FEELING LONELY?

A somewhat strange thought went through my mind today, that is, we tend to finish our lives in this Planet Earth much lonelier than when we arrived here. When we are born, there is a crowd waiting for us: our parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, friends of all those, and more. We then arrive and are loved by a number of people that are real close to us and prepared to love us unconditionally (or almost). We become the center of attention and care, and our arrival is announced to all and celebrated by all.

Then, we start go grow up, biologically speaking as well as an individual. And we keep growing throughout our lives in several ways. Time goes fast, and pretty soon we are the ones becoming parents, and then grandparents. At one point, we get in to the last phase of our lives. Not sure when this actually starts....but we do have a feel for when it has already started. For one thing, we start to think we have become wiser, and our questions start to run real deep, reaching the farthest part of our consciousness, and generally not finding concrete, or at least complete, answers. But it will be exactly through persistent questioning and curiosity how we will eventually become much or really wiser, and, most importantly, realize so many important things in life.

But in this long journey, though, we may also notice that we are not as loved as we used to be. Whatever happened to all those that couldn't wait to greet us upon our birth? Well, some of them are no longer in this world; others are now far away, and others we have lost along the way including those we have added at different phases of our lives. Coming close to the end of our lives, many people may (unfortunately) fell like "they are all gone, and I am alone in this world".

Humm! How sad, you might say. And it is indeed sad. The question then becomes why this all happened. Or could it be that this is the way it is designed to be?! No way, of course. In this case, whom should we blame for this misfortune?

I will leave the above questions for you to reflect about, and hopefully share your conclusions with me and others. The other day I put a statement in the Facebook hoping to get some insights, but no one dared. I posted: "If you arrive at your final stages in this life being loved by your kids, that is realization; and, if, in addition, you end your life being loved by your spouse, that's a "home run". Add this to your considerations as well.

Saludos
Gilberto
Jan 17, 2012.










  

ANOTHER YEAR

Another year is gone by, and another year is ahead of us. The latter one seems to raise our optimism, renovate our hopes, an opportunity to accomplish the things we have missed in the past year, and son on. The year that's gone can only serve as a reference. We should be thankful to God, Jesus, and all their hard-workers, including our guardian angels, for everything we benefitted from this past year. That includes their invisible help to make us get through so many difficult circumstances, which were part of our lessons (yo may call it trials or expiations as well). Needless to say that 2011 was not an easy year to the majority of people.

What's ahead of us, now? Well, God only knows, but we can certainly make some well-educated guesses on a few possible perspectives for 2012:

• Overall anxiety levels may continue high as no major improvements are foreseen for the global economy. The European markets situation seems to be headed to cause a large impact on most globalized markets. Unemployment is not projected to improve here in the USA, at least not as much as needed to provide relief (jobs) to the millions of people that are suffering, along with their families, for lack of an opportunity to make a living. 
• The lag between intelectual/techonological development level and the spiritual/moral development level will not close to a point where humans could feel better and safer. And this is just natural, as this is a slow process. Meanwhile, institutional crises may get further agravated (e.g. marriage), worldwide peace may not improve (e.g. Iran's nuke issue), etc.  
• The Mayan predictions for the end of the world by December 21st, 2012, may cause many unprepared people to "go nuts" about this possibility, particularly if new major natural disasters start to happen ahead of the December 21st.deadline. 
• For the Spiritists, the increased number of messages, lectures, and talking about the rapid approaching of the Planetary Transition time will just compound the issue of the Mayan Calendar. 
• No major or relevant changes in worldwide leadership is expected for next year, as far as I can tell, meaning no major improvements can be expected in macro policies that could ease the pain and hunger of so many around the world. 
• The Spiritist Doctrine will continue to be important to so many, as a consoler and educator, but it does not seem to have developed the power yet to trigger a pervasive new way of thinking and behaving that could significantly and positively impact moral levels. 

