Wanted: Peace of Mind, No Worries and Freedom from Worldly Woes

“You must unlearn what you have learned.” — Master Yoda

Everywhere we look today, we’re offered ”peace of mind” from an increasing list of misfortunes said to be just waiting to befall us out in the harsh world - sufferings and hardships of all sorts lingering out there in the darkness ready to snatch away our happiness, our sense of security and our contentment in life. Insurance of every type, extended warranties, identity theft protection, more control over this possibility, more over that… the list goes on and on and on. This “peace of mind” can be bought for a price - a price that we must continue paying indefinitely… a price we pay because we fear.  

If there was ever a genuine treasure to be found here in this world then - one freely given us that would actually deliver on the promise of true and enduring peace of mind - would it not be priceless to discover? In my lifetime of seeking such a treasure I’ve found many wonderful gems from a wide variety of traditions. One I’ve come across in particular has been truly illuminating… a single, solitary paragraph that provides crystal clear directions for experiencing an ever deepening peace and sense of freedom that is beyond description.

Here are all fears laid down…

“Simply do this: Be still, and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself. Empty your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, or good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashamed. Hold onto nothing. Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught, nor one belief you ever learned before from anything. Forget this world, forget this course, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.” — from A Course in Miracles*

~~~

For those of us unsure about what it means to “live in the now” or to “be in the present moment,” here in these few sentences is absolute clarity given. Bringing nothing the past has taught us into our present
experience is to be wholly open-minded to what is and what can be - it is to have the ability to look at everything as fresh and new rather than through a lens of perception and judgment forged from past experience. This idea may seem in total opposition to the world’s thinking, which puts its reliance on accumulating and recalling worldly knowledge, but in fact it’s at the very root of modern innovative thought leadership tools like ‘thinking outside the box.’ When practiced in a spiritual or philosophical sense, the result is genuine peace of mind – a complete freedom from the past coupled with the total absence of anxiety over the future; the ability to be wholly content and present in this instant, now, which is the only ‘time’ we actually have to participate in and experience life.

For those of us baffled about what it means to “turn it over” or “let go and let God,” here also is the answer revealed. Emptying the mind of everything it thinks one way or another about this or about that (including both our beliefs and disbeliefs in God), allowing the mind to be a clean canvas upon which the world can be painted for us is to surrender the brush to the one true Artist. In this way our perception of the world is based not on our limited and often distorted vision, but rather on a vision that far exceeds what the human eye can see or the human mind can comprehend. Such releasing of the world from all we think it is opens us to the grace, dignity and integrity to accept what actually is, exactly as it is in the present moment. When practiced, the result is an enduring state of peace and sense of stability regardless of what seems to occur in the world around us.

For those of us struggling with what it means to have genuine faith, here is unshakable faith demonstrated in its purest form. Laying aside all thoughts from the past - all beliefs and stories imprinted on our mind about the world and all its trinkets, about who we are, who God is, about what our sciences and religions have taught us of such things – this takes great courage. Doing so with full trust in our Creator, however we have understood Him/Her to be up to now, is to open ourselves wholly to fresh, pure inspiration. To “forget this world” is a demonstration of profound trust in our Creator. It is also an act of remembering, acknowledging and exalting the holy relationship we have with our Creator above all else - above all our attachments to this world. When such a faith is practiced and nurtured, the result is the complete absence of fear, an awareness of our eternal, untouchable innocence and a deep sense of unity and connection with each other and all of Creation.

Following and practicing the simple guidance contained in just this one excerpt from A Course in Miracles, eventually and undoubtedly leads to:

• freedom from the past and from anxiety over the future
• enduring peace within amidst seemingly turbulent external events
• a sense of ease with letting go of attachment to specific outcomes
• the complete absence of fear and sense of loss or lack
• the awareness of an eternal, wholly innocent nature within
• a deep sense of connection with each other and all of Creation

Here is treasure indeed - unlimited and lasting wealth beyond imagination - far beyond any of the transient trinkets this world has to offer.

So for those of us seeking to experience a lasting peace that surpasses all understanding – to know a deep sense of lightness and freedom in our daily adventures in this world – simply do this: be still, and lay aside all thoughts of what you are and what God is; all concepts you have learned about the world; all images you hold about yourself. Empty your mind of everything it thinks is either true or false, or good or bad, of every thought it judges worthy, and all the ideas of which it is ashamed. Hold onto nothing. Do not bring with you one thought the past has taught, nor one belief you ever learned before from anything. Forget this world, forget this post, and come with wholly empty hands unto your God.

