LET"S WORK TOGETHER

A great song from the early 1970's was one by Canned Heat called Let's Work Together.I loved this song when it came out and I was 18 or 19 years old.I have to admit tho at the time I loved it simply because of the music and the beat of the tune and not so much for the words. But as I have grown older and managed to work on my spirituality I now love to hear this golden oldie mostly for the words. A simple ditty it was but filled with much profound wisdom. The lyrics or part of them went like this: Well, united we stand divided we fall come on now people lets get on the ball let's work together and together we'll stand  every boy every girl every woman and man. Those lyrics are just so appropiate even today as it was then,  maybe even more so now. The news is filled every day with stories of wars among nations, anger against one country by others, hate, prejudice, robberies, etc.And until every one of us as humans decide to stop all the fighting and fussing and begin to really work together I'm afraid the same stuff will continue.As Lionel Richie wrote in his song called Sweet Love: If I was at a place where dreams are for dreamers and all you wished came true , I'd wish the world had all happy people, then there'd be no more wishing to do. Wouldn't it be nice if we all could begin to love each other and accept our differences and start working together to bring peace among nations a reality? Yes, I know this is a very big dream I have but I also know I'm not the only one and I will continue to dream of a peaceful world even if it hasn't arrived yet. And I hope you will join with me in this dream because it all starts and ends with each of us. We are all ONE folks and I hope we start realizing that before any more innocent folks are killed or we completely destroy the entire planet we share. I now leave all of you dear friends with thoughts of love, peace, and understanding. Hugs to all of you and if you can today do something nice for someone and start becoming a part of the solution.To you and yours I wish the best of everything now and always.

DANCE OF THE HUMMINGBIRDS

I love Mother Nature! So many wonderful vistas, sunsets, sunrises, full moons, gentle breezes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornados, oceans, outer space, animal and plant life, etc. I could go on forever about Mother Nature even when it seems out of control (hurricanes,tornados etc) but today I would like to write about hummingbirds.I have always loved watching them, So tiny with little wings aflutter and a really long needle like beak which allows them to enjoy the nectar of the flowers. My beautiful wife has a flower garden right along our driveway which she keeps looking so great all spring and summer(she puts in quite a bit of hard work to do this) and I am able to sit on the back steps and watch all the birds and other life that makes this garden come alive.I watch all kinds of plant and animal life doing business in the garden on a daily basis.It really is a world unto its own which goes unseen by all but my wife and I.There are so many great stories I could write about this haven for wildlife but today my subject is hummingbirds.We keep a feeder stocked with sweet nectar for them and it seems as if we are blessed by at least 3 hummingbirds which come and go daily.But over this past summer I have watched more closely than usual and I am amazed at just what goes on with the birds.Now this feeder is fairly small and it has I think 6 different openings around the bottom so in theory 6 birds should be able to get all they want of the nectar at the same time. But as I have learned this summer it just doesnt work this way.Time after time I have watched as the early bird comes first and drinks quite a bit and then just sits away from the feeder on a small plant branch and keeps watch. And its just a quick moment til the other 2 birds arrive at the oasis. As soon as one of them tries to get a sip of the sweetness the one who is guarding the feeder will swoop down and chase him away. While he is doing this the 3rd bird will dart down to the feeder and try and get a quick sip before the other 2 come back.A small sip and he is then chased away by the "guardian" of the feeder, who in turn again swoops to the feeder and chases the 3rd one away again.Then it seems all 3 of them fly away chasing each other and remain gone for a moment or so. Then the 1st one arrives again and sits at the feeder and drinks all he can til he gets full and then goes and sits on the branch once again and waits for the 2nd bird to show.In a quick dart the 2nd bird arrives and lands at he feeder. As he tries to quickly get a sip the "guardian" comes and chases him away. While this goes on the 3rd one stops and gets a quick drink before being chased away once again.This pattern seems to go on and on all day long.Im guessing that when they are all away from my wife's oasis they are in someone else's garden spot repeating the dance of scurrying for a drink.All this reminds me of just how akin us humans are to the animal world.Now I know animals are born with an innate sense of doing what it takes to stay alive and to procreate their species.And about the only thing that seperates us humans from wild animals is the ability to "see" right from wrong. But then again thats an entirely different subject matter.I mean after all, what is right and what is wrong? Again those illusions come into play.Maybe Ill write about that later. But for now back to the hummingbirds.The "guardian" bird I suppopse was the first to find the feeder and staked his claim to it. Then along came bird 2 who decided it was ok for him to share in the good stuff also.Ditto for bird #3. Now even tho bird #1 drank til he was sated he still did not want to share his bounty so he fought hard and long to "defend" his domain.But 2 and 3 figured hey what the heck # 1 has more than enough so we are gonna get our share also even if it means having to fight for it. They decided he didnt need "all" of the sweet stuff so they felt justified in fighting to take some of it away for themselves.I think you are probably beginning to see how all this is happening all over the world in our "civilized" world of humanity.One of us humans finds an "oasis" of good stuff and lays claim to it. Then quickly there are many who rush in and try to take some of the good stuff for themselves even if it means fighting and killing others.And all this goes on when there is more than enough for everybody if only we were to learn the art of pure "Unconditional Love". It would only take everybody being wise enough to take only what they truly needed than share the rest with others who are in need.Like the sweet nectar from our bird feeder there is always enough, it is being replenished daily, just like the things we need as people are replenished daily by Mother Nature.If only we would take what we need then feel good about sharing the remainder with all of humankind.That would be a great state of humanity. Will this ever come about when we share the world with all? I sure hope so but Im almost sure it will never happen unless we all decide to work together as a unit and stop being so damned greedy! I mean how much does one person need to be happy and content? Probably not as much as you would first think. Yes I am a dreamer but I will go to my grave believing that humanity is worth "saving" and that one glorious day all of us will awaken to that fact and then we will at long last be on the path to real "enlightenment". In closing this entry I would just ask you to stop for a moment and ask yourself "Would you be just as content drinking only enough of life's nectar and then sharing freely the rest with all of humankind'? I believe you would be more content if you did this instead of taking and then being so adamant as to guarding your own personal oasis. If you would take a moment right now and try to think of someone you love but have not heard from in  quite some time. Then make a phone call to them just to say hey I was thinking of you and wanted to let you know I still love you.Leave your "oasis" unguarded long enough to do this then come back and see if there is even more "nectar" awaiting you.I leave all of you wonderful folks with thoughts of love peace and joy."HUGS"

