A Day at the Beach

I was traveling on vacation a while back and ended up at the beach. My wife was sitting on the beach chair with her book, and I was pacing up and down looking for something to do, as I am usually not some one who is accustomed to sitting still. My idea of a vacation had always been "see as much as you can , in the shortest amount of time available" I was well known for tightly packed energetic vacations, accomplishing  more sights seen in less than 3 to 5 days than most would explore in 2 weeks. We had already done everything on my list of sights to investigate for this trip, we had checked out and were awaiting transport to the airport. We were not due for another hour to take the taxi, so we decided to goto the beach ( my wife's bright idea!) and "patiently"wait. 

While pacing, she kindly told me to go and take a walk or pace somewhere else, good advice, but probably meant at getting me to leave her alone for a bit, and not planning another adventure of tourism  in an hour !! So I did just that, I started pacing at the edge of the beach. As I walked up one end and back down the other, I slowly noted that my attention veered off towards the sea. My eye caught the waves hitting the rocks, the tide gently coming in, the trails of my foot prints in the sand that were washed away with each tide. I stopped, and looked up out to sea. I was awestruck, and my racing thoughts came to a screeching halt. 

I was mesmerized by all that I was witnessing. It was like nature was unfolding as I stood there before my very eyes. I examined the rocks and pebbles as they  were pounded wave after wave. They were unaffected. I got to thinking, perhaps  I should be a like a rock strong and solid and let the tides of life, crashing over me never affected by the negative words or actions of others. What do I care of someone else's negative thoughts and opinions? Be immovable like these stones, yet adapt to the water, fully submerged in life. Be like a harbor of safety, protecting the shore, ergo protecting family, friends, and self. 

I noted the waves of the sea, and the ripples they caused, like ripples of energy traveling  the universe, every one of our actions positive or negative has a energy ripple that affects something, someone, somewhere, no matter how small. Our thoughts can be far reaching, just like the attractive and repulsive forces in all of matter, these too can have a significant impact. I realized the massive expansion of the sea as it eventually became the ocean. I cannot control this ocean, it is too big, too powerful, so instead respect it, accept it, but don't fear it, as like a little boat in the ocean, we too are little lifeforms in this infinitely expanded universe. It like the ocean is too big, too powerful but should not be feared, but respected and accepted. There is only One Supreme Consciousness that can control the ocean and the universe. Without the permission of this One Consiousness, not even a leaf can move, nor a ripple form, nor an atom pulse, let alone life to exist and a universe to function. We cannot stop time or a tide but we can use both efficiently, productively and positively to navigate.

My attention turned to the sand of the beach at my feet. Nothing lasts forever, the tide of the ocean and time takes everything away. If by chance it returns, it was meant for you, an opportunity, a repeat moment to allow a better outcome, but such moments are rare. Much like the sea shells that disappear with each tide deeper into the sea, perchance the same shell returns to you, but that event is another time. I dipped my foot into the water, and removed it, and then dipped into it again. I repeated the process several times. One might say that it was the same water I was placing my foot into each time. But I disagree. Every time I dipped my foot in, the water passed and continued to flow. It was  not the  same water. So true it is in life. We carry out the same negative behaviors repeatedly, sometimes foolishly,  presuming no change but how can it be, as every time  we do it, the tide of time and space have changed, and a different adverse outcome occurs. Such is the nature of addictions. 

Eventually all the sand, rocks, sea shells erode with time and dissolve back into the ocean, so too in the universe. We are all finite beings, with finite bodies that will fail, we all fall sick, and die and return unto the universe from the very elements for which we were created. The planet, this solar system, this galaxy and everything in the universe will follow the same law of nature, and succumb to the same fate. Is this a pessimistic view point? I submit, it is not. It is the truth. Now that it is known , and the end is apparent, there is no fear. So you can truly be yourself, with the knowledge that you have nothing to lose, and be free to do whatever your heart wishes to do. 

Under the surface of the water, the  ocean holds the entire aquatic kingdom, ever in balance, and so under the surface of ourselves we harbor the entire power of the universe. Our behavior is like the surface of the seas, if rough then we are tense and stressed, when calm then we are at peace and relaxed.

