November 2011

Good old anger! Nothing to get the heart pumping and the old adrenaline flowing. Just thinking about all the wrong being done to "me", "my" family,"my" friends is bad enough but then there are images on television, on the internet, everywhere of abuse, demoralizing hateful harmful, acts that we humans do to each other and then good old anger rises up out of the depths, where its been lurking around waiting for its chance to pounce. 

Some people are afraid of their anger. I understand it but for the most part this is not true for me. There were two emotions taught very well to us growing up, anger was one and I forget the other one. There are those old faithful words, "if you'd been through what I've been through, you'd be a tad angry yourself". Anger is like a fire, once you fan the flames and take a couple of steps back, and watch the "powerful" effect the rush of self justification is fully ripened. Add a couple of gallons of petrol and "all powerful" Anger can burn down a town. That's the way anger has been for me. I guess it would be harder if you were afraid of anger and never got the rush of lighting the fatal match, it would be harder to sense the sheer (unknown or forgotten momentary) power and release that blowing the flames of anger brings. Maybe its a cultural thing? That's what I tell myself. Maybe we Irish have that passionate, hot-blooded flame; maybe we've been through enough and want the world to pay for "our" pains "our" sufferings? Oh yes, we laugh, we tell jokes, dance, sing and drink merrily. We never hold a grudge, we burry the grudges BUT we always stake the ground of burial. In fact If a person didn't show a bit of anger at times we'd be a bit suspicious of that same being.

These words are the sound of the bell of mindfulness, calling us back to relax, breathe, not take ourselves too seriously. Easy enough to do when we have a patient webmaster and a rough idea of how to navigate this space. It also helps to really really know that being on-line writing in a blog is truly participating in a virtual world. Why do we take ourselves so seriously? Why do I take myself so seriously?

Hopefully this site evolves into a space of beneficial resources with an open armed approach to all who want to practice peace in themselves, families, work places and society in general. Peace begins at home, in ourselves. How are we to live peacefully in society if we can't live peacefully in our own bodies, minds, hearts? We have to start somewhere. Right here is as good a place as anywhere.

Wisdom is first of all pure, straightforward and wholehearted.

Smiles.