Wednesday 22 January 2014

WAR, SUFFERING, HATRED - WHY? HAPPINESS IS THERE FOR ALL OF US

I wrote much of this article last year, but have come back to it because everything in the world appear to be getting worse not better. The horrors of the Brussels and Paris bombings, people's lives wiped out in a millisecond of appalling destruction by the sick ideology and ambition of ISIS and their hideous indoctrination of people who kill themselves and others in the belief they will go to some form of paradise! Despite this nightmare we have to believe that the human race is capable of rising above this horrific situation.

There is hope - there really is, BUT only if there is a major shift in the way we all think and love our lives. 

For those of you that have kindly read my blogs you will have noticed that in between regaling you with my music industry experiences, I come back time and again to the theme of subjects such as "Forgiveness", "Healing", "Compassion", Suffering", "Sorrow" "Kindness" and  so forth. I do this because above all else none of us want to suffer, do we? 

However, no matter how well intentioned we may be - we all suffer at some point in our lives. As I have written before: we all become sick; we all lose those family and friends that we love: and the one thing we will all do very successfully is to die! Its a salutary thought isn't it? Despite this apparently gloomy picture most of us also experience great joy in our lives and we can use this precious human life to bring great joy and happiness to others.

I come back to these subjects simply because every time we look at the world news we read or hear about even more suffering - why is it that the human race seems incapable of living in harmony, peace and respect for one another? AS I wrote above the ghastly nightmare of what has happened in Brussels and previously in Paris,  Killings in North Korea - the wonderful country of Syria torn apart in the most terrible way and the misery continues - Killings in Central Africa - Sunni and Shia hatred abound... - suicide bombings in Russia, School children shot in America, gun crimes, women and girls subjected to horrific genital mutilation - pedophiles kidnapping young children -  it goes on and on and on…


We kill millions upon millions of animals every week to satisfy the taste buds and desires of the human race - cows, sheep, goats, pigs all lined up day in and day out for death in some squalid, ghastly abattoir - every kind of fish and sea life vacuumed up from the oceans in their billions - whales and dolphins slaughtered - whole species wiped out due to pollution, human greed, de-forestation and industrialisation.


Not a very nice picture is it? The bottom line fact is that the human race is the greatest killer our world has ever known - and that is before we even discuss issues such as pollution and possible global warming.


Why does the human race do these things?


The answer is of course multi layered and it can be said that there are a million reasons - but ultimately it comes down to some very basic reasons:


IGNORANCE, DESIRE, EGO, JEALOUSY, HATRED, INDOCTRINATION ('my beliefs are right, everyone else is wrong'), GREED, POWER - they are all intertwined and show that people have lost the ability to THINK CLEARLY and OBJECTIVELY, but above all else, to be in control of their MIND. 


Think about it - MIND IS EVERYTHING it dictates whom you are - what you do - what you say and how you act.


Most people let their MIND CONTROL THEM - instead of you controlling your mind! I watch people on the streets mindlessly walking along looking at their mobile phones - youngsters glued to an iPad watching some television show or wiping out a zillion pop up characters in an online war game - how fast and how many "enemy" can you kill to "win"? Films extol the virtue of some hero who with incredible dexterity wipes out all the opposition - the media relentlessly feeds us with doom and gloom as well as imposing their ideas on how people should look - young girls reporting that they "hate their bodies" inspired by anorexic looking models that are paraded every day in front of them - young kids being prescribed with anti-depressent drugs - parents too busy living on their phones and via the lap top that they have forgotten how to speak to their children and themselves.... We have to take back out lives and out MINDS!!


I wrote in a previous blog about mind that: 'The more we assess mind - the more we begin to realise that your thoughts are ultimately what and whom you are - they dominate your life - every living moment is made up of thoughts one after another like a machine gun spitting out bullets from the ether. We cogitate, contemplate, ruminate, mull, muse, reflect, appraise, assess, judge, theorise, ponder, meditate, reason, debate, deliberate, opine, scrutinise, aspire, dream and act upon our thoughts'.


Until we start the process of teaching our children everywhere that positive, loving, kind thoughts and actions are so important to their lives nothing will improve - Why is someone grumpy and angry? Why is someone acting in such an unpleasant way? Why do I get so angry so quickly? All of these actions and thoughts relate to our own MIND - learn to think kind thoughts as much as possible and your life will change dramatically and with it the world around you.
LOVE, KINDNESS, CARING, CONSIDERATION, COMPASSION, HEALING are the only things that matter - then all this misery and hate will slowly but surely disperse.
As an example: When I read of Islamic Schools in Pakistan ONLY teaching young children to recite the Koran and nothing else whatsoever and then indoctrinating them into the hateful and destructive teachings of the fundamentalist and violent paths of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and all those similar sects it deeply depresses and concerns me. This path completely ignores all the peaceful, compassionate and respectful teachings of the Koran - With no knowledge whatsoever of any other religions, cultures or concepts of love and peace - its frightening and desperately sad for these youngsters and for all of us. 
Perpetuating hatreds; inspiring suicide bombers to take life including their own has to be one of the saddest and most despicable acts anyone can make. To take any life is a tragedy and must be avoided at all costs - the Karmic effect will be devastating and even if you don't believe in Karma or reincarnation - surely you all want to live a happy and peaceful existence? However this blog is not just aimed at these schools - it applies to every part of the globe - Bad, harmful or hateful thoughts must be avoided - it is only by beginning the process of thinking loving and kind thoughts that we will begin to see a gradual but positive change in the world and IN YOUR LIVES. 
Children need to be brought up to respect all forms of life on this wonderful planet of ours - after all it’s our HOME for goodness sake. The words "I am always right and you are wrong in your beliefs" is utter nonsense and must be stopped – no one is always right and better than anyone else - RESPECT and COMPASSION for everyone is the only way forward to stop this decline into war, destruction and deep suffering.
I write these blogs to express my plea for all of us to achieve happiness for ourselves, but also for every living person and animal. Surely this is more important than the path of war, killing, maiming, wounding and suffering - think of the mental effect on everyone involved - how can a creed or any form of indoctrination be more important than life and love - this is NOT some whacky new age thinking - Surely it’s impossible to contemplate a life of killing and hate.

My prayer for all of us and every living creature on this planet of ours is that ALL OF YOU MAY BE FREE FROM SUFFERING AND THAT ALL OF YOU MAY FIND HAPPINESS

IS THIS REALLY SO DIFFICULT?











WONDERFUL QUOTES PART 2 (revised)