The ocean is vastly deep. The surface can be affected by rough weather, but the deeper you go the calmer things are and sea life is safe at the bottom. So too in our consciousness. The mind can be tortured, agitated and confused. But deeper into our oceanic consciousness we go the calmer we find ourselves, eventually finding our true nature, true self, true spirit. 

Cast,your fears into the ocean, let it sweep your worries, troubles and anxieties away, and with each tide let new hope, goals and joys fill your heart. The ocean is big enough and powerful enough to attend to your cares. Similarly the universe and the One Supreme consciousness  is big enough, mighty enough to do the same. Surrender your dreams, and watch them unfold.

Just as each footprint made in the sandy beach is washed away by the tides leaving a clean smooth surface, so too does each day's ills and past troubles are washed and swept away, leaving a clean slate, if you forgive, forget and are fearless. Keep your beach clean. 

It is sad that I had to learn so much by observation on my last day and hour of the vacation. Had I been more patient and being  observant I would and could have spent the entire vacation so much more at peace. Isn't this true of life ? We dart around thinking we are making a life but are we even living. why do we have more wisdom towards the end of our lives when we could have spent every waking moment for more years at peace rather than wait for the eleventh hour. 

No matter. A moments regret of the past is a moment stolen from the future, and since we cannot change the past, and the future is not here yet, I plan to enjoy the present moment carefree and worry free. Are you enjoying your day at  the beach? 

Reflecting on Water

We are all made of water. Water is all around us. We feel its calming presence when we sit by the ocean or a river or take a trip to the beach. We listen to the sound of the sloshing waves, and reminded on a subconscious level of when we were in the womb, safe and secure. Water has healing powers when it comes to meditation, it calms us. There is so much to learn from water in all its  forms. 

When in solid state as ice it can be unbreakable, just like our egos. When we allow our ego to take over,we can be stubborn, hard headed not to allow ourselves to see reason and change. Fortunately in the end even ice is breakable and so are our egos.

When in semi solid  form as snow, it can be beautifully serene in a landscape , and powerful  at the same time as each seemingly fragile crystal flake comes together and can be formidable during a snow storm or an avalanche. Again similar to our mind. When calm and relaxed, we can control our minds to become serene, and envelope ourselves with peace and tranquility. Each of us as an  individual is unique with great abilities, you only have to look around you and in history to see what we as a species can do together, building vast civilizations, doing great and wonderful acts through kindness, generosity and goodness. Unfortunately we can also come together and just like avalanches and snow storms, devastate our environment, planet, our humanity and our souls through acts of greed, violence, apathy, corruption and hatred. 

When in gaseous form, as vapor, water is all pervading, all around us, invisible but sometimes appearing as clouds or mist or fog, and just like our consciousness far reaching. When  we are in the present moment and happy we can focus and like clouds be seen as light and fluffy. But as overall vapor, non focused and dispersed without shape or form akin to when we are not present, scattered in our thoughts lacking cohesiveness. 

Water in form of a large body can be transparent or have the abilities of reflection.  Like our souls we can reflect what we harbor within us. If we harbor anger, lust, envy, jealousy, and greed then that's all we can reflect back out.  We must never forget that all these emotions come from a deeper source. Our consciousness is deep like the ocean maybe even deeper than the depths of the ocean floor. Whatever we think,say, or do comes from within and so negative thoughts, words, actions all scar us, and so these emotions don't rise from within us, without us first hurting ourselves before hurting others. 

If we are pure, enlightened and unburdened then we are light hearted, joyous and happy and transparent like water, holding on to nothing and reflecting nothing.

Water has no shape like our mind, spirit, and consciousness.  It is only when it is placed into a container does it take shape. Be it a cup, glass, beaker, bowl, bucket or an infinite number of possible containers, it takes shape. Similarly this trivalency when it enters infinite number of possible bodies, takes on a new form, yet like the containers, the body   ages and eventually fails, but the spirit like water remains eternal. 

