Deeper Thinking – Page 6 – Harbor Lights Ministries

The Ever-Mystical Sock Vortex

A deep part of humanity is the passion to know, to understand the how’s and why’s of the universe around us. Therein lays the problem. You see, this passion can oftentimes create more havoc than solution, and will, if the technically challenged are left unsupervised and with tools.
My dear friend became a victim of an overzealous desire to solve one of life’s great mysteries, and perhaps a mystery that is best left unknown. The Ever-Mystical Sock Vortex!

His crusade began one Saturday morning with the simple task of getting dressed. The jeans and t-shirt combination were as usual. Socks and shoes would round out the basics and then off to the store for groceries. The process halted at the sock drawer. One sock here, nothing matching there, missing partner somewhere. The investigation continued in the laundry hamper.

Clothing pulled from the deep basket, piece by piece. Piles grew as he continued the search. “Why don’t any of the socks have a match?” He questioned under breath. His wife called out from the kitchen with a what?

“Nothing”, he muttered. “I’m looking for a match to some of my socks”, he said as he raised his volume so she knew he was paying attention. All the way down to the bottom of the basket, and nothing. How could this be? Where did the other half of all these socks go? Is this some sort of prank?

He walked out to the kitchen looking as a sleuth investigating a crime scene and looked at his wife quizzically. “My socks”, he muttered. “Where is the other half of all my socks?” She glanced up from here newspaper and shrugged both shoulders while trying to convey her best puzzled look. “I dunno.”

The dryer. That must be it, he thought. That’s the place they say the socks disappear from.

He stepped through the kitchen and into the laundry room. A simple area with a washing machine, that dryer next to it, and various cleaning solutions lining a shelving unit next to the machines. He opened the dryer door and glanced inside the drum. Reaching in, he felt around the tub hoping for a handful of socks to just magically to appear, ending his quest. Nothing. No socks within and nothing on the right or left of the outside.

His mind became filled with cartoon images showing the intricacies of the dryer’s operations. Ok, he thought, the vent hose that comes out of the back of the machine goes to the hole in the wall and out of the house. Yes, that’s it! Outside! The dryer has pulled the socks through the drum, through the vent, and out of the house and into a pile in the backyard! That’s where they went!

Grabbing a pair of sandals on the way to the back door, he shuffled to the backyard. Finding the exit port for the dryer, he studied the ground around. Nothing. Nothing but leaves, grass, and dirt. He peered into the vent hole, squinting in deep study. “This is ridiculous!” He muttered.

Back inside, he knew what needed to be done. Grabbing his tool box, he understood that the best way to solve a mystery is to dismantle the cause of the mystery! Time to take the dryer apart! This, of course was met with some stern warnings and skeptical verbiage from his wife! She tried to explain the rational to him, but knew that this issue would not rest until he had satisfied his own quest.

“I’m gonna go to the store. You do whatever it is you think you have to do.” She stated with authority. “But, by the time I get back, this whole mess better be cleared up and that dryer in full functioning capacity!” And, with that, she passed through the front door, head shaking slowly side to side.

He peered down at the magical box and grabbed the screwdriver.

Later in the afternoon, my dear friend’s wife arrived back at their house with an arm full of groceries and a sunken heart. There, from laundry room and into the kitchen, lay the remnants of a once operational dryer. The machine that worked great was now in pieces and strewn around the floor. He glanced her way while holding a box with wires in his hand. “Nothing,” was all he could muster.

Her face said enough, but her raging mind wasn’t done yet. He looked down and with a defeated gasp said “I just don’t understand where the socks go.”

Before she could let loose with both barrels of infuriation, the last semblance of calm allowed her to utter a piece of rational thinking. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe the socks disappeared before they get to the dryer?”

With that, he looked at the washing machine with revelation in his eyes and reached for the screwdriver.

