bob sauerbrey wrote: "This is at the heart of being real: Forgive...why?....because there is no one to blame."
Well. That makes sense. I was actually able to do that ONCE IN MY LIFE, with a person who was so damaged and "evil" that I knew he could NOT make "right decisions." That he was ALWAYS going to "do the wrong thing." He couldn't help himself. He was "bad to the bone."
He was furious when I said that, but I was so calm at the time... I always remember this because later when he robbed me, tried to kill me, tried to get me put in jail, tried to destroy me to make him "just like me" none of it mattered. I was hurt at first, thinking he was a "friend" that I was "trying to save" when in fact I ended up learning how to "save myself." By staying AWAY from "bad people." They are the way they are.
Using Bob's analogy, just because my own parents and siblings might fall into that same category, doesn't mean I should blame them or be angry at them, I guess. They are the way they are.
Nothing and no one to blame. Damaged goods is damaged goods, and just because they are damaged doesn't mean I am too.
Amen. Show us The Way. Gracias is Grace.
Conrad wrote: "Zen …insists that the whole trouble is just our failure to realize that there is no problem, and of course, this means that there is no solution either.”
“…A solution to the great problem of life, is not solving it all: the not solving is really the solving. The wise man does not pursue wisdom but lives his life and therein precisely does his wisdom lie. The wisdom that Faust comes to in the end, Zen starts with it... When an ordinary person becomes enlightened, he or she is a sage. When a sage becomes enlightened, he or she is an ordinary person.” Reducing desire and being in the present more often are great for me."
Thank you! These are "words to the wise" and "words from the wise" and I can understand and take this to heart. Gracias!
"The winds of grace blow all the time; all we need do is set our sails."
"Look! LOOK! I insisted. Even my daughter looked up. Right there, out of nowhere: a magical misty landscape. Fields moving off to infinity in muted purples and pastels, fuzzy in the haze, with clusters of tall lush tress, darkening and receding in the dusk. I turned the car engine off. All was silent in the hot summer air. Beside us a plum-colored river barely moved between a border of trees, its dark lazy water reflecting the last light of day."
What beautiful words... this I had to share. Gracias.
"...We have chosen to name this trend social healing partly because we see an evolving paradigm that is not fundamentally hinged around the dualities of good vs. bad and right vs. wrong, but is rather inclined toward viewing human conflict through the lens of wounding and healing. Social healing, then, is not guided by revenge, retribution or punishment, but rather by the compassionate response of relating to all people -- victims, transgressors and bystanders alike – as inextricably connected."
This is wonderful. This is something I can try. Thank you so much.
Thank you again Tristan, for your incredibly honest and thoughtful comments. I have been thinking about your words ever since. Much to learn here... so far to go, so little time (teaching an old dog new tricks?) but perhaps we have as many lifetimes as we need? Gracias to everyone here.
"The winds of grace blow all the time; all we need do is set our sails."
Please show me The Way.
Yet what makes Martin Luther King's life "worthwhile" if he DID in fact practice nonviolence, and he was shot and killed for it in the end?
That's the part that I cannot understand. Are we to give up our "will to live" in the process? We who are still "attached to the physical world?"
Do we simply expect to "rise again?" I'm not that far along. I will fight back to preserve my own life. I fight fire with a nuclear bomb.
kvakutty wrote: "Non violence is the highest virtue. It means not haming another by thought word or deed..."
This sentence, in all it's stark reality and simplicity, really struck me.
I would say that I NEVER "harm another by deed" but I will ALWAYS harm another by word. In fact, I was raised that way, and I am completely justified in my own mind; it's instantaenous and it's so wrong. Now I really have something to think about. Think, Practice, Do. Become. Gracias, amigo.
Thank you Somik and everyone here for their take on the idea and practice of nonviolence. I am involved in a dispute right now with another nonprofit, and while I know that we are all (supposedly) working towards the same goal - that of "helping others," I can see that ego and defensiveness, hostility and fear is ruling the day. And I am playing a part in it with my own reaction. So I am reading all this with great eagerness, as I can't see a way out of this dark void I found myself thrown into (or jumped into, I don't know which), so this discussion carries great importance to me in the real world of NOW.
I will continue to read with interest and hope I can find what I came here to learn.
However, I can say with a certaintly, that I have NOT found that "kindness begets kindness" as you say. Did the "kind" and innocent Jews receive "kindness" at the hands of the Nazis, or did they all "deserve it" somehow via acts of karma?
