Category Archives: Motivation

A Battle for Peace

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***The following audio clip is a complete reading of “A Battle for Peace”.  This is something new I am trying, to offer an alternative to reading, please comment and let me know what you think.***


The other day I had a Facebook interaction with an old friend, concerning a conspiracy theory being pushed around the internet waves.  There are so many battles being waged between mankind. Conservative v/s Liberal, Black v/s White, gun control v/s no gun control, Radical v/s the world, privileged v/s non-privileged, parent v/s kid, good v/s evil. There really is no end to the list, it is a world in Chaos.  As we went back and forth, the most intense battle that was occurring, was the struggle inside of me and the thoughts that rushed through my mind (meditation is good). dscf0137At that point it occurred to me that there is only one true battle that can be won, that can offer long-term peace. That is the internal battle for peace, peace of mind.

The human animal is a funny breed.  We are a creature of habit, we tend to fight the same battles, chase the same desires, deflect the same fears, ( all similar at their root), yet we continue to fight them …over… and over again.  It is a cycle that has existed since we joined the world community.  With this understanding, during this moment of clarity, I realized that to fight the external is a lesson in long-term futility, it was unbelievably liberating.  Mankind has fought many battles over our existence here on Earth, and of course history illustrates the pinnacle of battle in the form of war.  Yet based on our habitual nature, they are all very small, insignificant victories.  As has been observed in our very short span of time on this planet, particularly, the 10000 or so years of “civilization” (1 millionth of a blink of an eye in universal time) so many wars have been waged, so many civilizations have grown and fallen, and the cycle happens again and again.  Do we experience varied times of “peace” on the planet as a result?  Somewhat I suppose, but as observed, the cycle, the battle, will soon start again.

dsc_0516I thought to myself, why? Why do we not learn from our mistakes, why do we not recognize this habit, or better stated, why can we not seem to break the cycle?  At that point, the experiences I’ve had with observing my own microcosm within, through self observation between my internal self and interaction with external catalyst, offered a clarity I had only experienced in the depths of meditation.  I realized that the reason the cycle cannot be broken, is that we externalize our problems.  We look for the external source of our issues, and find ways to battle those issues, in an effort to find some sort of peace (Whether it be peace amongst a people, the peace in the security one finds through power, the peace one finds through wealth and prosperity), regardless, it is not a lasting peace.  No matter the outcome of those benefiting from “winning” the battle, “winning” the war, it will never offer long-term peace, and eventually the cycle will happen once again.

Once I was able to get my arms around this thought, I must tell you, it was as if a giant rock had fallen off my shoulders.  Even with the wisdom and practice I have cultivated in this lifetime, I still externalize many of the agitations that go on in my life. Considering the advent of technology and access to information and interaction with so many external forces, it’s a daunting task not to.dsc_0872  So, with the understanding that, there is really very little that I can do (externally) to keep the cycle from happening again, it was as if I let go of all the ambitions I had for making the world a better place.  I let go of the “battle” I was having with the chaos in this world.  I let go of all the expectations I had for our kind to do “better”!  The external “small battles” I had “won” in the past that offered a glimmer of hope, a moment of achievement, a feeling of “peace”, they were all short-term victories that offered the illusion of accomplishment and the incentive to keep up the fight. Yet with this new understanding,  I was able to let go of the fight!  (Sounds so anti-climactic…but give me a minute).

You see, to externalize an issue, to find fault and definition to the chaos in the world, to the chaos in your life, is a futile battle.  As long as I, as we, externalize the issues, the issues will happen over and over again.  It is our nature, and it has very deep roots.  We may find small moments of peace, but they cannot last, as long as we have external expectations, look to external sources for cause.   For,there is only one true battle, at least one true battle that can be won, that can offer long-term peace, it is the internal battle within oneself.dsc_0884  The battle to find inner peace amongst the chaos, the battle to take personal responsibility for your agitation, the battle to recognize that you are a creature of habit, and only you can overcome the habits that cause the agitation within, the reaction to the external forces, for it is this habit of reaction that is the source of your agitation, not the external force.  Let go of all those external expectations, those perceived external issues. This is the only true path to finding peace within and ultimately the only true path towards world peace.

Does this mean give up on your cause?  Of course not, just give up on the external battle.  Your cause does not need to be a battle, it should be a way of living.  Yet if you feel agitation, remember, the battle is within.  I do hope for lasting world peace one day, but there is only one place that can ever be achieved…..from within.

dsc_0430May you find the wisdom within to let go of all your fears.  May you find the light within and share it with all that cross your path. And…May you find the truth within to guide you towards true peace, true happiness and may you offer this gift to the world.

I offer you all the greatest gift I can give…..and that is LOVE.

Show Up and Make Something Good Happen!

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As another year of school starts, I hope to tell my daughter…Go Out and Make Something Good Happen! Isn’t that really the point….We educate ourselves…we learn all these different things throughout our lives…..but if we don’t use them to “Make Something Good Happen”….Whats the point??? Be Happy All!!!

