The Simplicity of Beauty

We live in a breathtakingly beautiful world. Every day there is a cosmic dance in the sky, choreographed just for you. How often do you take time to feel the wonder of it?

Trees, flowers, waterfalls, oceans, stars, desert vistas, animals, smiles, acts of courage, music, all serving a single purpose: to bring you joy.

There is ugliness here, too. We inflict destruction on ourselves and the natural world. We could show more compassion, and use our resources more wisely. But that doesn't mean there isn't beauty here.

It's easy to get caught up in the headlong rush of achievement, becoming so focused on a particular goal or story that we forget the miracles that give us life.

Look up.

Look around.

Look within.

There is beauty everywhere, if you choose to see it.

The Simplicity of Serenity

We live in a highly connected society. An earthquake half way around the world is instantly posted on the Internet and broadcast on television. News that once took weeks or months to reach us now takes milliseconds. Much good has come from the ability to instantly communicate, but it is also the cause of much sorrow. Negativity has multiplied, and technology-enabled addictions are a growing problem.

The answer is simple: unplug.

Not permanently, but periodically.

Take a vacation from technology and remember that life was meant for living. Step away from virtual reality long enough to experience actual reality. It's not as bad as some people claim.

Seek serenity in nature, and through interaction with loved ones. Serve. Smile. Play. Talk face to face. Breathe. Laugh. Dance. In other words, live your life, and enjoy the increased clarity and peace that will surely follow.

The Simplicity of Self-acceptance

It's often much easier for me to forgive others than to forgive myself. Accepting the faults of others usually comes more naturally than accepting my own. Perhaps this is because I am always with myself, always reminded of the things I've done that I wish I hadn't. I see the things I hide, but I don't always see or acknowledge the good I do.

There was a time in my life when I waged a war against myself. The light and the shadow in my soul fought an epic battle, and I came out the loser.

More recently, I've begun to work towards self-acceptance. The good and bad inside me have declared a truce, come to an understanding.

There are benefits to having weaknesses. They enable me to see others with greater compassion.

There are benefits to being flawed. The process of striving for improvement helps me grow.

There are benefits to failure. If I hadn't failed, I never would have learned what is truly important in life.

I'm not everything I want to be, but now the energy that was once devoted to a constant inner war can be directed outward, helping me accomplish my goals and make a positive impact.

Self-acceptance isn't everything, but it's a good beginning.

The Simplicity of Compassion

There are times when I don't feel very compassionate. Perhaps I'm just in a bad mood, unaware of how my negative thoughts are impacting me. When I am in this state, I approach life from a place of judgment and everyone around me suffers.

Children are quick to express empathy for those who are wounded or sad, but adults can be skeptical. Some offer compassion only to those who they feel deserve it. Always on their guard, they suspect motives and question the reasons for the suffering of others. Their love is given or withheld depending on the story they tell themselves.

But it is not up to us to decide who is or isn't deserving of compassion and love. All are worthy by virtue of their existence.

There are those who would hurt us, lie to us, cheat or steal or kill. We must protect ourselves from such people. But even they deserve love, acting as they are out of unconscious pain.

Worry less about the reasons for the need than the need itself.

Worry more about the people in the situation than the politics of it.

Compassion is nothing more than a transaction between two people: giver and receiver. Sometimes it's unclear who is playing which role, as the supposed giver often receives the greater benefit of having relieved the suffering of another.

The Simplicity of Presence

There is power in being truly present in life. So many problems are caused by preoccupation with the past or fear of the future. If you carry the weight of everything you've done and feel uncertain and anxious as you think about what tomorrow might bring, it can easily overwhelm you. But if you remain focused on this moment and this moment alone, your joy and peace will increase. Even if the task you are doing is unpleasant, your resistance and resentment will be drastically reduced if you simply focus on the now.

When you are fully present food tastes better, the sun shines brighter, love is more meaningful, and the complexities and pains of life are reduced.

Being present doesn't mean that you treat the past as if it doesn't exist, seeing no need to apologize for your mistakes. Perhaps one of the best things you can do in the present moment is to apologize to someone you have hurt or wronged. Being present also doesn't mean forgetting about important lessons that have been learned in the past. You can carry those lessons with you always and use them to make the present moment better.

Being present does mean letting go of the emotions that are holding you back. Forgive yourself and others, release resentment and regret and judgment, surrender the need to change what cannot be undone. Accept your unalterable past and learn to love it, no matter how unlovably you may have behaved or how unfairly you may have been treated. This is the key that will set you free from the paralyzing burdens of shame and blame.

Being present doesn't mean that you treat the future as if it doesn't exist, seeing no need to make plans or prepare for days ahead. Perhaps one of the best things you can do in the present moment is to prepare for a future one. It would be unwise to harvest only what is needed for today's meal and starve when winter comes.

Being present does mean letting go of expectations and the need to control things that cannot be controlled. It is impossible to prepare for every uncertainty, but we can act with prudence in the present and trust that we'll know what to do when the unexpected occurs.

Most of all, being present means letting go of fear and believing in our ability to successfully navigate every eventuality that befalls us.

The Simplicity of Being Human

It's easy to find things to disagree about. People do it all the time. Politics, religion, morals and money provide ample fuel for some to wage continual war.

You and I may not agree about why the world exists or how we came to be here, but we do know one thing for certain: we ARE here. However it happened.

We also may not agree about the purpose of life and what we are supposed to accomplish while we are here. We may have different thoughts about God and the reasons suffering exists. We may both want to help people, but have widely differing views about who should be helped, what kind of help they need and who should give it. However, if we focus on what we have in common rather than our differences, it will go a long way towards making the world a more peaceful place.

Here are some things we have in common with every human being on the planet:

• We smile when we are happy.

• There are times when we feel sad.

• We need human contact in order to thrive.

• We hurt, we bleed, we heal. Except when we don't.

• We know someday we will die.

• We need air, water, food and sleep to survive.

• We can accomplish more together than we can alone.

If you and I can learn to see a bit of ourselves in every person we meet, kindness and compassion are more likely to occur. And the world could certainly use more kindness.

The Simplicity of Love

Whenever I start to get lost in the confusion of modern life, I go back to the basics -- to the foundational principles that I know, without question, are good and right and true. It is through those principles that I find myself again.

Love is one of those principles -- the one that looms larger than all the rest. It is the bedrock upon which every other good thing in life is built.

Sometimes love gets a bad rap. Sometimes it is misunderstood. Sometimes it seems so complicated that no one can possibly figure it out.

But love is incredibly, beautifully simple. Our observations, experiences and limited understanding are the source of the confusion, not love itself. If you've ever been hurt, betrayed, rejected, mocked, abused, mistreated or used, what you experienced wasn't love. It was blasphemy.

Love is pure. Love is kind. Love is amazing.

Love in all its forms, from friendship and romance to service and kindness and charity, makes the world a better place. It makes life worth living. Even grief, the price we pay for love, deepens our understanding in ways that nothing else can.

Love is perfect. People are not. But we are never closer to perfection than when we are filled with love.

What Matters Most

Life is beautiful, sweet and good. But sometimes it feels overwhelming, brutal and uncaring.

The circumstances and events we don't get to choose play a large role in defining our experience on this planet. But our response to those circumstances and events is FAR more impactful.

Happiness is less about the resources we have at our disposal than it is about making the most of those resources. It's possible to be enormously wealthy and incredibly unhappy. It's also possible to be incredibly poor and enormously happy. The determining factor isn't our circumstances, but how we feel about our circumstances. The story we tell ourselves matters more than our objectively measurable results.

Life is growing increasingly complicated for many. Technology, work and cultural values are changing rapidly. It's so easy to get lost, confused and overwhelmed in modern society. I don't think we need to throw our smart phones in the river and start riding horses and living in log cabins -- but I do think we could use a map to help us navigate our new reality.

That's the purpose of this blog: to be a voice of wisdom in a sea of madness, blending the best of the modern world with the lessons that can be learned from our collective past.

There is power in ethical achievement. There is power in knowing our own limits. There is wisdom in simplicity and balance. If we seek inner peace in the midst of outer chaos, however imperfectly, we will at least be facing the right direction. We will increase our self-awareness and learn for ourselves what matters most.