We Are All the Same.

So we have it set that we do rely on each other more than we may realize and that we are part of something bigger. My original intention was to go into relationships and such but there are a few things I wish to say 1st.

There's a question that has bothered the world for years, and its "What is the meaning of Life?". Douglas Adams once postulated the answer to the question is 42, and though this isn't a bad answer I have to disagree with Mr. Adams. After years of thought on the subject I believe that the buddhists have found the answer, Happiness. True and real happiness. Not a night with friends happy, or just got laid happy but true deep down happiness. Look at the world around you thats the one thing everyone seems to be thriving, fighting, and longing for. "If I get this job I'll be happy." "If buy that car I'll be happy." etc etc etc. Of course those things never really work, cause once you get the job, and the car, your gonna want the girl, and the house, and the kids, then your gonna want the kids to do well in life and go to college, then their out of the house and you want to retire...and so forth and so on. Happiness isn't about material goods, it's about emotional goods.

The Buddhist say the biggest emotional good out there is compassion. Again after much thought I agree. Compassion creates empthy, respect, and love. My last post touches a little on Compassion and empthy, and even more slightly on respect. I pointed out we all depend on each other so remember that next time you start to get annoyed or angry. Here I'm gonna go on a little more, this time I'm gonna actually come out and say, We are all the same. Yes we are individuals but beyond that we are all human. We all have the same hopes, and fears. We all hurt and love. You might be Black, Asian, Latino, Native American to my Caucasian. You may be Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Agnostic, or Athiest to my Roman Catholic. You may be Russian, French, English, Chinese, Japanese, Congolesse, Spanish, Mexican, South African, Vietnamise, Bolivian or Iranian to my American. But the hopes, the fears, the hurt and the love don't change because of that. We don't have different organs, no one group is less intellegent than another. "it is not so much forgetting our differenceces, but rather remembering our similarities."

By now I'm sure your saying I know this. I'm saying its time to stop knowning and start feeling it. Because we are great at forgetting it from time to time. I forget all the time. Show me a Yankee fan, or the guy that just cut me off, or the person that screwed up my drive through order and I'll show you how. I'll pick that person apart and find reasons to dislike and put down that person. Well at least thats how it use to be. Now I stop...asap (sometimes its hard to do right away at 1st) and reflect for a second. I reflect on the fact that this person wants to be happy, this person feels pain, this person has dreams, hopes and loves just like I do. I find away to feel compassion for this person. I suggest you do the same, this alone has made me, by leaps and bounds, happier. I've also found it makes me feel closer to others around me. Note I don't just do this with the people I have a dislike for, I do it with everyone now. It's a lot harder to do with people you dislike but give it time. Having this compassion will A. give you a new found respect for everyone B. it gives more empthy and C. it'll actually make you happier no lie there.

Changing ones persepctives will also make you happier. In the 1st paragraph I went through all the things we do to attain happiness. The job, the car, the girl/guy, the house, the kids, the retirement, the summer home etc. There is a short cut that is essentially pass go and collect 200 dollars. Its not easy but it is easier than all the things listed above (I am not saying don't strive for them you should but don't make it the basis of your happiness). Be happy with what you have. Be happy with where you are now. Yes easier said then done, but not impossible. Compassion to others will help and though its only a story this helped me find a way to be happy with my life right now...adapt this story to yourself, find your own "wise man."

Once there as a disciple of a Greek philospher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over the Master said to him, "Now you can go to Athens and learn Wisdom." When the disciple was entering Athens, he met a certian wise man who sat at the gate insulting everybody who came and went. He also insulted the disciple, who burst out laughing. "Why do you laugh when I insult you?" said the wise man. "Because," said the disciple "for three years I have been paying for this kind of thing and now you give it to me for nothing." "Enter the city" said the wise man, "it is all yours..."

I have more to say but I need to end this here. I'll continue probably within the next week or so.

Individualism

Hey all. Sorry for the wait...I have been taking a lot of flak for it but there is a reason. I wanted to explore the subjects I wanted to talk about and break them down with logic, reason, and a degree of truth and thats not done over night...heck I'm not even near done yet but I believe I finally have a good starting point. That starting point is individualism.

Our nation loves the idea of the individual. Self releance and independence (at a personal level) has for years been the ideal in out nation. This raises questions. The first question that came to mind was "Am I self releant? am I independent?" Ask your self this question. So whats the answer? yes or no? My personal answer was "No".  My current jobless state and living with my parents was the reason I said no. I suddenly felt very small, so to make up for it I decleared to myself I was once. I reflected on that time and realized that I never have been truly independent. Nor have you. We are all extermely dependent. From those living on the streets to the Bill Gates of the world not one of us is truly independent.

Either you've already picked up on what I'm saying or you think I'm nuts and are currently thinking of how to list out all the things that make you independent and self releant to prove me wrong. If you are the second case. Stop for one second and hear me out. Look down at your shirt. I have one of my favorites on its black with white and red Kanji that says I like Sake. But thats not important right now. Ask yourself how did this shirt end up on you. If it's cotton it had to have been grown, loomed, colored, made, shipped, put on display, and sold to you. Look at all your cloths its all the same. You completely rely on at least 4 to 5 people every peice of clothing you own. One of my new favorites was I remember saying I was independent at 16 when I got my drivers license. But its the same with the shirt...I relied on all the people that made my car, the roads, the gas stations, the manufacture of gasoline etc. Everything you have you have because of someone else made it. Your house if you didn't build it yourself (cuting down the wood, making the copper for pipes, making the wires for electric etc) someone else at least helped. But you paid the money, which you got from your boss who got it from customers...our entire economic system depends on no one being truely self releant.

Actually seeing this for the way it is, made me very defensive at first.I went on for a week or so in a horrible mood but it slowly got better and over time I decided that, ok independence in a pyhsical sense isn't truely possible. But mentally it is. I have my own thoughts my own ideas, my own emotions when it comes to these things I am completely independent. Then something happened a real good friend of mine had a loss. Compassion took over and my heart went out to him. My feelings my emotions turned on a dime due to an external force. It made me return to this subject cause I was clearly wrong. My own emotions didn't depend just on me. I thought about how I felt for the Japanese people in the last few weeks after that earthquake and tsunami. I reflected on all the people I've seen (and heard of) suffer and how it made me feel. Without my choice without my permission I felt for them all. And when I lost my Meme, my Pepe, Mrs. C, my great Grandma all the people I cared for and lost what was it that made me feel better? Others. When ever I loved it wasn't fully due to me. When even I felt anything a large part was due to me but there was always some kind of external force.

So if I was so wrong about my feeling my emotions, could I be wrong about my thoughts? Hell yea.lol. It didn't take me long to see though my thoughts are my own they come from my education. The basis of my thoughts is what others have taught me and how I've interperted those lessons. As with anyone else.

So therefore we are all interconnected. So what does this mean for us? Well I think it means a few things. Even though we are interconnected like this we attempt to be an individual we think of ourselfs, and we close ourselfs off from others with some ease. No wonder we have widespread depression. We find that "one special person" and try and put it all on them and if we don't have that one special person trust me everyone pushes and prods you to find that person. Is that a good idea, to be emotionally and mentally dependent on only one? I don't think so...but this subject I need a little more time with so it will be fully addressed in my next post.

Again I would like to hear your thoughts an opinions on this subject. And as a parting suggestion when every you handle something or buy something or eat something just give a quick thought of the mysterious others that had a hand in it. It made me feel a little more connected and happy for the week or two that I've been doing this. So give it a try...let me know how it goes for ya.