We could keep looking on other aspects of life and society, but that's not necessary at this point. What I think is important at this point is to look into this whole situation from a much higher level --- the spiritual level --- and try to make sense of it all. To start with, the desitny of humans and of the Earth is not out of control at all. The same force that keeps the whole universe in harmony is on top of our situation here on Earth. More than that, all the challenges and suffering are just the opportunity for each human to work on those areas affecting the development level of their spirits. It is also an invitation for humanity to get closer, more fraternal, develop a much stronger sense of solidarity, and, most importantly, strengthen faith in God.

It seems to me that 2012 will be a great mnoment for us to work on our evangelization, our faith, and our loyalty to God and Jesus. Let's keep in mind two basic and fundamental messages from them:

• Get to know the truth, and the truth will save you
• Without charity there is no salvation

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Gilberto
Dec 31, 2011


 

GREEN EXERCISE

Just 5 Minutes Of 'Green Exercise' Optimal For Good Mental Health

How much "green exercise" produces the greatest improvement in mood and sense of personal well-being? A new study in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology has a surprising answer.

The answer is likely to please people in a society with much to do but little time to do it: Just five minutes of exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, on a nature trail, or other green space will benefit mental health.

Jules Pretty and Jo Barton explain in the study that green exercise is physical activity in the presence of nature. Abundant scientific evidence shows that activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness and improves the sense of well-being. Until now, however, nobody knew how much time people had to spend in green spaces to get those and other benefits.

"For the first time in the scientific literature, we have been able to show dose-response relationships for the positive effects of nature on human mental health," Pretty said.

From an analysis of 1,252 people (of different ages, genders and mental health status) drawn from ten existing studies in the United Kingdom, the authors were able to show that activity in the presence of nature led to mental and physical health improvements.

They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming. The greatest health changes occurred in the young and the mentally-ill, although people of all ages and social groups benefited. All natural environments were beneficial including parks in urban settings. Green areas with water added something extra. A blue and green environment seems even better for health, Pretty noted.

From a health policy perspective, the largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose.

"We know from the literature that short-term mental health improvements are protective of long-term health benefits," Pretty said. "So we believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise," added Barton.

A challenge for policy makers is that policy recommendations on physical activity are easily stated but rarely adopted widely as public policy, Pretty noted, adding that the economic benefits could be substantial.

Policy frameworks that suggest active living point to the need for changes to physical, social and natural environments, and are more likely to be effective if physical activity becomes an inevitable part of life rather than a matter of daily choice.

Source:
American Chemical Society

Copyright: Medical News Today

BE HUNGRY TO HELP THE HUNGRY

“Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy”. - Mother Theresa of Calcutta 

Where is the world headed to? There are too many answers to this question, because human beings, in general, tend to look at this issue from its own perspective which is highly influenced (or controlled) by the egocentric views of each human being, or group of. Unfortunately, most of us are all raised to believe that the world is divided into winners and losers, and to realize our “American Dream” (or something equivalent to), and that normally implies in our minds being better of, or beat, our neighbors in the material world. Immediacies are generally taken as priority over longer term goals, because we can’t lose any battles as we move on as that could be perceived as a sign of weakness. We all have, though, one thing in common: we all search for happiness. Happiness is the ultimate aspiration of humanity. The level of pride and selfishness, though, make us understand happiness in many different ways. Most people still believe that joy can bring happiness, and that most joy can be “purchased”. Actually, for these people, this is “true”. They can find happiness in a new car, dining out, titles, power, and other innumerable ways in their earthly lives. On the other hand, not enough people can see that happiness, to be stable and long lasting, must be something that needs to satisfy our spiritual aspirations, therefore it must be acquired in a way that add value to our souls.

Why did I start this article with that question on where the world is headed to? Well, this question seems to be very relevant at this particular moment, where the media is so filled with bad news that makes us wonder if we are at the verge of an inconceivable situation.  At the heels of such bad news come statistics showing a consistent and persistent growth in poverty. The census of the United States, just published, revealed that, in 2010, we had around 46 million people in this country that live before poverty line. That means an increase of about 6% versus the year before. This includes an increase of 11.5% in the number of suburban residents that lived below the poverty line. As an expected domino effect of this, the hunger issue gets magnified. Reports tell us about a substantial increase in the number of people knocking the doors of the many food pantries around the country.

