I Refuse

I'm writing this long before it is published, but it will most likely be relevant at any time it is posted.  In today's age, we have become hatemongers with one another.

We don't care about another point of view or belief.  We just demand that ours is the correct one and all others are wrong.

So today, I state the following.

Join with me if you plan to do the same.



I Refuse!

• I refuse to partake in the hate-mongering that is thriving online.  If I cannot say something nice about someone, I will be silent.
• I refuse to partake in the sensationalized drama that is spread through ridiculous social media postings with its only intent is to get you to click on something.
• I refuse to partake in one-sided arguments where facts are omitted, but belief and opinion are the only arguments.
• I refuse to propagate pictures and images and social media posts that demean any group or political ideology or persons that are different than me.
• I refuse to spread false lies and innuendo just because someone on social media claims it is true.  I will check the facts out and if I cannot verify it, I will not spread it forward.
• I refuse to pass claims along that appear to be valid, but have no basis in fact or ones that have been proven to be untrue.  I will take a minute to think before I forward and like a social media posting.
• I refuse to add more screaming and yelling to the mix of social media, especially when no one is listening to anyone but themselves.
• I refuse to live my life on social media because even though I may have connections, I know that it is the true friends you can see and talk to in life that make a big difference.
• I refuse to get worked up about every social media posting just because the crowd has their pitchforks raised in the air and chanting in unison.

Social media is a good way to help advance things in the world, but lately all I have seen is a place that is degrading to humanity.  The only way we can rise above all of this is if we don't propagate on that which we despise and hate.

If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.

You can expect my social media posts to be respectful, compassionate and hopefully ones that help others heal and advance their lives.  If I fail in this regard, please private message me and show me where I failed.  I will try to correct it immediately. 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 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

• 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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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

• 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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People Can't See Their Own Hate

It really gets sad when we are so oblivious to our own ways that we can't see the forest for the tree standing in front of us.  Yet, another example showed up today by so many that act as if they are morally and intellectually superior.

When you make fun of another group or enjoy seeing the group get triggered by what is being said online or in the news, something is wrong.  No, I'm not making this up.  It was on Twitter.  Why should I not be surprised!

People don't even realize what their words mean or how they come across.  If they do, they don't care.  If they don't understand, it makes you wonder if they realize what being human is all about.

I see people talk about how much they love God and how their beliefs are the right thing.  In the next breath, they shower their hatred among those that they don't agree with and if you call them out on it, you're the one that doesn't understand.  They are so blind with the log in their eyes that they can't see just how their words don't match up to the concept of love.

Politics of course is ripe with hatred for one another.  They don't even care that they put down another group of people as long as it gets them votes.  Out of ignorance, they proclaim hatred all the time without skipping a beat.  It must give them a reason for their life's existence.

Online Social Media is one of the worst places to go if you want to see anything but hate.  It is so quickly displayed in Facebook and Twitter and not one of these people can see that it hurts others deeply.  In fact, I think online social media thrives on it and it is pretty sad because it really damages other people.

Why on earth would one want to intentionally inflict pain upon another person unless they are so miserable in their own life, that this is the only way they know to exist in their lives.  Maybe they prop themselves up by putting others down.  Maybe it is the way they give life and liberty and freedom to themselves, by despising those that they don't agree with and accept.

Hatred is so blinding to people and it causes ignorance to inflate as big as it can get.  It doesn't matter if the people who hate are the ones that act as if they deplore hatred, because as long as they are doing it, it makes them feel superior.  Anyone else that shows the same is acting in a stupid manner.

I'm really tired of seeing hate so displayed every day.  Surely we have the capacity to be more than that.  Surely we don't need to kill and ridicule and preach hatred from our church pulpits.  Maybe we could actually try loving one another and giving each other the respect that should be rightfully a part of being human.

