What is LOVE?

What is LOVE?...

It's an emotion, it's a feeling, and it's a way of life.

LOVE is a choice, it's a decision, and it's a direction.

LOVE is GOD and GOD is LOVE, LOVE is hope and LOVE is Joy, LOVE is the best of hope and joy combined.

LOVE is a response to an action and LOVE is the action itself.  LOVE is a memory of something beautiful remembered and LOVE is what spawned that memory in first place.  LOVE is the tide that rolls waves into our life and also the way we decide to surf those waves.

LOVE is the journey and LOVE is the goal, LOVE is also the road map for the success we want to have as our guide.

LOVE is a warm breeze and the refreshing rain after the summer's drought.

LOVE is the whisper of a child and also the soothing words of a mother.

LOVE is what guides us and also what holds our sails fixed within the wind.

LOVE is worth our praise and it's also what gives us our voice.  LOVE is the beauty we see in this world and what's found in the in-between.

LOVE is what binds people together and it's also what brings people together.  LOVE is a choice and the sum of our decisions.

We are LOVE, we refresh LOVE, we embody LOVE, we instill LOVE, we give LOVE, we promote LOVE, we decide what's worth our LOVE and we formulate ideas as to what LOVE is.

LOVE is ever evolving.

We give definition to LOVE, we give experience to LOVE, we live LOVE and we share LOVE.

The biggest secret to LOVE is that we are the creators of it and the purveyors of it.  We are LOVE, we preach LOVE, we discern LOVE, and we give freely the beauty of LOVE because it was given freely to all of us.

LOVE is a song, LOVE is a poem, LOVE is a wink and LOVE is the chords of our rhythm.  LOVE is a melody and LOVE is the inspiration behind the song.

LOVE is all there really is and LOVE is all there ever has been.

We are all only but a choice away from experiencing LOVE as the eternal moment of now, let's choose to live in LOVE and spread that message.

Ps. LOVE = GOD and GOD = LOVE

WE are ALL CONNECTed

Why do we choose so often to make fun of that which is different from us?  Do we not understand that all that we are is defined by that which we are not?

If I cry at a sunrise does that mean I am weak or does that mean I am strong enough to connect with something so foreign to me that I actually begin to understand our real union?

There is so much hate in this world.  Hate arises in one's heart from one's surroundings and from one's choices.  We choose hate, hate does not choose us.  My eyes see the same way everyone else's do, so why then do I see a world full of possibility and wonder and others choose to see a world full of despair and evil?

Does my heart not beat the same as yours? Does my body not work the same as yours?  Does love not come naturally at the fitting times like yours?  Does the touch of a soft hand on your shoulder in a time of need not lend support to you like it does me?

I ask these questions not to state that I am any better than anyone else in this world, but I ask these questions and million more to show the extreme similarity between all of our lives.

We are defined as individuals by that which we are not, not that which we are.  We all depend on everyone else to define ourselves, for if it were not for another there would be no ability to compare in the first place.  Without comparison there simply is existence conceptually, and to exist as a conception is not the reality we live in.

We live in a world governed by relativity and shared experience, where one thing is connected to another through the ultimate experience of give and push, yin and yang, here and there, now and then.

Open your eyes my friends to the idea that we are all perfect and all essential beings in this cosmic dance of life, we all need each other to be whole, we all need one another for definition to be possible.

When you see a strange face or you witness a lost soul, be not quick to judge but instead be quick to understand.  From understanding comes knowledge, and from shared knowledge comes wisdom.

We live in order to help others become wise in their own pursuits.  We hurt in order to heal others in their time of need.  We feel pain so that joy can be apparent in our greatest times of success.  If you cut yourself off from the rest of the world and see your being as only singular you miss out on life's greatest blessings, you miss out on creation and shared opportunities.

Choose love over hate, choose acceptance over judgment, choose honesty over betrayal, and choose life over death.

If it were not for those who are different than us we would not be who we are today, tomorrow, and in the distant future.  It takes all of the spokes of a bicycle wheel to work in unison for the rider to get anywhere, just like it takes all of us involved in life to make any sort of a difference.

