If You Care - Show It

Written By Don Shetterly

Don't just state the word, I care and stop there!  If you care, show it!

I get so frustrated by people who say they care and want to be involved in your life, but their actions are a million miles from that point.

Yes, I know that I've got issues with this, but some people don't seem to put things together in the brain.  I'd just rather not hear the words come out of their mouth.  Then I would have no expectations that they care.  I'd be pleasantly surprised than let down.

See, that's the thing!  If you tell someone something and then don't follow through, it is one big let down.  If you honor what you say then you enrich your life and theirs.

I find it very offensive and disrespectful to hammer into someone's mind that you care and then you fail to show it.  If you care, show it!  It is that simple.

We've got too much hyperbole in this world today with screaming matches going on with other people.  We don't need more inauthenticity.  We don't need more words spoken.  What this world needs is people who are genuine and authentic and do what they say they will do.

It really hurts when you're treated this way.  The pain inflicts a million stabs into the heart.  May we all learn the basics of what being human is about because the world needs that more than ever.  We have gone too far the other way in this civilization.

So, if you care - SHOW IT!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 01/1/18 by Don Shetterly

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Suck It Up And Move On

Written By Don Shetterly

These words make my skin crawl with disgust for humanity.  When I see someone tell another person going through a difficult time to suck it up and move on, it saddens me.  Why on earth would you make this statement to anyone?

We all have our difficult moments and issues in our life.  Sometimes they are not easy to just move on to the next moment as if they didn't happen.  They are often complex and require little steps towards healing and moving on.

No one can tell another when they should move on.  If we have not walked in the shoes of another and we don't know what they are dealing with in their life.  In fact, even though it may appear to us that they are not moving on, they may, in fact, be making significant progress.  They may be taking big leaps when we cannot see it.

It is not up to us to be heartless and mean and uncaring to someone by telling them to suck it up and move on.  I believe this is about as low as you can get on being human.  Okay, there are other things much lower, but this ranks right down at the bottom of human consciousness.

Telling someone to suck it up means you're telling them to ignore what it is they are feeling or have experienced.  You're saying to those who are struggling that what they are going through does not matter.  Most likely how it makes you feel is more important than what they are going through at that moment.

When others are going through difficult moments, one of the worst things is to listen to people telling them to suck it up and move on.  In fact, that's a recipe for major health issues, mental health struggles like depression and anxiety and suicide.  It is a recipe for adding stress to your life and setting up moments in the future where you don't deal with things in a healthy way.

If you can't be there for the person with empathy and compassion, maybe the best thing to do is run along into the woods.  Perhaps it is a time for you to do some soul-searching about what it means to be human.  You're not helping anyone if you are making statements like this to others.  You're hurting them in ways you don't even understand.

(click to read the blog post)

The world needs those who are peaceful and loving.  We don't need more judgment and condemnation.  We need empathy and love, compassion and understanding.  The world needs us to show up for one another and help support each other as we walk through this journey of life.

Be human and stop telling others to suck it up and move on!  You'll be doing the world a big favor.  You will be impacting the world in a positive way.

Extend your arms of support to people.  Don't harm them more when they are facing difficult moments.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 12/21/17 by Don Shetterly

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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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Dismissed By A Child Molester

Written By Don Shetterly

Years ago when I was going through some of the roughest healings, I decided to call my dad late one night.  I planned on confronting him about what he did to me.  It took a great deal of courage for me to get to this point.  Having friends close by helped so much.

It isn't easy for me to talk about this to this very day.  I get scared that if I speak out, bad things are going to happen to me.  After all, I was threatened that if I didn't shut up, that they would come after me.  My older brother left that clear message for me at my job.  So this is not a made up fear.  It is real.

At the time anger fueled my reasoning for calling my father.  I was dealing with very rough moments in life as a result of what I had experienced.  It took the anger to confront him because I was so frightened then.

Actually, I'm frightened now with speaking out publicly more, but I know I must.  There are far too many that endure molestation and child abuse.  I am honestly at a point where if they want to come after me, I'll expose every last bit of what they did to me in a public way that will make them regret their threats and actions against me.  I'm tired of hiding it because of what they might do to me.

When I called him up that night, my mom picked up the phone.  Yes, it was late in the middle of the night, but I wanted him on the phone, not her.  So I hung up and called back.  I have my issues with what my mom knew or didn't know, but I wanted him to be the one hearing what I said.

When I got him on the phone, I laid into him.  I didn't let up, and I didn't let him talk.  There was no way I was holding back, and so my anger and pain came out in full force.  I only got about a minute, or so I think of saying what I wanted to say before he hung up on me.

