Post by andrew on Oct 11, 2023 11:26:30 GMT -5
LOA is only simple....once we know it. But even then, it assumes that we always have the power of choice...the basic choice to move focus/attention at 'will'. Sometimes that 'will' is absent, and that can be an important human exploration too.
Agree with 2nd paragraph, with the caveat that if it takes effort to draw attention away, then that effort is counter-productive too. Sometimes the path of least resistance is to stay and watch the madness. It all depends on our exploration.
Here's a quote for you from Bronnie, I think you may like it...
Imagine the old light bulb with the roundish glass surrounding the globe. A part of all of us is like a delicate light globe. A beautiful light shines from within, one that can remove darkness from any place. When we are born, we are shining bright, bringing great light and happiness to all. People marvel at our beauty and light.
Then over time, muck starts being thrown at us. This muck is not about us. It belongs to the people who are throwing it, but they hurl it regardless. After a while, it is not only those close to us who throw muck on us. It is schoolfriends, workmates, society, and many others we come across. It affects us all differently: some become victims, some bullies, some take it in and it stays within for a long time, some appear to let it go naturally. Regardless of how it affects us, it hinders our original light and goodness from shining at its absolute best.
With so many people throwing muck on us, we figure that they must be right. So we join in, throwing muck on ourselves too. All of the muck throwers can’t be wrong. If we are going to throw muck on ourself, then it must be normal and okay to throw muck on others too. We throw some more and continue to let others throw it on us. Eventually, we are carrying so much muck that not only are we weighed down by it, but our light cannot be seen anymore. Every inch of us is covered in muck, a lot of it from what others have thrown and some from when we joined in and started throwing it on ourself as well.
Then one day we remember there was once a beautiful light shining in us. But things have been dark for so long, we hardly remember that part of ourself. It can still be felt sometimes, when we are quiet and alone. The warm glow has remained shining all this time, regardless of the darkness surrounding it. We realise that we want to shine again. We want to remember who we were when we are not carrying other people’s muck on us, nor our own.
So we start saying we have had enough. We stop allowing anyone else to throw muck on us. People don’t like this, but we are determined, moving out of reach of the muck throwers. We start rubbing very gently and slowly to remove some of it off us. It has to be done very tenderly. We are incredibly fragile underneath. If we try to do it too roughly or hurriedly, we will shatter and never know our light again.
We slowly and patiently work away at cleaning it off. A tiny ray of light breaks through and we are given a glimpse of our own beauty again. It feels good. Then someone throws some more muck at us and we have to start removing it again. We wipe that bit off and clean some more away. Frightened by what we see though, we then throw some at ourself. We don’t deserve to shine this brightly. Here, have some more muck! But the light has caught a glimpse of the outside again and starts to shine brighter. It wants to be seen.
With each bit of light that starts shining out, we start feeling better. It gives us a taste of how great it could be, free of all that we are carrying. This makes us recognise just how much everyone else is also carrying. We develop compassion. We decide that from now on, we are not going to throw any more muck on others. After all, how can we all be shining at our best if we keep throwing it all over place and on each other? We get back to work on ourself, very gently rubbing a little more off. It takes much patience and gentleness, working on a little bit at a time, but excitement builds each time another pocket of light breaks through. We catch another glimpse of our own beauty and radiance.
At times we are tempted to throw some more back on ourself or others. We have been in the habit of it for almost all of our life. But now we see how the little bits of light shining out of us are helping others, who are also becoming more courageous. They start cleaning off some of their own muck. They have to be very gentle too. Everyone is delicate and fragile underneath, and can shatter very easily. We also want to help others clean theirs off, but they have to do it themselves. No-one but them knows just how fragile they are underneath.
We can show others how we did it. It may help them, but they have to do the work themselves, at their own pace, in their own way. Not everyone has the courage or strength to do it all at once. We are patient, respectful and compassionate. We now understand that learning to shine our light can sometimes be a very painful and frightening experience.
We feel good about ourself. This is a new feeling, but we like it a lot. So we give up throwing muck on ourself forever. We are beginning to love the beauty we have discovered, as our light continues to shine brighter. There are rays of light coming out at all angles now. Some of the oldest muck is still very stuck though, making it the hardest to remove. It has grown very comfy there over the decades. It does not want to go anywhere. The closer we are to the glass, the more delicately we have to rub, yet the more stubborn and determined the muck is at this level.
It has been such a big job. We become very weary. Maybe this will be enough. We are already an improvement on who we were. Maybe we can live with this last layer of muck, just shining as we are now. But the light is strong and determined. It wants us to shine at our brightest. It somehow gives us even more strength. We return to cleaning away the last of it.
