Sunday, September 4, 2011
Struggling to find balance...
I’m hearing more and more people talking about feeling out of whack, struggling to find balance, losing their ‘mojo’ and so on. These feelings are informative and indicate something isn’t right. Overload is common, stress is showing up in new and uncomfortable ways, old unresolved issues are resurfacing and biting people on the bum, and there is a general sense of ‘stop the bus for a minute!’ for those out of step with themselves. Maybe its just my age and stage in life but I seem to hear the words ‘historic’, ‘once in a lifetime’, ‘unparalleled’ on a regular basis these days whether in relation to the speed of change in the Middle East, extreme weather events, political shenanigans, youth suicide, or the extremist behaviour of individuals (among a raft of other things as well).
We could be forgiven for wanting to put our heads down and focus on our own personal lives and leaving the rest to sort itself out these days. Focusing on what we can control or influence is the key to staying sane and enhancing the quality of day-to-day life. The only thing is, as sociologist Paul H. Ray said “The world is getting better and better, and worse and worse, faster and faster, and we are all in it together”. It is this idea that ‘we are all in it together’ that we seem to have the most trouble with. We really are being drawn towards consequences faster and faster and many are overwhelmed in their attempts to keep their eyes on all the balls in the air.
Balance can only be found by ‘tuning in’ to what it actually is for you individually. What that is changes as we grow and evolve through life. I used to be so uncomfortable with my own company that I couldn’t be alone for five minutes without getting on the phone, going somewhere or having visitors. My own company was too uncomfortable to share with myself - I had very low self-esteem in those days. It seems strange to see myself that way now - much is different and my life has been through several transformations - thankfully! Balance for me now is very different than what it was in the past. Now I enjoy alone time immensely so I can explore the relationship between my inner and outer worlds and attempt to make sense of it all or just accept life is what it is. Balance is being able to easily make time to read. It is having full-on work commitments that make me dig deep, and challenges that stretch and grow me. Balance is about creating ‘head space‘ so my mind can let go and wander towards new understandings and possibilities that could help others have better quality lives whilst I enhance my own.
I highly recommend having a think about what balance is for you. If life was balanced, or closer to balance than it is now what would be different? How would you love it to be? Aim in that direction and even if you don’t get there you will be closer than you are now. If you are headed where you want to go when you look far down the road and you are experiencing challenges, remind yourself of their purpose and re-engage in your activities with joy - after all, today is your future history. These are the good old days. Make them brilliant so you can look back and be glad for how you lived and what you contributed to the world. Be true to you and you can be confident you are on track. We all evolve throughout our lives…here’s to consciously co-operating with that evolutionary impulse in us all.
And that’s it... from my view.
Amanda
Sunday, June 26, 2011
What’s going on?
If you have worked with me or follow my blogs you know I usually like to take a long view, a big picture look at things, an evolutionary view. So tempting it is to be swallowed by day-to-day events and activities calling our attention this way and that, endlessly thrown around by circumstances…I had this experience last week having flown Air NZ to Brisbane to attend the World Happiness Conference. Knowing I had a teaching commitment in Auckland the day after I was due back, I found myself increasingly worrying if volcanic ash was going to thwart me (I was booked back on Qantas and they were not flying). This made it challenging at times to stay present where I was, listening to speakers with great messages, including His Holiness The Dalai Lama. It was a wonderful learning experience for me given I had a front row seat from which to observe my own rolling responses. Fascinating! I guess I will probably always fret when I feel powerless to affect my own circumstances but being open to the learnings always present in such abundance in day-to day life makes it so much easier to navigate. Suffice to say reflective practise works!
In noticing my own personal challenges and responses, I am also increasingly aware of the bigger challenges and our collective responses. The earth is grumbling, the weather is wilder and many long held human beliefs and attitudes, views and perceptions are being challenged to the point of collapse. It’s almost like a mass collapse of old ideas and ideals is occurring and new ones are racing ahead. This crumbling of power structures shouldn’t surprise anyone. Our desire to express ourselves is a deep impulse arising from our ultimate programming. We are designed to learn and grow and cannot help evolving because we are all part of a much bigger and mysterious process. While we humans continue to play in the slow lane, posturing for power and control of resources, while we continue to marginalise and alienate those ‘unlike’ us (however we judge that), while we continue in combat mode and believe that might is right, while we struggle for certainty in an uncertain world, we miss opportunities the likes of which have never been before.
