Saturday, November 21, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
FORGIVENESS AND LETTING GO
My aunt Constance emailed me this morning. How pertinent! Hatred is a venom that we ingest, hoping and expecting it will harm someone else. The words "I will never forgive" mean "I will allow this event to eat me alive for the rest of my life".
We talk about grudges the way we talk about babies. You can hold a grudge, carry a grudge, bear a grudge, or nurse a grudge. The trouble is, when you nurse something you feed it, make it grow, and pretty soon it’s full grown. Are you carrying a grudge? Why? It doesn’t make sense. Why would you pick up something each day that weighs you down and carry it around with you? “But they hurt me.” Yes, but by carrying a grudge you enable them to keep hurting you. Don’t do that to yourself!
We know we’re supposed to forgive other people, but sometimes forgiving feels like we are giving up something. One of Lincoln’s stories was about a man on his sickbed who had been told by the doctor that he didn’t have much time to live. He summoned an old friend named Brown with whom he’d quarreled bitterly. They hadn’t spoken for years. The man talked of how he was going to die soon, of how their petty differences looked in the face of death, and asked if they might be reconciled. The scene moved everyone in the room to tears. Brown clasped the dying man’s hands, embraced him, and turned to walk out of the room, a shattered man. Suddenly the man on the sickbed, having one final thought, raised himself up on one elbow and spoke for the last time: “But see here, Brown; if I recover, the old grudge still stands.” This story makes us smile and think, “How foolish!” But if you are carrying a grudge, are you any different?
“Forgive whatever grievances you may have.” Col 3:13 NIV
Forgive them, and let it go
Forgive them, and let it go
We talk about grudges the way we talk about babies. You can hold a grudge, carry a grudge, bear a grudge, or nurse a grudge. The trouble is, when you nurse something you feed it, make it grow, and pretty soon it’s full grown. Are you carrying a grudge? Why? It doesn’t make sense. Why would you pick up something each day that weighs you down and carry it around with you? “But they hurt me.” Yes, but by carrying a grudge you enable them to keep hurting you. Don’t do that to yourself!
We know we’re supposed to forgive other people, but sometimes forgiving feels like we are giving up something. One of Lincoln’s stories was about a man on his sickbed who had been told by the doctor that he didn’t have much time to live. He summoned an old friend named Brown with whom he’d quarreled bitterly. They hadn’t spoken for years. The man talked of how he was going to die soon, of how their petty differences looked in the face of death, and asked if they might be reconciled. The scene moved everyone in the room to tears. Brown clasped the dying man’s hands, embraced him, and turned to walk out of the room, a shattered man. Suddenly the man on the sickbed, having one final thought, raised himself up on one elbow and spoke for the last time: “But see here, Brown; if I recover, the old grudge still stands.” This story makes us smile and think, “How foolish!” But if you are carrying a grudge, are you any different?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
REDIRECTING THE EMOTION / REDIRIGIENDO LA EMOCIÓN
Las emociones y sentimientos están ítimamente relacionadas. Los sentimientos están dentro de nosotros y emanan, muchas veces, de las situaciones que nos circundan. Las emociones son los sentimientos expresados; es decir, son la forma visible de los sentimientos al actuar en base a éstos. Muchas veces, nuestros sentimientos producen emociones no muy gratas, para nosotros o para los que están a nuestro alrededor. Idealmente, encontramos una manera eficaz y constructiva de canalizar nuestras emociones para que representen nuestros sentimientos sin minimizar lo que somos y sin destruir o intentar herir a otros en el proceso. Controlar nuestras emociones requiere de mucho valor, determinación y aprendizaje, especialmente las emociones fuertes como el coraje y la frustración. Al final, ganamos más cuando nuestras emociones se mantienen en alto nivel y nos conducen a estar en paz con nosotros mismos. Es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo, sin embargo es cuestión de decisión y de práctica.
