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Psychological Materialism
by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Even if you are against the materialism of society and you do not want to support it, refusing to work is still grasping at the wrong end of the stick. Not taking part in work and practical activity is not going to achieve anything. More than any anything else, it will simply magnify your own negativity. By not doing anything to help, you will merely feel the sense of being useless in society. If you really take this kind of nonparticipation to its logical conclusion, it means that you shouldn't eat, you shouldn't even breathe, because the air you breath also belongs to the world and society. This approach could become quite extreme. If you take it all the way, it means you shouldn't exist at all.
There's a great deal of confusion about materialism and society. Just taking care of one's business or even running a business doesn't amount to materialism. There's nothing wrong with that at all. What really produces the materialistic outlook towards society is psychological materialism. Materialism has a pervasive kind of philosophy connected with it that is passed from one person to another orally and taught to everyone through examples. One person catches it from another. However, trying to reject that contagion by purely not doing anything, not caring for anything at all, simply doesn't work.
Not doing anything takes the form of laziness, and in order to be lazy we have to develop a certain kind of intelligence. Laziness has tremendous intelligence in it, in fact. When you are lazy, as soon as you have the urge to do anything, immediately a kind of answer comes to you that you can present about why you don't have to do it. Later you can say: "I didn't do it because I didn't have time. Thus and such happened and I didn't have a chance to do it. It was because of that." This automatic answer that comes to you is very convenient. One has to be very intelligent to find these kinds of excuses. There is tremendous intelligence in laziness, but it is misused intelligence.
The best way to use our intelligence is to learn to feel what the skillful action in a situation is. To do that, we have to relate to the earth as directly as possible. Interestingly, we call this being "grounded." In this approach, we do not regard work as just a job but as a way of expressing our ourselves. It could be work in the garden or work around the house—cooking food, washing the dishes—whatever. These are not really jobs, but they are what has to be done because nature demands attention. It is very interesting that if you leave something undone or do not relate to even a small matter like, for instance, cooking with full and proper attention and clear thinking, then some kind of chaos is going to come up. This will happen because you are not relating properly; you are not expressing your love properly toward the earth. Either you are going to break a dish or you're going to spill something, or the food you're cooking is going to turn out badly, or something else will go wrong. Nature tends to react very sensitively this way. If you don't feel the relationship between the work and yourself, then chaos is going to arise.
A balanced state of mind depends on the way you do things, the way you pour a cup of tea and the way you put sugar and milk in it. It may seem like a really insignificant thing, but it means everything. You can always tell whether a person feels the activity she is engaged in as dealing with the earth or whether she feels it as just some casual thing or something she is doing because she has to. If the person is not relating to the earth, then you can always feel a certain clumsiness, even if the person's action appears to be smooth. This is very evident and easy to sense.
--Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Is Facebook Changing Your Brain?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Scientists have found a direct link between the number of "friends" a person has on Facebook and the size of certain brain regions, raising the possibility that using online social networks might change our brains.
The four brain areas involved are known to play a role in memory, emotional responses, and social interactions.
So far, however, it is not possible to say whether having more Facebook connections makes particular parts of the brain larger or whether some people are simply pre-disposed, or "hard-wired," to have more friends.
"The exciting question now is whether these structures change over time — this will help us answer the question of whether the Internet is changing our brains," said Ryota Kanai of University College London (UCL), one of the researchers involved in the study.
Kanai and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of 125 university students, all of them active users of social media site Facebook, and cross-checked their findings in a further group of 40 students.
They discovered a strong connection between the number of Facebook friends and the amount of "grey matter" in the amygdala, the right superior temporal sulcus, the left middle temporal gyrus, and the right entorhinal cortex. Grey matter is the layer of brain tissue where mental processing occurs.
The thickness of grey matter in the amygdala was also linked to the number of real-world friends people had, but the size of the other three regions appeared to be correlated only to online connections.
The students, on average, had around 300 Facebook friends, with the most connected having up to 1,000.
With more than 800 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become a major component of social interaction, especially among the young.
"Online social networks are massively influential, yet we understand very little about the impact they have on our brains. This has led to a lot of unsupported speculation the Internet is somehow bad for us," said Geraint Rees of UCL.
"This shows we can use some of the powerful tools in modern neuroscience to address important questions — namely, what are the effects of social networks, and online social networks in particular, on my brain."
