Power in Humility

Ending my post yesterday by stating that "Humility is the key" got me to thinking, and it reminded me of the great C.S. Lewis.  He has the great quote illustrated above, but he dives much further into the topic in his book Mere Christianity.  There is a section entitled The Great Sin, and he hits the point right on the head.

 

...There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people ever imagine that they are guilty of themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.

 

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre.  According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

 

...Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call "humble" nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

 

Pride in it's very essence is competitive.  It matters not how much one has, but rather how much "more" of something one has in comparison to another.  In this it attempts to find joy, but sadly it is a cup that can never be full as it's only satisfaction is derived from continually exercising it's power over another.  Thus leaving it's victim to plot, scheme and worry in a torrential whirlpool trapped and powerless to achieve true happiness. This is why the theme of this blog, as indicated in the subtitle is: Try to be better than yourself!

 

Humility is the key, and the sooner we can stop thinking about ourselves the sooner we will be as C.S. Lewis described as a man who is "a cheerful, intelligent chap...who seems to enjoy life so easily."

 

Calling all Lions!!

 

 

 



Bruce Lee's Wisdom

Couldn't help but share this once I saw it. Bruce certainly lived a life of discipline, and as such he was very successful in what he pursued.  Especially like his thoughts on "time" and "stiffest tree."  I will readily admit that these are two areas in which I struggle greatly.

 

First, time is what life is made of, so if you love it don't waste it.  It's more than likely that I talk so much on this particular topic because it is one that not only plagues our society, but one that affects me deeply as well.  How easy is it to take a quick break, or sit down to rest for a minute, and before you know it an hour or two or more has passed by?  I know it's a vice of mine, and one that I strive to correct each day.  How many opportunities have passed me by because I was too busy "wasting" my time?  If in fact I love life, how am I using my time to make the most of it?

 

Second thought is so good I'll restate it:

 

Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

 

How often do we insist that something must be done a certain way (more times than not "our way") or it's wrong?  Too many times in my life (certainly more than I care to admit) I've been too busy focused on whether I was right to see the truth and beauty I was missing in opening my mind to something different.  The only way to grow and progress is through trials and overcoming challenges as we face them; as such if we aren't able to bend and adjust as the willows or bamboo shafts in the wind then we will break and shatter like a piece of stiff wood.

 

Humility is the key, and most likely why I struggle so much with this concept.  Recognizing that we don't know everything, that we can't do everything alone and that there is a higher power at work in our lives enables us to bend rather than break. Only then can we truly state with sincerity Bruce's other gem: To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities. Clean and center your inner self, and from there the world is yours for the taking. Andy got right to the point in the Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy living, or get busy dying!"

 

Calling all Lions!!

Happiness

We are beings that have a choice; we can choose to prepare, and therefore be proactive in nature or we can choose to not, and therefore become reactive in nature.  Which do you think brings one happiness and peace?  The Dalai Lama said it well:

 

Happiness is not something ready made.  It comes from your own actions.

 

Calling all Lions!!

Time

 

This week we have examined in depth the messages inherent in Christopher Nolan's film: Inception. There are even more tidbits and gems hidden in this great work of art, one even being the scene illustrated above. Taking place in the 2nd layer of dream, their world spins uncontrollably due to the van being flipped in layer 1.  Not only does that create one of the best scenes in cinema, but it demonstrates that our thoughts build off of one another. Taking it further still, that they are dependent on one another, so all it takes (literally) is one tiny thought to sabotage an entire plan, dream or self confidence that we may hold. And in turn one small idea or moment can make a dream possible.

 

As I mentioned there are others, but I wanted to finish the week with the power of the music from the film.  I like to call the way Christopher Nolan finishes this film a "crescendo finale", and the music from Hans Zimmerman captures you and carries you through it.  The track from his score is entitled Time that plays during the climax, and words cannot describe the emotions held within this great piece of music. Please listen to it, watch the images as they appear on the video, ponder on what we've discussed this past week and I promise you will leave feeling renewed and empowered to make the changes necessary in your life; to stand up when you really just feel like sitting down; most importantly to live like a Lion even for just one day!

 

Calling all Lions!!

 



Thoughts are Things

We continue our discussion of Inception this week with a look at how "thoughts" or "ideas" are illustrated in the movie.  Think back and you will realize that every idea is actually an item or tangible thing. The Cobalt Engineering job involved stealing expansion plans from a competitor; those plans were a confidential document. Mal's reality was represented by the top, and when Cobb left it spinning round and around that showed that her reality wasn't in fact real. Robert Fischer wanting to split up his father's empire was the alternate Will, but the love of his father was in fact the Pinwheel from his youth. Yesterday I quoted Napoleon Hill in that we can achieve whatever we can conceive and believe, and these symbols illustrate the importance of belief.

Thoughts are in fact tangible things, and it is our desires that make them stick and last.  How many times have we started a new year with a resolution to lose weight?  Maybe we made it a few weeks, hit the gym regularly and even lost a few pounds only to see us back indulging in old habits before spring without achieving our initial goal of better health.  Why does this happen?  Because the idea is great, and something that we desire; however, our true "desire" betrays us.  It's not until we make that mental switch (the focus of power that we've discussed previously this week) that we make lasting change.

Cobb needed to plant the idea in Robert Fischer's mind to break up his father's empire, but it was his father's love that cemented it and made it real.  "We all long for reconciliation, catharsis," is how Cobb describes it, and how true that is.  The reason most in the world feel lost, alone, abandoned, etc. is because they lack the peace and confidence that come with this powerful experience.  We are fed daily ideas and concepts that will supposedly bring us happiness (yes, inception is alive and well in our digital world dominated by the media), yet often times the cycle is only perpetuated as we buy into what we are told. That disconnect between the idea and desire leaves a hole of despair that only grows deeper over time.

Are your thoughts treated as living breathing things requiring constant attention and nurishment? Are you looking for happiness yet cannot seem to find it?  Remember that there is a difference between what is actually real and what the world would have you believe is real, and the sooner you bridge that gap the sooner you experience the peace for which you long and desire.

Calling all Lions!!

The Dream is Collapsing

 

Today we continue our discussion on the power of our minds, and in turn the power of our subconscious mind specifically.

 

In the movie, the 4th layer of dream represents the absolute bottom depths of one's mind; there is truly no further to go.  "Pure subconscious" or "limbo" is how it is described, and the fear is of course that once there you become so lost that it is impossible to ever find your way back. During early experiments into the study of dreams and the mind, Cobb and his wife Mal found themselves trapped in this land where the shores of your mind dwell.  During their time there (something like 50 years) they created and built the world around them, and these creations were left and rediscovered later as Cobb and Ariadne purposely dive into the depths to complete their mission.  What they find in this forsaken space is illustrated in this picture, and provides powerful symbolism upon which we can build.

 

1. Again, our minds hold limitless power. Cobb and Mal were literally able to build and create without restriction or restraint. So too can we as Napoleon Hill's famous quote goes - "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

 

2. Aimless thought and idleness erode not only our dreams, but our power to accomplish them.  The image of waves crashing against the shore with crumbling buildings abounding into the horizon relays this message clearly. No one was left to care for the world Cobb and Mal had built previously, and without that constant attention raw subconsciousness had begun to work its way in destroying what had previously been created.

 

Are waves crashing in around you? What are you doing with the power in your mind? Calling all Lions!!

Your Mind is the Scene of the...

 Another key element in the building climax of the movie is the fact that the mark's subconscious has been trained, and therefore militarized. Instead of dealing with peaceable projections they are forced to deal with gunfire, a train running through downtown streets and increasing levels of security the deeper into his mind they go.  In the movie projections are a part of one's subconscious, and therefore something that one cannot control; however, the message is clear that it can be trained and in turn become a source of power and strength rather than a liability.

I believe whole-heartedly in the power of the mind, and in this concept that we can train our thoughts and wield them to shape our destiny. Something as simple as the placebo effect illustrates the power of one's mind to overcome and alter outward circumstances, but James Allen describes it best.  His short treatise, As a Man Thinketh, is pure brilliance, and I encourage any who have not read it to take the time to do so.  On the power of our thoughts (and therefore our minds) he states:

Thought and character are one…the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought…Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself…Man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself, the shaper and author of environment.

In Inception, a trained (or in other words, focused) mind is a source of security and protection. What could you use a trained mind to accomplish?

Calling all Lions!!

The Dream is Real

This week I'd like to focus on one of the greatest movies ever made; Inception.  Christopher Nolan not only directed this film, but this is his original story.  He is undoubtedly one of the best storytellers of our time, if not the best, and this particular tale is especially powerful in not only it's imagery but in its message.

 

Today I wish to begin with the end. Cobb wants nothing more than to see his children again, and he literally goes to the ends of his world to achieve this elusive goal.  In the concluding scene you watch him arrive at this moment that has consumed him for so long, and yet before he enjoys that long sought after embrace with his kids he spins his top on the table; of course wanting to ensure that this was "real".  However, before he sees the result he walks away, and joins his children outside. The screen goes black before we see whether or not the top falls to the table naturally begging the question, "Did it fall? Was it real?"

 

 

However, the truth is that the question is irrelevant as the real message is that Cobb had chosen his reality, and therefore it no longer mattered whether or not it was actually "real". In our own lives we are faced with this choice almost daily, and every day we are forced to choose what will be our "reality".  Our world is filled with so many distractions that we must ever be on our guard to prevent our demise; our being deceived as to what truly is real and what holds real value. The dream is real my friends, and it will either empower you to greater ends or drown you within it's depths.

 

What is your reality?  What needs to change?  Calling all Lions!!

Image of the Invisible

We're more than carbon, and chemicals; Free will is ours, and we can't let go....We are the image of the invisible.

 

We all were lost, and now we're found; No one can stop us or slow us down....We know we'll never walk alone.

 

Raise up the banner, bend back your bows; Remove the cancer, take back your souls!...We are the image of the invisible!!

 

Calling all Lions!!

Real Strength's Source

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

- Thomas Jefferson

 

It would appear that today's world revolves around the concept of "pain free" living.  If it's going to stress me out, then I'll avoid it; if it will require hard work and dedication, then I won't be involved; if it means that I must sacrifice something of myself, then I certainly don't want any part of it.  The never-ending search for our own "individuality" has only left us empty handed at the end of the day.  Why?  You ask....because there is no growth, no progress made and certainly no purpose behind this type of existence.  Only by doing do we actually discover the strength that is inherent in each of us individually; only by being proactive instead of reactive do we discover the true meaning of our lives, and in turn this is what brings real peace and happiness to one's soul.

 

How is your life defined?  Calling all Lions!!