Love yourself first and then find love and compassion for others…

Some of us find it hard to love ourselves. What does that really mean to love ourselves? It can be easy to find faults in who we think we are. Maybe you are unorganized or have bad habits. Maybe you get stressed out easy or are being medicated for depression and or anxiety. Maybe you wish you were healthier or more fit and lean. Maybe you do not like crowds or being the center of attention. All of this self-loathing is rooted to our egos and false perceptions. It makes us want to be someone else or we mentally berate ourselves as if we are unworthy and unlovable. It is one thing to love who you are and it is a completely different thing to love what you are. There is a fundamental difference to be actualized. Our perception of who we are is rooted in societal pressures, what we see on television, etc. Our happiness is regulated by self-esteem and the approval of others. This sets us up for failure. It’s no wonder religion was invented.

Yet, there is another kind of love… In fact, there is another way to love yourself; and this other kind of love transcends all the passive chaos that envelopes planet Earth. We are products of the Universe and thus are born from quantum positive energy. There is a quality to this that is pure and unfettered. We are the sons and daughters of vibration, light and love and that is something no one can take away from you. This is our True Nature, vast, boundless and reliable. It is easy to love yourself when you look at where the source of our being is rooted (True Nature). Look up at night and marvel at the stars. Appreciate nature and the love for a pet or child. This is a love that is all powerful and unchanging. Put your confidence into this type of love and soon you will realize all of your shortcomings in life, all of your bad habits and self-loathing are just products of a self-esteem driven by ego. Such worries and deceptions will seem trivial and unnecessary once you find empowerment from an inner source.

There is nothing confident and steadfast about our egos. Much like money, the ego comes and goes and for many it regulates our happiness and suffering. The more control we take away from the ego, the more we connect to the steadfast vision that is our True Nature. Love what you are (a product of the Universe born from love and energy) and happiness and confidence will root itself in your life. Once you have this unadulterated confidence of what you are, soon your perspectives in life will change. Soon you will make little changes in life like eating better, exercising or getting more organized. Soon, very soon, you will connect that love of what you are and who you are as one – A quality of oneness bathed under the light of self-actualization and enlightenment.

Once you love yourself for what you are, you will begin to love yourself for who you are. Once one has reached this milestone in life, our work is not finished. Now, it is time to love others and find compassion for those still in need. Love is powerful and is the connection between the Universe and humankind. Find it, be it; and love it…

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

Autumn brings promise…

I have noticed that when being mindful of my surroundings, inspiration and inner wisdom seems to flow. Just this morning I disembarked on a brisk morning bike ride. The sun was out and the blue sky above was streaked with white wisps’ of clouds. As I rode into the local nature preserve near my home, I was immersed in all the glory of autumn. I love fall here in the Midwest: The vibrant colors of red and orange as wild maples turn the corner to winter. Leaves fall like butterflies as I ride under the color of the forest canopy. The smells of cinnamon and dew permeate my senses as the chilly air refreshes my face…

The entire experience sort of got me thinking about the seasons and how they may relate to life. The quality of nature can reveal many secrets when we stop for a moment and settle into our surroundings. When you think of summer, you may think of warmth, life and greenery. As autumn arrives so do the many colors of nature – it is almost a grand finale of sorts – a celebration before the cold grey qualities of winter befall us. Winters here in Chicagoland can be brutal: Snow, ice and below freezing temperatures almost metaphorically represent an ending; an ending to summer and all that is warm and alive. Still, we can have confidence in the fact that spring will emerge and with it a birth of new life.

Autumn it seems offers us a promise – a promise of a new beginning. I tweeted this while out riding my bike a few mornings ago: “What does Autumn represent? The celebration and ending of a cycle with the promise of rebirth? With every ending there is a beginning… “ And this notion is so true. As with anything in life, there will be a beginning and an ending. Life and death represents that concept. When we visualize the Universe as vast and boundless, what qualities are representative? Well, the birth and life of stars, followed by their eventual cessation – then a rebirth as new stars form the tired gases of deceased stars. It is seems everything has cycles and exhibits a quality of relativity.

Life it seems is a revolving door. We were born from existing energy, we will eventually return to energy. Based on what my inner wisdom tells me, we are here to live and learn to love; to make the right decisions and to teach others the path of enlightenment so that we can evolve as humans; when I see the autumn leaves begin to fall revealing the naked branches underneath. When I see the green of summer dry up and decay, I see a promise of something new. So it seems, even old age and death represent merely a transition. We can celebrate the fall season as not an ending to something, but a transition to something new and fresh – a new beginning. And it is this wisdom which can translate qualities into all facets of life.

