John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood... or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. " Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of Life."Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested."Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."I reflected on what he said. Soon thereafter, I left the power industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about Life instead of just reacting to it.Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins.... Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.""Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked...... He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action. "What did you do?" I asked."Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John."She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'." Over their laughter, I told them "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
Today, remember, is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.
So plan for tomorrow, but live for today.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
My Birthday Post
June 27th, 2007.
A friend wished me a Happy Birthday a bit ago. I am celebrating 61 years of Life here on planet Earth, a member of what has been called the ‘enlightened generation. For me it has indeed been a wonderful Life and I am very glad that I am still here and that my physical/mental condition is not worse than it is. I am thankful for having been alive in these wonderful times, though I have to be honest, I am not at all liking the future I see coming at us. While the technological future looks increasingly exciting, the future of much of our world does not look so good. Recently, we’ve seen news accounts of deformities and disappearances of frogs and other amphibians, disappearing honey bees and song birds. Ocean fish are dying. There seems to be an ever increasing amount of violence amongst the peoples of the world. Drought and famine appear to be increasing as well. I no longer watch scary movies, as the evening news is scary enough.
When I was growing up in the suburbs of Kansas City during the 1950' & ‘60's, we seldom locked the house doors and we left the keys in the car, unlocked. We were encouraged to be friendly to all others, including strangers. We didn’t have to walk around being afraid that someone might accost us, though we stayed out of the ‘bad part of town’.
Well, it’s a different world out there today. The ‘bad’ has invaded every part of town. So I am thankful that I have gotten to live when and where I have, and frankly, I feel somewhat sorry for the youth of today, though I have a feeling that they, too, will feel fortunate to have lived in their time while also feeling sorry for the young of their day. It appears that for much of Life, things are on a downward spiral.
Today I began my sixty-second year. Happy Birthday To Me...I am a part of the Great Baby Boom Generation that is now moving into the final act of human Life. One of the habits I formed many years ago is reading the Obituaries every day. I find it interesting and a great source of inspiration, reading about the lives of the departed ones, who they were and what they had accomplished as individuals here on Earth. The daily obituaries are peppered with my peers, most of whom may have missed out on this third act of Life.
'If,' as Leonard Pitts asks, 'Life's first act is about growing up, coming of age, learning the lessons that shape you, and the second is about acquiring things, getting ahead, building a career, shouldn’t the third be about something bigger than one’s own aspirations and comforts? Shouldn’t it be about doing something, leaving something, creating something that makes Life better for somebody else.' If I, as a member of the Enlightened Generation, am really going to be a part of doing something, or creating and leaving something that has the possibility of making Life better for others, then I had best begin to Change myself, for 'Change,' as Sheldon Stahl tells us, 'begins with one - the power of the individual. It’s not uncommon these days to be overcome with the notion that there is little we can do to alter the flow of the cosmos that sweeps us along in its current. This sense of powerlessness often results in a degree of passivity and paralysis that simply reinforces the notion that we really can’t Change anything, even if we should wish to do so. Yet history provides us with numerous examples of individuals who have made a profound difference. And we must know intuitively that there are among us even now individuals who by their actions are having an impact on our lives and the lives of generations yet unborn. A single drop of water may have no perceptible effect when it falls on stone. However, over time the result of innumerable drips on that stone will be to alter its form. That is to say, the power of one is most often imperceptible. But the power of many individuals united in their vison and in their actions is an altogether different situation. The nature of most societal Change is that it tends to proceed incrementally. Great changes are the exception, not the rule. They seldom emerge full blown, but are the result of a cumulative process over time. And at the root of all such transformation in our society, there must first be a Change in ourselves and in our thinking. Absent such a Change at the individual level, there can be no effective Change at the collective level. There resides in each of us the potential to initiate and to contribute to the process of Change, if we have the will to seize that potential and to act upon it. If we fail to participate in that process, or choose to stand aside, we run the risk of living rather barren lives. For as the futurist Alvin Toffler observed, 'Change is not merely necessary to live - it is Life.' To recognize this reality is to shun the excuse that our power of one, like the drop of water, is bereft of significance. Rather, in choosing action over inaction, we can make manifest the coda of Margaret Mead and join together as atomistic players in helping to Change our world through the combined ‘powers of ones'.' So let the Change begin. One by one, together we can transform the world....