The study results were published on Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Heidi Johansen-Berg of the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the research, said the findings were intriguing but did not mean Facebook was a shortcut to making people brainier.
"If you got yourself 100 new Facebook friends today then your brain would not be bigger tomorrow," she said. "The study cannot tell us whether using the Internet is good or bad for our brains."
Dogs help schools lick bullying problem
Article By: Cynthia Ross Cravit
We hear about it all too often: The damaging -- and sometimes tragic -- consequences of bullying. Read how some experts are using canines to teach compassion.
Dogs can make us happier and healthier. Beyond the joy of companionship, studies have shown that dog ownership is associated with lower stress, blood pressure and cholesterol. Owning a pouch also helps to prevent illness — and when you do become ill, helps you to recover more quickly.
On top of all that, dogs can sniff out cancer and warn of heart attack, epileptic seizures and hypoglycemia.
So when it comes to the battling the bullying epidemic in our schools, who else to call in but our best friend? Dogs are already being used in the classroom to give assistance to children with autism, for instance, and to help with reading and writing programs. And now, in some North American schools, canines are being called in to teach compassion and social responsibility.
An example. In a program called “No More Bullies” volunteers accompanied by trained dogs teach kids about fairness and empathy. “The animals are the glue that helps the children stay focused and understand the message,” Jo Dean Hearn, an ex-teacher who developed the program, told USA TODAY. “Children can easily identify with an animal. And it’s easy for them to transition when we ask them to consider how an animal feels (if ill-treated) to how the kid sitting near them feels (if poorly treated).”
Pouches and peer pressure“No More Bullies” is just one of several dog-centered programs being used to help create a kinder and more supportive school climate — which, experts say, goes a long way in preventing, and stopping, bullying. Last year, for example, the Yale University School of the 21st Century and the Pet Savers Foundation launched a program called Mutt-i-grees to help kids learn how to be more kind to one another and animals.
Another program, Healing Species, uses rescue dogs to help children and teens recover from abuse and learn self-esteem, empathy, and other fundamental values. Currently, programs that use dogs to teach kindness and integrity are being used in about 900 elementary schools in the U.S.
Watch this clip on how canines can help to reduce stress in the classroom:
Why dogs reduce stress in classrooms
http://youtu.be/EAO8i7s1uWU
Such a little thing -- a hug -- everyone can do it -- it takes no special training -- no “skill” -- no age, race, religion, or sex can do it any better then another…
It is freely available to everyone -- pretty much anytime (technically we can hug our teddy bears, our dogs, even ourselves if another person isn’t immediately available)
and every hug carries a powerful “punch”. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the “bonding” hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease.
This should be every day in the world.
FREE HUGS for WORLD PEACE - Salt of the Earth - International Day of Peace - Sept. 21
http://youtu.be/dt1r8gizEGg
˜ƸӜƷ˜”*°•.¸ღ¸MESSAGE FROM THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY ~
*THE SIGN OF HUMANITY IS LOVE*☆´˜ƸӜƷ˜”*°•.¸ღ¸☆
October 23, 2011.
- Dearest Ones, We Are from the Domain of Fire and Light, of Unity of all souls and Sacred Divine Core Essence in the Andromeda Galaxy.
--- Beloved Earth Humans,
We are here again to shower your world with our Blessings with powerful waves of Light from our Galaxy.
Many of us took birth on your planet to anchor Light and Information from the Andromeda Galaxy on Earth to assist with the awakening of her humanity and the cleansing and shifting of her into higher dimensions.
We are giving you this information, dear earth humans, to assure you that you and your planet have never been – in reality – cut off from the rest of the universe. It was only a gesture of you in the past history, which laid around and upon Earth, through your own lowering of your frequency, a dense and heavy veil which did not allow much communications of higher light and information to reach you and your planet from outer space.
This self-induced isolation is now coming to an end, also because many other souls from other enlightened star systems and galaxies are at this time incarnated among you, to draw down the light and love of the stars into your reality to help you to evolve.
These beings from other star systems have taken birth in difficult situations in order to purify your dark earth history with their own awakening process, which required them to confront all the pain -- that you earth people are suffering -- in their own bodies, emotions and mental experiences.
For many, if not for most of them, this ordeal of purification of your dark history in their own system, this process has now come to an end and they are here now between you, anchoring our light and information and that of many other star systems on your earth.
