Living an Inspired Life Page 17

  In love,

  Ram Dass

  2. Hatred. Much of our entertainment dollar is spent watching malice, hatred, and hostility in some form. Now in my opinion, there’s far too much animosity in our world, so I have no desire to sit through a movie or listen to a song that repeatedly describes how one group hates another. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of my personal heroes, said that the only way to convert a perceived enemy into a friend is by love. Since we know that hatred itself breeds more of the same, then being exposed to it—even when it’s dressed up as entertainment—is something to be cognizant of when we choose a film, television show, sporting event, play, or book. Any hateful message is nonspiritual energy that we’re exposing ourselves to . . . and the more we consciously allow, the more we’ll be inclined to attract in our life.

  The moral of all of this is that entertainment can be uplifting and edifying, or it can be demoralizing and debasing. So where do we want our energy to flow—and, even more important, what kind of energy do we want our children to experience? We must be on guard against any entertainment that uses excessive profanity and seems to support hatred and disrespect in its narrative.

  I love this story that the Dalai Lama told in a documentary titled The Yogis of Tibet. It seems that one of the most enlightened Tibetan yogis who witnessed the carnage and decimation of the entire Tibetan culture by the Chinese, beginning with the Communist Revolution of Mao Tse-tung in 1949, related a story in which he stated several times, “I was in great danger.” This was surprising, since these yogis cared very little about their own safety. When the enlightened yogi was asked about his perceived danger, he responded, “Yes, yes, I was in grave danger. That is, I was in danger of losing my compassion for the Chinese.”

  This is not only a beautiful story, but it also helps us remember to be careful about accepting hatred as normal in our entertainment activities, for they can put us in the same kind of danger that the enlightened yogi recognized. And even more personally significant, enjoying hatred as entertainment can keep us from reconnecting to inspiration.

  3. Fear. A quick review of the morning paper reveals that a killer is on the loose, there are new terrorist threats to the U.S. and more terrorist threats in Spain, global warming is melting the polar ice caps, deaths at rail crossings have increased 11 percent in one year, gasoline prices are increasing and automobile sales are declining, OPEC’s cutting off the oil supply, frequent-flier miles probably won’t be redeemable because the airlines have nine trillion miles they owe us, the expectation of a heavy-duty forest-fire season is high, hurricane devastation will increase in the next ten years . . . and I’m only on page three!

  Every day we’re inundated with urgent messages to live in fear by our news-gathering agencies, our movies, our television programming, and even our government. Try buying anything to consume without having to remove layer after layer of protective seals to keep out all of the monsters who are trying to poison our foods. As a child I recall slurping from a garden hose—today we fear the toxins in our drinking water. I recall riding my bike all day in my Levi’s and a T-shirt—today we fear brain injuries and require helmets and protective gear just to ride a bicycle. I recall talking to strangers and trusting their good intentions—today everyone is a potential predator. I recall being home when the streetlights came on and never having to call home to reassure my mother that I was safe—today every child needs a cell phone and lives in fear of being abducted.

  We’ve become a fear-based society, and this dread has crept into all facets of our lives, including our entertainment. We sit in movie theaters biting our fingernails as we watch the machinations of a serial killer or see someone being decapitated by a chain saw. We’re told a thousand times a day to live in fear and worry about one kind of disaster or another: Someone is going to rob us or set our house on fire, a natural disaster is on its way, and the television beseeches us to watch Fear Factor. I could go on and on here, but I’m sure you get the point. Yet I have a point, too: When we live in fear, inspiration is virtually impossible.

  Consider what I’m writing here with an open mind. In fact, let me offer this disclaimer: Every bad thing that’s come your way, including any victim status, natural devastation, sickness, or what have you, is not your fault. There’s no blame—you’re not getting targeted for some kind of “karmic payback”—rather, what happened is there and it’s yours. Since fear is a vibration, you were a vibrational match to whatever entered your life at the moment of its arrival. Remember that you live in a Universe that operates by the Law of Attraction, so when you live in fear, you actually bring to you what you’re afraid of. Thoughts themselves are an energy, and it’s vital to realize that you need to work at not holding on to the ones that will weaken you. Keep in mind that you get what you think about, whether you want it or not!

  There’s no fear in our spiritual Source—still we’re persuaded to be afraid by continual exposure to the onslaught of fear-based dispatches that arrive on our doorstep. It’s possible that our life experiences, which were a vibrational match to our thoughts at the time of their arrival, instilled fear in us. Nevertheless, this doesn’t make our dread acceptable if we’re dedicated to living in-Spirit. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was right: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

  Our Universe is created out of love, kindness, peace, and well-being, so when we’re an energetic match to this awareness and refuse to live in fear, we’ll attract the protection and guidance we desire. We can absolutely affirm that we won’t attract anything that’s harmful to us or to our loved ones, we can heighten our awareness that we’re never alone, and we can have faith that whatever we need to experience is on its way and God won’t send us anything we’re incapable of handling.