We may choose to continue to have our insurance policies and other worldy safeguards, but in following these simple directions we connect ourselves much more deeply to our true source of peace and security… from there, the rest is cake. Of course, one might also enjoy studying more than just this one paragraph from A Course in Miracles… in my adventures I’ve found it to be an enlightening and deeply inspiring masterpiece.

May your path be peaceful and well illuminated.

* Excerpt from A Course in Miracles workbook lesson 189

Can We Have a Word?

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” — Rudyard Kipling

The world would tell us that words are imbued with tremendous power – mightier than the sword – and capable of affecting great change in our lives and in the world. In actuality, words are merely symbols we use to attempt to communicate the thoughts and ideas that swirl around in the mind. It’s those thoughts and ideas swirling around in the mind that have all the power in this world – by them our perceptions of reality are projected, formed and reflected back to us. Still, words can certainly be used to stimulate this magnificent power of thought, so we ought to attempt to use them wisely, with great care and most definitely for the benefit of all.

For this post then, I thought it would be interesting, fun and hopefully helpful to contemplate different words we often hear related to our human belief system(s) and offer up some interesting, thought-provoking diversions from how Webster might define them. I’ll add to this list as inspired (archived here), and these will also appear on my Facebook page.

I hope you enjoy them, and invite you to comment as you’re moved to do so.

1. ac·cep·tance [ak-ˈsep-tən(t)s] n.: being at peace with what is as it is in the present moment without nurturing the thoughts that demand for something different
2. ar·ro·gance [ˈer-ə-gən(t)s] n.: when the mind is deceived into believing it actually has the ability to diminish the light of the spirit (see delusion)
3. de⋅lu⋅sion [di-ˈlü-zhən] n.: when the mind is deceived into believing it actually has the ability to diminish the light of the spirit (see arrogance)
4. e·go [ˈē-gō] n.: a deeply rooted, rogue thought system that hijacks the mind and keeps it distracted from remembering its source in order to deceive us into believing it is us; a relentless wish or dream to be or have something ‘else’ outside of all that presently is
5. e·piph·a·ny [i-ˈpi-fə-nē] n.: the enlightening discovery that you are what you seek (or in modern terms: “You are your search results” ~ Julia Angwin)
6. free·dom [ˈfrē-dəm] n.: when the mind no longer perceives itself as limited, sheltered or imprisoned within a body nor bound by space and time; when the mind is no longer deceived by the ego
7. hu·mil·i·ty [hyü-ˈmi-lə-tē] n.: a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere willingness to follow the guidance of the still, small voice within; the absence of ego
8. light (spirit, pure innocence) [ˈlīt] n.: the luminous core of our being which the ego vainly attempts to keep hidden from our awareness under dark, cloudy layers of guilt, fear and endless distraction – layers which dissolve away by following the intimate guidance of a gentle inner teacher
9. light·work·er [ˈlīt-wər-kər] n.: one whose function and purpose is to help light the way for others to seek and find their inner guide so they too can remember and perceive the light within themselves and in each other
10. mind (neutral) [ˈmīnd] n.: the energy and activating agent of spirit through which all creation occurs; the “law of gravity” that holds everything in this universe, from micro to macro, together
11. mind (deceived) [ˈmīnd] n.: the same energy and activating agent hijacked by ego through which all make believe occurs; the part of mind that has been deceived into forgetting its rightful function in creation
12. mind (healed) [ˈmīnd] n.: the mind that has been returned and restored to its true source; the mind that no longer plans on its own without seeking inner guidance and no longer attaches to specific predesigned outcomes
13. mir·a·cle [ˈmir-i-kəl] n.: the correction and translation of an ego-distorted misperception into another illuminating light along our path (requires translator/inner teacher)
14. open–mind·ed [ˌō-pən-ˈmīn-dəd] adj.: one who looks upon the world as a blank canvas without having to be the one with all the paint brushes; one who is willing to loose the world from all he/she thinks it is (see humility)
15. peace (of mind) [ˈpēs ] n.: complete freedom from the past coupled with the total absence of anxiety over the future (see acceptance); the absence of ego
16. per·spec·tive (right-minded) [pər-ˈspek-tiv] n: seeing that “the world is not done to us, the world is done by us” ~ Gary Renard
17. self–aware·ness [ˈself-ə-ˈwer-nes] : the experience of the fundamental truth that “I remain as God created me, not as I have made myself believe me to be”
18. self–help [ˈself-ˈhelp] n: the process of opening the mind, becoming wholly teachable and then accepting the realization that “I am already healed” regardess of what the body or world would say to the contrary