Just before he hung up on me, he said, "GROW UP Donald!"  That was the name he used when he was angry at me.  My final words to him were "GO TO HELL!"

I have never spoken to him since, and I have no intention of doing so.  He made his bed, and now he gets to lie in it.  I have no desire to communicate with him because there is no apology from him.  He doesn't think he did anything wrong.  Molestation was normal to him it seems.  I know it is up to me to continue moving forward and letting go of what he did.

In the news are stories of someone being molested by a prominent figure and they are getting the same treatment.  They are being dismissed by a child molester (or should I say, alleged child molester).  It triggers me back to the memories of what I went through.

Will my Dad and brother ever admit to molesting me?  I doubt it.  They've already convinced family friends that I was brainwashed by Psychiatrists and that I'm crazy.  I was the one that was wrong in their eyes for daring to speak up and expose the secrets.

You see, child molesters stop at nothing to convince the world that they are great humans.  They have no problem with blaming the victim.  They don't care that the child was helpless when they abused and molested them.  It is all about convincing the world that they didn't do anything wrong.

In my case, I'm sure if anyone confronted them, they would also say that "God has forgiven them."  Unfortunately, to me, that does not mean that you act as if nothing ever happened.  That is being a coward in my view.  Either you own up to what you did or don't tell me you've been forgiven.

Just a note here that in my house, forgiveness talk is not as it seems.  It means, forget it and act as if we didn't do anything to you. I heard this line about forgiveness so many times.  It usually was right after they did what they did to me.  I even heard it after my dad would beat my mom.  Thus, forgiveness talk to me is cheap and shallow.

Being dismissed by a child molester is what these people do.  They cannot allow themselves to be exposed to their secrets and lies and abuse.  They blame the victim.

To people that defend what child molesters do, you are not human in my eyes.  You are part of the problem that allows child abuse to continue.  Either you stand up for the rights of all humans, or you need to go find the door to your cave and crawl back inside.

Dismissed by a child molester just seems normal to me.  I almost expect nothing but the blame they put on their victims.  When I see news reports about others, and I hear the perverts attack the victims, my anger boils.  Child molesters don't have any business being on this earth.  When you harm the life of an innocent child, you give up all rights to be human in my view.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 11/30/17 by Don Shetterly

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With Empathy and Without Judgment

Written By Don Shetterly

I see this happen all the time.  I saw it way back, on one of the earliest little forums for people helping others.  We tried to learn how to own up to our own insecurities and be empathetic with others.  We tried not to respond with judgment, even that which was inadvertent.

Yet, I still see the same thing practiced today that I saw back then.  Everyone wants to preach at another person and tell them what they should do.  Rather than telling themselves, they make sure everyone hears what they are doing wrong.

Often times, I think we are really telling ourselves what we should do, while we make our response out to be for someone else.  It is a subtle distinction but very powerful and very preachy.

I'm sure I probably fail in this at times on this blog.  I try hard, but sometimes, it just happens.

However, I do find that if I share some of my own struggles and become vulnerable with others, it means so much more to them than if I started telling them what to do.  Saying that you should do this or you should do that does not connect as much as if I share my own struggle and how I got through it.

We resonate deeply with others when we know someone has walked through the fire.  When it is hard to determine that, we're not as inclined to hear.  When we feel the slightest ego or judgment, it is then that we say, "I'll figure this out on my own," and we tune others out.

There are far too many in this world, and especially online, who are quick to judge and tell you what they think you should be doing.  It is an epidemic, and with social media, it happens in an instant.  Everyone has an opinion, but these days, it is turned into belief and fact, without consideration that not everyone sees things the way they do.  It is okay if we all see things differently because together it makes us stronger.

Healing and helping are about putting your arm of compassion around someone and saying, "I'm here for you."  It is about checking your own issues, cloaked in judgment, at the door because they help no one.  If you respond through your own wounded self and ego, it is not a healthy connection.

(click to read the blog post)

Yes, I know we are all human, and we're all learning.  We are probably never going to get this right 100% of the time, but I believe we need to put a much greater effort toward it.  If we want to be human, we need to focus on where our responses to others originate.

So, let's try something.  Just for today.  When you talk or write back to people, whether it is in person or online, how are you genuinely coming across?  Are you connecting with an arm of compassion and love, or is your ego making sure that your opinions and beliefs are being forced upon others?

