An Elk speaks....if animals could speak, what would they tell us humans?

Majestic and powerful,

dressed in winter coat and wearing his crown,

his eyes gazes across the white clad land.

 

Here, where humans seldom roam,

he feels safe traveling on his own.

For days he has wandered,

through forests filled with wonder.

 

He has made his way across silent lakes,

now void of swans, ducks and drakes.

He has pushed his way through layers of snow

eyes nearly blinded by its glow.

 

In him rests no guile, no spite, no greed,

in him rests no overpowering all consuming need,

to conquer, to control, to consume, to possess,

to subjugate, to circumvent, to acquiesce.

 

He is Elk, a dignified, and a noble creature,

strength and power, some of his features.

He poses no threat to the human being,

yet his life is threatened, every hunting season.

 

If he could speak, what would he say?

Would he ask: why is killing your way?

Do you not have an astounding mind,

a brain so capable, and so refined,

that not even the laws of nature can fetter your kind?

 

With such a potential could it not be used

for more harmony rather than abuse,

for more inclusion of all earths creatures,

all with their own, very particular features?

 

Perhaps now is the time, for us called human kind,

to open our eyes and truly understand,

that all life is to be cherished, all life is grand,

whether it is lived in water, the air, or on the land.

(Citizen Z (former X)

 

"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." (Albert Einstein)

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

(Gandhi)

"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures." (The Dalai Lama)

Feeling anxious?....call somebody...

 

"Hello? Anybody there? I just need somebody to talk to."

"Go ahead caller, I am listening."

"I have never done this before, so I am not really sure what I am supposed to do."

"There is no right or wrong way to do this caller, so just tell me what's on your mind."

"Hmm, where do I begin......I can say anything that's on my mind?"

"Yes, caller."

"Okay, so, I am wondering why I feel so alone all the time. I mean, I work so there's people there, I commute to work, so there's people around me then, I go to the movies and there's lots of people. Sometimes when there's a work-do, I go to those, yet even when I am surrounded by people, I still feel alone. I don't seem to be able to shake this feeling of somehow doing something wrong, something that makes people just not wanting to talk with me. I guess, I feel kind of invisible at times, like I am there but nobody cares."
"So what I am hearing you say is that you feel invisible to others and this makes you feel alone?"
"Yes, and I am tired of it. I would like to feel visible, I would like people to chat with me, I would like to feel included, I would like to feel as if others care."
"You would like to interact more with others, is that right?"
"Yeah, that's right, but it's hard for me to just strike up a conversation with someone, I mean, ...like I get anxious and scared that I am going to say something stupid or something wrong and so I get all tongue tied. So, more often than not, I just keep to myself, at least then I wont make a fool of myself."
"I see, you are worried that when you speak with others you will not be able to present yourself in a positive way, is that correct?"
"I guess it could be put that way."
"Do you think it possible that other people may also feel anxious about how they present themselves?"
" I suppose that's possible, but if they do, they seem to be able to ignore it. I am not sure that I could though."
"Would you like to be able to?"
"Sure, but how exactly would I do that?"
"For many people it can be helpful to become aware of the thoughts that prevents them from interacting with others, thoughts like "I will say something stupid" or "I will make a fool of myself" and then counter with for instance: "do I know this for sure"? Often what we imagine will happen, does not actually happen. We also commonly engage in mind reading, thinking we know what others are thinking, and this is not helpful either, since what others think is not something we can know. It can be helpful to focus more on making a good connection with the others by asking questions that concerns them, things that are important to them, rather than being inward (self) focused. Most of us experience some form of nervousness in social situations, so chances are that others may be too busy dealing with their own anxieties in order to be able to notice yours."
"Hmmm....you have given me a lot to think about. I guess I could try what you are suggesting."
"The fact that you have called, indicates to me that you probably want to try to find ways to be able to better interact with others, is this correct?"
"Yes, I am tired of feeling this way and I suppose trying another approach can't hurt?"
"Thank you for calling and sharing your concerns with me, I hope that our conversation has been helpful to you. Please don't hesitate to call again, take care."


If you have similar concerns to this fictitious caller, may I suggest you call somebody and share your concerns with them. "A burden shared is a burden halved", so T. A. Webb suggests.



Making a wish come true....is up to you

 

When all the neighbours children

are finally asleep,

when all the city's noises

withdraw into the deep,

when stars come out of hiding

and the streets succumb to lighting,

this is when the time has come

for her to shed her lawyer's gown,

to pour herself a burgundy red

to toss her "armour" on the bed.

 

Another glass of the burgundy red,

holds in check all lingering dread,

muffle the voices from a painful past,

controlling parents and thoughtless remarks.

 

In this her world, she rules supreme,

no judge, no jury, to crush her dreams.

No gallery of people with accusatory eyes,

probing her integrity, probing her size.

In this her world, she is absolutely free,

to only ever see, what she wants to see.

 

She strikes a pose infront of the mirror,

and she sees herself, only much, much thinner.

Wishful thinking can seem very real

when the truth is blurry or wilfully concealed.

 

(Citizen Z, former known as X)

 

 

Wishful thinking, many dictionaries tells us is seeing something as we wish something to be rather than how things really are. For example: We may wish we were taller, but no amount of wishing will make it so, but what we can do, is alter how we think about ourselves.

