Inspiration

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Father’s Guide to Wisdom

There is a sense of excitement found in new adventures. Wouldn’t you agree? That air of mystery. The fears associated with the unknown. The courage elicited to overcome once unthought of obstacles. Then voilà, you achieved something through that courage that stands as a testament to your evolving character.

I think we have all had experiences like this, wouldn’t you agree? In any day, life affords us nearly 68,000 possibilities. That is as much as the human mind has thoughts per day. In what direction do you want your thoughts to take you.

There is an old trick in the books. It goes, repeat, repeat, and repeat and eventually you will begin to believe. But is this true? Yes, and it is a very powerful tool indeed. But it works both ways. It is a tool that can easily generate oppression. For those who would oppress are well aware of its effectiveness. But the tenets of oppression lie not with those that would oppress, even though the responsibility is solely theirs. But the foundation of any action occurs in context of both the action and reaction present. Oppression cannot exist in a vacuum; it needs the belief pattern established by the oppressed to create the means by which it flourishes. For it is within the belief structure of the oppressed that the power is abdicated and given to those who would oppress.

Let me explain a classic example of this paradigm. If a baby elephant is tied to the ground with a stake, it will confine itself to that area even as an adult. This is how the meek have been so effective in taming the strong. But the elephant was always free. It simply need stretch itself, break the bond, and take one step outside of the mental box it created for itself as a baby. You see, the baby elephant was neurologically conditioned to believe that its world was simply the radius around the stake. Even though it can and often does lift thousands of times the weight of that stake, it will confine itself to that radius even though it is free to move about. It’s one drawback, the belief it holds about itself.

There is a chance to re-write history here. In the example of the elephant, we see where freedom lies. It is not something given by another, it is a state of mind. We should shy from traveling well worn paths, for we already know where they lead. It just repeats the same old patterns that lead us to where we were in the first place.

Instead, let us find new trails. The choice is ours. Violence or peace? Anger or kindness? Hatred or love? Yes, we can go down the same path of destruction so prevalent in history. That choice is obvious. But that only forms the beginning of its natural course to end with anger, violence, and hatred again. For the seeds that we sew are the fruits that we eat as Jesus had once stated. What a sad state we sew for ourselves. But there is an alternative. Maybe, we can start something different, and try to blaze a new trail, with new beginnings, and quite possibly even greater endings. What do you think?

With prayers and blessings my friends. Believe… Achieve… Advance Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams. (Dr. Tom)

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