Check Out

• MindBodyThoughts.com

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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A Gaping Wound Of Society

Written By Don Shetterly

As I write this, I am seeing the news of the massacre that happened in Las Vegas.  Last night about the time it started, I was awakened by an uneasy feeling.  Just like in the Pulse Nightclub attack, I felt what was going on.  It is not an easy thing to deal with when you physically feel these horror filled moments.

I'm struggling to focus as I write this because I am stunned.  Like so many others, I can find no way to comprehend how anyone could do such a thing to innocent people.  I cannot comprehend what it was like to be there in that moment of what Jason Aldean said, "beyond horrific!"

This continues to be a gaping wound of society.  It feels like one tragedy after another.  It feels like there is no guaranteed tomorrow.  We wonder if we're next.  It frightens and numbs us.

We're living in a country right now where everyone thinks screaming at one another is a good thing.  There is no listening and there is hardly any compassion to be found.  Instead we blame one another.  We point fingers at one another.  We call each other names.

There is no respect for one another.  It seems like we only see each other as an enemy, not as a fellow human that is walking this earth the same way we are.

What will it take to stop this...

I wonder what it will take to stop this.  I wonder when it will end.  It is mind boggling to me just how much hate there is in the world, both directed internally and externally.

The way this event will touch the lives of so many will unfold in the days and months ahead.  I still remember the Pulse Nightclub attack and how it left all of us in this area dazed and confused.  It still hits me in the gut knowing what happened.

The only thing I can add in this blog post with is what someone on twitter wrote.  I think it is a perfect thought for this moment, because I know of no other thing that makes sense to me right now.

Don't let all these tragedies numb your empathy towards humanity...#LasVegas

— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) October 2, 2017

May each of us work to find a way to reverse the course we are on in this world.  It is not up to anyone else but each of us individually.

If we share those tweets that spread the hatred, we're fanning the flames.  If we connect and propagate on those that only know hate and divisiveness, then we're as much a part of the problem.

I hope we choose differently as individuals.  The violence and hatred has got to stop.  It is not helping humanity.  We all have to look long and hard at how we contribute to this.

Let not our actions in a day or what we engage in be part of the gaping wound of society.  Let us be the healing balm applied so the wound disappears and scar tissue forms.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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Anger Spilling Into Everything

Written By Don Shetterly

Every day I keep seeing more and more that almost gives evidence to the human population spinning out of control.  It is sad in my view because surely as human beings, we can be more than that.


We point the fingers at one another.  We become disrespectful with our social media words.  We look at everyone who doesn't agree with us as some part of the problem, not as a human like us.

I see anger spilling into everything.  Maybe it is because we do not know how to let the anger go as a civilization.  Maybe it is that there is so much anger that it is feeding off of every facet of our lives.  I just see anger spilling out into the simplest of moments.

Lately, I've gotten replies on tweets that boggle my mind.  The ones responding are either trying to sound cute or just responding out of anger and spite and disrespect.  I struggle to figure it out at times.  Even if you try to ask for clarification, they come back with even more anger-filled comments.

I've had people try to tell me how to run my stuff and tweet and write.  My system does work for me, but if it bothers someone so much that they respond with anger, maybe they need not follow me.  I cannot please all people all the time.  I don't understand the control that some will try to push upon others.

But more importantly, we need to stop and check our anger at the door.  Anger is far too prevalent these days, and the more we nurture its growth rather than acknowledging it and letting it go, the more we will harm ourselves and all humans.

This world doesn't need more anger hurled at itself.  The world needs respect and love and compassion.

It is up to each one of us what we do and how we do this that makes all the difference.  If you connect into anger every day, that's what you are going to get back out.

While anger is spilling into everything these days, it is up to us to not be a part of that and show something different by our lives.  We alone can do that or we alone can add to the problem.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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The Felt Sense

 By Don Shetterly

By far, we under-utilize this part of human biology and healing.  The felt sense is critical and powerful to changing the direction of our lives, increasing awareness, and consciousness and helping us heal the experiences of our day.

I've learned about the felt sense through the work of Dr. Paul Canali, known as Unified Therapy.  Felt sense, in my understanding, is about feeling the emotions and what is going on in life in the body.  It is the connection between those emotions and the body, including the mind.

All too often we only focus on what we feel, or that emotions are present.  We tend to focus on it from a mind approach where we are in our heads, but not in our bodies.

Emotions are outward manifestations of what is going on in life.  They are our reaction to events and experiences, originating from deep within us.

Felt sense takes us into the moment where we feel the experiences and emotions in our body, not just observe them in our reactions.  When we stop and allow ourselves to go in and feel them, it is then that we have the power to change them.

