B4Peace ► thrumyeyes https://thrumyeyes.life Gateway to an imagination ... Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:39:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://thrumyeyes.life/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-Learning-the-way-logo-remix-square-32x32.png B4Peace ► thrumyeyes https://thrumyeyes.life 32 32 161925630 The Charter for Compassion https://thrumyeyes.life/the-charter-for-compassion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-charter-for-compassion https://thrumyeyes.life/the-charter-for-compassion/#respond Thu, 22 Sep 2016 13:15:30 +0000 https://thrumyeyes.life/a-better-world/?p=2944 We all have priorities. What those priorities are, and how we arrive at them varies, but we all have them. Some priorities are inherent, shared by all … for instance the survival instinct. We may be able to choose to override such priorities, but at a serious cost to ourselves. However what makes each of […]

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We all have priorities. What those priorities are, and how we arrive at them varies, but we all have them. Some priorities are inherent, shared by all … for instance the survival instinct. We may be able to choose to override such priorities, but at a serious cost to ourselves. However what makes each of us unique is the priorities we CHOOSE for ourselves, the ones that define who we are, and how we interact with the world. How do these priorities develop? The choices we make are shaped by many factors. How were we raised? What challenges have we faced in life? How much compassion do we have? How much empathy? It is the range of answers to these question that create the variety in this wondrous world of ours … and is also what often divides us.

Let’s focus on compassion and empathy. Empathy directly effects how we relate to others. If we have no empathy, we cannot truly relate. Some are born without it, some have it stripped from them. Conversely, compassion is a potential we all carry within us. Even those who lack empathy can show compassion. Compassion is a CHOICE we are all offered. When our priorities are compassion driven, they are inclusive; life affirming. When we remove compassion from our choices, then they risk becoming selfish and divisive. Sadly, this happens all to often in the world. Many think that THEIR priorities are more important than others, based on criteria they defined themselves. People with this mindset will often force their priorities on others who do not agree without any consideration of how it might effect the other people. It is this kind of mindset that essentially causes ALL the conflict in the world. It is this kind of mindset that PAX Nation opposes.

Compassion is the driving force behind PAX Nation. Compassion is essentially what drives ANY individual or group that wishes to bring unity to the world instead of the persistent division that currently exists. But what exactly IS compassion? It is much more than just being kind or forgiving. Some see compassion as weakness … proving they do not truly understand the concept. How can we embrace it if we don’t UNDERSTAND it? Enter The Charter for Compassion:

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

The Charter for Compassion was developed by an organization that is devoted to reeducating the world in the true meaning of compassion. To this end, they created a document that clearly sates what compassion really means to each of us. By signing The Charter, we commit ourselves to not only upholding these concepts … but actively spreading them throughout our communities. Since this is the ultimate goal of PAX Nation, we have just officially signed The Charter, and created a partnership that will hopefully blossom as we rewrite our future.

Whether you are a citizen of PAX Nation, or just passing through, compassion is definitely part of your makeup. If you want to show your commitment to creating a compassionate world, SIGN THE CHARTER. Take it one step further, and get your community involved! Together, we can truly make a difference!

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Animal instincts #1000Speak https://thrumyeyes.life/animal-instincts-1000speak/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=animal-instincts-1000speak https://thrumyeyes.life/animal-instincts-1000speak/#respond Wed, 23 Dec 2015 01:27:31 +0000 http://paxnation.co/?p=2013 I currently live in a house that has both a cat and a dog in it. The cat … Lucky … has been here for years, the dog … Brown Dog… has only been a resident since this past summer. They are both friendly, playful critters, living a good life. And as with just about […]

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I currently live in a house that has both a cat and a dog in it. The cat … Lucky … has been here for years, the dog … Brown Dog… has only been a resident since this past summer. They are both friendly, playful critters, living a good life. And as with just about every living creature I have ever encountered, they both have their bad days and their good days. Sometimes they are needy, sometimes they are aloof. Sometimes they are filled with energy, sometimes they are sleepy. Every day is different, yet they also have a tight routine that upsets them if the deviate from it too much. They are members of the family.

