THE CLOUD AND OUR FUTURE

The fog bank disguises the Ivy League executive enveloped within its clutches.

The cloud and our visitor are melded as one, like Fred Astair and a dance partner of times past.

We hear the orchestra playing the Charleston. Almost.

 

Squinting, we try to more clearly see the caricature. De we believe what we see?

Is this really a man standing in the midst of a fog bank?  Or is it a figment of our imagination?

We want to believe that our eyes are seeing a man. Almost.

 

As the fog rolls forward, the width and depth of the white fog ball seems to recede.

We should be able to more clearly identify the man’s features.

Curiously, and without explanation our vision is blurry and unable to focus.

Ah yes, we can decipher that the man is wearing a double breasted grey suit.

Or is he?

Descriptive adjectives are on the tip of our tongue. Almost.

 

Conflicted, confused, a bit frustrated, we call out

” Who goes there”?  ” Tell us who you are”.

A mumbled response moves through the air.

We decipher the utterances sent our way. Almost.

Who are we kidding? The jumbled mass of sounds is unintelligible.

 

Nearly exhausted, we crumble in a heap and lay on the grass beneath a giant oak.

The fog bank stops fifty feet from our resting place.

Stopped! The caricature, mocking smile intact, faces us straight on. His hands seem to be frozen at this sides.

We plead for some gesture of recognition.

Yes, we want to be friends with this person from a place unknown. Almost,

 

Are we viewing a ghost of lives past or our soon to be future?

Perhaps the picture of our great grandfather which has hung on each successive

generation’s dining room wall has come to life?

 

We reconcile to being in the presence of the forerunner of a welcoming party

telling us of our upcoming end of life experience. This angel of the future

has arrived in the form of a singular white cloud. Mesmerized, we succumb to its

power and sleep peacefully along the shores of Lake Geneva.

 

Are we to welcome the peace of death?

We are ready, prepared, at peace. Almost.

 

THE SIGN OF PEACE

THE SIGN OF PEACE

 

The gnarled, bent oak tree stands alone as  if  it  is a solitary guard protecting the humble cottage with bright yellow shutters situated along a main highway in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.   Sturdy trunk and flaying branches create an uncertain portrait. Splashes of frozen snow contribute to an image of mysterious historical importance. Ansell Adams might have found the scene interesting.

 Our eyes interpret this scene in many and various ways.  A Greek philosopher observed that eyes are the portal of wisdom.  We discern, observe, evaluate and then make judgments.  Nothing  more, nothing less. Information is distilled in our minds eye.  The accuracy of our judgment tells us much about who we are- as compared with what we actually see.

 An elderly man appears in our minds eye.  His face is crisscrossed with deep, dark lines.  Hairline receding. Eyes  sparkling accompanied along with a  bounce in each step.  We can create a drawing based on the impact of these and other   characteristics.  Positive?  ? No reaction?  Each day we make judgments using these and other markers.  Negatives – consider that we are all created in God’s image. Ever wonder what our God looks like?

 The harsh reality is we often operate on the axiom that 1^st impressions are the most important.  It’s difficult to surrender the judgments we make – no matter how fallacious.  Erring on the side of the positive while displaying grace and human understanding is a challenge.  The nurses and doctors in military hospitals such as Walter Reed are blessed with a special supply of compassionate genes.  The injuries of war can be downright horrific.  Somehow these angels of mercy in all countries see beyond the burns, the broken bones, and fight to preserve life.

 Like the medical professionals, there is an element of the Good Samaritan in each of us. Are we willing to take the risk to help a stranger/adversary? Consider giving a gift as simple, as sharing a smile and extending a handshake with someone who makes us feel uncomfortable inside.  Bosses can take a moment to talk with employees whom they would rather ignore. This a gesture of sharing our humanity and respect.

 The smile and handshake is often times referred to as the “ sign of peace”.  This heartfelt gesture brings peace and compassion to both others AND ourselves. 

WE CAN CHANGE DIRECTIONS –IF WE SO CHOOSE

Words leaping off the keyboard: mesmerized

by Delta Blues.

Lyrics filled with the gutteral stories of struggle,

Survival and life’s tensions:

Timeless, ageless, wrapped in a culture of plantation

Experiences : understood by some, appreciated by all.

A musical collage of life’s stories.

A palette of sounds for life’s seekers…whomever you may be.

The search for individual peace and calm is

universal across time, space, and geography. The Blues

provide a reflective voice when the noise of life is

a cacophony of directionless sound.

The  trek becomes more urgent as the

hour hands on the West Minister clock inexorably

travels its 360 degree journey each and every day.