Hopefully one of these days we will evolve as humans, not become those that hate more than the people we despise.  I hold out hope, but more and more it becomes harder to hold on to hope.  If we continue to hate, how long will it take before there is no one left in the world.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 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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Helping Find Balance In A Crazy World

Lately, it seems like things are upside down.  It feels like we live in a crazy world and finding balance in it can be anything but easy.  The more the voices scream and the rabble-rousers get attention, the more it just spirals out of control.  After awhile, I think we all want to say, enough is enough!

I try to limit my daily intake of the screaming about politicians and other crazy things of this world.  A little consumption every day can be fine and good, but too much of it and it quickly becomes toxic.  A few years ago, I stopped watching the news on TV because it seemed like it was becoming nothing more than a bunch of screaming.  There was no listening.  There was no balance.

Today, things have multiplied and while I don't think we need to silence people, I do think that people need to evaluate what it is they are saying every day.  I think people need to evaluate how they are portraying others and if they truly have the love in their heart that they do.  Finding balance in a crazy world is not as easy as those that scream at the top of their lungs hurling insults at one another or showing no respect and love for one another are too plentiful.

In my email today, another mailing came through from a major online company that deals with personal and spiritual growth.  While I love some of the products they put out, I'm really not willing to entertain frequent emails from them about their political views.  It doesn't matter if I agree or disagree with them on politics.  I did not sign up for their email newsletter to have yet, one more source of rabble-rousers to wade through each day.

According to their email, some let them know that they did not appreciate these types of emails and the owner of this company scoffed in their face.  If you try to reply back to the email, you get this message that "no one reads it".  So essentially, he can say whatever he wants and force it into my email inbox, while I'm held hostage by his actions.  This, to me, is not an enlightened spiritual and personal growth person.  It doesn't add balance to this crazy world.

My only recourse is to unsubscribe, which I have already done.  They just lost a customer and no, I won't be going back.  If they want to put out a political viewpoint newsletter, give me the option of signing up for it.  Don't just shove it in my face and make me out to be the bad guy for not wanting to read it.

In this crazy world, we can choose to do what we wish to with our days and I've more than had enough of the rabble-rousers on both sides of the political spectrum.  All anyone is doing is screaming at the top of their lungs while the opposing voices are doing the same thing.  Does anyone think that any good will come out of that?  Not everything has to be about politics.  There is much more to life than this.

This company is more than free to do what they want to do, but so am I.  I can and did choose to unsubscribe and no longer purchase their products.  That's how I am exercising my rights.  If we really want to be enlightened, then maybe some of these same people should begin acting like they are.

I try hard to not write about politics.  My attempt if I mention it is to discuss ways we can help the world using some of the real life examples of the day as a platform to lead the discussion.  My political views have nothing to do with what I write about or who I am.  They are but one tiny aspect that makes me human.  There is 99.9% of me that is made up of things in this lifetime that I find far more important than politics.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 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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Let Me Tell You How Wrong You Are

We are high and mighty these days in our society.  It doesn't take much for us to proclaim to the world what THEY should do!  The meme of our day seems to be, "LET ME TELL YOU HOW WRONG YOU ARE"!

I'll forewarn you, this blog post is a little bit of a rant on something that just grates on my nerves.  As always, I do try to write with a point that hopefully when you're done reading this, it may help see something a little differently.  At least, that's the goal.  So bear with me through this one.  Sometimes I just have to get on my soapbox!  

Let me tell you how wrong you are!

• Don't believe me?  Take a look at online social media, especially when it comes to politics.  Those that support a candidate view all others as stupid, broken, ill-informed, or uninformed.   No, this is not meant as a political discussion either. 

• Don't believe me?  Take a look at many of the religious postings in online social media.  Unless you believe like they do, they will not even talk to you.  They won't discuss things with you because it is their way or no way.  No, this is not meant as a religious discussion either.

My Recent Experience

In fact, I just had an experience the other day that proved this without doubt.  I was traveling.  The rental car company gave me a very big vehicle to drive.  I had no choice to take the car they gave me because of the way I rented it.  If I wouldn't have taken this car, I would have paid a lot more money.

