Today in the United States, we celebrate this country’s independence. Our wonderful friends across the pond in England, I imagine not so much. Today’s post is about something a little more personal. Something that we should all be looking to celebrate – personal independence.
In the world we live in, there are far too many people doing things for social media likes, click bait and to strive for their 15 minutes of fame. Here is what many of them fail to realize. If you are doing something for the approval or attention of others, you have become indebted to them. They rule you. Of course we do not want to look at it that way. This does not stop it from being true. What we need are individuals who are brave enough to declare their own independence. Free from the opinions of people on social media. Free from the approval of the masses.
Few things are more painful than when you hear about a young person doing something because they wanted to be cool. Most of the time these things are dangerous, harmful to others or just stupid. All because they did not have the independence to do what they knew was the right and honorable thing to do.
Today, let us declare our independence. Let us do what we know is right and not what will get us likes. You cannot be truly free until you are free from the concerns of the opinions of others. We must be free to take the actions that will allow us to become the best versions of ourselves, even if they prove to be unpopular. There may not be fireworks or a parade, but personal independence is something worth celebrating.
Today in the United States, we celebrate Independence Day. I imagine in Great Britain, they do not celebrate so much. Although this is certainly a national holiday, some of the principles should be celebrated and incorporated globally. Today, we are going to take a look at a few of these characteristics and look into what it means to truly be independent. These thoughts can be applied both politically and personally. We are going to take a look at both of them.
One of the main sticking points in the colonies declaring independence from our good friends overseas was “Taxation without representation.” Meaning, the people in jolly old England collected taxes from the colonists, but they did not have any say in how that money was spent. Our government is set up so every person who pays taxes has a representative in the government. The sad thing is that most of us do not ever have contact with this person. It is not that we are unable. It is that complaining is easier than looking up contact information. We should regularly share what is, and is not important to us with our elected representatives. On a personal level, we should always make our desires and what is important to us known to those who make decisions that affect our life as well. This includes our boss, our spouse and anyone who plays a roll in making decisions in our life. This is not to say we should be a fountain of complaint. Far from it. Just like in politics, when you are charming and persuasive, the results are a lot better. My suggestion is to read the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Another point of grievance was freedom of religion. Not all of the colonists wanted to belong to the great church of England. They wanted to be free to practice their religion, whatever that may be. Personally, I think this is a good thing to be able to do. As long as your belief does not bring harm to others, it is my belief that you should be able to practice whatever religion makes your spirit happy. I think laws based on specific religions or dogma do not belong in an independent country. Laws for common sense morality are a different story. Another important point to note is that laws cannot govern one’s heart. What you believe is a personal and spiritual process, not one that can be mandated by the state.
Speaking of personal, there is a way in which this can be applied to our personal lives. Just as the government has no right to tell you what religion you should practice, neither does your neighbor. As long as your religion is focused on bettering yourself and not causing harm to others, it does not matter in what form it takes. You may not have to agree with the ritual and beliefs of your neighbor, but you must respect them. That is part of being independence. You would not want them telling you what you must believe, therefore, you must not tell them what is right or wrong when it comes to their spiritual beliefs. That is one reason the ‘golden rule’ is the same in so many spiritual practices. We all are required to respect our neighbor, just as they should respect us. I think this is one thing that could use a great deal of attention in today’s world. Being independent is not only being free to believe and worship how you choose, but to allow others to do the same. That especially holds true for those who are different than we are.
Today in the United States we celebrate our country’s independence. My condolences to my friends in Great Britain. This is also the fourth day of our week of posting nothing negative and at least one thing positive. There are so many things I wish to focus on today. To keep this short we are going to stay focused on the world independence.
One of the phrases I have been reciting for years now is, “There is no law of physics that states your mind and your body have to be in the same place and the same time.” On any given day this is no doubt used to help me make it through a situation I would rather not be in. A long tough day at work, using a gas station rest room, stuck in line behind someone of questionable hygiene or a million other circumstances I could find myself in. It takes a little imagination and a lot of effort to try and convince yourself the toilet at the local petrol station is really a beach chair in Fiji, but it can be done.
These days when many of us can find our travel options restricted at best, nonexistent at worst, the freedom of independent thought is something that can’t be over looked! We may be under some form of quarantine, but our mind and our thoughts are not! We are still free to dream, to create and to use our amazing imaginations to soar as we please. As we wait for the day when we can all enjoy cocktails on a beach near the ocean, we can all plan, watch videos on YouTube and maybe even reflect on past vacations. Our focus greatly determines our emotional state. Let me repeat that for those who may have missed it – Our focus greatly determines our emotional state.