Redirecting the Eruption
Lashing Out
Lashing Out
Intense emotions demand intense modes of expression. While there are many outlets for the feelings typically deemed positive, however, there are far fewer methods for constructively coping with anger, frustration, fear, sadness, or stress. Consequently, such feelings can cause us to believe that we are no longer in control of our emotional state. Backed into a mental corner, we may lash out at the first individual we encounter. Most of us will quickly discover that our misdirected outpouring of fury has not relieved the pressure of our pain. Powerful emotions are like the lava in a volcano poised to erupt—held in check with nothing but an eroding layer of calm. Within us lies the power to direct the flood of feeling that surges forth by channeling it into productive, artistic, or laborious pursuits.
Retaking control of our emotions at their height can be difficult because our already negative feelings can convince us that others are deserving of our wrath. But if we consciously look for healthier ways of expressing what we feel, we can both safely dispel our pain and use the energy of that pain to add value to our lives. Anger and sadness, for example, can become the inspiration that induces us to dedicate ourselves to bringing about the change we wish to see in the world. If we act rather than react, we can become effective agents of positive transformation. When we channel our frustration or feelings of stress into outside-the-box thinking and proactive exploits, we are more apt to discover solutions to the issues that initially left us stymied. And if we view fear as a signal that we need to reexamine our circumstances rather than a cue to flee, we may gain new and unexpected insight into our lives.
Channeling your emotions into constructive action can also prevent you from engaging in cyclical rumination in which you repeatedly relive the situation, event, or expectation that originally sparked your feelings in your mind’s eye. Since you are focused on a goal, even if your ambition is merely to better understand yourself, your pain is no longer being fed by your intellectual and emotional energy and quickly ebbs away. You not only avoid lashing out at others, but you also actively take part in your own healing process while honestly acknowledging and honoring your feelings.
The Daily OM
Friday, September 04, 2009
LATINAS FACE MORE BARRIERS TO EDUCATION
New Report Highlights Latina Students Face Greater Challenges Than Counterparts
MALDEF and National Women’s Law Center Uncover Series of Unique Challenges Latina Students Face, Offer Strategies to Maximize Success
Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and MALDEF were joined by U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Chair of the Education Task Force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in releasing "Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation", a new report that takes a close look at the drop-out crisis in the Latino community. The latest data show that 41% of Latina students do not graduate on time with a standard high school diploma. The study reports that while 98% of high school seniors want to graduate from high school, and 80% aspire to higher education, Latina students continue to face numerous challenges in reaching these goals.Report available athttp://maldef.org/education/public_policy/listening_to_latinas/
The study reveals that as Latinos work to provide for their families, education too often takes a back seat to survival. Often times Latina students must take on parental duties to either younger siblings, or, in a community with the highest teen pregnancy rate, their own children. Cultural stigmas contribute to low self-esteem and insecurities, allowing society to ignore Latina students who then trade-in the possibility of a future career, for a future predestined by bias, discrimination, and a lack of support.
Beginning by acknowledging that a problem exists, and recognizing the importance of investing in our children, the study offers some solid recommendations. The recommendations include calling on schools, policymakers, and government agencies to: invest in the future of Latino children through high-quality early learning programs, connect Latinas with role models, ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary educational opportunities, ensure safe school environments that are culturally inclusive and free from discrimination, help Latino parents get involved in their children’s education, improve efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and provide support for pregnant and parenting students, and require better data collection and promote school accountability.By empowering Latina students, we are empowering America. For more information on this critically important report, visit MALDEF.org.MALDEF would also like to thank The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for underwriting the study.
