It used to be a holiday tradition for our family to watch Christmas specials together. On a daily basis, we’d scour the newspaper or TV Guide to find out when Charlie Brown Christmas,  The Grinch, It’s a Wonderful Life and other specials would be on television.

As our children got older, started working, began dating and left for college and boarding school, it’s become a challenge to get the four of us together to keep this tradition going. Recently it’s been very hit or miss and we’ve probably missed more than  we’ve hit the last several years.

On Tuesday evening, my son James organized our schedules so that we could watch a VHS copy of Charlie Brown Christmas together.  We had to watch it on an old television (non-plasma) that still has a VCR attached to it. My wife and I sat on our leather sectional with our son, daughter and my daughter’s very cool boyfriend and enjoyed watching and listening to each other laugh.

There are several reasons that it’s a good practice to re-read or re-watch material many times. One reason is that we only allow information that is pertinent and relevant to be processed. All of the other information is blocked-out as excess, useless information. Another reason is that as our life experiences change,  we react differently to the same information when we read it or see it the second or 35th time.

As I watched Schroeder playing the piano, I thought about how many times that James (my son) has played those songs and what a phenomenal pianist he’s become.

I watched Frieda (the girl with the naturally curly hair) and remembered Emily (my daughter) playing that part in a school play.  In that same play, James was Schroeder. My 15 and 20 year old kids have really grown up.

The same issues that Charles Schultz wrote about in 1964 are the same ones that we’re dealing with today.

• Overly ostentatious lights
• The commercialization of Christmas
• Charlie Brown’s feeling like something’s missing from the holy day

Charlie’s quiet, blanket-sporting friend Linus unassumingly comes to his rescue and points out to him exactly what the real meaning of Christmas is-Christ.

Emily bought the It’s a Wonderful Life DVD for me as a gift recently so that we could watch it whenever we want. I’m so happy that she enjoys that movie as much as I do.  My Dad made me and my siblings watch it when we were kids and I will be forever grateful to him.

Last night, Emily let me know that the original cartoon version of The Grinch was on at 8AM.  We made a date with each other to watch The Grinch at 8AM and then watch It’s a Wonderful Life at 8:30.  What a great evening I was looking forward to.

At 8AM, my in-laws, Carolyn (my wife), Emily, Cosmo (our dog) and I settled onto the couch for an evening of family Christmas togetherness.

I used to enjoy The Grinch because of the animation, the songs, the Who’s, Boris Karloff’s voice and Max (The Grinch’s dog).  Last night, I had significantly different reactions to this familiar animated classic. I thought about how The Grinch transformed his life as a result of a single thought – maybe Christmas is not about the toys, trees and presents…… That thought caused his heart to grow 3 sizes. I thought about how often my heart grows in love or compassion at the realization of a new thought or way of thinking.

I noticed how The Who’s got up on Christmas morning and completely disregarded the fact that all of their gifts, decorations and food had been stolen. They immediately assembled in the center of Whoville and began singing Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Are we capable of disregarding everything in our life that is unimportant and focus on God and each other like The Who’s?  Yes, we are capable.

I really paid attention to the lyrics from Welcome Christmas (Fah who for-aze) and noticed these gems:

Christmas day will always be

Just so long as we have we

Welcome all Who’s

Far and near

I realized that we are all Who’s. We are all equal.  No single Who is better or more valuable than any other Who.

Just as long as we have God and each other, nothing else matters!  Can we bottle that thought and keep it with us for the next 364 days???

After that uplifting cartoon, we enjoyed 130 minutes of smiles and tears in It’s A Wonderful Life.  Here are a few of my observations from a movie that seems to get better each year:

It’s always best when we’re working together with God: George Bailey had very specific goals for his life but it appeared that God had other plans for him.  I thought to myself how many times that’s happened to me. Our will versus God’s will.

Love today: George had dinner with his Dad and during that dinner he told his Dad that he did not want to take over for him at the crummy-old building and loan.  That same evening his Dad had a stroke and died shortly after.  We never know when will be the last time that we’ll be with the people we love.

