Sowing Seeds of Wisdom, Reaping a Life of Purpose
Paranoia, self-doubt and low self-esteem are some the most difficult thought processes to correct. They play a significant role in ones chances to achieve success and in living a happy life. It seems for the most part the roadblocks to happiness stem from one troublesome root. That root cause appears to be fear, fear of failure, rejection and the fear of not being able to be in control. Fear seems to control so much of our decision-making that it controls a part if not all of our life. Though fear has its place in one’s life it is not supposed to control our life. Fear is a lot like a wild dog, once it is in the chicken coop it will keep killing the chickens until it gets tamed. Just like the wild dog, fear is something we all need to learn how to tame. Because if we allow fear to run wild it will kill our hopes and dreams before they have a chance to materialize as possible realities.
The fears we all have to face seem to be deep-rooted and they had their beginnings far in our youthful past. The worst of them usually come from our childhood and teen years. The only way I know to face such fears is to discover the time and place of origin. If we can discover the original source then we can find a way to overcome the fears hold on us.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
In a nut shell the only way to conquer or tame your fears is to discover their root and face them head on. Once you do overcome your fears then you are on the path to becoming your true self and will be able to live to your full potential.
Just some random thoughts on fear
Raymond Barbier
Too much politics and not enough creative thinking in congress, they rather focus on the differences between their political parties and the upcoming elections than on finding solutions to the problems at hand. The lack of the ability to compromise for the common good in congress wastes both the taxpayers money and time. The longer they play these political games the worse our nations problems will grow. The congress seems too focused on the upcoming elections and their parties agendas that they can not find any true solutions to our national debt or the declining economy. Maybe if they would put as much effort into fixing the problems at hand as they do the propaganda and political spin they spew out to the media they might be able to work together to find a solution.
The immaturity the congress is displaying along with their inability to co-operate will not only allow our nation to slip into ruin but it also will tarnish this great nations global reputation. We are supposed to be a guiding light and the shining example for the world to follow, but how our government is in chaos due to the political games being played we will not be able to be such a guiding light. For a house that is divided upon itself surely will fall, so we need to get our house in order before it falls.
So congress, you can either keep playing your political games and bring this nation to its knees or work together and fix the problems at hand. The choice is solely yours to either govern or to play political games. Either way you will be responsible for the choices made as well as the results. For We the People have given you the power through the elections and now we place the responsibility upon your shoulders.
God Grant them the wisdom to see the error of their ways.
Raymond Barbier
In life we must face the fact we will make mistakes and sometimes choose unwisely. This is all a part of the lesson plan in the great school we call life. The sad part is sometimes we are doomed to repeat a mistake or poor choice many times until we finally get the message or learn the lesson we needed too. I believe up to our last breath and thought we are learning something new. It’s all apart of our spiritual evolution or education. Question is do we come back to live here again in this world until we learn all the lessons that can be taught here? Or do we simply move on to another place, dimension or even heaven or a hell. Those questions are really the kind that you can not answer for you will not ever know until its time to move on from this life. Personally I hope there is a heaven and a very forgiving god waiting on the other side. What I was brought up to believe is the Christian faith and I still hold on to that belief as I try to keep an open mind to other religions and philosophies. Each philosophy and religion carries with it some form of lessons both in morality and discipline. For the most part they seem to teach humility and selflessness along with compassion and self dignity, They try and inspire us to strive towards a more civilized and compassionate world, a world were greed and lust are no longer as well as a world where no one wants nor needs due to the lack of selfishness. Unfortunately too many of us overlook the lessons in both the philosophies and religions. This leaves us in a world where the select few who have the power and the money are in control as the masses who barely make a living or are starving to struggle just to survive.
So far we have come in the short time we have inhabited this world but we still are so far away from our true potential spiritually and as a species in whole. We have had the stone age, bronze age, iron age, steel age, industrial age and now the technological or information age. We still need to reach our spiritual age before we become our own executioner. For we have technologies that could destroy all life on our planet and yet we are still children spiritually and this leaves us in harm’s way. Without spiritual growth and wisdom we are likely to cause our own extinction before we ever reach our full potential as a species.
Just my two cents worth,
Raymond Barbier
Times like these I remember the importance of each person that I have met as well as those I currently interact with. Times like these I remember to cherish each second of the day and both the good and bad the day may bring. Facing the fact we all are mortal and are only here for a very short moment in time makes one realize that a lot of things are not as important as one thinks and the things we take for granted are the most important of things to be thankful for.I learned a lot in life from Matt Cudzilo, I saw him more as a friend than a step father and a good Husband to my mother. He could be a tough adversary and then turn around and be your greatest advocate. He had a soul of a warrior and a heart that was big as the moon. May his soul rest in peace and those he left behind learn to celebrate his life more so than mourn his death. I will always remember the fact how fortunate I was to have him as a part of my life.
Life is but a twinkle in the eye of time, so live each day to the fullest.
Raymond Barbier
Each day you wake up is but a gift and each night you lay down is a blessing. Every person you meet can either become your friend or your enemy, so treat strangers with kindness. For you do not know what greatness may be within that stranger you greet or ignore. For every one of us are full of greatness in one way or another. We all have been blessed with our own unique gifts and talents. We should not let them go to waste, we should use them for the enrichment of both our life and the lives of others.
The trick is to find those god given talents or gifts, sometimes they are hidden well and other times they can be right under your nose. Usually they will be something you naturally enjoy and excel at but sometimes they are like a fixer upper and need a bit of tweaking before they become complete and fully developed. One of the biggest obstacles is modern day life, it can keep you so stressed and distracted that you unable to focus on what is important.This can keep one from seeing the goodness in life and the world along with keeping you so busy that you have no time to do anything beyond just surviving. Another obstacle is worry, worry does nothing but rob you of your present in order to steal away your tomorrow. Worry tends to fill your mind and take it over leaving no time for you to live or enjoy the moment your living in. You can become so overwhelmed by worry and your fears that they become the only thing you can even think of and focus on.
We need to learn to avoid worrying and how to put aside fear so we can have time to enjoy the blessings we have and the gift of life we have been given. Find happiness in the small things and in your family and/or friends. Respect yourself as well as others and seize the moment for it is only a temporary point in the time stream we live in. Each day you are alive is a gift and should be cherished as such. For there is never a guarantee that tomorrow will come.
Time waits for no one and no one can escape time.
Raymond Barbier.
Living in a society where there is no value to anything, where we want everything and want it yesterday. Sensations both old and new are the fuel and the faster we can get them the more we want them. Addicted to our senses and a slave to our need for stimuli we race forward without taking the time to truly enjoy the world around us. We leave friendships and loves behind us in search of the perfect life, we fall to the deception that is such a thing as a perfect life or a perfect relationship. Too much too fast and we are approaching either an overload or the tragic end to our fast past world. So quick to judge others but slow to see the imperfections in our own lives. We live our lives so quickly and so unaware of the happiness we could obtain as well as the beauty all around us.
Even the children are loosing their innocence way too early, imagination is becoming an extinct quality as well as the ability to see the world in its true majestic form. We allow politics, religions and philosophies to divide our world and keep us from reaching our true potential as a species. It is not our differences that makes us unstable or weak, it is our inability to use those differences as the strength they really are. Our ability to change, adapt and to exchange ideas makes us a very unique and wondrous species. Our lack of tolerance and our inability to truly see each other in a compassionate light leaves us in constant turmoil. We need to start looking at the world not only through our own eyes but through the eyes of others, we must start being more selfless in the way we think and live. Individuality is a good thing but not seeing the whole picture due to only perceiving things though our own eyes is a path to eventual destruction. We must realize that our personal perception of the world around us is not the only true perception. Reality is the sum of every living creature’s perception of the physical universe.
We need to slow down and smell the flowers, behold the beauty of nature and enjoy the company we are blessed to keep. For if we keep on forging into the future like a speeding bullet we will eventually burn out. Stand as many but as one, seek out the truth of all things and live each day as it may be our last. Loving ourselves and all that is around us, fearing nothing but our own deception. Do right upon others and forgive those who are not wise enough to see the error in their ways. We also should remember to forgive our own short comings for we are all but human. But being human is a grand thing for we are children of the great creator. God gave us life and that in itself makes us special and unique. Each of us were given gifts and abilities, each different from the other but the same in their purpose. We mustn’t waste those gifts not take them for granted. We should use them for the good of mankind and share them with all life.
Very random thoughts that I feel needed to be shared. Right or Wrong they are here for you to read.
Raymond Barbier
Where do we go from here? The world is suffering from earthquakes and extreme weather while there is civil unrest happening across the globe. Governments being toppled by both protests and warfare. The people want change from east to west and they starting to act upon their desires. Luckily here in the U.S. we can do it through political channels and also we can create change by utilizing all the media avenues available. The internet gives the people a power to express their concerns and to assemble as a political force like never before. So with all the sever weather, earthquakes and civil unrest in the world, where are we heading?
Seems we are at some kind of crossroads and which way we go depends on the choices the people in power make. With the fact oil is becoming less attractive as a fuel/energy source we desperately need to invest in alternative fuels and energy sources. Solar is the cleanest choice for energy though the current solar cells are still only capture a fraction of the sunlight’s energy. Still a viable energy source but the technology needs to be improved so we can capture higher percentages of the energy coming from the sun. Wind power works well but only when there is sufficient wind speed. Hydropower is the best out of the lot due to rivers are continuously flowing allowing for a constant energy source. This leads to the fact that batteries used to store energy also need to be improved so solar and wind power both can be good alternative energy sources.
The fact all three of the before mentioned power sources are renewable energy sources unlike oil, natural gas or coal they are the best bets for our future energy sources. We still face the problem of transportation and their use of combustible carbon based fuels. Besides the growing cost due to higher demand and that eventually the oil deposits will run dry, the toxic fumes the exhaust of such vehicles is harmful to both earth and the life that lives on it. The only alternatives at this time to petroleum-based fuels are Electric powered vehicles or using natural gas, hydrogen or a synthetic fuel. Though I have heard of a compressed air powered vehicle being built-in the U.K.
If we survive the present problems in this world we just might figure a more efficient and less toxic or wasteful way to power our homes and a better way to propel our vehicles. Maybe the civil unrest will bring more of a positive change than a negative one. Only god knows and only time can tell.
Just a collection of random thoughts.
Raymond Barbier
Why is it so many people over seas dislikes western culture and the governmental powers of the western world? Well far as our culture, to a morality based religious culture the western culture would appear to be quite decadent and low in moral standards. Besides the cultural differences there is the past colonization of the middle east by the British and French. Even though all the colonies were dissolved and abandoned the resentment is still there. Then the long dislike between Islam and both Christians and Jewish faiths doesn’t make things any easier between the western and middle eastern powers. Sometimes I believe the west in general seems to interfere too much with the middle east and that keeps mistrust and hatred brewing. A lot of the tension in the middle east is spawned from the constant debate of the Holy places in Israel. The fact that civilized people can not come to a fair way of sharing the Holy sites. The holy sites do not belong to one religion, they belong to all of God’s children be they Muslim, Jewish or even Christian.
After all we are all followers of the same god regardless the fact that the prophets we choose may be different or we may believe the messiah has already came once or not. Religion put aside there is the presence of military forces in middle eastern countries, even if they are invited by the governments or not they are seen as invaders by some in that region. Places like Iraq and Afghanistan may require our presence for a short while longer but the sooner we pull out and let the active governments stand on their own the better. The fear of a terrorist supporting government taking over or infiltrating the new governments in Iraq or Afghanistan is a waste of time. Regardless of how long you train and support the current governments the fact remains there will always be the risk they will turn terroristic or unfriendly after we leave. Our military presence isn’t going to make any difference on that fact. Plus with a about a decade of military and financial support, both Iraq and Afghanistan should be able to stand on their own by now.
Diplomacy should be the first priority for both the west and the middle eastern powers, both sides need to put their past differences aside for the good of our world. Trust can be earned on both sides if they are both willing to work at it and maybe sacrifice a few things along the way. Peace is always a possibility if both sides are truly willing to work for it. Just think how much money both sides would save and be able to apply to helping the people who are in need. All the money spent by governments and terrorist organizations to wage war could be used to build houses, schools and feed the hungry or heal the sick.
Just some random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.
Raymond Barbier
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