Water can take the form of rain, either bringing gentleness like a drizzle or torrential downpour that can cause floods. It can become a water fall, with enough energy to power cities if harnessed properly (Niagra falls ) or it can be streams innocently providing nourishment to the land along it. The analogy can be expanded to our emotions. Either gentle full of compassion and love like the drizzle and streams or full of hate and anger like the downpour, but regardless of the outcome the spirit or the water is still the same, whether you unleash it like a tsunami or harness its potential energy like a dam for a purposeful cause. 

Examining water flowing in a river also reveals many interesting qualities that we can reflect upon. If we dip our foot into the water in the morning , and then dip it into it again later in the day, it is not the same water. Not only has the temperature changed, but the water has flowed on, we are dipping into a different river all together. So too with concept of our mind, it constantly flows sometimes changing temperament, we can try to control it but usually with little success like the flowing river, but understanding that by being still and acknowledging the river 's awesome strength so too the mind can be made to become still like a pond of water. The flow of water can represent time and from moment to moment it changes and so does the mind and body, but the boat within the river does not, much like the conditioned soul. 

Like individual streams that flow into bigger tributaries, then flow into lakes and rivers, that ultimately end up into the ocean, we too follow this principle as we track through life moment to moment, day to day, eventually year to year, our spirit enters into the great One consciousness that we know as God. By being awake, alert and aware of our mind, spirit and consciousness we can like the water do amazing things in a multitude of forms. I encourage you to take a look at your own reflection in water, and come to your own conclusions.  Are you a dribble or a waterfall?

The Criticizing Critic

We are all born with the innate ability to judge. What ever we see, touch,smell, hear, or taste is judged. Our very contact with the material world causes us to do this. We cannot escape it, that's how we process our world and complex actions later via brain, mind, and intellect out comes a judgement. Good, bad, or indifferent its still an opinion. We apply this principle to everything and everybody. It's normal to hear a conversation, or talk to someone and while you hear or talk, you are processing the information and while doing so you are also judging the conversation. Your mind races at super speeds to either help continue the conversation or put away information for later. While all these processes are occurring, a little powerful entity known as ego joins the party.

The Ego is always with us like an aura around us but within us, sometimes participating, sometimes dormant, but ever present waiting for the right opportunity to dominate and chime in to "protect us." Some confuse the ego as the Self but it is far from it. Most of the time, it's the ego that is speaking, and taking over thoughts, and not the true inner self. It's the ego and the mind that keeps the tango dance  of confusion that leads to the negative thoughts, words, and actions.  This all leads to criticism. 

Where does this powerful judgement that affects us all come from? I believe it comes from within. We criticize others for their appearances (too fat or thin, too ugly, or too vain), their mannerisms ( too  loud and obnoxious, too superficial ), what some one says or does, but in the end our judgments come from our deep seated consciousness. This is a hard concept to grasp but I will humbly try my best to explain it. With the example of someone being too fat. The thought starts from within after visually seeing somebody that may be overweight, it reaches our mind, then our ego steps in, and then with our mind we may negatively associate body habitus with being bad and therefore this person infront of is also bad, and the ego feeds this badness, with thoughts that we are thinner than this person, making us superior. If by chance somebody else is next to us, we may whisper or jeer at the "fat" person regarding their weight. So now from a thought it has been converted to a word, and then an action ( jeering). Now imagine this behavior going on infinite times a day in our minds  on an infinite number of judgmental topics. Can you remember how many times a day you have criticized someone, something, a situation with a coworker, a conversation (gossip) about someone? 

This is all in our subconscious and we don't even know that it is even happening, yet we perpetuate it constantly, and accelerate it to the point that we draw upon another set of constellation of emotions eg anger, frustration, pride, jealousy, greed. This then leads to impatience, abusive words and actions, and eventually undesirable results. But in this chain of events how did it get so out of control? One word, Ego. We forgot to analyze what the Ego did and why it did it? We are not perfect beings despite  what our ego may tell us. So perhaps deeply seated within our subconscious we are unhappy with ourselves for something, for example being overweight or at least not having achieved a desirable goal to  ourselves due to some other set of values that tell us that we are not perfect. The ego steps in and protects our "fragile " self and  mirrors out that thought and tags it to the next easily available target, somebody else. You can pick this concept for any example and follow its track through our mind. 