Days pass, years accumulate.  The grim reaper awaits.

Scythe in hand: Eyes at the ready.

An individual journey whose map into the future is

guided by our own inner GPS … going where?

Twists and turns are as buffet offerings slapped on a platter?

No, options are deeply rooted in our choices of yesterday,

of yesteryear.  The fabric of our choices are sewn together

as in a handmade Amish stocking carpet:  each decision adding to

the fabric’s strength, color, and size.  To undo any of the intricate

panels is to disrupt the quilt’s essence – and thus tear our

past asunder .

Our inner psyche becomes unrecognizable.

The nimble fingers of the skilled artisan attaches one stocking to

another – using artistic magic to create their own masterpiece.

Each stitch an individual choice: decision.

And so it is as we wend our way through life’s  daily opportunities:

 We are responsible for each step we take: decision we choose.

Like the maestro composing the blues: the seamstress creating

a masterpiece..  our decisions are influenced by those who have

gone before.

The quiet interludes we choose to have : or ignore with our God

follow the West Minister time piece as we evolve into our full being.

Like the clock, we can rewind, reset, and recalibrate who we are and

what we believe … when and if we choose to do so.

 

PARADISE AND PEACE – Part 2

We asked – and you responded. Our thoughtful readers penned their reflections about “ PEACE”.
I hope you continue to share your thoughts: Here is part 2 about paradise and peace.
• Email your sharings to info@rlhassociates.com

Amy Barret shared that peace is “ a feeling of completeness, satisfaction and lack of anxiety and fear”.
Worthy of further discussion, this is an interesting combination .
Completeness and satisfaction are what Abraham Maslow and others have referred to as self-actualization.
Value driven, completeness is living ones life in total concert with what is important to the individual. . A healthy condition, completeness/fulfillment implies a mixture of components which reflect what the individual wants and needs from life. For example, if completeness reflects agreement with the individual’s values of society, family, and relationship with a higher being then inner fulfillment is attainable. Peace and fulfillment are present in every aspect of their life.
Question – Is completeness individually defined?
Can someone whose behavioral patterns are outside the parameters of societal norms have a feeling of completeness and satisfaction? Their individual values are synchronized with activities not generally accepted by others. For example, Bernie Madolf was the master of deceit and cheating others of their fortunes. During his years of deception did he have a sense of completeness and inner peace?
What if the picture we see is inaccurate – does it matter? For example, there are individuals business who see themselves as outstanding leaders. This evaluation is based on their self evaluation: the reflection they see in the mirror. What if others do not see them in the same light? They are seen as manipulative, or passive or generally ineffective. Their counterparts view them as being a dysfunctional leader interested in promoting their own self interests. Completeness and peace are not descriptors which others attach to them. Does it make a difference if we feel complete-at peace- when others have a differing opinion of us?
Another question on the table therefore is: can an individual with an inaccurate self image be complete and satisfied? Some individuals underestimate their talents and abilities. Does it matter? Hardly – if they are satisfied, feel complete, and fulfilled then peace exists from within.

The 2nd part of Amy’s observation is also very telling. She cites “ lack of anxiety and fear”. According to a discussion in Wikipedia, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread.[3I
Sometimes anxiety is referred to as nervousness. When in a situation about which we are unsure – meeting a stranger for example, we become nervous, hesitant, reluctant. This tears at the coattails which we have stitched together to make a garment called “ peace”.
An interesting sidebar to anxiety. We don’t want much of it. However, it is one of those two edged swords which we need . Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor.. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation by prompting one to cope with it. In a strange sort of way, anxiety helps us become more peaceful. Anxiety occurs without any external threat
Obviously what Amy refers to are the anxious conditions which control and overwhelm us. As it is with fear. Fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, Worth noting is that fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Fear could also be an instant reaction to something presently happening. Fear is a reaction to “ what might happen”.
A question worth considering * What are you afraid of?
o What might happen if the fear becomes reality?

o How can you overcome this fear?
The identification and elimination of anxiety of fear can contribute significantly to your Paradise and Peace:

Paradise and Peace- Part 1

 

Paradise and Peace

                                                                PARADISE AND PEACE – PART 1

The following is an introduction to a discussion about Paradise and its 3 components:

peace, prosperity and happiness.

 I hope you share your thoughts about what is “ peace” in your life.

  Email your sharings to info@rlhassociates.com .

 

Paradise  is sometimes described as a place where peace, prosperity (not luxury) and

happiness exist.

