Wednesday, October 1, 2008

focus, FOCUS, F-O-C-U-S!


Recently, Jason, the founder of Jason's Network (home of the world's most beautiful people), challenged us to write something about how we got into the 'mess' we're in, and what we can do about it, from a spiritual perspective, to affect change now. Not being one to pass up a chance to write, I did just that. He asked us to limit our submissions to 200 words. Pretty challenging limit for someone like me (if you hadn't noticed before, I'm kinda 'chatty'). I managed to squeak it in at 202. Not bad. Anyway....

After I finished my little piece, I got to thinking about how, as Americans, this is brand new territory. Most of us have never lived through such an economic disaster. My parents were mere toddlers when the Great Depression struck the U.S., so they didn't have much recall. In fact, I don't know anyone (alive) in my circle of family who did (live through it). I've only ever heard stories (& read books) about what people went through. From that I learned that it was not a pretty time. Many people were forced to do things they'd never considered possible. Like giving up their kids to families that were better off, in an attempt to keep those kids fed. I'm certain that was a horrifying thing to have to do. But they did it. And lots of other things too, just because they didn't have money to feed their kids or take them to the doctor. Awful times.

Which leads me to the next thought: how is it that a nation that is reportedly the wealthiest in the world could come to such a crossroad? How is it that for all the BILLIONS of dollars in this country we could reach this point? I'll tell you how. This crap has been going on for a long, long time. It's about that minority (what is it? 3%?) of people who have all the money and make sure it stays that way. The old adage, "the rich keep gettin' richer, the poor keep gettin' poorer"... didn't just come out of nowhere. Why do you suppose it's still here in our midst now? Not a big jump, if you ask me.

Anyway, here's the thing...I happen to believe that there is no such thing as 'lack'. I believe that there is so much abundance in our time/space reality that if we were to just let go of our own limiting beliefs, EVERYONE would be a gazillionaire (if they chose). I also believe that the only reason this crap is going on is because we allowed it. I say "we" as in "we, the people". We have allowed all the fat cats to do whatever the hell they want with no recourse, with no accountability, with no limit. WE did this. And it's high time we took responsibility for it and moved on.

How? Easy. Stop looking at the "mess" & (stop) trying to fight it. Just let it go. It is said that peace begins in your own back yard. Where do you think wealth begins? Where do you think order begins? Where do you think joy begins? You guessed it...right there in your own back yard. So, what if....What if every single person in this country chose to focus on the abundance in their lives? From the indoor plumbing to the fresh drinking water to the light switch that turns on the lights. All of this is abundance. And oh-so-much more!

We are a country of innovators. This country was founded on the principles of a new order AND of anarchy. Think about it. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence were hard core anarchists. They refused to be ruled by the laws of England and took it upon themselves to break free of that rule. So what happened? It's high time we took our country back. Not by fighting or other violent means. But, instead, by offering each other the respect, peace & love that lives in all of us. By focusing on the good, not the fear. By making a choice to live freely, without judgment or blame. Sure, it'd be easy to place blame on "them"...the fat cats & their cohorts. But that's not going to change anything. Change begins with letting go of the garbage that weighs us down. Letting go of fear. Letting go. PERIOD.

It's not as hard as some may think. In fact, it seems to me that it's a far easier way to bring about the changes we so want. Thoughts become things. True? I believe so. So we can focus our thoughts on the things we wish to see...not the things we wish to eliminate. Doesn't matter what you focus on. Bottom line is whatever it is...you'll get more of it. Promise.

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