We are beings of unlimited potential, we are beings capable of great creations, we are beings who dream and laugh, beings who inspire and motivate.  We are all of these things at our core.

Live in love and walk in hope, run for the truth and dance with joy.  We can all have the life we want without hate, without judgment, and without cruelty.  Choose to be above the negative, choose to be better.

Friendship is Paramount

Today something beautiful happened to me, I realized just why being open to meeting new people is so important.  It’s important because everyone you meet and hit it off with reminds you just how alive you really are.  It also shows you just how connected we all are.  Everyone you meet has a little bit of yourself in them, you learn that it doesn’t matter the color of their skin or their shape or their size, everyone you meet has a heart that loves and feels hurt just like you.

I have had a rare opportunity to have an extended vacation and I’ve met so many new and wonderful people that I am so thankful for.  If I had allowed myself to be closed off to new possibilities I would have missed out on so much growth.

We all have our little oddities, we all have our touch of brilliance, we all have a smile that’s capable of lighting up a room when truly inspired by something, and we all share one significant attribute: We all are positively affected by love, it makes us better; it makes us more human.

No matter the stage of life you’re in it’s important to being open to new ideas and fresh faces; it takes the staleness out of life and replaces it with excitement and new possibilities. 

I have been feeling very close to this idea of LOVE recently that I so often refer to, and it’s because I see so much of myself in so many other people.  In fact, I see so much of what I’m made of in everyone else that for the first real time in my life I can honestly say with full confidence that we are all on this earth so we can each be perfectly special in our own way.

If there weren’t people on this planet that were different than us in some way we wouldn’t be able to know who WE truly are.  But it’s the very fact that everyone else is so much the same that we even have a platform to base our opinion of ourselves on.  If we are to compare ourselves to someone else it only makes sense to me that we are the same at some very base level, because if we weren’t we might as well compare ourselves to the animals in nature. 

In order to compare who you are with who you want to be you first have to understand that there’s something there to compare it to.  We’re all linked together in such a beautiful and simple way that we often overlook the very fact that we’re all the same in different costumes.

Be open for new people to affect your life in beautiful ways and I promise you, you won’t ever want to remain the same again.

In order to evolve into a more loving being you just have to take a look around and realize that everyone is special in their own way, and in order for you to be special it requires everyone else to be themselves simultaneously.

We are One so that we may be MANY, and we are MANY so that we can be ONE.

Why do WE Hate?

Islamic quote: "A friend cannot be considered as friends until he is tested in three occasions; in time of need, behind your back and until after your death."

What's the deal with this idea of hate?  Why do we show so much hate to those things unknown to us.  At some point in our lives we all are unaware of so much around us, why then do we choose hate so quickly without proper investigation?

We are in a time presently where so much of our nation chooses to believe the popular media that those things foreign to us are bad, or awful, or scary.

The first thing that comes to mind is the idea that Islam is bad or detestable.  I'm here to say that thought is so far from the truth that it's down right disgusting to me.

I work in the Arab Gulf, a place where the Muslim culture is woven throughout all the fabric of life.  I have yet to meet someone over there that looks at me because of my skin color or the look that my face represents with detest or malice.  Literally, the most pleasant human beings I have ever been around are born and live in an Islamic way of life. 

We have to wake up to the beauty of diversity, for too long we have allowed ourselves to foster feelings of negativity for a culture so rich in love, wisdom, and understanding.

I understand that religions have an agenda, but at the root of all religion is the tenant of brotherhood and love for your brothers and sisters.  So why then do we choose hate over love and acceptance? Why do we decide we don't like someone for how they look or the religion they choose to practice?

Let's stop picking hate as a first response to the unknown and let's start doing some personal reflection and investigation as to the real nature of cultures and differing ideas.

Next time you see someone who looks different than you or you meet someone with different ideas than you take a minute to get to know that person, if they suck because they're an awful person that's one thing, but don't judge anything or anyone based on the cover of the book.

Mistakes

The title of this post is "Mistakes."  I think it's important to understand what a mistake truly is...