Lucky was not too happy when Brown Dog invaded her space. Brown Dog is just happy to have a safe place to stay, a place where she knows she will have her needs met. Lucky wants things to remain the way they always have been, with her basically ruling the household and thus ensuring all of HER needs are met … screw everybody else. Brown Dog loves … well … everyone. Lucky loves whoever follows her rules. Don’t get me wrong, I like Lucky … but they have very different personalities, beyond being different species. Again, they are both family.

For the most part they get along fine. They wont exactly play with each other, but they will greet each other, and tolerate each other under most circumstances. Occasionally something happens that causes friction between them. Lucky is about 8 lbs, Brown Dog about 40. Lucky is afraid of B.D., yet ironically Brown Dog is even more afraid of Lucky. Lucky makes it clear when she is displeased by hissing, or even swatting, and B. D. knows to heed the warning. She will avoid Lucky rather than face her displeasure.

The other day, Brown Dog and I just came in from a walk, and Lucky happened to be there when we arrived. Brown Dog did nothing other than approach Lucky to greet her, but Lucky saw it as a threat and actually attacked B.D. In the past, Brown Dog would back off. But this time, she had apparently had enough of Lucky’s often unwarranted fear and aggression, and she actually fought back. Lucky was not hurt, but she definitely lost the exchange.

Why am I sharing this anecdote?

Because it dawned on me that it is a metaphor for what is happening in the world today, especially in my country.

Brown Dog is effectively an immigrant, maybe even a refugee (she is technically a rescue dog). Lucky is the local who has had a very comfortable life, but she has basically been completely sheltered from the rest of the world. She always has issues when her comfortable life is altered in any way, but she generally gets over it when it is temporary. But now she feels threatened, because the change is not so temporary. Yet the threat is really in her perception only. Brown Dog just wants to be her friend and live a happy life. Lucky is really the one not allowing that to happen. And in her fear … fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of something different from herself, she lashes out. She is NOT an aggressive cat, but fear brings out her aggression. Nor is Brown Dog an aggressive dog. The only time I ever saw her react aggressively is when she was defending herself, and even THAT was rare. Usually she would just take aggression in bewilderment, or just back off. But apparently even she has her limits. Brown Dog proved that she actually has the power to do harm, yet never expressed this until she was attacked because of Lucky’s fear.

This is EXACTLY how many in our world are reacting to events in today’s world.

There is one MAJOR difference here. Lucky and Brown Dog are animals. They are governed by instinct. And while they are both pretty smart animals, there understanding of events is limited. Humans, on the other hand, do not need to be governed by instinct. They can choose how they react in a given situation. They can give into fear, and react instinctively, fleeing or attacking just like animals. Or they can try to UNDERSTAND, and recognize that the fear may actually just be that … an instinctual reaction. As with my animal companions, continuously letting fear be the guide of our actions will ultimately result in only one thing … unnecessary violence. The irony being that the violence did not really improve anything. The altercation did not really change much … other than make Lucky and Brown Dog even MORE wary of each other. That is not exactly a recipe for peaceful coexistence.

So I ask you, which seems like the better choice? Give in to fear, thus pretty much ensuring more violence? Or convert the fear to caution and open our hearts to those who might have need of us?,I know what MY choice would be. What is yours?

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What is the value of a human life? #1000Speak https://thrumyeyes.life/what-is-the-value-of-a-human-life-1000speak/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-is-the-value-of-a-human-life-1000speak https://thrumyeyes.life/what-is-the-value-of-a-human-life-1000speak/#respond Wed, 18 Nov 2015 15:28:02 +0000 http://paxnation.co/?p=1979 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]I believe in the infinite potential of the human spirit. I believe that we are capable of just about anything if we set our heart and minds to achieving a specific goal. This potential becomes even more powerful when we work together for a common goal. I believe in humanity. That […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]I believe in the infinite potential of the human spirit. I believe that we are capable of just about anything if we set our heart and minds to achieving a specific goal. This potential becomes even more powerful when we work together for a common goal. I believe in humanity.

That said, humanity still has a lot of growing to do. We are like little children, pursuing whatever makes us happy, yet throwing tantrums when we cannot get our way. We will do what we are told if told forcefully enough, otherwise we do what fulfills our desires … and MAYBE feel bad about it if someone else gets hurt in the process, especially if we are called out on it. And we pretty much believe whatever we are told. That is much easier than figuring things out for ourselves.

