Living the Inner Life

Never lose sight of the big picture. Re-state your mission statement. When the goal becomes more about the tasks and to-do lists, focusing more on the means than the end, it's easy to lose sight of what you're doing and more important - why you are doing it.

Shakespeare wrote: "Now is the Winter of our Discontent" and this episode explores the idea of Divine Discontent - that there is a soul stirring, a restlessness that occurs when we are not fully living our best life. The discontent is more of an indicator or signal that is telling us something, but we often try to numb these uncomfortable feelings.

However, it is a Divine Discontent, and not merely an unpleasant annoyance. It is our Soul's longing, reaching out to us from within and pointing us in the right direction - upwards and onwards to a more whole, enlightened and divine part of our own individual lives.

Listen to the discomfort, find out what it needs from you and for you. Then as you are moving in the right direction, the discontent will disappear.

It is easy to be thankful and grateful for good things that come our way. But what about the negative things? How can we be thankful for pain or difficulty?

For me, physical pain from being in a wheelchair is an indicator that it is time to shift my weight, sit in a different chair, or lie down for awhile. Otherwise, I might get a pressure sore, as is the case with many people with paralysis - they can't feel that pain and that can lead to worse and serious problems. Thankfully, I will never experience that - because I can feel physical pain.

Same with the inner life. If something is painful to do - or it hurts when you don't do something - that is an indicator that you may need to shift the way you are doing something, or, to resume doing the things that keep that emotional pain at bay.

This is sometimes called "Divine Discontent", in that if we don't follow our soul's longing, we will be in trouble. Honoring our true selves will keep us out of trouble, but we need that discontent to recognize that.

People say, facts don't care about feelings. Perhaps with scientific laws of physics, this may be true. But in the human experience, feelings can completely overpower the facts. Even if we know the facts, we can convince ourselves that something else is true. Especially with ourselves. We can tell ourselves a lie, and believe it, and have that rule our conduct regardless of the facts.

We can also use our convictions - energized and vitalized - to transcend any situation, in the face of compelling evidence. William James called this the passional over the rational - that our emotional passions can supersede our rational, logical sensibilities.

Living the Inner Life

One of the greatest conflicts we ever have to face is the battle with ourselves. Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, and Man vs. God are the other three, but Man vs. Himself is within and not 'out there'. So, if you 'win' this conflict, do you also lose? How can you defeat yourself and yet be victorious?

The solution lies in understanding this inner conflict and turning our inner adversary into an eternal ally. Together, undivided, the individual will not only live harmoniously with one's self, but also profoundly affect and improve the other conflicts as well.

There are different ways to learn something or do just about anything. Some need a lot of instruction, while others learn best on their own. We have different body types and chemistry, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all when it comes to diet and nutrition.

Same is true with spiritual growth. The various religions and spiritual practices all suggest the same goal - enlightenment - but their specific methods and rules to follow may be completely different from each other, or even in conflict.

Your path is your own. You may find the right group or religion to join that works for you. But even if your true path is different or opposite from the conventional wisdom or people around you, you must take your own road.

See you at the top!

In the wake of A.I. and UFO Disclosure of "non-human intelligence", we are at a crossroad where we may want to look at not just who we are, but what we are. What does it mean to be a human being? We share many similarities with other earth creatures but we are somehow different. With the knowledge that we are no longer alone in the universe, how do we fit in? And with the advent of A.I., we are willingly giving up our own human intelligence and handing it over to a computer algorithm. These two events in history may either mark the beginning of a greater experience as a human, or signify the end of our unrealized potentials. So, just what are you?

The Greek Philosopher, Heraclitus, said: "You can't step in the same river twice." The water has changed - and more importantly - YOU have changed. But sometimes we approach new situations with old ways of thinking that no longer work. One definition of insanity is: trying the same thing, over and over, and expecting different results. And much of the time, we are playing these old tapes unconsciously. The first step is to become conscious of the way we react to things - ask: is this really the best policy, or am I just on auto pilot? Some reaction habits started when we were much younger, and used whatever tools we had. Once triggered, we can be sent back to that time and not only respond the same way, we also bring up the way we felt then. That's why many adults sometimes act childish - because the emotional state from that has been re-activated, and hasn't yet been matured.

St. Paul said it was the Christ in YOU that is the hope of glory. Jesus said it was not him but the Father within him that doeth the works. Socrates had an inner advisor, or daemon, who guided his philosophic life. Throughout time and across cultures, the idea of a higher power - one that can guide and direct our lives - is a common theme. Animals rely on instinct, which is in a way, similar to the idea of an inner divinity. It is a knowing beyond knowing, a sense that transcends our five senses, a loving father that wants only the best for his children. Ask yourself if there is a divine within, and how it can work in you and through you to improve your life.

Natural fears are needed for survival. Our bodies respond to the threat by engaging the fight or flight response. False Evidence Appearing Real. Many fears that we have are really not that scary, but constantly thinking about them, feeling fearful, we make things harder than they need to be. Chronic fear (like chronic worry) can tax our systems and deplete our energy. Look to times when you've overcome a fear or made it through a situation that felt scary and uncertain. Realize that you survived and so will you this time. Or: F*** Everything And Run! No, face your fears...and you will.