The fiercest of enemies are usually people who started out as friends. Do all friendships, no matter how solid, carry the tiny seed of potential for turning sour one day? And if so, under what circumstances might this occur? If they can be envisaged, they can be avoided. And might every relationship of conflict and opposition contain within itself somewhere, the small possibility of reconciliation and co-operation? You may think that you and someone are too far apart for either of you to ever work well together. But is that so?
John Lennon once wrote a song called, Instant Ka. Many who follow 'spiritual growth paths', believe in this concept. They say that we all get back what we give out and that sooner or later, natural justice prevails. But the more you actively seek enlightenment, the quicker it happens. You need not wait several lifetimes for your reward or punishment, nor even years or months. It can happen the same day! Perhaps you are more of a yogi than you know - brings a reward that you have only recently earned.
We have all seen film stars falling from planes, bursting through windows, driving at breakneck speed and wrestling with baddies.
But have we really seen this or have our eyes just been tricked? Perhaps the directors have cleverly cut the film with braver, less risk-averse body doubles? But if your life were a movie, would you really want anyone else to do your stunts for you? Aren't those moments of high drama a key part of a magical process? All you need to do is what you are good at! If it doesn't come naturally, if you can't manage it with your eyes shut, if it doesn't involve remaining comfortably in your own element, it isn't necessary. Save yourself the stress. There are times when we all benefit from being stretched and pushing ourselves that little bit further. And if rising to a challenge is what you naturally do best, go right ahead. But for you, right now at least, the path of least resistance is also the golden road to the shining citadel of opportunity.
Don't look for hidden agendas. Don't complicate simple issues. Take situations at face value and take people as you find them. That's what conventional wisdom teaches. That's the philosophy most folk apply. Mainly, it works, or at least it appears to work. But there's a lot to be said for thinking round corners, looking beyond the obvious and peeping behind some discreetly drawn veils. Of course, there's no way of knowing what you may unleash once you begin a process like that, but it won't be anything you can't handle!
.In the great soap opera of life, we are all not just actors but writers. We are given our roles, we have our scenarios set for us and then we are required to improvise dialogue with the other players. We may yearn to be a series editor or an executive producer who can influence, not just the outcome of an individual scene, but the destiny of the character. Yet we have that power too. It is just more difficult to muster, when we are deeply engrossed in an immediate exchange, you can call more shots than you think.
If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.' So goes the penultimate line of Kipling's classic poem, If. The final words have not stood the test of time so well. They state that then, 'you will be a man.' The poet was writing in an era when women were considered so irrelevant, that they weren't even worth in offering such advice to. Life has taught you long ago, to meet those two impostors just the same, you will get to meet the more preferable of the two impostors!
The difference between victory and defeat can be as narrow as a few inches, or seconds, or even some minuscule division thereof.
How unfair is that then, after so much effort and such hard-won progress? Any opinion proffered in answer to the preceding question is likely to vary, depending on whether you ask the winner or the loser. An outcome is an outcome, regardless of all else. So which way will the dice fall for you this weekend? Will you enjoy success by a squeak or woe by a whisker? You'll come out on top!
The 'sword of truth'. Some years ago, a British politician stood accused of a crime. He vowed that he would use this very weapon to defend himself. It was such a poetic assertion that it flummoxed many of his most vocal critics. Unfortunately, he later conceded that he had been lying and changed his plea to guilty! But it provides us with a nice reminder of the fact that a label stating, 'This is the real thing' is no proof at all.
S0metimes, settle for nothing less than hard evidence. Some psychologists argue that most of us create our own problems. We cause, through our choices and actions, the very situations that later pose us such a challenge. We may try to blame others but really we have brought trouble upon our own heads. That's a bit harsh! It may be true, or partially true sometimes, but it would be very wrong to assume that this is always the case. This weekend's big question involves the amount of sympathy that you should extend towards someone. Don't be a mug; but do be generous.