The tongue can be a very sharp instrument: I saw kind and loving George slap around his Uncle Billy after he’d lost the $8000 in cash. After that episode, George goes home and takes-out his financial problems on his beautiful wife and children. I thought about times when I’ve done the very same thing (hurt people with my words) and how sorry I am for each time that my words had hurt my wife or children.

Come to your senses quickly: In another scene, Mr. Potter tries to get George to come and work for him for $20,000 per year.  At the time, George was earning $45/week at the Building and Loan that he owned.  Mr. Potter was offering to pay him almost 10 times what he was earning!  For less than a minute, George was tempted to take the cash until he learned that the Building & Loan would no longer exist.

Rely upon God: When George’s is at the end of his rope, he does what the rest of us would do at that point when nothing else seems to be working- he prays, God, please show me the way. Why do many of us only reach out to God in times of trouble instead of maintaining a relationship on a daily basis?

How cool would it be to be able to see what the world would be like if you had never been born?  We don’t always realize how much we positively contribute to the world’s beauty.

I love George’s reaction to having his second prayer answered – God, please give me my life back!!! What was he thankful for in addition to his wife and children? The crummy old Building and Loan, the end cap on his stairway banister, his $8000 debt, the prospect of going to jail and his drafty, leaky old home. We tend not to appreciate anything until we don’t have it any more.

When the bell on the Christmas tree ornament rings and Clarence the Angel gets his wings, I think about living a life today that will be worthy of getting my own wings when it’s time.

Please send me your stories about your favorite parts of these or any other Christmas specials that have impacted you.

I am thankful for my family, the 15 degree weather in New England, my drafty, old home, my faith in God and for you.

About a month ago, I found out that one of the two priests from our parish was in the hospital. This particular priest is not just any priest to me.  This priest is Fr. Ouellette.

Fr. Ouellette was one of the many priests at my parish when I was a young boy.  Way back then, daily mass was said several times per day at our church and altar boys were assigned to serve at each mass.  I served with Fr. Ouellette many times at these daily masses, for funerals during the school week and at weddings over the weekend. He always treated me – any everyone else -  like gold. He was one of the most appreciative people that I’ve ever known. He taught me how to show sincere appreciation for the smallest acts of kindness shown by others.

Somewhere around 1973, the Christmas masses were so crowded that we had two midnight masses – one in the beautiful, ornate upper church and a second in the darker, dingier but, just-as-large lower church. On this particular evening, this 12-year old was sick, but still wanted the honor of serving at midnight mass (even though I was relegated to the downstairs dungeon!).  I must’ve been sicker than I thought because I fainted right in the middle of the mass.  This was not just any lazy, quiet, not-get-noticed, graceful faint either.  My entire pudgy body smashed against the kneeler and caused it to crash against the solid marble altar floor with a resounding boom!  My older brother, Bill, and  my Dad rushed up to the altar to carry me into the sacristy as Fr. Ouellette looked-on to make sure that I was okay. Fr. Ouellette followed my Dad and brother into the sacristy to make sure that I was okay before proceeding with mass.  He taught me kindness and compassion.

One of the reasons that he’s been assigned to our parish almost continuously since 1973 is that his dear Mother lived in our city.  The great part of that is that he frequently incorporated stories about his family into his homilies. He wasn’t  a boring priest who spoke in monotone about God,God,God.  He was a human who had a real family. He frequently spoke about real family responsibilities and challenges from first-hand experience. He spoke of each challenge in his life with faith in God and hope and confidence that things would always turn out well. He taught me how to honor and appreciate family-especially when things are not perfect.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is a group within the Catholic Church that cares for the poor within the parish. Its members collect food and money from the parishioners so that they’ll be able to provide for the poor on a weekly basis throughout the entire year. Fr. Ouellette has always been our biggest ambassador and salesperson. When he speaks about a topic, he never uses notes and always speaks from his heart with tremendous passion.  He doesn’t act like he cares…he cares.  He taught me sincerity and authenticity.

