The ultimate destructive weapon

For people who dream of having the power to change the past, time travel could become the ultimate destructive weapon. Imagine how it could introduce unpredictable catastrophic events and their consequences into history.

Think of Ray Bradbury's science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451.  It suggests that killing an insect in another era could have unfathomable changes across many spheres. The idea of Michael J. Fox's adventures in the film, Back to the Future may no longer appeal to you if you realized making desirable changes for yourself and reversing decisions could trigger other undesirables for balance.  Would you care?

The growth of advanced science and technology lessens the relevance of natural physical boundries. This is natures' way of stabilizing balance for humans, other creatures and things. Future technology promises to be able to remove or compensate for what we assume would be missing. This could lead to a future world were human actions or achievement might be entirely controlled by ego, drive to achieve and desires to do so.

Already, we see such motivation in the arenas of genetic engineering and software engineering in cyberspace where holograms are meant to enable us change who we are.  Why is it that the world around us sends messages that convince us we should seek to change aspects of ourselves? Should we not be happy withour past and learn what we can from it rather than seek to change it?

Restraint may only be found in those people who have created a consicence, who nuture ethics, moral wisdom, self-control, and self-discipline. And what of the rest of us? As warp cores and other technology that fragment and send us through time and space come to be, it may not only be up to us to sense and change our moments. Would it be desirable for you to become suspended in time?

Success formula

You may have dreamed you exert a degree of influence over your life, and your view of success.  Yet, did you ever realize your hopes do nurture your beliefs?  This process predicts what you'll come to know, who you'll evolve to meet, what you'll choose to create and set out to experience?  Its no coincidence people will tell you that success begins within.  This may not yet have sunk in.

Consider that an individual who defines success based on the money he obtains may only seek out like-minded people.  His beliefs may justify vitually any venture.  If the 'how' or consequences won't matter, then this person could devise ways to obtain lots of money, but he may also find himself in jail for perpetrating criminal acts.  A state of mind can evolve to justify anything in the name of success.  Would morals and ethics come into play in your own version of success?

Consider the terminally ill person who defines success based on nurturing a peaceful mindset toward death.  To ly in a hospital bed waiting for the inevitable is an opportunity to reflect on emotional connections with life and to ponder the value of detachment.  What wisdom would you extract from people and experiences?  How would you find meaning in existence by reframing suffering?

Consider the individual who defines success as something earned through sacrifice.  An athlete may train long and hard to develop endurance and stamina for a big competition.  This person would commit to workouts, diet and psychological preparation, and redefine overall priorities.  Time spent on soem areas of life would mean less or no time left for other people or activities.  What kinds of lifestyle changes are you prepared to make in view of your desired goals?

Consider the person who defines success based on the idea that anything is possible.  This kind of person may push personal limits, take risks to step outside a comfort zone.  Such a person may imagine what success would look and feel like and then, take steps to create desired experiences.  How would you be ready to mkae different choices, from right here, right now? 

Consider the individual who defines succes based on what other people think, say and do.  People you respect or admire may tell you what they did and you may simply adopt their old approaches to life and believe you will do what they did, only your way.  Is what someone else did satisfying enough for you? What are the influences and sources of conditioning of your views?

Consider the person who perceives success as multi-dimensional with many phases at different periods of life.  This kind of person will never be wanting a new kind of success.  S/He will not say "where is success?" or "it's not there yet."  Rather, this person will evolve to see success everywhere.  In which ways do you think events unfold at the perfect time? Do you look past timing? At what point will you be ready to take each experience in as anew facit of your success? 

Bury the hatchet

Stop simply dreaming of moving forward in relationships.  Learn to move beyond incidents with an adversary that hold you back. Whatever grudge, hostilities or hard feelings you hold onto, are worth letting go. Consider the positive things you miss.  The forgiveness process may initially seem easier said than done. Yet, starting somewhere will make all the difference. Ask yourself what messages you send to yourself through your relationships.  Why do you attract and why? 

The idea of ‘burying a hatchet’ originated with the American Indian tradition of what chiefs of tribes literally did when they came to a peace agreement. It is recorded from the 17th century in English, but what it refers to is much earlier, possibly pre-dating the European settlement of America. Earlier literature refers to the concept as “hurling the hatchet as far into the depths of the earth as possible.” What kinds of things would influence you to "let bygones be bygones?”

1) Recognize the benefits in simplicity. You may be surprised how a deeper sense of satisfaction and closure can be brought about by just telling yourself it’s possible to move on. Forget about striving to predict how many things may go your way and what control you may or may not exert later over that person.  Lost time building your life elsewhere isn’t worth it.

2) Move toward inner harmony. Getting more comfortable with what has transpired enables you to move closer toward inner peace. You can realize balance between positive and negative thinking.  A wealth of wisdom is available to you.  All you must do is tap into your views on the nature of existence and whom gives it positive meaning. If you don't like someone, move on.

3) Retain valuable lessons. How you feel about someone else mirrors back feelings you sense inside yourself. If you see someone as an adversary and you disagree with his or her decisions, what does this tell you about yourself? Your eagerness to get into certain situations? And work in particular environments? What can you retain and re-apply?

