I am Not My Physical Body

I am not my physical body, ... I am not my physical body, ... I am not...  I repeated these words constantly in my mind when I received a second total hip replacement this past Monday.  It turned out to be the best preparation I could make.  Everything went smoothly, and I am recovering now at home.

Since several years now I have been dealing with osteo-arthritis.  I first noticed that I had a weakness in my right hip joint.  I often had to drag my leg, lifting it into the car or bed.  I fought with all my heart and was looking for alternative approaches to prevent surgery.    After I outgrew all of my and others resources, I agreed on having surgery on the right hip.  In the meantime, the left hip also became bone-on-bone.

For most of my life my body has been very healthy and I didn’t have many problems.  I always believed that I am responsible for my health and well-being.  That’s why I studied about health, nutrition, and other alternative approaches to care for the body.  That was also the reason for my disappointment when I started to have all these joint problems.  I am aware that there underlying emotional reasons when we encounter physical troubles.  Then I came across the Emotion Code  by Dr. Bradley Nelson.   I was able to release tons of emotional baggage, many of them related to finding my true identity.  It helped me enough to recover very well from the first surgery.  Since the left hip was also very worn out, I decided to have it replaced as well.  It took the support of my family and friends and a very skilled surgeon to get me through it all.

But the best help came from above, from my heavenly father, who gave me the courage and faith to understand that I am not my physical body.  If you were to see all the metal in my hips (the x-ray machine reveals it all) I am not that structurally support skeleton, I am still me.  I am a spiritual being, who is living temporarily in this physical world, learning to be responsible for myself and my lineage.  I had to learn to forgive myself for my internal behavior and many wrong habits.  I had to learn not to identify myself with my feelings or thoughts, and to experience the NOW as my only state of being.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I am on my way of recovery, again.  Isn’t it wonderful, how many times we can make a new beginning in life?

Exploring Human Potential

I have heard from different sources that man only uses about 5% of his full potential.  Hank Wesselman, Ph.D. says in his “The Journey to the Sacred Garden” that man is primed to experience the full expression of the human potential.  If we are destined to reach our 100% capabilities what is holding us back?

 Man has struggled throughout human history to overcome ignorance.  Knowledge comes in different forms: intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and mental.  Some scientists believe that man has advanced more in the last 100 years than in the past. We humans have always been creative, seen in the ancient cultures like the Egyptian and Greek architecture, and European art such as music, paintings and literature.  The Western World has been engaged in many discoveries, exploration, and inventions.

Let’s explore some of the aspects of raising the human potential:

*The Flynn Effect 

The Flynn effect is a theory based on observations that IQ (intelligence quotient) has changed over time.  This effect crosses cultures and has been scored by James R. Flynn over several generations.  It is remarkable how young people are more intelligent today and quickly understand new ideas and concepts.  This is most obvious in regards to electronics and other gadgets.  James Flynn is a political scientist from New Zealand.  He is not the only one but has the support of other psychologists and academicians.

“The greatest discovery of the 19th century was not in the realm of the physical sciences, but the power of the subconscious mind touched by faith. Any individual can tap into an eternal reservoir of power that will enable them to overcome any problem that may arise. All weaknesses can be overcome, bodily healing, financial independence, spiritual awakening, and prosperity beyond your wildest dreams. This is the superstructure of happiness.”
~ William James, Harvard Psychologist, the Father of American Psychology

 *Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman tells us that emotional intelligence is a different kind of intelligence.  It is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage our emotions in a positive and constructive way.  He calls this intelligence “heart smart,” not just “head smart.”  He encourages us to learn EQ (emotional intelligence) and develop it throughout our lives.  Learning EQ helps deal with stress, accept emotions, develop relationships, communicate better, have fun with humor, and overcome conflict with confidence.

Mr. Goleman describes five necessary emotional skills which everybody can learn:

* Emotional intelligence (EQ) skill 1: The ability to quickly reduce stress.
* Emotional intelligence (EQ) skill 2: The ability to recognize and manage your emotions.
* Emotional intelligence (EQ) skill 3: The ability to connect with others using nonverbal communication.
* Emotional intelligence (EQ) skill 4: The ability to use humor and play to deal with challenges.
* Emotional intelligence (EQ) skill 5: The ability to resolve conflicts positively and with confidence.


 *Common Sense

Common sense is often underestimated.  It is the combination of both intellectual and emotional intelligence.  Mostly it is based on our own experiences. 