When I went to visit my 83-year old friend a few weeks ago, there were signs all over the door to his hospital room. Disinfect hands before entering. Caution: Infectious matter. Put-on gloves prior to entering. Dispose of gloves before leaving room. Nurses must put on gowns prior to entering. I was afraid to go in.

Once in the room, I saw my friend in bed with visible tubes everywhere  – his nose, mouth and arms.  He was having difficulty breathing. The nurse told me that he’d been unable to eat solid food for three weeks. He looked awful. His mouth was open. His lips were chapped. His arms were badly bruised from all of the the IV’s there were inserted into his veins.  I pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed and began to pray. My mind immediately came to a standstill.  Because of his age, poor health, and the obvious pain that he was in, I wasn’t sure if I was praying for him to recover or for him to die quickly and peacefully.  After a little consideration, I proceeded to pray for about 30 uninterrupted minutes for God’s will and not mine. He was so bad that I expected any one of his gasping breaths to be his last.  I was giving up hope.

All of a sudden, the silence in the room was broken. A chipper nurse entered the room to check on his vital signs. I took that opportunity to step out of the room to give my friend some privacy. From just outside the door, I could hear the nurse wake up Fr. Ouellette and tell him that he had a guest.  When I re-entered the room, he rolled over to face me.  The man who looked like he was ready to breathe his last breath, opened his eyes and said with a top-of-the-mornin’-tone, Hello Bob. I thought that he was about to die and within a matter of a few seconds, he began engaging me in conversation just as he had since 1973. How are you? It’s so good to see you.

Although his body was failing him, his teacher’s mind was as sharp as ever.  He asked me how Virginia (my Mom) was doing.  He told me what a great man Oscar (my Dad) was.  He and my Dad both went to the same high school. He went on to compliment my wife Carolyn and say what a valuable member of the parish she’s always been (not bad for a convert!).  He praised both of my kids (again by name). He then asked me about both of my brothers and sister by name. Because each of my siblings lives out of state, he hasn’t seen any of them in years. His name recollection was better than mine and I was not currently on drugs!

A few minutes ago I was considering praying for this man to die and he’s now speaking to me with his usual compassion and the memory of a teen-ager.  What was I thinking?  God does know better than I do.

Fr. Ouellette never complained (he did mention that he missed having turkey on Thanksgiving) during either of my hospital visits. For his entire life he was grateful and appreciative. He’d been lying in bed for weeks without solid food, without the ability to say mass and his thoughts were on God’s will – not his. His thoughts were on me and my family – not himself.  He always looks out for the well-being of those around him.

That is the exact attitude that he’s been preaching from the pulpit and living in his everyday life since I’ve known him. He has an unwavering faith in God. He has trust in God. He knows that God’s will is better than his. He always talks about the importance of family. He talks about how faithful and generous his parishioners are. He makes the people around him feel good about themselves.  He knows that we all make mistakes but, we can always recover.  He always has us leaning in the right direction – towards the positive, towards the good, towards God. I learned each of these things from him.

That is the type of attitude that has made Fr. Ouellette one of my family’s favorite priests -ever!  When our parish had the luxury of having 5+ priests on staff, we’d never know which priest would be celebrating at any given liturgy.  I can remember family members returning home from church saying with pleasure and thankfulness, it was Fr. Ouellette!  It was like someone had won the lottery.  He was always the gift that was given freely.

At mass last Sunday, another dear friend, Fr. Sannella walked down the center aisle of the church, leaned over, put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, Fr. Ouellette died last night.

Although I was a little sad, a smile came to my face after a few seconds of thought.  His entire life was dedicated and focused on helping people get to where he has now taken up residence. As I said prayers that night, I knew that I was not praying for Fr. Ouellette to get into heaven. He created heaven on earth for himself by living a Christ-like life each and every day.  He brought God’s presence with him wherever he went.  He now has a permanent residence in His Father’s mansion.

