Into the Grey: Going Beyond Race

I haven't written a post in a long time and given the current nature of things thought it would be appropriate to express myself in this platform. I am sure that there are many people out there that will not agree with what I have to say. My job is not to convenience you of a point of view, it's to show you that there is another way...

Let me start of with saying that I will not be commenting on the legality of the events in Ferguson. I have no criminal justice background and therefore it is out of my expertise. My objective here is not to determine guilt or innocence, it is merely to awaken your mind to another way of thinking. 

The events taken place across the states after the grand jury's decision has been both equally saddening and alarming. After hearing the verdict on Monday night, I went to sleep only to wake up to see the horrific images of fire and tear gas across Ferguson. This city had been destroyed by its own individuals in the name of justice. Anger, frustration, and resentment bleed through state lines as the protest for justice took place in many states. As I look at these images I can't help but to think to myself that it's all in vain. People are trying to close a cut artery with a bandage, and will it may stop the bleeding for a moment, eventually the blood will come pouring out.

The issues of race and racial inequality that have been exhaustively discussed throughout this case has made me realize just how much we have been brainwashed into these ideas. The notions of race has been embedded into our lives from the moment that we enter this world. A mother who has just given birth indicates her child's race long before the child can even know that race exists.  We are classified into narrow categories and taught to stand up for who we are, but who are we really? Are we merely the sum of the color of our skin? Are we not, at our core, all human beings? 

History has shown us time and time again of men fighting men for peace, safety and security. We as mankind are destroying the world that we live in. Killing our own brothers and sisters in the name of freedom and justice. We are the ones destroying our cities and continuing the cycle of pain and suffering that our forefathers fought to destroy. Instead of making things better we are perpetuating a culture of violence for the sake of peace. How does that make sense? 

To make a change in the world you must be the change! We have an opportunity here to stop seeing the world in such a narrow perspective. The world is not black or white, its' grey. And in this grey world we are all children of God. Our lives, no matter the color of our skin, are valuable. I believe that we have an obligation to see past our physical differences and see each other for who we really are. I believe this is the real change that we are looking for. When mankind learns to be kind men this world will be the kind of place that we all want to live in. 

Peace

As we go through life I think we all wonder why we go through certain experiences like losing a loved one, losing a job, losing a home and the loss of companion. Its funny how we always focus on the experiences of loss and never evaluate the positive experiences like getting into the school of your choice, or landing your dream job, finding the home that is perfect for you and your family, traveling with your loved ones or any other experience that was peaceful and joys. Its as if through the pain of loss we are able to achieve something higher out of our lives.

All of life works in cycles. Just as you have your moments of happiness their are also your moments of sadness. I by no means am saying that its black and white, that either you are happy or you are sad, in all actuality the whole cycle is gray. Filled with all kinds of emotions that are related in some way to those of happiness or sadness. Why then are these two emotions the strongest? I feel that is because they are the polar opposites of each other. The world around us is a beacon of duality and it survives on the balance between those to thrive. In a similar fashion our lives are surrounded by duality like happiness and sadness. We need both to survive for each fulfills its role in helping us get to a different level of consciousness then we already are in. Tolle explains in A New Earth: Awakening to your Life's Purpose, "Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment" (pg.41). Every experience serves a purpose. Like the old saying everything happens for a reason. We may not know why it is that things are the way they are and it may not even be for us to know but in accepting that every experience we have in life will take us to the place that we need to be brings with it a sense of comfort. It helps break the duality of happiness and sadness and allows you to come to a place of peace.

For me peace and acceptance are interchangeable. You can't have one without the other. If you can accept your life situations and know that just like the sun and moon are in cycle with one another so to are your moments of happiness and sadness then their is a peace that comes to your soul. You realize that none of those moments will last forever, especially not the sadness. So even in your moments of despair you will be able to smile and know that your feelings of loss will not be with you forever. Trust me it is much easier said then done. Their are days I still feel like the pain of loss will never leave me but it is all still part of the process. It is still an experience that will lead me to a higher place of consciousness and therefore I embrace it. I allow my self to cry, to feel hurt, to morn the loss of those dreams that I once had because in doing so I surrender my self to the higher powers and allow my self to become more conscious. Don't deprive your self of any experience that comes your way for in each experience, happy or sad, you allow yourself to become more conscious and more awaken to your true existence. Know that peace is not associated with either and comes from knowing that the cycle is necessary.

