A Projected Path Forward

So often we wonder what we can do. The not knowing can be more stressful than the knowing. And, if we’re not careful, our minds are happy to assist us with projected possibles.

We hear or read something and immediately think that outcome is assured. We behave as if it is. It is our way of giving up the fight-if a fight is what it is, surrendering in advance, deciding we are without hope. We decide-in error-there is nothing that can be done. We are powerless in the face of power. And as we decide this, this becomes our reality.

Our thoughts are literally creating our reality.

We say, write or think things like, “I knew this would happen. I told you so. It was always going to be this way.”

Everything becomes an exercise in our own futility.

We want to be right more than we want the result we desire.

We must use our minds in ways that assist us. Occupy it with the things you want. Do this as many times as you need to. At some point, this will become your default, the point you begin from.

Whether we’re talking with others, watching a news program, listening to a podcast, or signing in online, remember, we do not have to give our authority to others. Not ever. This is a choice.

Our power is housed within us.

We are the creators of our lives and our world. We are its authors. We are its dreamers.

It is more than whether we vote. This may be a piece of it, but it is certainly not the entirety of it.

As we move through our lives, we can choose to do so consciously.

Meditate. There have been a number of studies which let us know that contemplative practices not only soothe our inner beast but the inner beasts of others also.

One such study, published in 1993, “hypothesized that the level of violent crime in the District of Columbia would drop significantly with the creation of a large group of participants in the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® programs to increase coherence and reduce stress in the District. What they found was crime reduced by 15.6%-48%. Specifically, “the intervention parameters for the group size revealed that the effect of the group was not only cumulative with the increase in group size but also continued for some time after the end of the project. Based on the results of the study, the steady state gain (long-term effect) associated with a permanent group of 4,000 participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs was calculated as a 48% reduction in HRA crimes (homicides, rapes, assaults) in the District of Columbia.”

So, if you want to reduce crime, increase coherence: meditate?

Two article links have been shared below. I’ll leave the particulars for you to read at your leisure.

Know there are enough good people in this world and in this country willing to stop those who seek to destroy it or keep it for themselves. You don’t need to know “the how” in this moment, just know that they are.

Do things that elevate you, uplift you.

Be with others like you.

Be with animals.

Be in nature.

Be with whatever you’re feeling. Be present to it. How often are you sedating yourself with drugs, alcohol, food, programs, prescriptions and other such things, so you don’t have to feel whatever it is you are feeling? I’m not advising you not to-this is not for me to choose-I’m simply asking you to notice.

When we take the time to be with whatever wants our attention, it often does not want it any longer.

Try being present for a few moments, if a few moments are only what you can do. Make this okay. You are in charge of your experience after all. Decide in advance it will release when it is ready. It will. You do not have to be in charge of this also.

If you feel comfortable reaching out to your government officials, do so. Do so knowing it will make the difference you want.

Envision the world you want to see.

How often are you envisioning the world in front of you? Stop looking at it.

How often have we been taught the changes we seek in the world are “out there.” They can be but they originate within.

Stop trying to fix the mirror, the projection, the dream.

Fix your inner world.

Fix your faith. To me, this is never a religious faith, but an unwavering one.

Stop seeing the bad. Stop looking for it. Stop giving it your attention.

Do the opposite. Look for the good (actively).

Stop prioritizing your fear.

Stop anticipating anything but what you want.

There are so many wonderful people in this world. There are enough of us to bring positive changes forward.

There are enough who will rise to the occasion.

Laugh.

Caretake yourself. How can you caretake this world if you’re unwilling to caretake yourself? By caring for yourself, you are caring for the world.

We are not separate from it.

Remember, if you want this world to be different, you have to be different in this world.

https://research.miu.edu/maharishi-effect/reduced-violent-crime-in-washington-dc

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/transcendental-meditation-program-and-crime-rate-change-sampl

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