Don't throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater when it comes to having a Spiritual life...

Photo By N. Ireland Wallpapers / Desktop Backgrounds
Don't throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater when it comes to having a Spiritual life...

Consider this song:

Artist: George Harrison
Album: Concert For Bangla Desh/all Things Must Pass
Title: Awaiting On You All


You don't need no love in
You don't need no bed pan
You don't need a horoscope or a microscope
The see the mess that you're in
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been polluted so long
Now here's a way for you to get clean

By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no passport
And you don't need no visas
You don't need to designate or to emigrate
Before you can see Jesus
If you open up your heart
You'll see he's right there
Always was and will be
He'll relieve you of your cares

By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no church house
And you don't need no temple
You don't need no rosary beads or them books to read
To see that you have fallen
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been kept down so long
Someone's thinking that we're all green

And while the pope owns 51% of general motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us
The lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
By chanting the names of the lord and you'll be free



I believe a lot of people have lost their way today. They have their energies invested in meaningless activities and try and numb the pain of this with drink, drugs, consumerism and following the lives of so called celebs.

>You don't need to designate or to emigrate
> Before you can see Jesus

Interesting how he mentions Jesus in this song although he was a devout Hindu… I think that if people followed the teaching of Jesus and not the dogmas set by the man made church institutions then people might be happier. I am not saying happiness cannot be found in other religions but I use this example as it the religious framework I am familiar with.

People have thrown the baby out with the bathwater in my humble opinion. They have turned their backs on "the church" but they have also turned their backs on a spiritual life. It also seems to me the people with the loudest voices are the fundamentalists

If one takes a belief in God as a given then we are all children of God. We are all the same.

I grew up in a Christian family so I am using Christianity as the example I am most familiar with. I believe the worlds major religions are like different paths on a road that lead to the same destination.

So let us look at Christianity...

Jesus' wisdom teaching points to the world of conventional wisdom as a world of blindness. His aphorisms and parables invite us to see differently.

The theologian Marcus Borg tries to show us this e.g.

C:Conventional wisdom
J:Jesus' alternative wisdom

C:God is punitive lawgiver and judge
J:God is gracious

C:A person's worth is determined by measuring up to social standards
J:All persons have infinite worth as a children of God

C:Sinners and outcasts are to be avoided and rejected
J:Everyone is welcome around the table and in the kingdom of God

C:Identity comes from social tradition
J:Identity comes from centring in the sacred, from relationship with God

C:Strive to be first
J:The first shall be last...; those who exalt themselves will be emptied...

C:Preserve one's own life above all
J:The path of dying to self and being reborn leads to life abundant

C:Fruit of striving is reward
J:Fruit of centring in God is compassion


The pre-crucified Jesus was a social profit, healer and He tried to teach an alternative wisdom. He got on the wrong side of the authorities of the day and was crucified for it but his spirit lived on. You can look on this as the metaphysical spirit or the spirit of His teachings. The post Easter Jesus is something different.

Christian experience is born in the Easter experience.

Easter does not have to include something happening to Jesus' body.

The foundational meaning of Easter is that Jesus' followers experienced his continuing presence as a living reality.

An empty tomb is one way to talk about that experience.

The community speaks of Jesus as:

Light of the world

Bread of life

Messiah

The way, the truth, the life

The only way

These are images/metaphors people used to describe their experience of Jesus.

They are profoundly true though not literally true.

Jesus did not speak of himself in these ways.

They are vivid testimony about how the community experienced and thought about Jesus.

The post-Easter Jesus can also be the word, light, and bread, of God for us.

For more see http://www.united.edu/portrait/index.shtml

Anyway my long rambling point is this. George Harrison's music seems to show that the quiet Beatle had a healthy attitude to spirituality and he recognised the subversive message in following a spiritual life. A spiritual life can reward you with a life of meaning although its not really about what you can "get" for yourself in my humble opinion. I grew up in Northern Ireland and this could put you of religion for life! I constantly remind myself that if there is a God or higher power then He/She is much larger than our limited minds can comprehend and that the religion is a human reaction to this mystery.