(As posted in Las Comadres Para Las Américas)
MALDEF and National Women’s Law Center Uncover Series of Unique Challenges Latina Students Face, Offer Strategies to Maximize Success
Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and MALDEF were joined by U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Chair of the Education Task Force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in releasing "Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation", a new report that takes a close look at the drop-out crisis in the Latino community. The latest data show that 41% of Latina students do not graduate on time with a standard high school diploma. The study reports that while 98% of high school seniors want to graduate from high school, and 80% aspire to higher education, Latina students continue to face numerous challenges in reaching these goals.Report available athttp://maldef.org/education/public_policy/listening_to_latinas/
The study reveals that as Latinos work to provide for their families, education too often takes a back seat to survival. Often times Latina students must take on parental duties to either younger siblings, or, in a community with the highest teen pregnancy rate, their own children. Cultural stigmas contribute to low self-esteem and insecurities, allowing society to ignore Latina students who then trade-in the possibility of a future career, for a future predestined by bias, discrimination, and a lack of support.
Beginning by acknowledging that a problem exists, and recognizing the importance of investing in our children, the study offers some solid recommendations. The recommendations include calling on schools, policymakers, and government agencies to: invest in the future of Latino children through high-quality early learning programs, connect Latinas with role models, ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary educational opportunities, ensure safe school environments that are culturally inclusive and free from discrimination, help Latino parents get involved in their children’s education, improve efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and provide support for pregnant and parenting students, and require better data collection and promote school accountability.By empowering Latina students, we are empowering America. For more information on this critically important report, visit MALDEF.org.MALDEF would also like to thank The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for underwriting the study.
(As posted in Las Comadres Para Las Américas)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
FEAR
Fear of Losing What We Have
Seeing Beyond Fearful Delusions
One of humanity’s biggest fears is losing what we have. It is healthy when fear of loss helps us take steps to protect what we have worked hard to attain, but it is unhealthy to continue to fear something we can do nothing about. We need to remember that focusing our energy on fear can actually create what scares us, and holding tightly to what we have keeps us from participating in the universal flow of abundance and instead creates stagnation. Since we can only really control our thoughts and our responses, gaining proper perspective may be key to conquering such fears.
The letters of the word "fear" can be used to stand for "False Evidence Appearing Real." Fears of being separated from something or someone we feel we need for our security or happiness comes from a delusion—a distorted way of understanding ourselves and the world around us. When we understand that possessions are only representations of the energy at work in our lives, we can shift our attention to the right and proper place. We can stop fearing loss of money or success because when we understand how it is created, we can always create more. We can stop fearing loss of possessions when we realize that they are not the source of our joy or well-being but only icing on our cakes. And when we understand the energy of love, we need not hold anyone too close for fear of losing them for we know that love does not diminish when it is given or shared but expands beyond boundaries of time or space.
By focusing our light on our fears, they are revealed as mere shadows that disappear in the presence of mind and spirit. We can choose instead to direct our thoughts and creative power toward things of true value—love, abundance, peace, passion, and joy. These are energies that are always available to us when we place ourselves confidently in the universal flow of abundance.
The Daily OM
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
ADIOS MARIO BENEDETTI
Rindo humilde homenaje al gran poeta Mario Benedetti. Que en paz descanse. Lo recuerdo con varios de sus poemas...
Currículum
El cuento es muy sencillo,
usted nace,
contempla atribulado
el rojo azul del cielo,
el pájaro que emigra,
el torpe escarabajo
que su zapato aplastará
valiente.
Usted sufre,
reclama por comida
y por costumbre,
por obligación,
llora limpio de culpas,
extenuado,
hasta que el sueño lo descalifica.
Usted ama,
se transfigura y ama
por una eternidad tan provisoria
que hasta el orgullo se le vuelve tierno
y el corazón profético,
se convierte en escombros.
Usted aprende
y usa lo aprendido,
para volverse lentamente sabio,
para saber que al fin el mundo es ésto,
en su mejor momento una nostalgia,
en su peor momento un desamparo,
y siempre, siempre
un lío,
entonces,
usted muere.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
tiene una claridad que nos alumbra
de modo que si ocurre un desconsuelo
un apagón o una noche sin luna
es conveniente y hasta imprescindible
tener a mano una mujer desnuda.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
genera un resplandor que da confianza
entonces dominguea el almanaque
vibran en su rincón las telarañas
y los ojos felices y felinos
miran y de mirar nunca se cansan.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
es una vocación para las manos
para los labios es casi un destino
y para el corazón un despilfarro
una mujer desnuda es un enigma
y siempre es una fiesta descifrarlo.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
genera una luz propia y nos enciende
el cielo raso se convierte en cielo
y es una gloria no ser inocente
una mujer querida o vislumbrada
desbarata por una vez la muerte.
