Namaste everyone,
In Nepal when people greet each other they say, "Namaste." Namaste is a greeting or parting phrase as well as a gesture. It is commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists.
Taken literally, it means "I bow to you". The word is derived from Sanskrit. When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a
slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers
pointed upwards, in front of the chest. The gesture can also be
performed wordlessly and carry the same meaning.
I begin this entry with the hope that we can all bow to each other, not in subservience, but in greatness. Each person on the planet brings to all of us their magnificence and their wisdom. Each one of us is the Universe made manifest. We are all "star stuff" and share a common energetic bond that ties us together and I think we are the Universe trying to figure itself out and what we do to another, we literally do to ourselves. (Thanks to B5 for the words).
This is not a comment on war, poverty, or love. I am simply stating what I see and in my experience have seen to be true. The more we give, the more we get. Now many people seem to think that this something to do with giving time or money and that may be a part of it. What I'm talking about is giving of yourself. Giving of your soul. Think of it this way...
Disclaimer: This is a generalization, but read on for the point: Women can give birth and thereby create a child that in many ways makes them immortal. Men cannot do this, so we build buildings to last for all ages, so they, too can be immortal. Women can also do this, but as far as I know men cannot give bight, yet...
You see, we are all trying to leave part of ourselves behind for others to use and build on and create more magnificence in the years and eons to come. It's what we do. It's also what the Universe does in it's way. How, then, can we discard people like we do and not injure the "whole?" How can we not share our souls with each other to better humanity? Why are we afraid to tell people who we are? And, what can we do about, or do we even care?
For those of you that read this blog to build your business, this is meant for you, too. Without sharing you get nothing. Based on what I saw this holiday season we are now more mass-market than ever before. Department stores are open 24 hours a day leading up to Christmas, sales start before the holiday, not after, and we're all spending like there is no tomorrow. Guess what, there is and you'll probably be here for it.
A good friend of mine told me that "Givers Get." He was talking about giving of yourself, not just of cash or comment. Many people are too afraid to give anything of themselves because.... You know what? A little while ago I asked the question, "Why are we afraid to tell people who we are?" and I just remembered a book I read in college with the title, "Why am I Afraid to Tell You Who I am." It's a good book by John Powell. Look it up on Amazon, used copies are about $4.00. The reason I bring this up is that the book answers the question (which doesn't give the book away) and that answer is:
"Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?... Because if I tell you and you don't like me, I have nothing left to give."
Powerful stuff. Let's look at it a bit deeper. The book, like our lives is all about experiences, the ego, and how we deal with both. The book was a turning point for me, although it took years for me to connect the dots. Here's what I've seen in my own life and in the lives of those around me. We're all liars. You know it, I know, and we all know it about each other. No one I have ever met tells the truth 100% of the time. Maybe we just can't do it. So now that we all know we're all liars, what do we do about it and how do we make it "work" for us? And, I don't mean how do we manipulate people.
So here's how we lie everyday to most of the people we meet and interact with: I think we all put on one of our several faces or facades every time we wake up (we show it to ourselves), every time we walk out the door (what we show the neighbors), when we go to work (honestly, now... are you 100% the same at home as you are in the workplace?), and what we show to our friends and acquaintances. There's more categories, but these are fine for now.
So if we have all these faces, why? Why what? Good question... Why can't we wear just "our face" all the time? What is it about the world that makes us chameleonic (yes, it's a new word) and forces us to change our face depending on the situation. Because we have all been brought up to "behave right in public." Very few of us were brought up to be ourselves and those who were have in my experience had some tough (but rewarding) times growing up.
It took me years to be, "me." Of course I care what people think about me, I want to make money, I want to live a good life and of course I still change faces depending on the situation I'm in. Bet you didn't expect me to write that, did you? But (and you knew there had to be one) I am more "me" more of the time every day and I find that people are attracted to me and what I have to offer as a human, not just as a skill set, more and more each day. In fact I just had a multi-millionaire business partner tell me that he's not quite sure what planet I'm from. This is good news because it means that I, and my other partners, think so differently, that we bring things to the table that literally did not exist before, and that we are fun to be around.
All I had to do was be me. Like I said, it took me years to get to "me" and through it all I had massive pain, heartache, and misery. When I look back on those "untenable" times, I see that there were two things in common. One I was not giving enough of me and two, I was afraid of telling people who I am. Not anymore.
Now, I'm strong enough in my own "me-ness" that I really don't worry about others. If they don't like me, or what I have to say, it's really okay with me as I know that they are on a different path from me and that it's not personal. They are on their search for peace and abundance, like we all are. Here's the big question...
If everyone was on the path to peace and abundance what would the world look like? Would we have the disaster in Darfur? Would we be at war for no logical reason (thank you all service men and women who do their jobs and allow me to write this)? Would we be killing each other over ideas? I think not. When we all realize that we are "star stuff" and we are all part of the "One" we will then find the land of peace and abundance for everyone on the planet.
There is enough food...
There is enough fuel...
There is enough compassion...
There is enough for everyone...
Don't be afraid to tell people who you are. Because if you tell them and they don't like you, it has nothing to do with you, the human. They are on a path that is different from yours and they are unable to see the magnificence in you. There is no risk. You can be you and in fact, you must.
Be well and Namaste,
Randall