Miracles

The Dalai Lama reminds us that peace and affection are the strongest tools for healing the world and also for strengthening our inner selves.  Yet, how many people believe they can use their minds to create their own miracles? How many people take steps to expand miraculous abilities?

A miracle is "a transgression of a law of nature."  It's something you don't expect to happen, some event meant perhaps to prevent you from becoming too rigid or set in your ways.  We can assume miracles happen.  We may hear about them or, in rare cases, be lucky enough to witness them. What seems normal talent or ability to some people will also seem most extraordinary to others.  

The area of conscious awareness never functions to its potential in a person who refuses to learn.  Only when mentally-prepared will a person be ready to effect or perceive extraordinary events in the physical world and even go so far as to redefine what is humanly possible. 

Consider how athlete Roger Bannister stunned the world by breaking the 4 minute mile.  At the same time, he shattered a psychological barrier. People had said that couldn't be done.  His achievement humbled naysayers and motivated other athletes to redefine limits and potential.

To achieve a high level of spiritual experience, has enabled human beings to heighten their perception; to see, hear and feel what others haven't yet developed the capacities to grasp.  Milrepa was a well-known Buddhist poet and visionary who was supposedly able to fly.  This was apparently a result of the depth and saintly wisdom he achieved in mediation.  Joan of Arc claimed to have been spoken to by God and guided to lead a historic army to save France.  A simple peasant girl, she transformed into an inspirational warrior because she believed she could and she had faith in her destiny.  People still believe in the power of signs and guides.

Miracles happen all the time. As we learn to believe in the potential for something wonderful, we open our senses and begin to appreciate life more.  Each time events occur that surpass all known human or natural powers, they may indicate Divine intervention or supernatural cause.  These events can also inspire us to redefine what is possible in our own lives. We all have abilities to develop ourselves from within, to rethink what we once thought were limits. As you learn to raise your standards, to expand your horizons, to surpass achievements, some people may describe that as 'a miracle.'  If you believe in infinite learning, your view may differ.

Real or exaggerated risks?

How do you determine whether taking a risk is warranted? With so many influences to skew our perception, it can be difficult to decide what action is justified. Your emotions influence your point of view.  Your mind has an opinion.  Your friends and family will offer their two cents. People you don't know may even offer you advice.  Then, the media and your imagination will paint pictures as well. Whom do you believe? How do you decipher or measure the true risk?

In November 2006, Time Magazine published an article that explained  "our emotions overtake our reasoning [and] we worry about sensational events which are statistically unlikely to harm us — such as airline disasters, shark attacks, or terrorism — rather than everyday dangers that kill thousands." Our emotions guide us to decide whether we should take or cancel that annual trip, get into a car and drive on a busy highway, or risk taking a new nuclear reactor job when life-threatening dangers appear to be a real possibility. 

John Graham, who spent four years as administrator of the federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, says "People's capacity to visualize a risk is an important part of the attention they give to it. "  Consider the fear factor that causes many people to worry about the level of terorist threat.  What does a scale of 5 colors about the intensity of terrorist threats mean to the general public? Red is supposedly more serious on the scale than yellow or orange but what do such colors measure or control other than human anxiety? Its up to each of us to decide.

Mental evolution

Humanity as a whole has not yet reached a collective stage of mental evolution. Many people feel no collective consciousness or collective conscience.  Material and non-material dreams aren't always compatible. How do we evolve to find a middle road when we can only change ourselves? Step-by-step.  We can each exert effort to help raise awareness of new options to revise dreams. 

Currently, the basic needs of all people on Earth are not being met.   It's vital we begin to realize focusing on material comforts is not the path to sustainable, collective happiness and fulfillment.  The state of national economies is not the real problem.  Whether they go up or down doesn't itself impact how people feel about themselves so much as how connected or disconected they feel to the world around them.  This is a hidden desire for deeper awareness and connection.  Do we have a hope of influencing  human mindsets and lifestyles on a massive scale?