As the saying goes: “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

Aristotle thought that the common sense is an actual power of inner sensation, as opposed to the five physical senses.  Considering that we not only have these 5 physical senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching, but those same senses are present in the spiritual realm, he was way ahead of his time.  Only man owns this dual characteristic of internal and external.

 *Intuition 

 Intuition is the capacity to gain knowledge without reasoning.  Contrary to animals which are driven by instinct, man can learn to look inside (the word intuition come from the Latin word for intueri which mean look inside) and discover the super-national or subconscious which connects us to the higher source, God.  The HumanPotential Movement (HPM) has made use of this discovery.  HPM has developed in the 1960s, following the ideas that all people have extraordinary potential. 

 "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
~ Albert Einstein, German-born scientist (1879-1955)

 Already in 1943, Abraham Maslow wrote about the Hierarchy of Human Needs. Once our basic needs are fulfilled, man is destined to advance into the higher realms, seeking his full potential.  In order to do this, man needs to be free, free to pursue happiness.

Therefore, Mr. Flynn’s study is valuable.  Man has grown in intelligence and wisdom because he is destined to achieve his highest potential.

We are living now in an extraordinary time of human history where we can take part of this personal transformation.  Intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence, left-brain thinking and right-brain feeling, internal and external have to become one.  But humans can’t figure this out by themselves.  We need the guidance and inspiration of the higher source which is God, our heavenly parent.  He is the author of knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, emotions, and most of all love.  Only love can truly transform us.  This has been the missing link throughout human history.  We need the love of our heavenly parent to nurture us and raise our human consciousness.

Traveling Through the American Heartland

It has become a yearly tradition to travel to grandpa’s house in Minnesota.  The Midwest region of the United States of America is known as the “American Heartland.”  The Heartland’s primary role for the rest of the country is manufacturing and farming.  We saw mostly farming since we avoid driving through the big cities. 

This past weekend we got our reliable Venture van ready to make the 1,000 mile trek.  Starting in Cincinnati, Ohio, we drove west on I-74 through Indiana, then Illinois, Wisconsin, and arriving in Minnesota a day later.  

How do you bring excitement to a trip which consists of bathroom stops, lunch breaks and one sleep-over?  We know the route very well, and met with only a few constructions and detours.   When we were driving through the cornfields of Illinois I couldn’t help but think of the farmers which provide our food and fill our grocery stores.  I got into a deep state of gratitude for their tireless labor and dedication.  They are certainly not on the job 9-5, five days a week.  Especially, during the summer and during harvest season, they work deep into the night and bring in the crops.

Maybe we should start a campaign with green ribbons for their service for the country.  Most people, shopping in the cities’ grocery stores have no thoughts of were their food is coming from.  The life on the farm is a life of sacrifice and often of uncertainty, because the harvest depends on so many factors.  One of them being the weather, the other the general market prices, and last but not least the economy.  But there are so many rewards for farm life.  The greatest being, at least from my perspective, that it is a family business.  In fact, the reason that in the past farmers had lots of children was that they had more hands to do the farm work.

From the website America’s Heartland I learned some interesting facts about corn:

Corn or maize is a grain and not a vegetable. It is grown around the world as one of the most widely used food staples.  It is processed into oil, corn syrup, corn starch, and flour.  Its other important use is as animal feed and can also be transformed into industrial products such as ethanol and polyactic acid (PLA).  The USA is the largest corn producer in the world, farming about 50% of the world’s harvest. 

Here are some fun facts about corn:
* There are about 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn.

* The corncob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant's flower.

* The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.

Sweet corn, feed corn, and pop corn require different seeds.  Today, farmers have developed many hybrid forms which give bigger and better yields.  Unfortunately, some people are allergic to corn.

Through working together as a family, the parents can teach their children hands-on values.  The unity of a family can produce not only a “great crop” but also healthy relationships.  It is in the family that children learn to love, the give, and to be selfless.  So the heartland is truly the breading-ground for American values.

Deep in my thoughts, the landscape changed, and we arrived at the tourist country of the Wisconsin Dells.  Exit after exit big bill boards enticed us to visit the water slides and boat rides.  All of this amusement is also provided for family fun.  This time we only had one thing in mind, getting to grandpa’s home. 

The best thing for us: our daughter and her husband came from Germany, and we traveled together as a family.  That was entertainment enough and exciting news for us: we are going to be grandparents.  Wherever we went to visit, grandpa came along, sharing lunches (dinners) and dinners (suppers) with the rest of the extended family.  We had a lot of fun and laughed out loud, isn’t that relaxing?