An abundance of knowledge and wisdom is available now that is pervading our species at an unprecedented rate. Knowledge only multiplies and expands the more it is shared – and the spread of knowledge is now viral. No-one human can stop it nor should they want to. Attempting to stem this tide is futile because it is emerging from our very natures. The grass really is growing through the concrete as it always will given enough time. We are wired to be curious, to learn, to discover and to express our potential just like every other living thing. Our huge difference is awareness and the power to direct our will consciously. The tree that grows wherever the seed landed cannot voluntarily move to find a better more nourishing spot – we can.
We have so many powers yet we are still immature in the ways we use them. Isn’t it obvious the dictator’s days are numbered – whether lauding it over a whole nation or within the walls of the family home? Isn’t it obvious women ought to be equal in all human affairs? Isn’t it obvious the environments baby humans grow and learn in set them up for life? Isn’t it obvious combative politics punishes us all? Isn’t it obvious we are not yet mature enough to depend on everyone to ‘play by the rules and do the right thing’?
Such potential we have! Such suffering we are inflicting when we could be doing so much else. It’s time for more awakening, big dreaming, lots of faith in our positive potential and a willingness to grow into it.
And that’s it from my view.
Amanda
In noticing my own personal challenges and responses, I am also increasingly aware of the bigger challenges and our collective responses. The earth is grumbling, the weather is wilder and many long held human beliefs and attitudes, views and perceptions are being challenged to the point of collapse. It’s almost like a mass collapse of old ideas and ideals is occurring and new ones are racing ahead. This crumbling of power structures shouldn’t surprise anyone. Our desire to express ourselves is a deep impulse arising from our ultimate programming. We are designed to learn and grow and cannot help evolving because we are all part of a much bigger and mysterious process. While we humans continue to play in the slow lane, posturing for power and control of resources, while we continue to marginalise and alienate those ‘unlike’ us (however we judge that), while we continue in combat mode and believe that might is right, while we struggle for certainty in an uncertain world, we miss opportunities the likes of which have never been before.
An abundance of knowledge and wisdom is available now that is pervading our species at an unprecedented rate. Knowledge only multiplies and expands the more it is shared – and the spread of knowledge is now viral. No-one human can stop it nor should they want to. Attempting to stem this tide is futile because it is emerging from our very natures. The grass really is growing through the concrete as it always will given enough time. We are wired to be curious, to learn, to discover and to express our potential just like every other living thing. Our huge difference is awareness and the power to direct our will consciously. The tree that grows wherever the seed landed cannot voluntarily move to find a better more nourishing spot – we can.
We have so many powers yet we are still immature in the ways we use them. Isn’t it obvious the dictator’s days are numbered – whether lauding it over a whole nation or within the walls of the family home? Isn’t it obvious women ought to be equal in all human affairs? Isn’t it obvious the environments baby humans grow and learn in set them up for life? Isn’t it obvious combative politics punishes us all? Isn’t it obvious we are not yet mature enough to depend on everyone to ‘play by the rules and do the right thing’?
Such potential we have! Such suffering we are inflicting when we could be doing so much else. It’s time for more awakening, big dreaming, lots of faith in our positive potential and a willingness to grow into it.
And that’s it from my view.
Amanda
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
2011: The year to think for ourselves
There is more pressure today than ever to follow the herd, jump on the latest bandwagon and get sucked into hype from all quarters about everything from what the global economy will do, terrorism, climate change, the degradation of natural resources that cannot be replenished as fast as we use them up, the end of the world as we know it in December 2012, the threat of becoming wholly insignificant if we are not centre stage for internet search engines and so on. We are bombarded with reasons to be afraid from media, politicians and religious leaders, extremists and doomsdayers. We seek advice from self appointed gurus and experts on pretty much anything you care to mention. I am astounded at how many online ‘secrets‘ and information sharing is about how to make more and more money. How much is enough doesn’t seem to come into it - all we are told we need is MORE. We humans really do seem to be obsessed with abdicating responsibility and finding others who will tell us what to do, and even what to want.
