Focus on the future, be the example of what you want your children to become

HPIM0578.JPGIt seems hatred, anger and mistrust in our world is coming to an all time high. Riots that are born out of peaceful protest spring up more often than not. This world seems to be very short of such things as  forgiveness and understanding.  Anger has its place and time but is only meant to be a short-lived release of tension and feelings of injustice or inequity. Let the anger out and learn to be forgiving to others for no one person is perfect in action or thought. The understanding that we all feel such things as fear, oppression and injustice in our lives, no one is without negative thoughts or negative experiences. The only difference between people is the way they learn to overcome the obstacles in our life. Some chose a constructive way to enacting change and others chose a destructive way.

Both may get the job done, and some believe the destructive way gets results faster, this may be the case but you must realize that the changes brought about in such a way usually wind up temporary or not what changes that one would want.  A constructive approach to change may be slower but usually creates a more permanent change that is more acceptable to all parties. Compromise should never be left out of a solution, for a give and take attitude usually benefits both parties more so than a one-sided solution.

There is no reason that a species such as humanity couldn’t find a way to exist in peace. Regardless of our differences in beliefs and differences in our culture , we all are human beings and we all want to live happily and wish for a better world for our children.  The children are our priority as a species and should be the first priority. How we act, what we say and do is what they learn from. If we show them that we can not learn to live with others in peace and that war, anger and hatred is how to deal with the world around us, then they will follow the same footsteps as us and teach the same to their children as well.

It is time for all of us adults to think before we act or speak, we are not only affecting ourselves, we are setting the pattern of behavior for our children to follow. What we do here and now not only affects today but it will play a good part in how the future will play out for our children and those to come after them.

 

Focus on the future, be the example of what you want your children to become and remember this world is only on loan to our generation until the next generation comes of age.

Raymond Barbier

far easier to ignore and be blind

homeless-youthSo many  people in need in our world and so little reason they should be. There is plenty of food and clean water to go around if it isn’t wasted. I think we as a society have grown somewhat complacent and believe our governments are responsible for the well-being of those in need. The fact is each and every one of us are responsible for the wellbeing of ourselves and others. Very little would we have to sacrifice to make another persons life better. Sometimes its just a conversation, an opportunity to provide for themselves or just a simple meal for someone who is hungry. Though throwing money at a problem may treat the symptom but it does not cure the disease.

481243_518998361486259_1417117953_nPOOR-SLOB-Even though there are those that take advantage of the system per se, many are truly willing to work and be a productive part of society. Those whom take advantage of the system should be rooted out and those willing to better themselves should become the main focus. Far as those unable to work or take care of themselves , they are the responsibility of the community in whole.  Some of those in need could be trained and put in charge of taking care of those whom need assistance and others trained to be better suited for a new career as well.

olympics_vancouver_homeless-450x279There are so many of us whom can lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters who don’t and others decide to turn a blind eye to the truth all around them. Its far easier to ignore and be blind to the suffering of others than face the truth of how many are in need right here in our own country as well in all the nations of the world.We all need to wake up and open our eyes to the needs of our  brothers and sisters. If we all just gave 5 minutes each a day to help others it would change a lot, imagine if we all gave an hour. Just remember it only takes one bad decision or major life event to turn your happy and secure life into a homeless and hungry one.

We all are brothers and sisters in this lifetime we live, we don’t always have to agree or even get along. We just need to have compassion, love and understanding towards each other and even ourselves.

Raymond  Barbier

A New day, another chance to live

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A new day has dawned only to reveal another chance to live my life in peace and with love and happiness within my heart.  Another chance to live with understanding and compassion towards all living things. Though the pitfalls and shortcomings within my personality and nature will be here as usual to give challenge and be as obstacles to living this day in the way I wish.

Good intentions are many, but to actually put forth the effort to live in the fashion chose is no easy task.  With both the internal struggle and the opposing forces outside of myself to overcome it is never an easy task.  But alas, no man is perfect and I myself am aware of my many faults. I shall go forth and try to live as I desire, a peaceful and caring individual whom seek only to live in peace.

The first step of a journey is the hardest one to take and is also the most important. Without the first step there would be no journey at all.

Ray Barbier

Be a dreamer, free thinker and free spirit

011living in large  communities and in this so-called modern civilization we are subjected to constant ridicule and supposed social enormities we must follow and conform to in order to be happy or successful. They want us to believe we must conform and obey the social rules of normalcy in order to be happy and a part of the society we live in. Seems to be a dreamer, free-thinker and an individual within this modern world is unwanted and/or looked down upon.

