About Women

 I wrote this last night after watching the news. Instead of railing against how the news is presented, I write.

         I like hearing about women who ignore the idea that the world is stacked against them. Women who do what they want regardless of what others think. Women who do not listen to the rhetoric that says women have been discriminated against, who act as if this is not the case, who venture into all worlds with the expectation that they can do anything, and see no barriers, only opportunities. This was ingrained in me by my father.

There were blocks in front of me in the early 80s when I became a stockbroker. I tried to join Rotary but was told they weren't ready for a woman member. I was chased around a desk by a groping manager; I have stories, but making those stories into a victim's story is devolving. I just chalked it up to the idiotic behavior of a few. Mostly, the men in my life have been great, and working in an industry with so many men has been a blast.

It seems like we're going into another round of hearing that women are victimized. One way we fight this is by moving past perceived barriers and not believing them.

Those who choose to point out the reasons they can't succeed won't. Those who barrel on through regardless may just change the world!

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Eventually, they Will Disappoint

 Eventually, all admired teachers and leaders will disappoint. They will say or do something that lets you down or that you strongly disagree with. That’s life. It could be that the esteemed teacher does something completely against their own teaching.

It happens to everyone: when our leaders or teachers say or do something so divergent from our own beliefs that we shrink back. It’s normal. It is a sign we have become attached to another’s voice. It is a moment for potential growth, if we recognize it.

We may have gotten too committed to one personality, one viewpoint, one solution, one way. The further we move along in their teachings, the more we may find ourselves painted into a corner. We can become addicted to this one view, so that when we hear someone agreeing with us, we feel elation. When we hear someone voicing a different point of view, we may feel a range of emotions, from superiority to anger. The more extreme we become, the fewer opportunities there are for growth, awareness, and joy.

We can choose to see the great strides in our own personal growth that we made from the inspiration we received from our teachers, and still maintain our gratitude for them.  

Life is more flexible, stretching between yin and yang, continually changing; with infinite creativity, the universe encompasses endless possibilities.

Integration is the key to humanity’s future. Realizing that differing views are aspects of ourselves to embrace. Not taking ourselves so seriously. Instead of looking for someone who can show you the way, be that someone you can have deep faith in, with courage, truth, and strength. Your need for others to agree with you will vanish. Your need for other teachers will vanish, yet you can still learn from others’ teachings.

                                               Photo by Jonathon Borba on Unsplash

We Need a Gandhi!

 

Have you heard about the Monks walking across America?

 

All the harshness, hatred, and criticism from groups go into the ‘field’ that is linked to us all. No matter what viewpoint, what side, whether in offense or response, this adds to the energy of all that is going wrong—violence, accidents, crime, even damaging weather—all of it increases, reaching into every opening, every place not powered with peace.

In other words, harmful energy toward others sends more energy to the opposition—making them grow stronger—with greater resolve, greater indignation on all sides.

Evil always goes down eventually, especially when peace grows so great that evil cannot continue.