A SIMPLE KIND OF MAN

I consider myself  as a simple kind of guy. Even tho I try to understand just how everything works and how to get past all the illusions of this earthly life I try to just keep it as simple as possible.If you are a regular reader of this blog you should know that my intent is to try and share the love with all of us human beings.That in itself sounds simple enough but trying to reach others who have a different way of seeing things can still be rather complex or so it seems.On this blog I have made many friends who I really cherish the friendship.At times there have been readers who disagreed vehemently with my views(which is quite ok by me). Some have said I am an arrogant person which I dont really think is true but then again I suppose it depends on which view you are looking from. But the reason for todays entry is not to try and figure things out or to disagree or agree with anyone else.The point I would like to make is that I feel no matter what the "real" truth is I am gonna remain a simple person doing the best I can to love everyone one and everything.I have made some friends here who have their own blogs and they are filled with much truth wisdom and insight concerning this worlds illusions.I must admit I dont quite understand all the things I read but I have found the blogs quite amazing. They get me to thinking and to asking questions which in turn helps me to become more "awake" and aware of what is going on.There are just so many theories and beliefs out there that it can make one's head spin quite a bit.To you readers who are looking to find enlightenment  may I suggest you check out some of the blogs that are listed as ones I follow.Those folks are lots smarter than me and can maybe help shed some light on things for you better than I can. As for me I will continue to write as the inspiration comes to me.And I will continue to try my best to keep it all simple.As I see it no matter what one may believe as far as to what is real or what is an illusion it will remain dependant upon one's own personal beliefs.To me keeping it simple is to look at things in a way which will serve to bring more love into this world.I feel the only thing any of us do have is this 1 eternal moment and no matter what conditions we find ourselves in if we will all take this 1 moment and send love and goodness to as many people as we can then the rest of it will surely take care of itself. This is why I try to remind all of you to do something nice for someone right now so that we can work together to help make this planet a better place for all of us.I dont care what "group" you belong to, what race you are (aren't we all humans) what political party you subscribe to or any thing else. I do however would love to see all of you join me in trying to make this a better world for all.Thank you for visiting my blog, for sharing your thoughts with us, and for accepting me as I am.And please, if you can take the next few moments and do something nice for someone. It doesnt have to be anything of a great nature, maybe just call an old friend who you know would love to hear from you again, or open a door for someone at the store, or just smile warmly at the next person you see. Tell someone you love them, help your mate out with some of the chores,etc I could go on forever cause it really is unlimited the things you can do for someone and most doesnt cost you a dime. Just a second of your valuable time. Please try that if you can and I think you will find it helps  you to feel better not only about yourself but also about humanity.I leave you now with thoughts of love, peace, and inner contentment.May all of you have a most wonderful evening.Thank you for listening."HUGS"

