Those supernatural, divine moments in life are not exceptions – they’re CALLINGS

In the hurly-burly of the everyday, it can be hard to find meaning for many people. Especially if your life has a routine, or if your life is optimized so that you may give your best energy to those around you who need it (children and elderly or disabled relatives, for example), the skyscape of such a life can look like one long panorama of gray clouds.

And then, there are those divine moments that take place sometimes. When something extraordinary happens. Or when you make an extraordinary connection with something completely ordinary. No matter what it is, for a brief moment, the gray monotony of routine life opens up and a ray of sunlight bursts through.

What do these moments mean?

Tags: moments, death, regret, extraordinary, miracles, routine, age

How to keep your head on straight when you suddenly fall in love

Oh, it’s a powerful feeling. It affects all the senses, one’s preferences, one’s decision-making, one’s desires … EVERYTHING.

And then, it’s gone. You’re not in love anymore! After a while, things return to normal, and you look back and see how blinded you were to so many things you should have seen. Or how much you liked things you don’t normally like. And it’s disconcerting and confusing, to say the least! I mean, what’s the deal with these passionate periods of infatuation? Do we actually lie to ourselves about who we are and what we want? Kinda disturbing, isn’t it?

Fortunately, there are things we can do to both (1) not let the overpowering feelings of LUUUV obliterate our lives, and (2) channel such LUUUV healthily, so that once it is not uncontrollably rampaging through our brains, we can celebrate it and feel the glory of such connection in all its splendor.

Tags: feelings, infatuation, love, passion, relationship, trust

You’re always there (a poem about the sky :-)

I see you.

You are the sky

And your presence is embodied in your “self”

The self I cannot touch or measure.

 

For science has proven that you don’t really exist

That you are not a separate thing from everything around you

Yet it is your presence I feel,

I look upon,

and I hunger to get near.

 

My days and nights are filled with trees and flowers

My mornings with rituals

My afternoons with the tasting of food and drink

Activities occupy my time

Other thoughts occupy my mind

 

But you’re always there, all the while.

 

I’ll jump in the water,

I’ll climb the hills,

I’ll dance in the rain, play in the snow, and bask in the sun,

And no matter how I am engaged,

You’re always there.

 

You are the background to it all,

You reflect in the wet waters I swim in

You silhouette the trees I contemplate

You spread the sun’s light over everything I see.

You’re always there.

 

I have enjoyed many lights of a different sort

City lights, strobe lights, room lights, and candlelight

They have lit my way and illuminated my soul

But these lights come and go…

 

Yours is always there – even when it’s not.

 

After flying through ups and downs

and twists and turns,

moments and non-moments

and illnesses and remedies,

fun times and sad times

good runs of bad luck

and ugly strokes of beautiful,

I realize that

I want you.

 

I crave your soft, I crave your strength

I envy how you belong to something greater

My stubborn soul puts down its sword and shield

And lets you surround it

Without a sound.

 

And there you are. You’re always there.

Even when I am all alone with nothing

You’ll still always be there.

 

I love you. There is no other way.

 

–Mitch

Tags: love, poem, sky

When there’s nothing more to say…

Sometimes, there’s nothing more to say.

Sometimes, things just are as they are. And they will be talked about, and they will be described – but the more talking and describing occurs, the clearer it becomes that such talking and describing is superfluous.

We are so good, with our science and our critical thought, at always finding new things: new perspectives, new ways to press on, new solutions to problems, new ways to make the unbearable, bearable.

And yet, somewhere deep down inside, we all know that there are moments when no answer exists. And very often, that terrifies us.

Tags: control, fear, forward, pain, solution

Why are so many people such jerks?

There are self-serving jerks out there, and then there are the rest of us, right? The jerks are the exceptions to the rule. For whatever reason, they feel ok to just go around thinking about nobody but themselves – but then, I am often asked, why does it sometimes seem like there are so many of these jerks?

After talking to some friends about how even compassionate, considerate people can be jerks sometimes, I realize that it’s not so simple. Nothing like this is as simple as it looks. The world is not divided between jerks and nice folks. In fact, I’d wager that, more often than not, it is actually somebody who is very well meaning and compassionate that comes off as a jerk, rather than somebody who just doesn’t have any sense of decency and compassion at all. The vast majority of the jerks you run into are really nice people.

Here’s the thing: very few people want to be a jerk.

Tags: consideration, truth, negativity, lying, self-esteem, reality, jerk, niceness

Where you’re going is more important than where you are

 

Ever notice how some people who are in the worst of situations somehow continue to be positive, joyful people? Or how some people who appear to have everything they could ever need and want still seem so dissatisfied?

My question is usually the following one: Where are these people going in life?

People say sometimes that you must know where you’ve come from to know where you are. True indeed. But I also think that getting a true understanding of where you are going is equally important for one’s life orientation.