So try not throw the baby out with the bathwater. If you have given up on religion don't give up on having a spiritual life.



Good Luck!

Allen

How to Keep Perspective - Have a Death Day

Photo By N. Ireland Wallpapers / Desktop Backgrounds

Hi there...

I was listening to the radio today and there was a debate on how MORTAL we all our and how we forget this and get worried about all the small things in life.

I remember having a bit of a health scare once and as soon as I got the all clear I thought to myself "I am so glad to be alive! I am never going to let the small things in life get me down ever again!"... I spent more time with my friends and family and my priorities lay with the relationships I had with people and not with false paths to happiness such as career or material possessions or lack there of.

This feeling lasted for a few months but after a while I slipped back into worrying about money, jobs and where my career was going. I started sweating the small stuff!

Well, a caller phoned into this radio show and spoke of how he celebrated his death day. He picked a date in the future based on the average age of a man (women get to live longer) and nominated a date of that year to be his death day. He said its a wonderful way of keeping things in perspective and bringing your attention away from the worries about the past or the future - to thinking about the here and now.

So today I chose my death day and that is November 1st 2045. Statistically speaking I will probably be dead by then and even if I celebrate my death day only once per year it will certainly give me the kick up the bum I need to keep things in perspective.

So when is your death day? What do you think about this idea? Let me know!

Allen

RSS Feed problems ...

I have been having some technical issues with my RSS feed. Please let me know if you are not getting the full feed.

The full feed should work now..

I am also on holiday this week and so normal posting service will return next week!

Thanks!

Allen

5 Concepts from Self Help Books that Worked for Me

Hi there,

The whole point of my blog was to show - anyone that was interested - that not all self help was constructive and not all self help was useless new age waffle.
I was thinking to myself the other day about what aspects of the self help books I have read lately that have found of beneficial to myself.

Here are the concepts I have found that have helped me and where I found them.

1) Life is difficult.

The very first words from the grandfather of self help "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck. Life is indeed difficult and don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. Suffering is unavoidable in life - it goes hand in hand with living. I learnt this from a very early age when my mother died from cancer. I have also learnt that a lot of suffering can make you stronger in the long run. Suffering can also allow you to empathize with the suffering of others and thus develop compassion for other people. You cannot avoid suffering.

2) Train your mind by avoiding cognitive distortions.

Recognize the kinds of irrational thinking that you, like everyone else, tend to engage in from time to time. Reducing your irrational thinking will often help you to become a happier person. This does not mean you should delude yourself into thinking everything is great when it clearly is not. No. What I mean is that there are some bad thinking habits that should be noted and changed. These habits include irrational beliefs or misinterpretations of external events. An example of an irrational belief would be that you feel you must be perfect in everything you do otherwise you are worthless. An example of misinterpretation would be overgeneralization i.e. that guy cut me off - drivers today are terrible!

For more examples see the brilliant summary in the book "Mind Performance Hacks" by Ron Hale-Evans (Hack #58) or the book "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by Dr.David Burns.

3) 6 traits that you can develop that will transform your life and the world.

These traits are taught through out the major world religions and for good reason. It is not a secret! These traits are - compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness,selflessness and love. If we must be selfish let us develop those traits in ourselves and happiness will follow. I have been trying to do this for some time and it does transform how you think and feel about the world around you. I have to say that I feel happier and less stressed and people around me feel I am easier to live with too! :-)

Read "The Art of Happiness" by the Howard Cutler and the Dalai Lama for more on this.

4) Relax.

If you practice some form of daily relaxation it will act as the foundation to dealing with your everyday stresses. Try mediation (its easier than you think), progressive muscle relaxation or yoga. If you do this regularly it will change the whole way your mind and body react together when it comes to stress. I have to admit I do find it difficult to find time to do this. I am not a morning person (e.g. A lot of meditators get up at 4 or 5am to meditate) but I try and fit in daily relaxation exercises and treat it like brushing my teeth. It is something I need to do to stay healthy.