Most of us will feel the emotions, and feel pain in our bodies, but we don't connect the two together.  The felt sense is where we are able to do this.

Being aware of how these things connect to our body and our mind is the key to working with them.  The more we can work with the experiences and emotions we face, from a connected mind and body interface, the more we can make major changes in life.

These changes are not limited to physical only, but our increased consciousness and awareness.

A good quote from Eugene Gendlin's book, Focusing, puts this in perspective.

"The change process we have discovered is natural to the body, and it feels that way in the body.  The crucial move goes beneath the usual painful places to a bodily sensing that is at first unclear.  From this new vantage point, the traditional methods of working on oneself are seen to have been mostly pain-centered.  People get into and repeat over and over their painful emotions, without knowing how to use the body's own life-centered and inherently positive direction and force." (Focusing)

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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Inhuman Online Activities on Twitter

By Don Shetterly

These days I wonder about the long-term survivability of the human race.  Maybe that's not the best word to use, but I really wonder if we can sustain the human race in the era of inhuman online activity.

We're hit with auto messages of every type and flavor on Twitter.  I gave up on Facebook because I got tired of it trying to run my life with likes, shares, and the latest rants of the day.  At least on Twitter, I can mute words and boy do I have words muted!

However, everyone thinks that automated bots and replies are good.  Even Twitter does it.  Have you ever tried to contact Twitter help and support?  Good luck if you reach anything but their automated bots that give you canned responses.

I try to play by the rules on Twitter.  I try to genuinely make a difference on what I share on Twitter.  Yet, for some reason in the past two weeks, I've been locked out of Twitter.  In the first instance, I wasn't able to get it unlocked until late into the following day.  This more recent time, I was able to get it unlocked because they ACTUALLY called my phone (unlike the last time).

I just wish there were humans you could talk to that would explain why things happen.  Twitter so hates the automated bots, but yet they do exactly that which they despise.  They don't have any controls in place for stopping the porn and hate like they should,  yet they will slap you for some unknown infraction or mistake by locking your account.

Some days, it really gets old dealing with everything being automated.  I'm tired of my direct message inbox filling up on Twitter with all the "against the rule" spam messages that get sent to me, including TrueTwit spam messages.

No one seems to care.  No one wants to be human.  Everyone just wants to blast everything to everyone all day long.  That is not human.  That is inhuman.

Many times, I've tried to respond back to the automated messages, but I never get a response.  I scratch my head and wonder - then why send it to me?  You're nothing more than annoying when you do this.

I think we have to pull our heads out of our collective backsides and start to figure out how to at least be human.  Right now, we're failing ourselves and the world in the behaviors and activities we do.

If we keep going down the path like we are, places like Twitter and the users that spam people will degrade us to a point where inhuman will be the norm.  Surely we've got to be better than that.  Surely we've got to engage our mind, body, and heart together as one.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Disrespect On Social Media

More and more I'm seeing behavior that falls short of people online being human.  Yes, it is social media.  Yes, I know that kind of behavior has always been there.  However,  the amount that is showing up seems to be setting records, and I find that very sad.  Surely, we can be more than this as humans.


A recent tweet referenced a blog post about how studies show we influence the world through our thoughts.  The blog post referenced was "Influencing The World Through Our Thoughts"

Here's the tweet

Studies show we influence the world through our thoughts https://t.co/BPA94UBzCs #Thoughts #Mind #Brain #BodyMind pic.twitter.com/yhbgxjBhCj

— Don Shetterly (@mindbodythought) June 23, 2017

Of course, one follower thought they had to come back and reply with "You don't wanna study my thoughts about this b.s. right now."  No, I'm not going to reference their name because I would not want to give them any publicity.

At first, I was taken aback by what they said, and thought "how rude."  In fact, I asked them to be at least respectful and if they could not, to just run along.  It isn't that I don't allow someone to disagree.  It is how someone does it.  If you can't be respectful and at least open to what I post, then we have major issues.

In this case, I don't think the follower even read the blog post.  Hey, why be bothered reading what is behind the tweet when you can just declare how stupid you think the other person is?  I mean, that's the way it comes across.  Sorry if that sounds rude or harsh, but it is the way I perceive it.

Of course, with his reply of "You don't wanna study my thoughts about this b.s. right now," he really proved the point of the article.  Because our thoughts and behavior do impact the world and yet we walk around with our heads buried somewhere as if they don't.  So in many ways, maybe I should be thanking this person for proving my blog post.

What I really find disturbing, though, is how we treat others.  This is a perfect example of it.  If I look at the guy's Twitter feed, I can see that he has little respect for anyone and therefore has little respect for himself.  That is his issue.  If he wanted to change it, he would, but it is obvious he does not.

