Doubt | Tracks In The Dust

Archive for the tag “Doubt”

18 Feb 2013

Okay… New Rule

There was a time when it was easy to know all the rules. There was the golden rule, the simple rules that made up the rules of “etiquette” that Miss Manners would teach us. They were a guide to how to react, how to look at things. How to make sure that others felt comfortable with you and who/what you were.

But these days no rules seem to be the rule. The more you can shock someone, the more you can be out of the normal trend of things – the more people may notice you. And it may not be because you did something good, it may be quite the opposite. Be shocking enough or do something that will make people be “aghast” with the way you did it. In popular culture that means you will get noticed, you will be part of the buzz or covered on TMZ or tabloid shows on television. You will show up on some magazine as the “newest” thing.

In these days it seems that it means it has to be notched up. In order to get attention above the normal for this week, one needs to be out-of-bounds even farther than those before us. Of course to make it all work you have to add the Internet. Just do it on YouTube and have it be viral and you will be a star for next week.

It’s like being “change junkies”, even our youth here in the US are thriving on the difference. That seems to have always been the thing…but the notches have turned up higher than before. The shear out-of-bounds rules of the 50’s when kids came to school with blue-jeans on (dungarees) and people were struggling with hair cuts and music. The rules were also changing then for the youth. Now they have become so much more accelerated don’t you think? How can our youth out-do the popular culture which is coming at us all 24/4 on any URL you wish to Google.

So we end up heading toward the potential for a more complicated life. Like working hard to keep track of the “new-rules.” If we are going to be sure we are aware of them, it could prove to be not so simple. All of the media around us and our children’s peer groups screaming it.

My advice to my kids: Be aware of the new rules, but keep it simple. That is going to be my motto too. Just take it one day at a time, understand that you don’t have to make things be bigger, louder, meaner, faster, or on the fringe. Take care to understand the rules will change, and change is good… but don’t let those rules rule you. You can stay in control of things with the simple rules and let that drive your spirit with the power and grace.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Change, Definitions, Doubt, Golden Rule, Google, Grace, Opinion, Pop Culture, Popular culture, Reality Check, Slow Down, The Golden Rule

23 Jan 2013

3 Comments

Beware of Darkness

Beware of Darkness.

There is so much darkness in our lives isn’t there?

There is darkness of night- allowing some to use the cloak of the evening to “go out” and prowl, to move among the darkness unnoticed and secretly meet with others. To be able to move along the shadows, away from the light.

You could find yourself slipping into darkness- like some sadness that comes over you. Slowly like the change from day to-night, or quickly like the wind blowing at the head of a storm. It’s the darkness of the stormy weather ahead in your life, you choose to hide in it.

There is the darkness of evil, like Satan the king of darkness. It catapults you into the most darkness places on Earth. It drives people who are unable to distinguish dark from light to plunge toward it. To take up the evil and combat the innocent or unknowing. It leads to machine guns in schools, murder and lies that will make others do things that are never forgivable by humankind.

So darkness is described as the absence of light; but without it light cannot exist. One small light in the darkness can shine brighter than a 1000 points of light on a bright day. Light provides the ability to reveal the reality of what darkness hides, it allows for progress to carry-on. Light needs darkness.

Darkness can be comfort like the warmth of a dark room, of like a deprivation tank floating like a dream. Staying under a blanket in a safe place that keeps the outside out and the inside in. Like a womb of darkness that will create a safe-place in your mind, a place to reset and rest before coming back to the light. Like the world turning the darkness gives way to the light. For some they never return.

Darkness can be the scariest place where secrets untold. It seems like that can bring a whole new level of darkness that can trap you in a pattern that has little light to offer. Like George Harrison sings, “Beware of Darkness”

Darkness is a combination of all colors- but somehow it when opening your eyes, it can seem like the absence of all color. The light is there. It is out there if you reach for it. If you find a way to let it in.

At the end of our lives, faith tells us that it can be the arrival of the light of the eternal flame… of a Spirit higher than anyone of us. The light that never brings darkness. That is the light of the world and the hope for tomorrow.

Thanks for the inspiration from fellow blogger No Blog Intended her insightful views on darkness in her world.

Darkness and to me

Darkness-the bright side

Also tracksinthedust related post

Controlling Your State of Mind

Finding a Purpose the the Lack of Self Esteem

A great blog full of insight on fighting the darkness:

Agents of Light

Posted in Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Beware of Darkness, choices, Darkness, Doubt, Eternity, George Harrison, Reality Check, Who Are You

04 Sep 2012

5 Comments

Predicting the Future

There are some days that I think how great it would be to predict the future. You would be able to know where things would be going. You could be confident that each day would be set. There would be no guessing about the challenges ahead. There would be less fear of the unknown. No worries about tomorrow. You could help so many others and yourself in so many ways.