Many times, the person going through hardship sees a better future ahead. Something about the trajectory of their life, and the beauty of moving forward, supersedes the misery of the present situation. This is especially true if the person themself is actively involved in their own self-improvement, diligently in tune with each stage of the progress.

Meanwhile, somebody who “has it all”… where is [s]he going to go? What beautiful progress is there to be made in a life that is already [supposedly] perfect? Does a state of perfection really exist? Where do you go from there? (this kind of question always made it hard for me to understand the concept of Heaven as a child, you see)

Tags: change, constants, future, life, perspective, progress, reality

How to get good at empathizing

Those who see the infinite value of human connection and focus more and more on it start noticing something: empathy is everywhere. Or, at the very least, it is needed everywhere. So often, the first basic underpinning to doing anything meaningful involving another person or people is to empathize. To find the place where you connect with somebody. Where, as much is it is possible, you can feel what the other person is feeling, and look in the same direction as they are looking. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do; the rewards are so gratifying, and in everything from family relations, to job interviews and the workplace, to everyday negotiations with strangers, a person who is able to empathize brings a great deal of positivity to the table, and other people notice and their behaviors change and become more trusting – even when they aren’t aware that they are noticing such things at all.

Some people are indeed more naturally empathic than others. However, I would still argue that empathizing is largely a skill that can be learned. When you want to see where somebody is coming from or what they’re getting at, it’s obviously not lack of desire that makes you unable to relate, but rather lack of knowledge – knowledge of how they must feel, what their point of view is, and most crucially, the skills to get to where you can have a meaningful understanding.

Tags: connection, disappointment, empathizing, empathy, feelings, giving, help, sense, sympathy, understanding

Avoiding the life-wrecking scarcity model of thinking

Underlying many of our greatest fears in life is the feeling that we will be abandoned, left out. That there won’t be enough of something left for us, and our needs will be forgotten. We’ll get trampled or left behind, unable to fend for ourselves…

Maybe we weren’t loved enough as a child. Maybe we were hungry, helpless, vulnerable… However it is for you, the message is always that “somebody’s got to lose, and if you don’t scramble, you’ll be the loser.”

Thinking like this is the understandable outcome of having previously felt deprived or violated. But it very often becomes a state of mind in far more ways than we realize.

Tags: either-or, fear, kindness, love, scarcity, unconditional love

Have high hope, but low expectations

This is a more concrete way of saying, “be open-minded,” a perspective you can take with you every time you are afraid of being disappointed.

Some people use the word “hope” as a verb, in a narrow focus toward one thing, when they really mean “expect.” This can cause a lot of trouble. Saying, for example, “I really hope s/he comes around and sees my point of view on this issue” channels the “hope” in only the direction of this very important goal. If the goal is not met, the heaviness of the disappointment will depend directly on the heaviness of the “hope” – which becomes, in reality, an expectation.

Expectations are the biggest source of disappointment out there! Think about it: every time you get disappointed, it happens because your expectations of a situation were not met. Additionally, unlike hope, expectations are usually more focused around one particular thing, something that can often close your mind to other sources of good happenings.

Tags: desire, disappointment, expectations, hope, open-mindedness

ASK for clarification

When you look back on situations of conflict, so many awful things seem to happen solely because of some kind of misunderstanding. Especially between friends and loved ones – people close to you – the stakes are higher because of all the emotions involved. A comment interpreted the wrong way or a statement taken out of context suddenly leads to very strong feelings that can manifest themselves in behavior we later regret.

For this reason, I beg of you: when something doesn’t strike you the right way, please… ASK for clarification. A repetition of what was said, an explanation of what was meant, or perhaps some contextual background. Whether it’s a stranger you are talking to, or somebody very close to you, clarification very often is all it takes to prevent unpleasant feelings that don’t need to be there from developing – and the process of clarifying together is indispensable for developing trust and healing feelings. It’s how relationships get stronger.

Even if you THINK you know what was said, still… ask for clarification. Don’t take “95% certainty” to be good enough. You deserve 100%.

Sometimes, there is still a misunderstanding, even after you clarify. But that’s also good – because once the misunderstanding is out in the open, you then have the choice to sort through it or leave it alone. And feeling at choice – knowing the various options you have moving forward – is an indispensable asset to the positive thinker.

And even though, I promise you, the majority of the time there really is a misunderstanding, it’s not unreasonable to ask: what if it’s not a misunderstanding? What if your bad feelings about what was said are correct? Well, then… at least it’s an understanding. It’s a lot easier to move forward if you are at least clear on what you’re working with. That’s how you win by clarifying, no matter which way things go.

That’s all I’ve got to say for now.

Tags: choice, clarification, emotions, feelings, misunderstanding, understanding

It needs to be said: holidays can really suck sometimes

Now – if you’re totally enjoying your holidays… GREAT! Flush this post from your mind, please, and continue enjoying yourself. I don’t want to get in the way of that.