Finally, we have done it. Our brightness astonishes everyone, especially ourself. We had no idea we could be so beautiful and shine with such radiance. Now when we hang out with other light globes, they too want to shine brightly. They can see our beauty. It reminds them that they also have such potential inside of them. They had just forgotten it, with all of the muck they were carrying.
Some light globes think it is too hard to let their light show. They stick together in the darkness, trying to convince themselves and each other that they are happy this way. Who needs all that hard work, when we have become used to carrying our muck? ‘I like it this way,’ they say, ‘and I am going to throw some more muck around. I am going out there right now to throw some on those bright lights who are happily having a good time. How dare they have so much enjoyment?’
The dark globes head outside with all of the muck they can find and start throwing it. They work better in a team, with safety in numbers, but they can’t see as clearly anymore. Everything is so bright with all of this cleaning going on. Still, they spot a few light globes that are now shining brightly and happily, as they have almost finished removing their muck. The dark globes throw heaps of it at those bright ones. It doesn’t stick though. It used to always stick.
What they didn’t know was that even though the light was hidden for all of those years, it had still been growing inside. Now it shines so warmly and brightly that their muck will never stick again. It just slides off, without leaving a mark or impression.
Our own glow is like that. We have a light within that is magnificent and potentially radiant. But we need patience and tenderness with ourself, to remove all of the muck we have been carrying for decades. As each little bit is removed, a little more of our true self shines through.
Each of the regrets, shared from the bedsides of those now dearly departed people, takes courage and love to conquer. But the choice is ours. Like a light that wants to shine brightly and cheerfully, we have a guidance within that leads us through, one step at a time.
Be who you are, find balance, speak honestly, value those you love, and allow yourself to be happy. If you do this, you will not only be honouring yourself, but all those who despaired in their final weeks for not having had the courage to do so. The choice is yours. Your life is your own.
When challenges are thrown your way and you are wondering how on Earth it will all come together, how you will find peace about a particular relationship, when the contacts you need will arrive, or how you will find the money to make something happen, just remember that what your heart wants, you want too. You just have to get out of the way sometimes. Take what action you can and then let go.
Stand tall, take a deep and loving breath and walk on, being proud of who you already are. Have full faith and confidence you deserve it, that your prayers have been heard and are already on their way to you. And simply remember one little phrase: Smile and Know. Just smile and know.
Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
Then over time, muck starts being thrown at us. This muck is not about us. It belongs to the people who are throwing it, but they hurl it regardless. After a while, it is not only those close to us who throw muck on us. It is schoolfriends, workmates, society, and many others we come across. It affects us all differently: some become victims, some bullies, some take it in and it stays within for a long time, some appear to let it go naturally. Regardless of how it affects us, it hinders our original light and goodness from shining at its absolute best.
With so many people throwing muck on us, we figure that they must be right. So we join in, throwing muck on ourselves too. All of the muck throwers can’t be wrong. If we are going to throw muck on ourself, then it must be normal and okay to throw muck on others too. We throw some more and continue to let others throw it on us. Eventually, we are carrying so much muck that not only are we weighed down by it, but our light cannot be seen anymore. Every inch of us is covered in muck, a lot of it from what others have thrown and some from when we joined in and started throwing it on ourself as well.
Then one day we remember there was once a beautiful light shining in us. But things have been dark for so long, we hardly remember that part of ourself. It can still be felt sometimes, when we are quiet and alone. The warm glow has remained shining all this time, regardless of the darkness surrounding it. We realise that we want to shine again. We want to remember who we were when we are not carrying other people’s muck on us, nor our own.
So we start saying we have had enough. We stop allowing anyone else to throw muck on us. People don’t like this, but we are determined, moving out of reach of the muck throwers. We start rubbing very gently and slowly to remove some of it off us. It has to be done very tenderly. We are incredibly fragile underneath. If we try to do it too roughly or hurriedly, we will shatter and never know our light again.
We slowly and patiently work away at cleaning it off. A tiny ray of light breaks through and we are given a glimpse of our own beauty again. It feels good. Then someone throws some more muck at us and we have to start removing it again. We wipe that bit off and clean some more away. Frightened by what we see though, we then throw some at ourself. We don’t deserve to shine this brightly. Here, have some more muck! But the light has caught a glimpse of the outside again and starts to shine brighter. It wants to be seen.
