Daily Mood Quotes - January 10, 2012

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 236 - January 10, 2012

“To be afraid is to have more faith in evil than in God.”

~Emmet Fox

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed -- and hence clamorous to be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

~H.L. Mencken

Okay, today I may touch on a few issues that could rub folks the wrong way. That's alright, because as humans we are all different and have different points of view. In fact, that is the first of two basic issues I want to look at today. I find it curious that somehow we have as a species, failed to embrace the simple fact that we are in fact, a species. There is a range of sizes, shapes, coloration and a host of other variations in almost any globally present species. So too with us. Diversity and adaptability is good and leads to stable systems. It's a simple scientific fact, born out time and again; throughout the history of the planet. Yet, we as people seem to have a hard time accepting this very fundamental species survival mechanism. No matter where you look, you see folks in almost every walk of life pointing out others who are different as a threat. The same holds for occupations, behaviors, religions and just about anything else you can think of. We can't and shouldn't be all exactly the same; that's Species Survival 101.

So, What's my point? It is simple. This morning, I read an article in the Huffington Post and on Reuters that in a Monday speech, Pope Benedict XVI stated his belief that political support of gay marriage undermined the family and “threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself.” I just want to be clear about a few things. First, I think that, if the quote is accurate (I couldn't find the transcript), the Pope, who has been accused of covering up the indiscretions of gay and pedophile priests, needs to tread lightly here, I don't suffer hypocrites well. And as I understand it, Jesus of Nazareth didn't either. I'm just saying; where is the acceptance, the love and forgiveness; isn't that the foundation of the faith?

That said, I also wonder what was the real motivation behind the piece I read, as it seemed to “cherry pick” facts to paint Catholics in general, in the worst possible light. That's not right either. I believe, its just as hypocritical to point a finger and say see how bad “they” (pick one as we are all “they” to someone else) are for not following Christ's lead, while it's okay to attack them. I just didn’t see the article as fair minded. So, to point two and something we discussed yesterday; Fear. I can't in any way, believe that gay marriage, or lack there of is going to have any negative impact on humanity's survival. That to me is fear mongering to advance the cause of an organization. One that given its 2000 year history should know better by now. There always have been and always will be a distribution of sexual orientations and other behaviors in this and every other species. We may, or may not have souls (depending on one's beliefs, I for one, do believe), but we can be certain, the wiring inside the human brain is always going to include variability. Kind of a no-brainer, please pardon the pun. What disturbs me is that the head of a church would feel it necessary to stoop to that level, in order to lure people “afraid of a changing world,” into the fold.

I really don't recall anywhere in the New Testament that Jesus Christ whom is the real head of the church, condoned being “afraid” of anything on earth. He in fact said on more than one occasion “do not be afraid.” Case in point, Matthew 10:26 says, “So do not be afraid of people.”(NIV) I'm not giving a Bible lessen here, just expressing that what the Pope said really “feels” wrong this time and isn't consistent with the simple facts of life on earth, or Jesus's message. But, we are all human and as I said, how we see things is variable. But, to use the “future of humanity itself ” as a hand tool of fear mongering, really misses the point. I sincerely hope that the Catholic church changes it's hard heart. There are so very many other things that truly are a threat to the survival of our species and the planet we all live on. Lets focus on fixing those first. As President Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas) in the movie The American President said, “Let's try to keep our eye on the ball, okay?”

I really believe the first, greatest evil is fear. It makes otherwise good people, do horrendous things. That's the real threat to the survival of humanity. To single out any group of people who are just going about their own business, leading their daily lives, as a threat to humanity is a long and slippery slope. That's how leaders have twisted whole populations to do truly unspeakable things to others. George Orwell once pointed out that the first job of a leader is to create an enemy that could strike fear into the hearts of the electorate. Our religious leaders might want to focus on hope, not fear.... we have the Republican Super-PACS for that. They can spread fear, like jam on bread and so, so many eat it up. My point; any organization, or writer that uses fear instead of fact, hate instead of love, deception instead of truth to further itself/themselves, is not working in anyone's interest but their own. Caveat emptor (Let the buyer beware); extends to both politics and religion (whoops, I guess thats a itsy bit of fear mongering too, but I prefer to think of it as common sense). Choose well, read wisely.

