Today's Quotation:

Carefully observe the natural laws in operation in the world around you, and live by them.  From following them, you will learn the morality of modesty, moderation, compassion, and consideration (not just one society’s rules and regulations), the wisdom of seeing things as they are (not of merely collecting “facts” about them), and the happiness of being in harmony with the Way (which has nothing to do with self-righteous “spiritual” obsessions and fanaticism).  And you will live lightly, spontaneously, and effortlessly.

Benjamin Hoff

Today's Meditation:

What are the "natural laws," and why don't we see them clearly?  Why do we seem to buy into all of the human-made laws that usually are created to benefit some group or another, yet ignore the way the world is?  There's much that we can learn from observing the world in which we live and the way that life goes on, with or without us.  And there's much to learn from the laws of other nations and societies, for they are just as valuable a reflection of their people as your own laws are of yours.

People tell us that learning is about gathering and maintaining information and facts, but wisdom tells us it's about being a part of things and feeling them as part of ourselves.  People tell us that success is about earning money and coming in first and gathering possessions, but few people reach any sort of happiness that way.  People tell us that we have to look out for number one, but life tells us that by looking out for our friends and neighbors, we really are looking out for ourselves.

Careful observation is one of the most valuable skills that we can learn in life.  But it's not enough in itself-- we also have to learn from what we observe, and allow ourselves to take valuable lessons from all that we see and hear.  We've been put on this planet with the ability to observe carefully, yet it seems to be one of those skills or talents that almost all of us neglect.  And when we neglect it, our ability lessens.  Can a runner take three months off and then come back and run at the same speed as before?  Hardly.  Then why do we think that we can observe carefully without practicing, and without maintaining our skills regularly?

It really is worth it.  There really is a lot to be said for living lightly, spontaneously, and effortlessly.

Questions to ponder:

1.  How much time do you spend each day practicing your observation skills?

2.  How much do you learn from your observations?

3.  Do you feel that you're in harmony with life?

For further thought:

Imagine how our lives might be if everyone had even a bit more of the Wisdom that comes from seeing clearly.  Suppose people everywhere, simultaneously, stopped what they were doing and paid attention for only as long as it took to recognize their shared humanity.  Surely the heartbreak of the world's pain, visible to all, would convert everyone to kindness.  What a gift that would be.

Sylvia Boorstein

more thoughts and ideas on awareness

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