With Love & Peace

Flowering

I started reading A New Earth today by Eckhart Tolle. I have found that lately the books that I can relate to the most are ones that have a profound message hidden in them. As with The Power of Now, there is an infinite wealth of enlightenment that can be gained from this book, and yet there is no way to describe it!

The book opens by describing the simple beauty of the flower; the one creation that we all love. From its rich colors to its intoxicating smells the flower is the gateway to enlightenment. The simple bloom that can be seen even amidst destruction shows that beauty can be found anywhere. . .

As Tolle states, ". . .Flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within our selves" (pg.2).  The recognition of flowers as beautiful has lead to it becoming a symbol for joy and love. Think about it for a moment,  have you ever gone to an event where there were no flowers present? I can't envision such a thing. Any occasion, big or small, always has flowers and over the years we have associated them with love and joy the two basic emotions that are desirable to all. The flower, despite its momentary time on earth, reminds us of the beauty the resides in everything around us. If you have ever gotten lost in a moment while observing a flower you can't understand what I am speaking of here. The beauty of a flower transcends time and space and takes you to a place of inner peace where you can witness your own flower blooming. It is in this place that you see yourself for the first time, you realize that you are that flower and that you too can offer that sense of love and joy to all those around you!

Despite the fact that flowers have integrated into our lives, very few people have opened up to the true beauty and insight the flower has to offer. I would even go as far as saying that they are closed off from nature as well. Ever since I was a child being outdoors was the best part of the day and as I grew older I realized that it wasn't because I associated being outdoors as a time for fun and games, but it was because being outdoors was a place to observe the natural world to know that you are just one piece of the universe. Even now as I right this I am sitting on my balcony observing the beautiful lush green grass below. I encourage you to spend at least one hour of your day outdoors and feel how it energizes you. Observe a flower and see beyond its physical beauty, let it help you find your inner flower that you can share with the world. I believe that there is a flower blooming inside us all; that we all have the potential of being beacons of love and joy for not only those that we know, but for all creatures on this earth, yet only a few of us choose to show that. Don't allow your self to fall into the latter category, let your flower shine through!

With Love & Joy

Keeping Hope Alive

Here I am, close to the end . . . 17 days till the end of the semester and 40 days till graduation. . .

I'm running a race. I start of slow pacing my self while everyone around me speeds past. I wait patiently and kept my energy up, after all this was going to be a long race and I have no option but to finish. First lap is not to bad. Second lap a breeze, the feeling that I could win really settling in and then BAM! The third lap starts and now I'm really struggling. Hurdle after hurdle are being placed on the track. I jump over some, fall on the rest, I'm lagging now. I see everyone passing me by. I begin to feel weak and overwhelmed, winning is not an option any more and completing seems hopeless. On my hands and knees I finish the third lap somehow building my momentum back up, the desire to win surging through my veins again. This is it! The home stretch, I'm so close to the finish line now, I can see the blue ribbon. I hear people cheering, this is the moment I've been waiting for. I am just an arms reach away from the finish line now and I collapse. . . I can't feel my legs, I'm screaming struggling to get up. Tears flowing from my face as I realize that I might not finish and then I wake up sweating in my bed. It was all a dream...

The anxiety and pressure of being so close to the end has taken over my life. I'm so close to being done but I feel burnt out. Drained and exhausted at the journey thus far. I know I have to keep working, to keep pushing my self but what if it is still not enough? What if I cross the blue ribbon and there is nothing waiting for me on the other side?!

I've always been a child in that I thrive off hope and wishes. Children are the purest creatures alive. They believe with all of their might that dreams can come true. They make wishes and know that someday they will come true. Unfortunately most of us grow up and realize that it's not the truth, that some wishes just never come true, but that wasn't me. I kept believing, just like a child, that my every wish would someday be fulfilled. But what if I was wrong? What if all this time I have been wishing on an airplane instead of a shooting star? What if dreams never do come true? I don't know if I'm overwhelmed with graduating or if there is some big shift happening in my life but the thought of losing my childlike hope and wishes frightens me. I don't want to grow up, I don't want to realize that my wishes may never come true. . . I just want to continue to believe that there is hope for those wishes. . . That there is HOPE for ME! At the end of the day it's been my saving grace; the thing that keeps pushing me to work harder and be better. Without it, I am lost. I just pray that I can find a way to keep it alive. . .


 With Love & Peace!

