Gandhi's 10 Rules for Changing the World

--by Henrik Edberg

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.”

Mahatma Gandhi needs no long introduction. Everyone knows about the man who lead the Indian people to independence from British rule in 1947.

So let’s just move on to some of my favourite tips from Mahatma Gandhi.

1. Change yourself.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.

And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.

And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.

2. You are in control.

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a “normal” or a common way to react to different things. But that’s mostly just all it is.

You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don’t have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.

And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

3. Forgive and let it go.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Fighting evil with evil won’t help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.

You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won’t help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You’ll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.

If you don’t forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.

And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.

So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

5. Take care of this moment.

“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.

Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don’t worry about the next moment that you can’t control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences – or reflecting on past failures – of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.

6. Everyone is human.

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

When you start to make myths out of people – even though they may have produced extraordinary results – you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. You can start to feel like you could never achieve similar things that they did because they are so very different. So it’s important to keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.

And I think it’s important to remember that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. Holding people to unreasonable standards will only create more unnecessary conflicts in your world and negativity within you.

It’s also important to remember this to avoid falling into the pretty useless habit of beating yourself up over mistakes that you have made. And instead be able to see with clarity where you went wrong and what you can learn from your mistake. And then try again.

7. Persist.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.

One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just didn’t give up.

8. See the good in people and help them.

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

There is pretty much always something good in people. And things that may not be so good. But you can choose what things to focus on. And if you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.

And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them. By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better. Over time you tend to get what you give. And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people. And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

I think that one of the best tips for improving your social skills is to behave in a congruent manner and communicate in an authentic way. People seem to really like authentic communication. And there is much inner enjoyment to be found when your thoughts, words and actions are aligned. You feel powerful and good about yourself.

When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. Because now you have your voice tonality and body language – some say they are over 90 percent of communication – in alignment with your words.

With these channels in alignment people tend to really listen to what you’re saying. You are communicating without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness.

Also, if your actions aren’t in alignment with what you’re communicating then you start to hurt your own belief in what you can do. And other people’s belief in you too.

10. Continue to grow and evolve.

”Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.

Sure, you may look inconsistent or like you don’t know what you are doing from time to time. You may have trouble to act congruently or to communicate authentically. But if you don’t then you will, as Gandhi says, drive yourself into a false position. A place where you try to uphold or cling to your old views to appear consistent while you realise within that something is wrong. It’s not a fun place to be. To choose to grow and evolve is a happier and more useful path to take.

 
 

" One Day" : "Nutrition for the the Soul "

Hello and good morning everyone ,

Woke up here in Dublin this morning to see we are covered again 

in a blanket of snow and it is still pelting down !!

what a great result achieved yesterday St Patrick's Day

 victory for Ireland 24 against England 15 at Twickenham

winning both the Triple crown and the Grand slam. !!

Well done to the "Boys in Green", they did us proud !!

and now for some "nutrition" , it is great to come across 

a song with great lyrics : " One Day " by Matisyahu.

giving hope for the future for many who suffer the pain of war,

gun attacks and the evil that exists in our world.

click on the link below and have the sound full on 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXACMQtuuZI

and here are the Lyrics:

One Day…… Matisyahu

Sometimes I lay under the moon
I thank God I'm breathing
And then I pray don't take me soon
Because I am here for a reason
Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around
Because

“ All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more war
And our children will play
One day (x6)”

It’s not about win or lose

Cause we all lose when they feed on the souls of the innocent

Blood drenched pavement
Keep on moving though the waters stay raging

In this maze you can lose your way
It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way
Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around
Because

One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence
Down with the hate
One day we'll all be free
And proud to be under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like
Why-ohhhhhhhh
Why-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh
Why-ohhhhh-why-ohhh

and now listen to this version of the same song that a friend in Canada sent to 

me where 3,000 muslim and jew gathered together to sing "One Day"....
it has an energy filled with hope peace and resurrection. 

click the attached link 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqvKDCP5-xE

Share all with your family and friends (by using the links below via email, fb etc.)
+ leave your comments below where the pencil is
take care..patm

Happy St Patrick's Day. to all of you.
patm

think Positive thoughts

Think Positive Thoughts

May You Always Have Positive Thoughts. May every day of your life bring you fresh hopes for tomorrow – Because hope gives all of us our reason for trying.

May each new day bring a feeling of excitement, joy, and a wonderful sense of expectation. Expect the best, and you’ll get it.

May you find peace in simple things,                                                 because those are the ones that will always be there.

May you remember the good times and forget the sorrow and pain, for the good times will remind you of how special your life has been.

May you always feel secure and loved, and know you are the best.        May you experience all the good things in life – the happiness of realizing your dreams, the joy of feeling worthwhile, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve succeeded.

May you find warmth in others, expressions of love and kindness, smiles that courage you, and friends who are loyal and honest.

May you realize the importance of patience and accept others for what they are. With understanding and love, you’ll find the good in every heart.

May you have faith in others and the ability to be vulnerable.  Open your heart and really share the miracle of love and intimacy.

Everyone has their own personal outlook on life. Many of us don't choose it - we just follow our feelings, shaped by circumstance and experience. Others decide to choose what their outlook will be, and follow their minds instead. The man in this story shows us that it takes some wisdom to be able to live happily...

True Wisdom

A 92-year-old man, short, very well-presented, who took great care of his appearance, was moving into an old people’s home one day. His wife of 70 years had recently died, and he was obliged to leave his home. After waiting several hours in the retirement home lobby, he gently smiled as I told him his room was ready. 

As he slowly walked to the elevator, using his cane, I described his small room to him, including the sheet hung at the window, which served as a curtain.

"I like it very much", he said, with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old boy who had just been given a new puppy. 

 "Sir, you haven’t even seen the room yet. Hang on a moment, we are almost there."

"That has nothing to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something I choose in advance. Whether or not I like the room does not depend on the furniture, or the decor – rather it depends on how I decide to see it. It is already decided in my mind that I like my room. It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. “
"I can choose. I can spend my day in bed enumerating all the difficulties that I have with the parts of my body that no longer work very well, or I can get up and give thanks to heaven for those parts that are still in working order. Every day is a gift, and as long as I can open my eyes, I will focus on the new day, and all the happy memories that I have made during my life. 

"Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw in later life what you have deposited along the way. "

For a moment, I thought about the old man's words, and it all made sense. He made me realize that in life we have to deposit all the happiness we can in our bank account of memories. Like this, we will always have a trove of them to cherish.
 

I would like to thank you for your part in filling my account with happy memories, which I am still continuing to fill…

And I remind you, that to live a happy life, you have to free your heart from hate, free your mind from worry, live simply, give more, and expect less.
That's what the wise old man lives by.

 It's the way we touch each other with simple truths that spreads goodness in the world.          Who knows? A miracle might happen as a result…