These are issues we can all consider for ourselves but many of us seem to have no confidence in our own ability to trust our own wisdom or think for ourselves. Day to day rushing about, attention monopolised by immediate concerns like how to pay the bills or who will win an Oscar are manifestations of our priorities. To think for oneself requires the head space to pause and reflect on the bigger picture we are all painting for ourselves and future generations. Make no mistake, we are painting that picture without much of a clue of what we want it to look like due to a current lack of global visionary leadership. This is not a judgement. It is a matter of us never having been here before - so connected, so interdependant, so influencial in some ways, so powerless in others. We have no experience of dealing with the complexities we are faced with so that makes it even more vital to recognise there is no one Guru with the all answers.
In my view we must do our own research, sift through the hype and find trusted sources of information. I believe this is a niche that is woefully bereft of unbiased seekers of truth since genuine investigative journalism struggles to get through the filters of self interest of those who control what we get to see and what is kept from view. Mainstream media appears to be being progressively dumbed down and filled with the most unbelieveable nonsense in the name of ‘news’ and the collective intelligence and wisdom of the masses is insulted every day.
What every one of us can do is join the dots ourselves and make choices from there. We can bemoan the idea that climate change is being accelerated by our own efforts. We can strive for changes in thinking and behaviour, search for new technologies and minimise energy waste and hope some bright spark thinks of a solution. At the same time we can also learn to read the writing on the wall. The facts apparently show the planet was warmer by .5 degrees in 2010. When you put that information together with that which indicates the planet has been gradually warming for the past 30 plus years, we must accept that extreme weather events such as those we have experienced this summer in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Australia and Indonesia will likely become more frequent and it is us who must adapt. What we have seen this summer (and winter in the northern hemisphere) so far are loud messages - they are shouts to our consciousness to adapt to new conditions. Calling them one in one or two hundred year events amplifies their power but I suspect we will see more rather than less of these centenarians in years to come. “Were the floods of 2013 as big as the floods of 2014?” we will ask....never mind 100 years ago. We won’t have to look far back at all for the most powerful events in recorded history because they are happening now. It’s time we realised King Canute’s belief in his own power to send back the tide was fantasy, and so is ours. As so many have said before, the earth would be fine without us but our precious planet is what we all arise from so we must respect the nature of that relationship or we will become just another transitory species that failed to adapt and died out. We do not have ultimate control, not even of ourselves when push comes to shove. The narrow band of comfort we strive to preserve is as fragile as a bubble blown with dishwashing liquid through a bent wire coat hanger.
Let’s hope the lessons being learned from recent climate events will be heeded in the inevitable future scenarios we are likely to see as global weather patterns continue to wreak havoc on human and animal life. The very least we can all do personally is embrace the idea that extreme weather events are growing in frequency (whatever the reasons) and ensure we are prepared to take care of ourselves at least for a few days if the worst happened in our own neighbourhoods. Australians are now largely educated in the need to be prepared for bushfires - it has become habit as a response to what is known about the risk and whole communities get involved in planning and preparation. Let’s do the same regarding education about what our most likely scenarios could be - maybe earthquake, storms and floods? A TV advertisment now and then won’t do the job.
Let’s make 2011 the year of thinking for ourselves and intelligent preparation (without getting paranoid). You may not be able to google what to do after the fact so give you and your family a break and at least have a conversation, make a plan for yourselves and organise some sort of emergency kit if you don’t have one already - make sure you include a battery operated radio. Go through the same process in your workplace and with your neighbours. As businesses in Brisbane found out recently, emergency plans cannot just be filed away or not considered at all these days. Everyone needs a plan B for when things don’t go as normal and everyone needs to understand the benefits of having a plan even if you never need to use it (the ideal scenario). This level of basic responsibility frees emergency services and civil defence angels to offer help where they are needed most when crisis hits.