My life goes on regardless of people such as this one, but I think we all need to take a step back and learn once again what respect for others in life actually is.  You can't have that much hate in your heart without it spewing over to everything in your life.

We are humans and we were put on this planet to work together, not stand at odds with one another.  We weren't put here to trample over one another.  I'm so reminded of the story in the movie "I Am" by Tom Shadyac.

We each play a role in humanity every day.  Either we are part of making the world a better place through our words, actions, and thoughts, or we are part of the problem.  We like to think it is everyone else that is the problem, but we often state those words with blinders on.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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Anger Bubbling Up

I'm beginning to understand just how much of an epidemic this is not only in the country I live in, but the entire world.  Anger is alive and growing.  We see evidence of it through violent actions committed everywhere.

No one seems to know how to get rid of the anger bubbling up within them.  Society doesn't allow it.  Parents don't teach how to let go of it.  Schools don't teach it.  Churches don't teach it.  We all hide our heads in the sand as if anger is a problem for someone else.

In fact, we hide behind anger.  We stuff it down.  We paste it over with happy thoughts and condescending statements toward others for even feeling anger.  We tell others how they should not have anger in them because it means they are "less than" or "not the way a human should be".

None of what is being done in this world helps to alleviate anger.  When it acts like a spring bubbling up within us, we just stuff it down.  We smile to the world, while hating our innermost self.  We smile to the world while we try to numb the pain.

I'm wondering when we are going to start waking up as a human civilization and understand that we are our own worst enemy.  We are inflicting so much pain on our lives through what we do.  We as a society are trampling upon others because we are not leading authentic lives.

Anger is a poison that permeates our body, our cells, and our tissues.  Anger when not allowed to come out festers as an infected wound upon our body, only this one is silently hidden from view.

How often do we hear that someone just popped and no one would have expected they had the anger in them to do what they did?  How often do we see people's rage show up, but we hide it from our reality and act as if it didn't happen?

We have to get real with ourselves and with others.  If we continue to let anger bubble up with no method for release, we're harming ourselves so badly.  It takes a physical toll on our body and mind.  We end up hurting the world in ways that we cannot even imagine.

If we continue to hide from our anger and minimize it or numb it, we're doing the human civilization a major injustice.  There is no honor in being inauthentic.  There is no honor in minimizing and numbing one's life, rather than being real and human.

Anger is a hateful energy.  It is one that alters how we see not only the world, but ourselves.  When we find it hiding within us, it is then that we no longer consciously connect to the deepest parts of our soul.  It is then that we have lost our connection with humanity and the world in which we live.

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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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I Don't Understand Hate by Don Shetterly

This video is one that I created on May 25, 2017.  Normally I don't show my song creation process on camera because it is just too difficult to create and not get nervous about being recorded.  However, this song is an exception.

The song in this video is called, "I Don't Understand Hate". (created 5/25/17)

After the week I had, seeing hate front and center, I almost gave up on humanity and said, "I don't want another thing to do with anyone."  Call me a drama queen if you want, it doesn't really matter at this point because I'm still livid over what took place.

Too many out there preach love and acceptance and tolerance, but it stops at the point when someone else does not hold the same view.  I don't care which side of an issue someone is on, it happens from both ends.  I'm so tired of this behavior.  It is not what humans are.  It is not what our civilization is about in my view.

If I post certain topics, people get all up in arms.  Some just blow me away, because instead of seeing how it applies in their life, it is like - "HOW DARE YOU POST THIS"!  I've seen this in full display this week (well at least when I am writing this).

I try to learn from all people.  Yes, some irritate the daylights out of me more than others, but I try to learn.  I try to see what it is in them that I cannot stand or I have difficulty hearing.  Some things are just plain hateful and evil.  Some give no value to humanity.

I wish I had all the answers.  I wish I understood why people can preach love, and hate others at the same time.  It makes no sense to me.

I wish I understood why some preach tolerance, but yet hate anyone that does not agree with them.  Do we all have to walk to the same drum?  Do we all have to think alike, talk alike, and believe alike?  Can we not bring what we have to the table and together enhance all of our lives more?

I watch no TV news.  I read very few news articles.  I try to avoid most of the hot and heated discussions, because they offer nothing good for life in my view.  They are just a bunch of opinionated people screaming.  I'm sorry, but if no one is really listening, how is the screaming going to help?