Anyway, I'm driving to find something to eat and parking was limited.  Keep in mind, I am trying to get this vehicle in and out of a parking spot and that was not easy or comfortable for me.  It made me quite nervous and anxious.  My anxiety was extremely high.  Sometimes I get animated when the anxiety is high.

After circling the parking lot several times, I stopped to regroup and figure out what I should do.  Unfortunately I didn't realize for a minute or two that I was blocking a lady trying to back out of a parking space.  It was inadvertent.  The moment I realized what I had done, I moved from the spot I was in.

When I parked the vehicle, another lady came up and rolled down her window.  Apparently the person that I had inadvertently blocked in the parking spot, was her daughter.  She started out telling me how I needed to be more "CHRISTIAN".  I'm not even sure where that came from because it wasn't like I self-identified with that in any way.  It didn't matter when I tried to explain to her what had happened, she had already judged me to be this horrible person that got mad at her daughter and blocked her in.

We exchanged words and I gave her an earful back.   I normally don't do that, but this lady instigated this and would not stop.  She had to be right.  She had to tell me how wrong I was.  There was no backing down and somehow she was a holier-than-thou type of person telling me to be a better Christian.

When I walked away from her after I stood up for myself, I felt like someone had just covered me with icky slime.  I felt like I needed to take a shower to wash off all the evil junk she spewed at me.  I'm sure she went to her next prayer meeting and told everyone the story or at least her version of how awful a human being I was.

When we have the attitude of...

When we have the attitude of "let me tell you how wrong you are", we have lowered our self from the status of human into the status of something less than.  Thinking that we know it all and we can judge another person, does not even rise to an enlightened or spiritual person.

Later, after I brushed off what this lady did to me, I could not help but think that what if I had just had some horrible news that day or maybe I realized it was my last few days to live.  Would she have treated me differently, or was she so self-absorbed that she wouldn't have cared.  My point is, we never know what another is going through and to judge others and act this way to other people, could be very hazardous to their health and well-being.

This was not love that she showed.  If she was a christian, she maybe misunderstood the concept of love and judgment.  Unfortunately, it isn't this person only in situations like this.  It is far too prevalent in the world and something NO ONE should be proud of or endorse.  Yet, we all do!

So that is my soapbox.  I could have done without this event that day, but my greater point is that we need to stop and see others with love, not judgment.  It is not our place to cast judgment on others and tell them how wrong they are.  In fact, more times than not, we need to take an inventory in our own life of what we need to work on.

Here's another blog post that talks about judging others and makes some good points.  Click the image below to read the blog post, Before You Judge Me.

Click Here To Read

Let me know if you have been judged like this by others or if you do the same thing.  I'd love to hear your comments below.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 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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Dare To Disagree

Many of us want to show how enlightened we are.  We spout off new age rhetoric or feel good phrases.  We show the world just how much we know.  We often claim we are much more than we truly are.

Yet, do we really do as we think we do or are we disillusioned by the cloud of rhetoric we spew online and that which we give to those nearby.  Are we really practicing what we preach and portray or is it a facade that is a persona we give to the world.

Being vulnerable is not easy.  Just ask Brene Brown how vulnerability shows up and just how much it can take you down.  As a result, we hide our vulnerability with our puffed up words and actions.  We portray one thing to the world, while holding our true selves as a secret and hidden entity in our life.

If you want to test this thought, try reading social media postings from the people whom you disagree.  See if you can hold your tongue or your fingers from typing for 2 minutes, not wanting to obliterate the other person's thinking because you are right and they are wrong. See if you can have the same love and compassion for your fellow man that you portray every day to the people that vehemently disagree with you.

See if you can hear their anger and poison filled words and yet be okay knowing that this is their issue, not yours.  I know that is not easy to do.  I struggle with it as well just like most of us do.  The media and various issue groups use this to their advantage as they pit one person against another.  This is how they win.  This is how they hook people into following their news and political revolutions.

I think you do need to be careful that you don't immerse yourself in the rhetoric that seems hateful and full of poison because it can truly drive you insane.  There is far too much of this posted every day on social media and it is not good for society or humans as a whole.  We don't have to pick fights and take sides.  We can rise above this.