But if this rings a bell, please keep reading.

We are told in songs and in traditions that the holidays are a time to celebrate, to get together with family and friends, take a break from life-as-usual, and enjoy yourself. This is a great idea. In fact, we should do it more often – not just when Christmas songs are playing and everybody is going shopping.

Unfortunately, there are a number of reasons why the opposite happens during the holidays: people become depressed and humbuggish. Here are some things that come to mind:

Tags: celebration, christmas, compassion, gifts, holidays, kindness, new year

Don’t do something just because you “should”

Sometimes you have to do things you don’t really want to do – but sometimes you have to want to do things, too.

Doing something despite not wanting to is part of life; very often, it’s too big a part of life. Which is why I want to clear something up here: when wondering whether to do something that you’re not really looking forward to doing, feeling like you “should” do it is not a good reason to go forward.

Tags: desire, disappointment, guilt, obligation, regret, resentment, should, wants

Good people finding good people – that’s what makes being alive feel special to me

Recently, I’ve gotten better at something than I used to be…

I’ve always been an outgoing sort of person. Somebody who goes out there and interacts with other people (not always in the healthiest of ways – but I’ve gotten way better than I used to be). And I’ve often realized: there are a lot of other people out there who don’t have my gusto for interaction – and some of those people are really great folks, and should get out and meet each other…

Tags: feelgood, friends, friendship, happiness, interaction, positivity

Despite what it may seem, “forever” is usually not a very good thing – even in love

Oh, I very much understand the appeal! Why wouldn’t anybody want to be loved forever, cherished forever, protected forever… guaranteed that certain good things will be forever??

Problem is, there’s quite literally no way to fully guarantee it. Ever notice how this always seems to be most true when it comes to the things that we really really want to last forever? Trying to accommodate heavy desires to climb the Mt Everest of “forever” puts a lot of stress on those desires. Even when such desires are coming true now, we’re constantly looking over our shoulder to make sure that nothing threatens them – more occupied with the fear of losing “forever” then the enjoyment of the desire being met now.

Tags: adaptation, change, death, desire, forever, future, never, now

The top 5 things people who are close to dying regret when they look back at their life

REGRETS OF THE DYING
by Bronnie Ware (originally published here)

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

Tags: death, dying, fear, happiness, life, regret

The joy of non-sequiturs – or, when dead lions come back to life as chickens

“Non sequitur” means “it doesn’t follow” in Latin. You know, when something just… completely breaks with the context that came before it. I think stuff like this has value, especially in speech and ideas.

There is something about non-sequiturs that can be quite tickling, very positive for the soul when thrown in there every once in a while. I guess one of the things that makes something funny is that… it’s unexpected. Like blam. It just pops at you out of nowhere. Like a violin virtuoso, wolfing down pastrami sandwiches and fixing the kitchen sink.

The value of humor cannot be overstated, especially in a world that can be so dark and challenging sometimes. And so “same” and routine, too! Both the typical urban and the typical non-urban life are filled with things that cycle over and over again. Routines, habits, traditions… going through the motions. Everything that we associate with life and living happens when we break from such monotony. Do something different. Something fun, and wild. Something that might not quite be as you expect it.

Tags: expectations, funny, humor, non-sequitur, open-mindedness, unexpected, wtf

How to apologize sincerely without feeling weak and humiliated

Feeling sorry about something does not mean you should necessarily feel weak. The fact that you did something wrong does not make you a less worthy person.

Apologizing is a gesture of humility – thus there is a certain amount of weakness involved. A sincere apology puts no pressure for the person receiving the apology to accept it – and thus the apologizer freely admits powerlessness to change or influence the other’s feelings, and just accepts things as they are. But if the apologizer goes too far the other way, feeling that [s]he deserves bad things, this is not optimal either. Very often, this is what is lurking behind apologies that make you feel “weak” or inferior.

A sincere apology should make you feel relieved and stronger, like you have truly dealt with something and put the worst of it behind you. Self-abusing apologies do not strengthen you like this – they tear you down, and should be avoided. You cannot hope to apologize well if you are willing to sacrifice yourself in the process.

Tags: apology, atonement, humility, listening, resolution, schadenfreude, sincerity, sorry

Just being there makes all the difference

Recently, I spent some time with somebody dear to me. Unfortunately, she wasn’t completely available to hang out – she had to do a few Internet-related chores, and asked me if it was ok that our hang-out time be interrupted by a period of her going on the computer and doing what she needed to do. So I grabbed a good book or two, ate dinner with her, and then hung out next to her, reading my book, while she did her thing.

And it felt great. Even though we basically were not interacting for a while. It meant a lot to her that I would stay anyway just to keep her company, and it meant a lot to me to make her feel good by giving her that company. Plus, on my end I wasn’t so badly off for having her company either.