Time Stand Still

Yesterday was a good day. A short day-trip to a scenic and nostalgic little town was a refreshing and memory created. Any time you have an opportunity to enjoy a of nature and eclectic people, you will often walk away with a new outlook on your own personal life. The part that nature plays in self-reflection is, and has always been, quite understandable. Historically proven, humans communing with nature will give a sense of beauty, peace, and an inward calm. Standing next to a river with the trees rustling under the direction of the wind. Sunlight glittering through the fall foliage, dancing off the moving waters. The gentle sounds of birds calling to one another. The autumn colors filling the visual senses with awe and wonderment. Tranquility settles in and the callousness of the week begins to fade into a warming of rejuvenation.

Enter people. This little town that I visited is not only a historic town nestled next to the river, but has become a mecca of antique shops, art studios, themed bars and restaurants, and unique shops. Add to this the problem of ‘one way in, one way out’ through town, and you have the makings of absolute calamity. Cars and motorcycles lined up as far as the eyes can see to the north and to the south. Impatient drivers darting through freshly turned red lights in hopes of further advancing their position. Pedestrians milling on sidewalks, blocking everything and everyone. Now, let’s add to this congestion of people and vehicles with a festival! Sure, it’s time for a celebration of the fall harvest, so let’s figure out a way to bring more people into an already cramped area!

I will admit, that I have always been a fan of people watching. I attend the Minnesota State Fair every year for two things: Pronto Pups and people! Let’s face it, the displays are the same, the food is the same, the rides are the same, and the animals all seem the same to me. (Disclaimer: Yes, I know that they are different! Settle down)! I go to that fair for my favorite food on a stick and to see the masses that gather. You can learn a great deal about society and who we are by watching large groups of people who gather together at events such as this. You have representatives from every race, creed, and status. They all come with one mind, to have fun!

Now, on my trip there was a smaller, but just as significant gathering of people from all walks of life. But on this particular day I wasn’t enlightened about some of life’s curiosities by the people around me. It was from a visit to an antique store at the edge of town. This particular store was different from many of the other stores simply because it was housed within an old building that had stood on that spot since the early settlers came in. The multi-level building still contained the wood that framed the structure, formed the floors, and some of the stonework that created walls separating rooms. An old building containing antiquities. Fitting!

I have been in many antique stores before this visit, but on this day was when observation gave way to realization. Wandering through the many aisles and nooks, glancing at the various knickknacks, furniture, clothing, oddities, and memorabilia, things started to scream at me in volumes. “I remember that.” “I had one of those.” “It seems like yesterday that I was using that very same thing.”

Really? The very objects that have been relegated to an antique store are the very things that I used, played with, and owned! Is this some cosmic joke? Is there some message being sent to me from the universe? Are you trying to tell me something? Now, hold on one minute here! I’m NOT that old! Someone get me a dictionary and the Universal Antiquities Law book…..I have some research to do!

First off, I had better make sure I understand the definition of the word:

1. of or belonging to the past; not modern; outdated

2. dating from a period long ago: antique furniture.

3. in the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.

Well, that seems pretty generic to me. After all, you buy a cell phone now days and within a few months it is ‘outdated’. But, you won’t find your ‘old’ smart phone sitting on a shelf in the antique store. I’ll check with my highly classified, you-will-never-find-it, enigma book: Universal Antiquities Law. According to section 3, paragraph 2.5, sub-paragraph 15, it clearly states that ‘items cannot be displayed as antiques or historical pieces, until such a time as this author has determined, so as not to make said author feel aged or become worrisome with self-reflection…”, etc, etc, etc…. Seems pretty clear to me that this was not consulted prior to putting out some of the items. I could go on about the very specific details listed in the Book, but I won’t bore you with all the legalisms. Let’s just say that there has been a coordinated violation of my self-directed rights as a citizen!

