What Is Love - Do We Really Know?

Written By Don Shetterly

Every day I see people making statements about love and how we should love one another.  This is the time of year where love is in the air.  Unfortunately, the more I hear about love, the more I wonder if anyone realizes what it means.

Love isn't something that goes around boasting about how much it exists or how it exists.  It doesn't grandstand or exclaim, "hey, look at me!"  For it does not have to do this since love can be seen, felt, and acknowledged for its existence.

Readily Seen

Love isn't something we have to convince others that we have.  If we have love within our hearts, it will be readily seen through our thoughts, actions, and words. It will just be evident without us banging our chests as if we are the most pronounced dealers in the world of love.

Love isn't about what others think of us or how much our ego enjoys to be noticed.  It requires that we be there for others in a pure, unselfish and unadulterated manner.  The behavior we see on display these days tends to be anything but this.

Transcends Everything

Love isn't about keeping score of what you've done for other people or how you've been successful.  It is not about the latest stories and trends and rants or raves of the day.  There is no need for it to connect with trending topics because love transcends everything.

Love is more than puffing up one's spiritual beliefs as it blinds them to the deeper truth in their own lives and worlds.   For love is something that operates at a higher moment than any man-made set of truths derived from beliefs, customs, and ideas passed from one generation to the next.

Sits Quietly

Love is not a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  Often, pure and true unadulterated love sits quietly in the background spreading to every corner of the room.  It needs to not draw attention because everyone in the room will know if it is there or not.

Love comes from deep within the heart of our mind and body, not the ego that we see at every turn today in our world.  It is felt within the body, not dictated by the mind.  When you're thinking about what you should do or how you should react, love is not necessarily the one in control.

Support

Love comes from surrendering to feelings and emotions of all types, not just the select few we wish to engage.  It is about bringing balance to the extremes, but recognizing that the extremes in life exist.

Love is full of compassion and help, assistance and support.  It knows and sees a bigger picture because it is connected at the core of all that it exists.  Since it is connected, there is a knowing and understanding that rises above the common discourse of the day.

In The Knowing

If you ask, what is love?  Go deep into your heart to search for the answers.  They will not be in what others proclaim or how other people say love will show up.  Love will be in the knowing and understanding that there is more which transcends this current moment.

We will see love through the thoughts, words, and actions of those that it inhabits.  It will just be there automatically without effort.

Connection

It will connect with others in a way that they know it exists.  Nothing will need to be said to see it, for it is a felt emotion that is strong and powerful and never-ending.

Love is more than enough.

Love is in great enough supply.

We need to tap into it and discard the darkness in our hearts so that we not only feel it, but we share it with everyone.

The world needs love.

The world needs love in a big way.

May we all find and embrace the love that flows to every person in this world.

Let us all be open to pure love without trying to mold it into what we think it should be.

Also, read the blog post, I Send Out Love.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2/13/18 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required in writing before any part of this blog is reprinted, reworded, transmitted or used in any format. 
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Do You Want To Be Concsious Online?

Written By Don Shetterly

I'm sitting here in frustration at the moment watching what happens online every day.  I see it and keep hoping it will change, but the needle seems to be going in the negative direction.  So, I'm left to wonder, do people want to be conscious?

Somedays, it seems like social media is nothing more than a rant about political beliefs.  The world could be ending in this very second, and all anyone seems to care about is the latest tirade on Twitter or the grabbing headline of the day.  There is no in-depth analysis.  It is what people hear that they regurgitate no matter how hard they try to convince others they make up their own minds.  Sorry, the evidence shows the contrary.

People want to be concerned about mental health, depression, suicide and anxiety among other health situations.  I applaud this.  I think it needs to be talked about, but far too often it means nothing more than a retweet or like on social media.  The conversation doesn't continue.  It only ticks up the counters in the tweet or post.  I see this in stuff especially about suicide I have posted.  It gets clicks, but that's as far as it goes.

What does it matter?

There are so many games played online with people where if you click this, I'll follow you back.  Oh look, I can buy more followers.  Oh look, people, see how much I can spend online to get a lot of retweets, likes, and comments.  At the end of the day, what does that matter?  What have you accomplished that changed your life or the world?

Don't you dare say anything that doesn't fit into everyone's beliefs because it would be too uncomfortable if we could discuss with someone who holds opposing thoughts?  It doesn't matter if it is hot-button issues or simple things, I've seen the sudden drop online because of it.  I don't necessarily look for those that agree with me, but I just look for those that respect others.  We can hold differing viewpoints, but we're still fellow humans traveling on this earth.

Many people online act as if they have the only answer.  They are the experts.  They know the truth.  There is nothing else or anything that they could possibly entertain.  So, once again I ask, do people want to be conscious?

Some give lip service...

I really wonder if people do because I see very few that attempt to do this.  Some give lip service to it.  Some make it appear they do, but it is the same thing as if you have a glass house thinking no one can see inside.

It isn't about what other people want and what they do either.  It is about each one of us and what we want.  Do you want to be conscious?  Are you willing to go the distance and be conscious?  Are you ready to step away from all you know, all you have been taught and your beliefs to be conscious?

I mean, are you ready to challenge everything you know and drop what no longer serves you?  No, I don't say you do this if it agrees with you, but if it makes you uncomfortable.  I mean, if it makes you question things that are not easy.  It is where we begin to find consciousness.  We do not find it in the safety of our routine lives.

Diminished what was written...

I posted something about the topic of what is truth.  One person immediately without reading it said it is a religious thing.  They did not even entertain what the blog post was about but was so quick to state their belief rather than be informed.  They diminished what was written by their own unconsciousness.  They were not showing love or compassion or understanding.

So, once again I ask, Do you want to be conscious?  I'm not going to let anyone off the hook on this blog post.  I know this is a hard question.  I know we want to say, of course, we do, but in all reality - is that true?