19. spir·it [ˈspir-ət] n: a thought and reflection of God in the Mind of God; the Love of God; the source and inspiration by which all creation occurs (see light)
20. suf·fer·ing [ˈsə-fər-riŋ] n.: “the fire in which the ego is eventually burned up” ~ Eckhart Tolle
21. sur·ren·der [sə-ˈren-dər] v.: to willingly give up the compulsion to choose or identify with the ego thought system in order to become free of the suffering that inherently results in following its choices and decisions
22. teach·er (within) [ˈtē-chər] n: the soft, inner voice that gently and continuously reminds the mind of its true source and function regardless of how deceived or hidden from itself it appears to be; the ever-illuminated bridge between spiritual truth and ego make believe; the translator of error into correction, darkness and discontent into light and peace
23. uni·ty [ˈyü-nə-tē] n.: one truth, one destination, countless highly individualized paths to it
24. will·ing·ness[ˈwi-liŋ-nes] n.: the desire, without reservation, to be open to and follow guidance beyond the limitation of one’s own thinking and limited perspective

That’s it for now. If there is a tinge of conflict with any of these definitions, perhaps mere variation in symantics is at the root – a seemingly common cause of conflict in our world. Words are just words, to be looked beyond for the underlying message… that’s the whole point. We could break down a whole lot of our ’separation’ walls if we could learn to let go of our attachment to the meaning of words - like everything else in this world, they have only the meaning we give them based on our individual experiences along the path. Always allow room for inner translation.

In the end there is only one Word that is truly powerful, one that unites us in spite of all our beliefs of separation and judgments of our preceived differences. It continually reminds us from where we came like a beacon of light shining the way home. This Word is beyond definition, beyond the religions of men,  beyond human voice or ear and beyond all symbols. This is a Word that can only be spoken by the still, small voice within… a Word that can only be experienced. Be willing then to learn to find that safe, tranquil place inside where it’s quiet enough to experience it. Make this a priority in life above the distractions and shiney trinkets of the world and all else will fall gently into place. 

Love and Light Friends,

Patrick

Note from Self to self

Where you choose to look to find yourself is entirely up to you, but always remember this: you are not small, weak or damaged goods… you are a Thought in the Mind of God, magnificent, wholly innocent and loved beyond human understanding.

The Dreams Things Are Made Of

After having some fun with the last post offered as a happier reflection of what we generally seem to see as a troubled modern world, I wanted to return to the gist of a previous post, Projecting Reality at the Speed of Thought, and explore just a wee bit further down the reality rabbit hole. There, weaved in throughout the fabric of the quantum universe, lies a great and wondrous treasure just begging for us to rediscover it – a deep and practical understanding of the incredible power of our own mind.

In that post we touched on the importance of comprehending the nature of cause and effect in relation to our thoughts and perceived realities. This knowledge lights the path to a much deeper state of peace and contentment which comes gently and effortlessly with a clear understanding of the role our thoughts play in forming the reality that we experience. Once we understand and accept the causal role of our thoughts, we can then begin to affect wonderful and enduring changes in our state of health, our well-being and our sense of inner peace simply because we’re treating the problems of reality at the level of cause rather than relentlessly trying to force change at the level of effect – in the people, places and things we see in the world.

Article in Review: Projecting Reality at the Speed of Thought
Quantum physics demonstrates how subatomic particles - energy ’stuff’ that makes up our solid physical world – only become  particles upon conscious observation. It establishes that until these particles are observed with our focused attention, they are merely possibilities of becoming particles, and therefore only possibilities of taking on physical form. In this pre-observed state they can be described as undifferentiated energy, having no definable form or location in either space or time.

As a result, quantum physics exemplifies how thought plays a causal role in how and what we perceive in our physical reality. Misunderstanding this causal role leads us to perceive often troubling images in our world without the wisdom and clarity to see ourselves as the image maker, which leaves us to experience ourselves as powerless at the effect of the world we see. We believe things happen to us instead of by us and through us. The key to changing these troubling images lies in our learning to change our thoughts about the world rather than insisting that the world change first.