So in the end what we have is ballooned Egos on everyone roaming around and we keep bumping into everyone else's Egos. When egos clash, just like rain clouds, either lightning (anger) or rain ( emotional outpouring) emerge with lots of noise of thunder (shouting) !! I am of course not referring to the positive criticism that opponents would like to shed light on that "helps" others. This of course would not in any way lend credence to the fact that it's basically telling someone else that they did something wrong and there is a better way of doing or saying something, namely our way !! 

All critiquing does not have to be negatively critical if the ego is removed out of this process, and so the judgment is pure and from the self and so it cannot be harmful. The only way of achieving this seemingly impossible idea ( the ego will tell you) is being present, and awake and alert. Be cognizant of your thoughts, and ALL your 5 senses, and  pause while you think and speak. Be aware of your mind and it's speed, and direction. Is it rambling, is it focused, if so on what? Idle mind leads to idle thoughts, leading to useless words, actions and work.  You are your own worst criticizing  critic, in the pursuit of perfection, but on this journey, the ego has to be left behind if meaningful progress is to be made. 

As you practice this concept of pause and patience,  over time you will get an innate sense of true Self that will rise and be prominent and you will look at  the self of another being and not their  outer shell and speak to their soul as they will to you. Imagine that, humans communicating at a higher level of existence, with peace, non judgment leading to non violence, no wars, working cooperatively for a better world, without continuous miscommunication leading to difficulties and strife. From time to time keep checking in on yourself. How are you doing with your critical compass at this moment? 

Calming a Tornado

We are all full of a variety of emotions. A jumble of thoughts caught by the right circumstances trigger these emotions and at the right speed they  may set off angry emotions, or joyous and happy emotions. Nature is complete and follows its laws perfectly and since we follow natural law we mimic the same, and if we look hard enough we find nature full of examples. I would like to focus on one such feature that I have observed that may help explain our behavior.

How does a tornado form?

Warm moist air that is light rises and meets cold drier air, and with the right wind speed at different altitudes sets off the  spinning top. As this fearsome top continues to draw more power so does its fury and it goes out of control. This of course is the very simplified version, since we really do not have the complete understanding of tornados, and like emotions we barely understand them either ! So let's apply this to ourselves.

Warm or hot thoughts rise due to unforeseen circumstances, they collide with fears, insecurities ( akin to cold drier air) and when they collide with varying speeds of confusion, misunderstandings, resentments they spin out of control and an emotional tornado forms. This tornado can reek havoc on relationships, and the delicate fabric of societal norms  leading to destruction and devastation to long term friendships and moreover our inner selves. In the wake of a tornado rampage, nothing is ever the same, leaving a ripped path, like it does to our relationships. A scar that can never  totally be healed as we are always reminded of the destructive force of the tornado and the wound opens up a little, as we remember the angry words or actions by a co worker, spouse, friend, or family member. 

We all have the capacity to generate tornados and unleash it around us in any and all directions. But how do you calm this tornado? Just like the "lull" or calm before the storm, if we pause before we speak, pause before we think those negative thoughts, pause before we act upon instinctive negative and destructive emotions we can prolong that lull and prevent that storm if we don't let it gain enough fuel to power the tornado within. 

Interestingly, the eye of the tornado is always calm. That is our spirit. We have the ability to remain pure, calm, focused and at peace.  We are always striving for balance , and if we allow ourselves to tip to the edge of the eye then we hit the eyewall of the tornado. This is the second most powerful source of the severe thunderstorms in the tornado. One must strive to achieve this balance that from outside prevent the columns of hot and cold air from meeting through pause, and reflection, but remain  equanimous and insightful to allow the eye to expand and prevent the tornado from even forming within us. This has been the quest I believe for all of us, and those learned souls who have understood this reach an enlightened state of being storm free. 