I too struggle with this daily, and I think that is a good thing.  If you want to be conscious, but you don't wade into the water, you may need to work on being more honest with yourself.  See, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are more than what we are.  We kid ourselves into believing that we have everything together while we hide and ignore, numb and disconnect to what is the truth around us.

Deeper than we currently see...

Consciousness is not just a thought process.  It means being connected to our mind, body, emotions, thoughts, and the higher spiritual side of where we fit in this world.  Consciousness is not just a meme we retweet or the fake smile we paste on our face.  It is more than spouting our own beliefs as if everyone else should think like us.  It is deeper than we currently see and if we think we are conscious, we most likely are a long way off.

Consciousness means we go in and become aware of all parts of our life, even the most uncomfortable ones.  Where fear is afraid to tread, that's where we go to become more aware and conscious.

It is up to each one of us how we live our life.  If we spend every waking minute worrying about the latest tirade of the day, we're not helping the world.  We're adding to the problem.  The world and human civilization have serious issues, and it is looking for people to step up to the plate and help solve these problems.  Unfortunately, we have a world that is screaming at one another.  Nothing is being resolved.

Through your actions...

Do you want to be conscious?  It isn't a yes or no answer.  It is how you live in a day and what you do through your actions that give the answers.  It is where you focus your time and help and love, not just how much you act as if you do.  Conscious means doing more and being more than you were yesterday and not as far as tomorrow.  It is a daily commitment, not a one time retweet or like or post.

I write because I want to see the world and human civilization wake up.  No, I'm not referring to politics or religion.  I mean, waking up from the inside out.  Learning how to live not only in your mind but in your body.  Seeing that your life is led by a heart that is fully open, not close or semi-open from the trials of life.

I write because I want to make a difference.  I don't care about many of the issues most get frantic about these days.  Those are temporary unconscious events that only bring out the worst in people.  I'm more concerned with how you deal with your health and mental well-being.  The overall love and acceptance of others are what matters to me, not the judgment and condemnation we shove in other people's faces.

Do you want to be conscious?  If you do, make sure your actions and thoughts and your words work in that direction.  See the big picture, not the moment by moment parts of life that do not advance the civilization of this universe.  See that consciousness begins deep inside of you and radiates out for all to observe.

I'll leave you with this question one last time because I just want you to think about it.  The answer is not as important as the process of contemplation.  Do You Want To Be Conscious?

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Blog Post And Images (c) 11/9/2017 by Don Shetterly

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Growing Up With Hate Disguised As Love

Written By Don Shetterly

As a kid, we went to church, every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and any other day there were activities.  Church services and prayer meetings were the norms for our lives.  Days and meals were planned around it.  No one was exempt from going, and you were expected to be there.


In each prayer meeting or church service, the participants (our family included) talked about loving one another.  We talked about how we were somehow different from all the rest of the population.  We talked about how we were holier than all the rest of the people living on the planet.

We tried to be good people and do the right thing most of the time.  We sought to be honest, upstanding, loving, kind and generous when we could We put our offering in the collection plate and sometimes I saw my dad give their entire life's savings while we starved, but we were doing it in the name of all that was holy.

Not Gossip - It Was Prayer Requests...

We didn't mind the gossip that went on in the church because we didn't call it that.  Instead, we referred to it as prayer requests.  We'd offer up prayers in the circle while many would raise eyebrows at hearing the news of various participants.  That was okay though because we were praying about it of course.

We would get back in the car to leave the church service or prayer meeting and boy that is when the discussion of the prayer requests (a.k.a gossip) would start up with intensity.  It was as if there were only a few minutes to discuss it.  I would listen as my parents talked without a pause.

It would bother me, but you didn't dare stand up and say anything for fear of being beat.  You couldn't expose the error in what family was doing because you got it when you got home.  I just had to sit there and listen to it while it made my stomach turn.  Yet, we were a loving family who was special and went to church.  Gossip was something others did.

With the same breaths of love and kindness, we would turn our attention to all those that we disagreed with from our neighbors to other members of the church.  The minister, of course, was not exempt with this, but because it was in the secrecy of our car and home, no harm was done.  After all, we proved that we had love for one another.

Didn't Know Our Actions Were Hate Filled...

If people thought differently than what the ruler in our family proclaimed as the law, we despised them and distanced ourselves from them.  You could say that we hated them, but then no one would have admitted that in this moment or at any time.  For we were Christians.  We were called by God so we could not have hate.  We didn't know that our actions were hate filled.

Never mind the domestic violence and child sexual abuse that was going on in the family.  Never mind that the thought of sparing the rod and spoiling the child was enacted to the extreme.  These were regular parts of our family while we acted as if we loved everyone and hated no one.

I escaped from that life, and it was not easy to leave it behind.  Because of other situations in my life with healing from Conversion Disorder, I had to walk away from my entire family to save my life.  I was cast out as a son that was brainwashed by psychiatrists who didn't know that his family loved him.  I was shoved aside until I came to my senses.  All the loyalty that had been demanded of me throughout my life was now cut off because I no longer lived by the family code I grew up with as a kid.

My Family Still Practices Hate...

To this day, I see those in my family who still practice the hate.  They disguise it as love, but the hate has blinded their hearts.  They no longer can tell a difference.  It is sad observing it from outside the family.  Some days, I can barely believe this is the family I grew up in.

I see things happening in the world and our country which reminds me of those years I have longed to forget.  The one-way loyalty and the hate disguised as love.  The superiority of some as they lift themselves up over the ones they have trampled.  I see a disdain for what is really the truth, hidden by everything under the sun that is not.

If you tried to confront anyone about this, they would laugh and spit in your face.  Yet, the same people puff themselves up as the arbitrators of truth, justice, and love.  Instead, the judgment shown by most people towards others, even the ones that cloak it with some love, is one of the most hurtful things you can do towards another.

