Why Should I?

Right now you should be reading this. What do you mean, “‘I should be reading this?’ Why?” because it’s important, and eliminating the word “should” may save your relationships. But what does that really mean and what is it that you should be doing or have done? Which brings me to telling you how much I really dislike the word “Should.”

Why do I dislike the word should and want to strike it from our vocabulary, our minds and the dictionary? Because it literally means something, “you have to do,” when something you had done, or something you are about to do, would have turned out, or will turn out, better. Do you want to live your life as a “Monday morning quarterback” or coach after a game on Sunday? It’s easy isn’t it to point to the things you “could” have done. As they say, “Hindsight is always twenty, twenty.”

So, first things first and in this case let’s try and eliminate the word should from our vocabulary. And if you’re still asking, “why?” then I’ll say it this way. Should is usually stated after the fact of doing and after an experience gone bad, where it is now easy to say, “I should have.” It’s akin to what I often heard my dad say, “If I only…” something or other.

The fact is you can only take one path at a time and you can only use your own experiences or get council from someone who has the knowledge and experience to make a decision to do whatever it is you are about to do. And when you’ve done what you set out to do you either had a pleasant, happy, successful outcome or you didn’t. As I was reminded, many years ago from a very nice young lady when I said to her, “You should have…” and she said to me, “Don’t should on me.” There was my first and most memorable experience of using the word “should.”

While pondering or debating something you are about to embark upon or something you have done the proper or correct thought is, “you could have done…” which is just saying there were other choices. Then try and understand how the choice you made could have had a different outcome and learn from it.

We will never, always have the correct thought, action or response. Not ever. That is what trial and error is all about. You did not fail; you just experienced something that told you what not to do next time. Anything that does not go well is not a failure; it is only a lesson in how not to do such and such. That is why we make certain choices and take certain paths. It’s based on our knowledge and experience however errant or faulty our logic is at that time. You only know what you know and no more than that.

Stop saying “should” or “if only” to yourself or anyone else. It only serves to cause pain, angst and depression. There are only things we could have done. There are only other paths we could have taken. And until someone can take divergent paths at the same time and then look at each experience simultaneously, then and only then, will you have the ability to make the correct, proper or most competent decision every time.

Right now, this minute, I want you to stop second-guessing everything you do or anyone else has done. It is over, it is in the past and nothing you do now will change that outcome. So now, right now, learn from that experience. There is a lesson in, there is knowledge in, and there is something positive to be taken from, every thing you do and every encounter you have.

I will add this one other bit of information, which will alleviate many of the “I could haves’,” and that is this; most everything you do, if it is done with love and for a higher good will usually have a positive outcome.

Your Body and the Earth – What do they have in common?

Do you take care of your body? Most of us would surely answer yes. At least we like to think we do. Do you eat properly? Do you cook your own meals? Do you eat organic foods? Do you look carefully at the ingredients in processed foods? So just how thoughtful are you of your body? The instrument you inhabit that allows you to do, be and have.

I’m sure your answers are interesting as well as your excuses for not treating yourself, as you should. I’m not here to chastise you or berate you for not taking care of yourself, because frankly if you don’t care about you, why should anyone else. That sounds harsh, doesn’t it?

By the way I’m not that kind of person, I’m just creating an awakening here. You see I’m writing about this for 2 reasons. One, because I do care about you, and two because I care about the earth. So what do you and the Earth have in common? Well, you see you are not just the custodian of your own body you are the custodian of the earth. And frankly I’m concerned that if you don’t care about yourself, you won’t care about the earth and its other inhabitants, which are about me, your neighbors and your friends and family.

You see although I can only give you advice on how to take care of yourself; I can’t do it for you. But when it comes to the earth we need to work together and we need to understand and come to an agreement that since I want to live a healthy life that you need to be in alignment with me to make it happen. First I can’t do it without you and second It’s not fair that I have to fight for my life and carry 100% of the burden.

