Josef and Rebecca, and their home was little more than a shack. Their only possession was a single, scrawny cow, from whose milk and cheese they fed themselves and earned a meager living.One afternoon, not long before sundown, Josef heard a knock at the door and when he opened it, his jaw dropped in astonishment. Standing before him was the man known far and wide as the greatest Kabbalist in the world, the man known as the Baal Shem Tov — “the master of the holy name.” He was accompanied by a few of his students, who stood respectfully behind him.

“We’ve been traveling all day, and now it is almost sundown,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “May we join you for the evening meal?”

“Of course, of course,” said Josef, standing aside as the master and his students entered the shack. At that moment, Rebecca, who was standing at the stove, looked over her shoulder. She too was astonished, and even a bit frightened by the sudden appearance of the great master.

“Very well then,” said the Baal Shem Tov, glancing around. “but I have to tell you that my students and I are very hungry after our travels. We’d like some fine cuts of meat, some fresh vegetables, and of course some good wine. You can accommodate us, can’t you?”

Josef hesitated, but then nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, oh yes,” he said. “This is a great honor for us, and we want to give you exactly what you desire. Let me just speak with my wife for a moment”.

He and Rebecca retired to a corner of the room. “What are we going to do?” Rebecca asked anxiously. “How are we going to give these men what they want? We have no meat or fresh vegetables, and the wine we drink isn’t at all worthy of the Baal Shem Tov!”

Josef thought for a moment. Then he said, “There’s only one thing to do. I’ll have to sell the cow in order to buy food. There’s no time to waste!” And before his wife could protest, he hurried out the door.

Within the hour, Josef returned with supplies for exactly the sort of meal the Baal Shem Tov had described, and Rebecca hurried to prepare it. But as the great Kabbalist began to eat, Josef and Rebecca were amazed at how he ate and ate, and drank and drank. As soon as he finished one plate, he immediately called for more. He was like an eating machine!.. Even the students were amazed. It was as if the Baal Shem Tov intended to eat the poor man out of house and home — and that was exactly what was happening!

After downing the last morsel, the Baal Shem Tov pushed his chair back from the table and got to his feet. “That was delicious? Thank you very much,” he said. “Now we have renewed energy for the road, so we will be on our way” And in a flash, he and his students were gone just as suddenly as they had arrived.

“Well, this is a fine mess,” said Rebecca, when the door had closed behind the departing visitors. “Now we really have nothing, not even hat scrawny cow! What are we going to do, Josef? We’re going to starve!”

Unable to bear the sight of his weeping wife, and having no idea what to do, Josef opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air. Soon he found himself walking through the forest, with no real idea of where he was going. How was he going to solve the terrible dilemma he and Rebecca were now facing? Then, without thinking he closed his eyes, fell to his knees and began to pray. From the bottom of his heart he prayed for all the things he had never had — not just for himself, but for his long-suffering wife as well.

Just then, Josef heard a rustling in the branches behind him, and as he opened his eyes he saw someone stagger into the clearing. It was an old man, well dressed but disheveled, who had obviously been drinking. But as he caught sight of Josef, his eyes shone with happiness.

I’m so glad there’s someone here,” said the old man, slurring his words. … I don’t want to die alone.”

“Die?” said Josef, getting to his feet. “You’re not going to die. You’ve just had a bit too much to drink.”

But as Josef reached out to steady the newcomer the old many sighed and sank to the ground. As Josef knelt beside him, the man told a painfully sad story. He was very wealthy, but his money was the only thing his family cared about. In fact, they were like vultures, just waiting for him to die so they cold get their hands on his fortune.

“But they’re in for a surprise, said the old many, with a rueful smile. …They don’t know that I’ve buried the treasure right here in this forest. They’ll get nothing because they deserve nothing!”

“I’m sorry this has happened to you,” Josef replied. “It’s cold out here, and you need a warm place to rest.”

The old man just shook his head. “It’s too late for that,” he said. ” But you’ve been so kind to me. That’s something that hasn’t happened in many years, so I will repay your kindness. Here’Look'”

But as he reached into the pocket of his coat, he began coughing. Then, just as suddenly, he fell silent and his eyes closed. Josef quickly bent to help him, but sure enough, the man was dead. Now Josef felt more frightened and confused than ever. Yet as he stared at the body beside him, he saw that in the instant before he died the old many had withdrawn a slip of paper from his pocket. Josef gently took hold of the paper and unfolded it. To his amazement, it was a map — and when he followed it, he discovered a buried treasure beyond anything he could have imagined.

Five years passed. One day the Baal Shem Tov and his students were again on the road when a fine carriage passed headed in the other direction. As the students looked into the carriage they were amazed to see the poor man who had struggled to provide them with dinner years before. Sitting beside him was his wife, and they both looked not only as if they were wealthy, but as if they didn’t have a care in the world!

When the students turned to their master for some explanation, the Baal Shem Tov only smiled calmly, as if this is what he had expected all along. “You see,” he said to the students, “it was Josef’s destiny to be joyful and fulfilled, but he never thought to ask for everything that was really meant for him. He would have been content to spend the rest of his life with his one scrawny cow. That’s why I had to help him get rid of it.”

And I quote the explanation:

In this tale, the scrawny cow is a metaphor for the life we are willing to accept, while the abundance is the gift that becomes ours when we live The Secret. Although the tale describes this abundance in material terms. The scrawny cow and the fine carriage are really symbols of spiritual levels of being.

Kabbalah teaches that nothing of a material nature can bring us lasting joy — not because there’s anything inherently wrong with material objects and desires, but because our true needs are so much greater. The pleasures of sex ,food, and luxury offer only a tantalizing hint of what awaits us at the source of true joy, which explains why we are always searching for more. We imagine a quantitative solution to the search — that we need only to get more of what we already have — but the fulfillment that the Creator intends for us is qualitatively different than anything the physical realm can offer.

Origin: The Secret – Kabbalah – Book

My father is the captain

Greetings,

Once I was telling my friend that I have fear sometimes, fear of losing my family, job, friends, possessions, and he simply told me this story:

One day a big ship with lots of passengers was stuck in the middle of the ocean while the thunder and winds started fighting with each other. The ship is, in between the two natural giants, rocking and shaking scaring all of the passengers who started to shout, weep and cry fearing their unescapable death. However, only one small girl was dancing and singing happily.
The people dumbfound by her behaviour yelled at her and inquired: “Why are you happy? Can’t you see the wind will flip the ship aside and the thunder willย strike and kill us?” and then the innoccent small girl replied: “No, I am not afraid because my dad is the captain of this ship”

And by that inspiring story, we simply have to put faith and enjoy life cause God is our captain, for he has created and he can destroy us, no need to worry or take extra measures to preserve ourselves.

Heard from: Dhirendra
Origin: Unknown

Good guys meeting bad guys

How often have you asked yourself why being a nice guy isn’t helpful in a relationship and why playing a bad guy actually creates some sort of attraction?
This question is often asked and many had speculated answers either based on their experience with thousands of dates or by simply pondering about the matter and reading some books or conversing with girls. In this small essay we shall delve into some aspects and points as to what is a bad/nice guy and what differs between the two. Continue reading “Good guys meeting bad guys”