Be this as it may, I know that there are many who are “more experienced” in years that myself. I find myself in a mix of older and younger folks around me everyday. It’s just when you get to that point in your life when realizations begin to settle in. When you can sit in a bar and see people ordering a drink that look like they are barely 15, yet are legal to drink. When newscasters come on the television and you wonder if they just left high school. You find yourself bringing up a reference to a television show from years past and the people around you look puzzled because they weren’t born yet. I’m sure that many of you have experienced these moments, and many others. That is when you chuckle with them, but walk away thinking to yourself: where has the time gone?

If you want to take a trip down memory lane, you might find that it isn’t too far from you. It might be something as simple as a visit to your local antique store. But, before you do, prepare yourself for some reality. Some may find the reality is harsh and startling, some might find it to be a pleasant experience. Whatever your reality is when taking that trip into the past, just remember that your past has brought you to this present. Times may have changed, but we were the forgers of that change. We took the rotary telephone and turned it into the cellular. We took the phonograph and turned it into the MP3. And, we fortunately discarded the leisure suits!

Time moves forward and events and items slip into the past. Reflect, remember, and smile! Someday soon, that smart phone in your pocket is going to stir memories in your grandchildren when they visit the antique store!

Where’s the peace?

Spend several days lying in a miserable state due to sinus congestion and pounding headaches and you will certainly have time to reflect on many things! Despite the intense misery that keeps itself at the forefront of your attention, there seems to be ample time for thoughts to travel around almost every avenue of life. You can’t drown it out with television because that was turned off, in part to sad daytime programming and partly because the drone of re-runs seem to cause the pain and suffering to increase. Sleep only amplifies the potential for deeper thinking. At that point, you have only to give up and give in. Reflection time!

So what are the random topics that whirl around the brain, much like the spinning wheel from a game show? Round and round and round it goes. Where it stops? Nobody knows! And, since most of my thinking seems to border on the edge of “weird random”, I often roll my eyes at some of the strange things that crop up! How does an electron microscope work? Maybe I should learn how to play a mandolin. I wonder if I can draw cartoon characters? Here’s another great idea for a novel! What would be a great business to operate from home? How do they create computer models for weather? Why are there so many different religions?

All topics, all the time! So, in keeping with the swelling of the brain due to a fever, I decide to tackle the simplest topic first. The one that millions of learned researchers, scholars, educators, scientists, and arm-chair solutionists (myself included) have spent centuries trying to solve, resolve, and determine what is and what isn’t! The topic that has divided more people than anything else. Why is there so many different religions? Simple!

Dare, you say, to address such a topic as this? To potentially offend or blaspheme someone’s sacred holdings? No, don’t worry…..I’m not planning on upsetting the apple cart! That would be too easy to do! All you have to do for that is to simply turn on the television, open a paper or magazine, or just talk with someone at work or home. It’s obvious to even the under-educated (or those who really could care less) that this is a very personal topic. Just for the record, I have no issues with people’s belief system. You want to pray or worship an ant hill, go for it. You want to take a day off each week to burn candles and chant things to burnt toast, more power to you! That’s the beauty of America….you can! (And, many do!)

What I don’t get is the aspect that folks profess their “religion” as a peaceful one. I, for one, am a huge fan of peace! Love one another, and all that stuff, is great! So….where’s the peace?

I’m not going to sit here and list out specific religions or faiths or whatever you want to call it. That is not what this topic is about. So, please stop clinching your teeth, lower your raised fist, and take a slow, deep breath! There….better? Let’s continue….

Throughout the history of humanity, written or unwritten, we bipeds have had a hankering for looking to a higher power. Whether evidence shows it or not, there has always been a draw to something greater than self. Any culture, any region, any people…all have figured that there has to be something bigger, better, stronger, running the whole show. And if you look at any of the religions in the world today, you will note similar groundwork. Something or someone is higher than we are and is either the goal or the direction for which we need to travel. Simple enough. Each “grouping”, as I shall call it, has created its own doctrine and methodology for which to unify the masses under. The groups build upon this until they reach the pinnacle of formality.