I grew up in the church and the family that judged everyone while we smiled, hugged them, and told them, "I Love You!"  We thought we were the best that life had to offer.  We thought we were right and everyone else was wrong.  As I've put distance in my healing from my family, I realized just how wrong we were.  We were not only part of the problem, but we were the problem.

No one wants to look hard into their own life and see the garbage then need to throw out the window.  No one wants to acknowledge their actions and thoughts and words as being not only part of the problem but the problem facing this world.  Everyone is quick to judge everyone but themselves, and I weep at the sadness of this behavior.

Living life in this world is not always easy but the more we hide our heads in the sand, duck behind the knowledge of truth, the more we make it an arduous journey.  We're not as great as we proclaim because a great life is seen through actions, not words.  We can speak the words, but if we do not live the life that we preach, we are nothing more than a clanging gong.

What is in our heart and mind and body is what we display to the world.  We can mask our hate and project it on to everyone else, but until we go in and search our own heart and mind, we will be part of the problem.  Let us open our eyes and become aware of what we truly do, not what we say to convince the world.

I work each day to de-program my mind from the brainwashing I endured as a kid.  I work each day to love others through my heart and actions, not just the words I write or say.  Every day, I strive to release all the toxicity and poison that was pumped into me as I was taught the truths of life.  I am the only one that can change how I live my life now.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Be A Positive Force In This World

Written By Don Shetterly

My heart is sad when it comes to the events going on across our country and the world.  This is not about politics, and if you think it is, you're sorely mistaken.  If you know me at all, you know that I do not subscribe to what the masses say on any level.

I see people that are so angry and so hurt.  I see people that are asleep and numb and disconnected.  I see individuals who view others as the enemy, not as humans walking this same planet.  It pains me.  It hurts me.  I weep, and yet my tears do no good.

There is far too much hate and too little love.  There is far too much judgment and too little understanding.  We stand opposed, rather than united to journey through our lives to discover more about who we are.

I'm perplexed because everyone points the fingers at each other.  We exclaim that we know what is best and all others are stupid, dumb, or irrelevant.  We fail to listen to each other while we scream how worthless all others are.

We hold out to the world just how enlightened we are and righteous and good.  We hold out to the world that we are superior and we know all.  We hold out to the world we are peace loving and conscious.  Yet, our actions contradict our every word.

If We Do Not Find Peace Within...

If we do not find peace within ourselves, we will not find it throughout the world.  If we do not learn to accept ourselves, the world will never accept us.  If we see others as stupid or idiotic or misguided and wrong, the rest of the world will see us in that way.

It does not matter what the world proclaims.  It matters more what you feel and think and believe on the inside.  If you want peace, it must first begin within you.  If you want love throughout the world, it must first begin within you.  If you want others to accept you as a valid human, you must first accept others in the same way.

We're at a crossroads I believe in humanity and either we keep heading down into the darkness of the world where there is no peace, or we rise above it all.  It is solely up to each one of us, but it isn't just words.  It is action that backs up our words.  It is action that shows what truly is in our mind, body, soul, and heart.

Let us be a force for positive change by changing our lives in a way that shows what love and peace are to the world.  This blog post is about taking a hard look at who we are as individuals and seeing what role we truly play in the world.

I implore you.  I beg you as the reader to help make a positive difference through taking stock of your own life.  I'm attempting to do the same.  Together we will make it further in this harsh world, rather than divided where we will not stand.

Let's stop pointing the fingers.  Let's cease to be part of the cycle of hate.  Instead, let our lives show love so brightly that it will take over the darkness.

I love this video because I believe it says so much.  It is Matisyahu singing and performing "One Day."  The words speak volumes.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Sometimes I Weep For People

Nope, this isn't a happy post, but it is what is on my heart.  Sometimes to make sense of things or attempt to grab on to the last rung of the ladder, I write what is on my mind.

Maybe this is not always what everyone wants to read or hear, but it is how I've written this blog for the past several years.  I share deeply from my heart and my own vulnerability.

Sometimes I weep for people.  Lately, that's been much of the time.  I see so much and I cannot for the life of me understand why humans do what they do to one another.  Here's some of the examples I've witnessed that grind my heart up to not end.

Examples:

1. Example 1:  We care and we're here for you, but please enjoy our silence as that is about as far as it goes.  I know people mean well, but their actions don't match their words.  I stand in confusion wondering if it is something I did or they are just too busy or they just don't realize what their words mean.  Maybe it is something else, but it is far too complicated for me to understand.
2. Example 2:  I only will communicate with you if you believe the way I do or talk the way I think you should or follow what I think you should do in your own life.  Of course, they don't come right out and say this but they practice it diligently.  I am at a loss with words and understanding how I have to believe or say things or act according to how others view life.  It just doesn't make sense and unfortunately it happens far too often.
3. Example 3:  I am one-sided in my viewpoints.  I can't accept your point of view because it is wrong.  I will label you and call you names to prove my point and just constantly say that I know what is best and your stupid.  I'll do this in horrific ways so that you really feel as low as you can feel.  After all, I'm right and you're wrong.  I just tend to walk away from these people because I have no desire to fight with someone that is intent on not listening to anything I say.
4. Example 4:  Let me show you how wrong you are and I will do it constantly every moment of the day.  Whether it is social media or a blog or talking to people, boy - just let me show you how wrong you are.  It is my responsibility to show ignorance to those who practice is how this type of behavior goes for people in this example.  There's no one else in their minds that holds any truth, but them.  I'm so saddened when I see this happening at a frequency my mind cannot even begin to comprehend.
5. Example 5:  They've got a one track mind - yes I do, states the ones that do this.  Nothing else matters but their single focused issue or belief or viewpoint.  It is all or nothing.  It is frequent and in your face.  If you don't fully accept their premise and think and talk about whatever the subject is 100% of the time, there's something wrong with you in their eyes.  It is their way or the highway!