Right now if the earth were your body you would be able to feel how ill it is and how it is suffering. It is suffering with political and economic oppression, war, famine and pollution. Each day there are children all over the world who are suffering from malnutrition, blindness, and homelessness and in the hands of heartless people. There are adults who have no idea how to fend for themselves, where to turn for food or shelter and who are slaughtered by tyrants and governments because of greed.

This piece I write today is just a call to awakening and as a reminder (although I’m sure you haven’t forgotten) that everyday, regardless of what you do, you need not just to be aware of, but also to take care of me. I am your brother, your sister, your father, your mother, your aunt, your uncle, and your neighbor on this orb floating in space. Yes, I am your family and we are all in the same bus. We share the same resources and every time you litter, you poison or misuse anything on this earth, whether it be a person, animal or resource you do the same to yourself.
I am on your side, I am looking out for you, I love and care about you and for you, please do the same for me. The atoms that make me who I am and the atoms that make you who you are, they are the same just resonating at different frequencies and they touch each other through the atoms of space and time.

We are so connected - please practice mindfulness and compassion in each moment of your daily life and cultivate peace. With clarity, determination and patience we can all have a peaceful, healthy and prosperous life.

Namaste

Arthur James Tassinello

End of Days?

What does that mean to you? It certainly has a lot of definitions attached to it. Some believe that the world will end, that there will be some kind of apocalypse. That all evil will be removed from the earth and only the most spiritual and holy will remain. Or the earth will be totally annihilated and nothing will remain. Along the lines of what happened to the dinosaurs and the planet will begin it’s own healing process and perhaps be re-inhabited by man. And some think that it’s all BS.

What is mostly written about today has to do with the Mayan calendar and how it stops in the year 2012, December 21st to be exact. And if you follow the readings and teachings of Cayce, Nostradamus and/or other seers, it has been interpreted that on this day, the Great Cycle ends, time ends, so the Earth must end as well. But how and what does that really mean. I assure you there are few, very few who really have the inside scoop on this. Of course, most of us who have read or followed this information we have our own opinions and interpretations depending on where we are in our lives. What I mean by this is where we are in our beliefs about God, religion, and spirituality.

Although the word is getting out and more and more people are seeking spirituality, very few know of or have read the Kabbalah or the Zohar. These writings go back thousands of years and like the seers I mentioned above have more information and more insight into who we are, where we came from and where we are going. I will mention the bible and the Torah only to say that these books are based on the writings of the Zohar and there interpretation of the Zohar has left us with a lot of, let’s say, misinformation or misinterpretation. Additionally, the Zohar is not a religion it is based on science, unlike the bible and the Torah.

So why am I writing about this today? Because I believe it is important, especially at this time in our lives, to look at who we are, why we are here and why we are in the troubled state we are in today. What is happening around the world is a wake up call. The call that says if we don’t change what we do and how we do it we will doom ourselves.

So to get back to my title, “End of Days” and what it means is this. We must stop the greed, the violence and the selfishness. We can no longer tolerate having a few people take advantage of, or sacrifice, others for their pleasures. That’s it. It’s really that simple. We are spiritual beings clothed by bone, muscle and skin, and if we striped it all away we would all look the same. There would be no physical way to judge others and we would choose non-judgmental ways of doing things. We all chose to be here, to experience and enjoy what this planet has to offer and to share its offerings with everyone. To live in harmony, not balance, but harmony where everything is in tune. We are here to experience love and to give love. We are here, together on this one orb floating in space; and that in itself should be enough for us to want to have peace, which creates a place of joy and tranquility for all, not just a few.

I know you are seeing the change and many of you are getting the message and practicing harmony. So every day please stay aware and practice love, giving and tolerance with a smile. “Pay it forward” as they say and stop waiting for the love to come. For it will come to you as you give it. We have a choice to change the world and change the final outcome. End of days does not have to mean apocalypse. We have the power to heal the planet; all we have to do is be it.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Namaste,
Arthur