Emerson wrote once that everyone he met was in some way his superior, and in that way, he learns from them. And while I also experience that to be true, what I find more significant is this: that once in a great while I meet someone, or hear of someone, whose life inspires me to [...]
It says somewhere in the Christian bible that it’s harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. My understanding is that, the eye of a needle refers to the arched narrow needle shaped entrances through the walls of cities [...]
There were four of us at our house in the Washington DC suburbs planning to attend the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, though only Kim and Zoe Witkowski (who had come from South Carolina) and I actually went. Many people thought we were a bit mad to even consider braving the cold and the several [...]
“Yes we can” is the new clarion call. Nothing can mobilize the dormant and pent-up energy within us than an affirming belief that we are unlimited in our potential, that we are not isolated and separate, but part of a beautiful wholeness that by its nature, includes everyone and everything.
Joseph Campbell once said that [...]
Perhaps you know the axiom that where there is a crisis, there is an opportunity. So what is the opportunity in the current world financial crisis, besides buying cheap stocks? Is there a spiritual component to it?
Yes, the financial world seems to be spinning out of control. Banks are going under, houses are being foreclosed, [...]
Have you ever noticed that some people hold attitudes and beliefs for a lifetime? There is a reason for that, and it is also the reason why making spiritual progress can be so hard. That reason , according to the late psychiatrist David Shainberg (he died in December 1993) is that thoughts are like vortices [...]
Worry can take a perfectly wonderful day and make it a living hell. Why do we do that to ourselves?
Worry cannot exist when we live completely in the present moment. In the present moment, we deal with “what is,” not with “what might happen.” In present moment living, our whole being becomes engaged with what [...]
Presence alone can dissolve patterns of unconsciousness. Eckhart Tolle, in the 10 week web seminar being hosted by Oprah Winfrey, puts total emphasis on experiencing Presence. He says you can call it what you want – consciousness, awareness, God – but that it permeates the universe. And that it alone can dissolve the patterns of [...]
A friend sent me this amazing story about two dancers, Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei, overcoming amputation and still winning a dance competition. The determination and grace of their achievement brought tears to my eyes. It was the most inspiring thing I have seen in the performing arts since I watched Paul Potts sing Puccini’s [...]
I’ve been dealing with a car problem that no one has been able to fix. I’ve been to three mechanics without success.
My car is an Infiniti J30. It’s been a great car for me. Sleek styling, great performance, and a Bose sound system that makes listening to music sound like a concert hall experience.
But this [...]
No matter what happens in life, good or bad, we still have a choice to be grateful or not, and with that choice, the possibility to transform life. I know that sometimes, when we are suffering, it can seem difficult to find anything to be thankful for. That’s because unconsciousness has taken over and we [...]
Recently Sean Penn appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. He was promoting his film Into the Wild. He made a provocative statement: He said that our society had become comfort addicted. That statement made a deep impression on me. I had not looked at comfort as an addiction before, but his statement reverberated within me [...]
Today, October 15 is blog action day on the environment.
One degree Fahrenheit seems so little yet it means so much in regards to global warming. If we can increase our effectiveness as human beings we can also rise up to meet the challenge of saving Mother Earth. We have to reduce Earth’s average surface temperature one degree [...]
When you follow the promptings of inspiration, life steps up to a new rate of energy.
What business is it of mine if what I am inspired to do seems impossible? When the voice of inspiration speaks within me, my responsibility is in the action. The results are not my concern. Does a private in the [...]
Is your life imprisoned by patterns?
Patterns of thought are so pervasive that we can become blind to their impact on our lives. There are patterns of worry, of anxiety, of laziness, of shyness, of rashness, of anger, etc. The list is a long one. We become accustomed to these patterns and they become part of [...]
My title, Respond or React is a response to Steve Pavlina’s post today which contrasted the difference between reacting and responding. His analogy, using his martial arts class, is a good beginning. But I want to take this to a deeper dimension.
Reactions are a product of the limited ego-mind. It has nothing to do with [...]
I am still feeling the reverberations from reading Zero Limits. I can’t get it out of my head, and that is a good thing. For the message of the book is one of love and peace. The book details a method of getting to the Zero State, a state of consciousness that is free of [...]
I often hear people ask, “Why is God so cruel?” And it’s easy to understand why people might think this, especially when they see tragedy befall their loved ones. We live in a world where people are killing people everyday, in wars, in crime, and in accidents. Millions others are dying everyday from disease. And [...]
Forget about the symptom. Focus instead on the deeper issue. It makes no difference whether the issue is an addiction, an inferiority complex, an anger problem, financial predicament, or even procrastination, it cannot be resolved until you understand and tackle the deeper issue — unconsciousness, a disconnection from the source of being.
When the [...]
Journeys inspired by ideals are assured of success. But so many journeys are nothing but aimless wanderings. Some of us have a map. Some of us don’t. Some of us make progress towards our destination everyday. Some us seem to forever be diverged from where it is we want to go.
What creates this difference? It’s [...]
I woke up this morning in a state of negativity. Knowing this was not conducive to anything but unhappiness, I wanted to transcend it, quickly. But how?
A man who focuses on his weaknesses is prone to stay weak. A man who focuses on his negative mental attitude, even if he wishes to rid himself of [...]
Setting goals is necessary to make progress in life. But real progress, holistically speaking, can never be made until we know where we ultimately want to go. It’s important to know if the goal will lead us in the right direction, that is, will it get us to our final goal.
Here’s a true story from [...]