All of these things and more are practiced every day by those who don't think they do any of this.  Some are pretty convincing that they are normal and everyone else is wrong.

These things hurt the fabric of our society. It hurts us being human to one another.  It makes us into enemies, rather than fellow travelers on this earth.

No, none of us is perfect and we all make mistakes.  Let's just not go embrace them as the norm while we degrade, tear down and rip apart other people.  It makes me weep for people.  It really does. My heart hurts when I see this behavior.

Respect for one another starts when you stop labeling others and calling them names.  Respect for one another starts when you stop to listen and love another without trying to convince them your way is correct or you know what is best for them.

There is so much noise in our day and if we fail to listen, but keep screaming our point of view - we're only adding to the noise.  We're not doing anyone any good.

If you've not done any of these things ever in your life, then my hat is off to you.  Please write a book and share with the rest of the world how this is done because it is badly needed.  Unfortunately, I think we've all crossed the line a few times and right now in our world, the majority of people are truly crossing the line.

Let's not take our deficiencies we see in ourselves out on everyone else.  It isn't their fault that we haven't healed a part of our life or progressed past the thought processes and beliefs we were taught.  Yes, we don't like to admit we do any of this, but it only takes a few minutes to observe it in action just about anywhere you go.

Let's celebrate others and share with one another what we've learned and what we've experienced.  It helps us find our own footing on this treacherous path that is called life.  We need each other to make it in a hostile world.  We definitely don't need to inflict pain upon others that ends up making them weep with sadness.

How can you begin this moment to let your words match your actions and let your love shine through greater than your own ego?

#Authentic

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Are Humans Really That Hateful

I see a meanness online these days and it truly bothers me.  If you think I should not be bothered by it, then this blog post is not for you.  In fact, I just got called out for caring about what gets forced in front of our eyes every day.  You can't avoid it, unless you just don't go online.

I have to wonder though, are humans as hateful as they show online?  Do they really hate others as much as their words and actions show?  Or is there a major disconnect and the what people show online is different than they actually are?

My next question would lead me to authenticity.  If you can't be the same online that you are in person to your friends, coworkers and acquaintances, then which persona should we believe?  Who really are you?

I think this matters greatly because by treating each other with so much hatred while proclaiming we are great individuals, is extremely harmful to the world-at-large.  Words, actions, and thoughts do matter.  A thought born out of love can really help someone's day while thoughts born out of hate can really incite significant pain upon others.

We can't just sit back and hide our heads in the sand, because it truly matters.  How we treat others is propagated on to other people many times over.  It hurts.  It harms.  It keeps people hunkering down in their caves of anxiety and depression.

How we treat others is what helps this world advance or decline!  I'm sorry if that goes against your beliefs and opinions, but you can just take a look at humanity through the ages and see how true this is. 

The world is difficult enough on our good days and if we can't walk hand-in-hand together towards a better outcome, will this world even make it?  If we stand opposed and fight and nitpick and manipulate with our opinions and beliefs, may the world somehow survive because the odds are against it in this scenario.

Yes, it does matter if we truly understand whether humans are really that hateful with one another.  To ignore this, is being part of the problem that self-propagates throughout online social media.  We had better wake up before it is too late.  In this case, there will not be any do overs.

#Hate

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Caring Is More Than Saying You Care

I see far too many times when people just don't even begin to go far enough.  They say they care, but their words just don't show they care.  I'm sorry to be the one to state this, but actions speak louder than words.

Caring is more than saying you care.  It really is.  If you can't listen and try to understand, your words are meaningless.  If you can't take the time to truly show you care, than your words just don't mean much.

All of what I'm saying is what most have probably heard before and it may sound harsh, but it really irritates me and disappoints me when I see people do this.  This is not behavior fitting to a human.  This is not what our civilization should be about.

There are many that are hurting.  There are many that just need a listening ear, a helping hand or someone that will say, "let me sit with you while you tell me what is weighing on your heart".  Instead we give the "I'm too busy" approach and tell someone, I'll call you later.

We give people the "don't bother me" approach because I need to watch my socks dry on the clothesline.  After all, don't they know that my TV programs and my latest social media rants are far more important.

We give the people, "subscribe to my way or hit the highway" approach because God only knows that we're right and everyone else is wrong.  They surely don't know what they want or what is good for them, but hey - that's ok, we know what is best.  What we have to say or how we think is far more important than anything someone else may need in that moment.

Caring is more than saying you care.  It is more than a social media like or share.  It is more than passing a happy thought and meme along.  It is truly showing another you care - in deep and personal ways that really make a difference.

Caring should not be the exception to our day like it is now.  Caring should be the norm.  Listening should be second nature, but instead we chatter along in our days, screaming and ranting online and to each other as if that is superior to listening.

If we can give caring to one another in this world, our human race is doomed.  We cannot sustain all that life requires without caring for one another.  The kingdoms of this planet will never prevail when caring is nothing more than an after thought.

So, what do you do each and every day in your own life to show people you care?  As you answer that, be brutally honest with yourself that you are showing caring in the way that you say you do.  When you do this, the entire world will benefit from your caring and there may still be hope for us all.

#Caring

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Will The Words Matter That Have Been Spoken

After the past several months of an election season, we're now coming to the end of it.  If everyone really stepped back and looked at what they said and posted and shared, I honestly wonder what we would think of our words.

Would we really be proud of all that we said and the way we said it? 

Would it hold as truth in 1000 years as it does today?

I wonder about those questions because I'm not so sure we could answer them in a positive way about them.  I doubt that in a 1000 years, what is so critical today, will be even remembered at that point.  I have a feeling that all this screaming and yelling will essentially be for nothing.

