Flip The Dial

Fire can't be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men.

James Baldwin
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Hello Ernie
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I've spent much time and effort scraping through embers trying to find a spark to light up the spirits, other people's and my own. It's so easy to shut down the fire and settle for the hum drum. "Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear yo not?" (Mark 8) Why do we maintain the habit of looking at the world as if it was mainly uninteresting? Why do we not look for the invisible things, and listen to hear what may be inbetween the sounds around us? Have we forgotten or do we take for granted that we have a mind filled to abundance with thoughts, ideas, dreams?

Remember the radio with two stations? You don't? I bet you have the feeling right now that I am about to remind you. I wrote about it a couple of times. It's a Cabbalist idea. Imagine there is a radio and it plays only two stations. One of them broadcasts only good news, and the other one only bad news. Now image that you turn the radio on and set it at the good news station. But as soon as you turn your back and walk away it automatically flips over to the bad news station. When you realize it you have to go back and readjust the dial, until the next time.

Now imagine that this radio is your mind and the way it works. Right? How many hours a day do you listen to the bad news, the fear, worry, anger, resentment, doubt, depression, despair? Dial flipping is seriously needed there.

Believe me I know how difficult it is to get that dial pointed in the right direction, especially since the bad news station has given you something to worry about or to be afraid of. You don't want to let go of it. You would almost rather chew your head off than hear some cheerful news. You are enjoying the misery. And that's why you need an impulse, a reminder, a kick. And that's where the vagabond comes in.

I have just about typed my finders to the bone stirring up the embers, trying to get people to stay tuned to the good news station and to remind them that the human spirit when armed with the everything of good thoughts and not the nothing of bad thoughts is a powerful force, and when focused on the ins and outs, the ups and downs and the backs and forths of life it can perform miracles.

Remember, the opposite of good isn't evil.
The opposite of good is good-and-evil.

Dana Bate - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up

I've got a little list.

Misery has enough company. Dare to be happy.

From a billboard.
(Thank you Cindy)
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Oh, I know, I know. Believe me I know. There are plenty of reasons in life to be miserable. Come visit me, I'll show you my collection.

The shameful fact is that some people actually enjoy being miserable. They are addicted to it. If they don't have a good reason to moan and groan and be unhappy they will go out and find one and if their search is fruitless they will come back home and invent one.

If there are no raw materials around your house to patch together a good misery you can always turn on the news and see how much better other people are at being miserable, so you'll have something to copy.

Are you the kind of person who likes to make lists? Well, there you go. Sit down now and start making a list of the reasons you have to feel sorry for yourself. You can start with "I don't have enough money." That's a good one and very popular. Which reminds me, if you run out of ideas to put on the list, check the daily paper. It will give you some great suggestions.

Now how long is your list? 20 items? That's not enough. You can do better than that. Go back and try harder.

Now repeat after me "Oh, woe is me !! Alas ! I'm so miserable I don't know what I'm going to do."

Good. I'm glad that's over. Now about happiness: Does it take courage to be happy? You bet. It takes strength, patience, determination, hope, faith. It takes not giving up. It takes knowing there is a solution to problems, an answer to dilemmas, the understanding that things can change, things can BE changed. Things are fixable, disposable, renewable and improvable.

Don't compare yourself with people who are less fortunate than you are. That's frightening. Don't compare yourself with people whoa re better off than you are. That's depressing. In fact, don't compare yourself with anybody. "Comparisons are odorous" (sic) as Shakespeare said.

Go back to that list of miseries you so carefully made up, choose one item and cure it. Now you're one step closer to happiness. Eventually you will chase all the phantoms of misery out the back door (they don't deserve the front door.) Happiness isn't the end of trouble. It's the end of misery.

Now say "Thank you Mr. Vagabond. I feel a little happier."

DB
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WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)

Given the resources and opportunity, what one thing do you want to do in 2010 that you've never done before.

You have all Winter to answer. Answers will be posted on the first day of Spring.
10 responses so far.

DB - The Vagabond