Changing Filters

February 5

Today's quotation:

I wish to say what I think and feel today, with the proviso that tomorrow perhaps I shall contradict it all.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's Meditation:

Perhaps the greatest constant in our lives is change. We change every day as we learn new things and are exposed to new thoughts and ideas. Some people, though, insist upon holding on to beliefs that were developed in their pasts, no matter how much new learning they've done that contradicts what they thought they knew in the past.

It's understandable why people hold on--there seems to be safety in consistency, and we're taught from a very young age that consistency is one of the most valued qualities that human beings can possess. Unfortunately, though, the desire to be consistent can keep us from examining our lives, our thoughts, our beliefs, and our actions in an effort to determine if they're really, truly, reflective of us and who we are as human beings.

Never changing our minds means simply this: we aren't learning. Our thoughts and beliefs should constantly be developing and growing into new thoughts and beliefs.

When I was young, I used to think that life was about competition, about striving to do your best against other people. While I still see the value of competition in some areas such as athletics, I tend now to believe that life is about cooperation--and that even within the realm of competition, cooperation can make our efforts much more rewarding (the ending of the movie Cars shows a great example of this!).

I've left behind many beliefs in my life, and as I do so I find that I'm replacing them with fewer beliefs--and tomorrow, I may find that I have no beliefs left--just acceptance of the way things are without the filter of my beliefs turning them into what I think they should be.
Questions to consider:

Is it easy for you to change your mind about things that are important to you?

Which beliefs would you most like to leave behind?

Does change come easily to you? How might you make it happen a bit easier in your life?
For further thought:

It seems necessary to completely shed the
old skin before the new, brighter, stronger,
more beautiful one can emerge. . . . I never thought
I'd be getting a life lesson from a snake.

Julie Ridge


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I really enjoyed this meditation today. I have let go of many beliefs in my lifetime and anticipate the letting go of many more as the years go by. I really, really like the idea of accepting things just as they are. I am also learning to do this more and more with people. That is the harder one.

If we are able to turn off the filter and just let things come and go through our lives I think that we can find much more peace. I am experiencing this right now as I try to adjust my mind and life through our changing financial and employment situation. Not such an easy task. One that I am trying to approach with renewed vigor.

At fir5st it was like being blindsided by a Mack truck. Now I am taking the advice that I have often passed out to others. I am reading and reading and READING as much as I can find and I am not only writing, but blogging. It is quite cathartic.





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