The quantum physics model is meaningless without a parallel discussion of the general nature of mind and thought, therefore the post also touched on how:

• the mind never sleeps
• mind is the cause behind the characters, images, scenes and stories that occur in our dreams as well as ultimately being the creative source behind what we perceive in the world
• mind is essentially split:
  • conscious mind remains completely unaware of the images and stories being projected by the unconscious mind, so it misperceives the source of what it experiences as coming from somewhere ‘outside’ itself and therefore believes what it perceives as a reality not of its own making
  • unconscious mind is a bottomless well of thoughts, getting all the ‘creative material’ for both dreams and for the world and stories it projects from the thoughts, perceptions and feelings experienced by the conscious mind
• there are no thoughts that do not affect some segment of what we perceive as reality – therefore there is no such thing as neutral or idle thoughts

The Nature of Thought
Clearly then, the thoughts we choose to entertain on a daily basis are a very big deal if we wish to enjoy a deep and lasting sense of peace of mind as well as experience a new, healed perception of a sick, depleted, beat-up old world. It would appear that if we are to allow any sort of permanent change - permanent correction in our individual and collective experience of the world – then now might be a good time to embrace a practical understanding of the nature of thought itself. This understanding has been given us time and time again throughout human history in countless languages and disciplines common to those times. Quantum physics becomes yet another language that we can add to that rich mixture of teachings to help light the way to enduring peace in the midst of the proverbial storm of these modern times.

With this understanding, we find ourselves empowered to begin to proactively choose the thoughts that we want to identify with much more wisely and thereby experience a much more peaceful, joyful and abundant world. What, if not this, is a proper application of wisdom? When, if not now, do we choose to experience this deep sense of peace instead of prolonging the age-old dysfunctional attachment to thoughts that reflect fear, pain, depression, anxiety and suffering?

“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.”

– Max Planck (1858-1947), German physicist, Nobel Prize winner, founder of quantum theory

Anyone Have a Mirror?
So just how do we acquire this insight into the nature of thought? Well, we’ll need a make-believe mirror for this next part. Now that we are already down the rabbit hole we can take one small step beyond quantum physics, hold up our mirror, and behold… our answer bursts out in every direction with glorious, radiant light, illuminating the entirety of the rabbit hole and extending everywhere outward and beyond. It is here that we discover the great and wondrous treasure awaiting us. We find that when we fix our gaze upon the reflection of the undifferentiated subatomic universe, we discover its cause – the infinite, radiant majesty of undifferentiated thought – pure, open, still, silent, peaceful mind.

The quantum universe is suddenly seen in a whole new light as being both the reflection and the effect of mind in precisely the same way that the world of form is the mirror image and the effect of our thoughts. Here we learn precisely why there are no idle thoughts, because when a thought arises from within the limitless ocean of undifferentiated thought, so must its reflection arise into the world of form. Cause and effect are one and as such are wholly inseparable – we cannot have one without the other. Mind and the subatomic universe are one and wholly inseparable just as thought and physical form are one and wholly inseparable. There is absolutely no exception to this. One cannot observe oneself in front of a mirror without both making and perceiving the mirror image of oneself.

With this illuminated understanding, we now have a solid foundation from which we can see logically why it is so important that we begin to learn to condition ourselves to monitor our thoughts more wisely. Additionally, enlightened by this glimpse into the enormous power of the mind, it becomes all too clear why our world appears to be in the mess that it’s in… because not only are we in denial of it, we also simply haven’t a clue in the world how to manage the incredibly creative force of thought.

Perhaps it was never ours to manage alone in the first place.

As a wrap up to this post, readers are invited to watch this very well done 10-minute video below highlighting comments from leading quantum physicists on the topic of ‘reality’. Additionally, for a deeper read on the history and theory of quantum physics and the concept of a holographic universe, visit this thought-provoking blog entitled “Holographic Universe: The Coming Worldview.”

Now That’s Something to Smile About!

 

While in the process of writing up a new blog post related to the recent Projecting Reality at the Speed of Thought post, my wife sent me this incredible video. It’s apparently quite popular with over 3.6 million views on YouTube so far. Watching the video, I had an amazing realization that I thought I’d share. My other planned post will just have to wait a bit longer.

The video is a simple run through of photos of all of the 44 U.S. presidents to date. On the surface, it’s nothing all that special other than the creative genius employed by the producer to make each photo morph into the next. In preparation for viewing it, I’ll ask you to gently pull away from your busy life for 4 minutes, take a few deep breaths to center yourself and quiet your thoughts and, giving it your full attention, watch the video from start to finish. If you look closely, you will see something occur that is truly wonderful – a very profound yet subtle gift to witness and receive in these modern times of ours.

