Seize The Day!

[sparklekaz]

Henry David Thoreau said "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”

I awoke thinking of the words Carpe-Diem, Seize the day. And the words of Henry Thoreau stood out for me like a banner. I realized that I spend a lot of time mentally in the past. And though it is lovely to re-visit happier times, it is not always helpful, and it can take our minds away from what really matters. The here and now. My question is. Do you find that the past holds you back. Or is it, that the past in hindsight always seems better than present circumstances? In reality, do we look back through 'rose coloured spectacles'? What does 'seize the day' mean to you? And are you doing it?

[cyberangel]

Interesting post Karen and one to ponder on I guess. I think its important to 'visit' the past as just because it's the past does not mean it cannot impact the future...it all depends on how we balance it. Too much time in the past deprives you of the present and thinking too much to the future can also do the same.

The past is a great way of recognising our personal milestones here in the present and everyone needs that sense of achievement or of learning which can only be attained by visiting the past 'briefly'.

Recalling memories both good and not so good is also a great way of understanding the lessons that for whatever reason were not available to us at that time but only reveal themselves to us upon hindsight.

I think for most if not for all we need the past for seeing the lessons and proof we managed to come through it...the future we learn to aim for things and gives us the desire or drive to continue...but the present...the NOW is all we ever truly have and should be grateful always.

Thanks Karen I really enjoyed this post.

Love and Light

[gruntal]

It is naturally hard for me to disown the past since being old I have rather a lot of it. That also might explain why when I moved ten years ago I shoved almost everything into the two garages and only proceeded to let certain things enter the house and be put on display. I did not want my past - hardly any part of it.

Now it is coming back to haunt me. If it wasn't for my "group therapy" I do not know how I could deal with it.

You would think having an unpleasant past would make it easier to forget about it but apparently it doesn't work that way. Making everything rosy in the present made up for much nastiness in the past. But not for long. I discovered I needed to understand why things turned out the way they did. And that meant using each day in the present for self discovery.

Plus what I remember of the past is very selective. I only remember certain things and not other things. What went on wasn't very clear back then and it certainly isn't always very clear looking back. I must have learned something in all those years. In that respect I still have the advantage of living in the now. If I can just realize where and when I am which is as ever changing as the clock I use to tell me what time it is.

[aceofcups]

Hi Kaz

I see the past as an undercoat when painting the full picture of one's life... made up of past experiences,, both good and challenging creations,, created by our past thoughts, emotions, activities and intentions. As Gruntal says,, our memory of the past can be very blurry, or not the full picture also at times.

The past is this formerly created whitewash of Karma ( both challenging and positive patterns of energy) we must learn to balance out.. "To Seize the Day" is trying to be more Mindful and Present in our consciousness.   Being open to what our full consciousness wants to bring to us at each moment. ( sometimes it brings us things from the past to re-work if we have insight to see it or if we are asleep it makes past karmic patterns even stronger).

Being Present is not easy but it is learning to quiet the mind chatter ... the conditioned mind chatter which does bring us back to past ways or at times unfulfilled karmic patterns. Which can be filled with patterns also of fear or anxiety to act to our full potential in the present.

The past MAY be filled with positive thoughts, feeling and experiences,,,,, but living in them can block us from getting the full usage of the present and our full potential as an evolving and ever-changing being. 

Acknowledge the wisdom or failures learned from past but don't dwell on it...is key phrase to me.   "Sieze the Day" is being able with whatever ones past is to be Present.

peace,
ace

[donq]

                                                       

                                                     



I saw the moon from my window a few nights ago.
Or did she see me? It was hard to tell. :-)
She reminded me of this old Chinese poem:


Shui Diao Ge Tou by Su Shi (Su Dongpo,1037–1101)

Will a moon so bright ever arise again?
Drink a cupful of wine and ask of the sky.
I don't know where the palace gate of heaven is,
Or even the year in which tonight slips by.
I want to return riding the whirl-wind! But I
Feel afraid that this heaven of jasper and jade
Lets in the cold, its palaces rear so high.
I shall get up and dance with my own shadow.
From life endured among men how far a cry!

Round the red pavilion
Slanting through the lattices
Onto every wakeful eye,
Moon, why should you bear a grudge, O why
Insist in time of separation on filling the sky?
Men know joy and sorrow, parting and reunion;
The moon lacks lustre, brightly shines; is all, is less.
Perfection was never easily come by.
Though miles apart, could men but live for ever
Dreaming they shared this moonlight endlessly!

