The power to change yourself

Having traveled outside the US for the past 18 months, I've become increasingly pessimistic over the prospects of humanity, to survive the next 100 years. No government, no entity, no deity, no demon, no corporation, no community has what it takes to 'solve' large-scale problems such as global warming, habitat destruction, terrorism, poverty, threat of pandemics etc. I feel it is naive to assume such problems can be addressed in time to stave off planetary collapse.

In the meantime, what is a humanitarian to do? I've realized that the least I can attempt to do is elevate my consciousness to be a better thinker, feeler, lover, parent, citizen and hope that some of this rubs off on people I interact with - who maybe inclined to then undertake a similar personal transformation.

Be the change that you want to see in the world. Truer words were never spoken.

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

From the false, lead me to the truth
From darkness, lead me to light
From death, lead me to immortality
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.
- From the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad

The essence of every human being is what Emerson called the Oversoul, which is our true Self — universal, all-encompassing, and blissful, the source of all knowledge and of cosmic consciousness.

The person who is in touch with this essence is confident without arrogance and tolerant without weakness; is efficient and economical in actions and immediate and deep in understanding; is undismayed in all circumstances and at home everywhere.

These possibilities lie within everyone, obscured by assumed limitations of body, senses, mind, and heart. This concept of the unity of all is Advaita Vedanta, the non-dual philosophy of self.

Explore, Discover.

On a day when I'm feeling blaaah from being on the move constanly, not knowing where I'll sleep each night, I'm calmed by these quotes:

"The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers."

- Erich Fromm

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

- Mark Twain

Attention and sex

via scottberkun.com
The wise and happy throughout history have found ways to avoid situations that demand divided attention. They convert the fractured experience into the meaningful (and perhaps magical) by investing their attention wisely.

There isn’t a single great work in the history of civilization, no novel, symphony, film, or song that was completed as a 1/5th time-slice between e-mail, IM, cellphones and television. Despite the modern drive to consume things made by others, time will always be our most finite resource and it crumbles when split into tiny little pieces.

And it’s up to us to choose how much of life is spent passively (consuming, waiting, watching) vs. actively (thinking, debating, feeling, doing, making). Whatever we choose, when we die, we have no one to blame but ourselves for where our time, and attention, went.

Need to avoid stressful surroundings

Stressful surroundings mess up your brain's capacity to create new neuronsvia Seed Magazine

The structure of our brain, from the details of our dendrites to the density of our hippocampus, is incredibly influenced by our surroundings. Put a primate under stressful conditions, and its brain begins to starve. It stops creating new cells. The cells it already has retreat inwards. The mind is disfigured.

The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them - Yahoo! News

via Yahoo! News

"Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes," according to Easterbrook. "If it makes world a better place at same time, this is a real bonus."

Diener has collected specific details on this. People who positively evaluate their well-being on average have stronger immune systems, are better citizens at work, earn more income, have better marriages, are more sociable, and cope better with difficulties.