Mind Of Matter

MadreTeresaCalcutaconpobres-485x363The other day I attended the funeral of my best friend from childhood’s Mother.  Her name was Carolyn.  She was quite the woman, having an impact on so many lives during her time here on Earth.  Now, when I was young, I looked upon Carolyn with different eyes or at least a different set of values.  The manner in which she approached everyday life appeared, well, kind of calloused and very non-nuturing.  Of course,  that’s coming from her son’s best friend, who was on the outside looking in, but it was always Mark do this, Mark do that….right before we were ready to go out on the boat…Mark, you have to (and a list of 5 things would spout out)…I mean really, it was quite the inconvenience.  You see, as is with most young folks, when the plan didn’t go as expected, well darn it, we didn’t like it.  Let’s just say, the…

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Show Up and Make Something Good Happen!

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MadreTeresaCalcutaconpobres-485x363The other day I attended the funeral of my best friend from childhood’s Mother.  Her name was Carolyn.  She was quite the woman, having an impact on so many lives during her time here on Earth.  Now, when I was young, I looked upon Carolyn with different eyes or at least a different set of values.  The manner in which she approached everyday life appeared, well, kind of calloused and very non-nuturing.  Of course,  that’s coming from her son’s best friend, who was on the outside looking in, but it was always Mark do this, Mark do that….right before we were ready to go out on the boat…Mark, you have to (and a list of 5 things would spout out)…I mean really, it was quite the inconvenience.  You see, as is with most young folks, when the plan didn’t go as expected, well darn it, we didn’t like it.  Let’s just say, the plan rarely worked out the way  we (Mark or I or any other friends that were around for that matter) expected it to if Mrs. Carolyn was around.  Therefore, my opinion of Carolyn at that time was, well, much less than favorable.

You see, the thing I didn’t give any importance to about Carolyn were the things that went on beyond my petty inconveniences.  I mean, I knew she did Meals on Wheels and did things with several other charitable organizations, but that was the extent of it, I knew about it.  Man, but there was so much more.  The list went on and on as I read the obituary the family put together and as I talked to some folks at the funeral.  Not to mention, she cultivated four absolutely spot on kids.  Successful in career, successful in family, darn it, really just successful in life.  Of course, we cannot forget the marriage that she and her husband kept going for so many years, through the thick and the thin, between two very strong-minded folks, a miracle in itself.

Now that I am older, and much, much, much wiser, well, I have been able to venture beyond the cover of this book.  To see Carolyn for what she really was, and that was a beacon of selflessness and compassion.  A woman, with the strength and persistence to always do the right thing, and let others know when they weren’t.  A trait rarely seen today in any part of the world.  A woman whose expectations for the world around her were not to gain her favor, but to enable those she touched to live a better life.  A woman who rarely if ever wavered in the face of adversity.  A woman who lived her life not asking “what’s in it for me” but “how can I make something good happen for another.”   Yes, certainly her delivery could often seem callous, but behind that delivery was a volition filled with only good intention.   Really, someone we could all learn a few lessons from.

So, during the funeral, my friend Mark chose to get up in front of the congregation to speak a little bit about his mom.  He started out with a little humor, but then gave one of the most amazing and inspiring pieces of oratory goodness that I had ever heard.  Its simplicity was the magnificence of its brilliance.  He told everyone (I am paraphrasing here, as I could only wish I had been recording it but this is what i got from it), that the greatness of his mom was very simple and that he wanted to share it with us and that it was going to save us a lot of money.  He said that we didn’t need someone like Tony Robbins, or a therapist and so on to motivate and help us through life.  He said, that we only need to encompass our lives with one simple phrase….SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN (of course, when he says make something good happen, he means for those other than yourself).   Man, he said that, and I nearly lost my breath. Something super simple, yet the most powerful words I had ever heard!   He went on to say that his mom never planned on doing the things she did in life, she didn’t graduate from college and  have some list of things she wanted to do, a bucket list per say.  He said, she would feel drawn to a cause, SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!  Whether it be a charitable cause or just going over to a person’s  house that was in need and spend an hour or two with them. She would just SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!  Man, I so wanted to give a standing ovation when he was done, but I guess that didn’t seem apropos for a funeral.

Wow, SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!  This should be the new slogan for selflessness.  Actually, this should just be the new slogan for Life.  How much more in the moment can you get.  Show up to your experience and just focus on  making something good happen!!  Not focused on the past or the future or the results for that matter…damn it, just SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN.  I mean really, just take a few minutes and think about how this could impact your life in general.  How, in your family, social and career life if you incorporated this way of life,  the moment you open your eyes in the morning until the moment you close your eyes to sleep at night.  Wow, how things could change for the better in all facets of life.

I want to thank my friend Mark for sharing with us his mother’s simple formula for making a difference in the lives of those she touched and in turn making a difference in the world around us!  Such a special gift she has bestowed upon us all! A treasure in fact that I think could change one’s life for the better!   I encourage all of you, find a way each and every day to SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!  No matter if it is at work, at school, in a social setting or at home, just do it man!!   I start today, as my fingers SHOW UP on this keyboard and are  MAKING SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!  Let’s spread it around!! Imagine if we could make a movement for all mankind to SHOW UP and MAKE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!!  Every day…..heck…every moment!!  Yes, I know, quite ambitious….but hey, it can’t be any more simple than this….ya never know!!

Well, I wish much happiness and peace to you all on this journey.  May you find the strength to look beyond your self and find a little selflessness and compassion towards those you touch everyday.  I promise that in turn, you will experience a glimpse of true happiness in life!