Yet, it doesn't stop anyone from doing it.  Group 1 says something and so group 2 responds.  Group 2 responds and now group 3 and group 1 have to respond.  Of course, then the next level of that involves more pointed and heated words.  It involves one-upping the other groups.  It requires that we out-flank the others and really make our point knowing.  

As it continues to escalate and build, it becomes nothing more than screaming and yelling at one another where no one is listening.  I'm sure that when this election is over, everyone will view things differently, but life will go on and little will be paid to each individual's role in this entire process.  It won't even enter into most people's minds how they participated in this horrible display of childish behavior.

I often look at what I see online and in the news and think, what if our children behaved this same way?  Most likely the child would have his backside spanked and they would be set in a corner to think about how their actions were so horrible. 

Yet, adults are doing the same thing and they don't stop to think about it.  I'm not so sure our children aren't smarter than adults most days.  Adults are modeling this behavior for their children and then getting upset when the child shows it back to them.  How two sided can you get?  Just look at what is happening to our children and the bullying and violence taking place in our schools!

More importantly though when all we can do is scream and yell and make outrageous statements backed up by little or no facts, how is that good for our society?  It does nothing to advance humans on this planet.  It does nothing to care about one another or see if there is a way we can work together for our common good.

I wish people would really look at what they say.  I can't see how many people would be proud of the words they used and how they showed complete disrespect and contempt for one another.  Aren't we as humans better than that? 

Do we just hate ourselves so much that we hate others in the process and we don't care if it shows? We don't care what happens.  It is all about what we think is right and to hell with the rest!

Most likely we will just have lowered the bar on public discourse, especially when it comes to our political process. Imagine what the next political season will entail because we have set the bar so low in this one.  At the end of the day, I doubt any of us will be further along in learning how to help one another, listen to one another or have the most basic respect for each other.

May our children teach us how to see the world and each other, because in my view - the adults are failing the children and the world in a big way. The things people say to one another should be at a higher standard than we are today.  May we all find that point and elevate the discussion and respect in this world.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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What We Show To The World

We all have a private side and a public side I think.  If someone doesn't, I'd be a little suspicious.  What we show to the world is often not what we show to those close to us.  Even what we show to those that are close to us, is not all we are.

There is the side of us that we show to the world in our professional life.  In many ways, it isn't our entire self because I'm sure a client or customer would not want to know or need to know some of the issues we have had to face in life.

There is the side of us that we show to the world that is our more personal side, but often if we show it to the world at large, we would be allowing people to trample our own personal boundaries.

What we show online...

There are also sides such as what we show online in social media or what we show to our significant other or best friends.  It might even be a side that we show to one circle we are involved with but for each different experience in life, there is something we show to the world and something we do not.

I'm always perplexed and amazed at what people show online in social media.  Often it is showing one side of themselves, while they try to prove there is something else that makes them tick.  All I have to do is look is no further than a sibling that professes one thing on Sunday and shows an entirely different thing through the things he shares online.

While there may be a need to not show everything to the world that we show to our most trusted friends and significant others, I think that sometimes we are not authentic in the way we should be.  There need not be major cover ups while trying to convince the world we are one thing, but in many ways we are not.

Your actions and words say much more...

Your actions and words say much more than what you try to project to the world.  You might think you are hiding the things from the world, but in many ways they are quite obvious for all to see.

As you go through your day, take into account what it is that you show to those close to you and the world.  Does one thing resemble the other or are the different images no where close to being in sync?

If you want to be taken as authentic, then you will want to be more aware and conscious of what you put out into the world.  Social media is a good indicator of what is truly within you or what you do when you're not conscious.

Make the world a better place by being authentic and really looking deep within your own soul to see what is there.  You won't make the world a better place by judging it and exclaiming all that others are doing wrong.  You will make it a better place by working on yourself over that of judging other people.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Let Love Lead You

Too many times I see things that really cause pain upon others and hurt our society.  One such area is when we say we love others, but then the following words, actions, social media shares and thoughts show anything but love.

Love is not something you can boast about because if you truly love and have love, it will show through.  It needs no boasting.  In fact, anyone that boasts how much love they have probably is missing the true point of what love truly is.

I grew up in a family where we went to church on Sunday morning and heard love preached.  We embraced the words of love for all mankind, but by the time we got in the car on the way home, the gossip and things that were said gave no indication we understood what we had heard.

Proclaim love but actions don't match...

I see the same thing on social media where people proclaim how much love they have for others, but then they go and share some of the most hateful things out there.  I'm not saying everyone has to agree with everyone else in the world, but if you're going to profess love for others, make sure it shows in you actions, not just in words you spew.  Make sure they match.

Boasting about how great you are or all that you've done is not true love in my view.  Why does anyone need to know?  Why can't you just allow your actions of love to be love - that needs no grandstanding or parties held in honor of your own ego?

Love does not judge...

Love is just there, not demanding or judging.  Love just accepts and honors and respects others at all times, not just when it is convenient in a group of like minded brethren.

Love is there silently giving and helping and honoring, not trying to get all that it can get or trample over others.  Love does not try to hurt people by inflicting and hurling insults and derogatory comments towards one another.

Love does not bully.  Love doe not hate.  Love does not try to divide and sow discourse and hatred.  Love does not try to pit one group against the other.  Love instead tries to understand and comprehend and help or assist.

Love lifts one another up...

Love tries to lift one another up knowing that as we lift each other up, we lift up all mankind and the universe.  Love does not want to see others suffer or make fun of someone else.  Love offers hugs of acceptance to all it meets.

Love does not call names or feel hurt because it believes others are attacking it.  Love only continues to show love.  Love does not believe the fears that are fed each and every day to our society through so many sources.  Love conquers fear.  Love vibrates at a higher energy than fear.

If you say you have love, then by all means - show it!  If you say you have love, then don't share the hate filled messages on social media or participate in the activities that divide one human from another.  There is no love in that.  There is an absence of love.

