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Are You Living in the Real World?

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Signs of Hope for the Economy
Concerns Over the Health of the Economy
The Economy is Down Today
How to Cope With the Economy
Hope for an Economic Recovery
The Economy in Depression
The Economy in Recession
The Health of the Economy in 2010
Economic Crisis

You’ve heard all of it. Haven’t you? I hear it. Every single day I read another headline about the “state of the economy” and every single day it makes me sick. Human beings treating the economy like it is a living thing, a necessary thing, a crucial thing for our survival.

Well, here is a wake-up call for you: The economy is not a living thing. It can not be depressed, sick, healthy, or any other thing. It is an idea, a lie, meant to rope you in, hold you hostage, and rape you of the truth.

The economy is based on money. Money is made of paper, man-made paper. Guess what? If you were to walk out out into the wilderness tomorrow, entirely away from civilization, you will have certain needs that will need to be met. And none of those needs will involve small pieces of paper bearing the faces of “important” political figureheads. What you will need is water, oxygen, food, and sunlight. That is the real world. That is the truth.

Every time I walk through the forest, I get a strange sensation. As I pass through the trees and over the Earth; as I smell the woody scent of dirt, bark, leaf, water; I get a sense of vertigo. I point it out to my partner many times, “This is surreal,” I say. His response to me is always the same, “No. This is real. The world from which we’ve come — of buildings, electricity, paper money, McDonald’s, television — that is the surreal world, the fake world.” And that is the entire truth.

Somehow we have lost sight of this truth. We are so caught up in the surreal world that has been created around us, by us, for us; that we no longer recognize the real world. Most people would be completely helpless in the real world. If all of our technologies, our comforts, our conveniences were suddenly taken away, could you survive? Would you want to?

Yes, we are a highly evolved species, human beings, and our technologies are a great achievement. But at what cost have they come to us? We have no regard for the Earth, like a plague we destroy it and most people do not care. We are overwhelmed by the voices of the media, the advertisers, the famous, and the politicians — and tragically we no longer recognize the most important voices — the voice of the Earth and the voice of ourselves.

Evolution is about self improvement, living your best life, overcoming fear & anxiety; but in order to do any of those things you must first recognize the truth about the world in which you live. Whenever someone tells you to, “Wake up and join the real world,” (or even if you say it to yourself) think first about what the real world actually means.

We need to begin focusing on the conservation of the Earth. We need to become more in tune with the voices of nature. This is a crucial element of conscious living.

I encourage you to take a hard look at your definition of reality. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you make an effort to aware & concerned about the Earth on which you live?
  • Do you do things & believe things because the media/advertisers/politicians tell you to?
  • Are you familiar with nature & comfortable without all of our modern conveniences?
  • Are you dependent on the surreal world of technology, fast food, and paparazzi?
  • Have you defined your core values & are they aligned with your beliefs about the world around you?

This is extremely important food for thought, in a world where we hear so much about the state of the financial economy; yet we hear little or nothing about the state of our natural, true world. If we do not take care of this Earth, we will destroy it and then there will be no economy to have to worry about at all.

I believe that if each of us would begin to re-focus our values and focus on the truth, that we could change this world around. We could revitalize the Earth and once again be aligned with the true and natural world. There is constant opportunity to make a difference. We must seek out those opportunities, take hold of them, and create positive change — both in the world around us and in our own personal lives.

What will you do to make the Earth better place? What mark will you leave behind you when you are gone?

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    3 Super Simple Ways to Reduce Stress, Improve Health, & Live Happy

    Want to know how you can cut your stress in half?

    How about if there were two things you could change that would drastically alter your stress levels for the rest of your life?

    Now I bet you really want to know, right?

    What if I told you that doing these simple things will not only decrease your stress levels, but will also make you happier and decrease your risk of heart attack, ulcers, & high blood pressure?

    Ready for this? Four words: Stop Rushing, Take Vacation.

    Yes, that’s it. It’s really quite simple, but the results that you will see if you make these changes will amaze you.

    The Problems
    So why is rushing & a lack of vacation such a huge problem? Well, rushing every now and then wouldn’t really be such a problem. But in today’s society, the reality is that we don’t just rush every now and then. We rush all of the time.

    We are constantly hurrying from one thing to the next, multitasking, with our minds in five different places at once. We browse the Web in multiple Windows. We watch television while surfing the Web. We talk on our house phones while texting on our cell phones/iPhones/Blackberrys. While we’re driving to work, we’re planning our days, who we’ll see at each meeting, and what we’re having for dinner. While we’re eating dinner, we’re checking our email, responding to emails, and thinking about what’s on TV that night. While we’re watching TV that night, we’re thinking about everything we’ve got to do tomorrow. You get the picture…

    The Facts
    The United States is one of (if not the) most stressful, fast-paced, uptight societies in existence. The “American way” of rush, rush, rush has huge negative implications. And sadly, the rest of the world is beginning to follow suit. It’s not a good path to be on.

    Here are some statistics about minimum vacation days around the world:

    Austria — 35 days
    Brazil — 30 days
    Finland — 35 days
    Sweden — 32 days
    Ukraine — 24 days
    United States — 7 days
    (Source: http://nationmaster.com)

    7 days? Really? WTF United States!?!?!?

    Every year Expedia.com launches an intense Vacation Deprivation survey to gather the facts & the effects of American Vacation Deprivation.