Sometimes the best thing that can be done is to just say nothing.  Allow the people to rant and rave all they want but if they don't have an audience, they will soon burn out.  They will be like a candle flame that consumes itself.

The media loves the people who are outside the lines because it emotionally engages those that follow the stories so they will be hooked for days and weeks to come.  It isn't all the media's fault though because the people who consume this stuff are just as much a part of the problem as the media or the ones spewing the rhetoric.

We owe ourselves a lot more in this world and a better experience of what it means to be a conscious individual.  We cannot say we love one another while calling each other all kinds of names and showing our hatred for those who dare to disagree.

We cannot say that we enlightened only if we have others in our lives that agree with us and what we think.  It is a shallow part of the pool and dangerous indeed when we only huddle with those that share the same water.

At the same time, being human requires us to learn how to be conscious and aware.  It requires that we learn what civility and respect is all about in life.  It means that even though we may disagree with others, we need to see the big picture and will this disagreement define our entire existence, or is there more common ground that we share with those that are unlike us.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Do Not Judge

I'm always intrigued by people who purport to follow the bible, but yet they don't heed what they preach.  They push their beliefs on others, but they avoid putting themselves under their own microscope.  They proclaim that they are forgiven and so this applies to everyone else, not them.

One area I see this repeatedly is in the judgment of others.  Whether it is a political race or family members, friends or social media acquaintances, judging others seems to be what people do best.  It is what followers of the bible seem to do best.

In Luke 6:37 it says, " Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

At no point in this scripture passage does it say that judging others is a good thing.  At no point in there does it say that judging is your first priority in life and all other endeavors should fall by the wayside.  At no point does it say that you should judge others or condemn others.

In fact, if you follow the bible, you should be forgiving others more than condemning and judging them.  You should be accepting them as they are, not as you think they should be.  You should not be playing the role of the God you worship by acting as if you can judge others.

I grew up in a family where judgment was the norm of the day.  No, we didn't claim it was judgment or condemnation.  We didn't see that we were judging others.  We didn't even know that we were judging and condemning.  Yet, we practiced it as if it was the only precept in life to follow.

When we got home from church, it was that gossip that we shared that was judging those we rolled our eyes at.  Sometimes, we didn't even wait until we got home from church.  The judgment was in those prayer meetings where someone would go on and on about another member almost as if they were preaching to them.  The condemnation was whispered in the hallways of the church.

Judgment and condemnation was so common place that if someone didn't attend the church we went to, we were taught to consider them lost and going to hell.  If someone went into a place of business we did not think was almighty righteous, then we were taught they were going to hell.  If someone did not say the things we felt they should say or listen to the music that we felt they should listen to, we were taught they were going to hell.

If you did not want to be condemned and judged, then there was an unwritten code in the family and church that you would follow.  Often the rules were made up on the spot with the father of the family or the pastor of the church making the determination of who was right and who was wrong.  They were the judge.  You learned to follow the rules so you would not be judged and condemned.

In these days, I see so many judging and condemning others.  Whether it is issues concerning gays or if someone is a patriot or a liberal or conservative, anyone who disagrees with the religious pharisees of our day are considered lost and going to hell.  They are judged and condemned.

The thing I don't understand though is Jesus also said, "love one another as I have loved you".  Love is not condemnation or judgment.  Love is acceptance in the purest form without strings attached.

So if the religious pharisees of our day claim that they follow the bible and they follow God or Jesus, would they not be obliged to stop judging and condemning one another.  Would they not be obliged to live their life loving one another, rather than spewing the hatred that they so strongly dish out?  Maybe they are so blind that they cannot see this.

Do not judge is an area the entire world could do better.  Do not judge could be more helpful for the overall survival of our civilization and planet.  Do not judge or condemn could actually help us to work together for a common good.