  We can also be aware that the word fear is just an acronym for false evidence appearing real! That one phrase can help us remember that the ego is the false self, and identifying with it leads us to believe the false evidence. Even now, after reading all of this, some readers may continue to make fear real with thoughts such as, He wouldn’t be able to say these things if he knew all that I’ve been through. But in my heart I know that this is a Universe that’s on purpose and supported by a Creator Who is good. I never doubt it, and not only do I refuse to live in fear, but I also refuse to attract to myself the vibrational energetic equivalent of those fear-based thoughts. As an old German proverb proclaims: “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”

  4. Sarcasm. Just about every situation comedy on television has a familiar focus: dialogue that’s dedicated to sarcastic, unflattering comments between the supposedly comedic characters. Put-downs are the very bread and butter of almost all prime-time shows today, so in essence we’re asking to be amused by children being smart-alecks toward their parents and siblings mouthing off to each other with as many disparaging comments as possible. Oh, and these nasty rejoinders are followed by a laugh track to really drive home that we’re being “entertained.”

  Sarcasm designed to inspire laughter sends a message to viewers that’s anything but inspirational. Remember, our ultimate calling is always about being in harmony with our Source of Being—we’re all here as the result of a Creator Who has great respect for all of Its creations. Since no one is inferior in our Creator’s eyes, no one deserves to be ridiculed for the purpose of gaining an artificial laugh . . . not in life or on TV. When a comment is made in jest and there’s a kind of clever banter taking place, that’s comedy at its best—but when hostility and disrespect are uttered in almost every verbal exchange, with the express purpose to discredit and mock another person, that’s a decidedly uninspiring signal being sent to the audience. Awareness and choice are ours to exercise, so if this tendency toward sarcasm has become a habit, we must begin exploring alternatives to this style of entertainment and family interaction.

  You may recall that I wrote earlier in this book about my mother—well, I simply cannot even imagine using her as the butt of a joke to demean or ridicule her. A
nd yet I see this kind of disrespect taking place in nearly every episode of every situation comedy on the air today. Being courteous to others is a matchup to the energy of Spirit. Having fun, telling jokes, and being playful with others are all part of being in-Spirit, but a hostile, sarcastic sense of humor is an energy that moves us away from Spirit and into the realm of hurt and dishonor.

  Cultural and Family Influences

  I’d be remiss if I were to leave out this important category in this chapter. After all, we encounter lots of people in our everyday lives who attempt to convince us that we can’t live the dream that beckons us. Statements such as, “That’s not possible,” or “We’ve never done it that way in our family,” characterize our family or community members’ attempts to dissuade us from following our calling. I’ve written about these family and cultural pressures in other chapters of this book, but they bear repeating here.

  We need to be on the alert so that we’re instantly aware of what others are trying to accomplish with uninspiring pronouncements about what we can or cannot do. Practicing increased awareness when we’re around uninspiring family and/or cultural messages concerning our unique inspiration is extremely important: With that awareness, we’re gracefully able to smile and politely move away from any energy that isn’t encouraging us to follow our inner spiritual convictions to return to Spirit.

  Many of our cultural influences are very subtle and aren’t actually intended to be a distraction from our calling. Often, though, organized religions will push us in the direction of fearing God and living life in ways that have been prescribed by ancient theological doctrines and customs that have no merit in today’s world. And frequently there are rules meant to quell desires that we may have to live out the life that we feel burning deep within us. In these situations we must look within, consult with our Creator, and make a decision to be in-Spirit—even if it conflicts with what we’re being told by well-meaning people and institutions whose mission includes keeping us “in the herd.”

  Institutions of formal education may also want to discourage any attraction we have to listening to our inner guidance. This makes sense, since school is often designed to teach students to unquestioningly accept what’s taught and to conform to societal standards. There’s little room in this kind of classroom for following our own inner callings—the choice is generally between being like everyone else or being labeled as a troublemaker. Once again, we’re forced to contemplate the Shakespearean dilemma of “to be or not to be.” The stronger our burning desire to live a life of inspiration, the more we’re pushed in the direction of “to be.” We can learn to look at social pressures to conform and smile kindly, all the while choosing Spirit rather than the herd.

  As I sit here writing, I’m looking at a framed photo of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a powerful man of Spirit and one of my most inspirational teachers and mentors. I’d like to end here by sharing an observation he once made: “Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun.” This is a thought well worth pondering as we move in to the next chapter.

  Some Suggestions for Putting the Ideas in This Chapter to Work for You

  — When you find yourself being exposed to media onslaughts that are decidedly uninspiring, listen to your very first impulse and switch off! Turn off the television or radio, leave the movie theater, put the magazine down, and affirm: I no longer wish to be in the energy field of anything that isn’t a vibrational match with Spirit.

  — Be aware of brazen attempts by pharmaceutical companies to profit off of your presumed maladies, with advertising telling you to consult your doctor for some new medication. Let the ad be a reminder that you’re an instrument of health; by doing so, your body will react to the messages being sent by your mind. Remember that your body/mind is the greatest pharmacy ever created. It has an unlimited potential for creating well-being, since that’s where it originated from in the first place!

