Easy living

 Have you ever looked up at the sky on a clear night and came to the realisation that you are so small in the vast universe and you existence is a mere moment in time?

Take a moment to analyse the opening question. Seeing the stars above you is a blessing in itself. On a deeper level having a clear night can be compared to having clarity. We are all small in the universe means we can be compared to speck of dust in this world. Also take into account that the whole universe has not been discovered. It is estimated that there are approximately 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Time is such a manmade illusion, because we say that we do not have enough time, but the only certainty in regards to time that we have is now.

If all above mentioned is true: why then be bound to worldly chains? Well, the answer is quite simple: we think we should live our lives by the world's design. You see this is not reality, it is perception, but to change your perception you are going to have to change the lens to yourself and view your leprous. Not to fear, the moment you become consciously aware of that, you must know that you have the ability to change it. We have authority over ourselves just make yourself comprehend that. If you don't believe me test it. Think of a vegetable that you don't like. Go research the important minerals within the vegetable. Then go buy yourself the vegetable. Now when you eat that vegetable feel how it is improving your lack in minerals. Repeat this action three times until it tastes good. Three times and you will be convinced.

Now with that said lets look at some worldy chains that can be broken by you:

Internal dialogue

This refers to the way you speak to yourself. I bet you have called yourself stupid, dumb or an idiot. Have you ever wondered where you picked up the habit? Yes, correct from the people (especially in your formative years) that called you that or even call themselves that. Now I ask you: Why would you condone to such behaviour? Accurate again, it became a habit to you. Remember humans are habitual creature. Luckily there is an easy way to get rid of that destructive habit. I am now going to bestow on you HOW. Start each day with gratitude for who you are. Count all your blessings e.g. sight, movement, hearing and etc. Now go to a deeper level of self-talk: tell yourself that you are awesome and worthy to fulfill your purpose otherwise you wouldn't have woken up. When you catch yourself bad mouthing yourself, remind yourself that you won't let someone else speak to you in such a way, so why do you speak to yourself in such a way. Be kind to yourself because on average it take 21 days to break a habit.

Complaining leads to self-pity

If you are stuck in a rut because of past events, it is best to accept that the past is over and done and you cannot change a thing about it. Fortunately, you can change the way you perceived it. Life is Life and things happen, but it is our perception that causes a stagnant state. To help you break this chain- research people who's past was not allowed to give them the victim badge. Here is a link to the story of Ina Bonnet  https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/news/ina-bonnette-describes-her-ordeal-with-modimolle-monster-johan-kotze-in-new-book-66014410-59f6-4e42-8a26-0368bae5410b. Break the change of complaining by adopting a grateful mindset. Give the law of attraction a chance: put out good vibes and you will receive good vibes back. If you choose not to you will always lay in the bath of self-pity that you ran for yourself. 

Reaction

Choose your battles wisely are a very helpful statement in this world. Ask yourself why would you want to be a right fighter and not a problem solver? When you solve a problem that problem will never come up again, thus the latter is the easy way! When you are in an argument with someone, both parties should be consciously aware that it is both of you against the problem and not against each other. If you don't, it will cause an ever blazing inferno. When you react in a peaceful manner you can inspire someone to do the same. Remember you do not need to be the center of attention and you do not always have things your way. After all, this world is not a wish granting factory. So act in a way that will give your soul serenity.

The critical eye

I bring the following example in peace; it is not the way I view others. Pete was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He does not know what it means to live on the wrong side of the tracks. Yet, you as the person judging have not seen the world through Pete's eyes nor have you lived one day of his life. What I am trying to say is we have hurried responses to people, but it is based on our perception only. Take note your perception is not reality! As stated in To kill a mockingbird by Lee Harper: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Simple word of advice; be appreciative of each role player in your life. Everyone have something to bring to the table. Even if it is negative you learn not to be like them. Try to find that attribute in everything and everyone.

I leave you with the following quote from the poem Seven Ages of Man by William Shakespeare: "All the world is a stage and all men and women merely players". Ask yourself: Do I want to be an actor controlled by the world or really live? This is absolutely your choice!

Worth of travellers on your journey

Throughout our lives we meet people that play a vital role in bettering ourselves. These role models may never know their worth on your journey, but in a small but significant way they influenced who you become.

"Two men look out from behind bars the one sees the mud the other sees the stars", was words often spoken by my standard six Bible study teacher, Mrs. Heymans. Her size was ironically a contradiction to the size of her heart. You see, she was this petite old woman with a golden heart. Mrs. Heymans used to collect 5c coins from the students, which she then gave to the SPCA. I clearly remember when you gave her the coins she would get so ecstatic. She jumped up and down hugging you. The most humoristic thing that happened in her class was: if you were naughty she will hit you on the hand very softly and then immediately hug you. But wait I am getting to nostalgic here and moving away from the point. Those words spoken by the teacher in the class never left me even 25 years later. Why you ask! In that simple statement I got a lesson that I would never forget. That statement forced me (from a young age) to go into my inner chamber and analyse the way I think. It opened my eyes to discover my thinking pattern and decision making skills. The first lesson taken was: when faced with any situation, to always see the good, because trust me there is always good it's just that we become so panic stricken that we tend to miss the window of clarity and look through an opaque window.

From standard 6 to standard ten I had the same English teacher Mrs. Strauss. With the exception of the first two week in standard 8. Our class was assigned to Mrs. Groenewald. Fortunately that didn't pan out. I was in a class with a lot of boys, so she just couldn't handle that. Mrs. Strauss was this short, round and very straight forward teacher. By reading the latter, you can imagine that she was not well liked, but on the other hand I harboured a lot of respect for her, because of that. She would call you out even if you were the local doctor's child and I loved that about her. She was never unfair or scared to do/say what she thought is correct. Pasted on the front wall of the class just above the board there was a hand-made poster that read: By perseverance the snail reached the ark, it had a small hand drawn sketch of a snail. I read that thousands of times while sitting in class. Second lesson taken was that no matter how slow you progress you will eventually get to where you want to be. Patience on your journey is definitely a virtue. On the wall on the right-hand side was another poster that read: If you are reading this you are not listening to the teacher. I know very funny! This is the embedment of the third lesson. When I read that during class, it made me realise that I am not listening and this forced my attention back to listening to the English lesson. Thus within this statement was an encrypted message: If you attentively listen you will learn! Later on in my life it also made me understand that; if you want to be listened to, you need to learn to listen as well.

My standard eight to Matric Afrikaans teacher Mrs. Lindeque was a remarkable teacher. In all my life I have never met an educator that can make the most uninteresting thing the most interesting thing in the world. She truly made me fall in love with poetry and prose. She had this way of reading novels that made you feel as if the story is taking place right in front of your eyes. You felt all the emotions of each character as if for that moment you become that character. When she read a poem that had a songy undertone she would sing it to the class. When reading plays she would choose who will read and she will explain how you must read the words of the character you were assigned. If you didn't condone to this you would get an earful. The fourth lesson learned was to do things that need to be done with all you have. Only when you learn to do that you will not be burdened by any task. You will comprehend that you are equipped to do things; it is just that the lens you view yourself with is dirty. Remember whether you believe you can or can't you are right! Fifth, when you have empathy with people you will re-align your judging hawk eye, so that it becomes an understanding hawk eye.

In conclusion I leave you with some words from a poem: The Traveller by George Scarborough:

"Each morning before he gets up

To feed the chickens and milk the cows,

Han-Shan, propped among pillow, studies

The map of nameless places and lost

Addresses he keeps in his head:"

I am egging you on to take a trip down memory lane and be in remembrance of all the travellers that you have met up to this point that had an evident role in your life.