We all have a choice, what we do with it is the answer. Will we allow our tornados to roam free destroying ourselves and everything around us? Or will find ways to calm the tornado? Can you feel being in the eye!! 

Freeing the Bird

What is fear? An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and can be a pain or a threat. This is the definition, plain and simple, but the consequences are far from it. Why do we feel fear? And moreover how do we know that something or someone is a perceived threat?

Fear can be in different forms, and to each individual it's a very real and personal emotion. Science has even elongated medical names for them with the word phobia meaning fear at the end of them.  Agoraphobia, arachnophobia, to xenophobia. I looked up the list which is quite extensive, there is literally A to X ( no Z) !! We have managed to find a word to describe our  fears right from everything in our environment, to each other and ourselves, the more fears we generate the more names we think up to define them and give the fear a power to hold over us. 

where do we learn these emotional responses?

I was watching my one year old the other day, this kid has no fear. He will put anything in his mouth, rocks, grass, paper etc. to understand its taste  I would cringe and run to get it out of him of fear of him swallowing it. He will climb to the very edge of the bed and leap off, I would gasp and run to catch him in fear of him falling and breaking a bone. He will grab a fallen cookie off the floor and eat it, I would dart and try to stop him (rarely with success) for fear that he would take in germs from the floor. I wonder if he will learn fears of tasting, falling, eating from me while observing my responses to his actions. Is this where it starts? We are all born free of fears, what do we really know of them? We have been in our mothers womb safe and sound, well nourished, loved, protected, cocooned,  awaiting the chance at life. Then we grow up and we have these negative emotional responses to our surroundings. 

We have fears of tests, fear of outdoors, fear of indoors, fear of what people say, then fear of our jobs then fearful for our lives, livelihood and families. We eventually imprison ourselves, we imprison ourselves into a cage, like a bird. We starve the bird ( our mind, spirit and consciousness) and eventually we die in fear. There are those individuals who have no fear or so it seems, they can be stunt men and women who shoot themselves out of a cannon, or race car drivers racing at 200mph, gymnasts who tight rope walk without a safety net high above the ground, or entrepreneurs who start business ventures. 

What do all these people have in common? They free the bird. 

They take the plunge and have faith that all will be well. They don't just think it, they believe it, they live it and fly free. Interestingly NewHampshire has their license plate slogan as "live free or die". Perhaps we each need to pause, reflect upon what are our fears, write them down. Analyze and understand where these fears are coming from, probably deeply seated within our subconscious covered by years of repression of our ego to protect us from harm. Once we identify what the fear is, we face it, and thank it for being there and respectfully bid it farewell. Appreciate it for holding on, but it is time for it to go, then with faith free your bird, and live your life without fear. It's entirely plausible that the fears were given to you by your parents, some encounter with a friend, an unfortunate circumstance, a repressed memory that all have evolved into a complex set of feelings, emotions and hard wired themselves into a fear. 

Remember that in the end fear is an unpleasant emotion plain and simple! An emotion like all the other emotions that we have that can be controlled. If we can define fear, which is a negative emotion along with all the other negative emotions, why can we not define positive emotions? If we replace these negative connotations with positive ones will we not get better responses? A few examples, sadness with happiness, anger with calmness, hate with love, fear with confidence. 

I understand that conquering a fear or fears is not something that one can do overnight, nor do I think that you should do it overnight, but you should do it. I know that you can overcome this test with patience, faith in yourself and the universe, and unconditional love. It's a matter of time, and persistence. I think that the moment you face your fear, it in fact bids YOU farewell and vanishes into the darkness from whence it came. Imagine the infinite  possibilities of what we can achieve if we had no fear. Opponents  would say that fear keeps us in check and sharp and is needed to keep us on a progressive path, but imagine that path that we travel filled with love and joy, would it not make for a better traveling  companion? 

I wish you well on your fearless endeavors as you free your bird, can you feel your cage door opening?