Sometimes I wonder what we are fighting for is worth? I mean, for example, our long time spiritual work, it has been very hard work. always, and have brought us a lot of problems (comparing to normal people). And the most important thing is we could not make so much money like other (normal) people. Ok, I have been fighting and never give up. But should I give up and change to do some other job, focusing on making money like other people do? I've been thinking about this for some times. But yes, I know that we, as human, always
think that the grass is always greener on the other side, but it might be only our delusion/ignorance. Maybe the grass here and now is the most greenest we could ever get?
Anyway, I've seen some quote from a movie, "We have fought until we come to this, so we have to keep fighting."
Was it sad? Or did it make me gain more courage? I could not tell. hahaha.

[aceofcups]

Thanks Monty, liked the Chinese poem very much... but that picture you posted shows a full moon?... which is amazing being that we just had New Moon yesterday...

I think it is not how much green we have Monty. it is how we use the green we have .. where lies the real wisdom.  As I am sure you know.   ha ha ha.

[tribunalofmercy]

(I'm having computer issues; thanks for understanding - will comment to more threads later)

Sometimes I think the desire for thriving, or even Surviving - that desire to 'fight - has little logic behind it; it's either the way we are, at this time, or are Not. I say 'sometimes' because I understand as we evolve, defeating Karma is often a matter of changing the ego-nature that has dominated us for so long...still, it does seem we either fight or give Up.

The mother of a friend of mine started a goat farm in her later years, found she enjoyed it and is working hard to Keep it. Some of her knowledge still comes from books, and though my friend (her daughter) is a Natural at birthing animals, neither one of them had experience with the difficult delivery of a few weeks ago.

Apparently, goats should not be in labor very long or the baby is likely to die before being delivered. One goat's baby was tangled up and she had been in labor for more than three hours unsuccessfully; my friend's mother thought the baby had not made it. Her daughter did what books explained was practical, which was to save the mother goat by cutting the baby's legs in order to remove it from the womb.

The baby was delivered, still very much Alive. And oh, how they cried! But they proceeded to do what was necessary to see to the baby's comfort and possible survival. The baby boat still lives Now, struggling happily around on stubbly half-legs while my friend and her mother seek to make prosthetics of some sort, if possible. Prosthetics are expensive, of course, but they are making the effort because they see the baby's will to Live.

How likely are we to 'fight' when the odds are truly against us? I may say I am a natural survivor, but am I? Compared to What? A few personal, physical or financial obstacles in my life?

What is the answer? Perhaps it is simply to give every moment of life 'our' best.

[donq]

Hi Ace,
Hmm...if you had new moon yesterday, in that case...urh...perhaps I might see her more than a few days ago? (recently my memory's got as old as my age).
Do you know why I set my electric fan to blow out off my room?
It seemed that way, it could make my room cooler. Or not?
This was some kind of psychology (if not spirituality), too. hahaha.

Hi Mary Anne,
Holy cow...urh...goat!
Touching (true) story! (and a bit terrified).
I believe this is the essence of practical spirituality. Some might believe that the mother goat was not supposed to be alive (predestined to be dead) and no one should interfere with this process, and the baby goat should still had all its legs!(Frankly speak, if it were me, I might not dare to cut the baby goat's legs, even to save the mother goat.)
I really don't know the answer. But I feel that the real problem still was the ignorance (I didn't mean in the bad sense) of the mother of your friend? I mean if she decided to raise and even deliver goat by herself, shouldn't she had enough knowledge/experience more than just reading from books? And why didn't she call a veterinarian to deliver the baby goat? Why did it herself/themselves? I know, it might too expensive for her, or no veterinarian available etc.
And this comes to the question in my previous post, money. Is it true that in the case like this, money could really help? Not to mention about that prosthetics which is so expensive.
Is it true that if everyone (spiritual person) here had much more money, it would help us make much more good things, spiritual things?
Hmm...

[tribunalofmercy]

Dear Monty,

I truly believe that having money, or not having money, is not what shapes our path. Or our tendency toward the positive or negative. You know the stories yourself, from the Olive Fairy Tale book…though they are fairy tales, are they not based on observations of the Nature of man?

Many say, “if only”, but the Christian story in the Bible of the widow’s mite showed the Christ giving the more respect to the one who freely gave All she had (when she had nothing left), than even to the man who gave a generous part of his Great wealth.


It’s not about money; it never really is. It’s about our focus, and our Intent. The story has been shared, both by you and by ace, about being thrown into the water to sink or swim (your story) or of being held underwater to understand the desire to Breathe (ace’s story)….it’s about being made aware of what is truly Important.