And that’s it from my view.
Amanda
These are issues we can all consider for ourselves but many of us seem to have no confidence in our own ability to trust our own wisdom or think for ourselves. Day to day rushing about, attention monopolised by immediate concerns like how to pay the bills or who will win an Oscar are manifestations of our priorities. To think for oneself requires the head space to pause and reflect on the bigger picture we are all painting for ourselves and future generations. Make no mistake, we are painting that picture without much of a clue of what we want it to look like due to a current lack of global visionary leadership. This is not a judgement. It is a matter of us never having been here before - so connected, so interdependant, so influencial in some ways, so powerless in others. We have no experience of dealing with the complexities we are faced with so that makes it even more vital to recognise there is no one Guru with the all answers.
In my view we must do our own research, sift through the hype and find trusted sources of information. I believe this is a niche that is woefully bereft of unbiased seekers of truth since genuine investigative journalism struggles to get through the filters of self interest of those who control what we get to see and what is kept from view. Mainstream media appears to be being progressively dumbed down and filled with the most unbelieveable nonsense in the name of ‘news’ and the collective intelligence and wisdom of the masses is insulted every day.
What every one of us can do is join the dots ourselves and make choices from there. We can bemoan the idea that climate change is being accelerated by our own efforts. We can strive for changes in thinking and behaviour, search for new technologies and minimise energy waste and hope some bright spark thinks of a solution. At the same time we can also learn to read the writing on the wall. The facts apparently show the planet was warmer by .5 degrees in 2010. When you put that information together with that which indicates the planet has been gradually warming for the past 30 plus years, we must accept that extreme weather events such as those we have experienced this summer in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Australia and Indonesia will likely become more frequent and it is us who must adapt. What we have seen this summer (and winter in the northern hemisphere) so far are loud messages - they are shouts to our consciousness to adapt to new conditions. Calling them one in one or two hundred year events amplifies their power but I suspect we will see more rather than less of these centenarians in years to come. “Were the floods of 2013 as big as the floods of 2014?” we will ask....never mind 100 years ago. We won’t have to look far back at all for the most powerful events in recorded history because they are happening now. It’s time we realised King Canute’s belief in his own power to send back the tide was fantasy, and so is ours. As so many have said before, the earth would be fine without us but our precious planet is what we all arise from so we must respect the nature of that relationship or we will become just another transitory species that failed to adapt and died out. We do not have ultimate control, not even of ourselves when push comes to shove. The narrow band of comfort we strive to preserve is as fragile as a bubble blown with dishwashing liquid through a bent wire coat hanger.
Let’s hope the lessons being learned from recent climate events will be heeded in the inevitable future scenarios we are likely to see as global weather patterns continue to wreak havoc on human and animal life. The very least we can all do personally is embrace the idea that extreme weather events are growing in frequency (whatever the reasons) and ensure we are prepared to take care of ourselves at least for a few days if the worst happened in our own neighbourhoods. Australians are now largely educated in the need to be prepared for bushfires - it has become habit as a response to what is known about the risk and whole communities get involved in planning and preparation. Let’s do the same regarding education about what our most likely scenarios could be - maybe earthquake, storms and floods? A TV advertisment now and then won’t do the job.
Let’s make 2011 the year of thinking for ourselves and intelligent preparation (without getting paranoid). You may not be able to google what to do after the fact so give you and your family a break and at least have a conversation, make a plan for yourselves and organise some sort of emergency kit if you don’t have one already - make sure you include a battery operated radio. Go through the same process in your workplace and with your neighbours. As businesses in Brisbane found out recently, emergency plans cannot just be filed away or not considered at all these days. Everyone needs a plan B for when things don’t go as normal and everyone needs to understand the benefits of having a plan even if you never need to use it (the ideal scenario). This level of basic responsibility frees emergency services and civil defence angels to offer help where they are needed most when crisis hits.
And that’s it from my view.
Amanda
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