A mistake is simply a choice you wish you had made differently.  It's nothing more than a choice we've made that we would do differently in the future.  So if that's the case then a mistake is nothing more than a chance to learn about ourselves and how we relate to the world around us.

I think the main problem is we as people often don't know who "WE" are because we haven't taken the time to know who the "I" is first.  Look deep inside yourself and discover what's been hiding underneath of the layers for years, your true self, your most pure and ideological self.

If you take a minute to stop and listen to the whisperings of your inner voice you'll soon realize that mistakes hold no power over you and that the real power comes from making a different decision in the confines of the next opportunity.

Without making so called "mistakes," we would never know the pure joy that comes through growth and understanding.

I urge you not to look back in your past with regret for how you have lived your life but instead look forward with hope and desire for how you'll do things differently when given another opportunity.

The beauty of life is that it's always evolving and that we're always demonstrating though our choices who it is we truly desire to be.  Once you understand that the confusion is as important as the clarity, then and only then will you be on your way to enlightenment.

If you are sincerely unhappy with choices you have made in the past then learn from those and choose differently from this point on. 

Break free from the shackles of past decisions and start liberating yourself with new and wiser choices.  Be in the moment and understand how this moment is full of potential.  Choose not to get down on yourself because you picked to go left or right or up or down because each direction is important and equal in meaning.  In every moment from here on out decide to be different, or decide to be the same, but in all ways trust in your ability and your potential.

When we let go of the feelings of regret over past mistakes we suddenly free up our potential to move on and be who we're really meant to be... Whatever we choose to be.

Choose LOVE my friends and let every decision from this point out be guided by a sense of togetherness and community.

I believe in you, I love you, I'm here for you if you need me.

-Mason

Let's be Better

"Let's be better."  It's a very simple thought, in fact it's so simple that we often overlook its implications.

I know so many people who walk through life in a constant daze as if life is not worth the attention it deserves.  People often become wrapped up in their everyday worries and stresses that they fail to take the steps necessary to make life better.

The greatest power that we have as humans is the ability to transform our lives into whatever we desire most and thusly, understanding how those changes affect how we view the world around us.

If you find yourself feeling beaten down by life, unable to get a foothold or find a branch somewhere along the way to pull yourself up, look no further than where and how you're expecting this help to present itself.  We are all the masters of our own circumstances, we are all in control of where we find ourselves presently  and where we want to go from there. 

We have so much potential, everyone does, we can all be better if we but choose to be.  My whole life I've been consumed with this idea of being better.  As a teen I wanted to be better at sports, as a young adult I desire to be more loving and more accepting of others.  In saying that I must admit to everyone that I still forget to be better.  I allow myself at times to let life dictate to me what I get as opposed to making what I want happen for myself.  If you desire something you have to make it happen, you and you alone have this power over yourself.

The biggest illusion in life is the idea that we are victims of our circumstances, in fact it's just the opposite.  We are all the creators of our circumstances.  We are all exactly what we think we are.

Are you a loser because life isn't exactly what you want it to be?  No, of course you're not, unless you think you are.  The hardest thing in life is to fully realize this truth and trust in your potential.  There are so many outside factors that try to get in the way of believing in ourselves, why we listen to anything but our hearts I will never fully understand.

A lot of times we read inspiring stories or blogs or articles that say how we should think or how we should act but they give us very little practical information on how to make the actual change in our lives.  Well, not me, not here, not in this blog.  The last part of this post is the most important and it may just be what helps you turn your life around, and by turning your life around you'll realize you are no longer the victim of any circumstance, unless you let yourself believe you are.

If you're tired of your lot in life and where you currently find yourself, start choosing to be different.  Literally right now, right this second, choose to be better.  Take a second and close your eyes and really ask yourself what the greatest version of yourself looks like, what you would sound like, what you would dress like, how you would treat people, where you would live, etc.  Next, you need to open your eyes and choose to start making choices that will make that person a reality.  If that person can be imagined it can be made into a reality, that's the truth most people choose not to believe.