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Or please visit www.responsiveuniverse.com

John C. Bader

Awareness...

In a post a few days ago I discussed the element of mind and space as being something synonymous with the Universe – boundless in nature. This concept or quality also relates to our True Nature which represents unfetter confidence and a steadfast vision; all of which relates to our minds. Does your mind have a border or periphery? Can you visualize your mind as a shape with an edge and limits? Where do thoughts arise and where do they drift off to? The tangible mind may seem small but the psyche seems vast when you contemplate such musings. When we attached ourselves to the concept of space, there is this boundless quality to everything in life. We realize we are simply a part of something so vast our petty differences and trivial materialistic needs seem insignificant. Further, there is now room for the many challenges we face in life. We when feel closed in and stressed out, there is an anxious claustrophobic quality associated with space. Here the ego runs rampant and fears define our actions and reactions. We need to find space in our mind and in our vision as we move forward in life. Finding a quality of space within and throughout our surroundings breeds awareness.

Awareness is basically clarity in any given situation and or scenario. Clarity and awareness involves being cognitive of an issue or situation and having openness and space for it. When we are rooted in the present and our thoughts are not dependent on the past or future, we tend to carry a higher level of precision and space within the mind. When we discuss the concept of space at this level, there is a quality of energy that is unchanging and dependable. As discussed, much like the Universe, the mind can be considered vast and seemingly boundless. Knowing this breeds acute transparency in the mind. Clarity is seeing the quality of our experience and as stated, an open mind and space brings forth this awareness: A fresh, sharpened perspective on issues and challenges that may face us on any given day. As we learn to reap the benefits of meditation and self-reflection – thus shedding our egos and false perceptions; awareness leads us to the voice of wisdom. This is the clarity and awareness of your True Nature speaking insight – your inner voice; not ingrained with ego but an unfettered true reality that represents the unadulterated you! This is a voice free of anger, ego and hollow confidence. The inner voice echoes our heart wish to love, be happy and find compassion for our enemies. Increasing awareness is experienced as a sense of something new- something fresh and interesting. Having clarity will trigger responsive consciousness to not answer conflict and challenges blindly; to be aware of the hardwired control patterns that sometimes unknowingly control us. As we remain mindful of the present and more aware of our feelings and surroundings, a sharpened quality of awareness is actualized. This is an important step to reaching higher levels of self-actualization.

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

You will be missed Steve Jobs...

I tweeted this quote yesterday from the recently deceased Steve Jobs: “Death is very likely the single best invention in life”. I found this quote in the editorial section of USA Today. I believe it is from a Stanford University graduation ceremony speech a few years ago. It was not the wisdom of his words that inspired me to share his quote. After further scrutiny, I really think it was his courage and guts that really impressed me. When I hear these words echo across the vast space of my mind, I see a man who faced a grim diagnosis of cancer but looked death in the eye with no fear. It may be no surprise to some that Steve Jobs was a Buddhist. His moral ethics and belief systems were not governed by fears of Hell or other religious dogma. He knew the world as a vibrant place full of energy and opportunity. He knew that if we gave to the Universe, we would receive something back in return. The success of Apple is certainly proof of that. Still Steve Jobs was not afraid to fail. Further, he did not place blame on the world for his unfortunate disease that took his life last week. He understood it for what it was and was accepting to his future destiny.

I dug a little deeper and found this excerpt from that Stanford graduation speech:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Wow!

I am speechless… I think we could all learn a little something from how Steve Jobs carried himself in life, especially when he had the shadow of death glaring over him. You will be missed Steve Jobs.

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com

Boundless – a Poem

Boundless

Clarity

Responsiveness…

Stillness encourages inner harmony

My reverence creates positive thinking

An admiration
for simplicity

Veneration for
my surroundings

Mindful of my
body and inner energy

Awareness of my infinite
vision that transcends all dogma

A journey of
self-introspection

Void of
persecution and stigma

Karma is the watchful
eye of my progression

Peace and
tranquility

Unfettered and
unswerving are my feelings

A dynamism in the
moment that outshines past and future

Bringing forth compassion
born from intrinsic nature

Unlimited is my ability

Love and bliss
my sensitivity

Wisdom unravels
life’s meaning

Boundless

Clarity

Responsiveness

The key to
happiness…

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

Spaciousness – Boundless – Vastness…

Spaciousness – Boundless – Vastness… what do these words mean?

