Wednesday, 3 May 2017

Choices 2 - Little Things

Choices. Little things we can do to become more conscious of our choices.

Early morning, upon awakening:
  • We have the choice to be happy to be alive or bothered by some kind of stupid thought. Choose happiness. We’re lucky we’re alive. Breathe fresh air and be thankful for it. Be mindful of the water you use to shower, flush the toilet, wash your face, brush your teeth. Not everyone in the world has access to fresh water like we do in “civilised” modern society.

  • See what toiletries you are using. You have bought them for some reason, but whenever you buy, you are making a choice  – Where do they come from? How are they made? Who makes them? What ingredients do they contain? Are you supporting a clean industry? Is it sustainable? Are the workers happy? Every single product you see has hundreds of stories to tell you. Are you aware of the power this gives you?

  • See what you drink in the morning? Water? Coffee, tea? Juice? How good are they, really? How are they packaged? What happens to the packaging? Where do they come from? Who made them? More stories, more power to you – more responsibility on your shoulders…
  • What transport do you use? How much fuel are you using? Where was your bicycle made? Your car? The train or bus you take? What sights do you see on your way to work? Do you litter, or do you pick up after yourself?

During the morning:
  • What work do you do? How do you do it? How do you greet people? How do you relate to your co-workers, if any? What do you talk about? Silly things and gossip? Or deeper things? Is this possible? How to prod people into awakening and enhancing their Consciousness for a better world? Or is someone else going to do it? Who?
  • Obviously your smart phone is with you all the time. What do you feed on? Gossip, fake news? “Amens” and prayers? Quotes of the day? Friends and acquaintances? Are you really communicating, or just touching the surface? Everything has its pros and cons… Are you mindful of your choices in communication?
  • Do you eat anything? What? Same as above: where does it come from? Is it health-giving? Do you really need it? Have you done any charity for others yet, before you feed yourself? Were the eggs laid by happy hens, or unhappy featherless prisoners in cages? Everything is a choice, but if you are unconscious of the consequences of your choices and actions, does that exempt you from mistreating animals, plants, other humans? Do you care about your choices and actions?
  • How many banknotes and coins go to others during the morning? What are you supporting with your purchasing power? You may only vote in elections once every four years, but every cent or Eurocent you spend is a vote for something – what is it?

Lunchtime:
  • Same as above: What do you feed on? Where does your food come from? Who grew it? Who processed it? What did they put in it? How did they package it? Are their workers happy? Are they paid properly? Do they have health insurance, social security, or are they in some kind of sweatshop halfway across the globe?
  • Same goes for window shopping or buying something in an off-moment. What are you supporting with your purchase? If it’s plastic, it’s made from petroleum? How much oil is left? How much gas is left? Can we continue to use natural resources without concern? Do you care?
  • Have you looked up at the sky yet, all morning? The sun should be overhead now. Why not look up and inspect the cloud formations? What if you have a heart attack right now? Are you stuck in your petty thoughts and worries? Or are you alive and enjoying it? It is a marvel of Nature, that you should be alive today, don’t you know that? Can you feel it?

Afternoon:
  • What, still worrying about work? Counteract this by contemplating all those who are jobless, unemployed or working as slaves. You can work joyfully. If you don’t like your job, either like it or get out. You only live once.
  • There are no “people problems”. Only “issues” to be handled with other people. Don’t use emotions where they are useless. What? Can’t help it? Who told you bad feelings and noxious thoughts are part of life? They’re not. Whoever it was, you tell yourself something positive. It’s your choice always. If you don’t know how, find out!

Evening:
  • Haven’t you realised that your “man-made society” is just a sham? A fiction? You may talk about the environment, but have you touched the earth, put your hands in the soil today? Do you know where meat comes from? Fish, vegetables, dairy products? Do you know how the plants and animals live? Who cares for them and how?
  • Have you touched real water during the day? Or do you just buy soft drinks? Who makes them? With what? What effect do they have on the body and mind? Do you think soft drinks and other modern-day inventions were around when man became modern man, some 45,000 years ago? Was anything really wrong with drinking fresh water from a stream? We’ve been doing it for thousands of years before the ex-morphine-addict John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola, came along…
  • Have you noticed how you breathe all day? Do you realise you do breathe? And that if anyone takes your breath away, somehow, you wouldn’t survive for even 3 minutes? Isn’t it worth paying attention to something that is so vital to life? Or do you only really notice breathing when you smoke? Mmmm….
  • Contemplate the invisible things that make you what you are: without gravity, you would float off into space; without space, you wouldn’t have any shape or form; without form, no name; and without name and form, total nothingness… and without any nothing, there couldn’t be a something. If that’s too difficult to grasp, just get entertained – but by whom? And with what? Even a good book is nice in the evening, but does it really make you a better person? More choices, at every step…

Nighttime:
  • Have you reviewed your day? Have you been alive, happy, joyful? If not, what’s the point of living? Just to pay sales tax when shopping? Are you alone? Good. Have you made yourself happy? Are you accompanied? Good. Have you made others happy? Still more choices…
  • Are you ready to rest, after using up all that solar power all day on making yourself and others happy and peaceful, not sad and angered? The Sun gives us everything – your thoughts are only possible because the world is the way it is and we have a Sun and a picturesque Earth full of marvels to live on. Don’t let any thought concern you that much that you forget your innate joy. 
Have a good night. Be at peace with yourself and the world. And tomorrow maybe there will be no more war.

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