Being Spoiled

By Nestor Riddle

 Nature is one of the greatest sources of happiness. In fact, humans had lived in the lap of nature for millions of years and their stay in modern cities is comparably very very short. Still now majority of them lives in close proximity to nature. In fact, human race is dependent upon nature for its very survival (plants recycle carbon dioxide into oxygen; our food is a product of nature; and we can survive under a very limited range of variables of nature like temperature, etc.)

Nature is all free! It is there for everybody to stand and stare and derive happiness and solace from. It does not distinguish between rich and poor, strong and weak, man and woman. Silvery sun is free, golden moon is free, cool breeze, warm seashore, imposing mountains, smooth flowing rivers, dark and inviting forests, all are free.

It is free, not because it is cheap, but it is rather priceless.

How much would it cost to make only an artificial island with rivers, forests, mountains, and surrounding ocean?

Billion dollars, zillion dollars?

Can one make it? And if one can and afford, will he give it to humanity free to enjoy? Will he not charge some entrance fees? How much?

When we see the moon, we see it in its entirety, no matter how many millions of people are seeing it at the same time. Has God made a separate moon for each of us, or is it only one moon which each of us somehow sees as his own individual moon? And similarly, the sky, the sun, the ocean, rain and sunshine, all are there for us to possess fully. Each can stare at the sky and claim all of it for his or her happiness. It is all his or her.

Nature understands your moods. If you are sad, it is also sad with you. But it does not make you sadder. It does not lead you to further despair. It applies gentle balm to your wounds. It sits besides you like a mother, spouse, brother or sister, or a friend and embraces you, talks to you, listens to you patiently, empathizes with you. Slowly it lifts your spirits, makes you to see your little woes, worries, and wounds in the right perspective of infinite time and space. You smile; you laugh; and you are happy again!

I am sure, you are keeping your money in the bank and this bank balance gives pleasure and happiness. Even when this money is lying idle or tied down in investments. Sometimes it is money just on paper, as, for example, the value of shares and bonds. When you need something, you withdraw the money and exchange it for some pleasure and happiness. Well, all this is good.

Yet do you realize that infinite beauty and happiness is lying around you in the form of nature?

Do you appreciate this fact and draw happiness out of it?

BE HAPPY!

Learn about purple perennial flowers and purple perennials at the Hardy Perennials site.

Goals That Can Be Easily Achieve With Planning

By Nestor Riddle

 It is very easy and a lot of fun to talk about dreams and goals and a great future. Achieving these dreams is not so easy as all wise people know. We need to build our dreams on the solid ground of action rather than the shifting sands of talk. The Red Indians of America know how to summarize great truths in a few choice words.

In the perceptive western, “Broken Arrow”, Cochise, the wise Apache chief, scolds the wise American scout, acted by James Stewart:

“To talk of peace is easy; to live it is not easy. Are you a child that you thought peace would come easy?”

The Italians also have a way with words. Garibaldi, the great Italian soldier and patriot said much the same thing:

“Give me the ready hand rather than the ready tongue.”

Talk is easy. Planning is easy. Making promises is easy.

Doing what we say is the difficult part. Carrying out our plans is not easy. Keeping our promises is the hard part.

Recently, a top instructor in my martial art, Choikwangdo, which is based in Atlanta Georgia, spoke about how some UK instructors go to Atlanta and are so inspired that they are totally gung-ho and ready to take on the world. By the time they get back to the UK and it is pouring with rain some of the inspiration has departed!

This happens at most seminars where a great dream is promoted. Every one leaves charged up and ready to achieve their dream but unless they take action immediately and regularly the dream will soon die. Talk is cheap!

I am old enough to remember the Charles Atlas’ promise. Buy his course and the next time the bully kicks sand in your face you will be ready! Many bought his course but how many practiced what he taught? The bully was still kicking sand in many faces!

We can excuse children for giving up when they discover that something is not easy and might even involve some hard and boring work.

An adult should know better and should think carefully before making any promises that involve hard graft.

On the other hand, promises can be useful as motivation to get on with doing what we promise. It is also fun to do things which we have not promised to do.

Businessmen and women who give their customers more than they have promised usually retain those customers for life. Many internet gurus sell their products together with a huge pile of bonuses.

Then they deliver more. Even after you have bought their product and downloaded the bonuses, they will send an email with more bonuses just to thank you for buying their product. These gurus know how to create lifetime good will.

“For each day of peace we will pile one stone upon another,” said Cochise.

The great chief knew the value of living day by day and the value keeping score and the value of celebrating each daily victory.

Proponents of the power of affirmation and visualisation suggest celebrating in advance of the victory.

This could encourage the universe to create events which are in tune with the celebration and create a confidence in ourselves that will allow us to make full use of all our powers to help us achieve our goals.

In the end Cochise achieved peace. He knew what it would take.

It was Geronimo who continued the war.

To learn about purple perennial flowers and purple perennials, visit the Hardy Perennials website.

To Be Happy Is All In The Mind

By Nestor Riddle

 Though one could be infinitely happy by just enjoying the nature and family and all the human-made things, there are still millions of people who are unhappy. In the developed countries there is very fortunate circumstance of having both God-given and man-made things. Still majority of people there are unhappy. In the developing countries, where for millions there is a real scarcity of even basic needs, people seem to be happy. There are some people who are engaged in difficult tasks and in warfare, and even incarcerated in prisons, and are still happy! We have just discussed the factors of happiness. Millions of people have them, still they are unhappy. There are millions of others who don’t have them, yet they are happy!

You would realize that the mere availability and abundance of God given and human-made things is not enough. There is something else which should be right to be happy. Of course, it is our mind that must have right attitude towards and capacity to be happy.

Milton in Paradise Lost says,

‘The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.’

One can give various examples of how mind can influence our body::

Pavlov’s dog starts salivating at the sound of the bell without any food in sight.

If we are tense we often get headache, backache, and spondylitis, etc.

Heart attacks are directly linked to worry and tension.

Right mental attitude helps in curing many bodily maladies.

By self-talk, motivation, and positive attitude we can become happy and successful.

Through hypnosis one can have command over another person’s mind and body.

Through meditation one can have a healthy body and extra sensory abilities.

Mind has extra-ordinary powers and as far as happiness is concerned it has the ultimate power. We should, therefore, have a positive attitude towards life. Instead of concentrating on bad things in life and people, we should concentrate on redeeming features in them. We should not keep on thinking about past failures and bad experiences but be encouraged by our past success and good experiences. Similarly, we should not be unduly anxious about future as our anxiety is not going to have a positive effect, but we should plan and work hard for the future.

In whatever circumstances you are, you can never have total lack of God-given and man-made happiness. You cannot completely take away nature from somebody; you cannot take away all man-made things from somebody. Even if everything is taken, one’s family and friends are there. One’s precious body is there. And, even if you chain somebody securely in a dungeon, one’s mind is free. One is free to be happy in one’s mind! Mind is difficult to be mastered by oneself, but it is impossible to be vanquished by anybody, any authority, or whatever conditions or situations.

Abraham Lincoln has beautifully expressed it: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

BE HAPPY!

For tips on annual vs perennial and full sun perennials, visit the Hardy Perennials website.

The People Who Are Spoiled And The Things They Get Away With

spoiled

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