A Purposeful Beginning

All who are born must die. It took me a while to understand this simple phrase. Countless encounters with patients, and over the years friends, their families, and finally my own. But more relevant what happens between birth and death? What is it that we do with this life? What is the meaning of why we are alive And what does it mean to be alive? What are we supposed to do with this life? What is the purpose?

I have been fortunate to have been blessed with a little child who is more my teacher than I am his father. Daily I learn new thresholds about myself and realize the unlimitedness of a child. I watch him learn things I have always taken for granted, like walking, eating, touching, tasting, and smelling. I see with amusement his wonder at rain drops as they fall on his face, arms and make puddles in the driveway. His fascination at wind blowing in his hair, or the puzzlement of clouds and the sky. His joy of tasting grass and pebbles. He is using all his senses to explore his surroundings. I am sure I too did these things, but with time, I "grew up" and in the process forgotten these simple connections with mind and nature. Perhaps that is why we love a child's innocence, as it strikes a chord with us on some deep hidden level of our consciousness of a simpler time of straightforward exploration and understanding. No need for explanation, just do, and not be judged.

I observe his attempts at sticking wet rubber alphabets on the tub surface, or trying to get his berries out of a container or putting clothes into the hamper. Once again simple mindless actions to me, but complex manoevers for him. I am sure several permutations and combinations like a computer go through a child's mind every second as they try to over come their surroundings. He always is overjoyed at completing a task and is proud of himself but without the ego. He does get irritable when his task does not achieve a satisfactory ending, to which he simply repeats it in another way. " If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again" isn't that the phrase of success? 

But why does he do these things ? What is the purpose? What is his purpose? Questions that always lead me to the final question what is MY purpose? We are plagued with this, and we sometimes end our journeys on this little blue green planet without that answer.

According to dictionaries the definition of purpose is

1. The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal
2. A result or effect that is intended or desired; an intention.
3.To intend or resolve to perform or accomplish.

So I guess what my son is trying to do is accomplish an understanding of his environment, in order to adapt and accomplish a goal. But if that is the case, then did he come to this planet with a goal? If he did what is the goal and is this a purposeful beginning?

I believe that we all have a purpose, a goal that we set for ourselves prior to coming here in this world. Life is a school for the soul with lessons taught daily, and surprise quizzes at every turn to make sure that we understand the lesson.  Unfortunately if we are too self absorbed with ourselves or matters around us we miss the lesson. It will keep propping up in more ways as tougher tests till we succumb to it or rise above it and succeed. Being in the present moment gives us focus and the opportunity to see the test, seek out the solution and move on.

One might ask what are these tests, " I only see health deterioration, or financial calamities, or pain and suffering, or difficult relationships and situations leading to the inability to getting ahead". My  humble answer is that these are the tests. The ability to not react adversely to a situation or to what people say and do, is a skill not easily come by. We are so busy reacting to every action (paraphrasing Newtons third law) that we entirely forget the test, and get more distressed when the outcome is not as expected. Another Newton law is quite applicable

I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

If we continue to stay in harmonious motion and be in happiness and peace in the present moment and do not let external forces be applied, we will stay in harmonious motion. This of course is easier said and typed than done and performed in every moment, but that my fellow adventurers is the test: to stay happy, to stay in peaceful motion, and not be distracted by all the external. 

Like in school we goto class with our tools, so we do in life. With pencils (sharpened minds), book bag (knowledge  and wisdom), books (our faith and good nature), ruler( our conscience), we enter the classroom of experiences, smile at the teacher ( the world) and begin a journey of lessons and tests.

One day I hope that we can look back at the waves we have made in our lives and at the bank of the other shore, see ripples of goodness, that extend far and wide into all aspects of our humanity. Remember make every second, minute, hour, day a purposeful beginning. I hear the bells ringing, class is back in session. Have a great day in school!