A friend wished me a Happy Birthday a bit ago. I am celebrating 61 years of Life here on planet Earth, a member of what has been called the ‘enlightened generation. For me it has indeed been a wonderful Life and I am very glad that I am still here and that my physical/mental condition is not worse than it is. I am thankful for having been alive in these wonderful times, though I have to be honest, I am not at all liking the future I see coming at us. While the technological future looks increasingly exciting, the future of much of our world does not look so good. Recently, we’ve seen news accounts of deformities and disappearances of frogs and other amphibians, disappearing honey bees and song birds. Ocean fish are dying. There seems to be an ever increasing amount of violence amongst the peoples of the world. Drought and famine appear to be increasing as well. I no longer watch scary movies, as the evening news is scary enough.
When I was growing up in the suburbs of Kansas City during the 1950' & ‘60's, we seldom locked the house doors and we left the keys in the car, unlocked. We were encouraged to be friendly to all others, including strangers. We didn’t have to walk around being afraid that someone might accost us, though we stayed out of the ‘bad part of town’.
Well, it’s a different world out there today. The ‘bad’ has invaded every part of town. So I am thankful that I have gotten to live when and where I have, and frankly, I feel somewhat sorry for the youth of today, though I have a feeling that they, too, will feel fortunate to have lived in their time while also feeling sorry for the young of their day. It appears that for much of Life, things are on a downward spiral.
Today I began my sixty-second year. Happy Birthday To Me...I am a part of the Great Baby Boom Generation that is now moving into the final act of human Life. One of the habits I formed many years ago is reading the Obituaries every day. I find it interesting and a great source of inspiration, reading about the lives of the departed ones, who they were and what they had accomplished as individuals here on Earth. The daily obituaries are peppered with my peers, most of whom may have missed out on this third act of Life.
'If,' as Leonard Pitts asks, 'Life's first act is about growing up, coming of age, learning the lessons that shape you, and the second is about acquiring things, getting ahead, building a career, shouldn’t the third be about something bigger than one’s own aspirations and comforts? Shouldn’t it be about doing something, leaving something, creating something that makes Life better for somebody else.' If I, as a member of the Enlightened Generation, am really going to be a part of doing something, or creating and leaving something that has the possibility of making Life better for others, then I had best begin to Change myself, for 'Change,' as Sheldon Stahl tells us, 'begins with one - the power of the individual. It’s not uncommon these days to be overcome with the notion that there is little we can do to alter the flow of the cosmos that sweeps us along in its current. This sense of powerlessness often results in a degree of passivity and paralysis that simply reinforces the notion that we really can’t Change anything, even if we should wish to do so. Yet history provides us with numerous examples of individuals who have made a profound difference. And we must know intuitively that there are among us even now individuals who by their actions are having an impact on our lives and the lives of generations yet unborn. A single drop of water may have no perceptible effect when it falls on stone. However, over time the result of innumerable drips on that stone will be to alter its form. That is to say, the power of one is most often imperceptible. But the power of many individuals united in their vison and in their actions is an altogether different situation. The nature of most societal Change is that it tends to proceed incrementally. Great changes are the exception, not the rule. They seldom emerge full blown, but are the result of a cumulative process over time. And at the root of all such transformation in our society, there must first be a Change in ourselves and in our thinking. Absent such a Change at the individual level, there can be no effective Change at the collective level. There resides in each of us the potential to initiate and to contribute to the process of Change, if we have the will to seize that potential and to act upon it. If we fail to participate in that process, or choose to stand aside, we run the risk of living rather barren lives. For as the futurist Alvin Toffler observed, 'Change is not merely necessary to live - it is Life.' To recognize this reality is to shun the excuse that our power of one, like the drop of water, is bereft of significance. Rather, in choosing action over inaction, we can make manifest the coda of Margaret Mead and join together as atomistic players in helping to Change our world through the combined ‘powers of ones'.' So let the Change begin. One by one, together we can transform the world....
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
No Spare Change - By Observers
"Change is upon us," says Bill Eckhardt. "It comes at an unnerving pace. Our foreign policy, our economy, our medical system, our means of communication, indeed the very basis of much of our knowledge seems to change daily. Change causes anxiety which can only be calmed with a commitment to educate ourselves so that it becomes less frightening. Change must be a friend rather than a foe. My hope for (today) is that (we) will do better at becoming comfortable with Change. That is quite a task for a society that now doubles it’s knowledge every seven years - but a very necessary one." To which we can at the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, "One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. - - One of the great problems of mankind is that we suffer from a poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. - - -The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. - - When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men." We don't have any time to spare....
It might be an understatement to say that the human race needs to wake up and Change.
But Will We ?
It might be an understatement to say that the human race needs to wake up and Change.
