When I was a Creative Director in advertising, I had to travel a lot for work and my companies would always put me up in 5-star hotels. It wasn’t the sheets or marble walls or gold trim that impressed me. It was always something that cost absolutely nothing: the attention and generosity of the staff.I am currently on a family vacation (hence the infrequent newsletters), showing my dear mother-in-law the…
The Golden Globes and awards season is here. I didn’t watch the Globes, but I do love the modern art of cinema. Few artforms are so captivating, moving, immersive, powerful, persuasive and empathizing. For two hours, you can experience what it is like to forgo identification with the self and identify with the characters in the story instead.While this escape can become addictive (because dissociation with our ego is extremely…
The world we live in is designed by each of us. We are each totally responsible for the world. You are humanity, you are society, you are the universe. Consciousness is the home you live in. You are its creator and caretaker. So, what does all this mumbo jumbo mean? Well, it means that if you see people as enemies, you have created the illusion of enemies. It means that…
If you can see it, feel it, hear it or think it, it is an illusion. So yes, kindness and cruelty are both illusions. Pain and pleasure exist in our mind and nowhere else. But that doesn’t mean they’re both meaningless. “Illusion” does not mean we dishonor the illusion. We don’t have to ignore it nor neglect it. We also don’t have to get attached to it. Illusion simply means we…
In my last newsletter I talked about 3 ways to win at life’s game of telephone, and how to stop letting other people plant thoughts in our head. Today I want to talk about how to trust ourself and follow our heart.Whether it’s our own thoughts or the words from other people, it’s just noise. That which goes beyond words is what’s true. People have been developing opinions for thousands…
Have you ever wondered how much you know, how much you think you know, and how much you think you know because someone else thinks so?The information we have bouncing around in our brains is divided into three categories: what we experience first hand, what we hear from others, and what we believe about the things we hear.99% of our information (totally made up statistic) comes from other people — the…
Human beings are the most remarkably adaptable species on Earth. We are blessed with the ability to adapt to any environment, location, and situation. A baby growing up in Spain will adapt to her culture and learn Spanish. A baby growing up in the Arctic will learn to icefish and speak Inuit. This adaptability gives us the variety of rich cultures and ways of life for our species. Whatever situation we…
Life is very simple. Human beings have made it very complicated.As consciousness peering through bodies and minds, we observe the hardware of the body and the software of our genetic code. The bodies have certain requirements and the code makes sure we seek it out.If we didn’t have desires, we would not seek out food, shelter, mates, safety for our children, and connection to the divine mystery of the universe. Desire…
What is the purpose and meaning of life? If it were just to survive, consume and expend energy, then we wouldn’t have the ability to even ask these questions. We would just be food-finding mindless robots. So there is something much deeper to our lives than survival. If it were to be comfortable and safe, we’d be lazy and weak. If it were to be happy all the time, then we’d…
We all exist because of events that take place in this eternal stream of presence. The future is tied to the past, it is not separate. But it all happens in the present moment. The future will happen because of what we do now, and what we do now is because of what came before. So you could say we are also only here because of what will happen in…
“I thought my biggest fear was growing old and dying in prison. In truth, my biggest fear was growing old and not knowing myself.”
- Rick Smith, Albama inmate
Path to Peace - A newsletter not just for your mental health but also for your spiritual health.