Currículum
El cuento es muy sencillo,
usted nace,
contempla atribulado
el rojo azul del cielo,
el pájaro que emigra,
el torpe escarabajo
que su zapato aplastará
valiente.
Usted sufre,
reclama por comida
y por costumbre,
por obligación,
llora limpio de culpas,
extenuado,
hasta que el sueño lo descalifica.
Usted ama,
se transfigura y ama
por una eternidad tan provisoria
que hasta el orgullo se le vuelve tierno
y el corazón profético,
se convierte en escombros.
Usted aprende
y usa lo aprendido,
para volverse lentamente sabio,
para saber que al fin el mundo es ésto,
en su mejor momento una nostalgia,
en su peor momento un desamparo,
y siempre, siempre
un lío,
entonces,
usted muere.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
tiene una claridad que nos alumbra
de modo que si ocurre un desconsuelo
un apagón o una noche sin luna
es conveniente y hasta imprescindible
tener a mano una mujer desnuda.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
genera un resplandor que da confianza
entonces dominguea el almanaque
vibran en su rincón las telarañas
y los ojos felices y felinos
miran y de mirar nunca se cansan.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
es una vocación para las manos
para los labios es casi un destino
y para el corazón un despilfarro
una mujer desnuda es un enigma
y siempre es una fiesta descifrarlo.
Una mujer desnuda y en lo oscuro
genera una luz propia y nos enciende
el cielo raso se convierte en cielo
y es una gloria no ser inocente
una mujer querida o vislumbrada
desbarata por una vez la muerte.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
SUCCESS TAKES 1000 STEPS
Wisdom is in many things and appears in many ways, sometimes as words from unsuspected individuals. Wisdom is not a treasure held only by ancient philosophers or holly people. All living things hold the truth or fractions of it, even when we do not see it.
The greatest minds that have walked the earth, the most brilliant inventors, the people who have made headlines because of their contributions to the arts, science, math, sports, social activism, and politics know very well the relativity of failure versus success and wisdom has emerged strong and clear of every experience that led to the fruition of their pursuits. Wisdom is within all, many would say; we are born with it, many would affirm. The truth is wisdom is not realized and transpired until it makes sense through all life experiences, whether we think we have it or not. Trial and “error” is the way to wisdom. “Error” is just the steps to discover the path to epiphany.
Life is an experience full of experiments. Sometimes it takes 1000 trials to come up with a successful result, and at that moment wisdom will emerge as the light on a new day.
The greatest minds that have walked the earth, the most brilliant inventors, the people who have made headlines because of their contributions to the arts, science, math, sports, social activism, and politics know very well the relativity of failure versus success and wisdom has emerged strong and clear of every experience that led to the fruition of their pursuits. Wisdom is within all, many would say; we are born with it, many would affirm. The truth is wisdom is not realized and transpired until it makes sense through all life experiences, whether we think we have it or not. Trial and “error” is the way to wisdom. “Error” is just the steps to discover the path to epiphany.
Life is an experience full of experiments. Sometimes it takes 1000 trials to come up with a successful result, and at that moment wisdom will emerge as the light on a new day.
“If you don’t like the road you are walking on, start paving another one”. Dolly Parton
“Failure and its inseparable partner success, are the proverbial two sides of the day-and-night like coin. Can't have one without the other. Take away failure, no success either. And which one dominates at any given point in time does so simply because you say so”.