With each bit of light that starts shining out, we start feeling better. It gives us a taste of how great it could be, free of all that we are carrying. This makes us recognise just how much everyone else is also carrying. We develop compassion. We decide that from now on, we are not going to throw any more muck on others. After all, how can we all be shining at our best if we keep throwing it all over place and on each other? We get back to work on ourself, very gently rubbing a little more off. It takes much patience and gentleness, working on a little bit at a time, but excitement builds each time another pocket of light breaks through. We catch another glimpse of our own beauty and radiance.
At times we are tempted to throw some more back on ourself or others. We have been in the habit of it for almost all of our life. But now we see how the little bits of light shining out of us are helping others, who are also becoming more courageous. They start cleaning off some of their own muck. They have to be very gentle too. Everyone is delicate and fragile underneath, and can shatter very easily. We also want to help others clean theirs off, but they have to do it themselves. No-one but them knows just how fragile they are underneath.
We can show others how we did it. It may help them, but they have to do the work themselves, at their own pace, in their own way. Not everyone has the courage or strength to do it all at once. We are patient, respectful and compassionate. We now understand that learning to shine our light can sometimes be a very painful and frightening experience.
We feel good about ourself. This is a new feeling, but we like it a lot. So we give up throwing muck on ourself forever. We are beginning to love the beauty we have discovered, as our light continues to shine brighter. There are rays of light coming out at all angles now. Some of the oldest muck is still very stuck though, making it the hardest to remove. It has grown very comfy there over the decades. It does not want to go anywhere. The closer we are to the glass, the more delicately we have to rub, yet the more stubborn and determined the muck is at this level.
It has been such a big job. We become very weary. Maybe this will be enough. We are already an improvement on who we were. Maybe we can live with this last layer of muck, just shining as we are now. But the light is strong and determined. It wants us to shine at our brightest. It somehow gives us even more strength. We return to cleaning away the last of it.
Finally, we have done it. Our brightness astonishes everyone, especially ourself. We had no idea we could be so beautiful and shine with such radiance. Now when we hang out with other light globes, they too want to shine brightly. They can see our beauty. It reminds them that they also have such potential inside of them. They had just forgotten it, with all of the muck they were carrying.
Some light globes think it is too hard to let their light show. They stick together in the darkness, trying to convince themselves and each other that they are happy this way. Who needs all that hard work, when we have become used to carrying our muck? ‘I like it this way,’ they say, ‘and I am going to throw some more muck around. I am going out there right now to throw some on those bright lights who are happily having a good time. How dare they have so much enjoyment?’
The dark globes head outside with all of the muck they can find and start throwing it. They work better in a team, with safety in numbers, but they can’t see as clearly anymore. Everything is so bright with all of this cleaning going on. Still, they spot a few light globes that are now shining brightly and happily, as they have almost finished removing their muck. The dark globes throw heaps of it at those bright ones. It doesn’t stick though. It used to always stick.
What they didn’t know was that even though the light was hidden for all of those years, it had still been growing inside. Now it shines so warmly and brightly that their muck will never stick again. It just slides off, without leaving a mark or impression.
Our own glow is like that. We have a light within that is magnificent and potentially radiant. But we need patience and tenderness with ourself, to remove all of the muck we have been carrying for decades. As each little bit is removed, a little more of our true self shines through.
Each of the regrets, shared from the bedsides of those now dearly departed people, takes courage and love to conquer. But the choice is ours. Like a light that wants to shine brightly and cheerfully, we have a guidance within that leads us through, one step at a time.
Be who you are, find balance, speak honestly, value those you love, and allow yourself to be happy. If you do this, you will not only be honouring yourself, but all those who despaired in their final weeks for not having had the courage to do so. The choice is yours. Your life is your own.
When challenges are thrown your way and you are wondering how on Earth it will all come together, how you will find peace about a particular relationship, when the contacts you need will arrive, or how you will find the money to make something happen, just remember that what your heart wants, you want too. You just have to get out of the way sometimes. Take what action you can and then let go.
Stand tall, take a deep and loving breath and walk on, being proud of who you already are. Have full faith and confidence you deserve it, that your prayers have been heard and are already on their way to you. And simply remember one little phrase: Smile and Know. Just smile and know.
Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
Yeah like that a lot, what's not to like!
And I agree about willpower/momentum/discipline, though I come back to the point that folks are only ready, when they are ready...when the capacity is there, when the stars line up. On the flip side, that shouldn't be taken as a cop out, my view is that if you CAN choose, then choose!
The crux of this goes back to age old discussions about choice vs choicelessness....I have sympathies with both sides of the coin, and a big part of my lesson in the last 10 years has been about allowing people to have their path/journey. There are some folks that simply cannot 'focus' in a positive way....until they can.
What?