A friend’s daughter just walked into the coffee shop where I’m writing today. I told the beautiful 19-year old about Fr. Ouellette. She said with a proud smile, Oh, I love him, he baptized me!

Fr. Ouellette made the world a better place because of his presence: may you and I do the same each and every day.

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You and I were created in the image and likeness of God.  Each of us contains the Spirit of God dwelling within us. Our Spirit originated from the Source of all creation – God. One of the questions to ask ourselves is “have we lit the flame or flipped the switch to connect with our Source of power?”

Each of us contains the same Spirit. We were created of equal value in God’s eyes at birth. Spiritually, you and I are on a level playing field with every other human on the planet. We’ve been given different gifts and different bodies, but the Spirit inside of us is of equal value and comes from the same Source.

I’m writing today on my Mac notebook and working in a coffee shop.  I’m estimating that I have about 3 hours of battery life left. What happens to all of the words that are swirling around in my head after the power in my battery runs out (I’ve left home without my power cord)?  Although there is a tremendous amount of potential inside of my computer, I will not be able to utilize it if it’s disconnected from its source of power.

When a computer is disconnected from its’ source of power – an electrical outlet – for too long, it becomes a useless piece of metal, plastic and silicon. The inside of my shiny metallic Mac still contains 2.26GHz of processing power, it still contains a tremendous amount of potential space on my disk to create information and has 2GB of memory to store data before it’s written to the hard disk.  All of that potential power is still inside the case but, it cannot be used without a connection to its’ source of power.

You and I are much like my Mac.  As long as we remain connected to our Source of power – God – we have plenty of energy, life, power, potential and stamina. It is only when we choose to disconnect from our Source that we begin to become sluggish, lack energy and literally feel disconnected – powerless.

God is the Source who gave the gift of life to each of us.  God created us and wants to stay connected to us as a continuous source of power, love, hope, creativity and life. Our unity with God and with each other provides us with a sense of hope, purpose and belonging. It is a feeling that we are so powerful when connected to this Source of strength, knowledge, wisdom and energy that we have the ability to do anything that is in alignment with God. We are engaging in co-creation along with God.

We feel a tremendous connectedness to God and to all people. We know that the Source of love, knowledge, wisdom and creativity is God.  We know that for God, all things are possible.  When we are united and aligned with God’s consciousness, we become an extension of God’s love, knowledge, wisdom, compassion and creativity.  When connected with and united with our Source, nothing is impossible for us. We can feel this way every day if we stay connected and in alignment!

It is only in our isolation from God and from others that we feel abandoned, alone and disconnected.

If you were never taught that you and I were specially chosen by God and that we are unique, living miracles, that’s okay because now you know. You are a living miracle who has been created with enormous, unlimited potential! Now that you’re aware of this tremendous potential, it’s 100% within your power to tap-into that relationship and Source of all things that are good. You originated from God. You will forever be spiritually connected to God. You’re tremendously powerful when you are united with God and others.

So is connecting to our source of power – God – as easy as plugging  a computer into an outlet? I would say that it’s pretty close.  You know that feeling you get when you plug an appliance into an outlet that you’re not sure works and you see the light come on the appliance to let you know that you’re connected? That same thing happens when you plug  into God. Light bulbs start illuminating but, they’re in our minds. The feelings of serenity and love bring a smile to our faces. I frequently get a tingly feeling that goes up and down my spine and down my limbs when I feel a special connection to my Source.

There are many ways to “plug-in” to our Source.  Depending upon your personality style, some of the ways to connect will be more comfortable than others.  Over time you may feel comfortable trying new ways of developing your relationship.  Here are some easy ways to begin the process:

Talk with God. Close your eyes, take a few deep, cleansing breaths and start talking with God as if you were talking to a friend that you’ve been ignoring for a very long time  or a parent who loves you very much whom you’ve never met.  “Hi  it’s me.  I’m sorry that I haven’t talked to you or listened to you in a while.  I’ve been very busy at home and at work.  How are you? I’ve called you to ask for your love, guidance and assistance.  Would you mind if I told you about a problem that I’m experiencing and then listen to your feedback and suggestions?……………”  Once you get started talking to God and allowing enough time to listen, you’ll become comfortable with the process and begin doing it periodically throughout the day.