Instead, allow love to take you by the hand and lead you into moments where you are a positive inspiration to others.  Walk into the moments where you help lift others up without judgment and allow them to discover their own path in their own time.  Allow love to fill every part of your life, not just ones that are convenient for Sunday morning.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Love is More Than Social Media Memes

All too often, many proclaim, but few really put it in action.  I'm talking about LOVE.  Love is not just mere words.  Love is not posting memes saying how much we love others.  Love is putting a feeling and a thought into action.

I see Love as action.  I don't see it as sharing something on social media that grandstands for the whole world to see.  There is far too much of this and far too little that is actually felt and practiced by humans living on the planet.

I've seen far too many things posted saying how great of a person they are and how much they love others, only for their social media feeds and actions to state the opposite.  Love is not something you have to proclaim.  People are able to see it through your actions and thoughts.

We need love in this world...

We need love in this world more than ever.  There is far too much animosity and anger.  We need love to be in abundance and have love starts with each one of us.  If we don't love ourselves, we will not love others.  If we don't show love to others, we are not showing love to ourselves.

Love is not something we have to wait for other to do.  Love is something that we must begin within ourselves.  For when it starts within us, it will permeate and grow and flood every corner of the earth and universe.

Love does not need motivation for if there is love, it will be shown without a requirement to do so. It will be automatic.  People will know you more by the love you show to others, not by the words and memes you share.

Let's start changing the world by showing love for ourselves and as we do, let it flow to every inhabitant of the earth.  We do not need to have strings attached to it.  Love is endless and boundless and just wants to grow and exist between all the inhabitants of this land.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Saying It Does Not Make It True

My eyes are doing the eye roll.  You know, when you read something and it makes your head spin around a few times too many.  I try hard to practice what I preach and I probably fail sometimes just like others.

Reading on the social media feed, I saw someone share things about listening to others and respecting them.  I saw how they posted stuff that said actions speak louder than words.  By that point, I was thinking - wow, someone else that sees this part of life.  And then, it happened....

Yep, I began to read more of what they posted online in their social media account.  Do I really need to say what I saw?  Yep, it was more of the stuff that you would see just about anywhere on social media.  It was the stuff they were rallying against.  They were doing exactly what they were so against.

Everyone tells others what to do...

It seems like in these days, everyone tells others what they should do and how they should think, but it is meant for those that don't see things in life the way they do.  It is meant more as a whipping belt than as something that is truly good for not only everyone else, but for them!

I don't care what side of the political isle you are on or if you are religious or not, we as humans love to beat one another up every day.  The rhetoric that is being spewed on the internet is so toxic, that poisonous words are looking for safer waters.

It is hard to read anything online these days and it is just not politics.  Someone can post a pretty picture online or a nice video, and some will love it and others will degrade it.  The comments will get so divisive and hurtful, that it makes my head spin.

Do we not have an ounce of love...

I wonder if humans just hate everyone and anyone these days.  Do we not have one ounce of love in our life, or are we just out for our thoughts, beliefs and life as we see it?  It sure doesn't feel like anyone out there that claims they have love, knows how to practice it or put it in action.

In my own family, I see my holier-than-thou brother and his friends that say they preach love, but their actions are anything but this.  What you see them say and share on their social media feeds shows anything but love.  Yet, they use the "love they preach" as a bully stick to beat you into submission of what they perceive to be truth.

Love is absent in social media...

I'm so saddened by what I see playing out in social media and the news these days.  There is nothing wholesome about it.  There is nothing human about it.  It is pure poison and toxicity.  Love is absent.

It isn't the enemies that we cannot see which are the most evil in our world.  It is how we treat one another and how much hatred we harbor for one another that allows evil to thrive and grow.

It is in how we have lost the love in our own heart, that we allow the ego to rule our thoughts, words, and actions as if they are somehow virtuous.  Even though we proclaim our actions are right and justified, we fail to see that love is being abolished every minute we take a breath.

If we want the world to change and if we want others to change, this change needs to start within us.  We need to connect with love, rather than hate if we want others to love us.  We need to connect with understanding, if we want others to understand us.

All the screaming and toxic words being hurled in social media or in the world will never convince anyone that their motives and actions are born out of love.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Inspire Us To Love

I saw this posted at the vigil for the Pulse Victims in Orlando at Lake Eola.  It touched my heart deeply and I still can't get this out of my mind.  With all the recent events in the news, I think this banner and message is as important today as it was when I saw it.  Inspire us to love.

Inspire us to love should be the way we go through our lives.  It should be the way we look at life, evaluate life and connect with each other.  It should be something more and something greater than we currently know.  It should be the bedrock principal with how we talk and act towards one another.

Just thinking about the thought should lift us to higher realms of consciousness and awareness.  It should be something that we strive towards and desire to achieve.  It should be a goal for all mankind.

Words are not enough...

Words are not enough.  Actions without words are not enough.  Saying to the world that we love one another is not enough.  It must come from our heart and our mind and our body.  It must come from a normal balance we exhibit every day of our lives, not just at a vigil or when another tragedy strikes.

Our words must be more than empty gestures that show up when we're angry and scared and upset.  Our words must be more than we speak on a Sunday morning and forget the other 6 days of the week.  Words must be authentic and with compassion for all, not just for the ones that we agree with in that moment.

We must use our actions...

We must use not only our words to inspire us with love, but we must use our actions to show how we are inspired by our love.  It is action coming from the heart that shows just how much love we have.  It is compassion born out of love in our heart that helps us lift the entire world up, not just those that we identify with in our day.

Inspire us to love should be the norm.  It should be where all else is created from in life.  Instead of spewing our hared and disdain for one another, let us show love.  Instead of spewing our ignorance because we have not yet taken the time to understand, let us show love to one another.  Let us show the love of compassion and understanding.