Comply, conform and be like the rest of the people or be looked upon as a fool and or a madman. Be like the rest of us or be an outcast and be the target of ridicule. I say hogwash, hooey and the heck with what is supposed to be the norm and the fences they erected to contain our thoughts and potential as a human being. I am going to be me even if that means being an outcast or that I wont belong to what they call the norm. It was freethinkers and dreamers that have changed the course of this human race a many of times. Some brought peace and others have brought us to a better understanding of the world around us. Several great freethinkers and dreamers even helped create this great nation I live in, the United States.

So one can either follow and be a part of the normal and constrained majority of the modern world or one can be a dreamer, freethinker and free spirit who helps change the world if not just be the alarm clock for those who lay in a sleepless state or normalcy. Be yourself, be true to yourself and do not allow the modern world to hold back the  creative and unique spirit within you.

So what, I am not part of the norm, nor am I a popular person or successful by the measure that the modern world and society has created. I am myself and I am happy being whom I truly am within.

Peace,Freedom of thought and love to all.

Raymond Barbier

What is in the here and now and nothing more

God, the Father watches us all everywhere.

My past used to plague me, it used to be a weight and a burden to hold me back from moving forward. The past is to be learned by, not to be lived in and moving forward is the natural process of living life. The future used to make me feel uncertain and as if I have no control in this life of mine. The future is but something that we can not avoid, we can not avoid it nor can we truly ever change it. We only can live in the now and chose how to live in this particular moment. What we do now will affect what is the future and soon will be the present.

What is to come is going to come and what has already passed is no longer a part of what is now. We only have control of what is in the here and now and nothing more.By living in the here and now and taking charge of our lives in the present we can help map out part of our future and this is the only way we have any control over what may come. We still can not control unforeseen circumstances, but we can be prepared to take control and manage them as they appear in our life. We are not without control nor are we at the mercy of fate or destiny. For we make our own path in life and choose which one we shall follow.  Freewill is the ability to choose our own path in life and not be subject to the powers we see as fate and/or destiny unless we choose it to be so.

Freewill is a gift God has given humanity and was given with the hope we will choose to follow his will. The choice was given to each one of us and it is our decision if we are to give ourselves up to his will or not.

Ray Barbier

live peacefully and in happiness.

DSC_0337`Spring is struggling to come as the winter weather takes its time leaving. The cycles of the seasons remind me of how life goes through many seasons of its own. Good times, bad times, times of war and times of peace. We could be such a great race of human beings if we were to get beyond the superficial differences between us and see the common threads we have such as our desire to survive, to live peacefully and in happiness. We all want a better world for our children and their children as well but seems we don’t want to make the sacrifices nor put out the effort to make the changes necessary to make this world a better place. With obstacles such as governments that refuse to listen to their citizens and prefer conflict over diplomacy. War has no real use other than to lower the population, destroy both man-made structures and much of natures beauty and to feed the egos of those in power. Not to say we shouldn’t defend our borders if attacked but we should always seek out a peaceful solution first. We probably would have fewer wars if the Governments would work together to share resources and equal out the differences of economy through the world. This is not suggesting one world government nor a single currency, just that we truly work together for the good of all humanity not that of our own nation or region.

Just some silly thoughts that crossed my mind.

Ray Barbier

You can always correct your course

003So many times I allow my emotions to get the best of me and let them control my actions and thoughts. Emotions are very powerful but they do not have to have any affect on how we think and on our actions. The conscious mind is capable of putting emotion aside and letting logic and/or reason take over. Learning to turn off or putting aside ones own feelings for the common good isn’t an easy task but it is one that is possible and beneficial to both yourself and others. From my experience, when I allow emotions to be in charge I usually regret how I acted and become disappointed in myself for being someone I don’t enjoy being. When emotions are in control you are but reacting and have little choice. When you learn to control your emotions you become a person of action and reason. You have full control of how you interact and you become as a captain of a ship. Though storms may throw you off course you can always correct your course and sail to your chose destination.

 You can either be the product of the actions of others and your emotions or you can choose to be the product of your own choices and actions.

Ray Barbier

Some really Random thoughts :-)

003Live life with joy, worry not about things you can not change. Live not in the past for it only makes you miss things in the present. Life not in the future for it makes you lose sight of what matters now. Worry not about trying to change the one you love for the only one you can change is yourself. Love the one your with unconditionally and try to be the person you wish they would be. For we lead by example and tend to receive the same as we give in a relationship. Learn to forgive the one you love and your own self for we are all human and therefore we all make mistakes and poor decisions at times. Stop looking at the grass on the other side of the fence, usually it is full of crab grass. Mind you own lawn and tend it well, then you will have the greenest grass. Love relationships – Some assembly required and a lot of work is necessary. Celebrate life each day and stop worrying about death for life is what matters. Forgive and forget for the only one who is hurt by carry a grudge is the one who bears its weight. Judge not others and if you must then do it with great compassion for how you judge others is how you will be judged as well. Stop worrying over getting the newest and the fastest and learn to appreciate that you already have. Think twice before speaking and three times before acting upon your thoughts, for there is reward in being thoughtful and cautious. Do not think yourself as better or lesser than another human being for we all are born in the same way, we all strive to be happy and have potential to be more than we can imagine. Do not fall to greed for material wealth may make life seem easier but all your possessions and money are nothing compared to friendship, fellowship, family and love. A poor person can love, be loved, be happy and make a difference in this world just as well as someone who is rich.

What makes a good person good is not possessions, wealth or popularity, it is what is in their heart and how they treat others.

Ray Barbier

So there is no rest for the mind, heart or for our weary soul.

p10056Too much information coming at us all and you can tune in 24 hours a day to all the murder and mayhem. Some of it fact, some conjecture the rest is not much more than rumor. Dirty laundry of the famous, wars on distant shores and the world’s next worse scenario. Too much negativity, violence and tragedy for the human heart to hold. Our mind get stuck in the fight or flight mode and it fills with fear of a possible disaster both far away and near. All of our technology makes us all like next door neighbors and brings us news instantly from across the globe. Too much, too fast and too often is the onslaught of the cold hand of reality and the bad news it brings. So there is no rest for the mind, heart or for our weary soul. We should just turn off the information flow and be happy, but we are way to addicted to it all. We love the adrenalin rush and the feeling of power we get from knowing of all the news and information flowing across our electronic universe.

tpl_7_ppl We are addicted to all the stimulation we get from television and we are heavily influenced  by the multitude of messages that they bring. We live in a generation of fear and we are paying for that mentally and physically. Independent thought is becoming a rare thing because we can’t escape the opinions we hear all day long. If you hear something said enough times you sometimes begin to agree with it or at least accept it. I love my electronics as much as the next guy and feel they are an asset to our species if we don’t forget to be human. We just need to turn them all off once in a while and just be human.  We need to interact with each other face to face, we need to have time to think our own thoughts and opinions as well.

Too much, too fast is too hard on our whole being. Take a break and breathe, enjoy the simpler things in life once in a while. Let your mind wander and let your imagination grow.
Ray Barbier

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution By license.

Change, acceptance and fear

003 Since the time we are born we sought out the approval of our family and peers, the path of life we choose to follow is heavily influenced by the opinions and attitudes of our family unit and our peers at school or work. Even though we are solitary beings in thought we tend to become attached to the ideals and values of those we are closest to. Of course we have our own personal spin on those values and ideas but the core of them were taken from the close circle of influence we have.  Good thing about human beings is they can change their core beliefs mid stream and change their direction if not their whole life path. Usually the older we get the less we look to others for approval and or acceptance and learn to be more independent in our views. Still the base core of the beliefs we had in our youth influences our lives. The dependence on the acceptance of a social group and or their approval can limit us from reaching our full potential . We wind up spending too much energy trying to make everyone around us happy as well as trying to gain their acceptance. A lot of us waste too much time trying to figure out why we are not accepted, liked or successful. We tend to believe  since we are not liked or accepted that we are either broken or something must be wrong with us. There is nothing wrong or broken within us, and usually we are more accepted and liked than we tend to perceive. Our fear and negative thoughts are blinding us to the truth that everyone is imperfect and that each one of us are both accepted and rejected by the world around us. Even the most popular people in society have those who dislike them and don’t accept them into their social groups.

I believe that we all must learn not to put so much time and energy into being accepted or liked and focus more on being the best person we can be. No matter what cards fate has dealt you in life you have the potential to be happy as well as the ability to change the things in your life that you don’t like.  Change of course is not an easy thing because the first thing you have to do is change your own mindset, you have to let go of the thoughts that make you believe your stuck or unable to progress beyond your current position in life. That is one of the hardest demons to wrestle with and usually it will not surrender easily. Once that is out of your way you just have to take the first step towards your new life. You will face obstacles and even have some set backs but you will make it to the destination if you keep determined. Self growth and self-improvement is a personal experience and there is no one out there other than yourself that can change the person you are or decide where your going in life. Others can only aid you or try to slow you down but that is all they are able to do. Don’t worry about acceptance and or social status, don’t make life too complicated and be true to yourself. Be who you are and shed the shackles of self-doubt and live for the moment as your true self.

 

 

 

 

The first step towards happiness is Self Acceptance.

Raymond Barbier