Spicy Tomato Rice

This is a traditional South Indian Rice Dish that is very spicy and oh so tasty! If you've never had South Indian food before, this is a great place to start! This rice punches quite some heat, so if you prefer to have your food milder cut back on some of the chillies; I can't guarantee that it will taste as good, but you could surely give it a try.

Ingredients:

4-5 tablespoons Oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 whole dried red pepper (broken into pieces)
1 teaspoon chana dal
1 teaspoon black gram dal
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
3-4 thai green chillies sliced
1/2 onion finely chopped
4-5 tomatoes finely chopped
1 cup cooked rice
2 spring onions for garnish


Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan on med-high heat
2. Add in mustard seeds and allow them to pop
3. Add chana dal and gran dal and allow to brown slightly
4. Add in the dried red pepper and sauté for a few seconds
5. Put in the onions and green chillies. Cook until the onions become translucent
6. Next, add the turmeric powder and  red chili powder and sauté for a few seconds
7. Add in the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften and become slightly liquidly
8. Lastly lower the heat and fold in the cooked rice
9. Garnish with the chopped spring onions and serve hot

Please let me know if you any question. Hope you enjoy! 

LOVE

Such a simple emotion, yet it brings with it at times such confusion.

I am no expert on the matters of the heart, I just know the truths that define who I am.  For me love is unconditional! There are no rules, no directions and no judgment. . .  it just is.  Love is pure and simple. For me there is no difference in love for friends, family, or a significant other. To me the way we love all the people in our lives is the same, we just express that love in different ways.

Anyone that knows me knows this to be true. My love for people is unconditional. Most think its crazy, but it is the all encompassing truth of who I am. When I love someone I give them my heart. . . my everything and I ask for nothing in return. I do things for the people I love regardless of the state of our relationship. Some would say this will only bring me pain, but I ask what pain can love bring?

If you love people truly, unconditionally, then nothing else matters. There are no grudges for a lack of communication between friends. There is no residual pain from a bad experience. There is no sorrow of dreams left unfulfilled. There is nothing but the feeling of love and compassion for someone else, which to me is the world most humbling feeling. We all have the ability to feel this compassion for other people but we let our fears get in the way of embracing them fully. We fear the pain of getting hurt, getting rejected, being taken advantage of and so on. But if you truly love unconditionally and expect nothing in return from the people that you love who can the hurt you, reject you or take advantage of you? Living without fear has helped me embrace this part of my self more. Trust me I know how difficult it can be to just love someone and not expect anything in return, but believe me when I say that when you begin to love unconditionally your world changes. Despite how people react to your love and compassion you are at peace knowing that you have shown them that you are there for them no matter what. I strongly believe that unconditional love has the ability to melt even the most powerful hatreds in the world, but maybe that is just my dream. . .

In this ever changing year, try to make another change in your life. Love the people in your life unconditionally and see how the year goes. I'm sure that it will be better then you could have ever imagined!

With Love & Peace

The New Year

It's finally here... 2012 ...

A few years ago, when I first started hearing about the prophecies of this year I was afraid partly due to my lack of understanding on the subject. But, the more I researched the subject the less afraid I became. The more I realized that this year is the year for change! 

It's only been 10 days into the new year and there are changes taking place all around us. From the unusual weather patterns to minor changes in our personal lives everyone that I know is going through a transitional phase right now. I personally am going through a growing phase, a phase of redefining who I am. I feel like I've been in this process for a while but I am finally at the stage where I am letting go of the things that have been holding me back and grasping onto the things that are propelling me forward! With this however come a great deal of struggle as well. I am entering the last phase of my masters degree and I am still uncertain exactly what road I want to go down. There are so many different avenues that I have a passion/ interest for, yet I don't know which one is best suited for me. What if I pick the "wrong" path and end up doing something that I hate?? That's always been a fear of mine, but now that I am learning to live life without fears I realize it doesn't matter. I know that whatever path I go down will be as permanent as I want it to be. Changing the course of your life is only dependent on your energy. The minute you begin to invest your energy into another avenue your life will begin to change without you even realizing it. This is a very comforting realization for me because I have so many aspirations that I want to accomplish. It's a nice feeling to know that you don't have to pick one.

With the growth that I am seeing within my self and those around me I can already sense that this year is going to be very thrilling! I know that there are going to be many adventures that I embark upon and ones that I will hear about and even some that I won't know about, yet I have a unshakeable feeling that all of our stories will be similar. Not in the adventures we take, but the lessons that we learn form them. 

So get ready for the ride! Buckle up and enjoy what 2012 has to offer!

With Love & Peace