Things that cross the mind of a member of Generation X
Hey folks, not a formal post today taking a day or two off from articles/formal posts. I do want to take a moment and say thank you. Thank you for taking your time to read my blog, like my posts, your subscriptions. All that really means a lot to me, I am a small blogger and it does go a long way to keeping me motivated.
Again, thank you so much for your continued support of me and the “A Gen X Point of View” blog.
Have a great weekend and take care.
Your Pagan Friend,
Karac
Nearly everyone who is reading this has either heard of or has studied Winston Churchill. To say he was (or Is) one of the most famous statesmen of the “World War” period wouldn’t be a stretch. He was in the middle of the most perilous time in modern history. The World Wars were the most devastating events in human history, oh and wedged in between those was this other event called the “great depression”. Needless to say if you lived through that period of world history you are probably wiser than most of us.
Churchill didn’t suffer fools, he did though accept the fact that even people he disagreed with had the right to be disagreeable. He valued free speech and basked in the fight and nuances of debate and semantics. The wisdom?
“Some peoples Idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, it’s an outrage.”
Boy is that true in 2021 isn’t it? Been on twitter lately? LOL. The point here is, most people that are telling you what they think often aren’t interested in hearing what you think if it’s not agreeing with their point of view. We are now to the point of intolerance where people are canceled for having “wrong think” or “wrong speak” and inconveniently we don’t have Trump around anymore to blame for it.
No its now (and always was) emboldened people who believe what they think is right and will go to extremes to make sure there is no dissent. Churchill faced this as well in his time, they were called Nazi’s and they burned books (think they would have liked Dr Zeus?) and committed horrific crimes.
Be wary of people who want to silence others, who deem something distasteful and are willing to remove access without consent. These are very dangerous people, in essence they want to control what you see, what you hear, and what you think. They are everywhere and, as Churchill warns, if you disagree it’s an outrage. Except now, the outrage has blossomed into something far more sinister.
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Many of us have heard of Confucius, we know that he was a Chinese philosopher who through his years of writing, observation and work in government created a philosophy of personal morality. This isn’t a political piece or a religious piece. As individuals with anxiety we can use wisdom of the past to help us in the present.
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
—Confucius
How many times have we been faced with an issue that looks like a mountain? We get overwhelmed and we fall into the pit of woe that is anxiety and mental health issues. Is one little saying going to help us? Maybe a little, maybe not at all.
That said at the end of the day events happen to us, mountains appear. We have to deal with them. The beauty of this wisdom is it illustrates literally and figuratively how to deal with a problem that becomes a mountain.
You have to start, and you work the problem one small step (stone) at a time. Look we all have obstacles that pop up in our lives and some of them are extreme. You can move that mountain, be calm, and be methodical… Take one step at a time, one stone at a time and in no time the mountain will be moved and you will be right back on your chosen path.
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Yes another foray into the Norse world with your pagan friend Karac.
First, what is the Havamal?
The Havamal (Hávamál) is “The Sayings of the High One” telling stories about Odin the All father and his journey of acquiring knowledge and wisdom. The Havamal is neither heroic or mythological. Rather, it is somewhat didactic. Simply put, these are similar to Christian commandments in the sense it is meant to instruct ones morals. Unlike our Christian friends these are not laws to build society on, but rather sayings one internalize that allows you to evaluate the character of others.
The saying that has served me well as I age:
The cautious guest
who comes to the table speaks sparingly.
Listen with ears,
Learn with eyes.
Such is the seeker of knowledge.
Of course you have seen some iteration of this saying in your travels. Listen more, speak less etc. This is ancient wisdom, and every culture from antiquity has some reference to it in some form. This still holds true to today and as individuals with anxiety it is a prudent course to take.
When you are an expert, or very experienced on a subject it is important to speak on it. When you are not, you listen to what others say but the most important part of this saying is how you learn, with your eyes.
When someone is speaking, how are the other people reacting? What do you see? Are their arms folded? Are they leaning in? Are the using a lot of hand gestures? It’s vital for all of us to be very careful who we listen to, and understand who is speaking. This of course is applicable anywhere. As we garner more and more information in life from more and more sources we have to be diligent not to leap too quickly to a conclusion.
Do you want to read more about the Havamal? Check it out on the Wiki
Be mindful of what you hear, listen, watch and learn.
You are doing awesome, one day at a time….
I have spent years in the finance field. I have helped people with personal finances, retirement, businesses and for everyone I have worked with I have hammered home to them the importance of time.
It doesn’t care what your gender is, your race, your sexuality, your age. We each have a different amount of time, and its your task to determine how to spend your time the best way you can to achieve happiness. You really have to put thought into this, you really have to examine your life and determine what you are doing, and does it make you happy.
Here is one of the things that I did, for one week I kept a journal of what I was doing, and how long I did it. It wasn’t precise but I did the best I could. I accumulated the data on a spread sheet, I had spent hours in my car driving, time at a coffee shop on and on and on. It made me realize that I spend a lot of time-wasting time, it was very revealing to me.
Now what is good for me, doesn’t mean it will be good for you. Let me wrap this up with a poem.
Time by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Unfathomable Sea! whose waves are years,
Ocean of Time, whose waters of deep woe
Are brackish with the salt of human tears!
Thou shoreless flood, which in thy ebb and flow
Claspest the limits of mortality,
And sick of prey, yet howling on for more,
Vomitest thy wrecks on its inhospitable shore;
Treacherous in calm, and terrible in storm,
Who shall put forth on thee,
Unfathomable Sea?
We are all on a sea of time. Is your ocean stormy? Are the waters calm? Take some time soon and really look at what you are doing, and how long you are spending on it. I’m betting you will find something you want to change and pick up time that you can be doing something you love.
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
There are so many pearls of wisdom in the ancient texts. One of the most talked about ancient works is the Christian Bible. This isn’t a religion thread, I don’t personally care what faith you peruse etc. That said what can we glean from this ancient wisdom?
When you plan, are disciplined and diligent in the plans execution you will profit, when you rush things it leads to failure (or poverty). In the large events of your life, if you can set aside some time to plan the likelihood of success is greater.
The book of proverbs was essentially the accumulation of wisdom from the Hebrew world. Many of the sayings were attributed to Solomon. We really can’t know for certain who said what when, none of us were there. That said, this very simple proverb is common sense for many. For those of us with anxiety not so much.
There is one critical tool I use to evoke this proverb, and no I am not a Christian. I have a personal note book. I’ve had many of them in my life, the latest one I got for $1.99 at Walmart. I take notes, I write out lists of things I have to do, I plan, via the notes for large events in my life. Including:
There is more, but the point here is many of the tools we can use to improve our lives while living with anxiety have existed for thousands of years. There are pearls of wisdom spread out in many ancient texts. Sometimes its nice to go back to the classics to help up with the present.
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