ideas

There’s lots of violence in the world. When I watch the news I have to be careful not to let myself get overwhelmed by the violence. There are violent acts. Violent words are tossed around carelessly on the media. If I check out streaming movies, many are filled with violence. The list is long with the presence of violence. There are better alternatives. We don’t have to listen to people who preach hate. We don’t have to pay to watch a movie that glorifies violence. We can be aware of our language and eliminate violent words. We can create peaceful loving spaces in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Be a force for good. You can make a difference.

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Ever watch squirrels chase each other? They’ll run in circles, scamper up and down and around trees. I feel like they are mocking my life, because, at times, I feel like I’m running around in circles and getting nowhere. Squirrels are doing something that is engrained in their DNA. Running in circles is a choice for me. It doesn’t have to be. I can stop and think about what is important to do at the moment. I can tell you, running in circles is never the answer I come up with. When I focus on what is really important, my day moves at a peace-filled pace. In the end, I find I get more done than if I accelerated my pace and joined the squirrels running in circles.

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We all come from someplace. Don’t let the bad memories hold you back. Don’t let the hurt remain an anchor on you holding you down. Yesterday is over, it can’t hold you down or hurt you unless you give it power over you. Take the good from your journey and let it help light your way. When we choose to let yesterday go and move on toward a hope-filled future, we empower ourselves. We become the captains of our journey, the captains of our destiny. We can choose the journey written across our hearts. It’s always been there. It’s all living in the now with our eyes pointed toward a better tomorrow. You know your best days are streaming toward you.

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Personal and observational experience taught me the more an issue is about ego, the greater the chances are the ego is on the wrong side. The more the ego is set aside and efforts are made for the collective greater good, the chances are good for an excellent outcome. It’s difficult to recognize the ego’s involvement in an issue, because the ego is a master of disguises and cloaks itself from being recognized. One way to discern the ego’s involvement is to ask who benefits most from our involvement in the issue. If we benefit most, the ego is a central character. If others, those being served, benefit most, the ego is on the sidelines.

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In an old Peanut’s comic strip there is a character, Pig Pen, who always walks with a cloud of dust over his head. We can feel like we’re walking with a cloud of dust over our heads when things are going bad. Kind people will listen us, but they’ll soon tire if we continue to moan, poor me. It’s not always easy, but it’s up to us to change our channel and walk away from the dreary darkness. it doesn’t stop the hurt, but it gives us a chance to be warmed by the sun. Once we’re in sunlight we see things with greater clarity. Perhaps we’ll discover the lessons waiting for us from what we experienced. Perhaps we’ll see for the first time a new path that was always there.

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What if we created sacred safe places in our homes? These are places where dialogue is more important than anger. Where open mindedness is better than closed mindedness. Where love is better than hate. Where everyone who enters the sacred safe place is respected and valued for who they are at the moment. What would it be like if we did this?