We're all standing opposed to one another and if we continue this, our civilization will not make it.  Our planet will not endure.  Yes, there are things that make your blood boil, but if love and tolerance are your ideals in life, then engage those.  Don't engage the hate.  Don't spread the hate.  Don't be part of the hate.

The fear is so great right now that no one is seeing with a rational, consciously connected mind.  We see through the eyes of fear and we react with fear.  If not, we go to the default of numbness.

There needs to be balance.  It does not start with our leaders.  It starts with each one of us individually.  We are the collective civilization.  We can practice love and tolerance for others, not just make it a mantra we hold high.

The song in this video is my conversation with music about how "I Don't Understand Hate".  It seems confusing to me.  It seems less than human.  I don't get the insults or the attitude of "my way or the highway".  I don't get how we cannot even come together as human beings and beings of light with a soul that is pure, but we can stand opposed to anyone that thinks differently than we do.

May our souls find awareness and consciousness.  May we expel the hate in this world through the actions of love we portray.

Listen to the sounds in this YouTube video of Don Shetterly playing on his piano.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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Asleep By SmartPhones

This one is getting to be an epidemic.  Our smartphones can be so helpful, but they can also keep us so disconnected and asleep. It is getting sad these days, as I look around and no one is paying attention to anything but their smartphones.

In the example posted on the blog post, Are You Asleep, there are some issues with Sally and her smartphone.  She can go to her happy and safe place with her phone.  Yes, it is disconnecting from everyone, but hey she is still there present with them, although asleep. 

Yes, we can probably chime in and say, "Oh I hate it - everyone is on their smartphones these days but not paying attention".  Yet,... and this is a big YET, we fail to see we are doing the same thing.  We're too asleep to notice.  We're too disconnected to notice what we do.

It is easy to point the finger at others, but with the majority of people doing it, we might need to realize that three fingers are pointing back at ourselves.  It isn't just others that do this!  That's the point I'm trying to make.

Smartphones can be good.  I love them.  I love what I can do on them, but sometimes (myself included), we let them control our lives.  If you don't think you do, try shutting it off for 24 hours and putting it away.  Let me know how that is going after an hour or two.

We connect to so many people online, but in many ways we don't connect with anyone.  We just stay behind a screen of likes, favorites, shares and forwards.  We just don't engage with others in a humanistic way.  We are asleep and disconnected and numb for the most part.

If we could limit ourselves and find balance, it would be helpful to the mind and body.  It would make us all more human, rather than these high strung opinionated people we are becoming.

Humans require physical communication with one another, I believe.  I'm not sure I believe that smartphones rise to that level. In the long run, they are hurting us.  They are hurting us because we have lost our balance, and grown asleep in our lives.

Make sure you check out the next part in this 11 part series

 Part 10 is "Feeling Pain In The Body"

 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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Asleep Statement Of You're Wrong, I'm Right

As with anything I write up here, don't just take my word for it.  Try it out and test it in your own life.  I don't claim to have all the answers.  I just speak\my own truth of the experiences I have been through in my own life.

In the example given on the blog post, Are You Asleep, from June 13, 2017 Thomas thinks that he is right and everyone else is wrong.  He uses his "labels" and "insults" to prove it.  He uses his view of the facts to prove it, but the bottom line is no one knows as much as he does.

This is sad and it is playing out every day in our world.  There is no listening to one another.  This is not being awake.  Everyone seems to be asleep at the wheel with the behavior they display online and to one another.  We will never make it as a civilization at this point.

Yet when you look at how Thomas behaves, there is no working together, even though he thinks he has all the answers.  He is so asleep that he alienates everyone who tries to understand what it is that he seems to know.  No one wants to listen for very long to someone that can only call names and hurl insults.

While it would be easy to assume that this behavior applies to issues that Thomas has in his own life, this is not an isolated moment these days.  Far too many people are partaking in this behavior.  Some come right out and say things, while others just forward and like the things people like Thomas say.

It is not behavior that is consistent with someone that is awake and conscious.  It is not behavior that helps each other strive to be more.  Rather, it is more of a bullying tactic with little regard and respect for other people.

To awaken from our sleep, we must realize that others have just as much value as we do.  We must understand that to listen and show respect, love, and compassion for others is what truly makes us human.  It makes us alive and full of hope and possibility.


Thomas thinks that he has to convince everyone just how wrong they are.  It is his duty to show them the error of their ways and not stop until they realize that.  For he knows that his world and everything else in the world depends upon his insight and knowledge.  No one else sees things truly like he does, and he believes that all are asleep.  Thomas will not consider for a moment that he is asleep.

