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Iraq War Cost
If you would like to see how much it has cost your state or your community then visit this site: How much is my hometown spending?
I rather enjoyed seeing that my state could have spent the money rebuilding some of our deteriorating infrastructure...but why do that when we can go bomb someone elses and then try to rebuild theirs while they shoot at us!!
Jan 23, 2008
Jan 10, 2008
Podcasts
Can I just say that podcasts rock!
I love to download a bunch so that on my 45 min. commute to work and back each day I can plug in to something other than breathless talk radio personalities who sound just as overly excited about the news as they do with the latest product they are peddling. Or you have the option to listen to a song or two before wading through a slew of radio spots for exiting investment opportunities or having a serviceman come look at my furnace because the weather is changing.
Anyway, so now I get to be in charge of my drive time listening and it's awesome. The latest podcast that I listened to was a guy talking about his search for increased spiritual awareness. Now, I know what you are thinking...YOU'RE AN ATHEIST! Why are you listening to this stuff! True, it may seem that this would be a strange topic but atheism doesn't mean anti-spiritualism...I am very skeptical of spirituality it is true, but in the end we are all seeking to be part of something bigger than ourselves, wanting to become the best individual that we can, and hope for a better life...that's spirituality!
Anyway, this guy was raised Catholic, converted to Mormonism in college, taught institute, was an institute director, and then was an Air Force Chaplain for many years. He talked about when he had first joined the LDS Church in college, he had imagined where he would be spiritually in 30 years, but that even after years and years of making religion his business, he still hadn't achieved the level of spiritual growth he had expected. He said that he had made significant improvements in his personality and character but he was still too impatient and in general just didn't have the connection with the divine and the important people in his life to the level he felt he should.
It was at this time that he developed a significant problem with his neck and back that made it difficult for him to concentrate or even relax due to pain and bit by bit, he felt his spirit sag and it became increasingly difficult for him to even maintain the level of spirituality that he had achieved over a lifetime of service and devotion. Then he stumbled onto something that really helped his pain...meditation and relaxation through Yoga. When he began it was helpful to just have 5 minutes a day during which he felt "normal." But as he developed his ability to have better control over his thought patters, he was able to get up to 20 minutes of meditation a day, and the pain he was experiencing on a daily basis began to subside.
He also noticed something different as he gained a greater control over his thought processes, he was able to clear his mind and open himself up to greater spiritual and personal awareness. As he stopped allowing his mind to race after the worries of the day, he was able to reestablish a connection with his surroundings that he had lost due to the distractions of an unbridled mind. He began to have new insights in his scripture studies on a more frequent basis because he could focus better and at the same time have much clearer thoughts that could expand his understanding on what he was currently engaged in. This also extended to his personal interactions with his children and his wife.
This struck home with me because it is really so easy to fall into the trap of having one's thoughts so caught up in the concerns of work, unpaid bills, traffic, current events, irritating celebrities constantly receiving news coverage, etc. that the truly important and fulfilling aspects of our lives can be lost in the screaming noise of everything else around us. We only half listen to people we are talking to rather than allowing ourselves to be lost in their world for a moment, we just glance at a beautiful sunset rather than drinking it in and allowing it to swell our hearts, we live our lives in a race with all the other rats rather than taking advantage of our one shot at this human experience.
I don't necessarily think that Yoga is the answer...I believe that it was the vehicle for this particular man but that there are many different roads to this type of deep self awareness and liberation. I would like to achieve something similar, however, and bring back the clarity and excitement of life that existed before being an important man somehow became something to reach for.
I love to download a bunch so that on my 45 min. commute to work and back each day I can plug in to something other than breathless talk radio personalities who sound just as overly excited about the news as they do with the latest product they are peddling. Or you have the option to listen to a song or two before wading through a slew of radio spots for exiting investment opportunities or having a serviceman come look at my furnace because the weather is changing.
Anyway, so now I get to be in charge of my drive time listening and it's awesome. The latest podcast that I listened to was a guy talking about his search for increased spiritual awareness. Now, I know what you are thinking...YOU'RE AN ATHEIST! Why are you listening to this stuff! True, it may seem that this would be a strange topic but atheism doesn't mean anti-spiritualism...I am very skeptical of spirituality it is true, but in the end we are all seeking to be part of something bigger than ourselves, wanting to become the best individual that we can, and hope for a better life...that's spirituality!
Anyway, this guy was raised Catholic, converted to Mormonism in college, taught institute, was an institute director, and then was an Air Force Chaplain for many years. He talked about when he had first joined the LDS Church in college, he had imagined where he would be spiritually in 30 years, but that even after years and years of making religion his business, he still hadn't achieved the level of spiritual growth he had expected. He said that he had made significant improvements in his personality and character but he was still too impatient and in general just didn't have the connection with the divine and the important people in his life to the level he felt he should.
It was at this time that he developed a significant problem with his neck and back that made it difficult for him to concentrate or even relax due to pain and bit by bit, he felt his spirit sag and it became increasingly difficult for him to even maintain the level of spirituality that he had achieved over a lifetime of service and devotion. Then he stumbled onto something that really helped his pain...meditation and relaxation through Yoga. When he began it was helpful to just have 5 minutes a day during which he felt "normal." But as he developed his ability to have better control over his thought patters, he was able to get up to 20 minutes of meditation a day, and the pain he was experiencing on a daily basis began to subside.
He also noticed something different as he gained a greater control over his thought processes, he was able to clear his mind and open himself up to greater spiritual and personal awareness. As he stopped allowing his mind to race after the worries of the day, he was able to reestablish a connection with his surroundings that he had lost due to the distractions of an unbridled mind. He began to have new insights in his scripture studies on a more frequent basis because he could focus better and at the same time have much clearer thoughts that could expand his understanding on what he was currently engaged in. This also extended to his personal interactions with his children and his wife.
This struck home with me because it is really so easy to fall into the trap of having one's thoughts so caught up in the concerns of work, unpaid bills, traffic, current events, irritating celebrities constantly receiving news coverage, etc. that the truly important and fulfilling aspects of our lives can be lost in the screaming noise of everything else around us. We only half listen to people we are talking to rather than allowing ourselves to be lost in their world for a moment, we just glance at a beautiful sunset rather than drinking it in and allowing it to swell our hearts, we live our lives in a race with all the other rats rather than taking advantage of our one shot at this human experience.
I don't necessarily think that Yoga is the answer...I believe that it was the vehicle for this particular man but that there are many different roads to this type of deep self awareness and liberation. I would like to achieve something similar, however, and bring back the clarity and excitement of life that existed before being an important man somehow became something to reach for.
Jan 8, 2008
Posting by email
So does this really work?
Cool! I can post from anywhere in the world!!! Buwhahaha!! The power! The elation!
My first post
Here is one of my favorite pics of the kids in Snowman wrestling! They were goofing around one day and wearing their coat liners on their legs so Dad thought...why don't we stuff some pillows in there and see what happens? Now you know.
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