Don't take things so seriously!Written by Edward B. Toupin
Life is sometimes just what it is. Sometimes you can control a situation and other times you cannot. However, we sometimes become so caught up in direction and desire that we lose concept of current location and ultimate destination.Don't allow things to interfere with your life by absorbing them into your soul and mental workings. It is important to be responsible for yourself and your actions, but not about those things that just go on around you. Take time to enjoy journey and don't worry so much about destination. If we're only worried about where we're going, then we'll miss out on small gifts and important lessons that we need to learn along way. Take time to see humorous side of life's occurrences instead of horrific side of every event. For those events that we cannot control, just enjoy process and let it slide. Grab what you can out of situation and let it go by without interfering with your direction and desires. For those things that you can control, realize that they are simply part of your life and desired direction. Work to make them benefit you and enjoy process that you made happen.
| | Afraid of dying? ... Afraid of living!Written by Edward B. Toupin
Over years, I've heard many people voice their concerns of death and dying. It wasn't that they had any maladies that would cause them to die any time soon, but they were "afraid of their own immortality." The basic idea of death, or potential of death, created a mind-numbing fear that, in some cases, forced them into isolation to avoid anything that could increase their chances of dying.Although this might sound like a gruesome topic, it is important, as one of most common situations associated with a fear of dying is actually a "fear of living." One fears death because they've not learned how to live. They are afraid that there won't be enough time to live a full life and in process waste time worrying about not living. Believe it or not, this is more common than you might think. One of other, underlying, reasons for fear of death is ingrained parental voices of society and religion that, indeed, we will perish in afterlife. One needs to evaluate realities of their spiritualism to ensure that those beliefs provide comfort and support throughout life. However, why must one examine spiritualism externally since we are our own gods and our own spiritual essence? From some of situations I've noticed in my work and studies, many of my clients, and others, have a distinct belief in something outside that creates their essence --- or on which their essence is based. By believing and honoring this "thing", "being", "organization", etc., they feel as though they are part of something greater. It also provides them with "softer answers" to "larger questions" --- otherwise known as faith. Indeed, there are no soft answers and it is in those realities that we can grow and eliminate fear. Of course, I can't blame these individuals for feeling and believing way they do as their ideas have been handed down over generations by society and religion. If these ideas were to be ripped from them, it would throw them into a whirlwind of confusion and instill hatred that they were misled all these years. It is seen by society that control is easier to maintain on fearful "lost sheep", or "cattle", that have faith in a supreme being --- "authority". If people believe in themselves and their own internal gods and spiritualism, then they no longer belong to a group and can no longer be swayed to will of those in power. In fact, by allowing people to believe, and teaching such beliefs, in their inner gods and spiritualism, they do indeed belong to a group --- a much larger group consisting of everyone and everything --- this instead of segregating groups by concocted, shaky, and fear-inducing beliefs. Could this be answer to many of today's problems? Instead of pointing to a multitude of greater beings and dictating what these beings tell each group of believers simply to create a rift at political and religious levels, perhaps by believing in oneself as creator and understanding that we are all creators that turmoil might decrease or desist.
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