posted May 02, 2008 12:23 PM         

quote:

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It is my belief that everyone in the world wants the same thing, to maximize their happiness, and to minimize their suffering.
But if you watch the choices people make it is clear they do not know what that path is.

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I think there is a lot of wisdom in your post, BR,
but it is hard to imagine what use it is having a choice to do something,
if we dont even know what that something is to begin with.

I think we all see life from our own perspectives...
For some people, it is well within their power to manipulate their emotional states.
But I think they are precipitous to conclude that it is the same for everyone.
Others may have entirely different lessons to learn; about accepting suffering as a part of life,
and trying to find the beauty in sadness, or in whatever they are experiencing.
We all have things which we see as necessary, and which must be accepted,
and other things which we see as conditional and subject to our control.
What is necessary for one person, and something to just accept,
may be conditional and subject to control or influence for another person.

The way I see it, people have some peak experience,
or they look out from a place which, in them, is at a height,
and, in that moment when they feel powerful and are invested with power,
they imagine that the transformation was their own handiwork,
and that the way in which the world appears to them now
is also the way by which others may be guided.
But "the peak is not the path",
"the words of a man drunk on the spirit are not the wine itself",
and "sheep do not grow fat on the goatherds call".

The reality, I suspect, is that we are misinterpreting our experience
when we endeavor to take credit for the freedom which is given us.

A man sitting on one side of the world sings for joy to see the rising sun.
But he is not a wise man if he calls to the people on the other side of the world, shrouded in night,
and tells them that they have power to call up the sun if only they would sing for joy.

The dawn comes slowly, but suddenly we see it.
It is easy to imagine that we have given birth to the sun.

Cherish the experience of freedom and power,
but do not abandon your humility;
consider that this is also a grace.

If we look down, in any way, on the person who feels helpless,
we will return to that helpless condition ourselves,
for the Universe misses no opportunity to humble us.

I think there is a time to be still and to move with caution,
and to bear witness to the power, place, and portion of the Night.
And there is also a time to shine under the Sun,
and to reflect the liberal, golden rays of the Sun.
"There is a time to every purpose under heaven."

I have seen lands where the sun did not shine for many months,
and then it shined continually for just as long.
I have seen lands where the sun did not warm the people,
and it would have been folly to tell them to abandon their heavy coats
and to live like the inhabitants of the warmer regions.
And I have met human beings who were unto their species
just as these different lands are unto the earth.
I have seen the wisdom of one man turned to folly
when he pressumed to apply it to other men.

I will always sing for the Moon and the Night,
and the Sun, too, will enter into my song,
according to the seasons and the time of day,
and to the longitude and latitude of my pilgrim soul.
I keep no regular hours, and do not go down, or come up, with the Sun,
but travel by a light that turns on another orbit entirely.

Who Says Words With My Mouth?

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.

Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?

I have no idea.

My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that,

and I intend to end up there.

This drunkenness began in some other tavern.

When I get back around to that place,

I'll be completely sober. Meanwhile,

I'm like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary.

The day is coming when I fly off,

but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?

Who says words with my mouth?

Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?

I cannot stop asking.

If I could taste one sip of an answer,

I could break out of this prison for drunks.

I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way.

Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.

This poetry, I never know what I'm going to say.

I don't plan it.

When I'm outside the saying of it,

I get very quiet and rarely speak at all.

posted May 02, 2008 01:31 PM         

Some of us were born to sing the blues, but with effort, they can sing a lighter shade of blue.

posted May 02, 2008 01:32 PM         

"But any reservations I might have had about how they were going to cope were quickly dispelled for they turned out to be quick-witted, sharp and observant."

posted May 02, 2008 01:34 PM         

The islanders were shocked at the size of British pigs, compared to their smaller, black cousins in the Pacific, and astonished that piglets were created by artificial insemination.

"I don't like this so much," said Posen, the 42-year-old farmer. "We have a good connection with our pigs and this is disrespectful to the pig.

"We don't make our pigs pregnant with plastic tubes.

"I think it's wrong that everybody should be watching when the female pig is made pregnant. And what about the male pig? He doesn't get any satisfaction out of this."

On the farm they met a rabbit shooter, an everyday man with whom they had great rapport and they presented him with a woven basket that they said contained "love and respect" which would sustain him for ever.

While it was empty to the eye, the islanders told him that "love and respect" would always be there whenever he looked inside, a gesture that brought tears to his eyes.

Then it was on to Manchester, where the group stayed in the council house home of Ray and Julie da Silva, a mixed-race couple.

In all their native innocence, they asked Ray, a mini-cab driver, if he had married his white wife because she was a good cook.

Learning that Mr da Silva's son was serving in the Army in Iraq, the islanders were upset that his life was being placed in danger when in the islands the relationship between father and son is so precious that they try to remain physically close under all circumstances.

A Vanuatu father could die of a broken heart if the son is killed.

The natives learned about the mundane chores of a working-class family and were surprised that there was so much washing and ironing to be done.

When they heard the vacuum cleaner they were frightened of it and when they switched it off they thought they'd "killed it".

It was on the streets of Manchester that they witnessed scenes that left them shaking their heads in dismay - people sleeping under cardboard on the streets, others begging for money from passers-by.

And yet, said the baffled natives, there were empty houses everywhere. "Where are their families?" they wanted to know. "Everybody has relatives, why aren't these people's relatives looking after them, taking them into their own houses?"