Enter into the dawning of the new ages. Formal, semi-formal, loosely based, fundamental, off-shoot, even radical, all seem to be labels added to the various names given to each grouping. But deeper still is the inherent belief that one’s personal doctrines are of peace. Let’s take a look at what peace really means. For simplicity sake, I will utilize the definitions that are fitting with what we are talking about. Essentially, peace is harmony in personal relations; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; a state of tranquility or quiet. Should be a calm and serene state to be in. If you are a part of peace, you would think that those around you would not feel threatened or worried. You would think…..

Let’s be real. We are human and humans tend to believe that their personal way is the best. It’s seems to be the natural inclination within. So, what do the humans do with that? They decide that the neighbors need to do what they do. But, when the neighbors don’t want to be in that grouping….well, here it goes: The party of the first part insists that the party of the second part take part in the party. The party of the second part declines and the party of the first part becomes upset and forces the party of the second part to comply. The party of the second part pushes back and thus begins the party where everyone ends up crying!

But, wait! There’s more! Now some of the members of the party of the first part decide that the party of the second part had some good ideas too, but the conflicts with the party of the first part’s thinking, so, they leave the party of the first part, take with them some from the party of the second part and now create a party of the third part! Confused? You should be. By now, this process had multiplied so many times that all that remains is a million parties! Add this to the fact that the groupings continue to divide (like those biology thingys that creep people out), and next thing you know it is spread out like a virus! Of course, the bigger your party is, the more “soldiers” you have to help “assimilate” other parties into your own (or, just squash the smaller parties).

Either way you look at it, most of the party pushers are really nothing more than militants pushing their agendas and ideas onto others. Gangs, anyone? Last I checked, this wasn’t “peace”.

Now before anyone gets too high and mighty in the britches, understand that this covers the vast multitude of every religious order. Take a hard look at history. Historians have all understood and agree that the rise of any religious group has been fraught with violence and conquest. And let’s make one thing perfectly clear here so that no one walks away thinking that they are exempt: This Still Happens Today! Yes, everywhere, everyone, in every way. No exceptions. So, again I ask…..where’s the peace?

As I mentioned in the beginning, I’m all for people looking to higher powers, dedicating themselves to a life of devotion, and even walking a path that may not be clearly understood to the majority, but don’t….please don’t tell me that “all is filled with peace and harmony”! Every religion is scarred with the history of violence and it continues today. Take a look outside your realm, understand your origins, and see what is happening in the world. It amazes me that folks watch the nightly news, point and say “those people”, or “that group is…”! Stop and smell the coffee! Those people and that group is no different from your people and your group!

I close with this simple line from a complicated individual in history: if your slate is clean, then you can throw stones.

Dream A Little Dream

Nothing sparks imagination more than not imagining. We succumb to the visions of innermost wants and desires when they are most suppressed. It is called dreaming. It can happen day or night, asleep or awake, busy or idol. The theatre of the brain begins the film, playing to an audience of one, whether we chose to pay attention or not. Thus is the cycle of our lives. Setting forth on our daily tasks, while we aspire for something greater. Dream big, dream small….it really doesn’t matter. We dream.

This is not intended to define failures and shortcomings. That we dream of things that might have been, could have been, should have been does not incriminate our present lot. The dreams that we see (or perhaps ignore) are simply roles playing out within our subconscious. This really takes on a deeper version of “when I grow up, I wanna be a…..”! Not everyone succeeds with the path of childhood plans, but that doesn’t mean failure. If that was the case, there are billions of failed rock stars!

Our dreams can often be the release of inner genius. They may hold a secret solution that our conscious is blinded too. Dreams may show us different paths to take, or may simply be the seasoning sprinkled on our daily lives. No matter how we see them, they are the subject of speculations, the analysis of experts, and the topic among friends. We share them, spare them, and, most of all, reflect on them. It is the imagination engine that has so often pushed people to their finest hours. The ingenuity prompted by a vision from within. Yet, we also tend to push it aside, letting it falter back into our subconscious world. It is with this that we associate failure within our lives. That the solution to the problem was right there and we did not act upon it. But, are we really failing?

