Most of us move through life carrying a dossier of beliefs taken from the past and, to greater and lesser degrees, bearing no truth. The falsity of the beliefs is irrelevant because what we call true is true for us.
Like a virus, erroneous beliefs spread to the minds of others where they multiply, magnify and circulate. In time, entire populations carry similar thoughts and because “everyone knows it’s true”, it is. This cycle whirs like an everlasting merry-go-round and it feels “normal” to ride it.
As we spin in circles, the desires and dreams we had as a child blur and the day comes when we can’t really remember what they were. The world will tell you that’s not important. What is important is fitting in, getting by and waiting for the next bad thing to happen.
There’s a lot of power behind these ideas. Fitting in limits rejection. Getting by keeps us going. Waiting for the next bad thing to happen is called being prepared. It takes a brave person to challenge the collective consciousness, but brave you must be. Nothing matters more.
Fitting in may limit rejection from others, yet it comes at the price of self rejection. Feelings of insecurity, self disapproval, disappointment and inadequacy are fed by the lackluster results of living for society instead of your soul.
Getting by is the ultimate oppressor of joy. One cannot enjoy the magnificence of life while toiling away for just enough. Something has to shift. For some that shift is a change in lifestyle, embracing simplicity, peace and ease by downsizing or reducing responsibilities. For others, the shift is in employment, or entrepreneurship. It’s stepping out on sound reasoning and surrendered faith, reaching for more. Ending the cycle of getting by, creates the space to carry out the Divine obligation of expressing your gifts (every single person has gifts).
Waiting for the next bad thing to happen is, as Rev. Michael Beckwith puts it, “Like paying interest on money you haven’t borrowed”. The deck is stacked against us. People, TV, radio, the internet, billboards, newspapers, magazines and mail are inundating us with fear messages convincing us that we’re not safe, we need drugs, we can’t trust anyone, we’re in trouble and, (thanks to them) stress is killing us.
If everyday we were told of the marriages that successfully reconciled, the people who found a way to thrive in a tough economy, the children born to those who desperately wanted them, the artists whose work caught on like wildfire, the animals that were rescued and all the people who healed from from illness and depression, we would live from the knowing that:
We would move through the world feeling safe, loving ourselves and others and paying attention to the things that make our heart’s sing.
Life, no matter how many years you live, is short. It’s well past time to wake up and step off of the merry-go-round.
~ Cynthia
Photo Credit: dpnsan
Every day there are new messages of fear spewed out by the media. The older I get, the more I have learned how false those messages are and how much they hamper our quality of life and agility to realize our selves. Good post.
Wow! I love this. Thank you.
Great post as always
To resist the "pull of the merry-go-round" is a daily struggle … a constant pursuit to keep being oneself. You are right on the mark concerning the negativity of the influences that bombard us continually.All we can do is surround ourselves with those influences that will assist us in our journey on "the Road to our Perfect World."I am fortunate to find this assistance in a serendipitous source … you.Thanks you for coming aboard on my journey.Clay
Carlotta:
Today, I am especially grateful for the internationally sensationalized news about the successful rescue of the Chilean miners. Finally, some good news made the headlines!
Cynthia
The problem lies in that most people are taught What to think and not HOW to think. The result is we are like ships blown about by the winds of change. When we learn How to think we stop trying to control the wind, and we adjust our sails. Love your post. Thank you.
Beautifully written. I agree wholeheartedly.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your view.
Cynthia
Nice post. Enjoyed reading it.
The power of positive thought is rarely explored in today's world. But we forget that what we ever we do is a result of our own thoughts and if we can think good we can do good too. Yes the media doesn't help but we sure can help ourselves by thinking right.
have a nice day 🙂
Cynthia,
What an exceptional post! As a writer, I look around our world for ideas and reflect within. Some days are quite frustrating, given the human nature we face today. Thanks for putting into writing, the things I have been thinking.
You bet!
I often envision running and leaping off of a cliff, snapping all the tethers holding me up there, and coming to land, lightly on my feet, so I can move off in another direction.
Thanks, you reminded me its time to do that again.