When a child first opens their senses to the world, there is no fear, no hatred, no categorizing … only simple wonder and curiosity. Sure they may react by crying, but that is ironically more from the change in circumstances. They have been taken out of a relatively comfortable and peaceful environment and suddenly thrust into overwhelming … CHANGE. Of course this causes a reaction. Fear, judgement, separation … that is all taught to the child. And how we react to these negative influences on our growth is the true testament to our character as human beings. Do we respond instinctively, as the child does when change is suddenly thrust upon them, or do we actually CHOOSE our own reaction?

Love or hate? When is it time to decide?
Love or hate? When is it time to decide?

Or do we let someone else decide for us?

The sad truth is, all too many of us either react instinctively, or let someone else do the choosing for us. We need to reclaim our own minds, and learn to take responsibility for our OWN growth as human beings.We need to stop letting those who would divide the world to promote their own personal agendas dictate our morality, when the simple truth of the matter is we all entered the world the same way. Everything after that is really just ideas being thrust on us by the rest of the world. It is up to US how we let those ideas shape us.

It comes down to this. Either life is precious and worth protecting or it is not. The value of a life has nothing to do with the circumstances that the life lives under. It has nothing to do with where it is lived. It has nothing to do with the physical differences, or any of the other superficial differences that separatists use to place more value on one life than another for their own gain. We either value life or we don’t.

I am not here to tell anyone how they should think. That is up to each of us. But please don’t tell me that you value life if you can so easily dismiss one life as having less value than another simply because of arbitrary boundaries designed by man. Or because they fall into a category that is somehow unacceptable. to us, as dictated by others who tell us what is acceptable and what is not. There is only one reason that poverty and hunger exists in this world. It is because those in power do not truly value life. There is only one reason that refugees exist. Because those in power do not truly value life. Stop blaming the victims for the actions of those who victimize them. And don’t tell me how strong you are when your strength lies behind locked doors and weapons. Not helping another because of the possibility of risk to yourself is nothing other than placing the value of your life as higher than theirs. And who exactly are YOU to make such a judgement?

The actions of OUR governments are the cause of homelessness and the refugee crisis. Whether the person in need is a starving child, a discarded veteran, or a family fleeing for their own safety is immaterial. The ultimate cause is the same people. So don’t deny one group of lives in need because you think another group deserves the help more. Help them ALL. And remove the causes from power.

We either value life or we do not. It is time we make our OWN choices.

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Maybe if we knew what we were looking for? https://thrumyeyes.life/maybe-if-we-knew-what-we-were-looking-for/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maybe-if-we-knew-what-we-were-looking-for https://thrumyeyes.life/maybe-if-we-knew-what-we-were-looking-for/#respond Thu, 25 Sep 2014 19:10:15 +0000 http://paxnation.co/?p=1722 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Humanity is on the verge of catastrophic change. This is not just paranoid delusion, or drama for effect. This is an observable phenomenon for anybody with awareness. The runaway speed of technology has made this a possibility as never before … simply because information exchange is almost instantaneous these days. […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Humanity is on the verge of catastrophic change.

This is not just paranoid delusion, or drama for effect. This is an observable phenomenon for anybody with awareness. The runaway speed of technology has made this a possibility as never before … simply because information exchange is almost instantaneous these days. The path we are following now will ultimately end in ruin and chaos if we refuse to step off of it.

Catastrophe is not inevitable though. We can still choose alternate paths; find alternative futures to embrace. The key word there is CHOOSE. There is no single individual who will alter the full course for billions. There is no magic wand or cure-all that will suddenly make things right. The ONLY way to alter our future is to choose to do so. Humanity as a whole has to make the choice to change our course … which ultimately means individual humans must so choose.

The real issue is we are not necessarily all aiming for the same “better” world.

Before we can obtain such grand and beautiful concepts as PEACE, we have to be on the same page as to what we actually MEAN by the idea. Seems that is where we keep dropping the ball. What does peace actually mean anyway? Is it a removal of all violence and negativity? Just an end of war? Is it only achievable by removing difference … creating a set cast of characters? Maybe the simple removal of the human race? Until we can mutually agree on what the goal actually IS, it will be a very hard goal to achieve.