Maybe if we are going to judge one another and claim the good book tells us to do this, we might just want to read what it says before we go hitting each other over the head with it.  I don't believe the bible's intended purpose is of hitting people out of judgment and condemnation.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2/18/16 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Rabble Rousers

I try to be an optimist with people, but more and more, it is increasingly difficult to stay this way.  I see the politics in full swing and the politicians are trying to out do one another.  Every statement they make, every flyer they send out and every ad they run on TV is evidence of the ego grandstanding for all the world to see.

It is sad really, because I don't think it enhances the process.  Everything is political these days and I mean everything. You cannot say a word or a thought or a tweet without it being a political motivation of the liberal verses the conservative, right vs the left or us against them.

There is no middle ground.  There is no respect with for one another.  There is no human decency in how we view each other.  We just mutilate, destroy, lie, cheat, and obliterate anyone who doesn't subscribe to our way of thinking.

I'm wondering if this is what everyone thinks will help the continuation of our species on this planet.  Do we honestly think that this is advancing humans on this earth?

Often in our day, we are slammed with criticisms, critiques, and negative gossip that do nothing to raise our vibrations, our spirit, or our outlook on life. Hope And Possibility Through Trauma by Don Shetterly (pg 149)

If we are mortified by what our politics of humanity has become, then why are we adding to it?  Why are we gulping up the media, the news, the TV ads and the speeches these people are giving?  If we don't like it, our participation says the opposite.  Our participation in the consumption of these rabble rousers says we agree with what is going on.  It says we are as much to blame as the people that are making crazy talk.

They say a rabble rouser is someone that has the intention of inflaming the emotions of a crowd or group of people just to basically get a rise out of others.  At one time we would have looked at someone like this in society as being like the boy who cried wolf.  Now, we look at those people as our leaders.

It is disturbing to say the least.  We are tearing our brothers and sisters down in the name of winning.  It doesn't matter if it is the truth as long as it is truthiness.

These days, we claim how Christian we are, but how our current system exemplifies that to be Christian is to say one thing and do another.  The teaching we are seeing by Christians is beyond my comprehension in how degrading and selfish it has become.  It is anything but healthy and balanced in my view or from at least what I was taught.

I can't help but think that if a Kindergarten child acted the way these adults do in our public discourse, that they would be punished and put in a time-out in the corner of the room.  Yet, we do the same thing we would punish them for and we do it on the news, all the time expecting our children to be much different.  Each person that participates in this or consumes it, are the rabble rousers and yet, we get upset when our children mimic our own actions.

We need to stop in this country and wake up to what we are doing to one another.  We are not helping the world advance.  Instead, we are tearing the fabric of humanity and society apart.  If we don't watch out, one day we will wake up in a morning and not even begin to recognize each other or where we live.

Maybe instead of just being a rabble rouser, we could actually discover what being human is.  No, it isn't what other people think they need us to become.  It is what we need to become.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Fact And Fiction

Some days life perplexes me.  I see people following things that just don't make sense to me.  Whether it is new age practices or politics or some belief system, I find it difficult to understand.  In my eyes, too much of it doesn't add up, but maybe I'm missing something.

I see people following a sales page for some product and exclaiming the item works miracles.  Unfortunately, I don't see any hard based evidence to back this up, other than what they think it is doing.  Then, the claims that it is the best miracle since life began are regurgitated and spread around as fact.

I see people following belief systems that don't add up.  They may have some nice things in them and some very believable things, but they aren't all there in my view.  It is like, sprinkling some sugar on a doughnut.  It might make it taste better, but is it really needed for the doughnut.   Maybe 50% of it is based upon things that are true and the other 50% of it is based upon what the person or group thinks is true.

I see people following politics and news items of the day that make me really roll my eyes.  It is like their political view or their political candidate is the true one - the right one - the one with all the answers.  They degrade and shred all the others using name calling to prove their points.  In fact, most don't even realize they are calling names.  It has become such a common every day practice.  No one tries to listen to another and in all reality, the politicians have hoodwinked everyone.

We have to be careful in what we believe and follow.  Some of it is just pure horse pucky.  Some of it gets so lost in the stuff that isn't true that it makes it hard to sort out what is true.  Facts and fiction become one and the same.

Most of what is said in a day is not necessarily fact, but we all treat it as fact.  Too much of it is opinion coated with a sprinkling of facts.

It is time that we all start watching what we say and question our own words and intentions.  If we're not careful, we'll have people following what we say as if it were the foundation of all life, when in fact it might be nothing more than quick sand.

There are probably times on this blog that I make the same mistake, but I try hard to let you know when it is my opinion or belief.  I try to separate that from fact.

It is all part of being human and there are the people that try to separate fact from fiction, all the way down to the snake oil salesman.  Unfortunately these days the snake oil salesman are getting quite crafty and sneaky.  Its sometimes very hard to tell them apart from those who truly do understand fact and fiction.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/4/16 by Don Shetterly

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Screaming Nonsense

We huff and puff.  We pontificate.  We make sure the world knows just how special we are, how angry we are, and how much attention we can get as we scream nonsense to the world.  It is the way of politics and the media and organizations who are clamoring for attention.

Yet, it is sickening.  It is the lowest form of communication there is.  If we had a small child screaming and throwing a temper tantrum, you can sure bet in this society, that kid would be spanked so hard they wouldn't sit down for a week.  We would consider the reaction of this discipline to the child a good thing.  Yet, the adults scream nonsense to the world and it is considered okay.

The adults are setting the example for the children to follow and from what I see in the news and shared on Facebook and Twitter, the adults are failing the children.  If you lead by example, maybe in this day and age it is better to not self-proclaim you are a leader.  Maybe if the people in the news every day would quit screaming nonsense to the world, we could begin to be human.

How We Treat Other People

When did we get to the point that we became snobs with one another.  You know, the point where we damn everyone else with their point of view and push our view only.  You know, the point where if you don't believe the way we do, then you are wrong?

Exactly how does that make us human?  How does that promote a higher level of consciousness if we're against everyone and everything they believe.  It's really sad in many ways for our society to practice this with gusto.

I grew up in a home and a church where you believed everything and anything that was told to you regardless if it was right or wrong or it fit or it made sense.  It didn't matter what you thought.  The only thing that mattered is what those in authority said was true.

These days we force everyone to follow our political beliefs and our religious beliefs.  If you don't, you are considered to be less than or wrong or some label placed upon you.  It doesn't matter if you are conservative or liberal.  It doesn't matter if you are religious or not.  It doesn't matter if you are of the new age philosophy or not.

Group Think

I'm always amazed at humans and society.  We know how to bring others into line with group think.  Sure, you can say what you want and we have a freedom (at least in this country) to say what we want, but if it goes against group think, there will be heck to pay.  It may be in politics or religions or in the job, community, or family.

Before you think that you don't participate in this, try saying something in your circle of people that goes against what they think or believe.  See how far you get before you get the rolling of the eyes, the clicking of the shocked faces or the silence of the key people.  See how long it takes before you notice how people look at you differently or out of disbelief.  See how long it takes before they gang up and smack you down?  Even in the groups that say they don't do this!

We have so many ways that we keep our circle in life within our means of what we want to hear, believe, speak, or think.  It happens every day.  Virtually no one is immune or able to hold this off.

In jobs, they want the best and the brightest, but when it comes to a differing opinion, they often want you to not share that with the boss.  After all, he/she doesn't understand what you all do, so it is far easier to just keep it between you and your immediate group and not rock the boat.

Clutter In Our Life, Part 4

Clutter #4 - Following Blindly
Part 4 of 10

All too often, we follow what someone tells us to follow. Whether it is in a church, a new age movement, some political party or leader or family member or you name it, we listen to it as humans. While some of these people may or may not directly tell you what to believe, indirectly the message is loud and clear.

Many people claim to think on their own but if they stepped outside of their own ego and pride, they would see just what they truly listened to. All too often, we do not feel secure in what it is that we need for our lives so we feed off of that which others give us.

When we do this, we become less than human. I know many people are most likely thinking that they don't really do this but in all reality, become the observer and take a close look at your own life.