Okay, ready? Watch the video… and pay added attention to the look on the faces in the last minute or so.

How many of us, at least those aged 30 and over, have not at least once nostalgically looked back and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go back to the Little House on the Prairie days and live in those simpler times?” How many of us haven’t looked back to what we imagine as a much easier way of life, seemingly now so long ago and far away?  It goes without saying that these last hundred years or so have been utterly riddled with massive global hardships. No need to recount them here – most of us could rattle off a couple dozen global tragedies in the blink of an eye.

Watching this video and these presidents from a different perspective shows something else altogether – something innocent and perfectly wonderful about our modern experience of life – a radiant light just below the surface of the dim and often gloomy perspective we presently seem to have on our world today. Did you see it? Did you look closely? As their faces morph from one to the next, so do their stoic frowns eventually become gentle smiles. Toward the end, spanning the last 70 years or so, during times which we could easily claim as the toughest decades ever faced by humankind on a global scale, the tense, cold faces of these men dissolve away and what emerges are gentle grins which again give way to full, radiant smiles – smiles which reveal an underlying spirit of genuine peace, joy and prosperity. 

What does this video say about our present human condition? It speaks volumes. It calls to us to be willing, despite what our five limited senses would have us believe about our troubled world, to open ourselves up to a higher awareness of the fact that this is a great time to be alive. Just as the faces in the video reflect a transformation from stoic gloom to a state of genuine peace and joy, so is our troubled journey transformed when we realize that we live in an age of Self-rediscovery where ‘free will’ takes on a much deeper meaning for us.

It has been said that “coincidence is when God works a miracle and decides to remain anonymous.” This is no coincidence. The timely convergence of quantum mechanics with ancient and modern spiritual traditions and philosophies, along with our ever-deepening exploration into consciousness and the mind, are leading us to the knowledge in this present age that we can choose to think differently and therefore see our world differently… through a new pair of glasses. In so doing, perhaps we can witness a depressed, beat-up old world become transformed into one of beauty, peace and joy for all.

Projecting Reality at the Speed of Thought

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
- Albert Einstein

It’s fair to say, at least from a global news perspective, that a sense of peace and security seems to be eluding a great many of us these days. Collectively we seem genuinely bewildered at how to improve our present reality with concern to our global economy, terrorism, war, and the persistent poverty and world hunger issues continuing to face us. Surely we know by now that if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.

For this post then, let’s approach our present condition from a fresh perspective. A quick drop down the reality rabbit hole should do just the trick. There we can see that indeed there is something that each and every one of us can do to improve the persistent troubling images in our reality rather than sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to magically fix things from the top down, or from the outside in.

It would appear the world has a new light in leadership, but correction of the issues presently facing us is going to require more than having a noble, well-intentioned U. S. president in office. He represents our collective desire for change, and that’s a great start, but getting there is going to be up to us — our open-mindedness, our willingness and our choices. What we now need to learn to do is not just think outside the box, but finally see that there is no box; that the only limitations blocking our way to peace beyond all previous experience and understanding are the limits we put on ourselves. To help facilitate this we’ll take an illuminating glimpse into the true nature of the Law of Cause and Effect.

Quantum Physics – An Ultra-Condensed Review:
Newtonian physics supports the fact that everything in the world of form, our “reality,” is made up of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles; that these particles are made up mostly of empty space. Quantum physics goes further to say that these subatomic particles are not even particles at all, being entirely formless, until they’re observed by an observer. Until they are observed, they are merely possibilities of being particles. In this pre-observed state they can be more accurately described as undifferentiated energy, having no definable form or location in either space or time¹.

What makes this relevant to the topic and so incredibly fascinating is the fact that the mind of the observer has finally been scientifically demonstrated, at the most fundamental level, to be the cause of that which is observed. How? Because quantum physics demonstrates that the simple act of observing some ‘thing’ in the universe is ultimately the catalyst that forms the ‘thing’ in the observer’s reality. So if mind is causal and our perception of reality is an effect of it, we have a whole lot more influence on the world we perceive than what we previously accepted ourselves to possess.

We perceive deeply troubling images in our world, but we do not see ourselves as maker of these images. Instead we see ourselves as being at the affect of them. We accept that mind is the cause behind our ‘sleeping’ dreams, making up the characters, images, places and stories that occur in them, but we do not make the connection that mind is also very much involved with the making of our daytime reality as well. Projected from one part of the mind (unconscious) and perceived by another part of the mind (conscious) with no awareness of open channel of communication between them, the conscious mind is completely unaware of Einstein’s “persistent illusion” as being projected by the unconscious mind, and therefore it ‘believes’ what it perceives. In a sense, it could be said that mind is being deceived by itself, and is literally playing a game of make-believe below its own radar of our awareness.