- John Milton Fogg
"Never think of the consequences of failing, you will always think of a negative results. Think only positive thoughts and your mind will gravitate towards those thoughts!" -- Michael Jordan
Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive." As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."~ Confucius
Friday, April 03, 2009
MACHOS Y HOMBRES
Encontré este pensamiento, inspiración del fallecido actor puertorriqueño Miguelángel Suárez. Palabras muy sabias de parte de un hombre que dedicó su vida a exhaltar los valores que cargaba en su corazón.
"(Exhorto a todos a) que se quieran a sí mismos, que se amen, que recuerden que los machos nos dan mal nombre a los hombres, que respeten a la mujer, a la dignidad y a las hembras. Vamos a cuidarnos, uno al otro, porque no somos un montón de gente en un trozo de tierra, somos una nación”.
Que en paz descanse.
"(Exhorto a todos a) que se quieran a sí mismos, que se amen, que recuerden que los machos nos dan mal nombre a los hombres, que respeten a la mujer, a la dignidad y a las hembras. Vamos a cuidarnos, uno al otro, porque no somos un montón de gente en un trozo de tierra, somos una nación”.
Que en paz descanse.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
LAS ARGENTINAS SON LAS MENOS DISCRIMINADAS DEL CONTINENTE
LAS ARGENTINAS SON LAS MENOS DISCRIMINADAS DEL CONTINENTE
Fuente: Mujeres News nº 21
Fuente: Mujeres News nº 21
En un ránking que mide la igualdad en el acceso y las oportunidades en trabajo, salud, educación y cargos políticos, Argentina figura en el puesto 24 sobre 130 países. Esto la deja primera en América. Un índice del Foro Económico Mundial (FEM) que clasifica la igualdad de género en 130 países del mundo ubica a la Argentina en la posición 24, nueve lugares por encima que el año pasado y primera en el continente americano. En el primer informe, que se hizo en el año 2006, el país estaba en el puesto 41.Cuba, Estados Unidos, Bélgica, Austria y Canadá son algunos de los países que aparecen por debajo de Argentina en este "Informe Global de Disparidad entre Géneros 2008 (*)". Arriba, los países nórdicos: Noruega en primer lugar, Finlandia en el segundo, Suecia en el tercero, Islandia en el cuarto. La cola es ocupada por los países musulmanes, en concreto, Yemen ocupa el puesto 130; Arabia Saudí, el 128; Pakistán, el 127; Marruecos, el 125; Egipto, el 124, y Turquía, el 123.
Monday, March 02, 2009
VACAS FLACAS Y VACAS GORDAS/HARD LEARNED LESSONS
"Dos años después, Faraón tuvo este sueño: Estaba en la orilla del Nilo cuando vio que salían del río siete vacas hermosas y muy gordas, que se pusieron a pastar entre los juncos. Detrás de ellas salieron otras siete vacas feas y flacas junto a la orilla del Nilo. Y estas vacas feas y flacas se comieron a las siete vacas gordas y hermosas. Faraón despertó, y al dormirse nuevamente tuvo otro sueño: soñó que siete espigas granadas y buenas salían de un mismo tallo, pero que después de éstas brotaban otras siete delgadas y quemadas por el viento que se tragaban a las siete granadas y repletas. Despertó Faraón y se dio cuenta que era un sueño.
Faraón refirió sueño a José. José respondió a Faraón: Tu sueño, Señor, es uno solo. Dios te ha anunciado lo que El va a hacer. Las siete vacas hermosas, al igual que las siete espigas granadas, son siete años de abundancia. Las siete vacas feas y raquíticas, que salieron detrás, al igual que las siete espigas vanas y quemadas por el viento del este, son siete años de hambre. Esto es lo que puedo decirle a Faraón y que Dios ha querido mostrarle". Génesis 41.
Esta parábola me hace mucho sentido en estos días. Desde que la leí cuando era niña caló hondo en mí, y en tiempos de adversidad en mi vida acudo a la alegoría de las vacas flacas y gordas para mantenerme optimista. De la misma forma en que las vacas flacas sucedieron a las gordas, las gordas sucederán a las flacas.