If we focus on all of the things that we cannot do as we wait for everything to be sorted out we will find ourselves in a miserable state. The great thing is we don’t have to! We have independence of thought! That is a miracle of the human mind. It may also be a miracle of the animal mind, but they can’t read so this blog does not pertain to them. We can change our focus to what these restrictions are giving us time to do. We can organize that area of our house we claim we never have time for. We can begin to write that book we always knew we had inside us but never had the time to focus on. We can focus on the things we can do. Personally, I have enjoyed spending more time in nature and reading great new books! Take advantage of your independence of thought. It is a great gift and something positive!
Today in the United States of America we celebrate our country’s independence from England. To my friends in the United Kingdom I am sure it is not as celebratory of a day.
Today I want to talk about personal independence that I feel is so important. Remembering we are free to make choices in our lives. We can be happy independent of our circumstances. It was the first lady of this great country Martha Washington who said “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”
Make the decision to love independently of any family history of animosity. Just because your family may hold beliefs about certain races or faiths does not mean you have to follow that train of thought. You are free to love who you wish to love.
Most importantly, think independently. In this day and age we can all fall victims to following the example of the political party we belong to, what is preached in our churches, mosques and temples. To disagree and question is ok. To make the decision to follow in blind faith is also ok. Just make sure that it is your decision.
On this day of independence make sure to take control of your heart, mind and spirit. Become a independent kind, loving and thinking individual.
Here is a picture of the local July 4th celebration in West Allis Wisconsin, where I live. I believe the group is called ‘The dancing Grannies’. I think it is awesome that seniors continue to be active and it was even better to hear people applaud and cheer for them as they went by. In this country July 4th is celebrated as Independence Day, or the day in which this country began its self-rule.
Here is me enjoying the parade with my mother and her husband. I had such a good time and do not remember enjoying a parade that much since I was a child. It got me thinking about individual freedoms we either take for granted or choose not to take advantage of. Such as who we share our time with. Ideally, this picture would have included my lovely Margie, not only would that have added to the joy I was feeling, it would have added beauty to the picture as well. Alas, she was not able to join us due to prior obligations. I could have watched the parade by myself, or even with any of the great friends I ran into. I chose to watch it with my mother because lately we have been going for walks in nature and sharing some great conversation and fun times. The freedom of who to spend your time with is a very important one to exercise.
Here are pictures of the food truck and the tasty treats that I enjoyed from it. Do you realize how many more options we have when it comes to what we eat? Only 100 years ago small local grocery stores carried a handful of options. Now, we have stores that have thousands of items to choose from. Some from halfway around the world! We can choose to eat healthy or we can choose to eat…well…pizza. Even when cooking at home recipes and even videos guiding us through how to make exotic dishes are at our fingertips.
These are pictures of the party they held at a local park after the parade. There were things to eat as you saw in the above paragraph, as well as a band, children’s games and beverages. This brought up one of the most important freedoms of all. In a world that has headlines dominated by terrorism, racism, hate and violence, a lot of people are afraid to walk the street. Sadly, that is exactly what those committing violent crimes wish for. It is my belief that one of the best ways to combat a world that seems filled with division is to get out and meet your neighbors. Holiday celebrations are a perfect place to do so. On this day I met great neighbors such as Kristin, the mayor of our fine city, my neighbor Dan and lots of others. Do yourself a favor. As you are enjoying that hamburger, sweet corn or even that frosty beverage, take a second to introduce yourself to neighbors. If you happen to see Margie and me out enjoying the holidays, feel free to introduce yourself to us.
Today is July 4th. If you live here in the United States it is a day we celebrate our freedom as a country. That is not what this post is about though. No I am talking about a universal freedom. A freedom that we all have. One that is in the possession of everyone whether you live in Brazil, Greenland, Egypt or California. This freedom, however, is seldom pursued or even used by most of us. What is this freedom I speak of? It is our freedom of mind, freedom of thought and freedom of feeling. There are many people who let circumstances control their minds. “Well I would be happy if only this political party wasn’t in”. They let things they read, words other people say, political ideology, beliefs of the masses dictate what happens inside their own heads. Sure it stings when someone says or does something mean or vindictive to us. Remember, we cannot control circumstances. As the saying goes “What people say and do to us is their business. How we react to it is ours” Like liberty and freedoms on a national level, personal liberty is an aspiration to be fought for at all costs. We have been told how to think, how and what to feel since we were young. It is our duty to decide what we believe and what thoughts we will allow to rule our daily thinking. It is time to begin the struggle for mental and spiritual independence from negative and limiting thoughts and beliefs. For no country can be free, no people can be free if first their minds are not free.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 