From the minute we arrive on this planet we are marked, measured, screened, segregated, examined, evaluated, appraised and assessed. They urge us to contest and compete, to pit ourselves endlessly against one another. As with all facts too painful to face, we somehow forget this. Then we just sit around wondering why our world is in such a sorry state. Why there is so little trust and co-operation. Why folk are so reluctant to care and share. Why it seems everyone is out for themselves?

Are you familiar with the Teletubbies? These four simple creatures with a fun-loving philosophy approach each new discovery with childlike enthusiasm. If they ever encounter stress, tension or apparent difficulty, they follow a failsafe policy: 'Run away, run away!' They cry out in their squeaky voices whilst waddling into the distance as quickly as they can. Now, at the risk of stating the obvious, I need to make a crucial point. I am not a Teletubby. Nor, despite the marvels of modern science, am I likely to become one. So, when faced with a scenario that I find threatening or worrying, I cannot just run away. Indeed, I really have no option other than to do the very opposite, But what about the fear of facing the ugly truth...so once again...I run...I turn back and run as fast as I can!

We don't say what we ought to say. We say what we think we ought to say. Then we wonder why nobody understands us. And, of course, because others are equally coy about their own deepest truths, we end up knowing little about the folk we are supposed to be closest to. Even when we really try to bare our souls, we experience great difficulty. We are not used to being honest. We don't know how to find the right words. And we often, rightly, suspect that our statements are not likely to be welcomed. Why rock all those boats, when it is so much easier just to leave the sleeping dogs alone.

We just can't help ourselves. We want everything to work and to feel just great. The problem with that is this. Planet Earth is full of things that look fantastic. Glorious trees. Stunning skies. Awesome oceans. Majestic mountains. We look at nature's rich abundance and feel sure that as we are also 'natural', we must posses that same capacity to shine. Then we look at the reality of our situation and realise that, somehow, it is not so simple. When faced with the car that needs mending, the bill that needs paying, the job that needs doing or the problem that needs solving, our belief in magic soon slips away. Yet deep within , there remains a divine spark, that somehow is waiting to ignite a flame of immense fulfilment.

Some folk are fast and fickle. They will happily say one thing one moment and another the next. They seem to be able to change their hearts just as quickly as their minds! I am not like that. I can't be adaptable and spontaneous but only on the surface. The deeper I dive into the ocean of my emotions, the more I find pools of loyalty and commitment that never change.
Isn't it true that if you ever care for someone for a moment, you care for them for a lifetime. As with people, so with causes. we just can't turn our back on those who may need our help. That's why it takes so long to adjust to new facts and realities. But it is also why, when we finally do move on, we do so with great grace!

We can't just put our feet up and wait for the world to bring us what we need. Neither, though, should we set out to strive with all our might. Somewhere between these two extremes, there’s a compromise. As nobody can accuse us of being idle, we must assume that, if we are veering towards one particular excess, it is probably an excess of effort. So here’s the question. In which area of life am I now ‘trying too hard’ to control a sequence of events? That beats me.... :(

I seem to have gotten use to listening to this before i go to bed!
http://www.naghmeh.com/sattar2.htm

Nikoo says: "Some things in life are desirable but inadvisable. Others are wise but dull. We spend far more time than we realise trying to juggle these items and factors. There's no point in doing something 'pleasing' if it creates a rotten problem. Nor is there much point in being sensible and restrained if it saps life of all fun and satisfaction. "

Mr T said : "Don't suggest that sensible yet boring/restrained things should not be done. If we don't do those things, they remain undone and may in turn undo us. Moreover, how can we be sure that we would enjoy the desirable things if we did not have a base of dull to compare with? If all life is fun, then we never achieve a high because it just becomes the norm. Accept your highs and lows as the complex mosaic that forms the most important thing: You!

As for that wild thing 'Inspiration', it's like a warm summer breeze - always welcome it for it won't last long, but never criticise it, for in so doing you will destroy the thing it brings."

We all hate to feel that we have been ripped off or taken for a ride. If we even so much as suspect that someone is trying to pull a fast one on us, our hackles rise. Our greatest enemy of all, though, is an inner thief. When we allow a voice from within our own mind to tell us that we have no right to be happy; or that we have to pay a heavy price for security - or that life is supposed to be hard and heavy, we really rob ourselves blind. I am tempted today, to indulge a pointless emotion. The question is whether I should guard against that notion? Do I need to try and not take anything away from my own entitlement to be happy!?

Inspiration is rude and badly behaved. It strides boldly into our life without knocking and, once it forces its way into our mind, it acts as if it owns the place. Then, when it feels inclined to depart, it just vanishes without so much as a by-your-leave. It won't though, ever come when we call for it. This elusive force gets away with such outrageous activity because it knows that it is always welcome. Perhaps if I want it to stick around when it shows its face next time, I should try not to criticise it and be open to accepting it!!?