Durante los tiempos de “energía baja” como los llamo, parece ser que las cosas tan llamadas “negativas” se agolpan y tal cual procesión de pueblo, desfilan por nuestra vida una tras la otra. Algunas veces, la procesión es corta. Otras, la procesión es larga y agónica. Yo he estado viviendo una época de vacas flacas (que espero no dure siete años), y miro con entusiasmo y mucha anticipación la llegada de las vacas gordas y las espigas granadas.
Mucho podemos aprender durante la época de las vacas flacas, sin embargo, yo siempre he podido apreciar mejor esas lecciones cuando llegan tiempos mejores y se alejan las marejadas y tormentas de mi vida. Ciertamente, aprendo mucho acerca de mi propia humanidad durante la adversidad. Tal y como después de la lluvia, aprecio más y mejor al sol y puedo ver el arcoiris que se manifiesta brillante al final de la lluvia y que augura cielos nítidos y despejados.
Si hay vacas flacas, detrás vienen las gordas. ¡Que así sea!
Hard Learned Lessons
Bad Days
We all have days from time to time when it feels like the world is against us or that the chaos we are experiencing will never end. One negative circumstance seems to lead to another. You may wonder, on a bad day, whether anything in your life will ever go right again. But a bad day, like any other day, can be a gift. Having a bad day can show you that it is time to slow down, change course, or lighten up. A bad day can help you glean wisdom you might otherwise have overlooked or discounted. Bad days can certainly cause you to experience uncomfortable feelings you would prefer to avoid, yet a bad day may also give you a potent means to learn about yourself.
You may consider a bad day to be one where you’ve missing an important meeting because your car stalled, the dryer broke, and you received a piece of very bad news earlier in the morning. Multiple misfortunes that take place one after the other can leave us feeling vulnerable and intensely cognizant of our fragility. But bad days can only have a long-term negative effect on us if we let them. It is better to ask yourself what you can learn from these kinds of days. The state of your bad day may be an indicator that you need to stay in and hibernate or let go of your growing negativity.
Bad days contribute to the people we become. Though we may feel discouraged and distressed on our bad days, a bad day can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that your attitude drives your destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is one day among many good days – otherwise, we wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge it as a bad day. Know too, that everybody has bad days, you are not alone, the world is not against you. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a brighter day.
The Daily OM
Faraón refirió sueño a José. José respondió a Faraón: Tu sueño, Señor, es uno solo. Dios te ha anunciado lo que El va a hacer. Las siete vacas hermosas, al igual que las siete espigas granadas, son siete años de abundancia. Las siete vacas feas y raquíticas, que salieron detrás, al igual que las siete espigas vanas y quemadas por el viento del este, son siete años de hambre. Esto es lo que puedo decirle a Faraón y que Dios ha querido mostrarle". Génesis 41.
Esta parábola me hace mucho sentido en estos días. Desde que la leí cuando era niña caló hondo en mí, y en tiempos de adversidad en mi vida acudo a la alegoría de las vacas flacas y gordas para mantenerme optimista. De la misma forma en que las vacas flacas sucedieron a las gordas, las gordas sucederán a las flacas.
Durante los tiempos de “energía baja” como los llamo, parece ser que las cosas tan llamadas “negativas” se agolpan y tal cual procesión de pueblo, desfilan por nuestra vida una tras la otra. Algunas veces, la procesión es corta. Otras, la procesión es larga y agónica. Yo he estado viviendo una época de vacas flacas (que espero no dure siete años), y miro con entusiasmo y mucha anticipación la llegada de las vacas gordas y las espigas granadas.
Mucho podemos aprender durante la época de las vacas flacas, sin embargo, yo siempre he podido apreciar mejor esas lecciones cuando llegan tiempos mejores y se alejan las marejadas y tormentas de mi vida. Ciertamente, aprendo mucho acerca de mi propia humanidad durante la adversidad. Tal y como después de la lluvia, aprecio más y mejor al sol y puedo ver el arcoiris que se manifiesta brillante al final de la lluvia y que augura cielos nítidos y despejados.