But Will We ?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
What's Really Important - True Love and True Relationships
Keep Asking Yourself, "What's Really Important?" By Richard Carlson
It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed in the chaos, responsibilities, and goals of life. Once overwhelmed, it's tempting to forget about and postpone that which is most near and dear to your heart. I've found that it's helpful to keep asking myself, "What's really important?"
As part of my early morning routine, I take a few seconds to ask myself this question. Reminding myself of what's really important helps me keep my priorities straight. It reminds me that, despite my multitude of responsibilities, I have a choice of what is most important in my life and where I put my greatest amount of energy...
Despite the appearance of being overly simplistic, I have found this strategy to be immensely helpful in keeping me on track. When I take a few moments to remind myself of what's really important, I find that I'm more present-moment oriented, in less of a hurry, and that being right loses its appeal. Conversely, when I forget to remind myself of what's really important, I find that I can quickly lose sight of my priorities and, once again, get lost in my own busy-ness. I'll rush out the door, work late....and do other things that are in conflict with the goals of my life.
If you regularly take a minute to check in with yourself, to ask yourself, "What's really important?" you may find that some of the choices you are making are in conflict with your own stated goals. This strategy can help you align your actions with more conscious, loving decisions.
True Love and True Relationships By Unknown Observers
We love those for whom we happily labor, and we happily labor for those whom we love.
Love is the active care and concern for the life, growth and happiness of the ones we love... Care and concern imply another aspect of love; that of responsibility.
Responsibility in its true sense is an entirely voluntary act; it is our response to the needs, expressed or unexpressed, of another human being. Love is the condition which exists when the welfare, well-being and happiness of another human being is almost as important to us as our own welfare, well-being and happiness. This is the true meaning of the word Love
Happy relationships aren't the result to luck. A relationship has to be a constant evolution. Though we each remain as separate, distinct entities, while once we were two, not we are three. The two of us as individuals, and the union which our relationship now forms. In this respect, our love makes us one.
There is, of course, a difference between being 'in love' with someone and truly 'loving' them. Being 'in love' is something we do for ourselves, while 'loving' is something we do for the other person. To love another person, we must really care for them and encourage them in their own personal growth, whatever their direction.
A relationship isn't something we have, it's something we do. It's about attentiveness, anticipating our partner's need and what they like. If we want them to try to fill our life with a little warmth and love, then we have to do that for them. We can't just be takers, we have to be givers, too.
The most important sphere of giving is not that of material things, but lies in the specifically human realm. What can we give to each other?
We can give of ourselves, of our lives. This doesn't not mean that we sacrifice our life for the other - but that we give that which is alive in us; we give of our joy, of our interest, of our understanding, of our knowledge, of our humor, of our sadness, and of all the expressions of that which is alive in us....giving implies to make the other person a giver also and we shall both share in the Joy of the Love that we have brought to Life. This is the meaning of a True Relationship...
It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed in the chaos, responsibilities, and goals of life. Once overwhelmed, it's tempting to forget about and postpone that which is most near and dear to your heart. I've found that it's helpful to keep asking myself, "What's really important?"
As part of my early morning routine, I take a few seconds to ask myself this question. Reminding myself of what's really important helps me keep my priorities straight. It reminds me that, despite my multitude of responsibilities, I have a choice of what is most important in my life and where I put my greatest amount of energy...
Despite the appearance of being overly simplistic, I have found this strategy to be immensely helpful in keeping me on track. When I take a few moments to remind myself of what's really important, I find that I'm more present-moment oriented, in less of a hurry, and that being right loses its appeal. Conversely, when I forget to remind myself of what's really important, I find that I can quickly lose sight of my priorities and, once again, get lost in my own busy-ness. I'll rush out the door, work late....and do other things that are in conflict with the goals of my life.
If you regularly take a minute to check in with yourself, to ask yourself, "What's really important?" you may find that some of the choices you are making are in conflict with your own stated goals. This strategy can help you align your actions with more conscious, loving decisions.
True Love and True Relationships By Unknown Observers
We love those for whom we happily labor, and we happily labor for those whom we love.
Love is the active care and concern for the life, growth and happiness of the ones we love... Care and concern imply another aspect of love; that of responsibility.
Responsibility in its true sense is an entirely voluntary act; it is our response to the needs, expressed or unexpressed, of another human being. Love is the condition which exists when the welfare, well-being and happiness of another human being is almost as important to us as our own welfare, well-being and happiness. This is the true meaning of the word Love
Happy relationships aren't the result to luck. A relationship has to be a constant evolution. Though we each remain as separate, distinct entities, while once we were two, not we are three. The two of us as individuals, and the union which our relationship now forms. In this respect, our love makes us one.