Tags: company, friendship, interaction, intimacy, presence, skydiving

You should really get good at this game

It’s called “the Game of Life.” And if you already feel like you’re good at it, well… that’s great! Keep getting better. You can never get too good at Life.

I write this because it has come to my attention that so many people get good at so many different games: video games, Scrabble, card games, board games, and all that stuff. Yet, in terms of Life… these talented people can get very lost. Way more often than should be the case, for such talent.

There is nothing wrong with being good at games, or enjoying the way that they enhance your life. But more often than we realize, getting too deeply involved in these pursuits, we forget… it’s just a game. Leveling up or beating your nemesis at Scrabble can be fun. But what benefits do you get to take with you to other areas of your life? Quick-reaction time, and strategic thinking mindset do indeed count, which is one reason why games are therapeutic in healthy doses. But some folks (I’m sure you know a couple) way overdo it, and suddenly the game they’re playing seems to become more important than anything else.

A good video game is awesome to dive into every once in a while. But I have noticed, as I grow older, just how much time such addictive pursuits can take up (I’m not a gamer, but believe me, I have plenty of other vices). Time that I could have been spending bettering myself. Time and energy that could be put toward my future goals in life. I still have these problems, sometimes. Like when the game of “develop this blog” gets in the way of other, more important things in life. Like sleep. (saves this post as rough draft, turns off computer, and goes to bed)

Tags: addiction, daemons, fulfillment, games, gaming, life, maturity, wisdom

More than “just sex,” but perhaps not totally “making love,” either

Have you ever wanted to have sex that is both not too attached and at the same time not completely detached, either? You know, something that doesn’t make great promises about tomorrow, next week, and next year, but still fully lights up the fire of tonight? This is very often where I find myself.

To me (but not to some other people), mere sex, with no contextual connection surrounding it, is an ordinary, boring, uninspiring thing to do with another human being. The way I see it, one might as well masturbate if it revolves solely around the orgasm. This doesn’t mean that I have to love everyone I have sex with… but I certainly would like, at least in the moment, to have some feelings for them without it being assumed that this “attaches strings” to the future.

Not everyone thinks this way, but quite a few people do. Sometimes, even though we are not in love or looking for love, we need more than just to come – we need passion, connection, intimacy… all that good stuff. That’s what I am calling “the metasexual experience.”

Tags: attachment, connection, desire, intimacy, lovemaking, meta-sex, metasexual, passion, sex

To be loved for who you are proud to be

There was an older woman in the bar, must have been possibly between 60 and 70 years old… who was smiling, kind of minding her own business, doing her thing… except that she was getting a lot of staring attention for one reason in particular: she had some pretty substantial breasts, and they did not look at all like those of most women in their 60s – or in their 20s, for that matter. Although I did not ask her, I think it was pretty safe to say she had probably done some kind of substantial modification.

A man possibly 30 years younger than her came up to her, looking at her with a sense of wonder. After getting a good stare in (like a number of other people were doing), he looked at her and said, “you look gorgeous!”

Tags: appreciation, attraction, breasts, normalcy, objectification, sex, stereotype

Don’t always protect people from your truth. It won’t make things right

We are often encouraged to put the negativity behind us and stay positive! You know, when something bothers you or otherwise messes with you? As aggravating as it may be, you swallow it and don’t make a big deal out of it. Why keep the cycle of conflict going, after all?

Conflict avoidance is part of daily life. You won’t live well if you don’t have a well-developed sense of conflict avoidance for those millions of times an uncomfortable moment comes up. As it is said, pick your battles.

But avoiding the conflict often means leaving a problem unresolved, which only makes things much worse – especially when avoiding the same conflict again and again becomes a pattern. People who do this are under the illusion that they are “keeping the peace” by not bringing their discomfort out into the open, when in reality they are only giving themselves a raw deal by not addressing the cause of the troubles.

Tags: communication, conflict, criticism, dishonesty, honesty, relationships, truth

To be validated; when it’s good to hear someone else say something you already know

I give out a whole lot of advice here on this blog. I started this blog because I was giving out a whole lot of advice and perspective to a number of my friends, and realized that I was telling them all the same things – and that this was generally good advice for life. But of course there are times when I fall off my horse as well; I’ve written about that in a number of other posts (here, here, and here, for example). And if there’s one thing I’ve learned that I did not expect to learn, it’s that sometimes, when I pour my heart out to a friend and they respond with things I already know… I actually need to hear it. It makes me feel a lot better.

Tags: empathy, friendship, support, validation

Sexual orientation doesn’t tell the whole story about attraction

Sexual orientation is pretty straightforward, right? Gay, straight, or bi. And then there are some folks that call themselves “pansexual,” meaning that their attraction spans potentially everyone on the whole continuum of genders. Simple enough.

