I liked Martin Kimani from Kenya UN speech.

Putin’s desire to return to a time when ‘Russia was Great again’ is a good example of why getting stuck in ones past and attempting to  return to a time that has passed is such a unhealthy approach to life. We need to come to terms with our past but not try to recreate it as if one could step in the same river twice – “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

Putin had every opportunity to improve the lives of his people but he chose to steel from them instead. Even he and his minions didn’t trust Russia as they took the money they stole out of Russia. When I hear of men like Putin I always have the same  question – Why? What’s the point

Martin Kimani

This situation echoes our history. Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing. They were drawn in the distant colonial metropoles of London, Paris, and Lisbon, with no regard for the ancient nations that they cleaved apart.

Today, across the border of every single African country, live our countrymen with whom we share deep historical, cultural, and linguistic bonds. At independence, had we chosen to pursue states on the basis of ethnic, racial, or religious homogeneity, we would still be waging bloody wars these many decades later.

Instead, we agreed that we would settle for the borders that we inherited, but we would still pursue continental political, economic, and legal integration. Rather than form nations that looked ever backwards into history with a dangerous nostalgia, we chose to look forward to a greatness none of our many nations and peoples had ever known. We chose to follow the rules of the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations charter, not because our borders satisfied us, but because we wanted something greater, forged in peace.

We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated have many peoples in them yearning for integration with peoples in neighboring states. This is normal and understandable. After all, who does not want to be joined to their brethren and to make common purpose with them? However, Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force. We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination and oppression.

We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis, including racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural factors. We — We reject it again today. Kenya registers its strong concern and opposition to the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. We further strongly condemn the trend in the last few decades of powerful states, including members of this Security Council, breaching international law with little regard.

HoneyBlossom

Honeyblossom just came into my head not so much because I feel it represents me – more that it is something I like- a flower which sustains life and healing – although I have been told I have honey blonde hair!

I believe that such things arise from our depths, like dreams, to revival something, a truth, a direction.. about our true Self that we are not yet conscious of or fully integrated.

You asked about meditation and their is a practice of focusing on breath as you repeat a mantra.

I tried it using the words honey and blossom and was surprised that the word Honey felt more natural on the inhale while Blossom on the exhale. Breathing in honey, exhaling Blossom…

Bees make honey by drinking in the nectar of the flowers blossom so one might imagine that the more natural rhythm would be of breathing in blossom and exhaling honey. So what might this seeming opposite, inhaling honey exhaling blossoms point to?

Perhaps a time for all things, a time to be honey and a time to be the flower, A time to give and a time to receive..  begs the question when does honey give and when does it receive, when does the blossom give when does it receive? The blossom giving of itself to make honey, the honey giving of itself to give the blossom meaning…  The opposites begin to fade, giving and receiving existing together in the same moment.

Perhaps joined in this paradox the blossom can revel in the joy of being a blossom? (I loved the book ‘A Dogs Purpose’. many mistake all the things the dog does through its many lives as its purpose but the reality was the Dogs’ purpose was being a Dog all the things it did it did because is was it embraced being true to its Dog nature)

The above is a example of meditation and contemplation on what arises, at least my version of it.  Or perhaps its active imagination.. All good.

Even that little exercise above left me feeling calmer some how. Perhaps I too could be a blossom? Perhaps that is enough in this moment when the world seems so dark… so I thank you for that.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Peter.

Hi HoneyBlossom

Never say never as they say which I know isn’t helpful and in a way makes the problem even more difficult:  How does one stay open to opportunity while accepting what is in the moment.

My own experience is that the older I get the more I am convinced that relationship with another as I imagine one could be… isn’t meant for me.  In other words I have become set in my ways and I suspect it would take a very understanding, patient, centered woman that wanted to take the time…

Sorry off track… Søren Kierkegaard noted that “The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you’ll never have.” this I believe is at the heart of such sadness of accepting what we cannot forget hoping for and dreaming of. And so we mourn never really accepting what we have accepted.

