by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, April 2, 2014 | Favorites, Relationship |
People have many diverse motivations in life. Some strive to make money. Others are devoted to mastering a musical instrument. Some aspire to higher and higher levels of education. Some are dedicated to certain principles, that is to say their beliefs regarding being in the right as much as possible. Still others focus on accomplishing whatever task may be at hand.
But after it is all said and done, there is one thing that brings more fulfillment regarding how you live your life than anything else. That, quite simply, is how other people feel about you. Do they respect you as a person?
The odd thing about all this is that that most fulfilling aspect of your life is very simple to attain… yes indeed, very, very simple. The only problem is that people do not have their attention there. They focus more on motivations such as the ones listed above. That is done at the expense of gaining the respect, love, and good feelings of others. Simply making a habit of keeping your finger on the pulse of how others are feeling about you is the simple yet profound key to it all. And even more amazing is that you do not have to always do it perfectly. Mistakes in this regard are not really a problem. You have only to do your best to correct the mistake and move forward. And the correction need not be a dramatic act. A simple acknowledgement is usually quite enough. That in fact, will gain you more respect than if the mistake was never made in the first place. You may think the acknowledgement is a swallowing of your pride or and undermining of your stature, but in truth, it is exactly the opposite.
I encourage you to just try it. Go ahead and focus on whatever task is at hand, but keep your finger on the pulse of how your actions are compelling people to feel about you as a person and do your best to make that a very positive feeling. You will find that in doing so, whatever the task at hand may be, you will be more successful in the accomplishment of it. At the same time, over and above the accomplishment of the task, you will find greater fulfillment in life.
It is really all so simple. Just do the Surya Ram Meditation as instructed and keep you finger on that pulse of respect. Respecting others is the key to attaining their respect and love, is the key to success in whatever task you may embark upon, and is the key to fulfillment in a life well lived.
One final point: It is not so much about how you behave when everything is wonderful and everybody is getting along that gains the respect of others. It is more about how you behave during conflicts or disagreements. Do you just try to prove your point, make yourself right, or make the other wrong? Do you stonewall any perspective or feeling other than your own? Or are you working with the relationship in a manner that will gain the respect and appreciation of others. Never forget that this is how you gain your own self-respect and appreciation. Never forget that you have not won over a person, just because you have silenced them.
Real conflict resolution, and I mean resolution within your own heart and mind, comes not from winning an argument, but instead it comes from winning the respect of others.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Sunday, March 30, 2014 | Personal Growth, Spirituality |
The following quote is true in all fields of life… politically, philosophically, socially, morally, economically, and so on. The field of spirituality is no exception. Like a reed blowing from side to side in the wind, society swings like a pendulum through varying degrees of perception of truth.
Though all things are rooted in Truth, few see the Truth underlying all things. Yet people cling to their current notions of truth. This is the way of the world.
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” – George Orwell
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, March 24, 2014 | Announcements, Mount Soma
We are in the process of finding a suitable video camera for the online live video of the temple at Mount Soma. It should be up and running before too long. Thanks for your patience.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Friday, March 21, 2014 | Favorites, Personal Growth |
Like all children learning to play a musical instrument, my daughter gets frustrated when she has to play the scales. At such times, with frustration, she decides she doesn’t want to play piano anymore.
Playing piano is an art. It is learned through practice. Even if you are enlightened, it doesn’t mean you are a good pianist. It requires practice.
Perhaps the most challenging art in all of life is dealing with people. It takes practice. Frustration is part of that process. Like children with music, adults often feel inclined to give up on learning the art of dealing with people. They would prefer to live in a bubble, isolated from the world. This is just like the ostrich burying his head in the sand. The ostrich may think that makes him safe, but in truth, it makes the ostrich more susceptible to danger.
The simple truth is that life is all about people. Your ability to deal with people directly affects the degree to which you are successful in life. Success in this regard is measured on all levels: personal fulfillment, financial success, happiness, the list goes on. The sooner you accept that and dedicate yourself to cultivating the art of dealing with people, the better off you will be. As with playing the scales, you will become frustrated. You will hit the wrong note many times, but practice makes perfect.
I offer many tools to assist you in the process. It takes time to learn those tools, but learning them is just the beginning. You must practice their application over and over again. You are not just learning to play a musical instrument here. You are embarking upon the greatest challenge of life, second only to the attainment of enlightenment.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Monday, March 17, 2014 | Spirituality |
All of the confusion, superstition and distortions around the notion of God have lead people to deny the existence of God. I do not believe in the distortions, superstitions and confused notions either.
Do you believe in science? Science tells us there is a unified field… one thing out of which all things are born and all things are in their essence. Just assign the name “God” to that one thing. Then, if you do not believe in God, you do not believe in science. Of course, the scientific understanding of the unified field is still in its infancy. As you deepen your understanding of that Unified Field, you will deepen your understanding of God. As a physics and math major in undergraduate school, the son of an electrical engineer, and the brother of a PhD in physics, what I discovered in my rational approach to that understanding opened me to remarkable realizations.
To the rationalists out there, I do not ask you to abandon your rationality. I ask you to use it to investigate that rational sequence for yourself. It may well test your own affinity to dogma, though you may currently not think of it as dogma.
Perhaps you prefer to not even consider this. The choice is yours but the potential is enormous.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