Here is what recent months has taught ME what peace is. It is NOT and end of negativity. It is not an absence or denial of anything. Rather it is coming to terms with all aspects of life and dealing with them in a respectful and rational way. Instead of searching for alternatives based on greed or anger or any of a slew of negative triggers, we find alternatives that leave us restful and knowing that the vast majority have ultimately benefited.

Humans define the world by opposites. So how can we achieve anything by trying to remove its opposite? We cannot know light without darkness. We cannot know pain without pleasure. So how can we know “peace” without “war”? Peace is that moment when all of the stressors in life are balanced … both the positive and the negative. Humanity cannot progress forward without some negative influences. If everything were “perfect”, what incentive for growth and improvement would there be? No. Peace is not an END to strife and diversity. That would simply be stagnation. Peace is the completion of the circle; it is bringing all parts together to find a whole that is sustainable for all. If we could measure the spiritual health of humanity on a scale, we would find that it is so far out of balance that the scale might just break. Peace is the return to balance.

Maybe when we all get on the same page on WHAT we are looking for we have a chance of finding it?

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STOP THE KILLING!!! https://thrumyeyes.life/stop-the-killing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stop-the-killing https://thrumyeyes.life/stop-the-killing/#respond Tue, 19 Aug 2014 15:08:57 +0000 http://paxnation.co/?p=1710 [vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text] What defines the value of a life? Is it the number of limbs one has? The place one is born? The potential financial value one could represent? Maybe it is the belief system one subscribes to? Or is it simply the name one bears? I guess we each have […]

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The wonder begins again ...
The wonder begins again …

What defines the value of a life?

Is it the number of limbs one has? The place one is born? The potential financial value one could represent? Maybe it is the belief system one subscribes to? Or is it simply the name one bears?

I guess we each have to decide the answer to this question for ourselves.

Here is MY answer. Whether you believe that life is the creation of some omniscient sky daddy, or a simple accident of chemical reactions, it is a truly amazing thing. Life is the difference between a large barren rock floating through the “ether” and a globe of infinite wonder and change. It is the flavor in the stew that is the universe. Without life the wonder that is existence would go unnoticed; the ultimate masterpiece totally unappreciated. Life is what makes EVERYTHING worthwhile.

So where does that put the end of life?

Ultimately when that end is part of the pattern it is no bad thing. Part of what makes life so unique and notable is the fact that it is ever-changing and evolving, as the old makes way for the new. It is also all the more precious for its shortness relative to the rest of existence. Life comes and life goes, and the wonders continue.

However mankind, in its ultimate arrogance, has given itself the responsibility to decide when life is to be given and when life is to be taken. What exactly gives humans the right to make such profound decisions? Some claim a special connection to the infinite, as if the are somehow superior than every other miracle of being out there. Others just do it out of mismatched pride or ego, or maybe it is simple greed. But life is totally beyond our understanding, let alone our rights. How can we determine where life can exist if we don’t even fully understand what it is?

Humanity has little chance of coexisting with itself let alone the rest of life until we recognize this very simple fact. We can’t pick and choose which deaths are acceptable and which are not. The basic reality is no death is acceptable if it is not part of the pattern. If one kills another for no reason other than personal gain or over reaction to something we choose as immoral… then that killing is wrong. There are no two ways about it.

It does not matter if it is Israel, or Hamas. It does not matter if it is Syria or Iraq. It does not matter if it is Christian or Jewish or Muslim. It does not matter if it is Black or White. It does not even matter if it is child or adult. Taking another life simply for political or financial game is nothing other than WRONG. WE need to stop selectively moralizing when it is ok and when it is not. We need to stop playing the US and THEM game; allowing our own prejudices to say that man should die but this one should not. Politics in NO justification. Greed is NO justification. And most importantly, and most hypocritically, religion is NO justification.

Just stop the killing. Every hand on a trigger is attached to a living deciding being. If everyone decided NOT to pull the trigger, we would actually have a chance. It is up to each of us.

STOP THE KILLING!!

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What do YOU want from The Wizard? https://thrumyeyes.life/what-do-you-want-from-the-wizard/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-do-you-want-from-the-wizard https://thrumyeyes.life/what-do-you-want-from-the-wizard/#respond Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:41:25 +0000 https://paxnation.co/?p=1323 How strongly do you hold your beliefs? What is the line that you will not cross? Is there one? If you set such a limit, are you actually being true to your beliefs, or admitting that they can be compromised? If someone does NOT set such limits, are they therefore more barbaric? More cruel? Or […]

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How strongly do you hold your beliefs? What is the line that you will not cross? Is there one? If you set such a limit, are you actually being true to your beliefs, or admitting that they can be compromised? If someone does NOT set such limits, are they therefore more barbaric? More cruel? Or just more firm in their own convictions. And who is the “better” person?