If you don't dive into the deep end, you might never get into the water! We all think that we prefer to lower ourselves gently via the shallow end of the pool. But it isn't always possible. Some decisions need to be made in a hurry. Some opportunities should be seized as fast as they arise. You have choices and options but you don't have much time to weigh these all up. That doesn't matter. Whatever happens, you are not going to drown and you are going to end up doing what needs to be done.
John Lennon once wrote a song called, Instant Ka. Many who follow 'spiritual growth paths', believe in this concept. They say that we all get back what we give out and that sooner or later, natural justice prevails. But the more you actively seek enlightenment, the quicker it happens. You need not wait several lifetimes for your reward or punishment, nor even years or months. It can happen the same day! Perhaps you are more of a yogi than you know - brings a reward that you have only recently earned.
We have all seen film stars falling from planes, bursting through windows, driving at breakneck speed and wrestling with baddies.
But have we really seen this or have our eyes just been tricked? Perhaps the directors have cleverly cut the film with braver, less risk-averse body doubles? But if your life were a movie, would you really want anyone else to do your stunts for you? Aren't those moments of high drama a key part of a magical process? All you need to do is what you are good at! If it doesn't come naturally, if you can't manage it with your eyes shut, if it doesn't involve remaining comfortably in your own element, it isn't necessary. Save yourself the stress. There are times when we all benefit from being stretched and pushing ourselves that little bit further. And if rising to a challenge is what you naturally do best, go right ahead. But for you, right now at least, the path of least resistance is also the golden road to the shining citadel of opportunity.
Don't look for hidden agendas. Don't complicate simple issues. Take situations at face value and take people as you find them. That's what conventional wisdom teaches. That's the philosophy most folk apply. Mainly, it works, or at least it appears to work. But there's a lot to be said for thinking round corners, looking beyond the obvious and peeping behind some discreetly drawn veils. Of course, there's no way of knowing what you may unleash once you begin a process like that, but it won't be anything you can't handle!
.In the great soap opera of life, we are all not just actors but writers. We are given our roles, we have our scenarios set for us and then we are required to improvise dialogue with the other players. We may yearn to be a series editor or an executive producer who can influence, not just the outcome of an individual scene, but the destiny of the character. Yet we have that power too. It is just more difficult to muster, when we are deeply engrossed in an immediate exchange, you can call more shots than you think.
If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.' So goes the penultimate line of Kipling's classic poem, If. The final words have not stood the test of time so well. They state that then, 'you will be a man.' The poet was writing in an era when women were considered so irrelevant, that they weren't even worth in offering such advice to. Life has taught you long ago, to meet those two impostors just the same, you will get to meet the more preferable of the two impostors!
The difference between victory and defeat can be as narrow as a few inches, or seconds, or even some minuscule division thereof.
How unfair is that then, after so much effort and such hard-won progress? Any opinion proffered in answer to the preceding question is likely to vary, depending on whether you ask the winner or the loser. An outcome is an outcome, regardless of all else. So which way will the dice fall for you this weekend? Will you enjoy success by a squeak or woe by a whisker? You'll come out on top!
The 'sword of truth'. Some years ago, a British politician stood accused of a crime. He vowed that he would use this very weapon to defend himself. It was such a poetic assertion that it flummoxed many of his most vocal critics. Unfortunately, he later conceded that he had been lying and changed his plea to guilty! But it provides us with a nice reminder of the fact that a label stating, 'This is the real thing' is no proof at all.
S0metimes, settle for nothing less than hard evidence. Some psychologists argue that most of us create our own problems. We cause, through our choices and actions, the very situations that later pose us such a challenge. We may try to blame others but really we have brought trouble upon our own heads. That's a bit harsh! It may be true, or partially true sometimes, but it would be very wrong to assume that this is always the case. This weekend's big question involves the amount of sympathy that you should extend towards someone. Don't be a mug; but do be generous.
If you don't dive into the deep end, you might never get into the water! We all think that we prefer to lower ourselves gently via the shallow end of the pool. But it isn't always possible. Some decisions need to be made in a hurry. Some opportunities should be seized as fast as they arise. You have choices and options but you don't have much time to weigh these all up. That doesn't matter. Whatever happens, you are not going to drown and you are going to end up doing what needs to be done.
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