cincygirl
06-06-2007, 03:01 AM
This is actually a blog I had written earlier...but feel free to comment your opinions as I know everyone does already. :)
I have been reading so much lately that my brain feels like it will explode if I have no one to share it with! The biggest joy that comes from learning is always the chance to share the information with others. So bear with me while I put my thoughts onto paper.
I have become more and more aware on a daily basis, through reading, contemplation, talking to friends, much more learned than me, that this world really is what we make it. Everything pretty much ties into it's self!
The world that we live in is nothing more than the projection of what we put into our minds and project out into the world, our world, our reality. So look around…how do you feel about what you see?
Before a friend of mine encouraged me to stop! slow down! and look around at the world today, I thought he was completely crazy! (he's not) Many people, as did I, live life completely by a set of imaginary standards that have been set for us. The basic blueprint looks like this:
Go to school
Graduate school
Go to college
Accumulate debt
Graduate college
Start a career
Buy a house
Accumulate more debt
Buy an expensive car
Accumulate debt
Get married
Have children
Accumulate more debt
Get a dog
Then within the blueprint provided to us, there are a few more rules set by the "norms of society that look like this:
1 You will rush to work as to not be late and receive a lecture from the boss on how replaceable you are.
2 While at work, you will skip your provided lunch break (because if you do, you look more dedicated to the company)
3 Work past 5pm by at least an hour (because if you do, you look more dedicated to the company)
4. Drive home in bumper to bumper traffic half starved from not eating lunch, and tired because you gave the "company" every last bit of energy you had as to look like a valuable employee.
5 Arrive at home
6. Eat dinner with the family
7 Sit down in front of the Television for the remainder of the evening because you have no energy to do anything else. (this is the part of the day we call family time)
We do all of this for years upon years because we are told this is how upstanding citizens are supposed to live. So we work, we buy the house, we have the 2.5 children, we drive the socially acceptable car, live in the socially acceptable neighborhood, and wear the socially acceptable clothes because if we do all of this, we appear to be living the "dream". But who's dream are we living? Does anyone feel satisfied?
I know from experience that to have the "right" career, the "right" house, the "right" car, the "right" clothes etc. took me absolutely no where. I didn't feel happier! My marriage didn't look anything like what Hollywood said it would look like if I did all the "right" things! So why not?
A few things that were very apparent was this, "the dream" was unachievable because it didn't exist. All the time and devotion spent into obtaining the "right" things, left me too exhausted to enjoy any of the benefits, once you had all the "right" things you had to find time to take care of it all!! Exhausting??? You bet!!
This so called dream also put more motivation on "obtaining" possessions then it did on nurturing a strong family relationship, because the happy, perfect family was supposed to be automatic once you were living the dream. To actually purchase all of the "right "things for this dream meant you had to work more hours to be able to afford it all, and God forbid the company decided it didn't love you as much as you loved it because then you could actually lose the dream in bankruptcy court.
The whole scenario is pretty crazy if you think about it! We're like a bunch of hamsters stuck on an exercise wheel that just turns around and around day after day while the whole time we're thinking we're heading somewhere, never realizing that we're just going in circles tiring ourselves out!
If for a moment, we could get off of the big exercise wheel and look around, we would see that the wheel was taken us nowhere.
I see now that there are so many other things that bring me happiness, things that I was missing out on because I was stuck on the wheel.
I started reading instead of watching television all evening, though I do enjoy a good movie here and there. I started spending time with my children, going for a walk in the park, pushing my daughter on a swing, talking to my son about school, or sports, or books. Family time was no longer the time of day we spent together in silence in front of the television.
Without the television, I started feeling much happier, my relationship with my friends and family started improving. Instead of the television dictating to me what was supposed to make me happy, I was now free to find out on my own what really made me happy. Who cares if it isn't the "norm of society" what's so great about being normal anyways?? Normal is boring….what would a group of normal people do together?? No one would have anything to talk about since they're all living the exact same boring "dream".
This so called dream causes so many problems for everyone, not just in trying to achieve success, but also by breeding jealousy, contempt, and depression in so many people. If everyone is striving to obtain the unobtainable it can cause a lot of stress! It's pretty hard for people to love thy neighbor if they're always worried about them having more than you or vica versa.
I think it's about time everyone gets off of the never ending exercise wheel and start asking themselves if they are happy, if not then start making changes in your routine. Do the un-norm.
We, as a great human race, have so many opportunities to love one another, give to each other, improve our way of living, expand our knowledge, grow our faith, open our consciousnesses up, become more aware of each other, it sounds much more exciting and fulfilling than to say all you accomplished in your days on earth was you had a big house, an expensive car, and can't remember doing anything but working.
I know there are others out there who have experienced that feeling of disappointment that "the dream" isn't working for them and are beginning to wonder if there is more to life than the blueprint given to us.
Our whole culture and society has built up a system to support this blueprint. If you take a step back and look at the whole picture, it is so obvious to see that it's amazing we haven't seen it sooner.