Showing the love of compassion and understanding is our currency of being human.  It is how we become human.  It is how we connect and build each other up and lift each other to new heights.  It is how we all survive and thrive on this journey called life.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Throw Words Together And Mean Something

There, I just did it.  Hey, why not be like all the major reporting outlets and newspapers and social media interactions?  Just throw some words together and have it mean something.  It doesn't matter if what you say makes any sense.  It doesn't matter anymore.

No longer do we need proper grammar or sentence structure.  It doesn't matter if you really communicate your thought, because after all, you're just trying to throw words together.  Social media has made this so much worse because no one communicates anymore.

Its hard enough to get your point across without just obliterating the meaning by throwing words together.  Yet, it doesn't stop anyone.  When you have to read something over and over again to try and figure out what you just read, there is a problem.

I'm not perfect either.  I know this.  However, I at least attempt to explain things in the best way that I can, so the point I'm trying to make is clear.  I don't try to game the system by slapping keywords together, one after another.  I don't try to play games just to get people to click.

Authenticity is lacking so much in online social media.  It's more about getting your own ego stroked than it is making a difference in the world.  It's all about the 'me' part of social media and not even beginning to ask, does what I do truly make a difference in the lives of other people?  Does what I do truly bring something good and positive into the world?

Improve the world...

There is far too much stuff posted online in a day and in the media, so let's try to improve the world by making what we share count for something good.  Let's help make the world a better place by posting and sharing content which makes a difference.  Let's stop wasting everyone's time with repeated material just so we can get noticed.

Let's show the world by our words and actions that we are authentic. 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Let Us Be More

Every day we wake up, there are possibilities before us and choices to make.  No matter what, it is up to each one of us what we do with the seconds, minutes, and hours we have in a day.  My hope is that we will be more than we were yesterday.

No matter what situation you may be facing or what your life has looked like up to this point, you still have the choice what you do with this day.  Sure, your choices may be influenced by events of yesterday, but you still have the option to be more and do more than you could yesterday.

Sometimes those small little choices we make get us from one moment to the next, no matter how small and insignificant they are.  Our thoughts and awareness and consciousness should be that we are more today than yesterday and not as much as we can be tomorrow.

Always possibilities in life...

There are always possibilities in life.  It is what we do with our current moment that either brings them into view, or takes us into hibernation.  I am not just writing pretty words here.  I've lived both sides of what I am saying.  Sometimes I wither down into my cave, but if I'm lucky I will choose something that lifts me higher.

Let our actions and words show that we are making the right choices.  Let our words to others be out of kindness and love.  Let our life show that we are conscious and aware, not that we need to prove to others that we are.  Through all of this, we will help elevate ourselves to be more and hopefully those around us.

Conscious of the choices we make...

There are far too many activities that we partake in each day where we don't make good choices for our lives, our body, and our minds.  In fact, we are generally not aware and conscious of what we do, but we continue to do it anyway.  It is up to us to make the choice to see our life in a way that we have not seen it up until this point.

We need to challenge ourselves to be more and by doing so, we automatically challenge other people to be more.  We need to not accept where we are, but not stop searching for what we need until we find it.  We need to embrace more in our life and raise our own standards of what we expect from the possibilities around us.

(click image to read)

Grab all of life with gusto.  Go for every moment where you can rise above and find all that you need for your day.  Become something more than you are at this very moment.  It is a process, not an endpoint.  It is a journey, not just one moment of consciousness and awareness.  Find it and embrace it so you can become more today than what you were yesterday.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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World Happiness Index

I came across a link to a story from one of my twitter followers today and well, it made me happy!  Of course, the country I live in which is the United States didn't rank as high as it could have.  For some reason, we have a lot of angry people in the US and it is more than politics in my view.

Thanks to Wendy (@WendyESlater) for sharing this.

Wow interesting... I want to live in a "happy place" https://t.co/KgxAi1Gx58 - World Happiness Index

— Don Shetterly (@mindbodythought) April 2, 2016

I find it interesting that the places which have more cold weather than we do are ranked higher in the happiness index out of all the places in the world.  I know, weather probably isn't a big determination, but if you put me in the middle of a very cold place, I'm not going to be happy.  I like warm weather much better.

The top places were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland.  They were followed by Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden.  The United States ranked 13 behind Israel and Austria.

Some of the factors including how people ranked their level of happiness were the GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption.  One would hope our country would excel at many of these things, but we do not.

I think that sometimes in the United States we chase money far too much.  I'm not knocking anyone who makes a lot of money, but sometimes I think that money becomes our sole focus in life.  We easily lose touch with what truly matters and unless there is some crisis we donate to, we aren't the most generous people at times.  You can disagree with me if you want.  That is fine with me!  I just am writing what I observe through my own eyes.  I've seen far too many people hungry and lying on the streets in the cold.

It feels like our political races and politics in general have gotten so divisive that we hardly see each other as human.  We just tend to see each other as opponents and we degrade each other.  This is hardly the making of happiness.  The politics of hate has been building for many years because "hate" gets people to the polls.  Unfortunately those in the US succumb to the hate that is alive and well in these political campaigns.

I really don't think that we spend enough time relaxing and enjoying life.   We are too tied to our smart phones, ipads and computers to take time away.  I'm just as guilty of this as the next person.  Try disconnecting for a day and see how that goes.  We just keep our minds far too actively engaged on tasks that really don't make a difference in our day.

Is there any wonder why we don't rank higher on the happiness index?  I think that each one of us can change this by changing our own life and what we do in a day or how we focus.  It isn't up to some leader or religion or circumstance to make us happy.  It is something that we choose and it comes from within us.

Our actions do speak louder than the words we portray.  Our actions speak louder than what we claim we are for or what we stand against.  It is how we treat others that we show who we are.  The more we are who we are, the more happiness we have in our lives.  It isn't about the other people.  It is about how we treat others that matters most.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

We all know this, right?  At least, we should know it.  Churches preach it all the time.  Children are taught this from their parents.  After all, actions speak louder than words.

