this time ~ this space

Who am I?

Are you your thoughts?

Are they yours because you observe them?

Can you be without thoughts?

Without thinking?

I’m going to provide you with a link to a flash video that is unusual and interesting. You’ll need a Shockwave plugin (Flash player 5.0) to be able to view it. After you have viewed it please read on.

Two questions were asked on a general discussion forum that I want to share with readers and maybe even provoke a discussion about. Writing them here gives me an opportunity to introduce two new friends I have made as well.

There were other answers given to the first question below but the one that resonated for me was by Acousticguitarist

Who is God to you?

The essence that lives in all things and is beyond all things

that which has no beginning and no end

the thing that we sometimes give a name, but cannot truly be defined

can be experienced and felt but never really can put into words
nor cannot it be understood by the human mind because it is beyond the framework of thought

I can’t find a place where it isn’t but I’m sure beyond a doubt that it’s attribute is love.

~~~~~

Acousticguitarist, who gave the answer above, describes himself this way. I play guitar, and have done so for almost 40 years. This has led me through numerous styles and has given me some incredible opportunities to play with world class musicians, absolute beginners and every variation in between. I have four blogs. The major one is The Acoustic Guitar Blog

~~~~~

The second question was posed by Robin Easton an author, speaker, environmentalist, musician, nature photographer, adventurer and blogger. Naked in Eden Blog is a philosophical and social commentary blog with a touch of humor and a deep love of nature. Her posts are drawn from personal questions, insights and inspirations that arise in response to day-to-day life.

Who are you?

What if (for the moment) you took everything that defines who you are out of your life, out of the picture: your social standing, your work place/job, your income, your home, where you live, your age, your education, books you read, religious/spiritual training, psychological counseling, TV, internet, radio, and family and friends, etc? Now, with all that out of the picture can you tell me who you are?

Take everything that defines who you are out of your life and tell me who you are.

~~~~~

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Becoming legally married is not a requirement for a happy, healthy and enduring relationship. Happiness comes from within. Those who believe they are incomplete and must marry legally or have a religious service to be happy are misguided. Those couples who insist they are incomplete without children and insist that they must have them to be happy are likewise misguided.

Ingredients required for a happy, healthy and enduring relationship:

(1) Awareness that happiness comes from within. You do have to be able to love yourself before you are capable of giving anything at all to another in a relationship.

(2) Trust is fundamental to commitment to the relationship whether or not a legal formality has taken place. For without our inherent trust of each other, we will be unable to grant freedom, to treat each other with respect and equality, and to be supportive.

(3) Granting another person the freedom to be themselves, to stretch and grow or to wither and stagnate, is the ultimate result of love–unconditional love. It can be tempting to lean on your partner and rely on them for reassurance, but the stronger you are as an individual, the stronger and more equal your relationship will be. When you feel confident and secure within yourself, you can enjoy being with your partner for the joy they bring to your life, not because you feel you need them to survive, or to bring in an income or to be a parent.

(4) It may be more romantic to talk about love, but it’s important to remember that love is an emotion that waxes and wanes. Healthy relationships happen between two people who really like each other ie. mutual affection. When affection is mutual, it endures. If you genuinely like each other, enjoy being together, and share the same dreams in life, then loving will never be far away.

(5) Agreement to a healthy conflict resolution process is required from the outset of any relationship because arguments are a normal part of a relationship. A good argument is an opportunity to share your feelings and strengthen your bond by reaching a decision you’re both happy with. It can be an experience that leaves you both feeling more confident about your relationship and brings you closer together.

(6) Change can provide opportunities for growth and intimacy, but it can also be painful. In successful relationships, resilient couples learn to adapt and change together. They accept that change is an inevitable part of human life and support each other.

Related posts: Relationships, Childfree