Regrets can be a poison that dissolves the inner soul. I said that. Those who live with the aspect of failed dreams, whether a one-time spark of genius or a passion that we have built on over the years and yet never acted upon it in the real world often swim in regret. Yet, regrets will eat you from the inside out if we let them fester. We all have regrets from one level or another. Regret missing a childs concert. Regret drinking and driving. Regret not investing in something. Regret a decision. We all have them. It’s how much we reflect on it that will determine if that regret hampers us the rest of our lives.

In each life, I believe there is a dream. Something that we feel compelled toward. But, in the grand scheme of things, sometimes those dreams don’t or won’t be allowed to play out. Life happens around us and can sweep us away from our dreams as fast as raging tide can wash away the shore. When that alters the dream, the “hindsight is 20/20” glasses are put on and we find ourselves evaluating. “If only I had….”, “I should have never…..”, “maybe I could have…..”. Then the movie continues to play. The dream is still in theater. Audience of one, no waiting.

So, forced to be reminded of the dreams gone by, we reflect. Next we regret. Let’s add some bitterness and a dash of resentment. Perhaps a daily dose of self-deprecation. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow will never come. The erosion of our life storm is in full swing. Bits and pieces of our selves disintegrate. Such a picture. A picture of humanity swimming in a sea of failure. But, wait! All this from self-determined shattered dreams? A complete demise of humanity from someone not fulfilling their rock star goals? I don’t think so.

Let’s be honest. As I said before, life happens and can sweep us away from chasing dreams. But not all dreams are meant to be chased. You might think that the stars are calling you into space, but that doesn’t clearly say you are supposed to be an astronaut. There is so many aspects of dreams that we fail to recognize. It may just be a short motivation for you in a decision. There may be some deeper definitions that tie in to other things. We all dream of being successful, but how are we defining that? Perhaps the dreams of space travel was really the motivation to be a writer? H.G. Wells certainly didn’t have NASA around to fuel his dreams, yet his dreams inspired his works. The dreams that might have been seen as unobtainable in the real world, yet they succeeded in opening minds to other possibilities in the universe.

Dreams can spark imaginations to affect many things, yet not all dreams come true. That doesn’t mean that dreams unfulfilled are dreams failed. And, when life happens to alter the course you may think you need to be on, you always have the ability to choose a different path. Over the years, I have heard stories of people who have given up things they pursued successfully and altered their paths to their dreams. Many on the outside might think this to be a waste of effort, but to the dreamers, they found inner peace. Lawyers that quit their practice to become farmers. Big city brokers that leave their 6-figure-a-year jobs to work as tour guides. This is the aspect of dreams still alive, regrets subdued, paths altered, happiness found.

No matter where you are in life, there is a means to your goals. No matter the course of life’s currents, our imaginations can take us where we need to be….even if it is later on in life. Don’t let the regrets of dreams gone by become the poison within. When we focus with clarity where we need to be, we can then start the journey with the first step. Be honest with yourself and understand that not all dreams are the clearest path, but they certainly can spark the imagination to motivate. We just have to let it happen without force, without fear, and most of all…without regret.

Happy Trails

It has often been said that the journey of a lifetime begins with a single step. So much truth lies in that statement. The vast potential of the future in front of us is filled with such uncertainty. So many valleys and mountains stand before us. So many pitfalls and snares. So many signs and maps to follow. But which way?

After we begin with that first, seemingly simplistic step, we begin our movement in a direction. Where that leads to, one never really knows, because on the way there will be many diversions and re-directs, that our first direction may not be the final destination. We can plot and plan to get from point A to point B…even going so far as to making a map of each and every step along the way, but guess what? Life happens! When that does we go into contingency planning, looking for alternate routes. Sometimes we steer away from the event and get back on path, other times we find ourselves heading for a new destination.

