Next to the power of LIFE, BELIEF is the power that materializes how our Life unfolds. Most see Belief as something that is whimsical, fantasy or wishful thinking. This is not the BELIEF I am referring to here. We seldom ever question our BELIEFS, because we see them as TRUTHS and not necessarily as BELIEFS. We would not believe in something that is not TRUE, therefore we see our beliefs as truths. Even individuals that swear that there is a difference between KNOWING the truth, and that this knowing is beyond their BELIEFS - their Belief is in their KNOWING. One needs to believe that they are able to know something. This level of Belief is very fundamental of our psychic makeup, there is a difference between - "What I Believe" and "What I want to Believe". The whimsical beliefs that we all have originates from "What I want to Believe", but what we truly Believe is how our Life unfolds.
The question is how we move from what "I want to believe" to what "I believe"?
We all believe in the law of "cause and effect" that our science is based on. If we want to get physically stronger we go to the gym and exercise with the BELIEF that we will become physically stronger. The "cause" is the physical exercise and the "effect" is that we become physically stronger. This is TRUE.
What if I could show you a way of becoming physically stronger without any physical exercise? There was an experiment done at a major university in the US that wanted to explore the idea of "Mind over Matter". They had a group of volunteers, they first measured every one's finger strength, then broke them into three groups. The first group was given a finger exercise to do every day for 20 minutes for 2 weeks. It was a simple exercise of just straightening the finger and curling the finger in - repeated for 20 minutes. This first group was to do this exercise physically. The second group was told to only do the same exercise in their MINDS, no physical exercise. The third group was told not to do any exercise at all.
After the 2 weeks every one's finger strength was again measured. The first group that did the physical exercise recorded a 33% increase in their finger strength. The second group that did the exercise only in their mind recorded a surprising 20% increase in their finger strength. The third group that did no exercise showed no increase in their finger strength. What does this say about "cause & effect" Belief? - That it is not absolute!
Is it our BELIEF in "cause & effect" that creates the 13% difference between the first and second group results? If our BELIEF in "cause & effect" was not so strong would both groups have a 20% increase in their finger's strength? I can be fairly certain that the majority in the second group did not believe that their mental exercise would produce the physical results it did. I can be almost as certain that the first group believed their physical exercise would have a physical result.
How does our BELIEF about ourselves and about LIFE affect how our Life unfolds? What we see about our self as being TRUE(BELIEF) creates this truth. If we see our self as being stupid (because we have always been told that we are stupid) then we have no real choice but to act stupidly. We act stupidly, not because we are stupid but because we believe we are stupid, we see it as a FACT & TRUE.
There is a part in the movie "What the Bleep do we Know?" that talks about the cells in our body. The scientists talk about the issue of individuals that are fat. They state that there is some evidence that the cells in the body respond to our Beliefs - that if we believe that we are fat, then the cells have a tendency to store more calories instead of burning the calories. Our body's cells are acting to make our BELIEF true.
There is also the PLACEBO effect too. Where someone BELIEVES they are receiving a medication for their health issue and is cured - in fact they only received a "Sugar-pill". It is their BELIEF that cures them not the medication.
This CORE LEVEL OF BELIEF controls our physical world more than we think. There are no GOOD OR BAD BELIEFS, there are only EMPOWERING AND LIMITING BELIEFS. We need to ask our self if our BELIEFS empower us or limits us?
For more reading and information about BELIEF I recommend the following books;
The Spontaneous Healing of Belief by Gregg Braden
Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton Ph.D.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
What are Life Values?
In the last post I talked about Values and how our Values help us to steer our Life on the Path we wish to experience. This post will talk about what these Values include. These Values are very personal and individual in nature, this means the values I talk about here may not be your values but the process is the same.
In the last post I proposed the question;
WHAT DO I VALUE?
I value ALL LIFE - I treat all life with a level of respect. This does not mean that I worship LIFE, but everything from the slimy slugs and other gross things to the butterfly has a level of respect shown them.
I value human INDIVIDUALITY - I value the diversity that the Individual offers. I may not agree with everyone, but I respect their right to be different. Everyone has their unique perspective and experiences of LIFE and it is this that adds the wonder and beauty to LIFE.