A Sense of Belonging

When you see pictures of or visit  beautiful ocean views you feel the awesome majesty of the oceans, which brings you peace and calmness with each tide.When you dive into the ocean, deeper and deeper and explore the depths you are struck by the immense diversity of the corals, algae, rocks, fish, crustaceans and the sizes and shapes of all these creatures big and small. What captures my attention is the behaviors of all these numerous life forms and their usual patterns of work. Wake up, find food, find shelter, find a mate, reproduce and start the process over again each day till they die. How similar is this to what more complex creatures of the animal kingdom on land do? Be they animals or humans we are all locked in this pattern in some fashion or the other, albeit lives of the intelligent mammals namely humans, is lot more involved on a day to day basis but thats our perspective. It is still encoded into our DNA to perform in this way. We know little of the actual lives of the members of the animal kingdom. How do we know what complex societal structures they develop and form on land, air and sea? How do we know what they feel, think, speak ? We believe that we are the dominant species of life, but little do we realize that we are part of something bigger. A delicate balance of life, energy and consciousness.

When we sit and watch an early morning sunrise or an evening sunset, we are always humbled by the amazing smattering of painting of nature. The brilliance of colors and the vivid definition of imagery that we can do little but pause and observe. The fiery light of the sunrise burns within us, energizing us, bringing with it new dreams and hopes for the day. This same light in the form of sunset at the end of the day brings us a solemn sense of stillness as our troubles and worries melt away into the evening darkness.

When we look above at the night sky, we are enthralled by all the little dots of light, and as they twinkle and look back at us, we imagine our place in the universe and what other life forms if any exist and what do would they  look like ? We try to count the innumerable stars and have expensive space exploration projects to seek out new life and understand the cosmos, yet how much do we understand about ourselves?  Our minds are great as they reach outward to the heavens, laterally to the sun's rise and set, and below to the oceans depths, but when does it stop, and when do we look inward to the spirit and consciousness and listen to what it is saying.


 Such a great impact that nature has on us, yet when do we really pause to appreciate it? Natures medicinal mental healing. Do we capture the moment to be still and become human "being", and stop human "doing"? This is a fine line that we must all draw in the sands of life and understand when to cross it, or at least realize when we have crossed it. Nature will keep doing what it has to do also in pattern, following its  own laws, governed by its own rules, tempered by time, shaped by space. We are also part and parcel of nature, why do we resist this realization. When did we start to think that we were above it all and destruction of nature was acceptable in the name of progress of humanity? Is not natures' demise our own as well?

I bring up this food for thought, as which ever direction we look we are really looking for a sense of belonging. Trying to understand our origins. Be they from the ocean floor amongst the spectacular diversity of corals and fish that have almost every imaginable and unimaginable shape,size, and color, or from the elements sent from the plethora of stars, planets and suns that dominate the vast expanse of space. We connect to the divinity within when we look at the sunrise or sunset as we have no choice  but to slow down, pause, reflect, and be still, since none of us can speed up this cyclical event. Nature's "time out" if you will, for us to stop, and reach out to the Creator and be thankful for the present moment. Thankful that in this moment we can just be, not afraid, but free.

We belong to something so much more, a web of energy and consciousness, fused in these impermanent bodies with love, on a journey to understand purpose and belonging. The answer is all around us if we dare to believe and open our eyes and minds to the infinite possibilities. Will you take the risk of stepping out of your DNA and seeing what miracles await you? Happy hunting!!

Lost and Found

 I woke up to find my smart phone had abruptly died. I tried rebooting it, taking out the battery, powering up and down but alas to no avail. I hurried to the Verizon store hoping beyond miracles that someone would have a solution. They did, but not the one I was praying for. The pleasant service agent within a few minutes of hearing my frantic explanation of what happened and my own attempts of resurrecting my phone, he promptly started typing vigorously on his computer while asking me details of address of delivery etc not looking up from the screen. I skeptically asked what he was doing, to which he replied "I am having our offices FedEx you a new phone." My heart sank, as this was not the solution i had in my mind. This would mean that I had to resign to the fact that I had lost all my contacts, emails, calendars, over 150 Apps and more over my well adjusted and customized phone that took two years to get to know me and me to get to know it. We were more than gadget and master, it was basically my right hand technological connection to the world and my surroundings. I would have had to spend more frustrating hours resetting up all the features of the new phone. I left the store glad yet unsatisfied with not going home with my old functioning smartphone/my peripheral brain.