There is, of course, a difference between being 'in love' with someone and truly 'loving' them. Being 'in love' is something we do for ourselves, while 'loving' is something we do for the other person. To love another person, we must really care for them and encourage them in their own personal growth, whatever their direction.
A relationship isn't something we have, it's something we do. It's about attentiveness, anticipating our partner's need and what they like. If we want them to try to fill our life with a little warmth and love, then we have to do that for them. We can't just be takers, we have to be givers, too.
The most important sphere of giving is not that of material things, but lies in the specifically human realm. What can we give to each other?
We can give of ourselves, of our lives. This doesn't not mean that we sacrifice our life for the other - but that we give that which is alive in us; we give of our joy, of our interest, of our understanding, of our knowledge, of our humor, of our sadness, and of all the expressions of that which is alive in us....giving implies to make the other person a giver also and we shall both share in the Joy of the Love that we have brought to Life. This is the meaning of a True Relationship...
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Law Of Convergence
"A Jesuit philosopher, Frenchman Teilhard de Chardin, foretold before his death in 1955 that “a new law of nature has come into force – that of convergence. The hitherto scattered species, Homo sapiens, is being united by a single nervous system for humanity, a living membrane, a single stupendous thinking machine.”
President Kennedy once proclaimed that “those who would make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolutions inevitable.
Who could have envisioned mass-produced automobiles back in 1850, airplanes back in 1900, or the information age back in 1950? Don’t stop now thinking about tomorrow. We should reignite our creativity engines, toward the next evolution of humanity.
Others will succeed Henry Ford, the Wright brothers and Bill Gates; and they will facilitate the creation of still another frontier.
And we will lead the world toward whatever is the next evolutionary phase in the progress of Homo sapiens," writes Otto Rieke.
It is important for us to live in the moment, but it is equally important for us to envision the long view of the future. It's kind of like driving on the highway. It's important to know what is directly in front of us, but it is also important to keep an eye on what's coming at us from a distance so that we are better able to prepare for what will soon be directly in front of us. The law of convergence tells us that as our numbers grow and we learn to assimiate other cultures into our own, we naturally will become more acceptive of the fact of our human existence. We truly are just one race - the human race.... If we examine the long view of what life might be like in the next one hundred years, it is impossible to believe that we will remain as we are today...How can we not become one world - all living in the United Nations?
President Kennedy once proclaimed that “those who would make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolutions inevitable.
Who could have envisioned mass-produced automobiles back in 1850, airplanes back in 1900, or the information age back in 1950? Don’t stop now thinking about tomorrow. We should reignite our creativity engines, toward the next evolution of humanity.
Others will succeed Henry Ford, the Wright brothers and Bill Gates; and they will facilitate the creation of still another frontier.
And we will lead the world toward whatever is the next evolutionary phase in the progress of Homo sapiens," writes Otto Rieke.
It is important for us to live in the moment, but it is equally important for us to envision the long view of the future. It's kind of like driving on the highway. It's important to know what is directly in front of us, but it is also important to keep an eye on what's coming at us from a distance so that we are better able to prepare for what will soon be directly in front of us. The law of convergence tells us that as our numbers grow and we learn to assimiate other cultures into our own, we naturally will become more acceptive of the fact of our human existence. We truly are just one race - the human race.... If we examine the long view of what life might be like in the next one hundred years, it is impossible to believe that we will remain as we are today...How can we not become one world - all living in the United Nations?
Friday, June 22, 2007
Drug Problems
By An Unknown Observer
The other day, someone at a store in a small town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?" Well, I did have a drug problem when I was a kid growing up. I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter what. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher. Or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four-letter word (I know what soap tastes like). I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some fire wood, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed. Those drugs are still in my veins, and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today's children only had this kind of drug problem, our world might be a better place today. Unknown Author
I find it odd that we wage this 'war on drugs' when on every other town corner everywhere there is a 'Drug Store'. It may be a franchise of a large chain or a small mom and pop, family owned store, but our children grow up watching us go to the 'drug store' to get 'drugs' to cure whatever it is we think we are suffering from. And we are bombarded from all sides by the media, whose ads encourage us to buy and 'use' this or that drug. What else could we possibly expect but a society of drug addicts. Our chickens are coming home to roost. We are only reaping what we have sown. But who cares? Who Really Cares ?