I value FAIRNESS & EQUALITY - LIFE may not be fair, but we can bring FAIRNESS to LIFE. We have Free-Will that allows us to act FAIRLY or NOT, the choice is ours to make. This is our PARTICIPATION in LIFE. Equality is where we treat everyone with the same level of respect, I treat everyone with a level of HUMAN RESPECT - everyone has a right to be heard, I may not agree with them but everyone has a right to voice their thoughts & feelings, and to be heard in a respectful manner.
I value FRIENDSHIP & COMMUNITY - I value FRIENDS that support and empower each other and actually care about each other. There is a difference between acquaintances and friends. Acquaintances can become friends but not all do. Friends I have for years, acquaintances are individuals that come into my Life for a short time. Work acquaintances I may know for years, but most stay in the acquaintance state, because I do not know them as well as I know my FRIENDS.
I value MYSELF - If I truly value equality I must value myself. I see myself as the unique Life that I am, that there is no one like me, this is the definition of individuality. I know I can do anything that I set my mind to do. I accept myself for who I am.
I value HUMOUR - We need to be able to laugh at our self and to release tension. Humour is a medicine that helps to balance our lives.
I value INTEGRITY - Is to stay as TRUE TO MYSELF as possible. One's integrity is how one is seen by others and how one can build confidence in one's self. One's integrity is how one's relationships are built.
I value Joy - It is a necessary to enjoy LIFE and not to take our self too seriously. When we feel JOY in our Life we also show gratitude for our Life.
These are some of the VALUES that I have. These I call my Life-Values and I try my best to live my Life by them. I am not always as successful as I would like, but I do my best. When I have a challenging time and have to make some difficult choices I look to these Values to guide me in my decision. What decision will align me to these values?
These values may not sound like much, kind of simple and universal. In our modern society there are many who do not have any values, including valuing themselves. These simple values are powerful when one truly accepts them and owns them. Understanding and accepting our own values is the first step in "Know Thyself" and to truly empower the individual.
In the last post I proposed the question;
WHAT DO I VALUE?
I value ALL LIFE - I treat all life with a level of respect. This does not mean that I worship LIFE, but everything from the slimy slugs and other gross things to the butterfly has a level of respect shown them.
I value human INDIVIDUALITY - I value the diversity that the Individual offers. I may not agree with everyone, but I respect their right to be different. Everyone has their unique perspective and experiences of LIFE and it is this that adds the wonder and beauty to LIFE.
I value FAIRNESS & EQUALITY - LIFE may not be fair, but we can bring FAIRNESS to LIFE. We have Free-Will that allows us to act FAIRLY or NOT, the choice is ours to make. This is our PARTICIPATION in LIFE. Equality is where we treat everyone with the same level of respect, I treat everyone with a level of HUMAN RESPECT - everyone has a right to be heard, I may not agree with them but everyone has a right to voice their thoughts & feelings, and to be heard in a respectful manner.
I value FRIENDSHIP & COMMUNITY - I value FRIENDS that support and empower each other and actually care about each other. There is a difference between acquaintances and friends. Acquaintances can become friends but not all do. Friends I have for years, acquaintances are individuals that come into my Life for a short time. Work acquaintances I may know for years, but most stay in the acquaintance state, because I do not know them as well as I know my FRIENDS.
I value MYSELF - If I truly value equality I must value myself. I see myself as the unique Life that I am, that there is no one like me, this is the definition of individuality. I know I can do anything that I set my mind to do. I accept myself for who I am.
I value HUMOUR - We need to be able to laugh at our self and to release tension. Humour is a medicine that helps to balance our lives.
I value INTEGRITY - Is to stay as TRUE TO MYSELF as possible. One's integrity is how one is seen by others and how one can build confidence in one's self. One's integrity is how one's relationships are built.
I value Joy - It is a necessary to enjoy LIFE and not to take our self too seriously. When we feel JOY in our Life we also show gratitude for our Life.
These are some of the VALUES that I have. These I call my Life-Values and I try my best to live my Life by them. I am not always as successful as I would like, but I do my best. When I have a challenging time and have to make some difficult choices I look to these Values to guide me in my decision. What decision will align me to these values?
These values may not sound like much, kind of simple and universal. In our modern society there are many who do not have any values, including valuing themselves. These simple values are powerful when one truly accepts them and owns them. Understanding and accepting our own values is the first step in "Know Thyself" and to truly empower the individual.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Values
Individuals act and behave according to their VALUES. These values are personal and individualistic and are neither good or bad, they are simply values. These values are judged to be good or bad based on some form of morality.