How do we arrive at this place (or is it a condition) that we label “paradise”?  Is

paradise some oasis as pictured in some paintings? Or a place with opulence?

Is it : inherited, / acquired through religion or meditation or ….?  Can we buy it? Or

build it? Or Invent It?

Does it really exist or is this a creation of our mind/imagination? 

For discussion purposes,  an interesting beginning is giving reflective consideration 

 to “ what is peace”?  Are there metrics, measurements, standards by which we

measure peace?  Those with a religious bent might say it is being one with their God.  

 calmness, a unity, the turning over of their lives to a supreme being. In the book “ Eat 

  Pray Love”  Elizabeth Gilbert  describes her trek  through the meditational journey of

Yoga and  a Bali wise man.  A process that sweeps her away into another  mystical

place.

 What about those who do not believe in a religious sense.? There is an absence of

 standards and values which relate to an after life.  Peace is about practicality –

getting and doing those things which are necessary for happiness. Others 

compliment/or subjugate  their peace by gaining satisfaction through being

conducting themselves as  “servant leaders”.   Giving their lives and talents to

enhance the lives and well beings of others.  We see this in the remarkable spirit of

volunteerism  which embraces the United States ( this is not true in many countries

and cultures where the government is the universal care give).  The

ravages of floods, tornadoes, fires are  solved  by neighbors and strangers who are

committed to assisting others in times of need. You get more than you give – a common

refrain from rain soaked, muddy volunteers who have spent back breaking hours

filling sandbags along the surging rivers of the Mississippi River.

 A cohort tells me his version of peace Is the absence of emotional conflict.  Meaning 

 having an uncommon bond and a sense of  comradeship with others.  This is an

important value in his life.  That being,the capacity to sincerely, deep down in his

souls, have the capacity to engage all types of people in business and personal

relationships to the degree that he is at total peace with them.  Talking to the

truth is his philosophy so therefore there is an absence of hypocrisy, the taint of little

white lies, and deception.  Winning is not important —  it is more about building and

maintaining honest relationships.

Another “peace’ is that of security.  Security may be in the context of financial health.

 Or perhaps it is physical security – the avoidance of physical harm or being in good

 health.   Money can’t buy you happiness but it sure helps goes the saying.  For

security needy individuals, accumulating wealth is more necessary than

relationships, or peace of mind, or their relationship with a deity. 

For others who have illnesses, or lived in areas of high crime or conflict, peace is

good health and safety.Knowing your child will come home safely from school

everyday or being able to go to the grocery store without fear of being attacked are

very real concerns.  Indeed, they are a priority.  Luxurious houses, a 

stress free life as regards relationships, these are important – but living In fear for

one’s life prohibits one from being at peace.

 

  

 

A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER BECOMES A MILITARY INTERVENTIONIST

Incongruities on the world stage are fodder for those who prefer orderly, explainable events.
Not able to understand the concept of “protecting civilians” as a justification for intervention in Libya, it seems reasonable to alternatively explore the concept of peace. You remember, Peace on earth, peace be with you, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
One of the most esteemed awards since its inception, there is a specific criteria for selecting the winner. Part of the criteria is “…shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.[1] That is a direct quote from Wikipedia.
Winners include:
* Martin Luther King Jr – leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, campaigner for Civil Rights ( 1964)
• Willy Brandt – Chancellor of the Federal Republic Of German y – Initiator of West Germany’s Ostpolitik (1971)
• Henry Kissinger – Secretary of State, USA (1973)
• Mother Teresa – Leader of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity (1979)
• Lech Walesa – Founder of Solidarity, campaigner for human rights (1983)
• Barack Obama – “ for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.
How did a community organizer and member of the United States Congress (one term) strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples? Even the Nobel Committee is entitled to erroneous judgment from time to time.
There is another question: if you win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, what type of conversion leads you to fight a war in Libya twoyears later? What happened to your magical gifts of” international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”? Life becomes very complex for those ill experienced in world wide intrigue when entering the White House. “ Yes We Can” becomes – Oops – what do I do now?
In a deeper, less cynical sense, it is a matter of values being changed in mid-flight. When a leader is not fully grounded and committed to a learned, historically legitimate set of values ,they do what is expedient . An art form which can lead to political success on the international stage… and disaster for the humble merchants on the streets of Tripoli.
Sound bites on WLS are mightier than the sword – when in the hands of professional speech writers. Without the deft touch of Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, or Lech Walesa, words are seen by dictators and despots as so much weakly defined smoke and mirrors. These utterances do not withstand the scrutiny of the common man, or the terror of M. Kadaffi.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964