    Check out these stats:

    Notice that despite earning the least amount of annual vacation days, Americans will still leave an average of 3 days unused! This goes to show that so many Americans don’t even use the little vacation time that they get! Not good.

    Why is Vacation So Important?
    Let’s talk about mental health.

    • 34% of Americans say they come back from vacation feeling better about their jobs and are even more productive.
    • 53% of employed U.S. adults say they come back feeling rested and rejuvenated after vacation.
    • 53% of employed U.S. adults say they come back feeling reconnected with family after vacation.

    It’s no big secret that work can be stressful. Even if you absolutely adore your career, you still have the occasional (or frequent) challenging day. If you refuse to take a breather every now & then, you are putting your mental health and your relationships at risk.

    Obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, anxiety, depression, and so on are all symptoms of stress. Stress causes cortisol to build up in your body, the cortisol is then stored as dangerous fat. In addition to all of the physical symptoms of stress, there is the issue of rushing around. When you are rushing nonstop from place to place, it’s easy to stop for fast-food because you don’t make the time to cook nutritious meals for yourself and your family.

    If you look at the rates of obesity around the globe, you probably won’t be shocked to see where the United States fits in.

    That’s right, numero uno. Not a good place to be in this case. Americans are the most obese individuals in the world. A sad fact to note considering that we are also some of the richest people, with some of the most vast & diverse availability to nutritious & wholesome food. (Please watch Food, Inc. for more information on this topic.)

    Turning the Tide
    The facts are straightforward. Constant rushing & vacation deprivation will cause you harm. Here are 3 super simple ways that you can combat these harmful habits.

    1. Practice efficient time management. Keep a calendar and don’t overbook yourself, no exceptions. We all have a ton of stuff that we want to get done, but we have to prioritize. Choose the tasks that mean the most to you and will provide you with the best ROI (return on investment). Don’t commit to anything that doesn’t benefit you, your career, your family, or your friends in a big way. Your time is precious and you should treat it as such.

    2. Use your vacation time, all of it. No matter how many days that your company allots for vacation, make sure and use it. If your company tends to be on the real stingy side with vacation, don’t be afraid to set a confidential meeting with your HR director to point out the importance of sufficient vacation time. Sufficient vacation time is mutually beneficial — you will feel better and thereby, your performance will improve. Win – Win!

    Likewise, if you work for yourself, make sure to pencil in enough time for R & R.

    3. Breathe. When you are rushing, you are most likely breathing shallow. Shallow breathing causes rapid heart rate & conversely, deep breathing causes a slower heart rate. Take time to observe your breathing throughout the day. If you find yourself shallow breathing, take a deep breath in through your nostrils. Let the air flow through your chest & deep into the pit of your stomach. Allow your stomach to expand, like a balloon, as it fills with air. Then slowly exhale through your nose and expel all of the air from your body. Breathe in deeply again, allowing the air to fill your stomach as before. Each time you inhale, take in the positive energy & light around you. Let it fill & calm your soul. Each time you exhale, push out your negative energy & fear. Continue to do this until you feel calm.

    * — * — * — * — *

    Slow down, be in the now.

5 Comments

  1. Hi Dena,

    We create our own reality. Everything is neutral state – energy – and we determine what it means to us. You make great points in this area.

    I haven't watched the news for 4 years. If big events arise I'll hear about them. I've decided to do more of my own thinking. When I don't do my own thinking I receive a red flag right away: I feel bad.

    Free thinkers who the masses think are out of their mind are in their mind and most people are out of their mind. That is, they let appearances – things occuring out of their mind – rule their thinking. Those in their mind ignore appearances and create their own reality. That's why it feels so good to walk through nature. Nature is the Truth. It's God's creation, and more than anything else nature keeps us in our minds. Everything in nature is pure and it's a lot tougher to judge something pure and inherently Perfect than it is to judge man-made drama.

    It feels good to be in your own world, doesn't it 😉

    Ryan

  2. @Ryan – Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I love it! We create our own reality. Yes!

    The man-made drama that you speak of is the killer of the Truth — an unnecessary tragedy. I believe that there are some people left, seekers of truth & light; but we are the minority. We must stay strong, share our knowledge, and hold tight to hope.

    I am so glad that you have shared your thoughts! It means the world to me.

  3. Free thinkers unite! And I agree with Ryan there too. Turning off the TV has been absolutely brilliant!

    I've just finished watching a brilliant doco that pointed out that 'people' used to gather on Sunday's for a refresher of their value systems and how to live, now we've substituted that for media, TV and newspaper. We're driven by consumerism and materialism.

    From this, we've got about 2 or 3 generations left before the whole world is going to be well and truly f#cked!

    The easiest and point blank stupidest example for me, as I'm sitting here on a sweltering 41 degree C Perth day, people living in houses with no eaves, shiny black roofs absorbing heat, not a care in the world and their air conditioners on at full blast. Consuming consuming consuming.

    It'd be nice if something like recycling, re-using household grey water or living more organically came into 'fashion', atleast for a year or two!

    We need a giant shift in attitudes.

  4. @Andrew – I could not have said it better myself. I came across this article: http://short.to/13j7d today on Twitter, and it really made me want to cry!

    The values of the human race are so out of whack that you are right. It's sad but true – we don't have much time left to turn this around. Why do we have to wait until it's too late to start making the necessary changes?

    We need a revolution of thought, an enormous shift in attitude & behavior.

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