Anti-War Planning Strategy

What if…….            

Imagine, if you will, that all the Guardian Angels of the Earth gathered together ca. 2006 to discuss the question:

How can we turn the opinion of the American people against unnecessary war?

Let’s listen in:

The Moderator speaks:

“Ok, we are meeting to discuss how we can help the people to understand that war is never the solution to finding peace on Earth.  Let me recap:  we thought that we could reach a lot of people with the 911 situation.  Remember that brief moment when so many humans actually felt compassion for others and looked at each other differently?  It is true that moment didn’t last as long as we would have liked, but it did make an imprint on the level of compassion of humanity.”

“But fear did return and take over for many.  Those humans who were paying attention, saw that the fear allowed the Bush Presidency to use war as a response to that fear.  That scenario of war being justified by possibly false pretenses really stirred many people.  Unfortunately, the anti-war sentiment got muddied as it turned into a political battle.  Yes, we reached many Democrats, but the Republicans didn’t want to be anti-war, because it meant being anti-Bush.  Politics sure is a tough roadblock, isn’t it?”

“So, my question to this panel is:  What do we have set up in the world to show ALL people how useless war is, in bringing world peace?  Who’s got this one??”

A small, quiet Angel in the corner raised its hand.

“Yes?”

“I have been working on a great set-up scenario.  Actually we have been working on this one for a long time.  Remember Stanley, the WWII veteran?  The one whose daughter had a child with the young man from Kenya?  Well, we think that half-white/half-African grandson of an Army Vet can get elected President of the United States.  The response to his 2004 speech at the Democratic Convention in Boston was quite promising.  He is about to publish a book, that includes his thoughts about war and peace and many other topics, and we know this will appeal to many good-hearted humans that are just waiting (with a lot of energy) to back a candidate just like him.  We’ve evaluated all the potentials, and the probable results are very exciting.”

The designated “devil’s advocate” Angel roared with laughter and interrupted:

“Ha ha ha!!  No way!! You really think it’s possible for a black man to be elected President in the United States?  What Earth scenario are you working on?  They will tear him apart!!”

“Yes, I know what you are saying,” said the quiet Angel.  “This is not an easy one, especially for the human.  But he is a very old Soul and he has been training for this role for eons.  He is willing to make the sacrifices and receive all the hate if it will help the planet.”

“OK, but how does this set-up convince the Republicans that war is not the answer?” the Moderator brought the session back on-topic.

“Well, that’s the crazy part.  This guy gets elected, and he starts working to implement his ideas.  He will come up with programs that help many.  As he does, the Republicans will REALLY hate him.  They will fight him every step of the way.  Despite difficulties, he is most likely to be elected for a second term.  Many people will be very conflicted about his leadership.  Some will say he is not doing enough, others will blame his opposition for the lack of progress, there will be quite a bit of confusion.”

“Then, the conflicts will start to arise in the Middle East, as we have talked about previously.  It will be alleged that the government in Syria used chemical weapons against its citizens.  No one will be sure if this is true or not.  Basically, it’s a repeat of the same kind of situation that happened in Iraq.  To the surprise of most of his supporters, the President will be pushing US military involvement in Syria.  Many people will think “here we go again”.  Except this time, the President’s supporters stick with their anti-war stance, AND the Republicans, who will fight anything this President does, come out strongly against war.  Presto chango, we turn the Republicans into staunch anti-war advocates!  And we have Democrats and Republicans agreeing on wanting peace.”

“What do your projections say will happen as a result?”

“Well, of course we are talking about potentials, and the results are not certain.  But if most things go the way we think, there is a very real possibility that the appetite for war will be seriously diminished.  By that time, we know that humans will be much more interconnected via the internet. We have a young man, Ronny Edry, living in Israel, and the potential there is for him to start a massive, loving anti-war campaign that will connect humans of different cultures.  He is set-up to reach out to “the enemy” and many will find the possibility of peace through his efforts.”

“Oh, and that peaceful resistance we believe is coming in Turkey will also have a massive effect.  We have a whole slew of young people there who are extremely committed to non-violent resistance.”

“Of course, we have to let all of this play out, and no outcome is guaranteed.  We all know how unpredictable human free will can be.  But the potentials look very promising, and of course we will do whatever we can to facilitate the best outcomes.”

The Moderator stands and adjourns the meeting:

“Sounds like a plan!”

Check out this article!!!  http://freakoutnation.com/2013/09/08/president-obamas-brilliant-strategy-no-one-seems-to-recognize/

Advice: Don’t Tell Me What To Do!!

There’s a lot of advice out there in many forms.  If you are looking for guidance on any topic, there is a wealth of books and seminars and courses.  There is an endless supply of experts who will tell you what to do.  How in the world do you decide who to listen to first, or who to listen to at all?

I’ll bet that even if you are NOT looking for it, there is still plenty of advice coming your way, right?  Friends and family usually have plenty of opinions about everything.

(Note:  read the comments below — I’m getting some good ones!!)

Well, like pretty much every topic, I’ve thought a lot about this.  And I’m attempting to break it down in order to understand it better.  Who should I listen to and why?

I think it’s useful to think about the person who is giving the advice and where they are coming from.  I think it’s fair to say that anyone who is giving advice has good intentions, from their perspective.  In other words, people give advice to others that is good and appropriate for THEM.  If you can understand their perspective, you get insight into where they are coming from, and you can make a better determination as to whether the advice is good advice for you as well.

For me it’s useful to remember that everyone is on a growth curve.  We are all having experiences, learning from them, and hopefully turning all that into wisdom.  And it’s that wisdom that is hopefully shared and taken as advice.

If our journey through life is compared to going to school, some people will be in kindergarten and some will be in middle school and some will be in college.  A few will even go to graduate school and others might pursue a career in research to continue their learning.  Also, in elementary school we all learn pretty much the same stuff, but as we get further along, many tend to specialize and focus on certain subject areas.

So, if I wanted advice on how to do math problems, and I was in third grade, I might want advice from a fourth-grader.  I certainly wouldn’t seek out a kindergartener, but I also wouldn’t really get much from a grad student – unless that grad student was really good at giving explanations at my level.  (Now that kind of person would be a gem to find, right??)  If I am going to continue to learn math, I will progress and work with textbooks that get progressively harder and more detailed, and the people I learn from will continue to be more and more knowledgeable.

So if during the course of life, I seek to learn about relationships, or parenting, or starting a business, or anything, I will seek out advice and information from appropriate sources.  No one source is necessarily better than another, it has more to do with what is appropriate for me for the stage where I am.

Only I can determine which advice is right for me.

There are people who have had LOTS of experience, but get stuck and stop turning it into wisdom.  It makes me think of those who do a lot of ranting.  There are others who are really good at taking situations they observe, and turning that into wisdom.  They might not have a dramatic story, but they have grown wise nonetheless from really understanding others.  There are as many combinations of growth curve paths as there are people.  You have to look at each individual to know their story.

If you are like me, you know people who are always telling others what they should do.  I am thinking of the people who are like little kids who love a certain toy, and when it is time to get anyone a present, they want to get them THAT TOY because it is something they love SO much.  They haven’t yet figured out that people are different than they are.  It is SO sweet when kids do this.  They want to share what they love, and they want others to experience that same joy they get from that special toy.  But some people don’t progress past this stage, and they think everyone should like what they like, and do what they do, and think like they think.  All you can do with people that are at this stage, is smile and thank them for their thoughts, and recognize that this is where they are.  Remember, they have good intentions.  They are just at a different place.  Unfortunately, sometimes you encounter people who are at this place, who are VERY convicted and passionate about life and how it should be, and they are very insistent that others should feel the same way and follow their rules!  See my post about Evangelism.

As we move along the growth curve, we learn that life is not black and white, and that there are many shades of gray.  Life is complicated.  We start to have unique experiences, and we grow wisdom on specific issues.  The more unique these issues become, the more we need to seek out others who have also experienced these things and gained wisdom in their own ways.