How will you view others today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quote - January 9, 2012

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 235 – January 9, 2012

“We don't live in our fears, we live in our hopes.”

~Mike Tomlin – Head Coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Yesterday, I watched the playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos and Phil Simms an NFL game announcer commented on his interview with Mike Tomlin about some past decisions that were made regarding Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and whether or not he should have played the last two games of the regular season with his injury. Mike Tomlin commented “we don't live in our fears, we live in our hopes.” My thought after I heard that, “wow, what a profound statement and accurate too.” How many of us live with fears, regrets, the “woulda, shoulda, and coulda's” of our lives?

I know I have even asked the question, “what if I would have done this differently or said this instead of that” figuring the outcome may have been different. But, you know what, it doesn't matter, what is done is done and we need to stop stewing in the past and move ahead with the hope that is waiting for us. Failure to see hope, or believe in hope, takes away the belief that there is a tomorrow, with new possibilities. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” So why fear something that is already in the past; we cannot touch it, we can not see it, and we can not taste it, because the past no longer exists. It seems foolish to be afraid of something, or allow that something that is no more, to have so much control over us, that it dictates life to us.

Fear is a distressing emotion that has its only purpose in the “now” (as in supplying the rush of adrenalin you might need to escape an onrushing fright train). When allowed to hang around and fester, it can really mess up a day, a week, a month, a year and even a life. Especially, if we allow it to take control of our thoughts and actions. Hope, best described by Dictionary.com as, “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” I believe to gain a positive future, we need to suppress our fears, try and have a little hope. I also believe that is what Mr. Tomlin was talking about. You see Ben Roethlisberger has a high ankle sprain and really should have been on the injured list, but Big Ben is tough and chose to play in the “HOPE” of putting the Pittsburgh Steelers in a better position for the playoffs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it did not pay off, but I admire the Steelers for trying, for having hope. I know many Steeler fans are disappointed about this, but as my father use to say, “there is always next year.” That's the promise that we all share; For the teams who are finished this year and tomorrow for those of us, who have hope.

I know what you may be thinking, “It's easier said than done ” and for many that's true. Anyone who has had a significant, or repeated trauma may need a bit of help separating the tangled mess fear leaves in its wake. Our human minds, however evolved we wish to believe, still have a long way to go in learning how to put old fears in their proper place. That's why hope in the possibilities of tomorrow exists. It is the counterbalance to fear. Some things just take more time than others. However, a caution, our time on earth is not endless, we all only have a certain amount of time to work with and what you do with that time, that hope, those possibilities is up to you.

What hope will you have today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - January 8, 2012

Daily Mood Quote

Day 234 – January 8, 2012

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

~Anne Frank

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping at a local store and as I passed two men talking on my way to get some milk, I heard one gentlemen tell an acquaintance he had been unemployed for four years and wasn't sure what he was going to do anymore. For a brief moment, I understood and empathized with the gentlemen and I even took a few moments to talk with him and his friend. Maybe, because I didn't want him to feel singled out, or alone because I too have been unemployed for two and a half years and my husband for a year an a half. There is comfort in numbers I guess. Some interesting things I noticed, we were all easily over the age of 45, all experienced (over-experienced in the eyes of today's society), beyond the age where people would want to hire us. This empathy lasted for only a short period of time, because I realized something during a conversation with my husband on our way home. We are/were all looking for the same old stuff. What is the same old stuff, you ask? Well let me explain.

