Stand Opposed

Written By Don Shetterly

These days it feels like everyone hates one another.  I'm not sure there is anything but hatred these days.  So much is shared online of how we should love one another.  We say it to those who agree with us, but the premise remains the same.

If you're not in a specific thought bubble on whatever subject it is on, then somehow you're a bad person.  You're wrong and stupid and all the other adjectives that one could list here.  That's how it is portrayed online each and every day.

It isn't just about one subject that gets screamed about every day.  I've seen it lately from things that you wouldn't expect it to things that do not seem to be controversial.  As I've found, don't you dare disagree because you are the one that will be outcast.

Far too much of this comes from those who don't want to discuss issues but think everything they say is right (and all others are wrong).  Much of this comes from those who profess love and acceptance of everyone, but give them an online comment and they will get down in the mud pit with everyone else.

See, I think these statements about love, acceptance, and rising above everyone is just codeword for you don't agree with me and I don't want to talk to you.  I may be wrong, but I see more and more evidence of this.

If we just stand opposed on every subject under the sun, then how does that make us a civilization?  How are we a part of the human experience if we only want to hear the things that we agree within a day?

Sure, everyone says they want this, but far too few actually put it into action.  Remember when you get down in the mud pit of life and wrestle with everyone, no one can tell you apart.  Everyone in the mud pit looks like the other.

We've got enough issues in this world and to create more just for the sake of screaming along with the crowd, that's not being human.  In fact, that is ego driven in my view.  It is born out of fear that overtakes a person.  Human is a long ways off.

I wish this world would jam the gear in reverse, but I'm afraid we're going to go through some painful experiences before things reverse.  No one cares about one another these days (unless it is someone in your own tribe).  No one knows how to show respect for each other.  Yes, they can spout off memes, thoughts, and bible verses showing how loving and compassionate they are.

Maybe we just need to step back and see how we respond to situations.  Have you really looked at what you say and do?  Is it truly done out of respect, or is it hateful and spiteful?

The other day, I had an exchange with someone and I'll let you read what happened when instead of being sarcastic or spiteful, a simple reply with respect changed the course of a day.  It can be that simple, but first, we have to get it right within ourselves.  The following tweet was just part of the conversation that helped change the course of the day with another individual.

If you want to practice #Kindness - think about the responses you make to social media postings, videos, and news. If you can't practice kindness in those moments, do you truly understand what it means to be kind?

— Don Shetterly (@mindbodythought) November 14, 2018

The person responded

LOL thank u Don, for I have certainly roasted couple severals of people to a charred crisp. While I think they deserve it, they also deserve love/compassion. So today is that day I'm sending it out to them & ALL, including you. I don't know u, but I love u for the person u are.

To which I said,

One day is better than nothing.  

Sometimes just a different response can mean so much to the whole world.  May we all try to give a different response - one that is respectful, compassionate, and kind.

Angry Rants

Written By Don Shetterly

I'm overwhelmed these days by most things online.  It feels like there is enough stress in a day and then seeing angry rants just pushes it over the edge.  I'm not sure why we as a world are at the place we are, but I'm worried for the future of our civilization.

No one seems to want to listen to another.  We only seem to want to scream and push our point of view on everyone.  I think many feel like no one hears them and if that's the case, the result is to scream louder to compensate.

Everyone seems to have their point of view and belief system.  While that is fine, when you force it upon everyone else, what do you profit?  How do you make their life better?  How do you make the world better?  After all, they are "our" beliefs.  Often times, "our" beliefs are not backed up by as much truth as we think they are.

I see the I'm right, you're wrong in the angry rants.  It doesn't matter the issue.  The ego is crafty and smart and powerful.  It says, my way or the highway and to heck with your views, thoughts, or ideas.  The only thing is, if we are all right, and everyone else is all wrong, then we've got a mess on our hands.  Surely life is more than you're wrong, and I'm right.

Angry rants go on about this individual or group of people.  It often centers around politics and the latest headline of the day.  I'm bewildered when I see the constant stream of it online, weeping in sadness for how we treat one another.

Surely our lives are more than angry rants of who is right and who is wrong.  Are we not more than all of the mind-numbed issue ranting of the day?  If you really look at it, it is not a conscious behavior.

I'm not saying that we should ignore injustice, abuse, and bullying.  In fact, I think we have to speak up, but there are different ways of doing that.  Many that are being used today are not effective and become nothing more than a noisy gong.  We are drowning each other out.

I get the frustration with what is happening throughout the world.  It feels frightening at times and stressful most other moments.  It feels like there is nothing stable or permanent.

In my mind, I see the pendulum of the planet swinging so far back and I wonder how much further it can go.  What will happen when it reaches its furthest most point?  My mind wonders about what will happen when it swings back and hits all the other balls hanging there without motion.

Some days I feel like the only one seeing this, but lately I've noticed I'm not alone.  There are others that see this and try not to add to the anger in this world.  I am inspired and hopeful by these connections.  The peaceful and loving ones are beginning to emerge.

Each and every human needs to stop and take stock of their lives.  We need to be mindful and aware of what we are putting out into the world.  There is more than one way to communicate and right now as a civilization, we're really messed up.

May we figure this out before the pendulum swings too far back.  I hope that everyone who reads this will stop and think about it for one moment.  We cannot expect everyone else to do what we want when we're doing the very same behavior.  We cannot expect others to listen if we do not hear.  If we are screaming, we can not expect them to be silent.