  — Say it out loud! By this, I mean, that you shouldn’t be afraid to make unusual or provocative affirmations. For example, you might avow: I won’t attract any further illness to my life. I’ll never allow myself to feel old, feeble, or frail; and I refuse to allow Alzheimer’s, cancer, or any other infirmity into my life. I don’t vibrate to frequencies that are designed to keep me from being in-Spirit.

  — Always remember that you’re a being who was created out of love. Write this out, place in a conspicuous place, and repeat it to yourself: I live in a Divinely inspired Universe. I have nothing to fear. I trust in myself, and when I do so, I trust in the very Wisdom that created me. Convince yourself (as I have) that when you live on purpose and “take care that [you do] not cheat your neighbor,” then you’re watched over by a “Senior Partner” Who knows that you’re both living and vibrating to the same spiritual frequency.

  — Work at developing your faith each and every day by taking time to be quietly in conscious contact with the Creative Source of your being. When you take time to meditate and commune with Spirit, not only will you feel revitalized, but you’ll adopt a defense system that can’t be penetrated by efforts to uninspire you, no matter how frequently others may attempt to do so. Ultimately, you’ll find that you won’t even bother to invite uninspired energy into your life via the media—or any other source, for that matter.

  On every radio, CD player, and television set there’s a wonderfully inspiring little button that says on/off, and it’s your choice to befriend it. You can literally push it anytime you wish, or you can use an inner off button whenever you’re bombarded by anyone or anything whose purpose is to distract you from your ultimate calling to inspiration.

  Don’t be afraid to use the off button—it works!

  CHAPTER 13

  INSPIRATION IN ACTION

  “In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.”

  — DAG HAMMARSKJOLD

  “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do . . .”

  — JOHANN WOLFGANG VAN GOETHE

  WHEN WE FEEL INSPIRED, we’re on the “road to holiness” that Dag Hammarskjold refers to above. Yet that road can only be paved with actions that mirror the intention of our originating Spirit—actions that we’re capable of choosing consciously, if we’re aware of the duality of giving and receiving.

  Like two sides of the same coin, giving and receiving are inseparable. Other examples of our duality abound: Before we can take a breath, we must give a breath; in order to give anything away, we must first have been willing to receive it; and our ability to feed others is linked to being able to accept food ourselves. Who has ever seen a person with a front but no back? How about an inside without an outside? Or a magnet with a north pole but no south pole? So, just as the Prayer of St. Francis reminds us that it is in giving that we receive, in order to receive inspiration we must be willing to give it away, and vice versa.

  Two Examples of Inspiring Action

  As Goethe instructs, reading a book about inspiration isn’t enough, and certainly waiting for it to fall from the heavens into your lap won’t work either! Clearly, if you want to be inspired, you must be willing to offer inspiration. You’ve got to act on a desire to inspire others, thus becoming a person of inspiring action yourself. So in this section I’d like to share two beautiful examples of inspiration in action with you, along with suggestions for applying them to your life.

  Example #1

  I was inspired by a short documentary called Ryan’s Well, about a young Canadian boy whose actions made a huge difference in the lives of some people in Uganda. You see, as a first-grader in the small town of Kemptville, Ontario, Ryan Hreljac learned that there were people in Africa who didn’t have clean drinking water—yet it would cost just $70 to build a well that could provide pure, potable water for an entire village. This six-year-old boy began a campaign to earn th
e necessary money, only to discover that the cost was actually several thousand dollars. His reaction was, “I’ll do more chores” . . . and he did.

  In the film we see Ryan travel to Africa with his parents a few years later. The villagers greet him with enthusiasm and declare a day of commemoration that they call “Ryan’s Day,” in appreciation of his commitment to helping his fellow human beings on the other side of the world. It turns out that Ryan was instrumental in helping to raise what eventually grew to be more than a million dollars! His inspiration had motivated other schools in Canada to get behind his project; after the national news media picked up on the story, the television networks climbed on board, too.

  Here was one small boy who decided to act on his strong inner calling to help others. He had no money or other resources at his disposal, but he did have a burning desire to reach out and serve people in need. He was willing to do the chores necessary to fulfill his call to be a vibrational match with his Creator and serve others. In turn, his actions created an immense wellspring of inspiration for all who contributed and got involved in Ryan’s foundation. He inspired the children in Uganda (and even the government and school officials in that country), who all paid tribute to the spirit within Ryan that did so much good (God) in a remote village far away from his small community in Ontario. Ryan himself was the recipient of even more inspiration than he gave away.

  When I watched the film, I was so moved that I insisted that all of my children see it, and they became inspired as well. In fact, I’m writing these words with the admitted intention of inspiring others to take action, too. Ryan’s Well Foundation has a Website (www.ryanswell.ca), and with some inspired action, everyone reading these words can find their way to it and contribute to making clean drinking water, something most of us take for granted, available for others.