Are You Part Of The Hate

As long as I see the stuff I see in a day, I'm going to keep writing about this topic.  These days no matter how much you try to avoid it, the stuff gets shoved in your face one way or another. 

There is just so much hate that fills our online world these days that it makes me shudder every time I see it.  I wonder how humans can be this way with one another.

Aren't we in this world together, trying to make it in our lives and advance in the best way we know how?  It just seems like everything I see and hear these days, that most humans hate one another.  It seems like if you don't believe the way they do in all aspects of life, that you are somehow less than another.

Of course, it is easy to point the fingers and claim everyone else does this.  Yet, if that were the case, it would not be plastered over every bit of social media and the news like it is.  The question than leads to, are you part of the hate?

If you pass on....

You can't go and pass on the hate-filled social media posts and not be part of it.  You can't call those who you disagree with all kinds of names, even in passing, and not be part of the hate.  You can't pass the graphics and memes along all day that degrade others and not be part of the hate.  If you're just trying to point out the errors of another person's ways, unless you're doing it with the same compassion you would want for yourself, you're part of the hate.

What you believe is what you believe.  Most of what we believe is not necessarily fact, but in the world of those who believe it - it is.  Is that all that matters though in hating other people.  Are our beliefs the only thing that sustains us and unites us?  Surely there is more than what we think we believe that matters.

There is no balance in  this world these days and that is sad.  Everyone is divided with one another and the hate shows up in full force.  I see it from those who profess love every day as if they have the answers.  I see it in those that are desperate to bring back some balance.  I see it in those that are friends who feel I must think like they do or I'm not human.

Need to get past this muck...

We need to get past this muck we are in because it is destroying the world we know.  We need each other.  We need love in this world, not hate.  We need to learn to work together, not just stand opposed without much thought.

I wonder if part of the issue is that we are so unconscious in our day that we belly up to the news bar and consume everything fed to us.  Then, in unconscious behavior, we turn to our friends and social media to spew and regurgitate all that we've heard.  We don't stop for a moment though and think if this is truly the best thing we can do with our time or the best way we can show love and respect to others.

Let's strive to not be part of the hate.  Let's discuss ideas but do so in a civilized way with respect for one another.  You don't have to wallow down in the mud hole with others if they choose to go to the moments of hate.  You can rise above and wait for them to crawl out of the mud hole, then offer them a hose to rinse themselves off.

I plead and I beg with everyone that reads this - let's stop being part of the hate online!  We've got that much power in us to change what we do.  What others do is beyond our control, but what we do is something we can impact. What we do will impact the world either in a positive or a negative way!

If you wouldn't say these things face-to-face to the love of your life or your best friend or your young child, then maybe it would be best to rethink whether you should say them online. 

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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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Change Is More Than Just Your Thoughts

I read things online that make my head spin around a few times.  Great sounding statements that are put out there as something of life-changing universal value, but are lacking in the completely thought-out department.

Yes, I know we can choose to change our thoughts.  I know that what we think creates us.  I know that thoughts are very powerful in how we move forward or we don't.  My life has experienced this firsthand in some pretty difficult moments.

The only thing is, the thought I keep seeing online suggest that you can just wake up, change the thought and poof it is all 100% magically better.  Maybe they don't mean it to come across that way, but it does.  Maybe they think that "thought" alone is the key to everything, but is that the whole story?

You see, we are so unconscious in our days.  We think we are aware, but that's the story that unconsciousness tells.  It is what convinces us that we are truly more awakened then we are.  The ego loves that.  The self likes to proclaim this.

Unfortunately, we are unconscious.  We are numb and disconnected.  We are not aware of what is truly going on in our mind and body.  There are so many tapes playing over and over in our head as if we're just taking a breath without thinking about it.

So, when we say we can choose our thoughts to change our life, I would not disagree.  However, that's only part of the story.  We've chosen to disregard the rest of the story.

The only way to unearth that unconscious tapes that play in our head (the thoughts we don't see or account for), is to go in deep within the mind and the body.  No, it isn't the mind only.  This is a deep mind and body centered moment.  It has been written and taught about since the ancient times of our planet, but few dare to travel into these worlds.

Instead we focus on stating happy thoughts.  We focus on telling others what they should know so they move on.  We look at the world through simplistic eyes, rather than seeing the big picture.  That is what unconsciousness does.  It is a silly and insidious voice.  It is a trickster.

There is more to life, than just being part of the status quo of regurgitated content and happy thought practices.  There is more to life than boiling it down into one size fits all.  It is complex.  We are complex.

Because we are complex, we often hide from knowing our conscious thought.  It often involves some hard work to go into those deep dark closets and clean them out.  It is often easier for us to just numb and disconnect and avoid them.  It takes courage to truly know thyself.

At the end of the day, let your thoughts be filled with consciousness.  It is an ongoing process that the world needs, not a one-size fits all approach.  It is a moment where we realize we aren't all we need to be, but if we step forward, we will discover much more than we knew existed.

Thoughts can and do change our lives, but thoughts connected with consciousness and love are a million times more powerful.  These thoughts truly get the essence of life and when the essence of life is understood, there is no stopping personal growth and change.

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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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Bullies With Pitchforks And Torches

I really don't understand people these days.  I read something online of a lady who posted a drunken rant against a restaurant in Indianapolis Indiana.  There is nothing about this rant that was good or right or decent.

After all, a customer had fallen ill and had a heart attack.  To complain about this or somehow make it into a rant against a business such as the restaurant, is beyond my comprehension.  The restaurant's response was good and right I thought.

However, I saw people commenting on Facebook where the drunken rant lady worked.  It was in a salon and spa.  So, since this individual shut down her Facebook account, goodie two shoe people started commenting and urged people to go to the salon's site and leave comments.

Keep in mind that this salon had actually nothing to do with what happened.  None of the salon people were there and they were not connected to it in anyway except for this one employee.  The pitchfork mob though on social media determined that somehow they needed to take down the Salon's site with their holier than thou approach.  They were angry if the owner was trying to stop them from posting these comments on the Salon's Facebook page.

I'm disturbed these days by what happens on social media.  It is basically an avenue for bullies with pitchforks and torches.  Heck, we might as well get the torches and burn whoever we disagree with at the stake.  I know I'm writing a little on the wild side here, but it honestly is what it feels like.  We can't disagree these days without getting the pitchforks and torches out.

I hate to see someone's business demolished because of a group of people who think they are better than everyone, trashing the site of someone with absolutely no relevancy to what took place.  We need to start thinking a little more what we do on social media than just burning everyone down.

There is far too much unconsciousness on social media.  People just share everything that comes along their news feed without giving a thought to what they are doing.  A little moderation goes a long ways and that's missing on social media.

It is sad though how people react with get the pitchfork mentality and convict someone, try them and sentence them without even knowing most of what happened.  The even sadder part is that I don't see this changing and improving any time soon.  I wonder what it will take to get people to wake up.

Years ago, we had online forums and message boards.  Time and time again, if you were a moderator, you had to watch out for the ones that would just cause endless terror on these sites.  It was just too easy for someone to type whatever they wanted to a screen without giving thought to what they were truly saying.  It was almost like there was no human on the other side of that conversation.

I've seen some contacts and people I am connected to on Facebook and Twitter do some of this very same action.  I find it disturbing and sad.  I wish it would stop.

We talk about bullying in schools, but we allow it among adults.  It is time it stops!  Let's throw the pitchforks in the fire and maybe sit around the fire and get to know one another.  Let's work at finding the common ground.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/3/16 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Unconsious But Enlightened

An epidemic is at hand I say.  I mean this is a breaking news story.  This is the "truth" for the moment.  I mean, you need to hear what I say because my product, my belief, my stuff I push upon you is the only thing that matters.

Every day we have far too many in this world that claim to be enlightened and all knowing and have the latest and greatest thing or news or belief.  Yet, being unconscious is at an all time high.

You can recite mantras, you can recite your beliefs but it doesn't mean you are any more conscious than the person next to you.

You can claim you know how to raise your vibration and clear your evil energy.  You can claim that you know all and those that don't are just not far along on their path, but it doesn't mean you are any more conscious than the person next to you.

You can claim to have the latest gadget or supplement that will make your brain rewrite every bad thing that ever happened to you.  You can claim to have the latest miracle cure that with one zap cures you of all future illness, but it doesn't mean you are any more conscious than the person next to you.

See, we like to claim how great or wonderful or loving or conscious we are.  We like to claim that we know best and the latest fad we have found will be the savior of the world.  We like to portray just how conscious and knowing we are so that others will listen to us and boost our frail ego.

Being conscious means you need to know what your body feels like from the innermost depths and that's not a one time thing.  It isn't a moment where you've done some work and said, I'm enlightened.  It is a daily process of dealing with what comes your way in life.

Being conscious is about going in and actually feeling the body, not ignoring it because we are numb.  Being unconscious is sitting there in pain and not even knowing it, or sitting there with stuck energy and thinking your life is one happy meme after another.

Unconsciousness is the norm these days.  Very few people go in and really feel what they feel in their body.  Most are too busy being so numb to it that we continue to avoid what we feel each day.

Time and time again I see the unconscious behavior and I'm not just talking about how people act in a day.  I'm describing that when you go and stop for a moment, what do you feel in your body.  I've seen far too many including myself that do not feel a thing until they stop and begin a "PROCESS" of sensing in their body.

It is very easy to numb and avoid and be unconscious.  We can think we aren't, but well that is numbness and avoidance.  It is much harder to be conscious and find an enlightening moment where  you feel something in your body.  The minute you feel something in your body is the moment where you are connected to your body.

I challenge anyone reading this to see what they can find in their own body.  Don't take my word for it that you may be unconscious.    Find the moment of enlightened sensitivity where you connect with your body in a way that you never have.  Then follow that sensation through and feel the edges of where it goes.

There is no greater learning and awareness then when we go deep inside.  We have always been instructed to "know thyself", but we practice avoidance and numbness far more than we embrace consciousness and enlightenment.

By the way, I don't mean by enlightenment that it is some light from nirvana showing up.  It just means that you have connected to something greater within you and an awareness has kicked on.

Go ahead though... test this out and see if you can prove it to be valid or not.  Don't just take my word for it.

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

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Click Share And Like

People sometimes irritate the daylights out of me on social media.  It is like the place for responses that have absolutely no care or respect come out in full force.  I don't know what it is about typing into a screen, but its been this way too impersonal since the early message board and forum days of the internet.

Social media just makes this type of behavior that much easier.  After all, you can do it quicker and with more ease.  No need to read through long lengthy forum posts, just pop them one liners in the social media feed quicker than you can say snot.  LOL!

I know, we're all not a bunch of conscious human beings and it shows in politics and on social media.  It shows our ignorance more than we want to admit.  Does it have to be this way?  I'd like to say no, but I've got a feeling that unconsciousness will win out.

The happy platitudes, the ignorant and uncaring responses and those in your face sharing every article, link, and web page posted across the internet are more than enough in a day.  In fact, they are a waste of time for the most part.

Bless The Misguided New Age People

I know, if you're a new age person, you might not agree with me on this.  So, I'll keep it respectful and thoughtful, but there is a point I want to make and its important.  Bless the misguided new age people for they don't fully understand what it is they do and say.

Now, before you get all up in arms with me, please know that this isn't every new age person.  Although, the numbers it effects are many.  If it makes you uncomfortable, you're free to stop reading.  If not, please continue.  You can always leave a comment at the end of the blog post one way or the other.

There is just too much thought out there that "everything" is bad for you.  If it isn't food, it is thoughts.  If it isn't thoughts, it is what you say.  If it isn't what you say, than it is entities and things watching you and a whole host of things that would take me forever to state here.

The key is, not everything is BAD!  While some things may not be as healthy or good for you, to view the world through the eyes where things are "BAD" or "EVIL" or "SHAMEFUL" is really sad in my view.  If you don't think you do this, then you may want to record yourself for a day and review it.

Eliminating Pain

I readily see things posted on the internet from well intentioned people and places.  New age practices and even modern medical interventions tend to only focus on eliminating pain.  Yes, I understand if you are experiencing pain or chronic pain, you are probably so tired of dealing with it that you want to do anything just for relief.  While this may be a necessary step for you, it is short sighted.

If your goal is to only "eliminate pain", you are missing the bigger picture. While none of us like pain, it is there for a reason and learning to connect the emotional with the mind is far more important than focusing on eliminating pain.  When you go in and connect the pain with the emotion and the message the mind body interface is trying to share with you, you will do far more than eliminate pain.

We can interact with our biology and our physical body in ways that we generally dismiss or ignore.  Our culture teaches us that we have to go to someone to rid us of pain and physical problems in our life.  Unfortunately what our culture does not teach us is that we can do so much more with our physical body than we ever thought was possible.

What Is Healing?

The body can perform in the way that the healer or doctor or drug company expects and predicts they will. Doctors give patients a name for their condition or an option of a test or surgery to help alleviate the person's condition. They desire to help heal the person and all too often, many people believe what the doctor or test is telling them without even ffirst getting to know and connect with their own bodies.

Pharmaceutical drug companies and pharmacists or even herbal experts and food healing nutritional experts say that if you take this "substance" or this "capsule" or this "drink mix" or this "pill" that you will be healed of your condition. How many billions get paid to these companies that push all kinds of these products in a year and yet, how many of these conditions have actually improved. If you can't find the answer to that, I'll give you a hint - not many!

Then we get to the healers that have a goal of taking people out of pain and helping them heal from their conditions. Yet, all too often some of these things work while all too often, they do very little. There is no consistency because most healers are missing the basic points of healing. They create a "system" of healing along with specific procedures and practices so that you can truly heal people and take them out of their pain. In all reality, you could give them a sugar pill and accomplish much of the same thing. So much of what we THINK works out there in the healing professions (alternative methods included) really is nothing more than a placebo.

I've been on a massage table when I noticed my body responding to the massage therapist and acting as if it was relaxing and enjoying the massage. However, my mind was on a different path stating, I don't want to feel - I don't want to sense - you go ahead body and just play along. If that sounds ridiculous or impossible, let me be the first to tell you that it is not. I've seen this happen many times in my own body and that of others that I have worked on or observed. Our minds are very powerful at protecting ourselves and they do whatever they need to in order to accomplish this. One important point to note here is that this is not a conscious thing that someone does. It all happens in the unconscious mind and the unconscious body, before anyone can usually notice that it is taking place. So if you tell someone to be aware of it or to be conscious about it, you're talking to the wrong part of the person you are trying to heal.

One time, I was in a training class for a massage technique that involved very gentle, slow movements. The person on the table had an arm that was not wanting to move and the practitioner said in these commanding words "let go of your arm"! It startled the person on the table because they were not aware they were doing this and in all reality their conscious mind was not. Yet the practitioner was talking as if they were. They were talking to the wrong part of the body and mind for the person laying on the table. If they would have just stayed there with the person in a way that offered safety and trust for them, the person's arm most likely would have let go.

I've seen people (and been one myself ) who went into a doctor and the doctor listened to the symptoms that were described by the patient. However, the doctor looked at the situation through their focused view of what healing was about and prescribed either medication or further testing to take care of the condition. At no time, did the doctor suggest that the person needed to evaluate their lifestyle and make appropriate changes. They might have alluded to this fact but did so very insignificantly. Yet, they were only treating half of the problem but failing to get at the source of what was going on.