Socialism Does Not Work

It’s been 50 years since my family left East-Germany.  I am reminded again of this event, since the date of the building of the Berlin Wall and the stronger reinforcement of the demarcation line between East- and West-Germany is nearing its 50^th anniversary this coming August 13, 2011.  Any country which has to build a wall or fences around themselves to keep their people in, does not work because it doesn’t give its citizen freedom.  Actually, the government of East-Germany claimed at that time, that they had to build the wall to keep the anti-socialists OUT.  How is that for logic?

What is socialism? According to Wikipedia, socialism is an economic system in which the means of production are publicly or commonly owned and controlled cooperatively, or a political philosophy advocating such a system.  Webster’s New World Dictionary explains it as “any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution by society or the community rather than private individuals, with all members of the society sharing in the work and the products.” These very words explain why socialism does not work because it is based on a theory which leaves out the most important factor of human nature.  Humans were created by God as their parent to live a spiritual live here on earth inquiring character and experience relationships of love.  Socialism as proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels never allowed a belief in a creator, a loving God who has a plan and purpose for his children.


Years ago, before the fall of communism, Reverend Sun Myung Moon played a major role in the downfall of communism.


His Critique and Counterproposal to Communism was the very background of President Ronald Reagan’s declaration: “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall.”

"Now it doesn't require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property? Our natural, unalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation of government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment."
~ Ronald Reagan

I am not a politician, I don’t even like politics.  One thing I don’t understand is that the Soviet Union has been dissolved and many other communist countries in Europe.  Why on earth people are still proclaiming socialism as a form of government, I don’t have a clue.  As Milton Friedman acknowledged, socialism is a force. Mr. Friedman was awarded the Nobel Prize Economics in 1976.

Mr. Friedman wrote in 1989:
"What is socialism?  In its purest form, socialism is government ownership and control of the means of production.  Ownership of anything implies the right to the income produced by that thing."

All means of production in the United States – people, land, machines, buildings, etc. – produce our national income.  Spending by government currently amounts to about 45% of national income.  By that test, government owns 45% of the means of production that produce the national income.  The U.S. is now 45% socialist.
Source: The Clever Dude


The problem with socialism is that you eventually will run out of other people’s money.
~ Milton Friedman (American Economist, July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006


Don’t we learn from history?  Why are we giving awards and acknowledge great thinkers for their innovative thoughts and suggestions but don’t apply them in real life?  Now more than ever, we need people to step up in leadership with real experience and a vision of what is good and true for human kind.  Let’s put the blame game behind and support those leaders who have results to prove their leadership to reform our economy, our education, and our government.  I support those leaders who are humble enough to admit that we need the help from the almighty God.

National Day for Prayer and Fasting - August 6, 2011

Our country has a long history of national days for prayer and fasting.  Ever since the First Continental Congress gathered in 1775, our leaders have come together to seek the guidance of our heavenly father.  At the draft of the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin declared, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.” 

When a country is in trouble, the first thing to do is to ask for God’s guidance.  During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, “It behooves us … to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray to the God that made us.”  Again, during WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in prayer, “As we rise each new day and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.”

It doesn’t matter who is calling for the day of prayer and fasting, as long as we are praying together.  In this political correct time, nobody is allowed to step on anybody’s toes, which often leads to in-actions.  I support Governor Rick Perry of Texas  and the American Family Association for initiating the National Day of Prayer and Fasting on August 6, 2011.  Even though, I want be able to travel to Texas, I will participate at home in the ritual.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
~ Edmund Burke, English statesman and author

Here is the link where you can register, if you want to participate:

http://theresponseusa.com.

Even if you cannot travel to Texas, you can participate at home.

Governor Rick Perry declared the date a “day of prayer and fasting for our nation’s challenges.”  He goes on saying, “America is in crisis.  We have been besieged by financial debt terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters.”  The governor personally invited all other 49 governors to participate in the day.

Obviously, there will be opposition for that event.  Anytime righteous people stand up there will be disagreement.  But this is a free country, so let the fight begin.   I don't think the issues are division between church and state.  This is the time where good and evil is separating like oil and water.

Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day
Washington, D.C.
March 30, 1863

A Proclamation.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

Signed: Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America

This video has been added 2 days after the event on August 8, 2011: