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'Fear and I were born twins'*

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  “Fear and I were born twins” It is reported that the great English philosopher Thomas Hobbs enjoyed saying the words: fear and I were born twins together. I was introduced to these words recently by my dear colleague Sh. during a heart-to-heart conversation. The impact of these words on me was immediate and deep. I investigated the words and circumstances and found out that Thomas Hobbs stated his mother gave birth to him prematurely, in panic, after finding out that the Spanish Armada was about to attack England in 1588. Interestingly, he was born in April and the Spanish Armada appeared on English seas in July of 1588. It didn’t make sense in the historical time line. She couldn’t have known and been affected by something nobody knew about for months. According to psychological research and Paul Eckman, fear is one of the universal, primary emotions. It is considered a negative emotion, but in fact it activates the responses that are essential to survive. Fear is often mistaken
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'Silence teaches you how to sing'*

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  In my late teens and very early 20's I used to listen to very loud music. It helped me manage the chaos in my mind, to quite the inner noise and anxious thoughts, to find silence through noise… Mary Piper in the Reviving Ophelia states that people, especially young people are often confused by the voices of their parents, family, teachers, friends, religion and so on. Those voices can be critical, demanding, insulting, humiliating and far away from delivering the clarity one might need. Not everybody is confused, though. There are many people, or young people that know exactly what course of actions they should take. Like my brother. The voices they hear are supportive, encouraging, motivating and helpful. Possibly, they hear their own voice that is strong enough to speak louder than any other voices. I remember I too heard the voices, very critical ones. They didn’t belong to me. Every time I heard that voice, or recalled that in my mind – I felt my soul was shrinking. I f
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Some thoughts on loss and grief

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  The world is saturated in loss. There are many losses that can happen in life cause by different circumstances. Grief is a response to the loss of someone or something, given there was a connection or a bond. Loss and grief happen globally and constantly. Loss and grief are acknowledged and expressed in a diverse spectrum of ways, depending on culture. Sometimes actions cause consequences that bring unimaginable loss. When I think of loss, what comes to mind is the biblical story of Adam and Eve, who lost the paradise. As a child I could not comprehend the severity of punishment they experienced, the pain and the hardship that followed curiosity. God’s Law. The story of Adam and Eve and Paradise lost has been interpreted in many ways throughout the centuries. Long ago their story didn’t make sense to me but with time, metaphorically I saw Adam and Eve in all these people who lose freedom or good name after committing a crime or breaking laws and rules. Loss and grief in the bib
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Enjoy Life

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  Can I ask you to take a moment, and reflect: DO YOU ENJOY YOUR LIFE? Regardless of what answer you came up with, please ask yourself another question: WHY? I obviously don’t know what you might have thought, but below I offer some of my own thoughts on enjoying life. There are people who know how to enjoy life. They are happy to have a job, even if not completely satisfying, a family, even if not perfect, friends, even if not 100% reliable. People who enjoy life can enjoy small things as well as big things. They are able to appreciate a day off, a meal with friends, a nice sunset, a walk on the beach, visiting a sibling, a holiday abroad, their safe country and whatever else is going on for them. They complain seldom and seem to be relaxed and settled most of the time. They don't bring their work home, they don't lose sleep worrying about how to pay their bills or that the end of the world is coming tomorrow. It’s as if they had an 'on' and 'off' switch
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Crossroads

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  As we all know, crossroads are where two or more roads cross. We have to take a right, a left, go straight, go around, make a U-turn or go wherever needed in order to bring us to our destination. In the collective consciousness, crossroads are a metaphor for a point in life where a crucial decision has to be made. The decision made will have long-term consequences and may impact our life hugely. In recent times the whole world witnessed many people in Ukraine making a choice to stay or to go. They were at the crossroads, literally and metaphorically. So were many politicians who were deciding   whether to help or not.   There is something about crossroads that have fascinated people for a long time. Across times and cultures, people have associated crossroads with a similar thing – decision making and moving on. In ancient Greece, crossroads were representatively connected to the underworld and by conducting certain rituals, one could be blessed by Hecate or Hermes. Similarly,
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Sharing is Caring

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  I was always into reading books and listening to music, especially ambitious, interesting, cultural reading and non-mainstream music. I used to buy a book or a record/cd for people as gifts for different occasions, especially for my younger brother at every occasion presented. My brother loved the music and showed a great interest until a certain time. Reading was never a major interest of his, but he read occasionally. A few times he commented about my intensions in relation to his gifts. He said: you gave me stuff you wanted for yourself. I must admit, I didn't understand why he would think that, I was slightly puzzled, then offended. I felt it was very unfair of him to say that. At the end of the day, he expressed how he felt about my gifts. Everyone has the right to voice their opinions, whether we like it or not. I certainly didn’t like what I had heard from him. I didn't know how to respond. For years I have been practicing to be reflective, not reactive. I didn't r
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The Art of Being Present

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  'IN, OUT DEEP, SLOW CALM, EASE, SMILE, RELEASE, PRESENT MOMENT, WONDERFUL MOMENT'. If you use this poem during sitting or walking meditation, it can be very nourishing and healing.  Thich Nhat Hanh •         “If you try to calm your mind, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there is room to hear more subtle things – that is when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. Your mind just slows down, and you see tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much than you could not see before. It is a discipline, you have to practice it.” Steve Jobs •                     “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.” Mother Theresa •           “So, when the challenges come, as they always do, make a habit to go within at once and focus as much as you can on the inner energy field of your body. This need not take long, just a few seconds. But you need to do i
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