Si hay vacas flacas, detrás vienen las gordas. ¡Que así sea!
Hard Learned Lessons
Bad Days
We all have days from time to time when it feels like the world is against us or that the chaos we are experiencing will never end. One negative circumstance seems to lead to another. You may wonder, on a bad day, whether anything in your life will ever go right again. But a bad day, like any other day, can be a gift. Having a bad day can show you that it is time to slow down, change course, or lighten up. A bad day can help you glean wisdom you might otherwise have overlooked or discounted. Bad days can certainly cause you to experience uncomfortable feelings you would prefer to avoid, yet a bad day may also give you a potent means to learn about yourself.
You may consider a bad day to be one where you’ve missing an important meeting because your car stalled, the dryer broke, and you received a piece of very bad news earlier in the morning. Multiple misfortunes that take place one after the other can leave us feeling vulnerable and intensely cognizant of our fragility. But bad days can only have a long-term negative effect on us if we let them. It is better to ask yourself what you can learn from these kinds of days. The state of your bad day may be an indicator that you need to stay in and hibernate or let go of your growing negativity.
Bad days contribute to the people we become. Though we may feel discouraged and distressed on our bad days, a bad day can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that your attitude drives your destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is one day among many good days – otherwise, we wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge it as a bad day. Know too, that everybody has bad days, you are not alone, the world is not against you. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a brighter day.
The Daily OM
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
LIBRE ALBEDRIO
El concepto de libre albedrío es un término abarcador pero confuso. Se dice que Dios nos da libre albedrío, lo cual significa que tenemos el poder de decidir nuestros actos y nuestra vida en general. Sin embargo, muchas religiones afirman que si no cumplimos con los decretos de Dios o de las iglesias (religiones organizadas), sufriremos el castigo furioso y perenne de Dios. Así que Dios nos da libre albedrío (libertad para actuar y decidir), sin embargo nos castiga si no hacemos lo que El dice… Confuso. De acuerdo a esta teoría conflictiva, no tenemos libre albedrío porque tenemos que hacer lo que los decretos o dogmas de una religión indican, de lo contrario nos desgraciamos con Dios.
Lo mismo es cierto para la expresión muy común del cristianismo: “no juzguéis y no seréis juzgados”. De acuerdo a esta aseveración, no estamos llamados a juzgar, ya que el Padre Todopoderoso es el único con la potestad para emitir juicio sobre nuestras acciones. Sin embargo, el emitir juicios es un hábito arraigado en el ser humano. Evidencia de esto está en nuestros propios patrones de pensamiento. Nos decimos o escuchamos en el servicio religioso del domingo “no juzguéis”; no obstante, juzgamos a todos por su apariencia, lenguaje, manerismos, opiniones, procedencia, color, raza, inclinación sexual, estilo de vida y por nuestras propias proyecciones sobre las otras personas, fundada o infundadamente.
Así que nos decimos que tenemos libre albedrío pero con la cláusula de que solo podemos actuar en libertad si nos conformamos a un sinnúmero de reglas que nos dicen qué hacer, cómo actuar, dónde, cuándo, cómo y por qué; y le decimos al mundo que no juzgamos pero lo que verdaderamente queremos decir es que simplemente se lo decimos a otro para que nos crean, cuando en realidad estamos juzgando a todos todo el tiempo.
No quiero decir con esto que las reglas no son necesarias para la sana convivencia en sociedad o que algunos seres humanos, incluyéndome, estamos exentos de emitir juicios. Sin embargo, a nivel profundo, la aplicación de estas dos expresiones en la mejor de nuestras habilidades, nos permite ser más que tolerantes: nos permite ser compasivos con otros y con nosotros mismos.