That's where all this falls down for me. Along with the reaction and problems I am having with this current nonprofit, who apparently has something to hide. Did I bring that on myself by asking for information? Was I not "kind" enough in my simple, factual request?
How are we to maintain composure in the face of selfishness, iies, blame, shame, intimidation, threats and more? If someone throws a stick of dynamite over the fence into my yard, I am going to pick it up and return it. There is no way I would let someone blow me up out of "compassion" or any other reason. I don't start fights, but I will step up and put an end to them. I don't do it with force, but I use the opposition's own fear against them. They use their fear against themselves, and that is what finally makes them stop themselves.
How can that be wrong?
AtoZ wrote: "The utopian/fantastical ideas that offer yourself to the wild beasts to verify if they eat you OR Gandhi's suggestions to the jews to offer themselves to Hitler are non-sensical at worst and naive at best and have nothing to do with reality OR the moral laws of the universe in my opinion."
THANK YOU. These kinds of statements and this kind of thinking is what previously kept me away from the meditation / nonviolent movement. It's "utopian/fantastical" and ridiculous.
Where did a story get started about monks "offering themselves to wild beasts to be eaten out of compassion" get started? And that the hungry beasts refused to eat them? Even St. Francis did not go that far.
Whenever I think I can't take anymore, someone comes in with reason and intelligence, and excellent explanations, such as AtoZ has. THANK YOU. I can stay here a little longer and learn something in the process.
I like the idea of practicing nonviolence while using necessary force, only when required, and without anger or hatred in one's heart. That's the part I have to learn. Thank you for these reminders and for helping me with this.
A to Z wrote: "An immature or unevolved bully can only understand force"
Thank you. NOW I feel I can be part of a "non-violent movement," knowing I don't have to sit there and take it, and let them kill me in the process. The trick is to withstand and overpower, when necessary, the bully without hatred and by doing the least amount of harm possible. Using the least amount of force necessary. Having grown up in an extremely violent household, I learned early on that I had to stand up for myself or be killed. I could never understand the "turn the other cheek" business until I read this exchange.
Thank you!
The winds of grace blow all the time; all we need do is set our sails."
Please show me The Way.
What an incredible discussion here! I have had many experiences involving "light" and I can attest to being quite imbalanced. (Thank you for not using the word "crazy.") I never asked for these experiences; they came unbidden. However, they have kept me searching for the Light outside of the Darkness I have all too often found myself in; a darkness of the mind.
I am so glad you are posting these discussions for all of us who can't be there... they are *almost* as good as the real thing. I feel that I am being given a chance to learn from many different viewpoints, all from the comfort - or distance - of my home. Gracias amigos; bendiciones. Little by little Grace will come.
"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need do is set our sails."
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ~ Gospel of Ramakrishna
Thank you Rambo. I am trying to do this every day. Now if I could just figure out "how." I am trying to do just this: " Courage means to act in spite of your fear and building it is just like building a muscle - it requires practice." I have always said that the only real antagonist I have is my self. If I didn't exactly create my own monsters, I certainly have fed and watered them!
Now on to meditation on how to give up my anger, fear and resentments. God grant me peace and show me the way. Amen. Aaaaaaa OOoooooo MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm
Thank you Rambo. It is very hard for me, if not impossible for me, to see cruel and angry people as "suffering." In fact, I think they are enjoying it quite a bit! That's the description of a SADIST and they do exist. That's the description of a narcissist or a borderline personality, who ENJOY hurting others as it relieves whatever pressure they feel inside. They are fine afterwards, while the other person is left to lick their wounds and try to staunch the bleeding.
But since ALL religions seem to talk about forgiveness in the way that you do, I am going to keep on "giving it a try." I have yet to find the key to unlock this door, but someone above talked about "meditating" on the parts of a passage they did not understand, "until it was clear." Or something along those lines.
I swear that the TIGER in me wants only to smash those people into oblivion and put an "end to the problem." Yet I know that can't really be an answer either, as it falls into "an eye for an eye" theory. I would like to take TWO EYES for an eye, to tell you the truth.
HOW TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF, AND HOW TO MOVE ON?
I have struggled with this ALL MY LIFE.