There is so much truth in the saying that "if you can dream it, you can be it."  Start believing in love, start believing in your potential, choose to be better... or don't, that's your choice as well.

Let's be better!

LOVE WINS.

Earlier today while driving home I saw the most beautiful, the most precious, and one of the most poignant, window stickers I have ever seen. I’m normally one of those guys who think stickers on cars are kind of funny looking no matter what they say, but today was different for me, today I read two words followed by a period symbol, as one of the most amazing combination of letters and symbols ever recorded in the history of the English language. The sticker was about the size of one’s palm, in the shape of an oval, the letters were scribed in white while the background was filled in with black. What I saw today that rang louder in my core than any church bell to date, was simply: LOVE WINS.

If you don’t take a minute to stop and really process that declaratory statement I can see how it could sound like I’m making too big of a deal over a silly little sticker, let’s take a minute and examine it together.

In this world I believe there are two competing choices in any given situation you find yourself in; you have the choice that’s rooted in love or the opposite of that, fear. This place of either love or fear is what people believe the thought behind the thought comes from, the place of the sponsoring thought. There’s a theory out there that says behind every thought you have, therein lies an even deeper sponsoring thought. The sponsoring thought is what helps us determine the outcome of our choice before we ever really make it. The funny thing is though that even when we make a choice out of fear, and make a bad decision, we immediately know it was the wrong choice. We know it’s inherently the wrong choice by how we feel; fear is an illusion that sends out different energy than love. When we make a choice out of love we immediately feel we made the correct one, we’re relieved, and like we’re complete even for just a moment in time.

I believe Love is all there really is and that fear is just an illusion.

Fear is something we have been taught from the earliest days of our life. Think back to when you were a child and you reached for the hot stove. What did your parents do to you? They smacked your hands away from it and probably scolded you some to SCARE you from touching it again, now for a long time you’ll be afraid of fire. What if you’re parent lovingly moved your hand away and taught you why it was detrimental to you to touch the stove? What then? As a child you have no fear, none whatsoever. You’ll go talk to anyone, crawl anywhere, and even eat dirt! What stopped you from doing these things? I’ll tell you what, your parents training you to believe these things were not right, telling you to grow up and stop acting like a child or act embarrassed when you wondered up to strangers in the super market. Because of our conditioning in our youth we have grown to understand that fear not a pure emotion, but actually as perceived risk due to our upbringings. Let’s look at this just a little further: Aren’t all people capable of loving at some point in their life, no matter the age of the individual? A man or woman can lose their spouse early on in the marriage but can he or she not fall in love with another? Doesn’t falling in love just kind of happen without even really knowing that it’s happening? That’s because love is natural, it’s what we are at our purest, under all the layers of perceived risk. Under every fear that we’ve been taught to fear, LOVE WINS.

As you age you can continually love people you meet but how often do the fears of your youth remain with you? LOVE WINS. I don’t fear my face sticking that way, or burning my hand on a stove top anymore, I don’t fear strangers, and I definitely don’t fear the boogie monster… as much as I used to! What’s under all of these fears, someone teaching me I should fear them; we live in a constant state of illusion, unless we chose not to. LOVE WINS.

All joking aside, the reason fear is an illusion is because it’s been taught to us and when we experience for ourselves that something isn’t bad like maybe we used to think, that thought of fear is replaced with one of understanding and acceptance. Once you can accept something for what it is, fear leaves the scenario, and if fear is gone, love is apparent. Love is underneath all of the layers of illusion, it’s at the core of the illusion, and it’s what the illusion is built on. Is not the foundation the strongest part of the house? So if Love is all there really is, think just how deep that could change how you look at the world… If you really believe that LOVE WINS. then I can promise you that your life will be deeper and fuller and more abundant than you could ever imagine. When you stop fearing things that may seem scary, or weird, or strange, and when you choose to change how you look at those things, fear suddenly becomes a thing of the past, and you see the fear of something as the illusion it creates. LOVE WINS.

As you process this and either choose to discard what I’m saying, or accept at least the thought of it as being a possibility, ask yourself one question: Why wouldn’t love win?