Stuck in such a loop  how could someone not be sad.

My hope is that by recognizing that one is in such a loop is the first step to getting out of it. And like a getting stuck in a rip tide the more you struggle the more time one spends under water.  A practice of mediation may help.
In this practice one can feel ones sadness without ‘being’ sad. (You have the emotion of sadness but you are not your emotions.) There is a time for all things – even times of feeling sad.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Peter.

Hi Kilian

I heard that the last thoughts one has determine one’s rebirth

The Tibetan: “Liberation in the Intermediate State Through Hearing”) also called Tibetan Book of the Dead does imply Karma is a factor in rebirth.  Perhaps ones Karma could be influenced by ones last thoughts or one last thoughts could be a indication of ones Karma. That said OCD thoughts would not count as last thoughts as they tend to be more surface noise then what one really thinks and believes, ones true thoughts.  That’s even difficult to ‘know‘ for the most enlightened person

Note; I do not believe Karma has anything to do with Justice, Reward, Punishment all of which belong to the world of ego and measurement. Such things don’t exist in nature.

Karma or Action suggest that what we do, who we are has consequence. Kick a rock and you break your toe. Breaking your tow isn’t Karma, though it may be the result of ones Karma. As in what made you think, and act on that thinking, that kicking a rock was a good idea.

For me Karma is related to the idea the “We see/experience the world as we are not as it is“.  Ones karma acting like glasses through which we see and expect to see. Similarly Einstein’s Statement – “No Problem Can Be Solved From The Same Level Of Consciousness That Created It” – ones karma in away is related to one level of consciousness. We are attracted to our level. Thus in the progression of the life cycle – birth – death – rebirth one tendency to to be attracted to what we know, ones level of awareness while fearing the other higher levels .  (even though or maybe because the higher levels are so bright)

I view the life cycle of Birth – Death – Rebirth as the reality of each breathe we take. Meaning each breath is a opportunity to be reborn into a higher level and sadly lower one.  I would argue that every major even minor life change is a kind of dying. Many changes require the letting go of ego, control and that always feels like a dying to the ego. How we manage that change, that death ‘determines’ our ‘Rebirth.

From that perspective if one believes that cycle is repeated after one physically dies one will have had a lot of practice during ones life time to calmly embrace the light and not to fear it. As a last thought that might be a pretty good one.

Canary

I believe this is what I am doing! The person that hurt me explicitly stated that they felt no remorse for their actions, so I think I am holding onto that because I am hoping that they can feel guilty for their actions… and that is the reason I feel so much anger/sadness.

Their is another the Art of Forgiveness: The decision to tell the person you are working on forgiving that they are forgiven as thier is a possibility they will react negatively – saying things like I don’t need your forgiveness, I didn’t do any thing wrong, what are you accusing me off – ‘sticking a finger’ into the wound your working on healing.

My feelings are that the practice of forgiveness is very personal and about the practitioner. It is a practice that helps the wounded heal. There is of course a practice of asking forgiveness and all that that entails however the two practices are not the same thing.  Then their is the whole learning to Forgive oneself process… Oh how we make our lives difficult

Be kind to yourself as you work your way through your past. As mentioned I still fall for the trap of hanging on to my hurt and anger, my victimization, thinking that by doing so I am punishing the one that hurt me. If I take a breath I usually notice  and let it go, even have a laugh at myself.