Our society, culture and family will often impose values onto the individual and these are seen as what we are expected to value or what we should value. What we are expected or should value is what I call our adopted values. Adopted values are not good enough to guide our actions, they often create conflicts between what is expected of us and what we truly value.
We often see this CONFLICT with young teenagers going through what is often described as the "rebellious" years. They are looking to discover their OWN VALUES and are confronted with what is expected of them. We need to own our values, it is not good enough to act on what is expected. These 'rebellious' years are individuals finding their OWN values.
When we judge values as being good or bad, we are judging the values based on a sense of MORALITY. Morality is itself a set of values that is often forced on the individual. Morals only have worth when the individual can truly OWN the set of values that compose the morals. Morals are worthless when they are forced onto the individual.
CONFLICT - SHOULD VALUE VS TRUE VALUE
It is when we see the hypocritical actions from adults and authority figures that individuals searching for VALUES become lost. Look at all the abuse from individuals that are in a position of authority - priests, doctors, teachers, judges, police, parents and every other sector of society. This doesn't include the adults that say one thing and does another.
When you are a young person looking for your own values and you observe how everyone says they value one thing, but acts in another way, what kind of conclusion can one draw?
The conclusion that is often reached is that VALUES ARE WORTHLESS! Without our own values we have no way of steering our Life. We only value what is immediately good to the self. We often turn to drugs, alcohol, sex and other immediate satisfaction to our self or at the least acceptance from others in our immediate group. WE BECOME LOST!
FINDING OUR TRUE VALUES
I believe that at our Soul/Spirit level we all have a set of Values that we support and want to live by. Finding these TRUE values takes some work of 'Soul Searching'. To find these values we need to put aside what is expected or what we should value. In order to find this we need to ask - WHAT DO I VALUE? This means we need to put to work our EGO, in a productive manner.
I know that some will disagree with the use of EGO and the centering of the self but it is a necessary and productive step. Without establishing what "I" value nothing else really matters. It is only when we have established what I value that we can properly incorporate our 'Social values', 'Cultural values' and even 'Family values'. Without the I value these other values have no worth.
When we have established our I values and incorporate the other values we can start to set our Life on the course we want our Life to take (our Life Path).
Our society, culture and family will often impose values onto the individual and these are seen as what we are expected to value or what we should value. What we are expected or should value is what I call our adopted values. Adopted values are not good enough to guide our actions, they often create conflicts between what is expected of us and what we truly value.
We often see this CONFLICT with young teenagers going through what is often described as the "rebellious" years. They are looking to discover their OWN VALUES and are confronted with what is expected of them. We need to own our values, it is not good enough to act on what is expected. These 'rebellious' years are individuals finding their OWN values.
When we judge values as being good or bad, we are judging the values based on a sense of MORALITY. Morality is itself a set of values that is often forced on the individual. Morals only have worth when the individual can truly OWN the set of values that compose the morals. Morals are worthless when they are forced onto the individual.
CONFLICT - SHOULD VALUE VS TRUE VALUE
It is when we see the hypocritical actions from adults and authority figures that individuals searching for VALUES become lost. Look at all the abuse from individuals that are in a position of authority - priests, doctors, teachers, judges, police, parents and every other sector of society. This doesn't include the adults that say one thing and does another.
When you are a young person looking for your own values and you observe how everyone says they value one thing, but acts in another way, what kind of conclusion can one draw?
The conclusion that is often reached is that VALUES ARE WORTHLESS! Without our own values we have no way of steering our Life. We only value what is immediately good to the self. We often turn to drugs, alcohol, sex and other immediate satisfaction to our self or at the least acceptance from others in our immediate group. WE BECOME LOST!
FINDING OUR TRUE VALUES
I believe that at our Soul/Spirit level we all have a set of Values that we support and want to live by. Finding these TRUE values takes some work of 'Soul Searching'. To find these values we need to put aside what is expected or what we should value. In order to find this we need to ask - WHAT DO I VALUE? This means we need to put to work our EGO, in a productive manner.
I know that some will disagree with the use of EGO and the centering of the self but it is a necessary and productive step. Without establishing what "I" value nothing else really matters. It is only when we have established what I value that we can properly incorporate our 'Social values', 'Cultural values' and even 'Family values'. Without the I value these other values have no worth.
When we have established our I values and incorporate the other values we can start to set our Life on the course we want our Life to take (our Life Path).