However, as is so often the case… life ain’t actually that simple.

I know more than one person who is sexually attracted to both traditional genders, for example, but can only see themselves in a potential relationship with members of one gender. Are people like this actually fully bisexual?

I would say yes, myself. But I know a lot of other people who don’t feel the way I do. And I think it’s time for the language of attraction to be better able to describe these distinctions.

Tags: attraction, gender, orgasm, romance, sensuality, sex, sexual orientation

“Your mother didn’t tell you the truth”

These are the words to an Apartheid-era South African song (“War and Crime”) about why bigotry exists. I used to ask myself: why do people do all sorts of horrible hateful things solely because their victims belong to some group, whether it is a racial, sexual, religious, or other minority? Though I have a lot of answers now, I don’t think this song will ever cease to touch me so deeply.

This line stands out: “your mother didn’t tell you the truth, cause my father didn’t tell me the truth.” Something about this brings tears to my eyes.

Lucky Dube, the artist singing the song, has a haunting innocence about his contemplation of discrimination. As I analyze why I am so affected by these lyrics, I begin to think: it takes a lot of audacity to go up to someone who might hate you for what you look like and say to them softly, “your mother didn’t tell you the truth.”

Tags: apartheid, bigotry, discrimination, injustice, Lucky Dube, South Africa

Sometimes I just want to come home

Home is more than just a place. It’s a very powerful concept. It’s what makes us comfortable, what we’re familiar with, what makes us feel like everything is all right. Home is our place in the world. It’s where the question, “why am I here?” no longer feels confusing to think about. It all makes sense.

Home is where we understand, and are understood. Are you at home with yourself? Do you have anyone to be at home with?

Tags: fulfillment, happiness, home, life, understanding

How important is sex, really?

Recently I was talking to a friend who, in the context of finding a monogamous relationship, was comparing two people she was attracted to. She told me “I am way more sexually drawn to Jamie [names changed] than I am to Alex, but Alex is much better for me in terms of having a healthy relationship.” She then added that, despite her sometimes very intense desires for physical intimacy, she thinks that “it’s better to be with someone that you’re not so sexually obsessed about.”

This was something I hadn’t thought about. After all, mainstream sex-positive thought generally extols the virtues of abundant orgasms. Everything is going extremely well if you are tapping into that explosion of sexual passion… right? People complain of too little sexual pleasure, not too much… right? And really, the only people who want less sexual gratification to happen are those prudish, traditionalist moralists who see exuberant episodes of ecstasy as being sinful… right?

Tags: color, connection, intimacy, orgasm, sex, vulnerability

We can do way better than either-or thinking

I see it all the time. Modern western society must push back Islam. Islam must push back modern liberalism. Feminism is antithetical to men. Men’s rights are antithetical to feminism. And so on. In a lot of modern movements and streams of thought today, tendencies run high to think exclusively – when so often they don’t have to. Purely oppositional thinking wrecks progress – and anybody who has taken a good look at such issues knows that it isn’t so simple as either-or.

But it’s not just in religion and politics that we fall into the trap of either-or thinking. We also tend to do it under very personal and intimate circumstances.

Tags: alternatives, criticism, discussion, either-or, negativity

Recommended resource: The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a book a friend recommended to me when I was going through a lot of personal change in my life. It is a simple, down-to-earth book that elaborates on four basic guidelines by which life can be lived more clearly and with a better sense of understanding and fulfillment. These four concepts resonated very clearly with the direction of my life at the time, and still do. They are:

Tags: book, Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements, Toltec

An anonymous open letter to people in abusive relationships who want to stay in the relationship despite the abuse

NOTE: trigger warning. This post contains graphic discussion of violence in relationships.

Tags: abuse, behavior, control, hurt, relationships, violence

Be somebody’s fresh air!

There’s a 7 foot / 2.2 meter tall guy, a person with a marked skin condition that stands out as “not normal,” a porn actress, someone who stutters, and a disabled person who moves using a wheelchair. What do they all have in common?

Tags: assumptions, caricature, connection, fresh air, judgment, normalcy, respect, stereotype, strangeness

It’s not all about the private parts; on not assigning a gender to newborn children

“It’s a girl!” “It’s a boy!”

These are often the first things that are learned about a newborn child – even before its name is known. And what indeed is so bad about calling a child a girl or boy, if in fact you are going to assign it a first name it didn’t choose anyway?

Recognizing a newborn baby’s sex is not at all wrong. It’s their biology – same as their blood type, for example. But gender is different from sex. Sex is about the physical body parts – specifically, those parts that are considered very private (or at least this is the popular view – but whether it’s about genitalia or chromosomes, it’s still a very private matter). Gender is just the opposite – it’s completely public. Gender has to do with what you look like, how you act, how you think, how you see yourself, and whom you identify with; it can even go as far as loosely outlining what kind of personality you have and the activities you are attracted to.

