few weeks back, Robert Thurman gave an incredible speech at Occupy Wall Street. I was telling this friend about it and said, “Why isn’t this the type of thing they put on national TV in prime- time?” His response stopped me in my tracks. He replied, “You could put it on at your house and then it wouldn’t matter what was on national TV.” He was right. I was responsible for my own interaction with my television program- ming, as was everybody else. What they played on national TV in reality didn’t have to affect my individual decision. That line of thinking also extends to


you play a sport or an instrument with someone more creative or skilled than you, your level of play improves. When you have a conversation and the person you are speaking with deepens the conversation, you are likely to join them in going to a more profound level of in- teraction. If this is the case, then it might follow that all the psychological, bio- logical and philosophical explanations of where humanity has come from and


Lao Tzu, in the 6th century,wrote some of history’s most profound words about personal responsibility.


If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations, If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities, If there is to be peace in the cities,


There must be peace between neighbors,


If there is to be peace between neighbors, There must be peace in the home, If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.


natural awakenings December 2011 27


Being the Change W


by Tom Kelley


hen you meet a happy person, this has a tendency to make you happier. When


is headed, come down to the sum of all the interactions throughout history. So why can’t everybody in the


world just be happier, be more creative and delve deeper? This would do it. It’s so simple. So why do we tend to blame others


instead of take responsibility? Tune in to a few minutes of any TV news program, talk radio show, town hall meeting or even dinner time conversation, and I challenge you to find many statements like “I could have been more under- standing in that instance, I’ll do better next time I’m in that situation.” It is easy to forget that we only


can be responsible for our own interac- tions. I recently forgot this universal law and was fortunate enough to be speaking with one of my deeper friends who helped me see more clearly. A


other realms. We can be the happy ones that elevate those that come in contact with us. We can be the musician that inspires others to improve their skills. We can be the one who invites others to join us in insightful discussions on the trials and tribulations of being humans. There is a quote attributed to Gan-


dhi that boils this concept down into a beautiful nugget of all-time wisdom: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It is a very powerful meditation. Every time we feel the slightest urge to complain, judge or lament, we can pause, breathe deeply and contemplate how we could take action that would make the outcome we really want more likely to happen. Putting empowered intention into valued action steps will always get us that much closer to our bliss.


Tom Kelley has a private counseling practice in Nyack and is the founder of Rockland Men’s Circle. He can be reached at 917-279-4112 or tmkhc@gmail.com. For more informa- tion on life transforming programs, visit LifeLeadersForum.com.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48