Pancho, re-reading your comment (after the spam comment came in today): it all sounds good, especially the part about "family." But when you come from a TOXIC family, how are we supposed to know how to treat people as "brothers & sisters?" That is not always a good thing. Forgiving them just allows them to continue the mistreatment. I only know how to stay away from them or return the bombs they throw at me. And Ghandi and the others were killed by "brothers & sisters," if "everyone" is family. What good did it do either of them, or us? It is a cold and cruel and heartless world we live in. Outside of "the mind." And perhaps in it.
Wow. That's what I call a RESPONSE. Taking the High Road and the Long View.
Now on to read "Gandhi and Hitler."
Gracias. Gratitude. Blessings All Around. CT
I can understand the part about the elephant poo: that's essentially what we will be doing when we build houses and schools with used tires and plastic water bottles filled with sand or dirt. That's all to the good, certainly.
But you also wrote: "Catherine, for any solution to be found, you will have to find unity with those who are the perceived victims, and those who are the perceived perpetrators. It is a partial view that sees one as good and not the other."
How do I find unity with people who tried to kill me or destroy me or harm me in some way? HOW TO DO THAT? What am I supposed to see as "good" in that? Are the Nazi Jew survivors supposed to see "good" in their captors?
I want to SHARE what we have, without doing damage to the environment, culture or soul.
"His point is not to build up ego as saviors of those who need saving, but to develop gratitude that we found ourselves in a position to help, and in so doing, we opened ourselves up to the greatest lesson of all - that when we help others, we literally and actually, help ourselves."
Somik, THANK YOU. I have always said that I'm not doing anything for the others, any more than they are doing for me, if not more. I've gotten as much or more than anything thing I give... especially in Guatemala where there's nothing but gringo do-gooders who are helping the "poor down-trodden Indians" who in reality have given me so much. The indigenous are teaching me Patience and Prayer = Peace.
I want to bring education and medical care and am doing so, but also destroying their culture with consumerism as I come. I am very concerned about this and not sure of what to do. Tourists are there before me and will be after me, and we all carry the benefits and drawbacks of "education" but at what cost? What to do?
How does Nature "play a game" with us?
I just saw what Somik Raha wrote on Dec 7, 2010. WOW. Now that's what I needed to hear. I only saw the last comment (after the comment notification was implemented, apparently). I gave up when I saw "don't take anything seriously." So I quit. Ready to Quit caring, quit reading, quit giving, quit everything.
Now I have a roadmap about "attachment" that I can follow. I'll get back on that horse and ride. Thank you so much. CT
But does this mean we are NOT to "help" beggars and the infirm? I don't understand.
Dear Pancho, you wrote: "This is a life time endeavor" and that it took 15 years of community living and more. Thank you for pointing that out! I thought I was a failure because I had not "gotten it yet." But I see progress step by step and day by day. I am so grateful to have found this site. Gracias, amigos!
Somik, your reflection moved me to tears. Beautifully said; every last bit of it. CT
Bertrand Russell wrote: "Once in Los Angeles I was taken to see the Mexican colony - idle vagabonds, I was told, but to me they seemed to be enjoying more of what makes life a boon and not a curse than fell to the lot of my anxious hard-working hosts. When I tried to explain this feeling, however, I was met with a blank and total lack of comprehension."
I have worked with Latinos for almost 20 years, and this happens to me all the time. That's why I finally moved to Guatemala where I am learning to live a life in patience, and in prayer. I am there part time but look forward to when it's more full-time. For now, I am a "monk in a monastery" while I'm there and it's making all the difference in the world.
In America, I learned how to make money. In France, I learned how to live. In Central America, I am learning how to pray.
Ah, thank you Ganoba. Now I understand. Not serious and smile. :)
Ganoba, you knew I had to write.
You wrote: "Ignore this stuff too." What does this mean? What are you talking about?
Pancho and others: I am re-reading these reflections adn am stunned by their beauty, power and inspiration. I will print out and post on my wall. Thanks to you all!
Thanks Varsha for the link to the Free Farm. Going there now. Thefreefarm.org
Alright, here's a real life experience. How to offer "hospitality" without incurring damage to oneself or one's home (possession)?
http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/17/unique-beach-houses-and-lake-houses/
Castel Meur, also known as The House Between the Rocks or La Maison de Plougrescant, was built in 1861. It’s nestled between two natural granite pillars on the English Channel coast in Brittany, France. Those rocks and the waterside location make Castel Meur an extremely photogenic abode. The house became somewhat famous when postcards featuring a beautiful photograph of the property were sold in gift shops around the world. Unfortunately, tourists lacking respect for the residence have caused damage to the home and property, prompting the owner to prohibit commercial sale of images of the home.
OMG. Oh My Goodness. Oh My God.
You have really answered many of my questions in this passage. So much to learn. I will print all this out and give it a try in "meditation" and also with the "kindred spirits" here on this page who are taking so much time with me answering so many questions. I think those "dancers" are like my fingers who "dance over" the black and white keys of the piano, into the Silver Stream when I "get out of the way." This must be what you meant. I thank you all. CT
I couldn't upload this image, but it reminds me of what you are talking about. You can see the Horsehead Nebula ~ Orion on the NASA image gallery (can't post a link or image here)
PS: This is all probably "off topic" so I will try to limit my responses in the future. Gracias.
Rambor wrote: "In my opinion being able to say "no" to a request is as important as being able to say "yes". In fact through saying "no" to someone you could in a way be helping them to rely on you less, thereby helping them grow"
Very good points.
But then you wrote: "At the same time you have to ask yourself whether you are holding back ["not giving?] because you feel that you will be "less" through the giving. It is this state of mind which I was talking about in my first post - this state of mind comes from a sense of lack due to identification with my ego; these sorts of thoughts are unnecessary."
What "state of mind" and what "sorts of thoughts are unnecessary?" "Holding back and not giving?"
"From a sense of lack due to identification with my ego?"
That the ego thinks it won't have enough???
There's so much to understand here when one is new to all this. I feel very foolish here, as obviously the people on this post are advanced and I am barely - if at all - a "beginner." Really, I'm not even ON the totem pole. But I appreciate every little bit and am reading and absorbing as much as I can.
Any responses, readings, literature or links (as others have sent me) are much appreciated. I have heard this kind of discussion all my life but never understood what it meant. Not really, as I never saw it put into what I considered "positive practice."
Gracias...
CatherineTodd2 at gmail dot com
Two questions, Somik:
1. "In a sense, nature is the ultimate trustee, protecting the gift of life with the gift of death. Nature is also the ultimate receiver, for in every ecosystem, we find every species receiving benefits from the actions of others, in a natural manner :)."
What do you mean "protecting the gift of life with the gift of death.?"
2. "The best dancers do not dance..." I understand about "the best fighters do not fight," but not dancing?
And then why bring up an example about being "unwilling to dance the dance?"
(maybe this is three questions)
Ahhhh, Somik. You have hit both nails on the head! You wrote:
"The passage seemed to be highlighting for us two opposites: receiving (Thoreau's story) and trusteeship (Mencius' story). Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, Vinoba, all encourage the rich to think of themselves as trustees of the poor. This attitude did not require giving up one's riches, but it did involve expanding the circle of well-being to more than one's narrow context."
I was definitely talking about "stewardship." That is easy for me to believe in and to do, in more ways than just "the poor." I try to be a steward of the earth, in all shapes and forms.
I'm going to read all of your reflection again, and think about it. How exactly do you "meditate" about this, and how does this differ from my "thinking" about this?
Or are you referring to regular meditation while "clearing your mind?"
"Give me that which enabled you to give it to me."
Wonderful. Just what I needed to hear. THANK YOU.
Varsha, where is "the Free Farm?" Interesting post. Thanks.
Beautiful thoughts for reflection. Thanks for posting!
Thanks to Pancho, Somik, Sanjeev, Mia and the others as well for their reflections. There is so much instructive information here, I am going to have to print it out and post it on my wall and read it again and again.
More later, I hope. Looking forward to everyone's thoughts. Much to be gleaned here, in shining glitter and gold.
Sanjeev, you wrote that it's alright and important to "fight for justice or Dharma."
OK. I will do this further reading and find out "how to fight for justice." I know there are different ways to do this, and I don't always use the best way. THANK YOU. So glad to find out I don't have to QUIT being here! After reading about someone being "happy" that robbers got a nun's bowl, really thought it was all over for me. I was through.
Will go find a copy of "Holy Gita" right away.
