Tag: inspiration

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Random Thoughts 1-4-24


When one becomes consumed with self-interest, self-absorption, and an exclusive focus on the self, all the love and joy that comes from sharing and caring for others is shut out. It is inherent in human nature to be social, and when attention is directed towards family, community, and the welfare of all living beings, our species radiates brightly. Humans possess the ability to either devastate or foster the world around them.

Behold, a great multitude succumb to the temptations of avarice, self-indulgence, and carnal desires, making them the paramount pursuits while giving scant regard to the welfare of their brethren. Possessions, transient in nature, are bound to slip from their grasp; fleeting is the pleasure derived from lust, and self-indulgence often proves to be naught but a transitory solace for the pangs of desolation and want. These pursuits cater solely to the individual, and in the denouement, prove to be more injurious than beneficial.

Helping others constitutes a means of benefiting not only humankind at large, but also the self. Indeed, that which aids the community oftentimes reciprocates by aiding the individual. Even in circumstances where no direct advantage may be discerned in extending a helping hand, one nonetheless derives a profound sense of contentment from witnessing the prosperity of others. Compassion, love, and empathy are not indicative of frailty, but rather, they exemplify an innate fortitude.

Which path you choose to follow in this life is solely your decision; how you are perceived and memorialized upon departing this celestial sphere will be the consequence thereof. As for myself, I fail to discern how riches, belongings, and fleeting joys shall avail me in the end. Should an afterlife exist, wealth and possessions will hold no sway, while those whom you have aided will stand as witnesses to your benevolence.

In the ultimate denouement, it is understood that within us all resides a propensity for avarice, egocentricity, and earthly desires. It is paramount for us to direct our attention towards the degree of importance we assign to these inclinations. As inhabitants of this earthly existence, we are unified in traversing the celestial sphere, adrift in the boundless continuum of existence. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to offer unwavering support to our fellow voyagers and endeavor to ensure that our collective journey is one of unparalleled jubilation and felicity.

In Conclusion

In the vast tapestry of human existence, the dichotomy between self-absorption and altruism continues to shape the destiny of individuals and civilizations alike. As we navigate the boundless continuum of existence, we are presented with the profound choice between nurturing our inherent propensity for avarice and earthly desires, or embracing the timeless virtues of compassion, empathy, and selfless dedication to the welfare of all living beings. The path we traverse and the legacy we leave behind are undeniably intertwined with this fundamental decision.

It is incumbent upon each soul to reflect upon the ultimate denouement and consider the enduring impact of their actions. For in the grand theater of life, it is not the transient allure of possessions or fleeting pleasures that shall render solace in the end, but rather the reverberating echoes of benevolence and the enduring legacy of selfless contribution to the collective journey of humanity. As we stand at the threshold of our existence, let us heed the call to embrace the profound interconnectedness of our shared voyage, and in doing so, illuminate the path with unparalleled jubilation and felicity for all.

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Ray Barbier

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Cultivating love and compassion is essential for our well-being


Love and compassion are two of the most important qualities that we can cultivate in ourselves and share with others. According to a 1 article, compassion is as vital to life as the air we breathe. It is a quality that inspires benevolent, selfless, and heroic deeds throughout history. Compassion can neutralize an unpleasant or dangerous encounter, and it encourages all sorts of positive behaviors that have both individual and societal benefits. The article also highlights the emotional benefits of compassion to both the giver and recipient. Love and compassion bring the greatest happiness because our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another 1.

In summary, love and compassion are important because they:

  • Inspire benevolent, selfless, and heroic deeds throughout history.
  • Neutralize unpleasant or dangerous encounters.
  • Encourage all sorts of positive behaviors that have both individual and societal benefits.
  • Have emotional benefits for both the giver and recipient.
  • Bring the greatest happiness because our nature cherishes them above all else.
  • Result from the profound interdependence we all share with one another.

Cultivating love and compassion is essential for our well-being and the well-being of those around us. According to an article by Pristine Mind Foundation1, love and compassion unite families, friends, and communities together seamlessly. The strength of our relationships depends on how much love and compassion we have in our mind. The more love and compassion we have, the more we enjoy our connections with others, the more we feel gratitude, appreciation, and happiness. Without love and compassion, there is no way we can connect intimately with others. Developing love and compassion is the most important thing we can do in our life.

Here are some ways to cultivate love and compassion in our lives:

  • Meditate on love and compassion: Strengthening our love and compassion isn’t something that happens overnight. First, we need to have positive thoughts and emotions to create the right environment. Without a positive mindset, we won’t be able to connect with others or even be happy. Those positive thoughts and emotions are responsible for happiness, fulfillment, and contentment. We need to recognize and contemplate what love is, and what compassion is. Then, whether we are sitting silently or interacting with others, no matter where we are or what we may be doing – at work, at home, at a restaurant, etc, focus our mental attention on other people, and think “They are just like me. Just like I don’t want to suffer, they also don’t want to suffer.” Do this as often as we can. As we train our focus in this way, then over time, we begin to experience love and compassion, and the mindset arises in us that we wish for others to be happy and not to suffer. The more we focus this way, the stronger our positive energy grows.
  • Practice empathy: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is a crucial component of love and compassion. We can practice empathy by putting ourselves in other people’s shoes and trying to understand their perspective. We can also listen actively and attentively to others when they speak, and try to understand their emotions and experiences.
  • Be kind and generous: Acts of kindness and generosity can go a long way in cultivating love and compassion. We can perform small acts of kindness, such as holding the door open for someone, or giving a compliment. We can also volunteer our time and resources to help those in need.
  • Practice forgiveness: Forgiveness is an essential aspect of love and compassion. We can practice forgiveness by letting go of grudges and resentments, and by trying to understand the perspective of those who have wronged us. Forgiveness can help us move on from negative emotions and cultivate positive ones.
  • Connect with others: Connection is a fundamental human need. We can cultivate love and compassion by connecting with others on a deep and meaningful level. We can do this by spending quality time with loved ones, joining a community group, or volunteering for a cause we care about.

In conclusion, cultivating love and compassion is essential for our well-being and the well-being of those around us. We can cultivate love and compassion by meditating on love and compassion, practicing empathy, being kind and generous, practicing forgiveness, and connecting with others. By doing so, we can create a more loving and compassionate world.

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Ray Barbier

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We all are brothers and sisters in this world


https://open.spotify.com/show/5Q58FYwIeqf414RzEj2o24

Division, The separation of the community only serves those who seek its ruin. To have anger or fear between people only divides the community and does more harm than good. When we fall into the trap of hating others because of their color or hating them due to their choice of religion and lifestyle we only cause division and damage the community we live in.
Change begins in ourselves, we have to change how we act and react to the world around us. To fight hate with hate only creates more hate to deal with. And on the other end of it, if we do nothing Hate will continue to grow as well. Seems hate is a hard thing to stop once it starts infesting people, it becomes like a runaway train. Shame Love or compassion doesn’t spread and intensify like that. When I look at the person next to me I see another human being first and then I see the differences between us. But I don’t see the differences between us as an obstacle, I see it as what makes the other person unique. Life would be very boring if everyone believed the same, looked the same, and acted just alike. It has been humanity’s rainbow of differences that kept us alive and gave us all that we have today.
Maybe one-day humanity will grow out of this desire to hold on to prejudices that serve no one in the end. Possibly one day we can forgive and leave the past in the past for the sake of the future and those that will live in it. And one day we will see there is no greater or lesser race, there is only the human race, a multi-colored, multicultural community. I Know I am just a dreamer, but just like John Lennon stated I don’t think I am the only one.
We all are brothers and sisters in this world, we only live once so let us be the best person we can be and love one another. Find happiness for ourselves and share it with all those around us. Leave yesterday behind, live in the present, and dream and hope for the future.
May Peace, love, and happiness fill your days and Compassion be the guide of your heart and mind.
Ray Barbier

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The Past, The now and regret.


Thinking about the past is one way of coming to terms with where you are now and how the choices you made and also the choices you tried to avoid to make helped you get where you are today. Besides the random unfortunate circumstances we sometimes encounter, it is pretty much our choices in life that put us in the place we are today.
Holding on to regret, sadness, anger or any negitive emotion from past choices only hinders one from making better choices in the present. So feel those emotions, own them and learn to forgive yourself and others so you can move forward. Every morning you awake is a clean slate if you let it be and a new chance to make your life better and also another chance to be appositive influence on the world you live in.
For me the hardest thing to do is forgive myself of my poor choices and mistakes I had made in the past. I learned that by hanging on to such negitive thoughts and emotions I only created a negitive self image and a somewhat defeatist mentality. So now I just try to own my mistakes, face I made them and accept what is done is in the past. I also have to remind myself that I am not perfect and that I should never expect myself to be such. I Remeber the mistake, learn from it and try to forgive myself since I am just human.
Though we can not undo what we have done wrong in the past, we can how ever try to make up for those mistakes in many ways. You can try being of service to those in need and by being compassionate and caring to all. If you are able to you should also make amends to those you have done wrong in what ever way that is possible. In the end you will have to forgive yourself and also forgive others in order to free yourself up to live your life to the fullest.

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Random Thoughts 7/29/2019


The world is heading down a dark and uncertain road, seems hate and fear is growing. There is so much misinformation and false news on the internet pushing the agenda of hate and division. Between the circus we call politics and the loss of integrity we are seeing in many places in business and also governments it leaves many people feeling like there is little to no hope.

You can not rely on the government or big business to do what is needed to make a better world, they can not change the world without having the power we the people give to them. Change is all in our hands, it is our choice if we love, fear , hate, understand and where the future of humanity will head.  The fate of our society is in our hand, our society can only be fixed by us.

No life is lesser or greater than another, all life is precious and each person is important. We need to stop labeling each other, we can not judge a group by the few that may have some problems. We all need to be accountable for our actions, think before we say or act. Don’t do or say anything you wouldn’t be proud of or that would be considered hurtful.

Mostly I believe people are angry that life is not always fair, most of the time life can be very unfair and cruel. Being hateful or fearful will not make life any better and surely won’t help you or anyone else in the end.  Speak out against hate and fear, put out love and understanding and seek the most peaceful and kindest way of resolving the situation before you.

I think every one of us at one point in our life has been on the wrong end of some sort of hate, be it that we were being bullied, discriminated against for one reason or another. We need to remember how it felt on the receiving end of such, so we can remind ourselves to not treat others in such a manner.

I know compassion, love and kindness are not quite popular in society, so many times those that are kind and compassionate are looked upon as weak. I think it takes someone very strong and determined to love and show compassion in a world where fear and hate seem to be the norm.

Whatever path you choose in your life is up to you and I hope you choose one of peace and love.

 

Blessings to all

Ray Barbier

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Random Thoughts Oct 20th 2018


Striving for the approval of others, living up to other people’s idea of what you should be is a waste of time if you must change who you truly are. You can not be someone you are not, you should focus on being yourself and growing as a person. Relying on being approved of by others only puts you in a position of being disappointed or frustrated. Sure when you comply and achieve what they see as acceptable you may get a short-lived burst of gratification but then you get right back to trying to earn approval again.

In the end, you just become what everyone else wants you to be instead of becoming who you want to be and who you were meant to be. Do not get me wrong, I do realize you have to accept the fact you must meet standards somewhat in order to exist in society and to make it in the workforce, but it does not mean you have to just hand over your life to either. Be yourself and find your own path to evolve upon, let others learn to accept you as you are, for if they don’t it’s not really acceptance.

Keep your integrity intact, follow your own philosophies but always be open-minded. Never allow yourself to become so rigid you can not see things from other peoples point of view. Accept yourself as is and do the same for others around you, for we all are but human and therefore we all have emotions and are prone to make some mistakes along the way.

The desire to be accepted by others is only natural, but when you have to change the core of who you are or if you have to lose integrity in order to be accepted it is unacceptable. Live with conviction, honor and always be true to yourself.

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Random thoughts Oct 19th 2018


I have found at times we tend to get stuck in a certain way of thinking. We get focused on one or more negative thoughts that we for some reason we believe we can not let go of. If you focus on negative thoughts you leave no room or time for all the positive thoughts trying to break through. We allow outside influences to control or lead or way of thinking as well, mental and emotional discipline is something very few have at a high level and is something we all need and could use.

Many Eastern world philosophies and religions focus on centering the mind and controlling emotions. Methods such as meditation and physical arts such as Thai Chi and yoga also can help with mental/emotional discipline. To allow circumstances and external influence such as other people around us and their beliefs and opinions to control our mood and state of mind is basically surrendering all to chance and happenstance.

Humans have the unique ability to choose what they feel, think and do through their will, This is what makes humans one of the most unique species on the planet. When one learns to control their emotions and thoughts there is very little that person cannot do or face in life. Emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy, greed, and pride only hinder your true potential. They are the stumbling blocks of human existence and the enemy of our spiritual advancement.

Life is the greatest treasure we have and when we put material gain and self-gratification above our own life or that of others, we only lose sight of the things in life that truly matter. Take care of the material things but do not let the true treasures of life be put on the back burner.

Live life fully by your own will, treasure those things in life that truly matter to you and do not allow the opinions of others nor the trap of greed and envy stand in the way of your true happiness. Be the master of your mind and heart, live life as the master of your own destiny.

 

 

 

 

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Random Thoughts Oct 18th 2018


I have noticed sometimes we have this belief of who or what someone is, how they are etc. and never stop to think they may be totally different from how we perceive them.  Most people put up a front, play out a part for others to see to hide who they are since they fear rejection or being vulnerable. life is like a grand masquerade, a play with no predetermined plot or ending. We all hide behind a mask of some sort, some may be close to whom we are and some are totally the opposite of the person inside. We all try to hide away what we consider our bad side or weak side so we do not put ourselves in harm’s way.

Sometimes we fear that we won’t be loved, accepted or that we may be chastised due to how we are different and in our minds how we d not make the grade perse. Problem with that is we will never be loved for who we truly are if we never show that side. It is ok to be weak at times, it is ok to be caring and it’s definitely ok not to be what society considers cool or acceptable. Those so-called Social standards are usually set too high and are so rigid and without any leeway that it makes it virtually impossible to be 100 percent within those standards. We forget they are supposed to be guidelines not laws, no one person is alike and therefore we all can not act and be the same. Would be a very dull and eventless society if we were to just be the same.

If it was not for some of the more eccentric and less socially acceptable people in human history many discoveries in science and inventions may have never been discovered or created until way later if not at all. Most of the greatest philosophers were either social outcasts or at least not socially well received. Humanity’s greatest treasure is its diversity, be it genetics or via the social and cultural differences. Those things are what helped humanity survive through many natural and unnatural disasters.

Point is, be yourself and don’t hide what makes you unique. Accept others for who and what they are, but do not let others force you to be anyone but yourself. Regardless of how you may feel, you are unique and special. You are just as good as anyone else and no one is better in any way than anyone else. We all are born, we all live, love, feel sad and in the end, we all die. We all are human beings and we all have the right to be happy and to believe in what we choose. We have the right to be wrong and to mistakes as well, it is a crucial part of how we learn and grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

 

 

 

 

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Random thoughts Oct 17th 2018


Life is fleeting, shorter than we want to believe or know. We always believe tomorrow a person we love will be there by our side. We lose that person be it permanently due to death or in other ways such as divorce and regret not treating the other person better, loving them more than we did. We get so caught up in our own little reality bubble we forget about the importance of loving one another and enjoying the day with loved ones.

When they leave us and we face the loss we see that many of the things we believed were important really were of no importance. We put way too much above and before those we love, sometimes we even judge them by ridiculously high standards. Most of the time we expect others to live by our own self-imposed standards or even at a higher standard than we expect ourselves to live by. Instead, we should never impose standards on others, just accept them as the person they are. No person is perfect, nor are they going to think and behave the same as we do. That is individuality, the uniqueness of each person.

This does not mean we shouldn’t want others to improve, do better than they are in life. We should encourage growth and change in others. We just should not feel disappointed or angry if they do not progress as fast as we would like or if they chose to pursue a path we may see as wrong or dangerous. We should only advise one another and be accepting of the choices we all have the right to make on our own.

Love one another unconditionally, be good to one another, including your own self. Life is short, so do not waste it in regret or in judgment.

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Random Thoughts 05-07-2018


Sometimes People walk through their life blind to the great blessings they have around them. They get hung up on either what they don’t have or what they think they should have.  Many get stuck in the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence mentality and overlook all green grass and potential in their own yard. Maybe it due to some folks too scared to put the work in to their life and relationships or they feel it is all a lost cause where they are in life. Nothing comes easy in life, nothing comes to be without some mental or physical effort.

You want a better life you have to work at it, work on changing yourself , the environment you are in and the circumstances that surround you. First thing is to get rid of both the negative and defeatist mentality that holds you back and keeps you from seeing not only the blessings around you but the potential blessings and happiness you can obtain.

Happiness is something you have within yourself, it is something that you alone create and maintain. Outside influences can affect your happiness but only as long and as much as you allow them too. In the end it is you that decide to be happy or not.  Most unhappiness comes from setting you goals way too high or expecting too much out of yourself and others. Do things in baby steps and try to see you are only human and so are those around you. We all are prone to make mistakes and we all at one time or another fall short of the expectations of others and even our own self.

Instead of dwelling on the mistakes, shortcomings and where we may lack in our abilities etc. , we should be focusing on the positive circumstances and experiences along with our known abilities. Work with what you have and add to it as you move forward, stop looking backwards and look ahead. Glancing back occasionally is fine if you do it for retrospection and to see where you went wrong in order to avoid the same mistakes, but it is not good to dwell on the past mistakes in such a way you let it fill your heart with despair and doubt.

Learn from your past mistakes but do not punish yourself beyond the moment they had happened. Grieve and move on, remembering the lessons learned not the pain associated with them.  This is why forgiveness is so important, not only does forgiveness release the person who done the wrong but it heals the person that had been wronged. Carrying grief, anger and remorse only holds one down and back from being the happy and loving person they are meant to be.

If you can move on from your past mistakes it frees you up to focus all that energy and time towards changing your life and yourself. You become free to be yourself and live life the way you are meant to. Gives you the time to tend to your own garden or yard per se and make it greener than any grass on the other side of the fence.

In a nut shell negative emotions are meant to teach us and be there to warn us, they are meant to be in the moment not a lifelong experience. Our life is what we make of it , we are the masters of our own life and destiny. How you live your life and how happy you are in it is your personal choice and responsibility.

 

Well there is my random thoughts today, just an average mans opinions and thoughts. May you find happiness and serenity in your life, always remember to think for yourself and question everything.

Ray Barbier

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