Day 406 - A visit to Brussel's Military Museum

I recently visited the Military History Museum in Bruxelles and would like to share some of my observations. When I entered the museum, my first impression was that of an old and completey outdated collection of military artifacts and national symbols (which made me regret my visit). But when I proceeded to the second hall, I found myself impressed by the collection of large artillery weapons and canons. 

I was mainly fascinated within the realisation that human beings had actually operated these machines (mostly from the first world war) and would have actually used those canons to try and decimate their so called enemies. As I proceeded through the hall, I saw even larger artillery and even full scale tanks. At this point it dawned on me how far humanity has gone in trying to specialise in forcing another party to agree with us and how much violence we are actually willing to use. 

If you are walking in a relationship with another being, you will find that reaching agreement through communication is actually one of the hardest things there is. You are simply not trained nor prepared for this - your education and entertainment has only prepared you for 'survival' and 'conflict'. Communication is not manipulation. I communicate with you because I accept you as an equal and I realise that I cannot move 'with you' unless we move in 'unison'. For that we both need to agree. 

The reason why international law is not actually working and why there are stil so many armed conflicts in the world, is because in the end, when all communication fails, we perceive that we can use violence and force, and because we perceive that we already have an advantage anyway. Why would we give up our advantage? 

The realisation that communication and equality are the only way forward, has still not matured within humanity. It is essential to maintain one’s inner calm and integrity when things around us seem to spin out of control. Fear and panic only lead to a more consequential outcome – stay calm, use common sense. You can see it in a person when they are possessed with fear. In a way they are ‘lost’ – they are out of touch with themselves, with life, with reality. Just breathe.

Humanity must learn to take ‘self’ as a startingpoint: I am here – I am responsible for me – I forgive myself. When self starts to take responsibility for self and starts caring for self – that is when change is actually possible and real. But you cannot ‘force’ this change in another. You walk your own process unconditionally – and the gratefulness you experience for you changing yourself is yours alone. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

For more information about writing, self-forgiveness and applying self-change, visit: http://desteni.org

For the Free online writing and self-forgiveness course, visit: http://lite.desteniiprocess.com

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Day 392 - A World where Growing Old is Embraced and Supported

This topic opened op when I was contemplating how some individuals do manage to grow quite old in this world. This struck me, because I somehow do not expect myself to get that old. And I wondered why? 

I then looked at the center point: which is that everyone fears ageing. But why do we fear it so much? Is it simply because we fear death? Maybe, but there seems to be quite a lot more to it. When I looked at it the answer was rather simple: it is that with ageing comes more insecurity. We basically do not expect that the world will be of much support when and as we grow old. That is quite rough.

As I write this I can sense a pain that is difficult to describe. 

In Europe a lot of this insecurity is tied in with the discourse being held by the governments: they already warn of the precarity of the future pensions. Make sure that somehow you have money to survive because if you do not... you need to provide for your own pension, your own plan B. This reminds me of the situation in Greece in 2014 (when the economy collapsed), when it was reported that an elderly man, when reading the amount of his montly pension allowance, walked down the river and hung himself from a tree. 

Where does 'change' begin? Does it begin on the streets? Does it begin in Parliament? Does it begin on Television? Does it begin in school? Where... what... how... 

It begins within self:

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to see ageing as something that is 'undesireable' and 'ugly'.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realise that we locked down the economy to apparently protect the elderly, but the truth is we do not care about the elderly as we will not even guarantee their right to exist and live a meaningfull life. 

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to simpy 'accept' that this is how we treat elderly, which means that this is how we are willing to treat ourselves.

I forgive myself that I have not accepted and allowed myself to realise that our society punishes the elderly - which is the reflection of a society hating itself. 

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to hate myself and consequently accept that it is ok that I should fear for my own survival as an elderly - as if that somehow is what I actually deserved all along: to die like a rat.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have no understanding of what it means to care for myself as life and to care for another as life. 

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to prove myself unable to have a long term vision for humanity and for myself and for the existence of humanity in this world.

A World where Growing Old is Embraced and Supported. What would that look like? In the beginning was the Word. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

For more information about writing, self-forgiveness and applying self-change, visit: http://desteni.org

For the Free online self-forgiveness course, visit: http://lite.desteniiprocess.com

----------------------------------------------------------