Tags: boys, children, dogma, female, first names, gender, genitals, girls, male, men, sex, transgender, women

“Chemistry” and being “in love” – does it have to fade away?

It is often said that when you find someone that you really click well with, you’ll have the “honeymoon” period, when you’re in love and feel this deep desire – and then, after a while, it all fades out, and you’re no longer passionately in love.

There is some truth to this. But why is it so?

Tags: breakup, certainty, challenge, chemistry, exploration, intrigue, love, relationships, uncertainty

Seeing deeper

by ~laylapersia
(original post here)

.

The scars on my wrist represent pain;

hurt which I wear just beneath my sleeve.

.

Also on my heart.

Hidden, yet no less intense.

.

Moreso, for all the scars which we wear and show the world

pale by comparison to those hiding beneath the surface.

Escaping only as sobs or shrieks of pain in solitude.

.

The mask we wear for the world is not us.

Only a part of us.

.

Tags: hiding, love, mask, poem, scars, soul, truth

The real meaning of “safer sex”

One of the big problems with common use of the term “safer sex”  is that it is often used solely in the context of preventing STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), and/or pregnancy. Sex does not have to involve STDs or pregnancy in order to be unsafe; even if it is only for five minutes or less, sex can be a very bad experience if the context is forced or unwanted in some way. Such bad experiences – which include rape, but are definitely not limited to just rape – definitely qualify as unsafe sex. If we used a broader definition of safety in sex – one that includes emotional and physical safety, in addition to medical safety – it would be much easier to convince more people to have sex more safely. You may not be able to see or feel anything strange in the exact moment that a bacteria or virus infects you – however, very often you can perceive in that moment many other things that don’t feel right, and take steps to avert something you will regret later.

Tags: aggression, coercion, consent, fear, instinct, intimacy, rape, safer sex, safety, sex, STDs

Safer sex in practice: 15 risk factors that are not given enough attention

Say the phrase “safer sex” and what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Condoms. Of course. But condoms are far from the only thing that makes a sexual act “safer.” You see, safe sex is like safe driving. No matter how safe you play it, there’s still a risk. That’s why it is always said that the only 100% guarantee against getting an STD (sexually transmitted disease) is abstinence. But, then, even though driving is not 100% insured against an accident happening, most people still drive. So unless you are going to stop having sex, it really is a question of doing what you can to be safer.

Even when using a condom, you can still pass certain STDs in other ways. Or the condom can fall off or break. Or sexual fluids can get on the other person and serve as a transmission pathway for certain STDs – chlamydia is incredibly easy to spread, for example, and herpes and HPV are sometimes still able to pass even when condoms are used. But all this does not change the fact that condoms are still the most obvious way out there to reduce risks while having sex. This is well-known and documented. What is very little talked about, however, are the myriad of other sexual choices we have, and how such choices can also make us much safer in our sexual activity.

Tags: behavior, condoms, danger, protection, responsibility, risk, safer sex, sex, STDs

The limits (and benefits) of professional mental therapy

Therapists. Shrinks. Counselors. Sometimes, you just need one, to help tackle a deeper problem. But sometimes that’s not what you really need.

When therapy is applied correctly, it can work, and very well. But often, people go to therapists for things that really have easier, better solutions than continued therapy. Good therapists will spot this and either reveal it to their patient, or set a target goal or date for the patient to stop needing therapy (though they may not always share this with the patient depending on the case).

Unfortunately, not every therapist is a good therapist. And, it must be said, in a society in which therapy is a private, for-profit occupation, many therapists have an interest, conscious or not, in keeping their patients in the same place so they will consistently continue therapy for years and years. But if you go for years merely rehashing the same subject matter over and over again, then you [and your therapist] are possibly doing it wrong. The point is to make qualitative strides and get further along in one’s development – not stay in the same old place.

Tags: change, comfort, counselor, development, listening, mindset, patient, personal development, satisfaction, shrink, therapist, therapy, transformation

The power of vulnerability

I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. –2 Corinthians 12:10 (The Bible)

The prevailing view of strength is one that opposes it to weakness and vulnerability. I think that balanced vulnerability is crucial to staying strong. I say “balanced” because not every moment is the right one to be vulnerable, just as there are times when applying force to something won’t do. But I believe modern culture is way out of balance with regard to the role of vulnerability in our lives – mostly because there is too little of it, not too much.

Tags: balance, Brene Brown, strength, TED talk, understanding, video, vulnerability, weakness

A different way to look at romantic relationships

Recently I was talking to a friend about whether she wanted a monogamous or non-monogamous relationship, and she told me that, for her, non-monogamy is the default norm, with monogamy being one possible “customization,” as opposed to the way. This made so much sense to me when I thought about it that I decided to dedicate this post about it.

