Signs of Intelligent SPAM in the Universe April 7, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor.comments closed
I received three Signs of Intelligent Spam in the Universe this week. I deleted one, by mistake. That leaves two to share with you:
(1) How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
(Answer below.)
(2) It is the eye of other people that ruin us. If they were blind, we would want neither fine clothes, fine houses or fine furniture.
Quote: We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. ~ Anais Nin
No rules. Just write!
Have you figured out the answer to the riddle? And, do you agree that it is the eyes of others that make us status conscious?
Is there a way around that trap?
* * * * *
Answer: Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
Watch Your Thoughts April 7, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Meditation, Mindfulness.comments closed
Our minds love-to-go-a-wandering-along-a-mountain-track, creating unnecessary drama in our lives by:
* Conjecturing about what others think of us.
* Worrying about nothing, everything, anything.
* Acting as the ever-vigilent “inner critic.”
* Berating us for each slip of the wrist or tongue.
Through meditation, we learn to sit and mindfully observe our thoughts. We notice the constant stream of chatter which consists, in significant measure, of blatant lies (“I can’t do anything right”), propaganda (designed to appease or draw attention to the Ego), and figments of our fertile imagination.
Once we tune in and hear what our mind has been telling us for days, weeks, months, years, we realize why we often feel tired, edgy, and ill-at-ease. It’s stressful to have someone sitting in close proximity chattering like a monkey, about the same old things.
When we practice mindfulness, we learn to watch our thoughts . . . without being swept away by them.
We start to see pebbles as pebbles, not boulders. We begin to see things as they are, instead of as we are:
* We recognize emotions as they arise so that we can decide how to act instead of just re-acting.
* If someone criticizes us (unfairly), we let it roll off without internalizing it. It’s just their opinion and nothing to get hung about.
* We hear our “inner critic” and examine the truth of its pronouncements.
* When our “inner critic” starts harping on the One Thing we did wrong that day, we remind ourselves of all the things that we did with panache.
* We notice self-defeating thoughts that create unnecessary suffering as they arise and nip them in the bud.
* If we start feeling upset, we step back and observe what’s going on without getting caught up in the drama.
* We mindfully decide how to act rather than just re-acting when someone “presses our buttons.”
Once our mind is clear of non-productive thoughts (most of the time) . . . it stands ready to tackle the intellectual and creative challenges we assign to it, instead of spending hours engaged in exhausting busy work.
The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. Reclaim the remote.
Aah . . . that’s better!
We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. ~ Carlos Castaneda
What about you? Have you ever watched your thoughts with detachment? Any surprises? Any untruths? Any unsupported judgments, pronouncements, or opinions?
Related posts: Better Thoughts -> Better Results * How To Eject Your Inner Critic * The Awakening by Sonny Carroll * Attack of the Killer ANTs * Training the Mind (The Blue Lotus Cafe) * You Are NOT Your Brain (Always Well Within)
Spirit Lights The Way 