Todos somos diferentes y por ende, tenemos millones de ideas con respecto a la vida y las cosas. Vivir en armonía con esas millones de ideas no es tarea fácil, sin embargo estamos llamados a no juzgar y a respetar el libre albedrío, haciendo lo propio para mantener nuestro derecho a lo mismo. Lo que para alguien es un crimen o una aberración, para otra persona es la norma. No tenemos que aceptar los actos de otras personas simplemente porque sí, pero en el esquema amplio de la creación, debemos entender que todos tenemos derecho a la libertad y dejar que Dios sea el emisor de juicios, tal y como predicamos.
Lo mismo es cierto para la expresión muy común del cristianismo: “no juzguéis y no seréis juzgados”. De acuerdo a esta aseveración, no estamos llamados a juzgar, ya que el Padre Todopoderoso es el único con la potestad para emitir juicio sobre nuestras acciones. Sin embargo, el emitir juicios es un hábito arraigado en el ser humano. Evidencia de esto está en nuestros propios patrones de pensamiento. Nos decimos o escuchamos en el servicio religioso del domingo “no juzguéis”; no obstante, juzgamos a todos por su apariencia, lenguaje, manerismos, opiniones, procedencia, color, raza, inclinación sexual, estilo de vida y por nuestras propias proyecciones sobre las otras personas, fundada o infundadamente.
Así que nos decimos que tenemos libre albedrío pero con la cláusula de que solo podemos actuar en libertad si nos conformamos a un sinnúmero de reglas que nos dicen qué hacer, cómo actuar, dónde, cuándo, cómo y por qué; y le decimos al mundo que no juzgamos pero lo que verdaderamente queremos decir es que simplemente se lo decimos a otro para que nos crean, cuando en realidad estamos juzgando a todos todo el tiempo.
No quiero decir con esto que las reglas no son necesarias para la sana convivencia en sociedad o que algunos seres humanos, incluyéndome, estamos exentos de emitir juicios. Sin embargo, a nivel profundo, la aplicación de estas dos expresiones en la mejor de nuestras habilidades, nos permite ser más que tolerantes: nos permite ser compasivos con otros y con nosotros mismos.
Todos somos diferentes y por ende, tenemos millones de ideas con respecto a la vida y las cosas. Vivir en armonía con esas millones de ideas no es tarea fácil, sin embargo estamos llamados a no juzgar y a respetar el libre albedrío, haciendo lo propio para mantener nuestro derecho a lo mismo. Lo que para alguien es un crimen o una aberración, para otra persona es la norma. No tenemos que aceptar los actos de otras personas simplemente porque sí, pero en el esquema amplio de la creación, debemos entender que todos tenemos derecho a la libertad y dejar que Dios sea el emisor de juicios, tal y como predicamos.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Staying Afloat
Riding the Wave of Life
Our lives are continually in motion, buoyed by the wave that is the universe’s flow. As the wave rises and falls, we are carried forward, through life’s high and low points. The universe’s flow may take us to a place in life where we would rather not be. As tempting as it can be to fight the direction and size of this wave that propels us, riding the wave is intended to make life easier. When you ride the wave, your life can evolve naturally and with minimal effort. Riding the wave, however, is not a passive experience. It is an active process that requires you to be attentive, centered, and awake. You must also practice stillness so you can flow with, rather than resist the wave’s motion.
Because life is dynamic and always changing, it is when we try to make the wave stand still or resist its direction that we are likely to get pulled under by its weight. If you try to move against the wave, you may feel as if you are trapped by it and have no control over your destiny. When you reach a low point while riding the wave and find your feet touching bottom, remember to stay standing so that you can leap forward along with the wave the next time it rises. Trying to resist life’s flow is a losing proposition and costly because you waste energy.
Riding the wave allows you to move forward without expending too much of your own efforts. When you ride the wave, you are carried by it and your head can “stay above water” as you go wherever it takes you. It can be difficult to trust the universe and let go of the urge to fight life’s flow, and you may find it easier to ride the wave if you can stay calm and relaxed. Riding the wave will always take you where you need to go.
THE DAILY OM
January 20, 2009
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