“We can either be passively carried along by forces and habits that remain stubbornly unexamined and which imprison us in distorting dreams and potential nightmares, or we can engage in our lives by waking up to them and participating fully in their unfolding…Only when we wake up do our lives become real and have even a chance of being liberated from our individual and collective delusions, diseases and suffering.” ~ Jon Kabat- Zinn
I have friends that don’t think as I think, and that’s OK. Many of them don’t agree with my simple view that we are here, simply, to live, love, laugh, learn, and leave a legacy. Yes, we are here to love one another, to help one another. This statement summarizes my understanding of life’s purpose. When I love my sisters and brothers, I live more intensely, I laugh more freely, I learn more profoundly, and I leave a legacy that lasts in their hearts and minds. We are here to love one another. That’s it. Period.
I am in favor of a respectful freedom, a freedom that does not restrict anybody else’s freedom. People should be allowed to do what they want, and live as they decide to live, as long as this does not interfere in other people’s lives. Everybody should have the right to live in freedom, and to enjoy the conditions that allow them to experience happiness. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness should be unquestionable and unalienable rights.
Unfortunately, I see many of my friends still imprisoned by beliefs that they stubbornly refuse to examine. These are beliefs that lead to impose restrictions on other people’s rights and liberties. These are beliefs about other people, and how others should be, how others should live, how others should behave, about what is admissible, etc. They hold feelings that “the world and my life would be better without ‘them.'” And who are ‘them?’ They are people of a different color of skin, or of a different sexual orientation, or of a different religion, or of a different nationality. They are the members of other tribes, people who are not like ‘us.’
Well, I am not here to judge my friends, but I sincerely wish they would take on the task of examining their beliefs. I wish they could free themselves from those unexamined prejudices and collective delusions. I wish they could end all discrimination. I wish they could experience the exhilarating joy that true freedom brings. But, again, I am not here to judge. I am here, simply, to love everyone, even those who judge, condemn, and do not love.
The truth is that those who do not think as I do are free to hold their beliefs; they are free, and so am I.
I wish all my friends and I agreed on everything. I wish all my friends could see, as I see, that any kind of discrimination is dangerous. I wish they all could feel, as I feel, that discrimination anywhere is a threat to liberty everywhere. I wish we all could grow in compassion, and empathize with the suffering of our poor brothers and sisters. I wish we could all agree that all forms of oppression and exploitation must end, and that the trend of concentration of wealth must stop and be reverted because, in the final analysis, it will hurt us all.
I wish we all could work together to create a new world where everyone can be free from the fear of not having enough to survive. I wish we could work together to create a new world where everyone can have what they need, not only to survive, but to thrive. I wish we all could work together to create a new world where every single human being can be supported to be the best they can be. I wish we could get together and make the changes so a less violent, a more gentle way of living and treating our planet could emerge. I believe this is possible.
I believe that Heaven is here, if we want it to be.
But many of my friends don’t see as I see. Yes, this makes me sad, but the fact that I don’t see as they see, also makes them sad. So, I respect them, as I expect them to respect me. We are not walking together now, but since the friendship perdures, maybe, in the future, we will. We have chosen different paths now, but maybe our paths will touch in the future, and we will walk together again.
Well, independent of their beliefs, my commitment is to love them. I don’t want to allow myself to be seduced by the illusion that I hold the only truth, that I am right and they are wrong. I don’t want to hold the belief that I am better than anyone else. We are spiritual beings, all of us, having human experiences, and we all have a lot to learn. I don’t want to identify myself as member of a tribe, and see them as members of another, because the moment I do this I will automatically be drawn into conflict. I don’t want to identify myself as member of a club that includes some and excludes many. I want to identify myself, first and foremost, as a member of the whole humanity, and not as a member of a tribe, or of an exclusive club. Throughout this entire process, I want to remain open: open to welcome, open to embrace, open to love. Why? Because I don’t want to have anything to do with hatred. I am not going to bring more judgment, condemnation and hatred into our world. No! I will bring love, only love. Acceptance and love. That’s all we need.
I am happy because we are making progress; we are reducing prejudice. Prejudice — which comes from ignorance — is learned and can be unlearned. Our job is to consciously unlearn all the divisive stupidity that we have unconsciously learned. And I see that we, as humanity, are making progress in reducing bias and bigotry, and this makes me happy.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
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What do I want?
I want to be happy, and I want everyone else to be happy. I want to be free, and I want everyone else to be free. I want to be allowed to do what I want, and I want everyone else to be allowed to do what they want. I am committed to respect everybody, and I expect everybody to respect me. I will refrain from doing whatever may deprive others from enjoying their experiences, and I expect others to refrain from doing whatever may restrict me from living the experiences I choose to live. My desire is to live a happy life, and help others live happy lives. My philosophy is “Live, and let live. Love, and let love.”
Yes, we are becoming more civilized. Civilization is expanding. Tolerance, acceptance, understanding, respect and love are spreading. We are moving forward, and I am happy. I am happy.
All we need is love. Love is all we need.
Receive my love.
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“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.”
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Thank you!
– “Peaceful Ways – The Power of Making Your Wishes Come True”
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– “Pay Attention! Be Alert! Discovering Your Route to Happiness”
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– “Silent Peace Walk”
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