In my journeys of late, I have been fortunate enough to explore the wonders of rural America. I have been invited into homes. I have enjoyed great food and wonderful music. I have witnessed loving families, joy and laughter. I have hobnobbed with those whose life experiences are more exotic than fiction, primarily because they were not my own. I have also witnessed pettiness, greed, anger, aggression and bigotry. I have seen the extremes and everything in between.

Simply put, I have experienced people being people.

Just because someone’s upbringing and life path has been different from mine does not mean that I am in any way superior to them. Just because they may make choices that I would not make; decisions I consider flawed; even judgements that I find objectionable … does not make me a better person. Nor does it make them somehow morally corrupt.

EVERY preconception; EVERY stereotype is based on real perceptions. Face it, humanity thrives on negative press. We seem to find it easier to accept that wich pushes THEM into the negative light then to accept the fact that maybe THEY are just like you and me … in other words we all have our flaws and our beauties.

“I hate closed-minded people!”

“Those poor, uneducated people are so backwards in their beliefs. Dumb as rocks. The are all just ignorant haters!”

“We should kill all the terrorists.  They are all evil psychopaths!”

This question is for the open-minded. It is for the highly educated; the ones who KNOW that all people are worthy in their own right. If you think such thoughts as listed above … how are you ANY less bigoted then those you are judging? Just because someone has been fed information that may be incorrect; just because someone may have been raised with some unhealthy and even wrong-headed ideas (at least by our OWN thinking), does not make them any less of a good person than we think we are. “They” love their families as “we” do. “They” do what they need to get by in a crazy, mixed up world … just like “we” do.

Do you fully agree with EVERYTHING those close to you think and do?

And how far would YOU go if you thought they were threatened in any way?

It sure is easy to condemn another’s mistakes from the comfort of our own armchair isn’t it? Educational and moral superiority is bigotry too. At least those who do what we call atrocious acts are actually trying their best to IMPROVE the world around them, even if “we” don’t like their ” improvements”.

Can you say the same?

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You are NOT alone! #idealist https://thrumyeyes.life/you-are-not-alone-idealist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=you-are-not-alone-idealist https://thrumyeyes.life/you-are-not-alone-idealist/#respond Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:09:08 +0000 http://paxnation.co/?p=1677 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]It has been my experience that any idea that is truly beneficial to the many instead of the few will ultimately resurface multiple times, from multiple sources. The challenge for implementing these ideas often becomes not the value of the idea, but the lack of resources to make it happen […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]It has been my experience that any idea that is truly beneficial to the many instead of the few will ultimately resurface multiple times, from multiple sources. The challenge for implementing these ideas often becomes not the value of the idea, but the lack of resources to make it happen … including the inability to connect with others who share the idea. This concept is actually one of the driving forces in the PAX Nation project. And as validation of the PAX Nation idea, it is not completely different, even if it might have a unique twist to it. Many other online organizations are working with similar ideas, some quite well.

As I mentioned in recent posts, I will not be focused on PAX Nation for six months or so as I explore the world a little. But I was recently invited to a new project that I felt compelled to share, because it is basically a more practical and actually viable model of that core part of the PAX Nation dream. So I hope to entice at least a few to get involved. Idealist.org has been around for years. They are effectively the Monster.com of the Non-profit world. Just yesterday, they launched a new project, one more focused on producing action then just sharing information. The basic concept is to create localized groups of like-minded people to actively pursue whatever they find important for change in their community. What makes this idea really powerful and unique, is by becoming part of this project, the groups will be able to connect with both other groups with similar missions, and the resources to make their project viable and effective. It is meant to connect people with the ideas and resources to ACTIVELY pursue change together.

What’s more, the idea is to allow everyone involved to create the project together, right from the start. We all will have input on how things will work, as well as input on growing the community. This is kind of what was intended with PAX Nation, but the issue with PAX Nation is that we aimed to high to start with, and did not offer any actual practical means to DO things. Not to mention the lack of a dedicated staff to making the project work.