Let’s now read once again the introductory quote to this article, from Mother Theresa. Based not only on the above quote, but on so many other quotes she left for us as profound messages, we can say that Mother Theresa was “hungry” to help the hungry. She was asking God’s mercy to all poor and hungry people by making us conscious that, to be “worthy” of God and true happiness, we need to have compassion and do charity with love.  The world would be much better if instead of being seen as divided between winners and losers, it would be seen as divided into those that need help and those that help the needy. And that would get us closer to God, as we would be complying with His first commandment: “To love God above all, and our neighbor as we love ourselves”.     

St. Francis made it clear to us: “It is in giving, that we receive”. If it was the other way around, meaning that selfishness could bring happiness, than the Divine Laws would be at jeopardy. So, let’s hungry to help the hungry! The Bezerra de Menezes’s food pantry is one of the many ways we could help so many desperate people looking for so little.

Gilberto

Oct 3rd, 2011

  

   

        

ADD A LITTLE VALUE TO YOUR SOUL... EVERY DAY.

Add a little value to your soul... every day.

As we all have heard, "without charity, there is no salvation".

Therefore, adding value to our soul means: do charity.

No wonder why, since the first Divine Law tells us to

"love our brothers like we love ourselves".

 

The question  886 of the Book of the Spirits, clarify what charity means:

-- it means "BIP", that is, benevolence, indulgence, and ("Perdon") forgiveness.

These are also big virtues, though, that need to be worked on constantly.

We all have those virtues already developed to a certain extent,

meaning that we all can practice charity, even at the risk of failing sometimes.

 

Moving from theory to practice, now. My ideas are derived

from my interpretation of the Question 919 of the Book of the Spirits.

First, how do we better our BIP virtues? Better yet, have we been

working on a regular basis to improve our BIP virtues? 

So, paraphrasing St. Augustine, let's ask this question to ourselves:

 

- What have I read today (books, magazines, Internet, etc) that

made me reflect on my values, my routine, my actions, 

and my moral improvement opportunities?

 

- Have I spent my day wisely, as far as how I allocated my time to

actions and things that brought me joy while improving my BIP virtues?

 

- Have we thought of those we know are in need of help?

 

Needless to say that when we decide to ask the above type of questions

to ourselves, it indicates that we have already positively answered one basic

question:  - Do I want to progress morally and spiritually? or, borrowing the

line of Leon Denis, do I want to improve the value of my soul?

 

Now that we have gone through this exercise, we should be ready

to wake-up tomorrow morning with one thing in mind: do a little thing for

someone, our families, or our community that will add value to my soul.

Then, let's make this a mindset, so everyday we wake up with such

an objective ingrained in our thoughts and actions, I mean, fully

internalized, so that we just naturally pursue this objective in everything we do.

It is in giving that we receive, and that's how we will increase the value

of our souls.

 

Gilberto

16 Sept 2011

ONCE-IN-A-LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE

The other day I woke up with something completely different in my little mind, maybe as a result of the adventures of my soul while I was sleeping. That something was the realization that we all will experience death. Hold on, it is not that. I am talking about the process of death, i.e. a transition from a state to another that only occurs once each incarnation, but that feels like a true once-in-a-lifetime experience since we would not remember (I think) our last transitional experience. Wow... how would that look like? How would that feel like? I mean... that transition that might be either short or long to different people. Have you ever experienced one of those nights when you wake up in the middle of it and can't remember where you are for a few moments? Now imagine yourself waking up and that feeling of not knowing where you are is no longer just a brief one. How will you react to that? Very calmly, or with desperation? What would you first notice when you look around? Humm... now this thing starts to get complicated, because you may wake up in a place that does not look as warm and good as your today's room. But let's say you look around and find yourself in a pleasant place, except that your mind goes crazy trying to remember how you got there. The door opens, and somebody welcomes you. You then start to ask questions like... where am I? Where is my family? Who brought me here? No answers that will satisfy you as they don't want you to have a heart attack, I mean, a breakdown followed by unnecessary reactions that won't help you. 

