Thursday, October 30, 2008

Right Now

Today I wanted to share a poem I wrote:

RIGHT NOW
Right now, tell someone you love them.
Right now, be at peace.
Right now, refuse to worry.
Right now, commune with nature.
Right now, help someone in need.
Right now, shelter the homeless.
Right now, feed the hungry.
Right now, care for the sick.
Right now, tell someone your sorry.
Right now, practice forgiveness.
Right now, let your light shine.
Right now, be spontaneous.
Right now, learn something new.
Right now, show compassion.
Right now, exercise your body.
Right now, be one with all.
Right now, because it is all we are ever guaranteed.

Copyright 2008 by Harry E. Shade, All Rights Reserved

I would appreciate your comments and thoughts. Also, if you have something you have written and you would like me to feature it, and you, in one of my blogs, just let me know by submitting them with your information to harry@raresenseunlimited.com. Please put Rare Sense Blog Submission in the subject line. If I use your submission, I will notify you.

That's all for today.

Blessings!

Harry

Responsibility


Today, I wanted to do something different and so I decided to give you a chapter from my book, Rare Sense; One day It Will Be Commmon: A Practical Guide to a Fulfilled and Balanced Life. It is the chapter on responsibility. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Responsibility

“Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.” - William Blake

One of the biggest challenges in this modern age seems to be taking responsibility for our actions. We try to blame others for our very existence and our life and quickly look to lay responsibility elsewhere than at our own doorstep.

But this is really not possible since we are creating it all. However, if you believe that you do not have control, that you do not create your existence, then it is much easier to not take responsibility for it and to blame others.

As a child, we may lack the maturity as to how to respond to negative things said about us and thus are limited in our ability to choose what to believe. It is especially more difficult when the people who are supposed to love and protect us are the very ones causing the pain. However, once we mature and can make those informed, intelligent choices we can no longer blame others for the choices we make. Of course even children have the wisdom to choose to accept what is said about them. We can choose to internalize it or let it roll of our backs, like water off a duck. Very early on, we sometimes have a better understanding of who we really are. It is when we get older and start accepting someone else’s version of who we are that we start to doubt ourselves.

One of the best examples of not taking responsibility for our actions involved the lawsuit against McDonald’s by the lady who placed the coffee cup between her legs and burned herself. Had rare sense been applied in this situation, that lawsuit would have been thrown out, but in this day and age we are quicker to blame others than ourselves. Let me ask this question? Did any McDonald’s employee place that cup between that lady’s legs or did she choose to do that herself? I know you know the answer, so why was she not made to take responsibility for her own actions?

"I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Taking responsibility for our lives is the rare sense or spiritual thing to do. I have said earlier, we always take responsibility when things are going well, but we want to blame others when it is not. Convenient isn’t it?

Well, that is simply not the way things work in the universe. We were given free will. We are responsible for our lives and the decisions we make. Yes, there are some things that happen to us that make us think that sometimes we are not in control. However, if we really look at our lives, the things that have happened and what our responses to those things have been, we will find that somehow, some way, we created it.

Looking in that mirror is one of hardest things we will ever do, but we must. Because until we do, we will not be able to change our circumstances for we will think that we do not have control, yet what we think about is brought to us.

So, if you think you are not responsible and that you do not have control, things will continue to be created in which you do not have control and your life will seem like it is one disaster after another. Taking responsibility is taking control and having control is using your free will.

Here is something that is going to sound contradictory, so please bear with me. We can think we are not responsible but we still are. We can think we are not in control but we still are. We can think that we do not have free will but we still do. For you see, we have free will and that is one thing that does not change about us. With that free will we are free to think whatever we want to think, but no matter what we think we are responsible for all of it. Either what happens to us or how we are going to react to it. And with that comes responsibility.

If things are not going the way we wish them to be, then we need to take the time to see what thoughts and decisions we have made to create the circumstances we face today. Sometimes we have to go back many years to find the answer, sometimes just a few seconds but we will find the answer because it lies within us.