Merely wishing, we remain on the starting line, once we ask ourselves what we can do to make our wishes a reality, .....we begin the race.

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." (Guatama Buddha)

 

You want more from life? Find it, whatever it is or how old you are........

Old.

Old, he thinks to himself

as he stares out through the bay window.

Where was I when I became old, how did it happen,

and how did I not notice it happening?

 

Not that I could have prevented time from passing, he thinks,

time is no respecter of human beings, time does not negotiate,

...... time marches on relentlessly.

 

Words spoken by his father nudges his memory: "Son, value every moment

of your life, for they are all precious."

How quick he had been then to dismiss his father's words,

only to realise now, how true they were.

 

Old, he had thought, was something that happened to others,

but as he looks down on his weather bitten and well-worn hands,

it is clear to him, that old is now happening to him.

 

Time is insidious, like a thief in the night,

he thinks as he watches leaves from the trees,

silently fall in the autumn breeze.

 

(Citizen X)

 

Once upon a time, being old was celebrated as an achievement and the possessing of good genes. Today? Not so much.....  Media is full of products for sale that will (so they say) slow down the ageing process, hide wrinkles, tighten skin, promote hair growth, fix failing eyes and ears, lift, tuck, smooth, etc. etc. ad nauseam. Problem is however, that from the minute we are born, we begin the ageing process.

Living, we have no choice in the matter; living means ageing.

Many of us when we were children and teenagers couldn't wait to grow older so that we could enjoy the privileges, freedoms, and rights, that we envisaged came along with being "old enough". Aging, at this stage was a good thing, but perhaps for many of us, the day we turned 30 (40, 50, 60), our battle with staving off getting old began. Some view ageing as process of decline, others view ageing people as a burden on society, and others view it as a personal affront. I would like to suggest another option: ageing is a privilege for those of us who are fortunate enough to do so, regardless of what our actual age is. Once we have life, in my view, it is up to us how we want to live it. Neither joy, nor beauty, nor happiness, nor mystery, nor discovery, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, nor insight, nor love, nor friendship, nor compassion are bound by age.

You want more from life? Find it, whatever it is or how old you are.

 

"Since our society equates happiness with youth, we often assume that sorrow, quiet desperation, and hopelessness go hand in hand with getting older. They don't. Emotional pain or numbness are symptoms of living the wrong life, not a long life." (Martha Beck)

The answer lies in the Question...... on the importance of asking questions

 

 

"Seek not to know all the answers, but to better understand the questions."

 

 "He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever."  (Chinese proverb)

 

Why is there so much suffering?

What is suffering?

 

Why is there so much hate?

What is hate?

 

Why are so many people unhappy?

What is happiness?

 

Why are we here?

What is "here"?

 

Why do we have to die?

What is death?

 

Why is life so hard?

What is life?

 

Why is there so much misunderstanding?

What is understanding?

 

Why is there so much inequality?

What is equality?

 

Why are there so many different religions?

What is religion?

Do we necessarily need absolute/definitive (or solid) answers to our deeper questions, or can we accept "not knowing" as a possible answer?

Often when we think we "know" an answer, we become "blind" to other possible answers. May I suggest, that there is a finality to "knowing" that makes it hard for us to imagine, to visualise, to dream, to hope, and to believe. Settling on an answer closes the door to possibilities, asking questions flings the door open.

 (Citizen X)

 

"The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions."

 (Claude Levi-Strauss)

 

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.” 

(Rainer Maria Rilke) 

 

“An infinite question is often destroyed by finite answers. To define everything is to annihilate much that gives us laughter and joy.”  
(Madeleine L'Engle)

 

"When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist."  (Dom Helder Camara)

 

 

 

Want to feel better about yourself? Try compassion.................

For many of us, when we want some water to drink, we just turn on a tap.

For others, it is not so easy, it may involve walking for hours, and facing many obstacles.

For many of us, electricity can be had at the flick of a switch.

For others, there is no electricity.

For many of us when we want to go somewhere, we hop in our cars and drive there.

For others, there are no cars that can be used.

For many of us, home is a place of comfort and safety.

For others, home is temporary shelter offering temporary safety.

 

For many of us when we are hungry, we choose what we want to eat.

For others, food is scarce and not a matter of choice but of availability.

For many of us, when we need a doctor we make an appointment.

For others, access to a doctor may be out of reach; financially and/or geographically.

For many of us, civil unrest and war is something we hear about on the news.

For others, it is an everyday reality.

For many of us, to express our opinions freely and without fear, is a given.

For others, to express their opinions may cost them their lives.

 

Perhaps,

the next time you pour yourself a fresh glass of water from the tap,

remember those who can't.

The next time you turn on the light with the flick of a switch,

remember those who can't.

The next time you are driving in your car to get to your destination,

remember those who can't.

The next time you relax in your home of comfort and safety,

remember those who can't.

 

The next time you choose what to eat,

remember those who can't.

The next time you make an appointment to see your doctor,

remember those who can't.

The next time you hear of civil unrest and wars,

remember those for whom it is an everyday reality.

The next time you freely voice your opinion,

remember those who can't.

 

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”  
(Albert Einstein)

 

How amazing it is that we need not wait another day, but that we can begin today to extend a hand of compassion

to someone in need; a sister, a brother, a father, a mother,

 a friend, an acquaintance, a neighbour, a stranger.