CAUSE AND EFFECT

One of my favorite authors Ralph Waldo Emerson sure had a way of stating things in simple terms that should be easy for us to comprehend.I have always been amazed by the wisdom that this man shared with all who would but take time to listen.I wanted to share this quote from him with you today.Mr Emerson stated:"Shallow men believe in luck, they believe in circumstances....Strong men believe in cause and effect." Dealing with cause and effect is like trying to cure an ailment's symptons (that would be the effects or conditions) and not curing the underlying cause of the ailment by going to the root cause and finding out how to eliminate the root cause.We as humans often times are just happy allievating the symptons with drugs or any other treatment that will do the job. However when we do that we are still left with the "inner" or "root" cause of the problem and usually the same problem will continue to crop up from time to time. If we are to completely "heal" ourselves I believe we need to work from the inside to the outside.By that I mean trying to figure out the oft times buried reason for the ailment by doing our "inner" or spiritual work.Thus by discovering the "real" reason for that ailment we can then rid ourselves of it permanantly.The Science of Mind textbook has stated the following which I agree with wholeheartedly: "Just so far as we depend upon any condition, past, present, or future, we are creating chaos, because we are then dealing with conditions (effects) and not with causes." So in closing I will wish for all of you beautiful people a ton of happiness, good health,and all good things.May the "ailments" you have be few and far between, and may you quickly learn to be able to discover the root causes, so that you can keep your life filled with inner peace.Again may I remind you to try right now to do something nice for someone whether its a phone call to an old friend, a special hug to someone you love, a warm smile to the "stranger" you pass on the street, or anything else you may imagine.That way when you are retiring for the night, you can look back and see that today you have indeed done a great service in helping all of us humans to see that truly all we do need is love."HUGS" to all.

ROLLING WITH THE FLOW

And on and on I go I just keep on rolling with the flow". Those words from an old Charlie Rich song says a lot to me. I have always tried my best to just take things as they come, try to learn from them. and then just let it go.Those times when I fail to do that is the times when life seems to be in quite a disarray.I often have to remind myself to just experience things instead of always reacting to them. When I can remember to do that then life seems to just go along in rhythm and I find myself at peace with things.My hope is that all of you wonderful folks have learned how to just "be" without expecting things to always come out the way you had envisioned them. If you have then I am sure your life is one that is peaceful and flows gently each moment. If not then I hope you will soon learn the art of just "being" in the one eternal moment. I will leave you with a quote from Epictetus who once stated"Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life." I leave you with thoughts of pure love, peace, and joy to you and yours.And may I remind you to try and do something nice for another person just because you wish to be a part of the solution! "HUGS" to all

KEEPING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

I love the following quote from Herm Albright:"A positive attitude may not solve all  your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." I love it! Also I say to keep on smiling and people will wonder what you are up to. I leave all of you with thoughts of love, peace, and joy.

THE BEAUTY WITHIN

I honestly believe all of us human beings have within us the innate seed to blossom into a loving, kind, caring, and warm person.Why some never seem to realize this or to even begin to develop into this type of human being is a little beyond my explanation.Those who are sociopaths and believe that they "deserve" everything they desire just because they are here is beyond even my wildest imagination.But whatever the reasons I still believe most of us can and should learn to develop our abilities and try our best to rediscover the inner beauty that resides within us at all times.For those of you who think you have nothing special inside to share with others, I'd like to share this thought from Swami Chetanananda:"Think of a tree, or any living event that emerges from within itself. It is the degree to which it obeys its inner commitment to unfold a certain pattern that enables it to overcome all of the resistance and the obstacles in the environment, and to demostrate itself as  a vast and vital manifestion of the energy of Life." Taking this as fact should enable one to "remember" who they really are inside no matter what the outside appearances seem to indicate. My hope is that each of us can dig down and again become "one" with our inner self and start from there to become a better human being.And as you go about your day how about doing something nice for someone just because you wish to be a part of life's solutions. I bless you all good people and send warm thoughts of love and best wishes to you and yours now and always.