The same old stuff is what we once were, the jobs we once had and what we once enjoyed doing. I suppose that's natural, to want to drop back into our comfort zone where things seemed “good.” Unfortunately, we can't keep living in the past, it's what we do now and tomorrow that counts. It's a basic lesson from Life on Earth 101; failure to evolve will result in extinction, as in people who refuse to adapt and move on, may never be gainfully employed again. That's just the way it is.

Let's face it, if you haven't work in a field in four years, it's well past time to find another field. Julian Michaels said, “Transformation is not five minutes from now; it's a present activity. In this moment you can make a different choice, and it's these small choices and successes that build up over time to help cultivate a healthy self-image and self-esteem.” Now, I know she is the “fitness guru,” and a product of our culture's myopic views on age and beauty (I still believe we need to fix that), but as I have stated. “What is true and good, no matter the source”.... and if we think about this from an attitudinal perspective, it applies. We have to change, grow, transform and evolve all the time, just as the world is changing and failure to do has dire and regretful results.

My husband says that men sometimes have a harder time making that adjustment than women. He isn't being discriminatory, or offering any excuses. It's just the facts. You really never hear songs by women harkening back to the “Glory Days” Thanks Bruce Springsteen or “The Summer of 69” Thanks Bryan Adams. My husband has also had a tough time altering his self-image to catch up to the things he's already doing, analysis and writing. He also concedes that he's not sure if it's culture, or genetics that drive that behavior; it just is. And, it's a nasty little trap that men build for themselves. Maybe women needed to be more adaptable in this area, due to the fact that we (women) needed to be the caregivers and had to continue to tend to the children, after the men had been mowed down by a woolly mammoth; so it makes sense in a species survival kind of way. I'm not sure, but the evidence seems to be there.

Anyway, we all need to adjust our vision of who we are from time to time, to incorporate the realities of where we are in time and space. That includes occupations and avocations. Please understand I am not putting anyone down or belittling anyone. I'm just saying that if your a man, or a woman and you had been doing one thing for years and years and you no longer are doing that, then maybe it's time to reevaluate your skills, update them and seek success elsewhere. Look at me, I have been a mom for 27 years and I love being a mom, it is who I am and what I have loved doing my whole life (since I was 20), in a few short years, all of my children will be off to college, married, chasing a career and living life. I will fall in the category of “empty-nesters.” So, I have now spent nearly 6 years in college to get a current education in the business world, first my Bachelors, now my Master's Degree. When the time comes to go to work full-time outside the home, instead of inside caring for children, I will be ready. Anything's possible!

In the movie 17 Again with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, the Janitor (played by Brian Doyle-Murray) said to Matthew Perry (Mike O'Donnell) “High school star, never quite lived up to your potential. Sooner or later you all come back to your old school, stand there and look at the picture of the glory days wondering "What might have been." Seems to me you guys are living in the past.” Mike O'Donnell replied with “Well, of course I wanna live in the past. It was better there...” He already achieved what he wanted, or so he thought; He was on top, then life through him a curve ball....good story, great message. Simply put, it's about moving on, not holding on to what once was. Frances Moore Lappé, said, “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am a dyed-in-the-wool possibilist! I mean with an eco-mind, we see that everything's connected and change is the only constant.” I too am a possibilist and believe if we had it once, we can have it again, we just need to evolve and make it better. Possibilities are endless if only you seek them out and try.

How will you “move-on” today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - January 7, 2012

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 233 – January 7, 2012

In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.