Read Scripture. Purchase the Bible and commit to reading for about 20 minutes per day.  I bought a 20-minute Catholic Bible that allows me to read the entire Bible in its entirety every 365 days.

Visit a church or other house of worship. Visit the house of worship when it’s empty and just sit or kneel and absorb God’s presence in the silence.  If you’d prefer, visit when there is a service going on so that you can pray, sing and enjoy the community of other people.

Meditate. Meditation is the art of experiencing God in the silence of your mind.  In Psalms 46:10 we’re told, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  There are several good books and audio CD’s on the art of meditation.  I found experimenting with the different styles of meditation a fascinating experience.  I am now able to meditate while lying in bed, exercising on a stair master or treadmill at the gym, sitting at my office chair or in an airplane seat or sitting on a cushion in the traditional yoga position.

Read works of spiritual authors.  The major bookstores have a tremendous selection of books on spirituality from authors such as Neale Donald Walsch, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra.

The power that is within each of us is the knowledge that we are children of God.  Our purpose is to love and serve God and each other.  When we stay connected to God and  live God’s Word,  we tap into an unlimited supply of love, compassion, kindness and creativity that brings an unspeakable feeling of joy and appreciation for this tremendous gift called life.  We become present in each moment and experience sincere feelings of gratitude  for the things that we used to take for granted. Our breath. Our sight. The taste of food. The touch of a hand. A kiss. The sound of rain drops.

Stay connected to God each day and you’ll be guaranteed enough battery life to perform miracles for 24 hours.

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Join me tomorrow on my NEW weekly Pod cast where I get the opportunity to talk about all things of the Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Tomorrow’s show is titled: Faith, what is it, what does it mean?

Bob and Greg tackle the topics of the idea of faith, what faith is, what it means to have faith, and how we exercise it in our places of worship and in our day to day lives.

We record live at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST.

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The relationship between the material (our bodies), the mind (our brains) and the spirit (our souls) is intertwined. Some of us are very focused on the material world and on our own personal physical world – our bodies.  Others are focused on the psychological world which is limited to the grey matter in our skulls – the brain.  Finally, some of us are fascinated with the search for God that is found in the spirit that resides within each of us.  It’s not like we have to pick one and ignore the others. We are at our best when we are aware of all three and consciously nurture and develop each one.

If you only got to choose one of the three which would you choose?

I’ve come to believe that those are the levels of maturation that we can pass through almost like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  At the foundation of this 3 layered pyramid is care for our physical bodies. The ideal goal would be perfect health. The middle layer would consist of care and attention to our thoughts that are contained in the mind.  When we control our thoughts through positive self-talk, the body responds accordingly through improved health and performance. The goal at this level would be 100% positive self-talk (the thoughts that we think inside our heads about ourselves and others).  At the top of this pyramid is our spiritual development. This layer would consist of our thoughts about our spiritual selves (the divinity within us) and our thoughts about and relationship with God and other humans.

The top level might actually be our self-actualization where we realize our relationship to God and the development of what we’ve come to know as spiritual traits and characteristics – unconditional love, desire for peace within ourselves and for all beings and compassion for all.  Our relationship with God allows us to develop the traits in ourselves that we believe God possesses naturally.  We have this potential.

I am convinced that part of the maturation process for us in each of these areas is related to the education that we receive in each of the areas.  I believe that it’s an awareness issue.

For example, I was brought-up in a home that was aware of the relationship between calories consumed (how much we take-in) and exercise (how many calories we burn). I was given this knowledge when I was about 12 because I was much fatter than my parents or doctor thought that I should be.  After going through tests for glandular problems, my doctor and Dad gave me strong medical advice, “you’ve got to put out more than you take-in”.