Hi Canary

My experience of forgiveness is that it isn’t something we do once and then as if by magic all the hurt memory’s and feelings are gone. Forgiveness is a skill and process that requires practice – perhaps better to say Forgiveness is a practice like… meditation. If you ever tried meditation you might have notice that some attempts go better then others and that ok, there will always be more opportunities to practice 🙂

I found it helpful to note that forgiveness does not mean a person is no longer responsible or accountable for thier actions. It means we can hold them accountable without having to attach to our anger and hurt. We experience hurt and anger vice ‘I am’ hurt…

Forgiveness is more of practice of “forgetting” as in not dwelling on the memory. When we notice we are dwelling we practice  acknowledging the feelings and letting them go/flow.
Forgiveness is a practice of forgoing as in letting go the desire to ‘hurt back’ and or the imagining of ‘if only’, a attempt to change the past and force it to comply to your will your control (almost always ego) . The next time you are experiencing these painful memories and emotions ask yourself if a part of you could be doing so with the subconscious hope that by holding on to your pain you are punishing the one you hurt? (I can tell you that does not work but I still fall for that trap)

It might also be helpful to remind yourself that when you find yourself in the moments when the memory arise that it is the memory that is recreating the emotions, not the specific event that happened in the specific space and time. And memory my friend is a trickster. When a experience moves to memory it is no longer the experience as it was, as we have likely projected a lot of our shadow onto it.

I agree with Anita that quality therapy could help you identify your ‘old feelings’. These feelings will likely still arise from time to time, but with help, the amount of time hold onto them will lesson until the day you will just notice – hello old friends, I see you,  I do not wish to dwell today. I have memories I am not my memories, I have emotions, I am not my emotions….  Oh look I see what in the present has triggered the memory… I also see that this present is not that experience in the past… I have taken what I have learned from the past and better able to deal with what is happening now…

If one is open to love then is one seeking love? If one is open to love then will one find love?

In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy –  a character named “Prak,” who “knows all that is true,” confirms that 42 is indeed The Answer to the Ultimate question – (The Ultimate question was What is 6 x 9 – which was the answer to the question What is the meaning of life 6 x 9 = 42),

The joke goes:
“What do you get if you multiply six by nine?”
“Six by nine. Forty two.”
“That’s it. That’s all there is.”
“I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe”

Of course thier is another possibility, that there is nothing wrong with the universe as it is but something wrong with our math (how we measure).

I wonder if that is the same as our questions about Love? Love is often given as the answer as to the meaning of Life and or Love = Life…. What if Love = 42….  and all the messy parts of life, at some perspective is also always only Love?

In the Hitchhiker Guide the problem wasn’t in the universe or the math but that if the Answer and The Ultimate Question was  known in the same universe, they would cancel each other out and take the Universe with them, to be replaced by something even more bizarre and that it may have already happened.

I often wonder if their might not be some truth to that 🙂 There is a Buddhist thought that that for those who have completed their task, found thier question to thier answer… become no more….

I’ve always like Five for Fighting’s song the Riddle

There was a man back in ninety-five
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him
Wait, what’s the sense in life?
Come over me, come over me?

He said, son why you got to sing that tune?
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon?
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see, you will see

Then he said, here’s a riddle for you
Find the answer, there’s a reason for the world
You and I

Picked up my kid from school today
Did you learn anything?
‘Cause in the world today
You can’t live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me

He said, dad I’m big, but we’re smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well we’re nothing at all
Still every mother’s child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me

And hey dad, here’s a riddle for you
Find the answer, there’s a reason for the world
You and I?

I said, son for all I’ve told you
When you get right down to the
Reason for the world who am I?

There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we’re not wise enough to see
He said, you looking for a clue?
I love you free

The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel’s eyes
A song plays on while the moon is hiding over me
Something comes over me

I guess we’re big and I guess we’re small
If you think about it man you know we got it all
‘Cause we’re all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free, I love you freely

Here’s a riddle for you
Find the answer, there’s a reason for the world
You and I

I Love you free… and if I can love myself as I love others… I love me free…

Can you really have a good life if everyone is identifying with their ego and working in their best interest. Like at work, let’s say I let go of my ego and take work from others as well, isn’t it against my best interest. I would be giving away from energy, no?

I don’t think so. When you say ‘let go of my ego’ what do you think that means?