inspiring hope

Describes the teenagers I am around.

I teach them how to be in their bodies comfortably. Giving them techniques to return again and again to the present.

Breathing awareness, mindfulness meditation and insight meditation; where the meditator checks in with different parts of their bodies.

Meditation, meditation, and more meditation. Can't say enough about entering the stillness of inner space.

Great thread here!

Tricia

Bush and Cheney (among others of course) may be the very proof they are looking for, for hope of effecting change with thoughts and behavior!  I like this angle because, according to cause and effect that goes all the way to the quantum level of existence, Bush and Cheney stand as a precedent example of what happens when enough people think the same way and behave the same way.  Bush has got to be the absolute dumbest human to ever be president of these United States, and yet there he stands, day after day, saying something to thoroughly prove what an absolute imbecile he is while behaving very proud of himself.  How does that happen?  Definitely not inside a vacuum!!!!

This took enough people and enough time to come to this moment of crazy and bizarre insanity that still has a good number of people (not all of them dumb either!) singing that man's praises.  How the hell does that happen?????

Anyway, if the power of agreement can work for insanity, just imagine how well it works for sanity and Love and Generosity and Confident Hope expressed in word and deed!!!!!  Young adults don't really have much of a choice in the matter (much like us who are older, but feel much the same).  They can either succumb to the seductive energy of the present insanity, or they can begin to understand it as standing proof of what they are more than capable of if they begin to put their minds to it.

The real question young adults need to be asking themselves is, "Why do I think that it is someone elses job to fix all this mess, as if I were not part of the problem myself?"  Until all of us see ourselves as having been part of the problem, we can hardly be serious about beginning to be an active participant of the solution.  Try getting someone to admit that they are part of the current problem and watch how fast they begin to make excuses and rationalize their innocence.

To believe we are part of One and also believe we are not associated with the current problem is insanity.  Sensing personal responsibility activates personal power that we all come equipped with.  Ignorance is a very popular copout these days alongside its partner Arrogance.  What a dangerous combination, but the team of ignorance and arrogance are central to the ongoing problem.  Bush and Cheney and company and all like them are part of us and are the direct result of us collectively letting it happen without responding collectively.  We always had and have the power.  The only question is, when will we truly begin to understand that very real dynamic instead of seeing change as something that is utterly out of our hands now because it has gone too far?

Living, Loving and Laughing as if "One" is all there is!!!

Chris

When I read about the indigos and other exceptional souls who have been incarnating on Earth in the last two decades, my hope is that they will be helping me fend off despair.  Unfortunately, I have very little contact with young people except for the few I coach online.  

I seem to have one voice I use for everyone from toddlers to octogenarians, so as far as I am able to be an agent of hope my discussions seem to be much the same with people of any age.  I try to stay focused on the new world "a hundred times more harmonious than this one" that is already manifesting.  The challenge is to keep focused on the harmony we want to see so we can be agents of co-creation and avoid being sucked in by the illusions of apparent disharmony around us.  

Dear Sister Lisle,

Thank you for this most excellent inquiry. I admit I have days when I feel a bit overwhelmed by the negativity and fear-mongering in the world. I'm not sure there is a universal prescription for inspiring hope and optimism. All I know for sure is what works for me. And I'm happy to share that.

Why am I here? Love. Love is the energy in which I live, move, and have my being. Love connects me to all that is. I am here to express love. I am here to share love. I am here to be love.

Sounds great, huh? Except, being human, I sometimes forget all this. Oy, it can be pretty embarrasing. It's a good thing the people who love me don't expect me to be perfect all the time.

So when I forget, what helps me to remember why I am here?

Music. I am so happy and grateful for all the beautiful music in the world. What an inspiration! And so much fun to dance to.

Art. I am so happy and grateful for all the beautiful art in the world. What amazing colors, curves, textures! I could look for hours.

The natural world. I am so happy and grateful for the blessing of creation. The ecstatic music of birdsong... The sublime art of sunrise in the wilderness... The list goes on and on...  So much inspiration, everywhere I turn...

My friends. I am so happy and grateful I get to share all this cool stuff with people I love, and who love me. It's the best.

And Gratitude. Gratitude for the many blessings in my life. When I find myself wandering lost in the darkness of my own shadow, Gratitude is the light that always brings me back to love.

In gratitude, joy, and love,
Bodhi

I see that what i focus on gets stronger.......as Bodhi,and Elizabeth mention......try to focus on BEAUTY, LOVE, ART.......bad news is so thick in our world,gossip and dark stories can hold attention captive. Fantasy movies,trips to museum,art gallery, picnic,week-end camp-outs(any nature escape),visit old folks home..listen to people,go to shelter..walk dogs, walk your own dog,TURN OFF TV and phone....make a meal or batch of cookies from scratch. Just SMILE and see how the world gets better.Good books also show a better life. Love,Mary

Presence brings lovely presents!!!
Mary, your comment inspired me to think again about the "present moment" and the art of "now". I don't know how one might go about discussing all that with young adults looking for the next cool thing (in the near future) to do in this new sensation-driven psyops construct that has been monetized and turned into a market-driven crowd-control commodity(ies), other than just blurting it out and allow it, at the very least, to be a seed planted for future growth.

The truth is; there, in that present moment, resides a very safe place that cannot be made dangerous or difficult or sad or hateful or loathsome or boring. Someday soon, it will be utterly redundant to list the virtues of the "present moment". We are so far away from that time right now (not far in distance, just far in collective behavior) that the young look at you like you are just plain boring for bringing that kinda stuff up to them, much like we responded when we were 25 on our way to the next fun thing to do, but it remains true and patiently waits for each of us to "see" it. It is constant and is utterly unaffected by all that our eyes see going on in this wacked out 3D physical "mad world" (see youtube link below) where the games can get pretty gruesome and insane at times, in spite of how safe we really are ("we" being "who" we really are).

The end of the movie, "American Beauty" addressed this "present moment" truth very very eloquently with the help of Kevin Spacey's narration.......

Living, Loving and Laughing as if "One (present moment)" is all there is!!!!

Chris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

The film was way cool...... the other thought that I had when making suggestions was.....It is their experience that they are having, setting a good example, safe home, showing LOVE you can do....saving them from their experiences you can not.  Has anyone seen movie HAROLD & MAUDE?  great! 25 yrs old......boring title great Cat Stevens soundtrack.....wonderful message...plus some filming in Santa Cruz when I lived there. May we all survive and thrive!  Love,Mary

Great movie!

One of my favorite quotes from H&M is Maude saying,

"My, how the world loves a cage" (when she is showing Harold her concentration camp tattoo #)

or something close to that anyway.....

Thanks for this excellent topic. I find Challenge Day to be the most awesome, inspiring program around for young people. I've spent a lot of time with their program and am deeply impressed with how they are transforming many thousands of young people's lives around the world. I believe the Challeng Day video at the beginning of the course is one of the most powerfully transformative videos out there. I highly recommend showing it to as many young people as possible. We now have a very high quality version of this 15-minute clip at the link below:

http://transformationteam.net/video/challenge_day_tc

I also recommend visiting their website at www.challengeday.org. Thanks for caring and for helping to transform our world.

With lots of love and gratitude,

Fred

I love what Harold does to the Jaguar XKE !  The whole film imparts so much wisdom!  To those who haven't seen it....A young man,obsessed with death, meets a woman(nearly 80) who shows him how to live and enjoy life. Funny,odd,beautifully filmed,great soundtrack.....My dad took me to see it when I was in high school,in San Francisco,we took a cable car to theater,a volkswagen beetle was illegally parked close to a corner...the cable car could not change it's course,or pass the bug....so my dad& 5other guys got off,picked up bug by bumpers,set it up on curb a bit.....and away we went!  My favorite line is  Harold! That was your last date!

Love,Mary