What happened  over the next few days was interesting....

Having been cut off from the world, I decided not to let this get me down, I had several chores to do and plenty of reading, playing with my son, talking to my wife etc. Interestingly I spent more time looking up and overhead, and all around me. Not talking or texting and trying to take care of my son at the same time was a novel approach for both of us, he enjoyed my company and was glad to have his dad back! I spent more time with him than before, I accomplished more in these days than I had done in that week. Life seemed to slow down abit, with being able to experience the pauses of each breath and moment. Looking up at the birds (I was not looking up for divine intervention to get a new phone), looking down at the grass( which needed more watering), looking around at things to appreciate were more than the experiences derived from my high definition LCD screen of my smartphone. It dawned on me that I was the slave to the very technology I had customized to help me be more efficient and productive. Just who was controlling whom? 

Lost and found, did I lose the gadget and find myself ? I wondered. I think we should all take that pause and ask ourselves in this world of technology who is serving whom? We have these computers, tablets, handheld devices, facebook, twitter, blogs etc. where we can communicate at lightning speeds to anyone, anywhere, anytime and everyone has access to us and vice versa even from the privacy of a restroom ( don't pretend that you have never texted someone back while being on the can!) is it worth it? What are we missing? Personal peace, sanity and family time. I know of several friends who take their devices on vacations and keep track of work related emails while juggling rest and relaxation. Their explanation ?
" It's too much work to come back to after vacation and you never catch up."   
I have seen children cycling and texting at the same time, adults driving and doing the same, who is looking at the road? Technology is so advanced that you can voice text, send it, and the recipient can have it read to them by the computerized voice on the device, why not pick up the phone and talk!!

Are we really this obsessed with these portals of communication that we have to reply instantly? Are we as a society incapable of walking in a straight line without looking at our devices, or typing or Bluetooth talking to someone at all hours of our day, on the road, or hallways, or at the urinal ( you know who you are!!)

So fast forwarding my technology free few days, I received the much awaited FedEx parcel with my brand new phone, which looked identical to my old phone minus the scratches. I eagerly put the new battery in the back, transferred my SD card, and turned it on. I waited with baited breath while it powered up and led me through a series of screens to enable activation. In record time, it was working. I immediately rushed to the bedroom, where I proceeded to initialize my email accounts, set up my accesses to calendars, schedules, download contacts. I started replying back to emails, multitude of texts from friends, co workers, office staff, and made numerous phone calls all apologizing for my being tardy in replying and being off the grid for few days. I worked diligently trying to customize features, download Apps, setting key ringtones etc all in a desperate effort to resurrect the spirit of my older phone in this new shell. Several hours went by, I had not talked to my son, who  when I glanced over, looked bewildered as to who had taken away his dad. 
During my reassembling my convenience gadget, I realized that not only had I forgotten most of the 150 apps, so probably they were not that significant in facilitating my life anyway, but all the various screens on the smartphone had default settings and apps that I did not want or need. So I deleted them and tried to think what I would put instead, quickly noting that a blank screen was as good as any, with only one or two icons. A minimalistic approach was not bad either.
I paused again, as I had become used to for the last few days, and looking away from my screen I realized that my breathing had changed, my thoughts  had sped up, I was falling back into the pressured way of life. Determined on not to falter on a lesson that life had taught me I put the phone down, walked off to my one year old, picked him  up high above my head and we walked into the garden to enjoy the morning. He was happy and I was overjoyed. His smiling face was all that i needed, the smartphone could not come close. 

The lessons that I needed to learn were

1) keep life simple, You don't need a lot to be happy
2) things don't bring you happiness, you bring happiness by being present in the moment you are in, whether it is with someone or with yourself.
3) nothing in life is permanent and everything is subject to change and it can change in a blink of an eye.
4) unlike backing up your computer, you cannot back up your life so live it freely and happily.

I wish you well, and hope you have a great day, and look up from your screens, you may  be emailing your life away, and turn off the screens, and look at the reflection in them, you will see the greatest of miracles, YOU !