What about those that don’t have a scheduled itinerary? The sojourners that drift from one sunset to another, looking at the path only long enough to settle for a different way to go? Sometimes, there are the travellers who started with one map plotted out but found themselves changing plans mid-stream and going in a different direction. Perhaps the change was intentional, or perhaps was by incidence that drove them down a different road. Either way, start at A, heading for B, changed to a new course and going for C (or maybe D or E or whatever…).

Point is, sometimes you have to decide a new course. For some folks, such as myself, just making a decision is in-and-of-itself a journey! Thus, even that “first step” to begin is a monumental task! But, a decision must be made! Taking that step, then the next, and so on, gets us rolling down the path. For many, there are paths that have all sorts of signs that try to direct our momentum: “Go this way, it is the best”; “You will find what you’re looking for, this way”; “Here is the right path”. Many times, these paths are not necessarily the best or the right ones. They may not be in line with your initial plans. Finding yourself on some of these “false” trails will only delay your journey. They have also been attributed to destroying your venture all together. It is with this scenario that we find ourselves researching the side roads of life just for the sheer necessity of survival!

All this generality of travels, journeys, life-paths, can fit into the smallest of situations or can cover your birth-to-death span of existence. The heartache of all this is the deceitful signs and maps that are created by people. You’ve seen them before, filled with all sorts of good ideas and thoughts, acting as if they have THE only answer to everything. “We’re right and everyone else is wrong”. “Our way is genuine and true”. “We have the only correct map in life”. Really?

I would have to say that with the billions of people on this planet, the billions of ideas, the billions of opinions, the billions of ‘experts’….you would think that all of life would have been solved by now! But, guess what? It isn’t! Your political views are not necessarily the right ones! Your religious views could be and probably are wrong! I have yet to see someones’ philosophy and psychology be 100 percent guaranteed absolutely accurate! Do you wonder why there is so much conflict, violence, and frustration in the world? Everyone thinks they are right, everyone else is wrong, and if you don’t like my being right, then there’s gonna be some friction!

Really? C’mon people….it’s time to stop and smell the reality here! The only absolute in this universe that we are travelling in is change. Change is the once constant that has not stopped. Politics change and evolve. Religions change and evolve (yes, even the big 3!). Social ideology is in a constant flux. So, why all the violence? Why the constant conflict? Why are you pushing your agenda, ways, thoughts, ideology down my throat and telling me you’re right and everyone else is wrong? More people have died violently because of religious conflict than any other reason. Why? Is it because group A thinks that they are right and everyone else is wrong? Political turmoil has destroyed governments because everyone has to take an extreme side and not move an inch. Why? Is it because this party has all the answers and the other side doesn’t? Again……Really?

Despite the natural universe having to adapt to this constant human destruction caused by in-fighting, nature all around us seems to manage to coexist just fine. Interesting! Everything outside of humanity has operated on a cooperation level that we seem to often miss. The beauty of our universe, from outer space to the smallest of mass all resonating their signature energy, chiming in harmony with the rest of nature. The raindrops that’s fall into a pond, causing ripples of waves outward, which in turn moves a shoreline, watering the soil that’s feeding the trees which produce the life-giving gas oxygen. All in harmony.

We are part of this nature, whether we follow a religious creed, adhere to philosophical teachings, or just wanting to drift in our journey whichever way the wind blows us. As part of this journey, we do need to watch for the bad signs, avoid the wrong paths, and most of all, avoid the damaging things along the way. There is nothing that says that you cannot hold certain ideas and beliefs close to your heart. But when it engulfs you to the point of destructive friction, maybe it is time to re-evaluate things. Everyone’s view is that their way is a peaceful way. Their way is a helpful way. History seems to show differently. Please stop along the roadway you are on and give yourself some one-on-one time with nature around you. Stop and listen. What purpose could those paths have if all they cause is dissension in the world around us?

Common Sense says that peace within creates peace throughout. We all know that this voyage we are on could use a lot less stress!

Peace on your journey!

Cannon