~Albert Einstein

Holy crap!! Yesterday is a day I choose not to relive...ever. But, I have to revisit it, at least in part, to understand it. First, my husband and I got an e-mail from an educator informing us about an event that will be occurring at school next week. The event involves a statewide exam and the school's computer systems. The administrators want to test the school's computer servers, so they intend to have all the kids take an online test at the same time (not the actual test) to see if the computer system will crash. Understandable, they are being proactive instead of reactive. That's new and different. We were sent the e-mail because our child requires assistance when taking tests due to a reading difficulty and during the test of the servers, she will not be receiving any help. They told us so we wouldn't be alarmed. Okay fine, I appreciate the heads up. Here's the problem; they are going to lie to the kids, so that they will try their best on the “fake” state wide exam. I wanted to say WHAT THE @#$%!, but instead I will simply ask, “are you kidding me?” The school kids have been taking these tests since the third grade and know what time of year they take this particular test. First, they are several months early for this exam, the kids know this. Children are not stupid, contrary to adults/educators apparent beliefs. Also, if it's a statewide event I promise you, it will get out online and the facts will spread like wildfire. Questions will be raised, if not by the kids then by their parents and trust me when I tell you this, if you lie to the kids and they find out… and they will find out because the truth always comes out, trust will disappear like smoke in a hurricane. Not just the kids trust, but their parents as well. Its a really, really, bad idea...who thinks this crap up? I almost couldn't believe the depths of deception to which they plan to stoop to, just to test a system. To invite more problems in, is in my eyes foolish and patently ill conceived. The treatment is worse than the disease here. But that's the way things seem to be here. Do it the hardest and least efficient way possible and then have to patch it up later.

Why not just tell the children the truth? Why not use this situation as an opportunity for a technology teaching tool? Our state is pushing for a tech savvy work force anyway. It's almost a no brainer, but then.... Since technology is here to stay, teach some to them, by telling them the truth about what is being done. Maybe, it will spark some interest. They can also tell them about the wonderful opportunity this is to review the test format and/or discover what they know and the types of information they don't know, before the actual test. Seriously, what is so freakin' hard about telling the truth? Can't we set a better example for the younger generation? I get so frustrated when I know adults, who should know better, go out of there way and plan to lie to kids. They are people not cattle. No wonder trust and honesty are a rare find in the world. They're teaching distrust and dishonesty right in the school system! Why not just have a class, Lying 101, or for the more advance students Prevarication: Practical uses and applications?

After a lengthy discussion about this issue, my husband and I sent an e-mail to the school administrators informing them that we will not lie to our child about this test. We also told them this was a very bad idea. We also suggested the solution outlined above to the administration. To paraphrase a current GEICO commercial “I don't get it, such a simple word; truth.” It seems the more basic the concept, the harder it is for people to get it, to understand it. It seems as if the more complex and convoluted the concept, the more people will make an effort to understand it. But, if it is plain and obvious like truth and honesty, people ignore it or fail to grasp its value; even if it is in their best interest to pay attention. I suppose that some people only place value on that which takes up the most time and energy, while the really basic stuff that we should be appreciating is passed by. We can always circle back to truth if we need too, right? To quote Gilbert Huph (played by Wallace Shawn) to Bob (Mr. Incredible played by Craig T. Nelson) from the Disney animated movie The Incredibles, “I'm not happy Bob, not happy at all.” Is it the need to get away with something? I really have deep questions and concerns about the intent and quality of the American K-12 education system, if this is any indication of how administrators in these institutions think. It's a small wonder we are being passed by in education by other countries.

In the movie The Breakfast Club, Brain Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez), Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy), Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald), John Bender (Judd Nelson), said in their report to the Vice Principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) as a group,

Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...

Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete...

Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case...

Claire Standish: ...a princess...

John Bender: ...and a criminal...

Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

In my opinion, I think educators and administrators are failing to see the kids as individuals with brains, dignity, self-respect and worthy of honesty and trust. How you treat them is how they are going to act. Have we forgotten who the role model is here? I hope they stop looking at kids as an element of “the job,” children are the job and the reason they have a job.

The rest of the day spiraled downward from there, not a good one but stories for another day; today will be better.

What example will you set today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quote - January 6, 2012

Daily Mood Quote

Day 232 – January 6, 2012

All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it.

