For What It's Worth

In The Last Samurai, Algrin, a captured prisoner played by Tom Cruise, asked Katsumoto what Katsumo wanted from him. Katsumoto replied, "What do you want for yourself?"

What do you see in your life that you wish were different? What about in your world? If you see that in your reality, something within you allows it to be, and contributes to keep it in place.

If you really want change, address those things in you that are keeping you from acting upon your desire for something new. Something in you is leading you to dislike the way things are. What is it? Why do you push it aside, and not allow it to lead you to change the way things are?

I was recently relating to a friend the story of Ali Babba. You may recall how he tried and tried to get into a secret treasure room without success. He couldn't figure out the code until he overhead the magic words, "Open, sesame." And when he tried them, magically the door opened and he got the treasure.

I am fascinated by this collection of experiences we call life. It has such an amazing way to keep us entertained. Or at least busy.

One of those ways is through all the myriad things it puts before us that beg for our attention. Things to keep us occupied. It's like we're little kids, and those activities are presented by a doting parent to keep us busy.

How are you spending this Memorial Day weekend? Getting away for the weekend, if not physically at least mentally? Or are you still caught up in whatever you've created, or are trying to create?

Escape is an all-to-common way of dealing with things. The struggles are sometimes so incessant or overwhelming that we need some time to renew and recreate ourselves. And from there, hopefully to return with greater perspective and ability to move through them.

Are you loving as much as you can, giving it your all? Are you allowing yourself to be loved as fully as you can be loved? To what new limits can you push yourself?

Creating in this world is an act of love. If you want to create more, then first learn to create more love for others, as well as capacity within yourself to be loved.

How do you love yourself? How do you love others, particularly your spouse, family and friends? Do they accept your love, and most of all, feel loved when you do? Or do they feel oppressed, controlled, or expected of?

So many people are dissatisfied with what's going on in their lives, not to mention our world's affairs. Yet, for all their discontent, they do little more than complain about it. As a result, they keep getting more of the same, and sit by as it escalates.

We journey into this world of form to interact with the darkness, and rarely allow the light to shine with full intensity into our lives.

Worse, though, we often feel we're doing so without love. And so we go about trying to gather it by proving our worth, or assert our fears to hold on to what little we think we have.

Did you ever wonder how someone could in one breath talk about spiritual possibilities, and in the next be attacking the beliefs and institutions upon which our world is based? For me it's easy because the system upon which they're all built is broken.