Where huge populations have not yet overcome basic poverty, these individuals will have no interest in how environmental issues impact the air quality and levels of cancer across the globe.  In many cases, their basic survival depends on cutting down and burning  the firewood they collect.  One can't tell them not to cut down forests. In the same way, how logical is it to tell beggars not to urinate in the streets when they have no place to go? What can be done when  governments, economies and societies as they are permit people to fall through the cracks?

It's not rational to discuss hygiene or education with the homeless and destitute who focus on searching for their next meal. They will not be on your wavelength. The approach taken to education in Industrial countries could benefit from less focus on the purely local issues and self-interest and more consideration of implications of behavior and choices on everyone worldwide. 

The mental evolution of Humanity is not yet rooted in issues that would help to create a collective conscience. This would appear fundamental to any educational system that aims to equip future generations effectively to preserve or restroe environments and guarantee survival on Earth. Our dreams of reaching individual goals need to somehow be connected to promote collective survival.  

Writing in a public place

Why would a person take a chance to do something in public and possibly be rejected? I think back to what makes life seem legitimate.  Is it because we take steps to earn intangible things, like self-respect? We don't all wish to be accepted by others, but most people do wish to be heard.  Even graffiti artists and anonymous comments to newspaper editors reflect voices that seek an outlet.  So, what makes it hard for many people to discover their preferred forms of self-expression?  What holds people back from revealing opinions and feelings to strangers and to people they know?

Some people fear what others may think.  They fear beginning to understand the sources of their judgment.  They fear stumbling on the key to experiencing inner peace.  Most of us could benefit from sifting through our thoughts and feelings to realize better what we're trying to understand.  Are we disconent about some aspect of our existence? Are we searching for answers to questions that seem constantly out of reach?  The source of inner peace isn't a dream.  Not learning how to communicate leads to a real disconnect between thoughts, views and feelings.

To rediscover simplicity may seem more challenging than it really is.  It's seen as human nature to imagine the worst before it happens, even if the worst won't happen.  We have to re-learn how to interrupt and recondition the nature of our thinking.  Writing permits us to learn free flow of words. Once we redefine the reasons for and context of our word choices, we will realize the benefits of wider feedback. This helps us better understand ourselves and why we're here right now.

We can learn to appreciate the silence.  Yet, we must also learn to appreciate the impact of thoughts and feelings as they take shape in words. They echo inside our minds.  As we learn to step back and hear what words say to us from outside ourselves, our interpretation and self-understanding can differ greatly.

True Power

Power means different things to different people. True power may come from serving and helping others who come to respect you. These are the kinds of people who show sincere interest in listening to your views and experiences. They are willing to connect with you and evolve to support you as a person based on your beliefs and actions. You naturally build on and expand yourself as the energy and relationships from others assists you to learn about yourself.

You may also come to believe that power is knowledge or obtained through a position. Yet, if you ignore promises made to others or forget the reasons why you gained the current knowledge, your power loses its intensity and authenticity. When you lose people's trust, when you do not meet your responsibilities, you lose any power associated with the authority or reputation they gave you. John Steinbeck rightly said, "power does not corrupt.  Fear corrupts...perhaps the fear of a loss of power."

Power is rarely associated with a single person. Many people entrust power temporarily to single person who is at least initially regarded as having integrity. When you commit any act, you will reap the appropriate results to balance things. You will grow as you realize the responsibility you hold and the implications of your motivation to obtain power.

Genuine power can emerge when you believe in yourself. It can relate to your karma and intelligence. Whether or not you decide to interact with people and how should be influenced by their receptivity and their attitude. Do they believe in compassion and tolerance? Even if they don't, a heated debate based on genuine motivation can still produce positive results. No matter who you are or what your conditions, you have the power to develop peace of mind within yourself, an altruistic attitude and a sense of global connection and universal responsibility.