They are now illuminated antennas receiving and channeling light from space through their consciousness and bodies into the core of Gaia and radiating this light and this love all over the earth. They are the ones who have done all the work directly on your planet, to support your own awakening, like one candle ignites the next one, so that also you can become like them a radiant luminary to illuminate further the path to ascension in your world.
What is required of you, Beloved Earth Humans, in your awakening process in this short remaining moment, is to open up to unconditional love, a Divine Frequency now showered upon your earth! It is the Force which drives humanity forward to her unity and elevation. It is the Force which does not know separation, and it is the Force which has been always your rightful inheritance and True Sign since eternity.
"Humanity Is Love", - this will be your sign and “trade mark” in your coming Galactic Participation, where earth will be embraced again in the midst of other star nations and illuminated planets and galaxies.
You are on your way to fully participate again in the unimpeded communication and union of the galactic network of light, which flows like liquid water through all the veins of the Divine Universe.
Once ascended you will be participating again in the currents of universal joy and love where we all rejoice In mutual friendship, love and respect.
There is only One Divinity and we are all Its Divine Expression.
Welcome, dearest earth humans, to this glorious moment in the very near future, but which is in truth already always Now.
Our Light and Our Love is in the midst of you all.
With eternal Blessings!
Message received by Ute
http://radiantlyhappy.blogspot .com/2011/10/message-from-andromeda-g...
_________________________________________________________
Copyright: Ute Posegga-Rudel, Oct 2011http://radiantlyhappy.blogspot.com/
This message has been received in a sacred space and should be treated accordingly and with respect. When sharing this message please only together with this information. If you have questions, please contact me. Thank you.
The Little Monk, p. 92
One looking for greater discipline: "Can you give me a rule of life?" The little monk: "I can only tell you mine. It serves me well, but may kill you. My rule of life is:
To win my world to a sense of wonder,
To spoil my world with small decencies,
To color my world brightly with endless splashes of beauty,
To ruin my world’s standards by always living out my baptism,
To surprise my world with unexpected kindnesses,
To fill my world with the incense of undeserved love,
To teach my world a more excellent way,
To startle my world with good news,
To listen deeply in a shallow world,
To pray without ceasing and...
To never let life end with ‘uh-oh,’
For that would mean being unprepared."
Here are 18 random rules of life worth posting on your mirror or, better yet, using as dinner-time discussion starters:
Find the lesson in every failure, and you'll never fail.
The likelihood that you're right is not increased by the intensity of your conviction.
Real friends help you feel worthy and make you want to be better.
When you're in a hole, stop digging.
Don't confuse fun with fulfillment or pleasure with happiness.
Refusing to let go of a grudge is refusing to use the key that will set you free.
Hating hurts you more than the person you hate.
Counting on luck is counting on random chance; your odds are much better when you plan and work.
It's better to be kind than clever.
Don't underestimate the power of persistence.
The easy way is rarely the best way.
It's much easier to burst someone else's bubble than to blow up your own.
You can't avoid pain, but you can avoid suffering.
Self-pity is a losing strategy; it repels others and weakens you.
Shortcuts usually produce short success.
Control your attitude or it will control you.
It's more important to be significant than successful.
The world is waiting for you to heal it.
Sign the petition! I did!
The Obama White House ET disclosure petition
Formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race - Disclosure.
"We, the undersigned, strongly urge the President of the United States to formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race and immediately release into the public domain all files from all agencies and military services relevant to this phenomenon."
___
"Hundreds of military and government agency witnesses have come forward with testimony confirming this extraterrestrial presence. Opinion polls now indicate more than 50% of the American people believe there is an extraterrestrial presence and more than 80% believe the government is not telling the truth about this phenomenon. The people have a right to know. The people can handle the truth."
What the Obama White House can do about the ET disclosure petition
The White House website states, “The White House plans to respond to each petition that crosses the 5,000 signature threshold. In a few rare cases (such as specific procurement, law enforcement, or adjudicatory matters), the White House response might not address the facts of a particular matter to avoid exercising improper influence. In addition, the White House will not respond to petitions that violate We the People’s Terms of Participation. In some cases, a single response may be used for similar petitions.”
The Obama White House website continues, “Petition responses will come from a variety of Administration officials, including staff at the White House. From time to time President Obama may respond directly to petitions, but we expect most of responses to come from other Administration officials.”
Sign the White House ET disclosure petition
Readers can sign the Petition by clicking at the URL below.