~Thomas Kempis

I have been a mom, a “parent” for 27 years and one thing that has changed in me for the better is my level of patience. Granted, it took the reading of many books on parenting, patience, motivation etc... to get here, but I did. Okay, there are some days (menopause related) where my patience, or lack there of can be embarrassing. We all have them, but it's when we exhibit impatience on a regular basis that can land us in trouble. As my husband would say, “on average you've become a really patient person.” Let me explain: In the world I grew up in, my family wasn't really known for their patience. Instant gratification, rage and anger was usually how things were handled, with the notable exception of my father (I'll circle back to him later). It was like living with a welfare version of a daily soap opera. Everything was a drama, every problem was somebody else's fault and everything must have been some kind of conspiracy. All of which was of course balderdash and really quite exhausting.

As I grew, I watched how this lifestyle generated far more problems than it ever solved and so I decided that I would not be like that. It was a conscious decision turned into an emotion driven cause. Twenty eight years ago, when I realized that I would soon be having a child, I furthered that cause by reading everything I could on being a parent. And wonder of wonder, they all said basically the same thing, love, patience and consistency. Okay, that's an area where aside from my Navy job, I had zero experience. I had to learn and apply a whole new set of skills, they are still a work in progress. I think patience is a lifetime learning curve and no matter who you are, its something that must be consciously applied daily to take root and grow. Some people, like my father, whom my husband says is “the most patient man he ever met,” start with a bit more patience. If you knew my mother, you would understand. They have a natural gift of letting life’s issues roll off them like water off a duck's back. That gift of natural patience however, is not given to all and the rest of us have to consciously apply the brakes, when life gets rolling. That's me.

In the instant gratification and hurry up world of today, patience seems to be becoming something of a lost art. But, it is necessary to really gain, or develop anything of true and lasting value. The old saying goes, “Rome wasn't built in a day” may be a bit understated. It is still being built and rebuilt some 2,700 years after things started coming together on the isthmus. That is real patience and it's something we need to remember to employ as we forge ahead into the future. The internet, for better or worse, has made an unbelievable amount of information, some true and a surprising amount of random fiction, available to everyone, all the time. Digital communities spring to life in days and sometime hours, but they lack the foundations that true communities need. The shared effort and sacrifice over time is the glue that bind communities and cultures together for the long haul. The children of the digital age lack that kind of perspective and I fear that they will not have the staying power, the patience, to make real and lasting positive change, or decisions as history unfolds. I hope I'm wrong here, only time (no matter if you believe in the concept or not) will tell.

The point is, I believe, that like anything of real and lasting value, patience and its rewards are earned not given and impatience is usually rewarded with things going astray. I have seen on the news case after case of everything from auto wrecks to CEOs and NFL coaches and managers being kicked to the curb (even if they were doing a good job and the right thing), due to lack of patience in our society. This trend “can only lead to tears” (thanks Bartok the bat from the movie Anastasia). The zero to hero back to zero curve has gotten too short for real positive and lasting change to take hold. The same is true in our political arena, where presidents are judged on whether they can solve decades old social and political issues in the first two years of their administrations. As they say on the ESPN Monday Night Live, NFL football show... “C'mon man!” Lack of patience is a key component in allowing those issues to continue, as we continually play musical chairs with the people at the top, while leaving the same old perpetuators, or should I say perpetrators, in the House and Senate, because we are too impatient to do some research and choose our candidates based on that; instead of name recognition and some vague promise to “make things better.” For them maybe, but really not for the people who were foolish enough to just push button “A” because its there.

No patience equals no reward. That's just the way it is. There is so much more to say about patience, but like life and patience itself, it will have to come in time.

How will you build patience today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - January 5, 2012

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 231 – January 5, 2012

“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

~Dalai Lama

I like the Dalai Lama's quotes because they are true, regardless of what religion you may follow or faith you may ascribe too. I have always said, the truth is the truth no matter its source. You can't run from it, you can't hide it and you can't bury it under religious dogma. Although many have tried, the truth always has a way of coming to the surface.

