Archive for The ABC’s Of Great Life
The ABC’s Of Great Life : ‘U’ Is For Unity
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FollowDespite society’s seeming obsession with competition and one-upmanship, the raw and sometimes hard-to-live-up-to truth is that our planet is a closed system – there is no actual “away” to throw things, no true “other” to be afraid of and no possible difference between the suffering of one and the suffering of all, even if that isn’t apparent at first glance.
As many spiritual and religious teachers instruct, we are all one with our brothers and sisters, and we are all brothers and sisters. Just as you can’t sanely or healthily cut off one finger to “leave more stuff” for the rest of the hand, neither can you pollute, exploit, undermine or hurt one part of earth, one population of people or one species of life without it eventually coming back to hurt us all.
The ABC’s Of Great Life : ‘S’ Is For Success
Posted by: | CommentsDespite some strange pseudo-spiritual grumblings to the contrary, there is nothing wrong with success. In fact, most religious and spiritual teachings flat out promise their followers success in one form or another as a matter of course. Of course, there is the matter of how you define success, for the trappings of traditional success often come at the expense of our spirit, our humanity and our integrity. But that need not be the case, if we are willing to invest a little time, energy and conscious thought into the process.
The ABC’s Of A Great Life – ‘U’ Is For Unity
Posted by: | CommentsDespite society’s seeming obsession with competition and one-upmanship, the raw and sometimes hard-to-live-up-to truth is that our planet is a closed system – there is no actual “away” to throw things, no true “other” to be afraid of and no possible difference between the suffering of one and the suffering of all, even if that isn’t apparent at first glance.
As many spiritual and religious teachers instruct, we are all one with our brothers and sisters, and we are all brothers and sisters. Just as you can’t sanely or healthily cut off one finger to “leave more stuff” for the rest of the hand, neither can you pollute, exploit, undermine or hurt one part of earth, one population of people or one species of life without it eventually coming back to hurt us all.
The ABC’s Of A Great Life – ‘S’ Is For Success
Posted by: | CommentsDespite some strange pseudo-spiritual grumblings to the contrary, there is nothing wrong with success. In fact, most religious and spiritual teachings flat out promise their followers success in one form or another as a matter of course. Of course, there is the matter of how you define success, for the trappings of traditional success often come at the expense of our spirit, our humanity and our integrity. But that need not be the case, if we are willing to invest a little time, energy and conscious thought into the process.
The ABC’s Of A Great Life – ‘H’ is For Hozho
Posted by: | CommentsI was tempted to choose “harmony” for this installment of my alphabet. However, a brief moment of reflection convinced me instead to favor this Navaho term which, while encompassing and often explained as harmony, delivers so much more than that when you plumb the true depth of its meaning.
The ABC’s Of A Great Life – ‘F’ is For Failure
Posted by: | CommentsFailure as part of a great life? Counterintuitive, but true! Think of your very best qualities, your most hard-won strengths and your truly amazing abilities – and remember how many of them are the result of lessons learned and character forged in the hot fire of failure.
‘T’ is for the Truth
Posted by: | CommentsNow, I am not one of those who are going to tell you that in order to have a great life, you have to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, all day and every day, so help you God. That’s flat out impossible and not a little bit wrong. The little white lies that allow us to avoid hurting one another, the ability to leave out parts of an otherwise honest assessment that are irrelevant and potentially destructive and the ability to know something true and not say anything at all, because it is neither our business nor our place to do so, are vital skills that help create a great life, rather than preclude it.
“W” Is For Why Not
Posted by: | CommentsA great life requires many skills, abilities and traits of personality – and one of them is the capacity for pure, spontaneous fun and enjoyment. The freedom and the ability to jump into whatever bit of play or discovery that presents itself to hand is a valuable coin that buys its bearer many wondrous adventures and experiences. And who knows? That next bit of harmless fun might just be the catalyst for your next great quest or provide some keen insight into your vision for the future.
‘P’ is for Passion
Posted by: | CommentsWhat life can be great without great passion? Having something in your life about which you are passionate is a great start, but consider this: Why not create an entire life that you are passionate about – start to finish, top to bottom? Can it be done? Yes, and it’s not nearly so hard as you might think.
The ABC’s of a Great Life – ‘N’ is for NO!
Posted by: | CommentsThere is a certain accuracy to the popular conception that the richer or more successful you are, the less you have to do of what you don’t want to do. In fact, that is in large part what drives a great many people after success – not the monetary rewards or the material possessions, but quite simply the freedom to say “No!” – no to inhumane or stifling conditions, no to demands on our time that take us away from our passions or our dreams, no to the “necessary evils” of life that plague those with less power and influence.