Besides the promises of happiness if you follow the blueprint, our way of life is such that everything is in complete promotion of this "dream life". Because we feel such pressure to achieve the dream, we sacrifice much of who we are or who we are truly intended to be.
With all this emphasis put on making the dream happen, it doesn't leave much time to take care of ourselves. We are all in such a hurry to get to the job, that we skip breakfast, or grab something pre-packaged full of crap to eat in the car on our way to work. We get to work and drink coffee or pop during the day to keep our energy high so we can accomplish all that the company has demanded us to do. We either get our lunches from a vending machine, a fast food restaurant, or just skip eating all together so we can devote even more time to the job.
No wonder we're stressed out and tired! We mistreat our bodies, fill ourselves full of junk, fake food, caffeine, and then wonder why we don't feel good, we're tired, we're stressed. Then to compensate for the stress, some of us smoke, or we say….thank God the day's over, let's go get a drink.
Life can't be nothing more than 365 days a year for 70 years of smoking and drinking to be able to deal with our lives! I surely hope not! Of course the smoking does nothing to really remove the stress and eventually just causes you health issues. The drinking doesn't eliminate any of our problems either, and can actually just add to them.
Some people turn to drugs to let thier minds slip away from reality as they know it. None of these things are ever going to solve the real issue.
Our divorce rate goes higher and higher these days. Relationships just don't seem to work out. People get busy with their own agendas of how to achieve the dream and don't devote time to their partners anymore, they stop talking, communicating, there are always so many more important things to do during the day then to make a few moments for each other.
Life does not have to be this way. Life wasn't intended to be this way. We have only forgotten our purpose and been lead astray, but it doesn't mean that we can't find our way back to happiness and freedom.
Don't just look with your five senses eyes at the world, listen to your inner voice, listen to your heart, listen to your feelings. Find time for yourself, to be peaceful, to read, to walk in the park, to enjoy the nature. Enjoy your children, your friends, your family. Don't leave opportunity for words not said to those you love, or time not spent enjoying loved ones company.
Be kinder to your body, you are important! So eat and drink like you are important! Vegetables, fruit, lots of water, stay away from the packaged, processed foods, the fast foods, the sugars, the caffeine, the alcohols, the drugs. There is nothing so important or demanding of us to sacrifice our health, our minds or our bodies, the same bodies that the bible says God dwells within also.
Appreciate the things in life we do have and surround yourself with other like-minded loving people that want to strive for peace and infinite love in the world. Because what you put into your mind and your heart can be just as dangerous for your well being as what you put into your body so be wise about the choices you make.
Peace to all….
I have been reading so much lately that my brain feels like it will explode if I have no one to share it with! The biggest joy that comes from learning is always the chance to share the information with others. So bear with me while I put my thoughts onto paper.
I have become more and more aware on a daily basis, through reading, contemplation, talking to friends, much more learned than me, that this world really is what we make it. Everything pretty much ties into it's self!
The world that we live in is nothing more than the projection of what we put into our minds and project out into the world, our world, our reality. So look around…how do you feel about what you see?
Before a friend of mine encouraged me to stop! slow down! and look around at the world today, I thought he was completely crazy! (he's not) Many people, as did I, live life completely by a set of imaginary standards that have been set for us. The basic blueprint looks like this:
Go to school
Graduate school
Go to college
Accumulate debt
Graduate college
Start a career
Buy a house
Accumulate more debt
Buy an expensive car
Accumulate debt
Get married
Have children
Accumulate more debt
Get a dog
Then within the blueprint provided to us, there are a few more rules set by the "norms of society that look like this:
1 You will rush to work as to not be late and receive a lecture from the boss on how replaceable you are.
2 While at work, you will skip your provided lunch break (because if you do, you look more dedicated to the company)
3 Work past 5pm by at least an hour (because if you do, you look more dedicated to the company)
4. Drive home in bumper to bumper traffic half starved from not eating lunch, and tired because you gave the "company" every last bit of energy you had as to look like a valuable employee.
5 Arrive at home
6. Eat dinner with the family
7 Sit down in front of the Television for the remainder of the evening because you have no energy to do anything else. (this is the part of the day we call family time)
We do all of this for years upon years because we are told this is how upstanding citizens are supposed to live. So we work, we buy the house, we have the 2.5 children, we drive the socially acceptable car, live in the socially acceptable neighborhood, and wear the socially acceptable clothes because if we do all of this, we appear to be living the "dream". But who's dream are we living? Does anyone feel satisfied?
I know from experience that to have the "right" career, the "right" house, the "right" car, the "right" clothes etc. took me absolutely no where. I didn't feel happier! My marriage didn't look anything like what Hollywood said it would look like if I did all the "right" things! So why not?
A few things that were very apparent was this, "the dream" was unachievable because it didn't exist. All the time and devotion spent into obtaining the "right" things, left me too exhausted to enjoy any of the benefits, once you had all the "right" things you had to find time to take care of it all!! Exhausting??? You bet!!