Unfortunately if you watch the media these days, you will see plenty of examples of people who must have missed this lesson in life.  Maybe they were fast asleep in church or just got tired of hearing it from their parents.

I'm really so sick of people these days who go out and proclaim one thing, but practice something else.  They tear down others and belittle what other people do, but yet they are no better.  They don't practice something most of us learned, actions speak louder than words.

Take for example the politician that proclaims how great of a Christian he is.  He makes sure everyone knows this and he thanks God in his rallies and performs his prayers.  Yet, when it comes down to tactics to win an election, he really forgets that his actions speak louder than words.

You could also take for example the child molester who prays to God and makes it a practice to make sure others know how great and good a person he is.  Yet, he continues time and time again to molest children, even while proclaiming his faith and holier than thou attitude.  Their actions speak louder than words.

Before you think I'm just harping on churches, it is more than that.  Consider the community leader who wants everyone to be treated fairly and equally, but when it comes to those gays in every day life, they are calling for them to be obliterated from the face of the earth.  Their actions speak louder than words.

What about the business leader who greedily charges more than they should for some life saving product and yet they think somehow they are better than the imbeciles living on this planet.  Maybe they will donate some extra money to make it look like they are a good person, but again, they forget that actions speak louder than words.

Its easy to point the finger at others and proclaim how bad they are and how they are ruining the fabric of our society.  It is easy to point the finger at others and tell them what they should do and how we are the supreme authority on any given subject.  It is easy to point the fingers and stand high on our own pedestal while we look down on those we see as lower than ourselves.

In my view, if you're looking down on others, you're trampling upon them.  You are enslaving them to your will and taking away their will.  You're forcing your own narrow minded beliefs and ways upon them as if to say, you are smarter than any God, person, place, or thing in the universe.

Maybe if we kept in mind that actions speak louder than words, we could really begin to look at our actions and then align our words.   As a result, maybe we could just begin to treat others as human, not as less then our ego inflated self.

Actions say so much more than our words.  Actions show our true intent and what is in our heart.  We can trick and dupe people with our words, but our actions tell the real story.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2/4/16 by Don Shetterly

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I Live My Life

Some of the things I see people do on social media makes me wonder in amazement.  I see posts where people feel that if they say "amen" or they like and share some religious post that this is what God wants and all will be good.

I see people sharing and posting stuff (or in some ways strutting their stuff) on social media as if to show just how great they are.  Maybe that is not their intent, but it sure comes across that way.  It feels fake.  It feels icky.

We show others who we are by not only our words, but by our actions.  A person that proclaims how much they love others, may be one that doesn't truly show that through their life and actions.  A person that proclaims how forgiving they are, may be one that harbors the most resentment and forgiveness of anyone out there.

We tend to portray to the world what we want the world to see, not necessarily what is in our hearts.  Sure, we can be convincing and we can shame others through our words that we are right, but that doesn't make it necessarily true.

All you have to do is watch what people share in a day on Facebook.  Are they balanced?  Are they one-sided?  Do they just do the same thing over and over, or is there depth to what they propagate and forward on.  How much do they interact with others in a personal way rather than just forwarding on every meme that shows up?

When it comes to religious stuff, I doubt very much that God is sitting up in the cloud recording who shared or liked a post or wrote AMEN.  I could really be wrong, but I don't recall reading in the Bible that thou must share and like and type amen.  I don't really think that matters too much in the scheme of things because it would seem that you would want to really make a difference.  It would seem that it would need to be more action oriented then grandstanding.

For me, I write a tremendous amount about my life.  I don't always share every side of detail of my life, but I share a great deal of it.  I try to open my life up to help others learn, rather than hide in silence.  I try to show a balance in a day.  Although I most likely fail at this just like everyone else.

I try to live my life with actions and what I do, not just with getting up on a pedestal and proclaiming how good I am, or how much love I have or that I am this or that.  I try to just do what I feel needs to be done and let those actions speak for me.  I try to stay true to my heart and my life, not a factitious facade.

There are far too many getting up and shouting every day and missing the mark.  There are far too many trying to portray one life to the world, but yet living a completely different life in private.  Isn't it time, we start being honest with ourselves, rather than being an advertisement for life?

In other words, we need to walk the talk!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/8/16 by Don Shetterly

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Cow In The Road

Did you ever hear that story?  The one that gets shared about the cow in the road?  If not, let me refresh your memory so we can all be on the same page.

There is a person driving through the country enjoying the nighttime peacefulness.  The road is winding and narrow.  All of the sudden, he sees this car coming towards him barreling at a fast speed.  It is honking its horn frantically and flashing its lights.  The driver of that car is hanging out the window hollering "cow" at the top of their lungs.

Of course, this person wonders what kind of a crazy fool is that, hollering and honking their horn.  They must be crazy as they were driving erratically and screaming.  The person thinks how rude and horrible this person driver is.

However, as the person rounds the corner of the curved road, he sees the cow in the middle of the road.  The crazy oncoming driver was trying to warn him before it was too late. 

We are just like that person driving that fails to see what is before us. We think we have it all together and so we portray that to the world.  Yet, we don't see the parts before us.  We act as if everything is okay and that if you get the alerts, you disregard them.

Our society is like that.  Alerts are there and the behavior that others are doing to one another is there.  Yet, we fail to see them.  We think everything is fine.  We think it is the other guy that has the problem but not us.

We can keep going through life oblivious to what is right before us, thinking that we have it all under control.  If we keep doing that, we will be like the driver rounding the curve in the road not even aware of what lies ahead.

It is our choice what we do, but our actions have serious impacts on the road ahead.  We can either be aware and see them or we can continue to hide our head in the sand.  Which will you do?

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Blog Post And Images (c) 12/24/15 by Don Shetterly

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