Although my Dad didn’t have me counting calories or have my body fat measured, he knew at a very basic level that I needed to eat less and exercise more.  I was given that gift by my parents and I’ve been able to maintain a very healthy body throughout my entire adult life.  They gave me the gift of awareness as it related to my control over the health of my body.

What would’ve happened to me if my parents and doctor hadn’t taken the time to assist me with eating food in moderation and the habit of regular exercise? Would my weight have gotten so out of control that I’d be among the morbidly obese? Would I have given up hope or resigned myself to the fact that I was born big-boned and I was supposed to be overweight?  It’s very possible had I not received the gift of education while my problem was still easily manageable.

I didn’t receive much education at home or school related to how our minds work. It was not until I was about 38 years hold that I became thoroughly educated on the relationship between our self talk and the results that we receive in our lives. Once I was educated on how our self-esteem is created, and the value of maintaining 100% positive self-talk, I was able to change every aspect of my life in which I had more potential to develop.  That included every area!

What would have happened had I received that information in grammar school?  Would my life have been different if I had known in my teens that the thoughts that we’re thinking today will end-up producing what we realize and receive in the future? YES. Do I blame my parents?  No. They had never received this type of knowledge so they could not pass it on to me. Now that I have this knowledge I’ve passed it on to my wife and two children.  They now get to choose whether or not to use the knowledge.

Because I was brought up Catholic and because Christianity was a part of our lives at every meal (prayer), at bed-time (prayer) and on every Saturday or Sunday (church), I was exposed to the belief that God exists and He’s here to love me and help me with every aspect of my life whenever I choose to involve Him. I knew at a very young age that I was never alone.  I knew with all my being that there was a piece of divinity – the Holy Spirit – that dwelled inside of me. My spiritual spark was lit at a very early age and I’ve chosen to pursue God and a strong relationship with Him.

Because of the religious/spiritual education (including 8 years of Catholic grammar school), I was very open to the idea that God exists and that I can have any type of relationship that I choose with Him.  It’s up to me.  That gift resulted in spiritual knowledge that has given me unwavering faith.

What would’ve happened had I not received the gift of Faith and belief in God when I was young?  I don’t know.  Would I be walking around wondering what the whole point of life is?  Would I not see each person on the planet as a spiritual brother and sister?  Would I not know that the reason that I crave silence so much in my life is because God is found in silence? Would I not know that it’s within my potential to live a Christ-like life or even know what that is?  I was given an unfair spiritual advantage by my parents.

If you or anyone you know did not receive the gift of education in any of these areas, please believe me when I tell you that progress in each of these areas can happen very quickly. I know that significant improvement to our bodies, minds and spirits can be instantaneous.  As soon as our minds lock-on to our new idea, the creative process begins and tremendous energy is created.

I was with a friend at dinner last night who six weeks ago decided that at 50 years old, it was time to improve his health.  He lost 25 pounds in six weeks without any exercise.  He modified his eating habits.

I train people every month in the science of controlling the thoughts that go on in our minds – self-talk. Many of them call me or send me e-mails thanking me for helping them to understand how to turn their lives around and start seeing themselves, their families and the world as positive.  The changes begin happening overnight – literally.

From a spiritual perspective, I know that God is always waiting for you to say “hello” and He’s always ready to listen to you.  God is waiting for us to invite Him into our lives. He will not make us wait.  There are numerous books to assist you in the process of pursuit of God and the development of the spirit that resides inside of you. If you used to attend worship services, why not attend one in the near future. Your faith community will be very happy to have you with them.

Ask and you will receive.  Knock and the door shall be opened.

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We’re all connected to each other. We rely upon each other for love, friendship and everything else that we require to live. We can choose whether to embrace each other with love and compassion or to find fault with each other. From a Christian perspective, we look at each person in the universe as a member of the Body of Christ.  If each person is a part of the same body, it then becomes difficult for us to find fault with one of our body parts!