We may think we are right and quite possibly that is true.  However, being right comes with a responsibility to see others through the eyes of love and understanding.  In fact, love and understanding see beyond who is right or wrong.  Angry rants do very little to help.

How do angry rants impact your life?  Do you see anything that you can do differently to be part of the healing in this world?

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Blog Post And Images (c) 12/14/17 by Don Shetterly

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Is What We Share Making A Positive Difference

All too often we just post and share and like things online that really have no benefit to society or the world.  We don't stop and question what we do, we just do it.  We don't question our actions or motives, we just do it.  It is called being numb and disconnected in life.

The question we should be asking in our day is what we share, like, forward and put out into the universe - is it making a positive difference?  Does it help advance society and our civilization?  Does it help support and lift one another up or does it tear us down?

The question we should be asking is how do our actions support that which is good for this society and civilization?  Do our actions support that which is good and healing and supportive for the world, or do they just sow discord, pain, and contempt for one another?  Do our actions show what is in our heart and is what we say is in our heart, what truly shows up?

It's easy to be a rabble rouser...

It is too easy to just be a rabble rouser and scream with the masses.  It is too easy to just claim the woe is me story and demand attention.  It is too easy to not see the bigger picture and connect your mind and body together as one.

We can spew the memes and happy thoughts all day long, but if we can't show the love we proclaim, we are nothing more than a clanging cymbal.  We can stand on the street corners and pray to the heavens, but if all that comes out of our mouths is hatred, we have missed why we are praying in the first place.

We can continue unconsciously...

We can continue in our life unconsciously as if we just consume whatever is fed to us through the media and online venues or we can actually become conscious and begin to see life.  We can embrace all that is before us or find ways to stand opposed with weapons firing.

It is not up to everyone else to be a conscious individual and human.  It is not up to some government leader or politician to do what we cannot do for ourselves.  It is up to each one of us to live our life with the highest intention and good so that we lift one another up, not tear each other down.

In this country and throughout the world, there is far too much spewed in a day that does absolutely nothing good for all mankind.  We may think it does and in fact, the actions we portray may prove this, but in our hearts we have found darkness.

It is not all those out there that are the problem.  It is each one of us.  It is each one of us that harbors the pain and past experiences in our own life who have been tricked into believing the lies each one tells themselves daily.

It is each person individually that impacts the world.  Each day we are either building up and supporting one another or we are adding to the problems of this world. It is our choice what we do and what actions we take if we truly make this world a better place or we add to its problems.

The choice and actions start within us.  If you're looking to those outside of yourself to do this, you have missed the point of being human.  For when you listen to everyone but yourself, it is then that you are no longer a human living in a human body but one that is disconnected and numbed from what life truly is.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Monkey See Monkey Do

Most of our life, we've probably known this, but often we don't put it in perspective.  Monkey see, monkey do is as alive and relevant as it ever has been.  I think one could easily describe this as mirror neurons.

Mirror neurons are those parts of our body that really look towards other humans to help us orient ourselves in the world around us.  What we see others do, we tend to mimic and do this as well.  We mirror what we see.  So, in all reality, it is monkey see, monkey do.

Like the small child who observes a brother or sister doing something and they learn from this so they too do the same thing.  It is the same as a young child who watches their parents do things and somehow all of the sudden they can do those things as well.  It is the way we learn and grow and evolve.

Now, please don't take this to extreme like the church I grew up which thought if you do something wrong, you're responsible for the actions of your brother or sister.  I mean, these people took this to the extreme.  I believe we all still have choices that we make and no matter what another person does, it doesn't mean we have to follow in their actions and footsteps.

I believe mirror neurons though help us find our place among society and with human civilization.  It is to help us learn how to work together and function together for the survival of the species.  Without it, we might all be walking in different directions.

Of course, I believe today there is a warning, because as we look at political leaders, they are performing actions that are less than human.  Unfortunately the mirror neurons of their followers are operating at full peak and does not appear to be any chance of slowing down.  I believe these actions can be harmful because they are not controlled by survival or the heart, but by the power and control of the ego.

As humans, I believe we have a responsibility to consider the highest good and survival of our species.  It isn't helpful to our civilization when we act as if we have no moral guide and compass.  Spouting hateful rhetoric towards another really shows just how low we have sunk in following the mirror neurons we see before us.

My hope is that we begin to use our mirror neurons to mimic behavior that is for our highest good, not for the lowest common denominator.  We all need to work together to survive in this world and on this planet.  Acting as if it is us against them in no ways brings about the future survival of our species.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Quit Blaming And Start Changing

Some days I get philosophical about life and look at my own life in relation to the overall big planet we live on.  There are so many times that I don't feel like I fit in this world. I have felt this way from a very early age in my life, and sometimes today I still feel that way.  After all, I don't understand most of the human population, or why people act the way they do.

When you look at the people who just bury their heads in the sand, hoping that somehow what they are currently doing in their lives won't matter, I feel sorry for the sand.  Either they chase neon rainbows of bright pretty colors, or they see just how much they can disrespect and harm one another.

No one really stops to think about how their actions impact those around them or the rest of the world.  They just go through their day oblivious to everything taking place, acting as if they are the only ones that matter.  If they inflict a little harm here or there, they claim it is all done in the name of love or they act as if they are the ones with all the answers.