4) Grasp that you determine what happens. It may be a bit of a shocker, but you actually imagine and create your experiences and encounters with people. You may not have been aware of the power you exert, but you can visualize your life differently from here. You will choose to forgive and proceed when you have learned what you needed to learn from that person and situation and you’ll grow.

5) Recall what you told yourself before. Which reasons could you have had for wanting to get into a situation you considered frustrating or challenging? Why might you have invited an encounter with an incompatible person? Your choices are the tools which shape what you will eventually experience. As you follow the thread back to possible motivations, this will assist you to evolve inside and move on.  What other people choose is their business. You control yourself.

Robert Perkins: 3 Steps from Wall Street to Wilderness Canoe

Back in the summer of 1987, Robert Perkins quit his job as a Wall street insurance executive and flew to the remote Canadian town of Yellowknife. He dropped a 17-foot canoe into the Back River, in the deep Northwest Territories. This man carried with him everything he would need to survive and document the 72 days and 600 miles he predicted would be required to become the first solitary canoeist ever to reach the river's mouth at the Arctic Ocean. Why the rush?

After years as a printmaker and struggling to be a full-time painter, he fell in love with a woman whose family wanted him to prove he could get a good job, make money, and earn respect. Eager for approval, he responded to the challenge by landing a corporate Manhatten job, and the couple moved in 1984. Two months later, the woman left him because he was no longer the man she knew. Perkins felt very alone with his new job and financial security. After two years, physically and emotionally exhausted, all he could think about was quitting and finding a canoe in the wilderness. What can we learn from his quest for solitude?

1) True wisdom is found far from people. The only way you can listen to yourself is to learn to step back from what you know and learn to perceive differently. Rethink your understanding of space and time, as well as priorities. What are your external influences? What can you discard? Perkins realized that the life he had created for himself wasn't what he really wanted. As he looked more deeply into nature, he realized this was a way to experience his feelings as they were.

2)Establish your sense of worth. Perkins felt defeated and guilty in the world he had created for himself. His family couldn't grasp why he headed off in a canoe to the Arctic. He came to the point where had to do something and redefine his view of an acceptable way of living. If he was to go up there to die, that was his choice. He accepted the unforeseen consequences. He chose the journey and took the risk as a challenge to prove himself to himself and to nobody else.

3)Create your own sense of "validation." Step back from society or other reasons you think you need external approval. Perkins became fascinated with his own shadow. Seeing himself for what he was was the only thing that validated him. This proved he existed. In such a situation, with life focused on survival, a person just doesn't care what other people think. Get to the point where you can "make up your own mind," In essence, you are your only company and muct take strengths and weaknesses at face value.

Isabella Lucy Bird Bishop & 5 Reasons to nurture hope

In 1892, Isabella Lucy Bird Bishop became the first woman to be elected to the Royal Geographic Society. At age 21, she began to travel.  Her family sent her on a sea voyage hoping that the travel would be good for her health. She ended up circling the globe three times, at times traveling by elephant.

This adventurer evolved to share her stories as she wrote books, including The English Woman in America (1856), The Hawaiian Archipelago (1875), A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879), Unbeaten Tracks in Japan (1880), Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan (1891), and Korea and Her Neighbors (1898). Her altrusim led her to found hospitals in China and Korea.  What can we learn from the personality of this worldly woman?

1) Challenge conventional wisdom.  Just because people tell you what's good for you doesn't mean they know you or your potential. Isabella Bishop turned the situation of her illness into an excuse to discover parts of herself she hadn't known before.  She challenged what was seen as 'acceptable' and 'appropriate' for women of her era.  She gained insight into herself and did what worked for her.

2) Establish your own way of living.  You may not know exactly what you desire to do or what makes you feel comfortable at that point in your life. Recognize that exploring your interests and options is how you'll discover the sources of your passion. Isabella Bishop turned to writing as a way not only to reflect on her experiences, but also to share cultural lessons she had learned. You too will find your way, so long as you find courage to take intiial steps to get going somewhere.

3) Direct your vision inward.  Temporary disorientation can be remedied by looking into yourself and listening to your inner voice. if you haven't heard that before, its time to discover an effective inner guide. Isabella Bishop learned to trust herself when society and her friends and family were at least initially uncomfortable with some her choices.  She nurtured faith in herself.

4) Follow your instincts.  To orient  yourself and create a hopeful future, it pays to listen to your instincts.  This means you learn to develop trust your dreams. Isabella Bishop realized what each of us creates in the 'her and now' develops through thoughts and hopes as well as action.  As you continue to imagine where you're not, but where you'd like to be, this is how you'll get there.

5) Push your own limits.  Regardless of what other people are doing, you establish your own standards and goals. In order to motivate yourself, pushing yourself beyond what you have already done will keep you motivated and inspired to continue living a mroe fulfilling life than you know.  Isabella Bishop became a pioneer in her own right, not simply to become a lady of firsts, but to pursue her dreams.  She figured out there was much to learn in this mutli-dimensional world.