I asked for....

I asked for Strength...
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.


I asked for Wisdom...
And God gave me Problems to solve.


I asked for Prosperity...
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.


I asked for Courage...
And God gave me Danger to overcome.


I asked for Love...
And God gave me Troubled people to help.


I asked for Favors...
And God gave me Opportunities.


I received nothing I wanted...
I received everything I needed!

This is a Sufi poem I just read. To me, it means we ask for things from God, and a lot of times it seems he doesn't answer. What we don't realize is that he always answers... just in a way you might not have wanted or expected. Open your eyes to all the opportunities you're presented with to learn and grow.

The Machinist

I saw this movie recently. It's about a guy who hasn't slept in a looong time and his sense of reality is totally obscured. You can say he's pretty much insane. To me, it's an exaggerated form of how insane this world can be, but we don't ever realize it.

Lyrics Born - Bad Dreams

This is a great hip hop song-- even if you don't listen to the lyrics. But the title itself reminds me that this world can seem like a big, bad dream that just won't end. The chorus is what really sticks out to me:

This situation has gotten out of control
With all this stress and confrontation I just might overload
My problems follow me to sleep at night won’t let me go
The more I hide the more they thrive deep down inside of my soul

I translate this as saying: Things are pretty messed up, and I can't take it anymore. There's this thing that's been haunting me and I try to bury it and deny it, but it gets worse when I don't face it.

Correction of Error

When a brother behaves insanely, you can heal him only by perceiving the sanity in him. If you perceive his errors and accept them, you are accepting yours... Your brother is as right as you are, and if you think he is wrong you are condemning yourself. --ACIM

A Holy Encounter

When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself. As you think of him, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself. Whenever two Sons of God meet, they are given another chance at salvation. Do not leave anyone without giving salvation to him and receiving it yourself. --ACIM

Motivation

Knowledge is not the motivation for learning this course. Peace is.

What's Wrong with Having a Bimmer?

The other night, one of my good friends said he wanted to get a new car. I asked, "Which one?" He answered, "A 5-series (a BMW)."

Now at this point in my life I've let go of my wants of nice, flashy cars (no more NSX to chase after) and big houses. I'm into living relatively simply. I've realized it's a big waste of my energy to buy those kinds of things just to make other people think better of me. So my reaction to his answer was in the range of, "Are you freakin crazy?!!! Don't be stupid! You're only doing that to impress other people." I didn't exactly say that stuff, but I was certainly thinking it. We got into a brief argument about it and it pretty much ended by him saying the parts would cost as much as a Honda's. I thought to myself that those must be some pretty shitty parts he's gonna be buying. But I said nothing after that.

Anyways, when I think back to that little conversation, I see something in myself that needs correcting. First and foremost, who the hell am I to judge somebody? I'm not God. I don't know every single thought that goes through my friend's head. And besides, there was a time just recently when I myself wanted nice cars and stuff.

The thing I have trouble with (and a lot of people do too) is that I think I know what's best for everybody. I expect or at least want something for or from them, thinking it's the right thing. But many a times have I come down the road a ways and realized how wrong I was. People are all in different stages of life. We can't expect them to listen to us and change their ways for us. It might not even be the right thing for them at all. I think just showing by example would be the best way. Live the way you would like-- just don't force it on anybody else. If they ask, then you can gently advise.

So next time you feel Godly and want to tell someone how to live their life (it's a little different with parents telling their kids what to do though), just observe and don't say anything. Don't think anything. Just love them, forgive them, and forgive yourself.