Knowing the future would mean you could win the lottery or buy the next big stock (if I had only bought Apple stock when my friends told me). You could stop bad things from happening, and be present for the exciting things. Yes I know all the complicated science around changing events on the space-time continuum – they have made movies and books about that and site all of what Einstein was theorizing (even though many more have gone further in this whole thing). Even Dr. Brown explained it well ( for you Back to the Future fans). Still it might be cool to know. Maybe.

Then I realize that there’d be little to desire, not much to dream for. It would constantly be sad for the surprise and the adventure of our God-given life on Earth would be gone. We would know things we don’t want to know, and see things we could not change even as we knew they were coming. Even our own fateful demise would be waiting off in the predictable future. Our sense of self-value would be distorted. If we are all going to die eventually, does it benefit us to know when? Or should we instead be spending every day as the precious thing it is.

No.. Not really a good thing to know the future. All of the negatives would far outweigh the positives. Time is forever marching forward and we are moving ahead as it unfolds (okay there are scientists that will argue that one too). We are in Gods hands and our own path is ours to choose. Not really in the here and now though as much as in the choice for eternity after this life.

We can take each day as it comes and make it work for us. When so many people in this world cannot predict where their next morsel of food or drink will come;we should consider that “fortunate” predictability in our futures, and be thankful. Take consideration for the unknown. Realize that life is there to be cherished, and worry will not overcome you. Even as we know life will end, we can take this next moment in the future of our lives to be grateful for e opportunity to be here, to have known each other.

Posted in Before and After Things Change and tagged Change, cherish, Doubt, Fear, Future, God, Grace, life is precious, Postive Thinking, Precognition, tracks in the dust

30 Aug 2012

1 Comment

Lost in the Extremes

Take some time and breathe deeply. Concentrate on the environment around you and make sure to take in the environment around you. Center yourself.

Lately I have been around many people that are struggling with the extremes in their daily life, their perspectives seem to take on as far south and as far north as life’s compass will allow. It amazes me that they suffer through it and fight the urge to not listen to anyone who dissents to their view.

People are willing stand up for what they believe. And that is a fundamental thing about humankind, about our need to be grounded to our faith, love and core values. But there is also room on other levels for understanding. Room to know that although we should be on common ground on our spiritual plane, we can allow ourselves the benefit of the doubt on other things. That there could be more than just one way to look at things.

In this election year in the US for example, people are choosing extremes. There is a requirement for each of us apparently to fall on one side of the line or the other. Over time the center line has moved, and so it is not centered evenly. Because of that we make heroes out of the people who say what we want them to say. So many ways it leads to hate and lies, to bigotry and deceit, to manipulation of the truth to suit ones view-point. Sadly it is the fuel that may divide the country even more.

Another example is how often people wallow in their emotions and refuse to change their attitudes or frame of reference. Like a badge they continue to carry their sadness, anger or bitterness along with them every where they go. They want to deposit more of it rather than change, and struggle to understand why others don’t feel the way they do.

I think we cannot be ruled by the extremes, we need to open our minds to the possibilities that there are other paths to take. For many seem to be lost in the daily routines, the weekly demands of life. And it would appear that for many of them they have no spiritual center, so they seem to also lack and emotional center. They feel out of control – so the way to reach a feeling of control is to embrace the extremes with definite lines that cannot be personally crossed. They are lost in those places which are a struggle to return from – that require self-examination and resolve. The willingness for that needs the spiritual center. So on it goes.

Lost in the extremes.

From KnowtheSphere great observation about things related

Posted in Before and After Things Change and tagged Acceptance, Anger, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Grace, Politics, Postive Thinking, Sadness, Sprituality, Who Are You

15 Aug 2012

3 Comments

“What Are People Thinking?”

Today a very wise man was talking about how often we get frustrated throughout our day because we are always wondering “What are people are thinking?”

What are they thinking when they are standing in the 15 item express line when they obviously have 20+ items in their cart?

What are they thinking when they pull out into traffic so quickly right in front of you and then drive 15 miles under the speed limit?

What could they possibly be thinking when they are standing in the middle of a public place and talk on their smartphone loudly and then stare at you when you stop and look at them?

What are they thinking when they drive with their head down because they are paying attention to their mobile phone and texting? (they need to be stopped!)

What the heck are they thinking when they stand in the middle of the public shopping mall and sneeze across the masses of people around them?

Sure in the end it is the small stuff. And like the saying goes “don’t sweat it”. Being preoccupied with life’s irritations will get you stuck in the muck and mire of frustration. Okay you could stop and say something to the people who are irritating you and they would likely wonder who they heck YOU think you are… We may not be able to influence a random stranger on the street. If the chance were there perhaps it could?

So the center of focus is to look for positive opportunities, and the time is now. Let the Spiritual focus fill in those blanks. Understand that you should enjoy the moment and know that it is YOURS to own. You can do with your moment what you will. When so much of humankind around the world are just wondering where their next bite of food or fresh water or shelter will come from, how can we let these things be our focus?

Stay positive. Stay focused on the tracks you are making right now. They are yours.