How many of us consider ourselves to be a compassionate person? I'm sure many of us delude ourselves on this one. It is very easy to say you're a compassionate person, but actions speak louder than words. Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compassion) describes compassion as, “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” It's not only an action, its a feeling too, the urge to “help.” But yet, in our world, many of us turn too easily away from those who have been stricken with misfortune and make statements like “better them than me,” or “glad its not me,” or “It's not my problem,” or “it must be their own fault;” which by the way seems to be the insidious position of most GOP candidates and a rabid minority that haven't had life collapse around them. The erroneous belief is; “they must of done something wrong to deserve the misfortune in their lives.” Well gee whiz kids, bad things happen to good people all the time. Ask the people in Joplin, Missouri; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; drought victims in Texas, or the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes, you can do everything right and for the right reason and still have everything go horribly wrong. Been there, done that; its just that simple. The thing is, nobody is immune to suffering tragedy, or loss in their lives. From the best of us to the worst of us, that is a constant of the human condition. Compassion for those who have fallen on hard times, regardless of causality is essential, if we are to continue as a civilization.

Here's what I mean: If you look across the span of history at major human contributions, things that have really made the world a better place, you will find that there have been as many, if not more positive contributions from children of adversity, than there have been from children of privilege. It has often been acts of compassion which have provided those children of adversity with the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of all of mankind. I will bet (if I were a betting woman) that if you were to sum it all up and graph it out (which I will not attempt to do), that simple small acts of compassion have spawned more great achievements and leaps in wisdom and knowledge, than all the icy facts and figures accumulated in the world. So, when you reach out to somebody with compassion, you stand a good chance of not only helping them, but yourself and all of mankind, because you never know where that next great contribution will be coming from.

I realized we live in a judgmental age. We spoke recently about the “me” versus the “we” and peoples need to find some manner of ascendency over other people, not for the sake a being a better person, but for the sake of being better than...That is not a good thing, the thinking here is all backward. The world is just too small and there are far too many people for that mindset to continue. There will always be somebody better and there will always be somebody who needs a hand-up (compassion) to make a go of it. Jayler Bardem said, “I think we are living in selfish times. I'm the first one to say that I'm the most selfish. We live in the so-called “first world,” and we may be first in a lot of things like technology, but we are behind in empathy.” There isn't a big leap between empathy and compassion. Empathy is the feeling, compassion is the impulse to reach out. You need both. Unless of course you wish to wind up like Mr. Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) in It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey (James Stewart) said to Mr. Potter, “People were human beings... But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!”

I came across a quote by an unknown author that I feel applies today, “it is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” I am no psychologist for sure but, I think maybe it's possible people are dispassionate and non-empathic because they're so afraid of somebody taking advantage of them, that they have forgotten that it is the exception, not the rule; no matter what we may hear on the evening news, or online. A little investigation and common sense is all that's needed to discern between the two. I believe that fear (the original evil) has driven us into ourselves and away from our fundamental humanity. To me is the saddest thing and the first step on the dysfunctional road to making the world a more bitter, not a better place. My father in-law once said (I'm paraphrasing) “You'll find more answers by looking outside than by staring at what's in your closet.” And so it is. Compassion is always a step in a better direction.

How will you demonstrate, feel compassion today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - January 4, 2012

Daily Mood Quote

Day 230 – January 4, 2012

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

~Robert Fulgham

Do you ever wonder if we are a world of extremes? In my opinion, I think we are and my husband agrees. It is one of our fundamental points of view and it is what has gone wrong in every area of American life and in our western culture in general. From politics to family life, to relationships, we have taken the concept of more, and bigger is better, way behind the bounds of rationality. In that sense we had destabilized and unbalanced not only our lives, but the lives of our children. Let me point out that I don't believe that this has been the product of any particular malicious, or malevolent plan, it just sort of happened. We have lost our equilibrium!

