Mental evolution

Humanity as a whole has not yet reached a collective stage of mental evolution. Many people feel no collective consciousness or collective conscience.  Material and non-material dreams aren't always compatible. How do we evolve to find a middle road when we can only change ourselves? Step-by-step.  We can each exert effort to help raise awareness of new options to revise dreams. 

Currently, the basic needs of all people on Earth are not being met.   It's vital we begin to realize focusing on material comforts is not the path to sustainable, collective happiness and fulfillment.  The state of national economies is not the real problem.  Whether they go up or down doesn't itself impact how people feel about themselves so much as how connected or disconected they feel to the world around them.  This is a hidden desire for deeper awareness and connection.  Do we have a hope of influencing  human mindsets and lifestyles on a massive scale?

Where huge populations have not yet overcome basic poverty, these individuals will have no interest in how environmental issues impact the air quality and levels of cancer across the globe.  In many cases, their basic survival depends on cutting down and burning  the firewood they collect.  One can't tell them not to cut down forests. In the same way, how logical is it to tell beggars not to urinate in the streets when they have no place to go? What can be done when  governments, economies and societies as they are permit people to fall through the cracks?

It's not rational to discuss hygiene or education with the homeless and destitute who focus on searching for their next meal. They will not be on your wavelength. The approach taken to education in Industrial countries could benefit from less focus on the purely local issues and self-interest and more consideration of implications of behavior and choices on everyone worldwide. 

The mental evolution of Humanity is not yet rooted in issues that would help to create a collective conscience. This would appear fundamental to any educational system that aims to equip future generations effectively to preserve or restroe environments and guarantee survival on Earth. Our dreams of reaching individual goals need to somehow be connected to promote collective survival.  

Writing in a public place

Why would a person take a chance to do something in public and possibly be rejected? I think back to what makes life seem legitimate.  Is it because we take steps to earn intangible things, like self-respect? We don't all wish to be accepted by others, but most people do wish to be heard.  Even graffiti artists and anonymous comments to newspaper editors reflect voices that seek an outlet.  So, what makes it hard for many people to discover their preferred forms of self-expression?  What holds people back from revealing opinions and feelings to strangers and to people they know?

Some people fear what others may think.  They fear beginning to understand the sources of their judgment.  They fear stumbling on the key to experiencing inner peace.  Most of us could benefit from sifting through our thoughts and feelings to realize better what we're trying to understand.  Are we disconent about some aspect of our existence? Are we searching for answers to questions that seem constantly out of reach?  The source of inner peace isn't a dream.  Not learning how to communicate leads to a real disconnect between thoughts, views and feelings.

To rediscover simplicity may seem more challenging than it really is.  It's seen as human nature to imagine the worst before it happens, even if the worst won't happen.  We have to re-learn how to interrupt and recondition the nature of our thinking.  Writing permits us to learn free flow of words. Once we redefine the reasons for and context of our word choices, we will realize the benefits of wider feedback. This helps us better understand ourselves and why we're here right now.

We can learn to appreciate the silence.  Yet, we must also learn to appreciate the impact of thoughts and feelings as they take shape in words. They echo inside our minds.  As we learn to step back and hear what words say to us from outside ourselves, our interpretation and self-understanding can differ greatly.

True Power

Power means different things to different people. True power may come from serving and helping others who come to respect you. These are the kinds of people who show sincere interest in listening to your views and experiences. They are willing to connect with you and evolve to support you as a person based on your beliefs and actions. You naturally build on and expand yourself as the energy and relationships from others assists you to learn about yourself.

You may also come to believe that power is knowledge or obtained through a position. Yet, if you ignore promises made to others or forget the reasons why you gained the current knowledge, your power loses its intensity and authenticity. When you lose people's trust, when you do not meet your responsibilities, you lose any power associated with the authority or reputation they gave you. John Steinbeck rightly said, "power does not corrupt.  Fear corrupts...perhaps the fear of a loss of power."

Power is rarely associated with a single person. Many people entrust power temporarily to single person who is at least initially regarded as having integrity. When you commit any act, you will reap the appropriate results to balance things. You will grow as you realize the responsibility you hold and the implications of your motivation to obtain power.

Genuine power can emerge when you believe in yourself. It can relate to your karma and intelligence. Whether or not you decide to interact with people and how should be influenced by their receptivity and their attitude. Do they believe in compassion and tolerance? Even if they don't, a heated debate based on genuine motivation can still produce positive results. No matter who you are or what your conditions, you have the power to develop peace of mind within yourself, an altruistic attitude and a sense of global connection and universal responsibility.

Inner Freedom

From a human ego perspective, success is a transient goal based on changing priorities.  Once you feel successful, why doesn't that good feeling last? The view of good fortune may differ greatly because of the temporary nature of human satisfaction.  If you think health, friends and money contribute to your sense of personal success, this is a limited view of success.

In the same moment, the peaceful heart is only ever happy.  It knows aspiring to be perceived as a success by others is a state of mind while fully accepting yourself as you are without doing anything is a state of being.  Contentedness is feeling whatever you eat or do or do not do where you are is fine.

As you create a hierarchy of steps to success, you forget inner freedom, or peace of mind exists now.  Having a positive outlook shapes how you view your life conditions.  Tapping into peace of mind is knowing abundance and prosperity are already here.  When you seek, you forget what you are.

As you feel peace of mind, notice the ripple effect in other areas of your life. Notice what matters and what loses your attention.  Inner peace is a door to enduring happiness. Consider the implications of reducing attachment in your life.  Detach from what you cling to. Notice how judgement falls away.

If you accept whatever you get in life and make the most of it, this appears key to developing a sense of contentment and more consideration toward others.  At the same time, its vital to recognize the negative consequences of modern Western ways of lifestyle and economy. Development cannot continue forever.  Development without a conscience to protect the environment is like a disregard for long-term survival. 

The results of global development prove that money produced by richer countries isn't enough to solve the world's problems.  Money can't resolve problems that begin as a mindset without a conscience. This reinforces the importance of creating a sense of inner peace as a guide for wider success.  Where we behave in ways that threaten our survival in order to pursue success, then our view of success requires a drastic change from inside ourselves.  Our basic understanding of education needs a complete overhaul.  Priorities and goals grow from our wider awareness.

Self-fulfillment

Success is often linked to money and power. I don't think money is endowed with its own power capable of solving our problems.  I think true success is actually grounded in the strength of human relationships and the support at your disposal to enable you to realize dreams.  Consider whether your relationships could survive despite hardship or setbacks in other areas of your life.  The resilience of your close relationships are what build your inner strength.  When you recognize that success is defined by the power you exert to make others happy, to create value in their lives, then faith will sustain you and hope will also encourage you.  This is success.