Not only have I been actively socially-involved, but I also been observing my life, my friends and loved ones before me. And as I spend my day-to-day journey called Life, I find myself once again in another level of experience; a moment that I have been waiting for for sometime, like a young girl waiting to go up a grade in her piano lessons (that young girl was me by the way).
During these interesting Life situations, I have stories, told to me, turned to me, shared with me. I become like a book, a journal, where Life stories are sketched inside me, and I keep them... sometimes it overwhelms me, sometimes it is a mirror- stories where we reflect upon ourselves like how we read story books about heroes, royals, gods & goddesses and myths & legends... we relate to these stories like how we relate to others before us, which is why 'we are all teachers & students of another' regardless of social status, age, race, experiences, etc. etc.
I try my best to see Life and stories from the best angle as possible; from a 3rd person point of view, an advantage since I was a child. Sometimes, I treat it as humanely as possible, other times, I think I might not be able to be too attached to it too much. When I do, sometimes I struggle to detach as well- however all in all, all is well, all is good, that's the beauty of living Life in this place called Earth School.
With the many lessons I have observed, listened, embraced and gathered, here's what I've got to raise my hand up in Earth School- most of it with a pinch observation, philosophy and analysis.
1. What we see in others, is what see in ourselves.
What we point out in others, is what we are trying to compensate in ourselves. Therefore, sometimes we need not to correct our point out the flaws and errors in others. It is not about the dualism of right/wrong or good/bad, but it is about letting the forces of nature do its thing.2. Holding back the unnecessary comments, suggestions or advice, especially when not asked.
Have you ever had someone look at you with a hint of a cringe on his/her face when you give advice or suggestions without realizing that it might not be necessary? Or have someone claim that you are constantly them all the time? I once wondered, what was wrong in that until I learned to realize that it all comes down to our intentions. In that moment, where everything usually happens very fast because of habits, we speak quicker than we think. I still do that sometimes, but whenever I catch myself doing it, as regretful as I can be, I tell myself it's okay perhaps the next chance I have I will do better. Which leads to number 3...3. Self-forgiveness is not just about saying it out loud "Okay, I forgive myself!".
Self-forgiveness is an act of accepting what you have done and try looking at it from the angle of that person too, that both you and your fellow friend or loved one are the same. I tried explaining this to a loved one recently, and I must admit it was quite a challenge because we are used to seeing it from a surface point of view, like how we differentiate ourselves with an object. ie. I am a Person, and that is a Cup. Just a cup."I learned to see that we are all made out of energy, and like the other person, though we may either hurt or be hurt, this person may also have his or her own share of suffering. Whether it is pain or gain. Self-forgiveness is not quite an easy homework, but I find that, with a little self-reflection and empathy, we learn to see as what I have learned "the god in us, the god in others". There's nothing blasphemous about this, mind you; God, the Universe, Higher Master, Big Energy, the Big Guy Up There, Ascended Master, anything that you named, is filled with a great love, kindness and compassion... and if God created us in his own liking, then sure we must be like Him- with a lot of light and love within us and the rest of the world, good or bad.
4. Self-Love is about being kind to yourself, and stop thinking that your problem is the only problem is this world and that the world will come to an end just because you have a problem.
I personally think, most people don't see the difference between Self-Love and Self-Analysis. A person can be thinking out loud about what he/she thinks of him/herself, and yet is being put down for that; but perhaps that person needs to do some self-analysis and is dispersing negative energy on their own to recharge with positive energy. I call this, another form of Self-Healing. As I have once said to a loved one, Humans are naturally born with survival skills.
5. Either learn how to say NO (it's okay to say No) or learn to let it go.
And by letting go, I do not mean completely stop caring but instead understanding that there's only so much help you can offer or do for others, and sometimes it is recommended to just provide moral support instead. Learning to let go is also learning to see how yourself and others are learning in good light & love...And by saying No, I do not mean completely decline everything there is to offer to you or stop recognizing good things happening to you in your life. I mean that, if you feel something someone is doing to you or say to you that doesn't resonate with you, it is okay to speak up and say No. You don't have to say No harshly or feel guilty for saying no, all it takes is a just simple No like "I'm sorry, I might not be able to do this for you, or allow you to use this," etc. That person will come around to understand it on their own, which brings us to No.6...
6. Knowing our own space and place.
I may be going on here, but really these are just the few simple Life lessons that I've learned on my own. And I'm not talking about this from a sad-case point of view, but just simply understanding it in a manner where we can be at peace with ourselves.I used to perceive this 'knowing your own space and place' in a wrongest, most distorted point of view. I didn't realize that my unnecessary contribution to a person's personal life lesson/journey or their space can actually make matters worst. It doesn't even have to be a situation for that matter, it can be simplest scenario, such as, space invasion, assuming/claiming that this is what the other person wants, overdoing something for someone, saying thing that aren't necessary to be said... asking too many questions... correcting someone even though it may seem like you are giving "suggestions"...or making remarks out loud to the person without seeing the situation that could be embarrassing to that person... all of these, comes down to our own reflections and intentions. Perhaps something is missing? something that we are not aware about?...
In a bigger picture, we might be contributing and interfering with a Learning-Cycle that is in progress. We might not realize it because we are often used to seeing tangible things, but what we cannot see doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In fact, everything in Life is a profound Learning-Cycle; from the smallest thing like washing plates right up to making the biggest decisions as an adult, it all matters.
To know your space and place, sometimes it is all about just being present in the moment, silence is definitely golden, and laugh, smile and communicate is all it takes to live in the moment.
7. Communicate pleasantly and listening with understanding.
As a child, we learn to communicate with words and hear not listen. The idea of education was to make sure that we can blend in with society and adapt into our environment, first at home with the few humans we know (parents, siblings and grandparents/family), and next in school, college, university and work. But what we don't realize is, along the way, we forgot the importance of communicating pleasantly and listening with understanding.I recently learned that communicating pleasantly and listening understanding is part of empathy and being compassionate. We might not know this but, how we communicate with others (sometimes, it may seem like we don't mean it, yet we still communicate roughly) not only affects the other person's energy but also bounces back to us, affecting us as well. In a bigger picture, that is how the vicious cycle works, affecting our relationship with that person.
... and finally, something we all don't get to learn in our education system, is that everything starts with us.
Be positive, be light, be love.
Namaste~