Come back tomorrow for part 5 of this series, Clutter In Our Life. Below are the various parts to this series that you can read as well.

Clutter In Our Life Series
- Introduction
Part 1: Spending our hours watching TV news
Part 2: Keeping Ourselves Constantly Busy
Part 3: Numbing Ourselves
Part 4: Following Blindly
Part 5: Food Choices
Part 6: Health care, Doctors, and Medicine
Part 7: Hydrating Our Bodies
Part 8: Thinking We Have The Answers
Part 9: Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 10: We Fail To Evolve
- The 30 Day Challenge


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Judgment Is For Those That Want To Be Judged

Judgment Is For Those That Want To Be Judged - That's the first tweet I sent out on my new twitter account @mindbodythought . While it may seems pretty straight forward, there have been multiple instances lately where people felt it was their duty, responsibility and life mission to judge me. Yet, in most of the circumstances, I found it to be disrespectful and hurtful. These people did not see it that way of course.

I have been wondering with curiosity just why this same scenario has played out more than once. It seems peculiar to me and so I have stopped and let my mind think on this. Maybe it is just coincidence that it happened so many times all of the sudden but somehow, I believe when things like this repeat, there is a reason for it. In this case, it is either something I am supposed to learn or something I am clearing out from my life and moving on.

Growing up, we lived in a very judgmental house which went to a very judgmental church and just about everything I heard every day was in some way judging others. If it was not something one person was doing that my family did not like, it was some other instance or event or person, place or thing. It really did not matter what it was but it was almost like judging others around us was as important as breathing.

This of course carried on to church where the minister and people of the church sat in constant judgment of its members. You were taught to believe and act in certain ways lest ye not be judged! Yet, didn't the Bible say, "judge not, lest ye be judged". I guess that part of the bible must not have had as much importance. Oh sure, if you went in and confronted everyone about this, no one would acknowledge or understand that they were judging anyone. In fact, you would be the one feeling wrong and out of place if you ever attempted to bring this subject up.

You were taught not to question the authority in the church and to just accept it as if it was as true as the words you read in the bible. In many ways, how you viewed what was written in the bible and spoken in church was through the method of what the church said was right and anything you believed must match up to their interpretation of said beliefs. As much as the church wanted you to think that you were using your own free will and your own brain to evaluate things, those that did not believe and follow the church were not close with the rest of the members. It was very subtle but very profound in how this happened.

Many people do this very same thing today in our society. Often no one is even aware they are doing it because it is so common place for them. Churches do it without flinching and even the members of the church would not even recognize it if a billboard was placed up in front of their church. It of course carries over into politics, society, family, laws, friendships, relationships and just about anything that we do. It is such a part of our fabric and yet in many ways, when we judge others, we sit in judgment of ourselves.

I have even seen some new age philosophies and healing practices that have worked hard to not be the same as a church or to believe in what the church believes. However, these same people are doing some of the same things but they just give it different names and more enlightened subjects. Of course, if you tried to bring it to their attention, you would be met with a force and resistance like no one has ever seen. Much of these new age movements involve sitting in judgment of others but doing so through a very subtle way. They appear as if they hold the answers to what is going to happen or to how you should live your life or even what healing modalities that you should use. Unfortunately, because people have been so conditioned to being judged and not trusting their own brain, intuition and insight, they follow these new age leaders with passion.

It is not just church either. Take any of the news pundits on TV from any of the news channels. You will see dynamic, out spoken people that appear to be authorities on how you should view politics, the news and the world. They expound upon these ideals, write books, give speeches and are constantly critical of everything taking place they do not agree with. At no time, do you see these people truly sitting down and listening to another person's point of view that is opposing to their view. Sure, they all have some poll or evidence or passion to back up what they say but when you get down to it, there is a strong judgment being rendered against anyone who does not believe in the way that they do.

We all need to take a step back as individuals and as a society or even as a world and evaluate how we are judging others around us. It may be through our thoughts or actions. It might be through our words or our silence. We may feel it is our God given right to let people know how they are failing in life according to our standards and beliefs. Just because a person says nice things or says things that seem to have an element of truth to them does not necessarily make these statements worthy of giving away our power.