People further along the growth curve will tend to be less resolute about giving advice.  They recognize that not everyone will have the same experiences.  Not everyone will be working on the same issues. You can recognize the advice that these people give – it will more likely include language like “what worked for me” or “you may find this helpful” or “I don’t know about you but….”  Or other qualifying statements that indicate that the person realizes what works for me might not work for you.

Advice becomes more about sharing than about telling others what to do.

It’s not an either/or thing.  It’s a process, a transition, a growth curve, so you have to be able to observe the advice-giver and get a better sense of where they are coming from, what their experiences have been and where they are in the process.

Again, there is no good or bad, it’s just the unique place where they are in their journey.

You also need to be aware of where YOU are in YOUR journey.  You may be at the stage where you just want someone to tell you what to do.  It may be too overwhelming to figure out on your own right now.  There is nothing wrong with this!  Just be aware of it!!

You might be really far along in understanding your subject area of interest.  In this case, you won’t want someone to just tell you what to do, especially a stranger or someone who hasn’t taken the time to put themselves in your shoes and to understand your situation really well.  You probably, at this stage, only want advice from a really empathetic person.  And you might only trust the opinion of another who has been in your specific situation.

If I want to learn to knit, it might be really helpful to read books and watch youtube videos.  But there’s nothing better than to have a person who knows how to knit, sit there and show you and help you along.  And knitting is relatively simple!!!

Say someone is a single parent.  They have issues with their ex.  Of course they will seek out the opinions of other single parents who have been there.

If my teenage son is challenging me, I will talk to other moms that have teenagers.  I might talk to a friend who has toddlers, and she might be very empathetic, but it will be my empathetic friend with a kid that same age that I will listen to most closely.  And even then, I will be aware of the similarities or differences in personalities and situations.

Because, only I can determine what advice applies to me.  Only I know when it feels right to take it or how to use it.

And that’s also a higher level skill that comes along the growth curve.  At first, we might take advice from someone we love or trust, at face value and do exactly what they say.  They know better.  But as we grow and learn, we develop the ability to discern what applies to us, what is likely to work, and what no longer is appropriate.

When we are aware of this process, this dynamic, we won’t take it personally when others don’t take our advice.  We will be more comfortable watching others make their own decisions and their own mistakes.

But we would also be more aware of our own actions and would be more likely to understand the links between having experiences, working through issues, learning, turning that into wisdom, and how all that relates to the experiences, opinions, and the wisdom-sharing of others.

Be aware that those with high levels of wisdom tend not to force their views on others.  They are more likely not to get involved or have an opinion.  However, IF ASKED, they will carefully share what they have learned.  It’s the gold that has to be mined.

The Ultimate Relationship: Part II

Part I said:  “The Ultimate Relationship is possible when two individuals both attain high skill levels of relating with Unconditional Love and Acceptance. “

But there’s another side to the story of relationships, and I find it really interesting to think about.  It’s really hard to define, but we all know what I’m talking about.

We have all met people that we instantly “click” with, and we’ve all met people that seem perfectly nice, but we just don’t “click.”  So what’s with the clicking??  How does that work?  Can we get more specific about what is going on when this happens?

I like the concept that we all have an “energy signature” that is uniquely ours and ours alone.  We each have this complicated mix of personality, experience, strengths and fears…..and underneath it all, even if you strip all that away like the layers of an onion, deep inside we are still unique at the soul level.  You could say we each have a unique soul essence.  So think of each person as being this one-of-a-kind ball of energy.

I came across a description, a couple of years ago, of how souls were created by God, and it goes like this:

With a breath, God created a spark outside of itself, the idea of a piece of God, separate from God.  Like the process of cell division, the spark divided into two, then divided again, and again, over and over.  With each separation, these pieces of God differentiated.  Like the branches of a tree, they split and split, and as they approached the end of the process, soul groups and soul families were the result.  These pieces, destined to be individual souls, had traveled this process together and remained close.  The final division was the painful split of male and female.  These final pairs, split in two, are what people refer to as Twin Souls.