This so called dream also put more motivation on "obtaining" possessions then it did on nurturing a strong family relationship, because the happy, perfect family was supposed to be automatic once you were living the dream. To actually purchase all of the "right "things for this dream meant you had to work more hours to be able to afford it all, and God forbid the company decided it didn't love you as much as you loved it because then you could actually lose the dream in bankruptcy court.
The whole scenario is pretty crazy if you think about it! We're like a bunch of hamsters stuck on an exercise wheel that just turns around and around day after day while the whole time we're thinking we're heading somewhere, never realizing that we're just going in circles tiring ourselves out!
If for a moment, we could get off of the big exercise wheel and look around, we would see that the wheel was taken us nowhere.
I see now that there are so many other things that bring me happiness, things that I was missing out on because I was stuck on the wheel.
I started reading instead of watching television all evening, though I do enjoy a good movie here and there. I started spending time with my children, going for a walk in the park, pushing my daughter on a swing, talking to my son about school, or sports, or books. Family time was no longer the time of day we spent together in silence in front of the television.
Without the television, I started feeling much happier, my relationship with my friends and family started improving. Instead of the television dictating to me what was supposed to make me happy, I was now free to find out on my own what really made me happy. Who cares if it isn't the "norm of society" what's so great about being normal anyways?? Normal is boring….what would a group of normal people do together?? No one would have anything to talk about since they're all living the exact same boring "dream".
This so called dream causes so many problems for everyone, not just in trying to achieve success, but also by breeding jealousy, contempt, and depression in so many people. If everyone is striving to obtain the unobtainable it can cause a lot of stress! It's pretty hard for people to love thy neighbor if they're always worried about them having more than you or vica versa.
I think it's about time everyone gets off of the never ending exercise wheel and start asking themselves if they are happy, if not then start making changes in your routine. Do the un-norm.
We, as a great human race, have so many opportunities to love one another, give to each other, improve our way of living, expand our knowledge, grow our faith, open our consciousnesses up, become more aware of each other, it sounds much more exciting and fulfilling than to say all you accomplished in your days on earth was you had a big house, an expensive car, and can't remember doing anything but working.
I know there are others out there who have experienced that feeling of disappointment that "the dream" isn't working for them and are beginning to wonder if there is more to life than the blueprint given to us.
Our whole culture and society has built up a system to support this blueprint. If you take a step back and look at the whole picture, it is so obvious to see that it's amazing we haven't seen it sooner.
Besides the promises of happiness if you follow the blueprint, our way of life is such that everything is in complete promotion of this "dream life". Because we feel such pressure to achieve the dream, we sacrifice much of who we are or who we are truly intended to be.
With all this emphasis put on making the dream happen, it doesn't leave much time to take care of ourselves. We are all in such a hurry to get to the job, that we skip breakfast, or grab something pre-packaged full of crap to eat in the car on our way to work. We get to work and drink coffee or pop during the day to keep our energy high so we can accomplish all that the company has demanded us to do. We either get our lunches from a vending machine, a fast food restaurant, or just skip eating all together so we can devote even more time to the job.
No wonder we're stressed out and tired! We mistreat our bodies, fill ourselves full of junk, fake food, caffeine, and then wonder why we don't feel good, we're tired, we're stressed. Then to compensate for the stress, some of us smoke, or we say….thank God the day's over, let's go get a drink.
Life can't be nothing more than 365 days a year for 70 years of smoking and drinking to be able to deal with our lives! I surely hope not! Of course the smoking does nothing to really remove the stress and eventually just causes you health issues. The drinking doesn't eliminate any of our problems either, and can actually just add to them.
Some people turn to drugs to let thier minds slip away from reality as they know it. None of these things are ever going to solve the real issue.
Our divorce rate goes higher and higher these days. Relationships just don't seem to work out. People get busy with their own agendas of how to achieve the dream and don't devote time to their partners anymore, they stop talking, communicating, there are always so many more important things to do during the day then to make a few moments for each other.
Life does not have to be this way. Life wasn't intended to be this way. We have only forgotten our purpose and been lead astray, but it doesn't mean that we can't find our way back to happiness and freedom.
Don't just look with your five senses eyes at the world, listen to your inner voice, listen to your heart, listen to your feelings. Find time for yourself, to be peaceful, to read, to walk in the park, to enjoy the nature. Enjoy your children, your friends, your family. Don't leave opportunity for words not said to those you love, or time not spent enjoying loved ones company.
Be kinder to your body, you are important! So eat and drink like you are important! Vegetables, fruit, lots of water, stay away from the packaged, processed foods, the fast foods, the sugars, the caffeine, the alcohols, the drugs. There is nothing so important or demanding of us to sacrifice our health, our minds or our bodies, the same bodies that the bible says God dwells within also.
Appreciate the things in life we do have and surround yourself with other like-minded loving people that want to strive for peace and infinite love in the world. Because what you put into your mind and your heart can be just as dangerous for your well being as what you put into your body so be wise about the choices you make.
Peace to all….