I’ll start today’s discussion about our connection to others with the definition of the word ego?  According to Webster’s II, ego is “the self, as distinct from the world and other selves.  The part of the psyche that is conscious, most directly controls thought and behavior, and is most aware of external reality. An exaggerated sense of self-importance.”

Is your ego (self) getting in the way of your relationship with God and others? For most of us the answer is yes.

From a spiritual perspective, I believe that the separate self does not exist.  We’re all connected spiritually.  It is our collective spirits that make us one with God and with each other.

So where do our problems come from?  We allow OUR egos to get in the way.  We become way too focused on ourselves and don’t focus enough on those around us. A new and better vision would be to look upon each other as brothers and sisters who are truly connected to us spiritually.

In Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s book  “Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling”, he explains that concept exceptionally well:  “You can see why the word ego is often referred to as an acronym for edging God out.”  When we “edge God out”, we’re creating a huge barrier between us and God and between us and the rest of the people in the world. When we invite God in (igi), we begin embracing love, compassion and well-being for our self and others.

Once we embrace the concept of a spirit (God) that resides within us, we lose all of our fear including fear of death.  Dyer says “There is no death from the perspective of infinity so once you’ve removed the horror of dying from the equation, you’ll have a different perspective.”

In Deepak Chopra’s  “Secrets of Enlightenment CD” he tells us that “fear, addiction, craving and fear of death come from the experience of the separate self.”  When we isolate our “self” from God and others, life is very lonely and scary.  When we commune with God and others every day life becomes a “we” rather than a selfish “I”.  It’s a collective, united consciousness.

Ram Dass in Dyer’s Book explains his philosophy on the united or collective consciousness – our relationship to all other people:  “I’ve firmly come to the conclusion that there are no ‘thems’ for me anymore. I can’t be told who to hate, who to fight, who to subdue–I only see an ‘us’ in my heart.”

Can you stretch yourself far enough to embrace the concept of no more ‘“thems”?  If there are in fact no “thems”, the world becomes very small and we realize that we’re all in this life together.  I no longer feel lonely and isolated.  My “self” is gone.

How can we possibly hate others? How can we hate people who are our connected to us spiritually?  We are literally part of the same body. Our hatred stems from our lack of compassion and from our ignorance. If we believed that each person was connected to us spiritually, I’m convinced that we’d treat each other with dignity, respect and love.

Here is a segment from one of the Dalai Lama’s books – ‘Becoming Enlightened’ on the subjects of ego, self and hatred: “Seeing that defective states of mind such as lust and hatred are rooted in egotism, Buddha taught something that had not been explained before him, the view of selflessness. Buddha taught that a permanent unchangeable self, separate from mind and body, does not exist.  He taught that the self is set up in dependence upon the mind and body.”

In science, we try to isolate the mind and body from the spirit.  What Buddha is telling us is that the three are connected. Our self (spirit,consciousness) is one with the mind and body and can’t exist without them.  When the spirit (self, consciousness) dies, so do the mind and body.

Inviting and embracing God to live and flourish within us naturally has a tremendously positive impact on our mind and body.

The opposite of selfish is altruistic (selfless regard or concern for the well-being of others)

Later in the book the Dalai Lama explains the concept of altruism as part of the path to enlightenment.

Altruism is a source of goodness for yourself and others.

Medicine alleviating all troubles,

The great path traveled by the wise,

Nourishment for all who see, hear, remember, and contact it,

Possessing great efficacy for advancing others’ welfare.

Through it you indirectly achieve your own interests full.

–Tsongkhapa, Great Treatise On The Stages of The Path

The Dalai Lama continues by saying “The fame of other great teachers with great followings, such as Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, arose from the power of altruism.”

Those sound like pretty good mentors to me!

Let’s embrace and nourish the spirit that resides in ourselves and each other.

We ARE one in the Spirit!