" Awaken ... "

“ start of lyrics Stripped of life, alone

In the midst of something that I ...

wanting, letting go, of what never could be again

Lost and alone

Imprisoned now inside your mind

With the way you tried ...

You were waiting and living for no one

With the way you tried

To completely refuse all your life

Feed on your nothing

You'll never live up to me

Awaken you “

~ Disturbed ~ Awaken ~

***

What happens when a fully aware person is in a room full of asleep people? ... Awesome stories!! ... and honestly, an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned thus far.  And thankfully, the Universe has a Divine ability to present just that.  

Picture a room full of the following behaviours ... obnoxious, rude, arrogant, egotistical, drunk, righteous.  So it is s simply easier to be frustrated, angry, pissed off, livid, aggressive ... and join the movement!!  And yeah, some of those feelings do arise, yet honestly speaking, but rather than acting out on it, I just sat with it ... yeah, I sat with it.  

Drunk desperate people, triggering every last ounce of patience you may have.  Acting cool, but not being cool.  Acting righteous but oh so off the mark, it’s comical.  

Serenity now, serenity now ...

And that is exactly what it is.  An opportunity to either be an asshole or be a kind.  Most pick the asshole, not even knowing it, subconsciously, their conditioning kicks in.  And really it is easier.  It is easier to be a jerk than to put in the EFFORT to be kind, for some.  Why, because they don’t hear what they want, they don’t get what they want, they don’t get it fast enough ... so yeah, it pretty much ALL sucks.  Add to this a healthy dose of insecurity, we react.  We WANT to tell them that they cannot treat us like that.  We give our EGO a voice.  Period. 

I sat with IT and I had so many realizations.  And then it happened.  The vulnerability present in the situation was so apparent.  I could feel it, it was thick in the room, hanging in the air like the smoke in the non-smoking establishment.  Humans looking to prove something, looking for affirmation, looking for respect, looking for SOMETHING ... and there it was.  The frustration, anger, pissed off, livid and aggressive nature showed its colors.  Will they satisfy their cravings, their hunger?  Yes, but it will be short lived, looking for the next quick fix ... sex, alcohol, drugs.

I write about how the masks fall off when people truly reveal who they are, not their reputation, not what they can do, not what they have.  You see, when you get an opportunity to observe rather than participate ... grab it because the learning curve is infinite.  Begin by making sure you caution yourself from being righteous, looking for something wrong, all smugged up.  It’s not about judging others ... it is about understanding and praying for others.  Yup, praying.

Praying because they can end their suffering simply by looking for affirmation, respect, love ... that SOMETHING ... WITHIN.  Even the crusty ones that seem to have “endure” life.  You know the one, in the dark corner of the seedy pub, been there-done that.  Because an open mind starts with an open heart.  Digging deep to find grace, compassion, kindness and empathy for them.  They are a prisoner to they own emotions, imagine what hell they must go through daily in their own minds.  And maybe praying is a lit-tle TOO religious for some ... possibly send them well wishes and blessings to end their suffering.  Because IT is not about you.

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.  

Who looks outside, dreams.  Who looks inside, awakens.

Carl Gustav Jung

" Joy And Pain ... "

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain ...

So don't look and try to judge me

Because you think that I'm another MC, well

I'm the new kind, I just moved around

But that don't mean I can't rip up the town ...

Not from the old school or from the new

Applaud the boom, do what you want to

Talk to me then try to put me down

We used to be cool now we don't hang around

I'm the headliner of this show

And you're just a kid and you need to grow, because

~ Base Rob ~ Joy And Pain ~

***

As the lyrics go, we get the obvious difference between joy and pain but what about the difference between joy and happiness?  And are they not one in the same?  Recently during a good read this came up for me and I wanted to explore it further ...

Joy and Happiness are both positive and desirable emotions.  They provide feelings of satisfaction and come from certain reasons.  But there is a difference ...

Let's start with JOY .... 

The source of joy is something or someone that is greatly appreciated or valued.  Joy comes from the inner-self of a person.  The connection with the source of life within you.  And it is not only about yourself, but also about the contentment of those people whom you value.  Joy is caused by soul satisfying incidents.  Joy is long lasting and warms your heart.

So what then is HAPPINESS? ...

Happiness is an emotion experienced when in a state of well-being and usually linked to a stimulus or event.  Happiness is something outside of you and is gained by observing or doing.  Happiness can be momentary or short lived.  Happiness can be characterized as materialistic and rests more on worldly pleasures.

Simply put, joy is an extension to happiness ... 

a continuous state of happiness and a positive emotion.

In my experience when I lose joy to fear, I settle for sporadic happy highs, which is additive.  I would look to the future and put all my eggs in someone else's basket.  I would be dependent on people or events to align with my expectations so that the end result would be my happiness.  And it may have given me happiness but not true satisfaction ... the void was still present.

So I had to learn to teach myself to be joyful, truly joyful, because it had become a detriment to my health.  I carried fear, anger and sadness with me most of the time, as it lasted longer than happiness.  So shifting into joy and excitement was required to help me truly heal.

I realized that I have this choice and waiting for a circumstance to subside the lower energies was an illusion.  Joy matters and allowing it in my life has become an essential spiritual aspect of my journey.  Joy brings faith, grace, gratitude, love and hope, and I relay on it to bring deep satisfaction in my life when I need it most.  

Life is meant to be en”joy”ed and not just endured so jump of for joy when you can because joy does not happen to us, we have to choose it and keep choosing it every day ...