Most modern societies think of monogamous couplings as the norm when it comes to romantic relationships. However, there have always been other kinds of relationships coexisting with monogamous ones throughout history – and while monogamy may be considered the “norm,” I openly challenge the thinking that monogamy is in any way more “normal” than any other relationship style.

Tags: change, cheating, communication, connection, desire, friend, intimacy, love, lover, monogamy, nonmonogamy, norms, openness, polyamory, relationships, romance, sex, swinging

Change IS reality – in fact, it is reality’s driving force

Many of us try to find some constant in reality that we can hold on to, some one thing that will not change, that we can depend on. Well… if the computer age has taught us anything new, it’s that really the only dependable constant in life… is change itself.

Many people imagine this in the worst possible way: nothing can be counted on. Nobody can be trusted. Everything you know could get taken from you in an instant. People’s fear of change paralyzes them and stops them from realizing their full potential as human beings. But that’s only one side of the story.

Tags: atrocities, belief, change, constancy, dependability, dependable, dogma, Einstein, faith, fear, fixed, moment, possibility, reality, reliability, religion, relitivity, science, tightrope, tightrope walker, trust, untruth

A MANifesto for the 21st Century

There is a lot of talk about how women face a multitude of problems that men do not (something that is still true, even in most developed countries). In the past 100 years, feminist movements of many different stripes have made great progress on everything from legal and economic equality to the personal empowerment of women themselves.

One unintended side-effect of all this attention given to women is that many men are feeling ignored or invisible AS MEN. They feel their manhood is not appreciated anymore – that, in fact, it is considered a liability! There has been a growing resentment and backlash against feminism and women’s empowerment as a result – as though women’s empowerment has disempowered men – when the problem really has to do with men feeling as though, now that things have changed and shifted so much, they have no place to contribute to society as “men.”

Tags: choice, empathy, empowerment, feminism, gender, heal, honesty, insecurity, listening, macho, male, manhood, masculinity, men, patience, positive energy, power, self-awareness, self-control, self-empowerment, sex, sexes, strength, threat, vulnerability, wrong

It’s ok to be self-centered

In fact, it’s totally, completely necessary. You are the only person you have to live with every second of your life! If you aren’t self-centered, how can you be centered?

There are a lot of myths out there about how some people are just “selfless;” how they were / are great because they have gotten past their ego, to a level of giving and sacrifice that “normal” humans don’t or can’t usually attain. Some people say we should all strive to be more like these “selfless saints.”

But what is being forgotten here is that these “saints” are actually not at all free of ego. Their ego is quite present, especially if we are talking about well-known leaders who [necessarily] command people’s attention wherever they go. They are merely able to harmonize their ego and its wants and needs with their interaction with the outside world.

Tags: balance, behavior, bible, ego, egocentrism, giving, god, heroes, Jesus Christ, listening, myth, respect, self, selfishness, selflessness, service, wrong, yinyang

The problem with secretly keeping score

Have you ever had a relationship with someone that was always threatened by tit-for-tat “negotiations” over small things? You know, like “we ate at the restaurant you wanted to go to last time. Now it’s my turn.”

Stuff like this can be ok – IF both people have previously worked it out and openly agreed upon it. But far too often, many of us secretly keep score. And a lot of friendships and partnerships are lost to secret scorekeeping.

Tags: being there, business relationship, closeness, communication, conflict, fairness, fear, givers, giving, honesty, hurt, insecurity, intentions, intimacy, justice, relationships, resentment, scorekeeping, transaction, trust

Yin and Yang – a useful way to approach complex truth

Truth is often thought of as simple and easy: It’s hot outside. Maria is 1.56 meters tall. The milk has gone bad. These are all easy truths – easy to talk about, easy to find the answers to. But some answers don’t come so easy. When do you know whether to take someone’s advice, or ignore it? To trust somebody, or not trust them? Whether to wear these clothes, or those? Drive faster, or slower? What’s the right response?

In a world that often over-simplifies and generalizes so that more people can easily understand something quicker, the concept of Yin and Yang is a great way to free your mind from the confines of one-way-is-best thinking.

Sometimes one way is best. But that’s the easy part. The real challenges occur those times when there is no one thing or method you can count on to “be the best.” That’s where genius shines.

Tags: answers, balance, daoism, dialectic, feminine, life, masculine, opposites, perspective, philosophy, point of view, problem, question, right, society, spiritual energy, taoism, truth, yang, yin, yinyang

The opportunity of adversity

Positive-thinking people not only find ways to create positive situations; they also extract the golden nuggets of positivity from the jaws of very negative, debilitating situations.

In this video, Aimee Mullins, an athlete, actress, and fashion model, talks about her experience living with half of both her legs missing. How, rather than being a disability, this adversity combined with positive, supportive thinking helped her unleash her full potential and become the best of herself.