Make sure you check out the next part in this 11 part series

 Part 5 is "Asleep:  Burning The Candle"

 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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All Of Your Experiences To This Point

We are what we are in life, and we are what we have not dealt with in our lives.  While that may sound complicated, it is really a simple statement.

All of your sum experiences up until this moment in life have made you the person you currently are.  All the good, bad, ugly, beautiful and even the forgotten moments come together and have created you as a person, a soul, and an entity.  

 - Pg 101, Hope and Possibility Through Trauma, by Don Shetterly

Worry More About What You Do!

Worry more about what YOU do to make a
difference in the world than what others do.

So often these days, we spend more time preaching at one another and telling each other what they should do and how they should think.  Far too many times, it appears that we think if we do this, we will get everyone to think like us and the world will be a better place.  Unfortunately, if we took more concern about what we did to make a difference in the world rather than what others do, we would have a much gentler and respectful world.

The world will survive without us telling it what it should do. 

We Are What We Take In

It seems like far too many humans go on autopilot these days.  I don't think they mean too, but they just do it.  It seems to be more of an unconscious action to me from what I observe.   When we do this, it keeps us from fully realizing what we take in and what we are.

We all seem to know that what we take in, we become.  It is like the old proverbial saying, "Garbage In - Garbage Out".

In fact, I remember learning that saying in a computer class where if you put garbage numbers in, don't expect something good to come out of it.

Healthy Body...

If you want a healthy body, but you put bad food in constantly and plenty of it, more than likely you're not going to get a healthy body.  If you don't read the labels and know what you're putting into your body, it is impossible to expect a healthy one.


Healthy Mind...

If you want a healthy mind, but you take in all the latest sensationalized headlines of the day, the latest bombastic political headline and all the fear that is propagated each day, the mind will definitely struggle.  You might be a little oblivious to how much it impacts you, but from observing others, I think it is pretty easy to see.


Healed Life...

If you want a healed life, but you fixate upon the horrors only, it will make it difficult.  No, I'm not saying ignore them because when you've been through trauma, ignoring it will not make it go away.  I know it isn't easy to reverse the impact of trauma on your life, but to have a healed life, you have to go in and take that control back, pushing past into and past the fear.


Peace...

If you want to have peace, but you constantly engage in the hateful rhetoric of the day, most likely you're not going to find peace.  There is far too much unconscious hate that is being spewed these days online and if you don't limit it, it will overwhelm you and take you as far away from peace as is possible.


Expanding Mind...

If you want to have an ever expanding mind, approaching life with excuses or reasons why something won't work, will keep your mind limited.  Far too often we approach new ideas and new ways of looking at things as foreign objects that are our enemies, rather than potential friends.  Yes, not every idea out there is a good one for us to explore, but if we automatically decry anything new, we're holding our mind back.


More Of A Human...

If you want to be more of a human, than it is best to learn what being a human means.  It involves respect and compassion for one another.  It involves seeing others through the eyes of love, not the darkness of hatred and fear.  Being human is more of an endeavor to realize that we are all on this planet to succeed and by working together in common bonds, we will be better than we are today.


We Are What We Take In...

We are what we take in to our body, mind, spirit, and overall existence in this world.  Even if we are unconscious of what we do every day in this regard, it is still part of us and still activity that we embrace.

It requires a conscious effort to be aware of all that we are in the mind and body, not just what we think we are.  Consciousness is born out of awareness and the more aware we become, the more fully our life shows up

In my view, it is part of the human existence to become more aware and more conscious of who we are.  It is part of our overall growth and experience.

Each day, we get the opportunity to discover a little more about the world we live in and who we are as humans.  May that process never stop and may we challenge ourselves to be more today than we were yesterday.

#Conscious

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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I Struggle With People

There are days that I truly wonder about the human race.  I really wonder why humans do some of the things they do. 

I struggle with people in these moments and at times I wish I had a spaceship that could take me to another planet.

People get so nasty with one another calling each other names and putting labels on those that they disagree with on whatever issue it is. 

There is no respect.  There is no love.  They may proclaim there is, but their words and actions show differently.

I struggle with people who think that I must think like them in order to be associated with them.  Whether it is politics or some cause or organization, I try not to be a part of group think.  I feel that humans owe more to the world-at-large to be more than just a mind numbed group think process.

Mind numbed chatter...

I struggle with people who only seem to want to talk to me if I share their views or I'm ready to rant about the latest "topic" of the day.  It feels like mind numbed chatter to me and I really have no desire to immerse myself in it.  I think there are more important things to talk about, but if I am only good to mirror back everything you say, am I of any real value?