Idealist has all of these.

The core of this new community is going to be people who sign up as Connectors. They are just what they sound like, the driving force behind the unity of the project. Their purpose is to find the like-minded people and the necessary resources to make things happen, and put them all together. And to do this without imposing their own agendas on the project. The plan is to get several connectors together in a localized community (A Team), so that not only can things be done online, but face to face as well … thus increasing the odds of actual success, and adding a more cohesive unity to those working together … a family of sorts. The true power of this project is that it is international. Not only might we find an idea that has great power for positive change, we will also be able to share it around the world, and even celebrate its success, thus ensuring as many as possible can benefit from the idea.

In my mind, anybody involved in this project from the beginning is actively taking place in an internationally historic moment of note.

I have signed up to be a Connector in my home town. Unfortunately at the moment I am the only one, so it is kind of up to me to grow and expand a team. As many say, timing is everything, so that my pending hike of the Appalachian Trail (which starts in a couple of weeks), means I can’t really devote the energy to help this wonderful project flourish from the beginning, unless I can figure out a way to become a traveling Connector. But I CAN promote the project from the beginning, and I can support those who value it as much as possible in any way that IS available to me.

So for those of you who want to heal the world starting with your own community, sign up at the Connector Hub now. Become a leader in a ground breaking idea that has the potential to truly alter the direction of the future. And at the same time, expand your own family and learn the simple truth …

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

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Peace Child #B4Peace https://thrumyeyes.life/peace-child-b4peace/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=peace-child-b4peace https://thrumyeyes.life/peace-child-b4peace/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:53:34 +0000 https://paxnation.co/?p=1664 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]As I mentioned in the last post, life, and my own plans have require that this project fend for itself for a while. Who knows, maybe that is just what it needs. Yet in the way of the universe, it becomes apparent to me that I need to make at […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]As I mentioned in the last post, life, and my own plans have require that this project fend for itself for a while. Who knows, maybe that is just what it needs. Yet in the way of the universe, it becomes apparent to me that I need to make at least one more post before I start the next part of my journey. Around the same time I came up with this crazy project, the idea of Bloggers for Peace also began taking hold, effectively starting an online community much like I am HOPING to create with PAX Nation (and doing a much better job at it). One of the ideas that keep Bloggers for Peace going is a Monthly Peace Challenge that inspires people to share their thoughts on common, peace related themes. While I have often tried to use the ideas offered in the Challenge, sadly I have not done it as regularly or formally as I could. But this month’s challenge caught my eyes, not the least because it completely resonated with my pending plans. The theme for this month is Peace Child.

Many of us who seek to change the course of the future will throw around phrases such as “children are the future”.  And most will agree to this concept on some level. Yet it recently dawned on me that as much as many of us hold value in this idea, few of us actually PRACTICE the concept. Ideologies that are not actually LIVED are doomed to failure. Words can only go so far … that is why sometimes change seems to take so long. We are so busy TALKING about it that we never actually manage to DO it.

Children are born with out prejudices. They are born with open minds. They know nothing of hatred and the fear of ideas. They start seeking to fulfill basic needs … hunger, sleep, comfort. As they get more accustomed to the world, the needs expand. They begin to seek experience … to learn about the world around them. Yet still they will have no concept of hatred. And what fear they will experience will be the visceral kind. Something shocks them. Something hurts them. But they will not fear something simply because it is different, for EVERYTHING is different to them. They start really knowing nothing of emotions at all, their reactions are basic … primal. They are clean and fresh and … Peace Incarnate.

And then those with “experience” get involved.

A child only hates that which they are taught to hate. A child only fears what they are taught to fear. A child knows nothing of politics, religion, economics, race, sexuality, geography, or anything else of an ever-growing list of things that divide us as humans. They will know anger, frustration, and maybe even selfishness, but those will only become their defining characteristics again based on how they are taught. Children ARE peace … until we chase the peace out of them. Many call children our future, but treat them as little versions of themselves. The past focused will do their best to train their children to look backwards, which is a very tricky way to move forward. Maybe, just maybe, if we stopped trying to shape our children like clay, and instead let them flourish as the living breathing NEW creatures they are, we would actually make forward progress again. The Peace Child is not made by molding them into a mini-me. How does training a child into behaving in ways that have PROVEN to be the antithesis of peace give promise of a different future?

I think we have it backwards. We are so intent on creating children as visions of what WE want that we neglect to recognize how much they can teach US. We unwisely assume that naiveté and innocence are undesirable traits, and do our best to erase it from our children, and call this becoming an adult. Yet ironically, it seems to me that young children who have not had the benefit of being trained in violence, hatred and fear tend to work their problems out when there is a disagreement among them … at least if the adults who “know better” don’t  get involved. I think we have this whole “teaching” thing completely backwards.

We really do NOT have to look far to learn how to play well together again. Just watch our children, and recognize that they ARE the future, unless WE change them into the past. All children are born to peace. It is so-called “growing up” that hides the Peace Child within us all. Want to find the path to peace? Try looking deep with in, to the child that was. The answer is already there … if we only remember how to find it again. We must learn how to embrace our inner Peace Child once again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Plans and more plans https://thrumyeyes.life/plans-and-more-plans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=plans-and-more-plans https://thrumyeyes.life/plans-and-more-plans/#respond Tue, 11 Feb 2014 23:10:12 +0000 https://paxnation.co/?p=1650 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]When I first came up with this project, it struck me like a flash of lightning in a night-time stormy sky. For a period, I was sure this was going to be the definition of my life for some time now. But as reality often does, my euphoria at finding […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]When I first came up with this project, it struck me like a flash of lightning in a night-time stormy sky. For a period, I was sure this was going to be the definition of my life for some time now. But as reality often does, my euphoria at finding a new path for myself eventually settled down, and it did not take me long to realize that not only was this not an idea I could remotely do alone, but even with help it would be a long shot. But bad odds are rarely a good reason not to pursue a worthwhile dream. So I continued to pursue it. Along the way, as life often does, more doors opened up. It has been my experience then when we open ourselves to fresh paths and ideas, they start flooding in again. The next thing I know, I have seven active blogs (including this one), one dabbling in business, and a plan to hike the Appalachian Trail. I am sure I have mentioned them all before. The blogs (including the business ones), while not exactly unproductive, are also not particularly productive. So over the last few months, my concentration has been more and more focused on the Hike. I have other projects I was working on (such as a couple of manuscripts) that have also taken a back seat.

Why am I bringing this up? Part of what makes me ME is that I wish to do nothing other than help improve the world around me. And the way I most successfully do that is by either helping OTHERS obtain their dreams, or by getting good projects started, which others eventually take over and make into something worthwhile. I am an idea mind, but I am not very detail oriented. That is really what PAX Nation is intended to be. A forum; a think tank in which those with unconventional ideas can gather together and maybe find actual SOLUTIONS for many of the world’s problems … partially by stepping OUTSIDE of previously designated boundaries. I never expected it to happen overnight. And I KNOW I am NOT the person to do such great deeds, even if I might be a good spark to ignite others.

It has become more and more apparent to me that IF this idea has merit … it is not the time for it yet. Right now we are again fighting for basic net neutrality, which is a NECESSITY for PAX Nation to have ANY hope of growth. But beyond that, I have not really managed to get much more than a passing interest in the project over the course of months. I have opened it up to allow any to contribute ideas that wish to; I have tried to make it into a rudimentary social site … both with little success. It is my failing of course, because I have not really succeeded in obtaining even minimal help on the project. Most of the “contributions” have been simply spammers and scammer who love to do nothing other than use openness as a source to inundate the public with more garbage in the pursuit of profit. Fortunately I got wise to this early on and changed things so that they can’t automatically post without approval (unless given that permission.)

None of this really matters though. I am not writing this as a bid for attention or another plea. I just wanted to let any who actually find some value know that the site will basically be on hiatus while I am involved with the hike. I will be leaving at the end of March, and it will take approximately 6 months. Which basically means this project will go on the shelf for most of that time. I might occasionally step in, and I will probably post a few more times before I leave. But other than that, this idea is getting top shelved for a while. Unless anyone thinks it is worth keeping it alive and wants to take it on some management of the project (if so, feel free to contact me). I will mostly just be blogging on the Hiking Blog, so all of the other blogs will pretty much be on hold as well. If anyone has any interest in following my adventure (or even participating on any level), I welcome them. I will have this blog automatically follow that one, or people can visit the other blog directly.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Thinking is in the colors https://thrumyeyes.life/thinking-is-in-the-colors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thinking-is-in-the-colors https://thrumyeyes.life/thinking-is-in-the-colors/#respond Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:58:51 +0000 https://paxnation.co/?p=1622 [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Until yesterday, if someone were to ask me to name what I thought was the most significant reason of strife in the world, I would have said greed. Greed for power, greed for material wealth, even greed for acclaim … to me this is ultimately what causes ALL the problems […]

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Until yesterday, if someone were to ask me to name what I thought was the most significant reason of strife in the world, I would have said greed. Greed for power, greed for material wealth, even greed for acclaim … to me this is ultimately what causes ALL the problems in the human world. But after a discussion yesterday, specifically about evolution and those who willingly remain closed to even the POSSIBILITY of it being the reality, it dawned on me that there is another ingredient that basically ensures that greed holds sway. Simply put, it is the FEAR OF THINKING. People would rather be TOLD how to think then do it for themselves. Which means that they are easily manipulated. And those who embrace greed LOVE to manipulate.

THE PAST CANNOT BE CHANGED, NOR CAN WE RELIVE IT. MUCH OF IT IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS NOT MUCH THE PAST CAN TEACH US. WE NEED TO LEARN TO CHOOSE WHAT TO KEEP.

I am by no means an old man, but I have experienced more of life than many twice my age. And the basic reason for this is I am not afraid to learn new things. I am not afraid to find out that I may be wrong about something; not afraid to find that much of what I learned in my youth may have been misguided if not downright incorrect. The sad thing is that this kind of thinking is actually NOT the norm, or so my own experiences have told me. I am not saying I am specifically more unique than other people, but I do tend to see the world very differently than most around me. Prejudice, hatred, intolerance, closed minds, and the unwillingness to change all stem from the same root … fear of the unknown. But why do we so fear the unknown? Because it forces us to think. It forces us to question. It forces us to step outside of our safe zone.

Humans in general seem to be obsessed with the need to make sense of things. We want everything to be well categorized and structured. Many of us feel this need so strongly that we would rather accept something that defies logic if told to us by our supposed “superiors”, than explore deeper and see the possible flaws that such ideas might hold. We are trained from birth, with varying degrees of success, NOT to question, NOT to rock the boat. And we are also trained to believe that those who DO question are trouble makers … people to stay away from. We basically categorize everyone so that we know how to relate to them. The categories are often oversimplified, so that the world can safely sit in the black and white that  make so many feel comfortable. As a result, humans often fall into two categories … progressive and conservative, with many not allowing anything in between.

THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN. WE MAKE IT HAPPEN. CHANGE IS PART OF MOVING FORWARD, BUT ONLY CHNAGE THAT ACTUALLY IMPROVES. JUST BECAUSE IT IS OLD DOES NOT MEAN IT NEEDS TO CHANGE. WE NEED TO LEARN TO MAKE GOOD CHOICES.

In theory, conservative thinkers find no need for drastic change, and progressive thinkers often embrace it. In practice, conservative thinkers tend to live in the past, while progressive thinkers tend to live in the future. And the sad reality is the only time we can truly control is the present. This is something that those who have successfully obtained power over others recognize … even if not consciously. The truly scary ones are the ones who are aware what they are doing. Ultimately, control over others depends on ONE thing … information control. And the best way to ensure one controls the information is to encourage a distinct LACK of thinking. If people do not question, they will believe what they are told, simply based on their preferred “category”.

Ultimately, what I am saying here is the single most important thing ANY of us can do to make sure humanity grows for the better is to learn, and TEACH others how to THINK. We need to stop selectively choosing what “facts” we will let others have. We need to stop accepting information without question, simple because of who is saying it. We need to stop trying to force the world into black and white and recognize that it is filled with COLORS in unlimited shades. Being stuck in the past gets us NOWHERE. Living for an undetermined future is asking for disappointment. Making informed decisions NOW, based on our own THOUGHTS and CHOICES is the ONLY way we will ever learn to coexist in an acceptable way.

NOW IS THE ONLY MOMENT WE CAN TRULY AFFECT. LEARN FROM THE PAST. LEARN TO MAKE A HEALTHY FUTURE. THINK NOW !

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