The shock of the street people - "invisible people" they called them because unconcerned Britons seemed not to notice them - remained a talking point among them as they continued their journey north to a building that left them awestruck: the imposing medieval Chillingham Castle, home of Sir Humphrey and the Honorable Lady Wakefield.

Now came another jolt, for the castle has a torture chamber in which implements to inflict extreme pain are on display.

Once again, the islanders found it inconceivable that humans could be forced onto a bed of nails or laid out on a stretching rack."

posted May 02, 2008 02:30 PM         

quote:

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No matter how bad you think you have it.. somewhere, somebody has it 10 times worse.

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posted May 02, 2008 02:34 PM         

Why can't more people feel this?

That we are "One"?

If there's anything anyone can do, then surely it must be done. And it can be done.
But when will it....be done?

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Oneness is this: we are separate, yet inseparable, individual yet interconnected; each and every being made of the same inner essence. When you hurt another, you hurt a part of yourself; when you heal another, you heal a part of yourself.

posted May 02, 2008 02:35 PM         

Having a little one of my own, I just really feel for them. They are just babies and can't help for the conditions they were brought into this world. So innocent and hopeless.. just terrible.

posted May 02, 2008 03:02 PM         

BR,

quote:

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Even though some people may never be happy, it is nice for them to have hope that they someday might be.

Some of us were born to sing the blues, but with effort, they can sing a lighter shade of blue.

Acceptance is important and is a cornerstone of spiritual development, but courage and action are virtues as well.

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Well said, my friend.

posted May 02, 2008 03:15 PM         

quote:

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Islanders wake each day under pollution-free skies to a cacophony of crowing roosters and birdsong before setting about daily tasks, tending organic fruits and vegetables.
Food is shared with those who are less fortunate and anyone who finds himself without a home has a hut built for him by the entire village.

Everything is simple. There is no money among the Tanna tribes - instead there is an exchange system in which a pig, for example, might be exchanged for a clutch of hens.

The women have no wish to apply make-up, although they will daub their faces for a village ceremony when they will all dance together.

A childless couple might be offered a baby from another family, with no gifts or favours expected in return. Food and clothing are shared and there is a sense of joy in the air.

Children do not have first cousins or second cousins, uncles or aunties - the youngsters are all brothers and sisters to one another while an aunt is simply known as "little mother".

Everything revolves around the family, the underlying theme being love and respect. If a problem arises the dispute is resolved through mediation, when both sides sit with the elders and the respective families under the banyan tree and peacefully settle their differences.

There is no TV; no radio. Children are not influenced by real or make-believe violence beamed out from a studio far away. Instead they listen to folk stories. They are in their family's care until they are ready to marry and the cycle starts again.

If they fall ill, traditional medicine is used as much as possible, for to send for a Western doctor or get a patient to him can be a daunting journey to or from the jungle and, anyway, they place more trust in the local "clever" as he is known.

In most cases, the village medicine man - who takes no umbrage at being called a witch doctor - is successful with his treatment.

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quote:

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It was on the streets of Manchester that they witnessed scenes that left them shaking their heads in dismay - people sleeping under cardboard on the streets, others begging for money from passers-by.

And yet, said the baffled natives, there were empty houses everywhere. "Where are their families?" they wanted to know. "Everybody has relatives, why aren't these people's relatives looking after them, taking them into their own houses?"

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posted May 02, 2008 07:06 PM         

If money weren't an object, I'd be over there helping as I could.
After all, being able to see babies like in the above pic, healthy.. would make me happier then I could ever ask to be.

posted May 02, 2008 10:43 PM         

After discussing the matter between themselves for a bit, and arriving at no consensus,
it occurred to one of them to go and ask of the elder monks what the best way should be.
They all agreed that this was best, and the young man was sent to make the inquiry.

"Holy father," he said, as he approached an old monk with a wise and dignified bearing,
"Should we give them food first, or administer the Gospel?"

The old monk smiled.

"Give them the food first," he said, "and you won't have to tell them about the Gospel."

posted May 06, 2008 03:13 AM         

I should rephrase that by happiness I mean an absence of suffering, not ebullient joy.

In the dark and throbbing moods of full moon nights, peace can be found through acceptance and tears.

In the bright joy of a spring day with things to do and people to see, peace can be found in acceptance and laughter.

By no means am I advocating some rosy approach to life. You know me better than that. But don't be so quick to hand over everything to fate, if only for the reason that joy can be experienced through pride in one's accomplishments. Blame fate when bad stuff happens, and appreciate your own accomplishments when good things do. Sometimes feeling good is more important than the truth. Is this scary?

But I am an advocate of getting people off their duff and out in the world, and if that requires simplifying things a bit, then so be it. I stated that misery is a choice. An oversimplification, but I stand by that statement. Misery is what we add to what we perceive as negative in our lives. The misery isn't inherent in the event, it's our reaction that creates the misery. As Eleanore pointed out in another post, who are we to say what is bad or good in our lives? Acknowledgment, acceptance, action.

As AG pointed out, methods for inducing happiness may not and are probably not effective in the long run, but sometimes a good speech is enough to inspire someone to start a new project, or take a new outlook. We shouldn't give up on expanding our own, or other's consciousness just because it may or may not have lasting effects.

posted May 06, 2008 08:53 AM         

Just wanted to say how much I`ve enjoyed this thread.

quote:

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Life is too short to live one day locked into habit without awareness, life is too short to blame others or our current conditions for our misery. Life is meant to be milked for every ounce of happiness it can provide.

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thats all !

juni

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~