I struggle with people who on Sunday say, "I love everyone" and "I have the answers" - yet, their life shows the opposite of the words they speak.  They sound more like a clanging symbol than a band of finely tuned instruments.  Of course, you can't point this out to them because they act as if what you are saying it "unenlightened" or "not spiritual".

It is their needs or wants only...

I struggle with people who only seem to chat with me when they want something or need something or somehow feel like they HAVE TO chat with me.  Their heart isn't in the conversation and they make me feel less than, just because they don't truly value me as a person first.  It is their needs and wants only.

Heck, I know I'm not perfect either.  I screw up and mess up too.  I am just tired of "part-time" people who say one thing and then do another.  There's much more to our world than behaving this way.  I don't even think we are truly human anymore.

And no - it's not all the other people out there that do this!  It is each and every one of us that does it every day.  Yeah, we might like to think we don't, but if you take a look in the mirror - more than likely you'll see something that you don't want to see.

That's the challenge in life though!  Making ourselves better and learning to treat others with respect and true love without judgment is the mark of being a conscious human.  Why don't we try that in a day rather than just demeaning, tearing down, and disrespecting everyone we meet?

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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The More We Hide

Often, we as human are pretty good at this.

We hide from reality.  We hide from truth.

We hide from truly knowing ourselves.

We will claim we don't.  We will claim we are enlightened.

We will claim all kinds of opinions and beliefs as if they are the truth.

Being human is about knowing ourselves more and more each day.  It is not about hiding from what is deep within.  It is about traveling into those depths of that which we don't know and learning how to transform it into something we wish to know.

So often these days, we see people hide behind beliefs and opinions.

We see people hide behind reality that isn't real.

We see people claim to know, but yet they don't know.

If you really want to give yourself something awesome in life, give yourself the discovery of getting to know the innermost YOU!  For the more you know about yourself, the more you can truly function in life with all that is thrown your way.

The more we hide, the less we know. 

The less we hide, the more we know.

It is up to each one of us individually in what we do, but why hold yourself back?

Being Human Is More Than Thoughts

Far too many shortchange the human experience.  Everyone wants to focus on the mental side of living - what the mind thinks, believes, and experiences.  Being human is more than thoughts and unfortunately this is a foreign concept in the world.

Even as I try to explain, teach and show through my own life's examples, it doesn't sink in most of the time.  There is too much parsing of words and thoughts that really keep humans off track and running down paths that just circle around.

There is more than just living in the "now".  There is more than what is in this moment.  Yes, those are great concepts, but if you only focus on these concepts, you've dismissed the possibility of what else there is.  There is far more than we know and far more than we really allow ourselves to know.

Being human is more than thoughts.  It is about going deep within your body and feeling the intricate layers while allowing your mind to connect in ways that are almost unimaginable.  Sure, we say we do this, but the vast majority of people that do, don't fully comprehend all that this entails and all that exists when you do this.

We've just limited ourselves...

There is so much more and if we boil life down to some thoughts and beliefs and opinions, we're just putting limits on ourselves.  It may feel good.  It may feel safe.  It may give us a moment of feeling like we know more than others.  However, we've just limited ourselves from truly experiencing that which we don't see.

Until I went through the work I have, I thought I knew a lot.  I thought I was aware.  I thought I was conscious.  It was not until I connected deep within my body and felt every pain, every experience, every feeling and every thought, that I found I was no where near consciousness.

We can't dismiss consciousness because we choose to stay unconscious and disconnected.  We can't be aware if we don't fully go in and feel through the felt sense every facet of life that we have not yet seen or understood.

Living from the inside out...

Being human is more than thoughts.  It is about living from the inside out, being aware physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally of what there is that we cannot see.  It is not about what we cannot see, but the fact of allowing ourselves to tiptoe into that which we are not aware of in this moment.

It is through awareness that we become more conscious and the more conscious we become, the more aware we become.  Life is not about philosophy and belief and opinion.  It is about living in the body to the fullest extent we can in this moment, recognizing that we've only just begun our journey.

Living in a human body is the key to connecting so much more than we know today.  Disconnecting from our body is something we all do to a great extent.  We don't feel as much of our body as we think we do, but until you experience this felt sense - you are limiting yourself with thoughts that are not serving you well.

There is so much more.  I had to find out the hard way when I was paralyzed, but it led me to a discovery that when we travel deep within our body through the painful experiences we have encountered, the peace and joy and healing beyond that is more than I can find words to say.  For it is not a thought process, but one of truly connecting the mind with the felt sense of the body.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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

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