There are all kinds of descriptions of this process that you can find.  Some even tell you how many individuals are at each level or split, getting very precise with numbers.  I have read that it’s really much more complicated (which I tend to believe!).  Still, to me this is a useful concept to use when talking about compatible energy signatures or soul essences.

The idea is, when you meet a member of your Soul Group or Soul Family, your energy is very similar and you just feel comfortable right away, like they are…..family!!

Some say that we are at the still point between the outbreath of God and the inbreath of God – where we stop moving apart, and start being gathered back to God.  We get the idea that the splitting/creating part took a very long time……and so one would assume that the gathering back to Oneness with God will similarly take a long time.

However long it takes, this process of creation and gathering back into Oneness was set in motion by the power of Creation, and there’s no stopping it.  We will ALL return to God.  No one gets left behind.

(I’m not going to get into scripture and what it says about being gathered back to God.  I’m pondering here, not trying to “prove” anything.  But I will say one thing.  If God gathers the lost and scattered from the four corners of the earth, who will he gather?  In Isaiah 11 he is talking about the Jews.  Well, my sister recently had her DNA tested.  We are as WASPy as they come……and she has Ashkenazi Jewish DNA.  Despite our modern-day labels of who is this and who is that, we are ALL related.  We are all one family.  MAN focuses on our differences.  GOD loves all his children.)

There’s also another overlay that we can take into account.  Throughout time, if we have had many past lives, we have been working with many souls, life after life, and so of course these souls feel very familiar also.  They may be part of our soul family, but more likely they are not.  The thinking is, that soul families went off in their different directions, to experience more diversity and learn more that they could eventually bring back to the family.  If you read Many Lives, Many Masters, the author’s patient could identify the different roles that were played by the souls she knew, life after life.  I just read the novel Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, and she uses this concept in her book as well.  Check out this review by a friend of mine.

Throughout the process of life after life, relationship after relationship, we have each had all kinds of experiences.  Eventually, if the premise is true, that the purpose of EVERY relationship is for us to practice relating to others with unconditional acceptance and love, then we will each gain the ability to love another unconditionally.  That will make it possible for us to experience the Ultimate Relationship.

Now, remember the Fundamental Truth??

Before you can love another, you must love yourself.  Or, another way to say it is, you can only love another to the level of your ability to love yourself.

So that means, first you must have the Ultimate Relationship with YOURSELF.

You must know that you are lovable and loved.  You must let go of all judgment of yourself.  You must accept yourself as you are.  You must be complete in just yourself.  You will not “need” another.

Soul Mates will help you get there.  (check out the post on Types of Soul Connections.)  You are working with other souls on this, practicing, peeling away your insecurities and fears, facing rejection, learning from mistakes, all of it.  All of the relationship drama, the ups and downs, the different personalities, are helping you to obtain all the skills needed for that Ultimate Relationship.

Until you attain it WITH YOURSELF, you will only go so far.

Back to the idea of the compatible energy signatures.  If you were following the concept of the splitting off process, you would naturally come to the conclusion that the person with the closest energy to yours would be……drum roll…..your Twin Soul.  Not only would this person have the identical energy signature, it would be the perfect complement to yours.  This sounds really exciting, right? .  If When you meet this person, the “clicking” would be dramatic, you would KNOW, right?  Yes, this person is the ONE with whom you can have the ULTIMATE Ultimate Relationship with!!!

But not so fast….

Remember the two requirements:

You have to learn to love yourself unconditionally.

And

Any relationship can only be as healthy, and can only rise to the level of,

the individual with the lesser Ability to Love.

Which means both parties to the relationship must have done a lot of practicing and learning in relationships. 

A lot. 

So I just told you the secret. 

And now you know, the only thing you can do is work on you.  Love yourself.  Practice loving others just where they are.

And trust that, when the time is right, it will all click.

Also, I have NO idea why the fonts went all crazy like that.  But I’m not going to mess with it!