Found this: http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/
Namaste! Welcome to the Bhagavad- Gita online. We are happy you have arrived and it will be our pleasure to serve you. Here you will be presented transcendental knowledge of the most profound spiritual nature as revealed in the Bhagavad- Gita. It is the divine discourse spoken by the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself and is the most popular and well known of all the sacred scriptures from ancient India. Always being revered as a true source of spiritual knowledge it reveals the purpose and goal of human existence. In conjunction to this we will be presenting precise Vedic verification of the Supreme Lord Krishna's divine incarnations as evidence confirming His supreme position. In Bhagavad- Gita, chapter 10, verse 20, the Supreme Lord reveals that He manifests as the immortal soul within each and every living entity. No where else within any other religious scripture is this information available. Our purpose is to make the eternal knowledge of Bhagavad- Gita freely available to everyone all over the Earth. (more)
Thank you Ripa for sending me the link for more about "Building a Creative Temple." Going there now. Might be just what I need. Gracias!
http://wholeyoga.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/building-my-own-creative-temple/
Sanjeev, I would be very interested in reading whatever you can send me. Write CatherineTodd2@gmail dot com or ctodd1000@gmail dot com.
But what do you mean "Mind is in fact a sub-atomic particle?" My mind is a whole bunch of particles; in fact, I feel like the Swan / Orion Nebula, full of gasses and neutrons and a regular star-factory!
Omega/Swan Nebula (M17). Hubblesite.org:
hubblesite.org/gallery/album/pr2003013a/ HubbleSite - Picture Album: A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases in ...
As I mentioned earlier, where is "that book you have been writing" even if only in your mind? I think it's ready to "pop out" if you know what I mean! No one has ever described things in the way you have, including the "prophet Newton." I am ready for more!
Dinesh, thanks for the link for the audio speech. I did a bit of searching to find out more about this sermon, and learned a lot. It will be good to hear it "in person."
But I STILL don't know what a "creative temple" is, vs. a "physical temple" or whatever. What does the word "creative" signify here? A spiritual temple, an emotional temple, a mental temple, what is a CREATIVE TEMPLE?
An art gallery?
CT
Alright, Sanjeev: You wrote: "According to Yoga, every living being has four kind of personalities-Physical ( body), Emotional ( Mind), Intellectual (intelligence) and spiritual ( soul)"
I'm stuck in the emotional (Mind) basement. How to get out?
What is the difference between Mind and Intelligence?
What is the difference between Mind, Intelligence, and Spiritual (Soul)?
I thought the spiritual life WAS the "emotional life," as "peace" is an emotion, and too often lacking in me. I've got the rest down (most of the time).
"Zero and Infinity:" Wow! Somik, when are you going to write "that book" or have you already done so? I want to read more. Will re-read the above and post it on my wall. So much to consider now ("reflection" and I'm a busy bee flying over a mirrored pool. Whew! Spread wings and fly.
This all reminds me of The Silver Stream in "Pilgrim:" www.Last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd
Gracias, amigos. CT
Sanjeev, you wrote: "The goal of life and meditation is to identify our vices and eliminate them so that we could go closer to God ( located at infinity)."
Thank you. Finally I have an idea of what "meditation" can do, or is supposed to do. I always heard the "clear your mind / blank slate" which didn't do me any good. I think I can do it the way you describe.
You also wrote:
"The infinity in this metaphor represents all virtues ( 100% virtues) and we humans are combinations of virtues and vices. Our closeness to God is determined by the proportions of virtues and vices within ourselves. Demon represents "0" in this line"
Perfect sense. I can do this, too. And hope I don't get too many more "zeros" on my card.
Is this practice building a "creative temple" inside, as referred to in this post?
Good to know I don't have to "go to temple" as I prefer to do this quietly as well. I am very happy to find a connection with people who are striving for "spirituality," as seems to be here.
Gracias, amigos. CT
What is a "creative temple" and how does one "build it?"
Is this different from building a "physical temple" (which I understand very well, as I am a builder) and does it refer to the "spiritual life?"
Aernout Zevenbergen: thanks for your comment. I was very moved by the "man who was raped in prison" and was determined to get past it. Then I realized how many women are raped on a daily basis, with little if any support to "get past it." All over the world. It wasn't until about 20 years ago in this country that women didn't have to be "virgens" to make a claim of rape, and they were still held "responsible" for things as simple as the hidden undergarments they wore. No hero worship there!
I know this from personal experience when it happened to me. And when women are raped, they aren't just "ganged banged" by a bunch of guys. Their lives are also threatened. When will it all end? How to "accept" this without getting POLITICAL?
