Water for Elephants

Last night I went to see Water for Elephants with my dear friend, Elizabeth Duncan. It was an inspiring movie, and taught me important life lessons. The main character, played by Robert Patterson, is a young guy who left Cornell and a Veterinary Medicine degree after his parents were killed. He took off to the city to find work, but eventually got tired of the long, lonesome walk and jumped on a train. On the train, he met his future co-workers, who happened to be part of a traveling circus. He soon became the "vet" of the circus. Even though he wasn't particularly qualified, he had an innate gift, as the circus director pointed out. Seeing how this character could look at a horse's hoof and diagnose a disease, made me realize that in life, skills and gifts are what's important, not some degree that claims you are competent. He was so gentle with the animals that he had a hard time using force to get the animals to behave in certain ways. The show was radically transformed for the better when his new method of training animals was implemented. Perhaps this is the new style we need to adopt in this world today: tenderness, compassion, gentleness. Though it is not part of our human nature to behave this way, as spiritual beings on this earth, this is how we can create a better existence for every living thing. Combat suffering with loving kindness.

Student of Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCNzrV_X1P8

Tonight I had just finished hanging out with my friend, when I decided I wanted to spend the rest of the night roaming through Barnes & Noble seeking inspiration from the books that fill the store. When I seek inspiration, it usually involves finding books geared towards self-improvement, such as changing your life in a drastic way for the better, or finding astrology books that enhance my fantasies about having and fulfilling an ideal romance that consists of passion, love, nurturance, elation, stroking, anticipation, you name it! Tonight, the book that caught my attention, the one my soul grasped, was in the "New Age" section. It was called "I See Your Dream Job" by Sue Frederick. Sue Frederick is a career intuitve who seeks to bring people to their life mission through her own intuitve abilites. I've always wanted someone to just tell me what to do with my life so that I don't have to stress over figuring it out for myself. This book offered that kind of relief I've been searching for, at least temporarily. What was interesting to me about this book, was that it focused on your individual life path number, which is calculated from adding all of the digits of your birthday down to a single number 1-9. That means that there are 9 potential categories you could fall into. Mine happened to be life path 7, calculated by adding the digits 8/9/1988. The book told you the kind of career that you would be suited for based on both your life path number and your sun sign in astrology. In my case, I am a Leo with a Life Path of 7. I couldn't believe what the author told me about my life path career. She told me that I was analytical of the inner life and would likely get a PhD in Psychology or Political Science, and go on to become a profressor in one of these subjects in academia. Coincidentally enough, I just received by Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and my twin sister, who obviously has the same life path number as myself, graduated from Duke with a degree in Political Science! I also happened to be looking at Psychology PhD programs in California online two nights ago. (What I like so much about California, is that ideas there are on the cutting edge. For example, health and positive psychology are two areas that are becoming increasingly popular, and California is setting the trend. ) Perhaps I should take this advice more seriously, especially since there have been testimonies in the book of individuals living much happier lives after consulting this particular author for her advice on what they should do in their lives, as they had usually come to a point of extreme dissatisfaction in their lives which lead them to her for guidance. As I read further on, I noticed that she began to expand on ideas such as fear, and how fear really isn't a negative concept. In fact, she said fear is energy, that fuels our success, and that no human being on earth exists without fear. The trick is, though, to channel fear properly so that it is energizing and produces results rather than keeping you back. I knew this concept whole heartedly when I was a senior in highschool, and had reached a very high level of success being a three-time indoor track state champion while at the same time being at the top of my class. I was a very energetic, yet fearful individual, and I was not afraid to hide my fear, because I knew that that fear was a huge source for everything I did. Those who had a problem with my high energy/fearful nature, completely misunderstood. This thing that they were so uncomfortable with, was a great source of power within me, and within them as well. Unfortunately, they had not come to realize this yet, and I don't know if they ever will. But, that is why I am using this blog to express my deepest hunches, and intuitve, spiritual truths, that I have gained through my "peak" experiences, or what humanists would describe as a period in which you transcend yourself and reach a high level of understanding, often this occurs when a great level of success has been achieved. Perhaps, in writing this, I will inspire you, too, to find what I found, if you have not yet discovered it. One thing I want to mention, that is related to fear being the source of energy, is that medication prescribed by psychiatrists that is designed to get rid of "anxious" feelings should be banned. What this medication does is wipe the life force, energy, out of a person to where they really can't function at the high level that they originally did. There are strong messages that emotions reveal to us. And those who are designed as more intuitve folks, who really rely on their intuition to guide them in life, can be thrown astray by being medicated and suppressing the emotions that appear "weak" are actually their biggest strength. Anyways, I wanted to share with you some insightful, valuable information that I learned tonight by randomly picking out a book from a shelf and reading it. I hope this has inspired you in some way.