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
- Carl Gustav Jung

In Practical Terms:
To change the troubling images we see in the world then, we must learn to change our minds, our thoughts, about the world. It is ultimately from our conscious thoughts that our unconscious mind gets the ‘material’ for the world and the stories it projects in both our sleeping and our waking hours. Therefore it’s time to accept and learn to understand the causal role we each have as individual contributors in this collective experience, because there are no thoughts that do not in some way affect some segment of what we see.

If peace – true, deep and lasting peace – is truly is what we seek, then our addiction to the judgment of people, places and things must be accepted and treated with large daily doses of humility, kindness and compassion for each other. We must learn to make conscious decisions to look upon the innocence that exists in each other beyond what our five senses would try to tell us, until it becomes natural to see this innocence effortlessly. There, beyond this ‘observed’ world of form, we are wholly joined. There, we are still as pure and innocent as God created us. Underneath all our stories and individual life dramas, that is who we are. Deep down we all share this divine spark of memory – let us now be willing to surrender the layers of darkness we’ve covered it over with and finally expose our light.

Some of our greatest spiritual and philosophical teachers and traditions throughout time have taught us that the world we perceive outside of us reflects the state of mind within. Science has come full circle in this age of trials and tribulations to demonstrate that this is precisely the case. This period in time presents a wonderful opportunity to truly begin to “Know thyself.” There are many paths to this understanding, and many of you may see reflections of your path of choice written here. It is my prayer that this may illuminate some of us who are in the midst of choosing theirs. Ultimately, we cannot fail to find our way.

For the next article in this series, visit The Dreams Things Are Made Of. 

1 The ancient Vedanta philosophy originating in India had an awareness of this formless, undifferentiated energy – they called it “prakriti.” Vedanta predates quantum physics by some 2,500 years, give or take a few centuries.

Think Differently, Choose Differently

Obama urges unity, while weary of Bush, some people in the crowd chanted “Na-na-na-nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”

Very rarely will I use this *new* blog to comment or offer any sort of opinion or personal position on politics – it’s just not my bag. But when something occurs in the political arena that can be used to help exemplify the truth of our unity and dissolve the illusion of the relevance of our differences, I’ll make an exception. So today, with the passing of the presidential torch from one American citizen to another, I’m going to extend a small soap box to myself from which to share something that I haven’t heard anyone talking about – something of deep significance that needs to be said.

George W. Bush, in seemingly many American’s eyes, has fallen out of the oval office with a dismissive thud rather than carried out with any form of grateful farewell. To many people, both American and non-American, his presidency seems to have been littered with poor decision making, broken promises and invasive policies. Some might say that it was marked by deception, bullying and public embarrassment on a global scale. Still others may claim things much worse than any of these. “Good riddance,” many might say.

Always looking for a different way to look at things, especially those things we often label as “bad” or “evil,” I propose that we all pause a moment and ponder what took place today in America, and what it took to get here, with the inauguration of our 44th president, Barrack Obama. In this quiet moment, and with a genuinely warm and grateful heart, I propose that as we each offer our support to President Obama, that we also each give thanks to George W. Bush for playing the critical role in this country’s history that was so desperately needed to be played by a standing U.S. president in order to make change important enough to us to finally choose differently – to force us to finally do what was required in order to elect someone into the oval office who never before in our nation’s history could have been elected to the highest office of this country.

Friends, had President Bush not played the part he did during his time in office, in exactly the way that he did, we would not have suffered enough to want significant change. We would not have changed our collective mind enough to enable what took place today. Irrational but true, that is most often how we humans operate – we need to experience enough pain and suffering in order to humble ourselves to the point where we finally  become willing to see things differently, and only then can we finally choose differently. The last eight years, in fact many previous to those if we look honestly enough, have been about us being stubbornly resistant to change more so than about decisions made by one man in two terms of office. 

If, in our hearts, we can find nothing else to thank our outgoing president for, perhaps we can find the compassion to give him this small token of gratitude and yes, our forgiveness. It is through seeing beyond the obvious – by thinking differently than we have previously chosen to think - that we will help each other and our new president lead this world to a higher state of peace and prosperity. It is truly, and equally, up to each and every one of us.