Thank you for creating the comment notification! Now on to read more reflections... Gracias, amigo!
Excerpt:
"And in every one of us this morning, there’s a war going on. It’s a civil war. I don’t care who you are, I don’t care where you live, there is a civil war going on in your life."
And I thought it was just me!
"Is your heart right? If your heart isn’t right, fix it up today. "
Well, OK. And just how do we do that? In specific cases, not just generalities? In times of conflict or attempts at resolution in conflict? When one has to stand up for themselves, in spite of the anger that will probably be engendered? How to keep peace when you have to take a stand?
Gandhi and King were killed for their beliefs, and I don't really want this to happen to me. But I want to stand up for myself, even though people will probably want to destroy me afterwards. I'm not a saint even though King may have been. I'd like to be, but I'm not. I'm working on nonviolence but it doesn't mean backing down. How to stand strong and stay in control and not give in to emotion, but keep the heart pure and still act with the emotions of courage and love? How to know the difference?
Easy to pay lip service to "get rid of ego" etc., but the FEW people in this world who really act outside of self-interest we call "heroes" or "saints." That's how difficult or "out of the ordinary" this really is to do. I'd like to know some real heroes or saints in my own lifetime. People that really did make a difference and didn't have to "die trying." And didn't have a solely personal agenda of their own.
Thank you Patsy and Victoria. Victoria mentioned just what I was thinking: what do you do when you can't "control" (create) a positive outcome within a dysfunctional family? Separate from them for certain, but the pain never goes away. Especially when it is a loved one or a child. How to come to terms with that?
Yes, I can't control others actions. But I can't stop WISHING that things were different for me and my son.
Patsy wrote: "When I can accept that I am powerless over any other, but very powerful within myself, I can start to let go of the urge to control things. Then I can trust that if I do right, right results wil follow. It does not matter what others do or don't do. I cannot control them, but I can control myself. I can decide that faith allows me to do right without regard for the outcome, because the outcome will be right - even if it's in a way my current state of mind can't understand."
I will give this a try, but it really is not easy. Not for years and years now. I can come to grips with the "right action gives right results" (eventually) so that will help me "make it through the night." What else to do? Keeping distance from your own adult child never really heals, does it? The guilt and the love and the desire to see them happy and keep them from harm... how to let go of that? Tough Love and Love them from a distance really doesn't help a mother sleep at night.
---
How can I get notification of comments here? I didn't realize that anyone had commented until the next newsletter came with a few comments at the bottom from this one. So glad I saw it! Thanks for this "journey." It's just what I need right now, more than you can know. Thanks to everyone who wrote and commented here. Much to think about and much appreciated.
CatherineTodd2 at gmail dot com
I fed the racoons too, but they began to breed so well because they had a steady supply of food that we ended up with far more racoons than I could support with "extra" food. I loved those racoons as my own children but had to let them go back to the forest and some of them had to leave or die because there were far too many of them with a steady, sure food source and supply. Such is the laws of Nature. But I do like the idea of leaving the damaged kernels at the edge of the field, and sharing the harvest instead of just killing them. A very good way to start. I have heard of planting "one for the birds, one for the squirrels, and one for the people who want to eat in the garden" or some such thing as that.
Yes, this post is very profound. But there are people who DO want to wound you, and even kill you. It has happened to me. How to be "headless" and full of "acceptance" for this, too? HOW?
Thank you. I will re-read this daily until it sinks in. CatherineTodd2 at gmail dot com.
On Feb 17, 2012 Catherine Todd wrote on You Carry Your Wound, by Osho:
susanschaller wrote about going from I to We. Seems very simple but friends i put it to you that is a whole journey between those two words. in between is a gully that has swallowed lots of lives, dreams, potentials, oppurtunities. There is a fragment of you (what makes you complete) in another. Being able to live for other people is living your life to the fullest. Your kind deeds are coiled up in a boomerang it always bounces back at your with greater force. Add value to someone everyday of your life"
Thank you Funsho! This is one of the most important comments I've read here. I thought there was something wrong with me that I didn't "get it" right off. I have spent my entire life trying to cross that gully; trying to climb out of that gully that I was born into; that I fell into. Trapped. But perhaps no longer. I will learn to soar above.
Gracias! Equals Grace. To the Divine, Please show me The Way.
"The winds of grace blow all the time; all we need do is set our sails."