Read "The Calm Technique" by Paul Wilson.

5) You don't need to run a marathon and eat carrots everyday to be fit and healthy.
I try and do some yoga every other day and go for brisk walks. A brisk walk is where I am walking at such a pace that I break into a bit of sweat for about 30 minutes. So with those two forms of exercise I am getting aerobic, strength and flexibility exercises without having to go near a gym. If you enjoy sport it is half the battle as you have fun when you exercise. Try and find somewhere nice to go for your walks or you could go swimming at your local pool and treat yourself to a sauna afterwards.

See "The Integrated Health Bible" by Dr. Mosaraf Ali


I hope you find this post useful and you explore the concepts I have mentioned. I have found them to be very useful and you don't have to do anything special or spend a lot of money to learn them.

Good Luck!
Allen

I Need Your Help! - Please please please!!!

Photo By N. Ireland Wallpapers / Desktop Backgrounds
Hi there,

Last August I decided to write about something close to my heart. The merging of the two topics of self help and being lazy. The point of the blog was to provide a medium where I could share what I have learnt from the plethora of self help books I have read. The idea was that I would distill important facts from the flotsam and jetsam of the self help world and share them with you the reader.

It has been a tremendous success! For that I thank you all. Nearly 60,000 people have visited the site (according to my server log from statscounter.com) and I have been totally astounded by that. I seem to be still the most subscribed to blog via RSS in Ireland and its my hope to keep up the quality of the posts.

This is where I need your help.

I would really be grateful if you could add a comment to this post with any criticisms (both positive and negative) about this site. What have I done right? Where have I gone wrong? What do you like? What do you dislike? Are you still interested in reading about self help for lazy people?

Please, please let me know..

Thanks again for all your support!

Allen

How to take Micropauses

Hi Everyone,
A micropause is a very short break that one can take when working at your desk or computer. It is a very important method of reducing the chances of developing an occupational injury at work. About a year ago I had to go on sick leave as my neck had frozen due to sitting at my desk for long periods without taking the appropriate breaks. A micropause need only be 20-30 secs and could involve looking away from your computer or carrying out some simple stretching exercises. I will write more on this later.

In the mean time check out http://www.cheqsoft.com/break.html . I have been using this tool and it really helps me manage the micropauses and longer breaks. I need something to FORCE me to take the breaks! The demo is free to download and as far as I can see you can keep using it without having to pay for it. Although you need to restart it daily to keep using it.

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

Allen

How to Handle Aging or How not to become like the actors in Star Trek ..

Someone sent this to me today and I thought I would share it with you ...

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED ; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT !

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!


HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1.. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them"

2. Keep only cheerful friends .. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer , crafts, gardening , whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud . Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music , plants, hobbies , whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips .. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away ..


And if you don 't send this to at least 8 people - who cares! But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Beginner's Mind.

Hi there,

This is a very useful technique when it comes to learning.

To quote wikipedia:

Shoshin (also pronounced nyuanshin) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning Beginner's Mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.

The phrase was also used as the title of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki's book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, which reflects a saying of his regarding the way to approach Zen practice: In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.


You can apply this in real life by approaching a subject with the mind of a beginner even if you feel you are already an expert! I remember such an example when I worked as a computer programmer. I had worked on a particular system for a few years and I really felt that "I knew it all". To be perfectly honest - I was a little bit arrogant about it! I then moved to another company who really pushed the system to it limits. I had a difficult time as I thought I knew it all and I was making lots of mistakes and my colleagues were surprised as they thought I knew it all too! If I had approached this new company with a "beginners mind", being honest with myself about what I actually knew, I would have caused less conflict and learnt much faster.

This technique can be applied in lots of areas of your life. Give it a go and you will be impressed by how much you will learn about the subject you are studying and yourself!

Good Luck,
Allen