Space or openness is the infinite quality of our minds as it is relates to our True Nature. Many of us can acknowledge that during meditation and in daily life practice, countless thoughts race through our minds. Imagine the space required to create and field all those thoughts. How about memories? What about useful daily skills and dreams? The brain seems small, yet the mind seems vast. Settle into that spacious vision of our True Nature, visualizing it as a vast area of space. How about the night sky? The stars we see at night are actually neighborhood stars within a small snapshot of our Milky Way galaxy. The stars we see with the naked eye are really only a handful as compared to the billions of stars within our galaxy. Some of these stars are light years away (millions upon millions of miles). Then there are billions of galaxies beyond our Milky Way galaxy. The Cosmos is vast, maybe infinite. Much like the Cosmos, our True Nature is also vast and shares qualities that are infinite. In fact, there is this basic feeling that somehow it is all connected. Words can’t describe this relationship, only that it feels familiar and there is a connective feeling associated with it all. Just as the immensity of the Universe boggles our mind, the same character or value can be associated with our spacious True Nature. Further, the boundless characteristics of the Cosmos and our true nature can be compared to the mind. When you think of your mind and all its processes and capabilities, can you put your finger on its size and borders? Does the mind have an edge or boundary? Where does the mind begin and where does it end? It makes one wonder if the mind is also infinite in nature especially when we consider that all things are relative.

When ancient civilizations looked up into the night sky, it was concluded that what you see is all that exists. This was an era when it was collectively thought that the world was still flat. Do you see how this is a primitive and close minded view of our surroundings? Even today, people walk around with the same closed-minded perceptions all of which breeds stress, fear and anxiety. Ignorance, religious dogma and racism could be examples of modern close-minded behavior. If there are boundaries in our mind, we can feel pressured and claustrophobic, especially when challenges arise. Still when we find space and settle into the vastness of our true nature, there is a fundamental confidence actualized. Imagine trying to count every grain of sand on Earth. It is impossible, right? Still, there is faith that all this sand exists on our worlds beaches and deserts. Though it is impossible to quantify the many grains of sand on Earth, we know they exist. It may be an indefinable value, but it still is a value. It is something we can count on and there is a spacious and comforting quality about that; knowing it simply exists and there is nothing we need to do about it. Many times in life, there is very little we can count on; home prices and the stock market will continue to fluctuate. Love can be fleeting as can good friends. We as humans even age and eventually die. Still, one thing is constant: The spacious vision of our True Nature that exists within us all. Find space for everything and you will find it is unending in its capacity. Think of your mind as a spacious, boundless tool where anything is possible. Further, look to your surrounding environment for inspiration as it relates to space: A cloudless sky, the moon, an open field or even a tall building; being mindful of space on many aesthetic levels breeds clarity – connect to the confidence that you are surrounded by space.

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

True Nature - a Poem

In the autumn be
certain the leaves will fall..

Scents of cinnamon and
colors of red and gold

An Indian summer
greeted by winter

And in spring will
summery birth

Flowers and greenery
abundant

For such things are dependable

The stars at night

A full moon

Blue sky

Unwavering we cannot
deny

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

How do we combat Negativity?

Negativity appears to be a human born trait. Why would I say that? Well, there is nothing negative about the Universe. The Cosmos which is everything that exists can be visualized as a vast concentration of quantum energy that pulses and connects across a web of particles, gravity and waves of light. In universal terms birth gives way to death and thus facilitates re-birth. Stars born from hydrogen gas will eventually die and exhale their tired gases to form new stars. Humans will also be born and then die – There is nothing negative about that concept. Yet, negativity does exist here on Earth. Born from human emotions and driven from ego, in some facet, we all harbor our own negativity – some worse than others. Unfortunately, it is a grim facet of our existence –driven by money, jealously, anger and greed, negativity in some form has existed since humans began walking this Earth. No wonder religion was invented…

Even the unfettered honesty and innocence of a young child can be molested by negativity. Child abuse is a good example of passing on such dysfunction. Social pressures and ego only seem to ratify and reinforce such behaviors. I personally have had several negative defining experiences in my childhood. Such negative experiences can affect us at the core of our being and mature and grow with us into adulthood. I will use a broad model that we can all base experience on: These negative experiences that I endured as a child continued to affect my self esteem all the way into high school. The control patterns that I harbored (hardwired learned behaviors) would morph from one psychological issue to another. Just when I thought I got my self-esteem under control, a new issue arose; an inflated ego. Unknowingly, I replaced my fear and low sense of self worth with a false sense of security. I fed my ego which in turn self gratified my need for acceptance. For me, low self-esteem was the main problem but feeding my ego simply masked the problems that were still rooted to my childhood. It makes one wonder if ego really is the root of all negativity.