To me, those stories were harsh! Haha, yet I know I must also be ‘thrown into the water’ sometimes, even doing it myself, to Remind myself of how Unimportant the things of this world are, when I lose my Focus. Money is only important when we are focused on Money, and the reality of the life that revolves around money.

Does that sound also like a fairy tale? We need money for our family. Or for food, or home, for many things…..or do we? Do we truly Need to depend on what We can do to control our needs here? We spend our lives focused only on OUR ability to provide for ourselves, our loved ones, as though God put us here and went away on a long trip, never to be seen again. Really?


It becomes a balance of the paradoxical again….to know that we are given the chance to control only ONE big decision in this life – which is to Release control and walk This life, in spirit. If only we will.

[donq]

Hmm...ok, I do agree.
I just used to believe that having money somehow shapes (slows) our (spiritual) path in one way or another. I mean I rarely met anyone who focuses only on making money would gain much more spiritual wisdom/experience. I remember about this warning in Buddhism which is said, "Money is like a snake. You have to handle it so carefully or it would bite you."
I heard some of my friend said, "Let me make money to such and such amount, so that my family will be fine, and then I will dedicate myself to a spiritual path."
Thirty years later, he still keep saying that. :-)

Thanks Mary Anne. So, I don't need to make lots and lots money, right?
Hmm...frankly speak, I might not have ability to make that amount of money either. hahaha

This reminds me of a joke my friend told me.
"Today I saved a lot of money by NOT buying that expensive car!"
The point was he never had that amount of money (to be saved). :-)

[donq]

I tried to seize the day when I took my mother to her routine curing at the hospital (twice a month). It was the hospital's car park and some flowers were blooming there (I didn't know their names).

                                      

                             


P.S. Robert, if you are reading this, here's some tips: If you are going to post your own photo (the other photos/pictures that already are on the internet are more easy to post their links here), first, try to upload your photo on some uploading sites, say, photobucket. Then click your (uploaded) photo and click "get link code" (chain icon or on the right side). But get/copy the "direct" link only (for posting on our forum) as the other links don't seem to work here.
And on your post here, clink the "insert image" (close to envelope image) and paste the link. You can see if your photo appear or not. Hope this helps.

[mojomojo]

Seize the day, for me, is living in the moment.
As for everyone, it's a constant battle.
Am I getting any better at it?
Well, I would have to leave it, go to the past to have something to compare it with, and then I wouldn't be in it, so to know, you're not in it.
No,seriously, to be fully in the moment, no fear, in alignment, as much as possible.



P.S. Hello Donq, I have given up, web designers around the world can breathe again, mojo can't get his photo's uploaded.

I never liked money, I've seen what it does to people, even my own family, I've seen money create men and those same men destroyed when they lost it. But then a poor man doesn't have the means to create the good that money can create. I believe we all come in with our set life plans, some do not get to experience wealth and nothing you do will create it, others come in and money just comes to them, their lesson the effect the money has on them. The only time I have ever thought about acquiring money, is when I look at my wife, knowing the onset of time will make her condition worse, and to watch her suffer, knowing that money could make things more comfortable for her.
But, then it could go the other way, maybe with breakthroughs her condition could be improved, and we're not ruling out miracles, either.
No, knowing it has its value, and that it is essential, but I still do not like money.

[Damian]

I'll settle down after this last one, before I wear out my welcome

Maybe some of my spiritual beliefs are starting to reveal themselves a little, but I would offer this in return: "Suscipe Diem". Assuming Google Translate got it right, that should mean "Accept the Day".

Seize implies that there is something in the day we need to capture - albeit in a positive way. My understanding/belief is that we bring the day (and events) to us. We are here to live, learn and grow... so whatever the day brings to us, embrace and learn from it. From a dualistic (is that word?) perspective, it could be good or bad, joyful or hurtful etc. but life doesn't work that way. Life simply is. Everything else is our own perception.

Does that mean you have to accept the crap that will sometimes be thrown at you? Not at all. What if someone throws something at you that hurts? I'm sure you'll learn pretty quick, and chances are, next time you'll duck. Same with life. First accept, be thankful for the lesson, learn, and grow.

Love to all!! Suscipe Diem!

Apr 19, 2015 3:44:00 GMT donq said:

I saw the moon from my window a few nights ago.
Or did she see me? It was hard to tell. :-)
She reminded me of this old Chinese poem:


Shui Diao Ge Tou by Su Shi (Su Dongpo,1037–1101)

Will a moon so bright ever arise again?

Btw - beautiful post & poem!