At the beginning of this, I said that sometimes when situations arise, it makes me go in and question it with curiosity. I'm not exactly sure why these situations keep arising for me but one thing I am learning is that I do not have to respond to them. If someone has been brainwashed into believing what they believe, you are not going to change their mind. They are fixated on these things and the forces within these belief systems is strong. Yes, I know there are times that I really want to respond but if I did so, I would end up doing nothing different than what these people are doing to me. If I do not want to be judged, than it makes sense that I should not sit there in judgment.

We all have to answer for our own lives and the choices or decisions we make. The more we question our beliefs and our actions in life, the more we will truly come to know who we are as humans and as individuals. The answers to our questions in life do not come from others who are charismatic or who seem to hold the answers. The answers come from within us. The answers are part of who we are and all we need to do is to seek them out. Of course, you can search for them in churches, in new age philosophies, in the media or in many other places but at the end of the day, what matters is what you find within your mind and your body and your spirit.


For Further Reading:
1) Ask Questions Within
2) Are You Brainwashed



Blog Post & Images (c) 1/21/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Fear is Real

Fear is a real part of our life. In many ways, if we learn how to embrace the fears that are present in our everyday life, we can bring about tremendous growth and awareness for our self. For all too long in my life, fear ruled my every moment and I ran from things that were more of an illusion than a reality. As I learn to embrace that which comes from the struggle within me, I become more conscious and aware of all that I can be.

In our world, fear is alive and well. So many people have been wounded in life by various events and these events are holding an illusion over them that fear is the norm. We see it by what is shown on TV and talked about in the news. The pundits and talk show hosts enlarge the concept of fear to draw people into their shows, thus improving ratings and advertiser dollars.

We also see fear as being a strong motivator behind the ego of politics, power and control. If each of us would stop and open our eyes for just a moment, we would be shocked at what is truly going on. However, with the mass of our population living in fear, it is hard to identify how are minds are filtering out that which is before us.

Fear even shows up in our every day life when it comes to the way we deal with others and the way we care for our children. Even our body pains and the way we take care of ourselves physically are so engulfed in the foundation of fear. Health care is more about running from or trying to mask the pain (get rid of the pain or condition) than it is about going into fear and reclaiming that which is within us. Yet, we as a society are so locked into the power of fear that we struggle to even believe this is a remote possibility.

Our lives are touched in many ways by fear and the more we succumb to its power, the more we are holding ourselves back from finding our true potential. Society and civilization require each of us to step up and become all that we were meant to be but the more we walk hand in hand with fear, the more we bring darkness to all those we meet.

My attempt of writing about fear isn't to bring about more fear within each of us. It is instead a way for me to help others understand just how prevalent fear is in our lives and the power it holds over us. I have fought all my life to overcome so many fears I grew up with that I realize first hand just how difficult it is to not let fear rule my life. My hope is that everyone I meet will begin to understand a little more just how fear has a hold of our species and will work to begin recognizing it. Fear can be a powerful motivating agent of change in our lives or it can take us down. May we have the courage to open our eyes and see fear for what it truly is in our life and in the world.

Fear is...

• Being afraid of the unknown
• Something that feels real but may not be
• Expectation that something around you is bad
• Not being fully aware of what reality truly is
• the absence of fact that can be proved
• Illusion of reality
• Escape from that which we feel and know
• Larger than life
• When we find ourselves lacking in self confidence
• Arises from our wounded self
• Ignorance
• Following the masses
• Unjustified but seemingly real situations
• Distortion of what is truly present
• Seeing an image that is a twisting of the facts
• Facts that do not add up while logic is thrown aside
• Listening to the illusion of what others say
• Not following your own convictions
• Not being connected to your own body
• Being unable to recognize when it is present
• closing the door to truth and knowledge
• Not being open to awareness and growth
• Thinking that you have all the answers

(c) 11/12/10 by Don Shetterly - Use by permission only