We are all faced with such challenges: Child abuse is just the beginning for some. When we look at the world as a whole, what do we see? A lot of suffering! Once we can let go of our egos, there is a fundamental desire fix the world. Yet, in order to do that, we need to fix ourselves first. We need to realize that negative issues can be affecting us as individuals on many unseen levels. Everyone has witnessed a myriad of positive and negative experiences that have shaped us to some degree. You must realize, however, that the shadows of the past may be concealing an enigma that is influencing your future and perhaps even the futures of others around you. For me, I noticed that anger and frustration began to surface as an adult and later as a parent. This frustration born from ego and control patterns was directly related to how I was raised as a child. Still, I acknowledged a trigger of awareness. This awareness came when I felt frustrated and angry. I used this as a trigger of mindfulness to stop and not react blindly. I directed my attention to the vastness of my True Nature; a place within us all that is boundless, constant and dependable. Now, I have learned to make space for such control patterns that facilitate anger and frustration. When I realized I was heading down a path of dysfunction, I made a positive change in my actions. Instead of reacting blindly and reinforcing old patterns of behavior, I changed my actions for the better. I broke the chain of dysfunction by connecting to a higher level of awareness.

Next, I am going to talk about space and how it relates to us as individuals: The space that surrounds us and also the space within the mind – there lies the key to creating more happiness and less negativity.

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com

Forks over Knives!

Okay, so this week I want to talk about food. Being
mindful about what we eat …As the saying goes…. We are what we eat, right?

I watched this documentary Monday with my wife called Forks Over Knives…. Wow!

Now, let’s back track a bit to last weekend. I took my son to his first Bears game at Soldier Field. Typical of tailgating, we threw almost everything with eyes and a tail on the grill: Shrimp, steak, sausage – it was a Midwest BBQ bonanza! It was really good too! Yet, Monday morning, the hangover was not from too many Coors Lights – nope, it was all the heavy food I ate. I had gut rot – literally.

So, then I watch this documentary Monday night and it just about blew the doors off of all things rational – or what I thought was rational. Most of us would contend that eating animal based products, which includes meat and dairy, are good for you in moderation. We need the protein and amino acids right? This documentary, Forks Over Knives, presents evidence that a whole food plant-based diet can prevent, and in many cases, reverse degenerative diseases; diseases caused by animal protein diets!

There was a section of the movie that showed historical data from Norway before, during and after the Nazi occupation during WII. They had documentation showing heart disease death rates during this era. It is interesting because before the war there was a substantial rise in related deaths. When the Nazi’s occupied Norway, they horded and confiscated all the cattle and livestock for the German front lines. The result: No meat! Thus, a dip in death rates related to heart disease – The Norwegians were forced to eat more veggies and plant based products. Guess what happened after the Nazis were defeated? A spike in food related deaths when the meat returned to the daily diet.

This was just one interesting historical comparison. There is other convincing data and test results done in China and here in the US that proves without a doubt that animal protein diets, coupled with items of convenience: Soda pop, french fries and really anything processed causes health problems – America is the worst apparently. Supposedly the US health care bill is more than our military budget – according to this movie; most of our health care costs could be reversed if we changed our diets. Ailments like bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes are all proven to be diet related and account for most of the surgeries and prescription drugs we are enduring.

So, fast forward to this Tuesday at the local grocery store. Yeah, that’s right, life change! Here are a few things I bought out of guilt:

Amy’s Southwestern Organic Burritos – 4 for $10 bucks (yeah there is cheese in it)
Natures Path, Flax Plus Red Berry Crunch – USDA Organic – $5.79 a box
Garden of Eaten Red Hot Blue Organic Tortilla Chips – $3.99 a bag
Annies Homegrown Bunny Grahams – All Natural – $4.99 a box (for my son, serious)

Point is, healthy food is expensive. For the money I spent above (and that was the tip of the iceberg), I could have fed my family at McDonalds for a week off the dollar menu.

As I put away the food from my health kick purchase, I stumbled upon the lunch menu for my son’s school. It was stuck to the frig with a magnetic. In bold writing, “USDA approved lunches”. It was interesting, because I noticed that hotdogs are a daily option on the menu. Wow, I had no idea that hotdogs were a well balanced meal. Last time I checked, I thought hotdogs were made from pressed lips and assholes – I am not even sure what animal hotdogs come from – and what about the preservatives and nitrates? Huh, makes you wonder who you can trust: The government and large money corporations that control our food supply or the highly educated doctors they discredit. Further, how can middle class and struggling families even afford organic, healthy food?

The long and the short, go rent this documentary. I may not be a scientist, but I can tell you I have never seen an unhealthy vegan…

John C. Bader

www.responsiveuniverse.com