The other day, someone at a store in a small town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?" Well, I did have a drug problem when I was a kid growing up. I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter what. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher. Or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four-letter word (I know what soap tastes like). I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some fire wood, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed. Those drugs are still in my veins, and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today's children only had this kind of drug problem, our world might be a better place today. Unknown Author
I find it odd that we wage this 'war on drugs' when on every other town corner everywhere there is a 'Drug Store'. It may be a franchise of a large chain or a small mom and pop, family owned store, but our children grow up watching us go to the 'drug store' to get 'drugs' to cure whatever it is we think we are suffering from. And we are bombarded from all sides by the media, whose ads encourage us to buy and 'use' this or that drug. What else could we possibly expect but a society of drug addicts. Our chickens are coming home to roost. We are only reaping what we have sown. But who cares? Who Really Cares ?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
In The Beginning
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS THE UNIVERSE!
The Universe, that is to say, all that exists, comprises the living, expanding, ever-evolving ORGANISM UNIVERSE. It is hard for us to comprehend, but it is true. The Universe, Itself, is the supreme Organism. We humans are just a very minute part of the living whole organism, just as those microscopic mites that live on our skin are a very minute part of the human organism. And as the mite has no conception of its living host, so the human has been, and still is, for the most part, incapable of comprehending the truth of our own existence. This is not really such a difficult concept to grasp, it is just a different way of looking at things; the same things we’ve always inwardly known. These truths are still valid but now must begin to be understood from a different point of view. It may be hard to conceive of the Universe as a living entity, and maybe even harder to conceive of this Living Universe as the Supreme Intellect, but if we try, we might learn how to Change our minds.
Writing in the introduction to Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History Of Time’, Carl Sagan tells us that, "We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world. We give little thought to the machinery that generates the sunlight that makes life possible, to the gravity that glues us to an Earth that would otherwise send us spinning off into space, or to the atoms of which we are made and on whose stability we fundamentally depend. Except for children - - few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way ikt is; where the cosmos came from, or whether it was always here; if time will one day flow backward and effects precede causes; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans can know. There are children - - who want to know what a black hole looks like; what is the smallest piece of matter - - how it is, if there was chaos early, that there is, apparently, order today; and why there is a universe.In our society it is still customary for parents and teachers to answer most of these questions with a shrug, or with an appeal to vaguely recalled religious precepts. Some are uncomfortable with issues like these, because they so vividly expose the limitation of human understanding.But much of philosophy and science has been driven by such inquiries. An increasing number of adults are willing to ask questions of this sort, and occasionally they get some astonishing answers. Equidistant from the atoms and the stars, we are expanding our exploratory horizons to embrace both the very small and the very large"
It appears that as the human race continues the exploration if its universe, we become capable of seeing both smaller and smaller, and at the same time, larger and larger, with all that we see a part of the same Universe. We just have to open our eyes and accept what we see.....
The Universe, that is to say, all that exists, comprises the living, expanding, ever-evolving ORGANISM UNIVERSE. It is hard for us to comprehend, but it is true. The Universe, Itself, is the supreme Organism. We humans are just a very minute part of the living whole organism, just as those microscopic mites that live on our skin are a very minute part of the human organism. And as the mite has no conception of its living host, so the human has been, and still is, for the most part, incapable of comprehending the truth of our own existence. This is not really such a difficult concept to grasp, it is just a different way of looking at things; the same things we’ve always inwardly known. These truths are still valid but now must begin to be understood from a different point of view. It may be hard to conceive of the Universe as a living entity, and maybe even harder to conceive of this Living Universe as the Supreme Intellect, but if we try, we might learn how to Change our minds.
Writing in the introduction to Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History Of Time’, Carl Sagan tells us that, "We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world. We give little thought to the machinery that generates the sunlight that makes life possible, to the gravity that glues us to an Earth that would otherwise send us spinning off into space, or to the atoms of which we are made and on whose stability we fundamentally depend. Except for children - - few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way ikt is; where the cosmos came from, or whether it was always here; if time will one day flow backward and effects precede causes; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans can know. There are children - - who want to know what a black hole looks like; what is the smallest piece of matter - - how it is, if there was chaos early, that there is, apparently, order today; and why there is a universe.In our society it is still customary for parents and teachers to answer most of these questions with a shrug, or with an appeal to vaguely recalled religious precepts. Some are uncomfortable with issues like these, because they so vividly expose the limitation of human understanding.But much of philosophy and science has been driven by such inquiries. An increasing number of adults are willing to ask questions of this sort, and occasionally they get some astonishing answers. Equidistant from the atoms and the stars, we are expanding our exploratory horizons to embrace both the very small and the very large"
It appears that as the human race continues the exploration if its universe, we become capable of seeing both smaller and smaller, and at the same time, larger and larger, with all that we see a part of the same Universe. We just have to open our eyes and accept what we see.....
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