How else can you explain that we as a nation, can justify paying grown adults to play games “for us” (golf, basketball, hockey, football, car racing) with seven and eight figure salaries? While the teachers of our children continually struggle to make ends meet, while being blamed for the ills of our society. Show me the balance; wait a minute there is no balance to our priorities. Additionally, media and public attention will focus with laser like intensity on those espousing the more extreme political and social agendas, leaving no room for compromise, discussions...balance. A clear example of this is our dysfunctional legislative branch of government, Congress. We blame them for not doing anything, yet it was our focus on their extreme political viewpoints that put them into office in the first place. It's no one else's fault...but ours, it's our culture, and yet we wonder why things are not good for everybody. Like Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita) said to Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio, who was recently on Dancing with the Stars) in the movie Karate Kid, “Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?” That's the problem, we can't, or we refuse to understand tha basic tenant. Apparently, it's too simple a concept to grasp.

The reason this comes up today is we recently encountered a situation where we observed an interaction between two younger people that left us wondering where the balance in the relationship was. Is this indicative of how all young folk think? Boy, I hope not. It seems that in many relationships and in so much of life, we have lost the ability to compromise and the “my way or the highway” attitude pervades every area of life and erodes our understanding of and empathy for others. Who by the way, no matter who you are, outnumber you by a ratio of seven billion to one. So, it would make sense to be open to finding common ground. Right? Imagine what would happen to our world if seven billion plus people, had seven billion plus different agendas and nobody would budge. I think we are almost there! But, I have hope that eventually things will even out. In the vast chunk of time in which our species exists, this storm of overt self-interest can only be a blip. But storms can do long term damage and life isn't a television reality show. (Warning “stream of consciousness” observation ahead!) In fact, I believe reality shows have absolutely nothing to do with reality. We see more of them because they are cheaper to produce, no big stars, no hugh payrolls and they don't have to pay the Screen Actors Guild: Cheap and sloppy television; might as well watch YouTube, as most people have discovered.

Anyhow, back to balance. Wallace D. Wattles said, “The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind is the weak one.” I believe the fundamental confusion that enwraps us is the valuation, or lack of balance, between two simple words; “me” and “we.” I am a product of the “Me generation” whose apparent sole focus has been on “me, myself, and I,” “the inner peace of me,” “the success of me,” and “the relationship between me and (place deity here).” Note in the last phrase the order of the statement is of particular importance and concern. It can be followed by, “why doesn't he/she love me?” “why don't they get me?” and last but not least, the omnipresent “what's in it for me?” Let's be honest here, I will bet that everyone reading this and everyone you know has taken one or more of these points of view at some time in their life, myself included. It's pervasive and hard to resist. If not, you're a saint; go directly to heaven and if you pass go collect...on the way (Thanks Monopoly for the phraseology). The irony is deep here, Monopoly, really? Go figure.

The thing is, life can't be all about “me,” nor can it be all about “we.” There is a whole “nother” set of dysfunction that falls into that category (we can talk about that later). It comes down to fundamentally balancing “we” (all of humanity, the earth, the environment, our spirits, etc.) and “the me.” I think that's the trick to finding the peace and harmony that we all seek; even if we don't consciously process that while shopping and role playing online, on Wii and on Xbox and reading self-help books.

I really took note of the last point the other day, when I took a walk through a rather large book store (guess which one) near me and was aghast by the sheer volume of self-help, self-psychology, and navel-gazing self analysis books. My goodness, who has the time? Lots of advice to get to a simple point that's been around for generations and in every culture....Balance. Balance life, balance diet, balance exercise, balance joy and sorrow (they both have important teaching roles in our lives) and especially balance the proportions of we and me. Then, I believe we can find and appreciate the real wonders and precious lessons that our all too brief lives have to offer. To qoute Mr. Miyagi yet again, “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have balance, everything better. Understand?

How will you find a balance today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading