Why are we afraid of everything?

“Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.”
(Marianne Williamson)

Look around you…everywhere, everyone is afraid of everything…

Heck, we’re even afraid of each other – look carefully and you’ll see the politician exploiting society through fear, observe intently and you’ll see the employee shaking in his boots when in the presence of his boss – we’re afraid of change, we’re afraid of death, we’re afraid of the wealthy, we’re afraid of insects, we’re afraid of losing our jobs…we’re afraid of being ourselves…

Why?

“The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we’re afraid…”
(Richard Bach)

Essentially, most of our phobias trace their roots back to a handful of ‘basic’ fears (adapted from Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’ - 1937):

1. The fear of poverty
2. The fear of criticism
3. The fear of ill health
4. The fear of loss of love
5. The fear of old age
6. The fear of death

I will not dwell on the ’causes’ of fear in this rant, but will briefly explain each of these ‘basic’ fears as I identify with their manifestation on this planet…

Out of the fear of poverty, I am the indecisive, indifferent, procrastinator, not willing to stand up for what is right out of the fear of losing what I have accumulated in life – why challenge the powerful, when being subservient to them is so rewarding materialistically? Let someone else make those hard decisions, I will seek the shortest path to overnight riches, then compromise all my values to make sure I am able to hold on to these riches forever…I will live beyond my means just to ‘fit-in’ with the neighborhood – after all, I can’t let anyone know that I have ‘less’ than them…and if someone does have ‘more’ than I do, I’ll be jealous, envious, critical, and spiteful; in the hope that some of my negativity will rub off on their luck and they will eventually have ‘less’ than me…most importantly I will be in constant search of something or someone to blame for my lack of success – ultimately it is God’s responsibility to make sure that I have ‘more’ than anyone else I know on this planet – and if I don’t have it yet, then it’s all God’s fault!

Out of the fear of criticism, I will agree with everyone on everything – after all, I want everyone to ‘like’ me…I will pretend to be someone I am not, because I can’t afford to be rejected by my peers…I will not be truthful or sincere about anything and will never allow anyone to point out any faults or shortcomings in me, even if it means fabricating stories to cover my backside…I will live beyond my means, because I can’t accept anyone being ‘better’ than me…I will imitate others, and will suppress my own true identity; that way, I will have more friends…I will compromise, deceive, even destroy someone else – if that is what is needed to protect my ego!

Out of the fear of ill health, I’m constantly seeking ‘quick-fixes’ for daily inconveniences – I will happily believe in the ‘shaman‘ if he says he can cure my cancer by blowing ashes into my left ear…I will eat ant-crap twice a day everyday because someone on the internet said that it will keep my sinuses healthy – in fact, I’ve started an ant-farm in my house to collect as much crap as I can for myself…I will use the excuse of ill health to get away from obligations at work – my kids can fall sick, my uncles and aunts can die – whatever it takes to be excused from something I have not been able to complete on time…and most importantly, I will binge on alcohol and drugs (prescription or otherwise), because when under the influence, I don’t feel any pain – and when I don’t feel pain, I can’t be sick!

Out of the fear of loss of love, I will be obsessively protective of my other half, my friends, my kids, my family…I will not allow anyone I know to have any ‘close’ friends other than myself, and I will dictate where they go and who they associate with…I will be jealous and suspicious of everyone that talks to or comes near me…they only want to take my happiness away from me…I will pretend to be everything that I am not, if that is what it takes to make people want to be friends with me…I will find faults with everyone else, because only I should matter – everyone and everything else is ‘defective’ – and I will do whatever it takes to prove that!

Out of the fear of old age, I am always dressed like my 18 year old child…I will spend my entire life savings on ‘lifting’ any signs of aging off my person…I will use my age as an excuse when convenient, but for the most part, I will live in denial of my true age…if age brings with it any physical limitations, I will let it affect my psyche – and will spend the rest of my living years in misery; complaining about everyone and everything – and, out of spite, I will make sure that no one else around me is blessed with a moment of peace or happiness…I will resist change, and will make sure that anyone who reminds me of my age is crushed beyond recognition!

Out of the fear of death, I will do whatever I can to ‘cheat’ time – because for as long as I can stop time (or slow it down), I can prolong my life on this planet…and I truly believe that time will wait for me…I will lead a life of apathy and indifference: why take risks and tension and shorten my life? I will pay ridiculous sums of money to ‘charlatans‘ and ‘fortune tellers’ just to find out exactly what tomorrow has in store for me; so I can deflect any mishaps headed my way by being proactive and ready for them…I will live in denial of the fact that death is a reality – and if someone I know happens to pass away, I will lose my rest and sleep for months…I will hold on as tight as I can to my material accumulations – I have heard that the more you attach yourself to this world, the harder it is for the soul to ascend to it’s true abode!

Why are we so afraid?

I have ranted on fear earlier – we’re afraid of failure, we’re afraid of success, we’re afraid of living, we’re afraid of dying…

STOP IT!

Stop being so afraid of everything – and especially stop being afraid of each other – don’t be afraid of other human beings just because they have more ‘material’ wealth than you, or are in positions of ‘authority’, or because they are more ‘attractive’ in your perspective, or because they seem to have more ‘qualifications’ on paper than you do — to hell with all that!

Assert yourself, believe in yourself, stand up for yourself and your values – don’t let others manipulate your existence by exploiting your insecurities and fears – no one can ever be ‘better’ than you because you are from a unique mold…stop being afraid of yourselves – stop being afraid of your own capacities and capabilities – get out of your damp, dark ‘boxes’ and experience the infinite potential of your existence – don’t waste your time in fear and doubt…

“…you are from within the totality of existence, and contain within you that same totality…shift that paradigm, don’t wait for it!”
 

How do we stop being so afraid???

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
(Dale Carnegie)

“Fear is a habit; so is self-pity, defeat, anxiety, despair, hopelessness and resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits with two simple resolves: I can!! and I will!!”
(Author Unknown)

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
(Marie Curie)

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
(Mark Twain)

“Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be — because you only have one life and one chance to do all the things that you want to do.”
(Britta Fiksdal)

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, walk your own path, and do not worry about the darkness, for that is when stars shine brightest.”
(Author Unknown)

Think about this for a bit – then get off your backsides and do something about it!!!

- The Ranting Dream

A penny for your thoughts…

I was lost in thought when a friend snapped his fingers and said: “A penny for your thoughts!”…

Here’s my quest for that penny…

I’ll quote snippets of Khalil Gibran’s “Your Thought and Mine” that are in sync with my reality:

“…Your thought is a tree rooted deep in the soil of tradition and whose branches grow in the power of continuity. My thought is a cloud moving in the space. It turns into drops which, as they fall, form a brook that sings its way into the sea. Then it rises as vapour into the sky.

Your thought is a fortress that neither gale nor the lightning can shake. My thought is a tender leaf that sways in every direction and finds pleasure in its swaying.

Your thought is an ancient dogma that cannot change you nor can you change it. My thought is new, and it tests me and I test it morn and eve.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought advocates fame and show. Mine counsels me and implores me to cast aside notoriety and treat it like a grain of sand cast upon the shore of eternity.

Your thought instills in your heart arrogance and superiority. Mine plants within me love for peace and the desire for independence.

Your thought begets dreams of palaces with furniture of sandalwood studded with jewels, and beds made of twisted silk threads. My thought speaks softly in my ears, “Be clean in body and spirit even if you have nowhere to lay your head.”

Your thought makes you aspire to titles and offices. Mine exhorts me to humble service.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought is social science, a religious and political dictionary. Mine is simple axiom.

Your thought speaks of the beautiful woman, the ugly, the virtuous, the prostitute, the intelligent, and the stupid. Mine sees in every woman a mother, a sister, or a daughter of every man.

Your thought concerns the skilled, the artist, the intellectual, the philosopher, the priest. Mine speaks of the loving and the affectionate, the sincere, the honest, the forthright, the kindly, and the martyr.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought holds that the glory of the nations is in their heroes. It sings the praises of Rameses, Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, and Napoleon. But mine claims that the real heroes are Confucius, Lao-Tse, Socrates, Plato, Abi Taleb, El Gazali, Jalal Ed-din-el Roumy, Copernicus, and Pasteur.

Your thought sees power in armies, cannons, battleships, submarines, aeroplanes, and poison gas. But mine asserts that power lies in reason, resolution, and truth. No matter how long the tyrant endures, he will be the loser at the end.

Your thought differentiates between pragmatist and idealist, between the part and the whole, between the mystic and materialist. Mine realizes that life is one and its weights, measures and tables do not coincide with your weights, measures and tables. He whom you suppose an idealist may be a practical man.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought is interested in ruins and museums, mummies and petrified objects. But mine hovers in the ever-renewed haze and clouds.

Your thought is enthroned on skulls. Since you take pride in it, you glorify it too. My thought wanders in the obscure and distant valleys.

Your thought trumpets while you dance. Mine prefers the anguish of death to your music and dancing.

You have your thought and I have mine…”

Gibran Khalil Gibran bin Mikhael bin Saâd (1883 AD – 1931 AD)

- The Ranting Dream

…more wisdom of the ages…

Following the overwhelming response to the earlier ‘dogma‘ rant, I’d like to share more of Kabir and Bulleh Shah with you…

Listen carefully – there is a story being told – a beautiful story…

What is seen is not the Truth
What is, cannot be said
Trust comes not without seeing
Nor understanding without words
The wise comprehends with knowledge
To the ignorant it is but a wonder
Some worship the formless God
Some worship His various forms
In what way He is beyond these attributes
Only the Knower knows
That music cannot be written
How can then be the notes
Says Kabir, awareness alone will overcome illusion

- Kabir

If the divine is found through ablutions,
Surely frogs and fish would find him first
If the divine is hidden in jungles,
The cattle would have discovered him by now
O Bulleh, the divine is found by those
with pure and true heart

- Bulleh Shah

The moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it:
The moon is within me, and so is the sun.
The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf ears cannot hear it.
So long as man clamors for the I and the Mine, his works are as naught:
When all love of the I and the Mine is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge:
When that comes, then work is put away.
The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass.

- Kabir

The soil is in ferment, O friend
Behold the diversity.
The soil is the horse, so is the rider
The soil chases the soil, and we hear the clanging of soil
The soil kills the soil, with weapons of the soil.
That soil with more on it, is arrogance
The soil is the garden so is its beauty
The soil admires the soil in all its wondrous forms
After the circle of life is done it returns to the soil
Answer the riddle O Bulleh, and take this burden off my head.

- Bulleh Shah

Oh Companion That Abode Is Unmatched,
Where My Complete Beloved Is.
In that Place There Is No Happiness or Unhappiness,
No Truth or Untruth
Neither Sin Nor Virtue.
There Is No Day or Night, No Moon or Sun,
There Is Radiance Without Light.
There Is No Knowledge or Meditation
No Repetition of Mantra or Austerities,
Neither Speech Coming From Vedas or Books.
Doing, Not-Doing, Holding, Leaving
All These Are All Lost Too In This Place.
No Home, No Homeless, Neither Outside or Inside,
Micro and Macrocosm Are Non-Existent.
Five Elemental Constituents and the Trinity Are Both Not There
Witnessing Un-struck Shabad Sound is Also Not There.
No Root or Flower, Neither Branch or Seed,
Without a Tree Fruits are Adorning,
Primordial Om Sound, Breath-Synchronized Soham,
This and That – All Are Absent, The Breath Too Unknown
Where the Beloved Is There is Utterly Nothing
Says Kabir I Have Come To Realize.
Whoever Sees My Indicative Sign
Will Accomplish the Goal of Liberation.

- Kabir

He said, “Let there be,” and it happened.
He made the latent turn into the manifest,
Out of the formless He created the form.
What a wondrous game He played!
What a carefree game He plays!
When He disclosed the hidden secret,
He lifted the veil from over His face.
Why does He now hide from me?
The Real permeates everyone.
What a carefree game He plays!
He said, “We have honored mankind;
None has been created like you;
You are the crown of all creation.”
What a proclamation with the beat of drum!
What a carefree game He plays!
He himself indulges in these carefree acts;
He himself feels frightened of himself;
He has taken abode in every house;
And the people keep wandering in delusion.
What a carefree game He plays!
He himself aroused longing to become mad in love.
He himself became Laila to steal Majnun’s heart.
Himself He wept, himself consoled himself.
O, what a game of love He plays!
What a carefree game He plays!
Himself the lover, He himself is the Beloved.
Here logic and reason have no part to play.
Bullah rejoices in his union with the Beloved.
Why does He create separation now?
What a carefree game He plays!

- Bulleh Shah

The Swan Will Fly Away All Alone,
Spectacle of the World Will Be a Mere Fair
As the Leaf Falls from the Tree
Is Difficult to Find
Who Knows Where it Will Fall
Once it is Struck with a Gust Of Wind
When Life Span is Complete
Then Listening to Orders, Following Others, Will Be Over
The Messengers of Yama are Very Strong
It’s an Entanglement with the Yama
Servant Kabir Praises the Attributes of the Lord
He Finds the Lord Soon
Guru Will Go According to His Doings
The Disciple According to His

- Kabir

…now step away from those mundane and meaningless rituals and traditions for a bit…cast off the burden of those hereditary prejudices you carry for just a few moments…then read through this beautiful story one more time…

…is that laughter I hear???

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” — Buddha

The Ranting Dream

…the dogma rant…

I know that I risk receiving many ‘unsubscribe‘ requests from the blog after this rant…and possibly many more ‘unsubscriptions‘ to the rest of my physical existence on this planet from friends, family, and acquaintances…but I must gather the courage to express the results of my thoughts in clear form…

So here goes…

First, let me stipulate as clearly as I can that I do not wish to insult or provoke your belief system – whatever it may be. Neither am I questioning or ridiculing the existence of ‘GOD‘ (or whoever/whatever it is that you believe to be the ‘force‘ of life and the essence of ‘existence‘ as you know it)…

Second, when I talk about ‘religion‘, it is in reference to the ‘politics‘ and the ‘business‘ that we loosely call religion today…

Third, when I challenge the business that we call ‘faith‘ – I challenge the misguided premise of ‘blind-faith‘ – which is, essentially, intellectual bankruptcy…not the ESSENCE of faith – which, when complemented by the intellect, serves to guide mankind in its search for truth in all matters…

Lastly, keep an open mind as you read through this – if you’re not able (or willing) to, then don’t bother reading through this rant – there are a lot of entertaining shows playing on TV…it may be wise to head for that remote right away…

Based on the Anglo-French etymology of the word ‘religion‘, we are told that it is derived from the Latin ‘religio‘ which loosely translates into “…careful pondering (of the divine)…” – and the origin of the term ‘religio‘ is generally accepted to have been derived from the Latin ‘re-ligare‘ – where ‘re‘ means ‘again‘ and ‘ligare‘ means ‘bind‘ or ‘connect‘…

The context in which ‘religion‘ was introduced to mankind was in line with the root of the word – symbolizing a ‘path‘ through which mankind could ‘re-join‘ or ‘re-link‘ or ‘re-connect‘ with its source (also referred to as the ‘divine‘)…

What that implies, essentially, is that we have somehow been ‘un-linked‘ or ‘separated‘ from our source (some call this source: ‘God‘) and ‘re-ligion‘ is the medium through which we can ‘re-link‘ with that source (attaining that ‘unity‘ or ‘oneness‘ with that source happens to be the ultimate goal of existence if you were brought up in the belief system that I was born into – I‘m sure most other dogmas preach the same as they generally tend to feed off each others‘ myths and beliefs)…

The fundamental flaw (and contradiction) in the ‘re-linking‘ concept, in my humble opinion, is that we can not possibly be different or dispersed or divided or separated from our source – if we did separate, even for a split quark of a moment; then the entire foundation of the ‘religion‘ I was born into becomes baseless – in that belief system, there is ONLY ONE REALITY – an ABSOLUTE REALITY – a TOTALITY…there is NOTHING BUT TOTALITY – which means that you and I (and everything we know and everything we have no way of ever knowing) is but that ABSOLUTE TOTALITY – to claim otherwise, is rejecting the TOTALITY…La Ilaha Illa-Llah, we chant everyday…sadly, we know nothing about the ESSENCE of that chant…

Religion today, rife with essentially meaningless rituals (we claim they‘re only ‘symbolic‘ – but our deeds and actions and the feverish fanaticism with which we observe these rituals as though they were an end in themselves, tell an entirely different story about our ‘true‘ beliefs in these rituals), hypocrisy, politics, business (barter: trade-in your good deeds for a ‘heavenly abode ‘), power-struggles, and superstition is nowhere near the ‘careful pondering of the divine‘ that it set out to be when that word was introduced into contemporary vocabulary…

What we fanatically defend as ‘faith‘ today is nothing more than superstition packaged by the power and fear mongers who use elaborate symbology and mythology to sell (superficial) comfort to the highest bidder as if it were a commodity…somewhere, some business savvy dude (or dudette) decided to bundle this package together for sale…a bundle of lavish promises for those who comply and keep paying – promises of an eternity of luxuries in the most exotic of places imaginable – and decided that the consequences of not subscribing to that bundle would result in the direct dispatch to this gory black hole full of horrible creatures and raging fires – eternal damnation for those who as much as raise an eyebrow…here’s your carrot, which you must pay for, of course – and here’s the stick I’ll beat you with if you as much as sneeze…they kept repeating this propaganda over and over again until the ignorant masses actually believed in this nonsense as if they had seen and experienced it all first-hand…

Why do we fail to realize that the comfort we so desperately seek lies within and will never be found without?

If ‘GOD‘ is ‘transcendent‘ and ‘beyond all material attributes and concepts‘, then what does ‘GOD‘ need to play the carrot-and-stick game with the creation for? I have heard all the nonsense in defense of this from the protectors of the dogma – and believe me, I’ve heard it all – whatever the argument, by reducing ‘GOD‘ to a ‘being‘ that has ‘separated‘ from creation – and is enjoying this hide-and-seek game…at the end of which you’re either going to be whacked with a thorny stick inside a fire-pit or presented with a fresh pair of swimming trunks so you can dive into your very own river of  pure milk; is contradictory to (and a complete negation of) the ESSENCE of the TOTALITY that ‘GOD‘ actually is – that is, if you don’t want to destroy the foundation on which you’ve built your belief system in this ‘GOD‘ in the first place…remember: ‘La Ilaha Illa-Llah‘…

On the other hand, the most successful of businesses in contemporary history have built their fortunes by exploiting the ‘scarcity mentality‘ – inducing any kind of fear  and conquering by division guarantees maximum profitability – you need not look far to verify that assertion – and your friendly neighborhood business of organized religion clued in on that secret to material riches a long time ago – why do you think that the world’s 3 major monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – all preach the message of the SAME ‘GOD‘ (albeit delivered to different dudes at different times) – and have never denied that they believe in the SAME ‘GOD’ – yet who do you see out there slaughtering truckloads of innocent human beings just because they were born into the ‘other‘ faith? Why do you think that is?…even though we worship the same ‘GOD’ – my ‘GOD’ is cooler, and better, and stronger, and nicer than your ‘GOD’…and we blindly purchase this nonsense by the bucketfuls…divided, we fall, time after time…but we can never get enough of this crap into our tummies…

…but: don’t panic even for a moment – your very own ‘re-connection‘ agents will intervene on your behalf and invoke from this ‘angry‘ yet ‘loving‘, ‘feared‘ yet ‘benevolent‘, ‘most merciful punisher‘ the grace, mercy, and forgiveness that you need to ‘get-out-of-jail-free‘ – oh! you lucky soul! as your fellow human beings (i.e. those who believe in a less cooler version of the same GOD you believe in) are whipped away to eternal damnation, you shall be escorted into paradise by a bevvy of beautiful beings – for a teeny, weeny, little fee; of course – because after all is said and done, this ‘re-connection‘ service of yours cannot stop emphasizing how much ‘GOD‘ loves you…and your money…’GOD‘ now has a very good reason to play these games with creation…hundreds of millions of neatly trimmed, crisp wads of reasons, in fact…

…and that still contradicts the ESSENCE of that TOTALITY…

Why don’t you get it??? You are the TOTALITY – you are both contained within, and contain within you, TOTALITY…this is not a ‘transaction‘ you need to have brokered by a ‘re-linking‘ service…this is YOUR REALITY…why do you waste your life knocking on doors that only you can open?…do you not see how, in your misguided faith, you have lost your common sense and your sensitivity to the ESSENCE?…stop being lazy and deferring the ownership of your existence to someone or something else…your guides, gurus, pandits, imams, priests, rabbis may help you experience a little comfort here and there…but all that is only superficial – you are the comfort that you seek – you are the enlightenment that you seek - stop looking without so that you may develop the awareness of that within…everything else, including what you call ‘religion‘, is but meaningless pandering and defending of political positions…

Where do you search me?
I am with you
Not in pilgrimage, nor in icons
Neither in solitudes
Not in temples, nor in mosques
Neither in Kaba nor in Kailash
I am with you O man
I am with you
Not in prayers, nor in meditation
Neither in fasting
Not in yogic exercises
Neither in renunciation
Neither in the vital force nor in the body
Not even in the ethereal space
Neither in the womb of Nature
Not in the breath of the breath
Seek earnestly and discover
In but a moment of search
Says Kabir, Listen with care
Where your faith is, I am there.

- Kabir

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk, nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

- Bulleh Shah

- The Ranting Dream

‘The pursuit of happiness’ is a most ridiculous phrase…

“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.”
- Anthony de Mello (1931-1987)

We insist on wasting our precious time (and lives) chasing after this thing called ‘happiness’ instead of simply choosing to be ‘happy’…

“People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.”
- Ramona Anderson (1887-1949)

Stop it! Stop the nonsense – Stop pursuing happiness, create it!!!…

Easier said than done, you say…

Not true!

…easier done as well…here’s a very simple take on ‘being’ happy:

1. Believe in yourself: Get in touch with who you really are – don’t waste your life trying to be what others think you should be. Learn to identify with (and respect) your unique, exceptional and distinctive qualities – don’t blindly and thoughtlessly emulate that which ‘popular culture’ propaganda identifies as the ‘in’ thing. Know that being happy is a choice, choose it…

“If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert.  He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator…”
- W. Beran Wolfe (1900-1935)

2. Be open (and in harmony) with yourself – and think beyond your mundane, routine, lip-service of an existence: Explore the unknown – don’t run away from something just because you’ve never done it before. Seek out people, places, ideas, and activities that resonate with your perception of happiness, peace, and tranquility. Life is one big exciting mystery that’s been patiently waiting for you to solve it – get on with it…

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
- Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi (1869-1948)

3. Live in the present: The past can’t be altered by sulking, the future can’t be conquered by worrying – the present is yours to experience, live it…

“Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!”
- Kalidasa (circa 300-470 AD)

4. Lighten up: To all my fellow rat-race runners out there – stop taking yourselves too seriously all the time…stressing about something is not going to make it better – nor is over analyzing it…

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
- Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

“Never take life [too] seriously. Nobody [has been known to] get out of it alive anyways.”
- Author Unknown [adapted]

5. Smile: Like it or not, smiling has been empirically proven to have an immediate (and powerful) positive effect on your mood and emotions…a smile cannot create happiness, but it can (very rapidly and easily) lighten you up to a point where you start naturally ‘feeling’ better…try it!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-Present)

6. Accept reality: The good and the bad and everything in between are interdependent phenomena – stop kidding yourself and learn to accept them and seek to learn from (and grow with) them…it’s your life – the good, the bad, and the ugly – in totality, it’s simply amazing and wonderful!!! – experience it…

“What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life.”
- Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998)

7. Be grateful: The foundation of true happiness is contentment – be very thankful for what you have, and know that what you don’t have is also a blessing…be sincerely happy for others (and what they have) – and you’ll not feel the need to envy or to be jealous…contentment is bliss, practice it…

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
- Frederick Keonig (1774-1833)

“I cried because I had no shoes and then I met a man who had no feet.”
- Author Unknown

8. Be yourself: Just be yourself…when you stop ‘measuring’ your own worth against someone or something else, all that ‘discontentment’ in your life simply disappears – like magic!

Be brutally honest with yourself (no compromise there), align your goals and objectives with who you really are (not with who your parents or friends or significant others or your society or culture think you should be), and make that sensible choice of living your life as YOURSELF…that’s it…

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.”
- James Openheim (1882-1932)

9. Develop HEALTHY relationships: Choose who you associate with wisely – don’t just choose to ‘go-with-the-flow’ or to ‘fit-in’ – there is no need for that…none whatsoever…be completely honest and sincere in ALL your relationships – and seek to develop every one of your relationships into meaningful, progressive, and mutually beneficial ones – anything less, and it’s not worth it…

“If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have a paradise in a few years.”
- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

10. Choose to GIVE more than you receive: Generosity is much more empowering than we imagine it to be – the essence of the form we exist within is, in all its glory, the epitome of beneficence – just contemplate on your own existence for a bit and you’ll see what I’m trying to illustrate (regardless of whether you believe to have been ‘created’ or whether you fancy yourself as having made a ‘big-fat-bang’ of an entry into the cosmos)…

I don’t know about you, but of all the ‘miserable’ people that I know on this planet, every one of them seem to manifest (at their core) the characteristics of selfishness, greed, and inconsideration – and of all the ‘happy’ folks that I hang out with, every one of them strives to be generous, sharing, and giving…that is the truth (about happiness) as I know it…

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
- (Prince Gautama Siddhartha) Buddha (563-483 BC)

In conclusion, my dearest friends:

“The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase: if you pursue happiness you’ll never find it.”
- Charles Percy Snow (1905-1980)

- The Ranting Dream