The good and bad, the ups and downs, all of it! Being responsible is having rare sense because we are telling the universe; I understand who I am and what I am capable of. I understand that I have the gift of free will and that I use that gift each and every moment of every single day! I am in control and I am a creative being, one with God and an integral part of the universe.

“Let us not talk of karma, but simply of responsibility toward the whole world.” - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Copyright 2007 - Harry E. Shade, All Rights Reserved

If you would like to purchase a copy of my book, please go to my web site, www.raresenseunlimited.com for details. It is available in paperback, e-book and audio versions

Well, that's it. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments about this post. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, may you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

PEACE!


When thinking about what to write about today, one thing kept popping up, PEACE! So, as I usually do, I go with my intuition.

"There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find PEACE. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub." - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

But why is PEACE so important? Because PEACE is a necessary and vital ingredient to our ability to live our life to the fullest. PEACE brings clarity to our minds, vitality to our bodies and calmness to our spirit. PEACE ushers in balance and harmony and removes doubt, fear, anxiety and stress.

"Let tears flow of their own accord; their flowing is not inconsistent with inward PEACE and harmony" - Seneca

In the interest of spreading PEACE, the first thing I want to offer is this poem/mantra by my friend Isabella:

I am peace
surrounded by peace
secure in peace.
peace protects me
peace supports me
peace is mine

All is well.
peace to all beings
peace among all beings
I am steeped in peace
Absorbed in peace
In the streets, at our work,
having peaceful thoughts,
peaceful words, peaceful acts.
sending light and love to end your day!

When I first read this I could feel my body relax, my heartbeat slow down and my mind become silent and clear. In essence peace had found it's way into every cell of my being. What a joyous feeling. Try it, I guarantee you will love it.

"First keep the PEACE within yourself and then you can also bring PEACE to others." - Thomas A. Kempis

Then I came across this breathing exercise:

Slowly, deeply inhale, quietly chanting the word: Peace,
Then, slowly,deeply exhale, quietly chanting the word: Love.

And of course I had to try it and once again I was filled with the overwhelming feeling of peace and love. So, if you are having a rough day and you want to bring peace into your life, you know have two wonderful ways to do it.

"Nothing can bring you PEACE but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I welcome any comments you may have about this post and any techniques you would like to share for finding peace in your life.

That's all for today.

PEACE!

Harry

Monday, October 27, 2008

Fun!


I was talking to my brother and asked him what he thought I should blog about today. I had several ideas in mind but just thought I would get his thoughts. And so he comes up with one word, FUN! On the surface not all that helpful really, but let's have FUN with it.

"It's kind of FUN to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

Before we can really get into this topic, I believe we need to define FUN. I could get the Webster's definition but what would be the FUN in that? No, I will present my own definition of FUN. It is, my humble opinion, that FUN is a state of mind. FUN can be had anywhere at anytime. There is no need for anything for anyone to have FUN. FUN just is. Of course what I consider to be FUN, will not be FUN for all. FUN after all is a personal thing.

"There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family"." - Jerry Seinfeld

Even though I must admit, it can be easier to have FUN with FUN things in FUN places but once again not necessary to having FUN. No....one can have FUN sitting all alone in an empty room, if you think FUN! And remember that a FUNdamental (I just could not resist) truth is that when you are having FUN you are joyful, which is important for your mental, physical and spiritual well being. Are you having FUN yet?

"To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more FUN?" - Katherine Graham

Now, I will readily admit that FUN is a good topic but then I thought in what context should I write about FUN? Having FUN? Doing FUN things? How about living a "FUN" life? Then it hit me. Make it an acronym. That'll be FUN!

FUN - Finding Uniqueness Naturally

or

FUN - Feeling Unusually Naughty

or

FUN - Flowing Undisturbed Normally

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the FUN." - Katherine Hepburn

Now, I am sure that those of you reading this can come up with some fun acronyms of your own and share them with me in a comment. Wouldn't that be FUN? I think it would be great FUN!

"Getting there isn't half the FUN, it's all the FUN." - Robert Townsend

So, please, let's have some FUN with FUN and let me know your FUN comments. Now wasn't that FUN?

That's all the FUN for today.

May you blessed always and in all ways!

Harry