Fate, Fortune and Will

 

How to Grow Old the Right Way Up

Saturday 15th Feb 2014

Fate, Fortune and Will

Some people are fortunate enough to appear to have it all: health, a roof over their heads, enough food, warmth, clothing, love and security, opportunities for learning, work, creating, enjoying life. However, all too often, they are unfortunate enough not to recognize it.

If you are reading this, it means you, like me, have been spared from the distressing and even tragic consequences of the latest storms. Perhaps, like me, you are reflecting on your good fortune.

After having planned this week’s post, one of my dearest friends asked me, pretty much what the protagonist of one of my books always asks himself:

“Is our destiny determined by genes, birth, upbringing, past choices?

Or can we determine the course of our existence?”*

My answers, based on my personal experience and my observations of life and people, are:

• 50%, Genes, birth, family, education and upbringing:
• 50%, What we decide to make of our 50% lottery.

In my personal experience, we can change even our health, and overcome many other seemingly impossible challenges, quite dramatically. We can change, of course, the effects of education and upbringing. We can transform ourselves, our lives, our health and our level of happiness.

In my view, it is the power of our will what can take us all the way, from simple wish to the intention; from the intention, to the attention and focus necessary to work our wish into the desired result. Perhaps you will care to have a look at my nephew Juan Acosta’s project,  http://ThoughtsintoResults.com (By the way, Juan has grown up in USA, and I have had no influence whatsoever in his upbringing. However, obviously we are into similar missions!)

But, how do you train your will to will what you need to will in order to transform your life?

My suggestion for this week is to observe, and if necessary to change your attitude to your life and your circumstances. Essentially, I suggest that you strive to see your glass, not even half full but full to the brim with the unabashed and pretty permanent joy of being alive; of having learnt what you have learnt; of experiencing the love you experience for and from people, places, objects, whatever form love takes in your life.

Will, have Faith in yourself; work at it and/or open space for it. Remember:

“Never give up hope and good luck will find you”

(From the Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story)

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS

1. I am not a health practitioner of any description. The tips I will be giving are directly related to my personal experience and my experiences with family and friends who seem to have benefited from those tips. Please if in doubt, always consult a qualified practitioner.
2. With their permission I will be mentioning in these pages the names and expertise of many people who have contributed to my current state of health. Whenever possible and relevant, I will be leading you to their websites or giving you a direct contact if you ask me. Nobody is or will be paying me or rewarding me in any way for doing so. I will be doing it because they are wonderful practitioners, to whom I owe much and to whom I am very happy to direct people to, for the benefit of all. I don’t and won’t recommend anyone whose help and expertise I haven’t experienced and benefited from directly.

*From “The Secret Life of a God”, part of “The Thermodynamics of Love Trilogy”, hopefully to be out and about this year. I won’t give up hope!

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Love, the Intelligent Instinct

How to Grow Old the Right Way Up

Saturday 8th Feb 2014

 

Love, the Intelligent Instinct

 

 

Of course from Faith and Hope we move into the last of the three Cardinal Virtues: Charity or Love.

At the risk of being controversial, I have big problems with the concept of charity and with the current semantics of the word love.

Charity seems to me overrated. We seem to need someone’s suffering in order to experience compassion. Unfortunately, I find there is a sort of selfish cathartic release associated to experiencing compassion, at least in my case. It is beautiful… but, the reason for compassion seems still questionable. Besides, charity is often a way to patronize or to clear our conscience.

Regarding the word love… it is difficult to associate the highest sort of unconditional love, or even romantic, sexual or filial love with love for Ice Cream, as delightful as Ice Cream is.

Another question is that love can be considered by the sceptics, simply as a more elevated word to designate the primeval instincts of self-preservation, procreation and protection to ensure the survival of our species… If that is all what love is, it is an Intelligent Instinct!

Whatever love is, I consider the ability of experiencing love or compassion or both, a very fortunate skill and one I am always grateful for.

I am very lucky that I experience pretty constantly love for and from people and things. Yes, I even believe that what other people call inanimate objects are animated and do love me… if only because they reflect the love/attention/intention/dream of their creator, but also the love I give them. And this, to some people perhaps stupid belief, is a useful belief for me and doesn’t seem to cause any harm to anyone. On the contrary, it has the very practical use of helping me to save money as I don’t tend to waste or to throw away anything that still seems to have life in it. It helps me to have fewer problems with machines and mechanical objects as I treat them with care. And, of course, unless I fall prey of my innate tactlessness, it also helps me to preserve jobs and relationships. It has taken me nearly a lifetime to learn to love this way. But I can assure you it is very useful and very enjoyable.

So my recipe for today is love… everything; yourself; other people; your life; your car; your job; your lack of it; your money; the lack of it (how can money love you if you don’t love it? Don’t confuse with avarice!); rain and English weather; holidays and sunshine, including the often shy English one. Love, love, love…..

 

 

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS

1. I am not a health practitioner of any description. The tips I will be giving are directly related to my personal experience and my experiences with family and friends who seem to have benefited from those tips. Please if in doubt, always consult a qualified practitioner.
2. With their permission I will be mentioning in these pages the names and expertise of many people who have contributed to my current state of health. Whenever possible and relevant, I will be leading you to their websites or giving you a direct contact if you ask me. Nobody is or will be paying me or rewarding me in any way for doing so. I will be doing it because they are wonderful practitioners, to whom I owe much and to whom I am very happy to direct people to, for the benefit of all. I don’t and won’t recommend anyone whose help and expertise I haven’t experienced and benefited from directly.