With all the bad news lately concerning firings of Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, NPR executives and more to come—I am sick of bad news. We continue a war in Iraq and Afghanistan for 17 years with ZERO results other than our finest kids being killed. We’re $20 trillion in debt, but Congress forces us to take in 1.2 million immigrants annually to place them on welfare rolls. Our country endures being turned upside down and completely at odds with itself as to clashing cultures from endless immigration, incompatible religions streaming into our homeland by the millions, and angry people from around the world being allowed into our midst. Where’s the next Moslem terrorist attack? And which of us will die because of our own elected Congressional critters who lack the common sense to close our borders to all immigration? Because we know another Moslem attack will happen! Please enjoy this vignette that will be included in my forthcoming book in 2018: A Book of Wisdom and Joy.
As you grew up, you experienced different lessons along your life-path. You discovered a hot stove hurt when you touched it. A candle flame caused pain when you passed your finger over it. A rosebush thorn made your finger bleed. A bee sting caused you terrible agony.
(Delicate Arch offers a “gem” of understanding to those who seek it out in the desert of Arches National Park. You must climb to reach it. You must experience heat, altitude and struggle to attain your goal.)
From those experiences, you avoided the obvious in your daily meanderings. Marching into your teens, you discovered friendship, jealousy and betrayal. A bully beat you up. A girlfriend undermined you in your pursuit of a boyfriend.
In nature, you learned to run for cover during a lightning storm. When a dog gave chase, you picked up a stick to protect yourself.
You learned life-lessons either by your parents advising you or you learned the hard way by direct experience.
As you grew into your twenties, relationships grew more complicated, you worked a job with acerbic bosses and cantankerous fellow employees. You discovered many different aspects to how people operate in the world.
Along the way, you picked up new understandings and created game plans on how to deal with your circumstances.
All the while, you became a better you. But sometimes, you wondered about your choices or predicaments.
I’m reminded of the ancient king who held court each day. He beckoned the local sage for words of wisdom. Each day for a year, the sage brought the king an overly ripe piece of fruit along with a witty statement. When the sage left, the king tossed the fruit into a hole in a pillar where it fell to the basement, untouched.
One day, after the sage gave the king the overly ripe fruit, he turned to exit, but noticed the king tossing the fruit into the pillar.
“What are you doing?” asked the sage. “Did you not know I gifted you with a gem in the middle of each fruit?”
The king made an excuse before the sage exited the throne room. Quickly, the king ordered a knave to recapture the fruit.
The king cut it open to reveal a valuable gem. He said, “I never knew such beauty could be found inside an aged piece of fruit.”
The king ordered his staff to recover the gems from all the fruits in the basement. The gems of knowledge enlightened him, which allowed him greater understanding. He became a better king for all the people of his realm.
The great writer Thomas Moore said that every person faces the deadly turpitudes of living: obsessions, addictions, depression, loss of meaning, judging others, violence, anger, hate and prejudice.
It’s your challenge to connect with the divine in you. You might call it the “spiritual” within you. Choose to identify with your higher self. That quest creates a transformation that leads to your better well-being and better choices.
When bad things happen to you, decode the experience to see the gem. As you discover the synchronicity of the lesson, take advantage of it. Synchronicity coupled with purpose equals “coincidence.”
Once you step into the “flow” of life, those synchronicities multiply because your energies coordinate with the natural vibrations of the universe.
Engage these talents: walk in the light, walk tall, walk with a song, walk strong, walk wise, walk with hope, walk with joy, walk with purpose and walk with passion. People notice your demeanor. You attract them to their own higher self.
Take advantage of a bitter experience, betrayal of a friend, unfair treatment by another or any of the overly ripe experiences of life. You will find a “gem” in the rotten fruit that will enhance your life beyond all ordinary understanding.
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