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Laws, Rules & Regulations
Insanity is often described as doing something over and over and expecting a different outcome.
We always make more Laws & Rules in order to control certain behavour, but all it does is to create the need for more prisons. Our prisons are full and we need to release prisoners in order to put more individuals into prison. At what point do we realize that simply making more Laws/Rules are not working and there is a more serious issue to be dealt with.
We need to understand that individuals do not modify their behavour by Laws/Rules. Individuals behavour is controlled by the individuals Life-Values. It is their values that need to be modified and this is a much deeper issue than simply making a new Rule to follow.
Laws and Rules only become effective if one believes they may be caught breaking them. One is only punished if one is caught. It quickly becomes a issue that one is punished for getting caught, not for breaking the Law or Rule.
LAWS:
Laws are at their maximum effectiveness when they are kept to a minimum. This allows them to be uniformly enforced and everyone is aware and in agreement with them.
When we have thousands of LAWS, and we do have thousands, they become ineffective. They are ineffective for a number of reasons;
We cannot continue to make more LAWS and expect them to control individual behaviour, it is a form of madness.
RULES & REGULATIONS:
Rules & Regulations are most effective when they are used in a manner that supports the individual and as a guideline for individuals. This means that the Rules & Regulations must be flexible to the situation at hand.
Rules & Regulations in our present society are extremely rigid - "No Skateboarding", "No Rollerblading", "No Smoking" and a never ending list. This type of rigidity causes individual to quickly ignore the Rules altogether. We use Rules & Regulations to try and control how individuals act and this is seen as an attempt to limit and control individuals.
We need to keep our Rules & Regulations to a minimum and for them to be used in a manner that supports individuals and NOT TO LIMIT the individual.
Personal Life-Values:
Personal Life-Values is another topic altogether but it needs to be touch on here. Individuals act depending on their own Personal Values and not on LAWS & RULES. These values need to be owned by the individual, not adopted because they should or are expected to have certain values.
We always make more Laws & Rules in order to control certain behavour, but all it does is to create the need for more prisons. Our prisons are full and we need to release prisoners in order to put more individuals into prison. At what point do we realize that simply making more Laws/Rules are not working and there is a more serious issue to be dealt with.
We need to understand that individuals do not modify their behavour by Laws/Rules. Individuals behavour is controlled by the individuals Life-Values. It is their values that need to be modified and this is a much deeper issue than simply making a new Rule to follow.
Laws and Rules only become effective if one believes they may be caught breaking them. One is only punished if one is caught. It quickly becomes a issue that one is punished for getting caught, not for breaking the Law or Rule.
LAWS:
Laws are at their maximum effectiveness when they are kept to a minimum. This allows them to be uniformly enforced and everyone is aware and in agreement with them.
When we have thousands of LAWS, and we do have thousands, they become ineffective. They are ineffective for a number of reasons;
- No one is aware of them ALL.
- No one agrees that ALL are necessary.
- They are unable to be uniformly enforced, meaning that ALL are questionable in how they are enforced.
- The individual's respect for the LAW is greatly reduced.
- It is often seen to be a punishable offence to be CAUGHT, not so much about the LAW itself.
We cannot continue to make more LAWS and expect them to control individual behaviour, it is a form of madness.
RULES & REGULATIONS:
Rules & Regulations are most effective when they are used in a manner that supports the individual and as a guideline for individuals. This means that the Rules & Regulations must be flexible to the situation at hand.
Rules & Regulations in our present society are extremely rigid - "No Skateboarding", "No Rollerblading", "No Smoking" and a never ending list. This type of rigidity causes individual to quickly ignore the Rules altogether. We use Rules & Regulations to try and control how individuals act and this is seen as an attempt to limit and control individuals.
We need to keep our Rules & Regulations to a minimum and for them to be used in a manner that supports individuals and NOT TO LIMIT the individual.
Personal Life-Values:
Personal Life-Values is another topic altogether but it needs to be touch on here. Individuals act depending on their own Personal Values and not on LAWS & RULES. These values need to be owned by the individual, not adopted because they should or are expected to have certain values.
We try and impose Social Values with our Laws & Rules, this does not work!
Welcome
This blog is separate from my blog "The Wholeness of Life" and here is were I will write about my thoughts concerning this crazy world we all have to live in. The subject matter will be random and will reflect what is on my mind on any one day. Hope you enjoy and I will look forward to comments.
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