Tags: adversity, Aimee Mullins, amputation, challenge, disability, experience, hardship, language, perspective, point of view, positivity, state of mind, support, thinking, video, words

How to be a better lover

The questions are always flying around: “what can I do to spice up my lovelife a bit?” Whether it’s on a date, in bed, living together, spending some time apart, it seems that some folks are better lovers than others.

So what makes a good lover? Is there any universal key to this holy grail?

There are many variables… but if it could all boil down to one thing, it would have to be SHOWING DESIRE.

Tags: admiration, attraction, comfort, compassion, curiosity, desire, love, lovelife, lovemaking, lover, mindset, relax, relaxation, release, safety, sex, tension, touch, understanding

A good divorce is as much cause to celebrate as a good marriage

Unfortunately, it’s even rarer.

A few days ago I went to the family court in my area for a case that was pulled last of all, which meant I got to observe the other cases. Among these others were a couple of joint petitions for divorce, in which both partners stood together before the judge and, having agreed on everything, got divorced. Simple.

But what struck me about these “joint petition” divorces, especially the first one, was how in sync the two people were. They were so in agreement with each other, so intent on helping each other move on in life… that they sat down on the bench together, carried each other’s jackets, held the door for each other… it was as if they were brother and sister.

After that first divorce (which involved no lawyers at all), I told the person next to me, “I want to clap my hands. That was so well done.”

Tags: breakup, change, communication, death, divorce, failure, marriage, partner, relationships, separation, soul mate

Remember to breathe

Rant ahead! I have been having a really busy, action-packed week, and done pretty well. Got a lot done, managed to enjoy substantial time with good friends, ran errands, work is busy, et cetera et cetera. I even slept really well.

So why do I feel like I want to smash something right now?

As I take this moment out to listen to what my spirit is trying to tell me, I notice something: I have lost the will to breathe deeply. My breaths are short and staccato.

Over the past year, I have been training myself to be mindful of my breathing, and breathe deeply, inhaling “into my stomach.” This way I get to use the full volume of my lungs to take in oxygen. For a while now, this was pretty automatic. But this week, I have lost that reflex. Several times now, I have had to remind myself to fully inhale. Just now I reminded myself to fully exhale. Things are different when you breathe fully.

When in stressful situations, people often say, “take a deep breath.” It’s very good advice. Practitioners of medicine from the East see breath and the taking in of oxygen as being key to replenishing “qi” or “life-force.” Deep breathing also helps you to think more wisely, because the brain is a very oxygen-hungry organ and a lot is going on up there.

My aforementioned desire to smash something was the product of a momentary feeling of general narrowness: narrowness of thought, narrowness of breath, narrowness of general feeling from not having given myself time to feel. Now that I have taken a moment out to breathe, I no longer feel quite so hard and narrow; I have opened up and let in other energy, and though I certainly don’t feel great, I do feel much better.

Remember to breathe.

Tags: brain, breath, breathing, feelings, inhaling, mundfulness, oxygen, qi, spirit, stress

I’ve been away for a little while

I just realized, I haven’t put up a new post in about a week! Usually I post every other day, sometimes skipping a day. But no, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I just took some time off because I needed to.

I spend many hours in front of a computer in my job. Writing blog posts often involves more computer time, and I realized that all this time staring at a computer was taking away from valuable time I needed to do other things.

Tags: computer, freedom, getting away, motivation, need, needs, posts, thoughts, time, weather, writing

When love makes the pain feels good

I’m not talking about kink/BDSM stuff here… that was covered in another post. No, I’m talking about when you feel that aching pit in your stomach for someone, when you miss them, when they have done something that they needed to do which hurts you in some way, and you feel the pain—and yet it feels good.

If you can get here with someone, you will know that you love them, the way love is supposed to be.

Pain will always be around. If you’re not feeling pain right now, you will be soon. The key to an enlightened existence is to understand the role of this pain in your life.

Some pain is just no good—like the pain of being forced into something against your will. But much of the time, the pain that we are trying to avoid is necessary, therapeutic, and even healing, if we just stop fighting it all the time. You will know that the pain will be good because it will feel painful in itself to resist such pain. Then, when you let go, you will feel the pain you kept yourself from feeling… but it will feel right. It will feel harmonious. It will feel like it is meant to be there, and that it is not unjust or unnecessary.

You can’t be happy all the time. In life, there must be balances of different things. This goes for emotions, too; you will have your bad times sometimes, and the more you try to resist them when they happen, the worse they will feel when they break through your defenses – which always does eventually happen. But if you can create a space in your heart and mind to love your longing and heartbreak, it will love you back. And then you will be free of being prisoner to it, because it will set you free once you let go and feel it.

Tags: balance, emotion, feelings, happiness, harmony, Healing, heart, heartbreak, letting go, love, mind, pain, struggle