Ok, you got the picture. Now let's look at this from a different perspective. Let's say we know enough, thank to the Spirits Doctrine, and you quickly realize that such a major "relocation" must have to do with your return to the Spiritual World. And you know that such a transition can feel like the successful ending of your long search for happiness. Magically, your body is not a big weight anymore, and that pressure in your chest (anxiety, fear, depression, and other type of feelings that made you so frustrated) is gone. You feel so light! You look through the window, and everything seems to have reached such a harmonized state that it immediately invades your body in the form of a blessing energy that makes you even lighter. Ok, you are now living those transition moments that I called a one-in-a-life-time experience, and you don't want it to be just a dream. You feel realized. 

Let's now call it a different name: a Divine Moment that, in fact, may last longer that you would expect. The question then becomes "how can I ensure I will actually have that kind of Divine experience", since such a Devine Moment is not for everyone, but only for those that have earned it. All the rest will go through experiences that will range from Less-than-Devine Moments to moments of unbelievable darkness and suffering. Worse yet, the latter type may last very long. 

I'll let you think about how best to answer the question from the previous paragraph. Needless to say it is a matter of preparation while still living. And the preparation should be made from the time one first decides it makes sense to do them.

I would love if you could share your thoughts with me and everyone. 

Gilberto

Aug 18, 2011

     

A GRANDE TRANSIÇÃO E O GRANDE DESAFIO

Nos foi dito sobre os espíritos presentemente encarnados na Terra,
Que estão tendo a sua última oportunidade neste planeta ainda de provas e expiações.
Nem todos esses espíritos conseguirão o progresso moral necessário para encarnar
num mundo novo, para eles, o mundo de regeneração.
Será que este conceito se aplica à maioria dos espiritos encarnados no momento?
Os espíritos mais atrasados estão se enfrentando com o desafio de vencer maus institintos talvez
ainda muito arraigados, e num ambiente (mundo) capaz de submeter as suas determinações a testes
bastante fortes (como que o se avanço requerido desses espíritos fossem muito grandes para
poder merecer reencarnar no novo mundo).
Similarmente, os espíritos já mais evoluidos mas ainda em provas finais por aqui, também enfrentam
a grande dureza dos testes de determinação de um mundo conturbado pelos desatinos dos espiritos menos evoluidos.
O orador espírita Marcel Mariano nos fez uma colocação que não sei se reflete suas conclusões pessoais
ou se tal informação foi trazida a nós pelo mundo espiritual. Disse ele que os espiritos que já perceberam que vão daqui para um mundo pior, já que não lograrão seu lugar no novo mundo (que vai ser aqui mesmo), estão fazendo como aqueles cujas casas foram ou estão sendo retomadas pelos financiadores ("foreclosure"). Ou seja, já que vão ser despejados, tentam destruir a casa que lhes abrigam como num
ato de rebeldia que afeta aqueles que ficarão com a casa deles (exemplo meu). É o "leva, mais voce vai ter sofrer também".

Uma amiga escreveu ontem no seu mural do Facebook algo assim: "Estou tão cansada de viver no meio de gente negativa. Por que as pessoas são tão grosseiras e reclamam de tudo? Por que atualmente elas não apreciam nada na vida? Triste...".   Bem, este comentário, no meu ver, tem muito a ver com o que eu estava escrevendo acima. Pense na forma como somos tratados em quase todos os lugares que passamos no nosso dia a dia. Como somos tratados pelas atendentes em consultórios médicos? E, depois, pelos médicos? Como somos tratados pelos vendedores de seguros, carros, lojas departamentais? Não é mais fácil perguntar onde que somos tratados com respeito, ou seja, as exceções?

Bem, mas não vamos nos perder na análise. Não é uma questão de pais que não souberam criar seus filhos. Tudo tem a ver com o nível espiritual da maioria. Voce já se perguntou "como ele teve coragem de fazer tal coisa?". Pois é. O caso é mais profundo. A incapacidade moral ofusca a intelectual de tal forma, que o nível educacional não se traduz nas virtudes que denotam amadurecimento espiritual.

Pelo menos, vamos ficar preparados: para os "melhorados", o esforço do exercicio da paciência, tolerância, solidariedade, empatia, caridade, e outras tantas virtudes tem que ser redobrado.

Gilberto
Ago 5, 2011