I have had situations throughout my life where doctors believed I had the early stages of MS and began treating me accordingly with medication. Later they found out that this of course was not the case after my body had severe reactions to it. So doctor after doctor, and test after test, kept confirming one thing. The doctors did not know what was wrong with me in this situation. Each doctor would conclude they did not know and pass me on to someone else until one very wise doctor began to ask important questions. These questions were not about any medical procedures that I had gone through but were about things going on in my life. Only then, did I begin the opportunity to start healing my life.

There is far more to healing them popping some pills, following some new age concept or undergoing surgeries and test procedures. Our bodies can and they do influence how we react to various drugs, procedures or alternative treatments. The skilled health practitioner can spot this if they are looking for it but all too often, the blinders are on and they fail to see it. We are so busy in the health care world expecting to see the results that we want to see, so we feel like we're making a difference, that we miss the important stuff.

Then you get to the healing philosophies that just want to take people out of the pain or alleviate the pain. These healing professionals feel that this is the best thing because a person that feels no pain, is a happy person. My question is to healing professionals, why would you want to mask the pain? This is the body's way of getting someone's attention and trying to get them to come to terms with an issue they need to face. Taking that message away or burying it in them could cause potential side effects on down the road that are much more difficult to deal with.

Often times healers, cannot stand to see someone suffer and that is a good thing. However when it gets in the way of our healing, than it is a detriment to what we do. There are many times that we get patients and clients who come to us and their symptoms or conditions resonate with issues in our own life. So, we work to clear this from them, in an unconscious way of hoping that we heal ourselves. On one hand, desiring to help someone heal from some condition is a noble thing, but on the other hand if we allow our self unconsciously to divert that healing to our own body, than are we really there for the client? What if we worked on our self first and healed those things in our life that need to be healed? Than, we set out to help others heal from these same conditions. Consider just how much more effective and focused we would be. Consider the difference we could make in the world if we did this.

Healing is not about looking through our own blinders and having an emphasis of just masking the pain. It is much more than that. It is about connecting the mind, the body and the entire person together using all the information that we have and then working to bring about increased awareness to the person. When the person we are working with has more knowledge, more awareness and are connected to all parts of themselves, there is the potential for true healing to take place. Only emphasizing one or two of those things does not bring about true healing. Until we change the physiology and the biology of a person, we have accomplished little.

Until we do the intense healing work on ourselves that we need to do, we can only be there in a limited capacity with our clients. It is in our best interest and in theirs to work hard on ourselves and to heal ourselves. Anything less is holding our potential back as well as our clients and patients.

There are so many things out there that claim they are the ultimate in healing and yet, some of the times they work and some of the times they do not. Instead of claiming to have all the answers, we should be seeking to find out why some do not respond. What is the underlying truth that we are missing? What have we failed to see or understand in trying to help others? Healing is not about using a set of procedures and organized modalities or practices that we subscribe to. It has nothing to do with that and yet, it seems to be the overall emphasis in western culture. No one has all the answers even though I see many healers appearing as if they do.

It has been well tested that placebos often respond as well as the actual drugs given in clinical trials or various treatments. All too often though, the results of these placebos are buried so no one really knows about them. Placebos do not bring in income to companies producing them nor to health practitioners prescribing their modalities and practices. In addition, many people follow blindly, the truths expounded upon by TV advertisements as well as the claims that are passed on from one healing practitioner to another, without anyone ever verifying if these things are backed up by hard science. We can no longer sit by and just repeat and regurgitate that which we are told or hear from others. We must begin to open our eyes and see all the facts or the absence of facts in any healing procedure and treatment we subscribe to.

It is time for us as healing practitioners to really begin to learn that healing is so much more than we currently know and are aware of. It is time for us to begin to learn that if we fail to heal ourselves, working to heal others becomes like dog chasing its tail and never quite catches it. Healthcare is not about spending billions of dollars or making treatments that cost $200-$300 a session to give them value. It is about making biological and physical changes in the life of our patients and clients so that their life can change and grow and evolve. Anything less than that, is not healing.


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