TheLeaderInside.com

Big Picture – The Really BIG Picture!

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for
one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… ”

Today I would like to occupy a little more of your time than usual. I have a few words to pass along about why this is “The Really BIG Picture” of today’s title — and then give you some, what I believe are, interesting things to watch and listen to.

First about today’s quote — Do you recognize it? They are certainly profound words, aren’t they? These words were agreed upon by 56 people on July 4, 1776. Here we are, 232 years later, and it makes me sad to see how many people who live in, and who are citizens of this great country, have forgotten, or have chosen to ignore, this basic principal.

I wrote about how prejudice is still running rampant in this country in my last article in this blog. Today, we’re just a few days away from one of the most important elections this country has ever seen. And still, there are people who feel that the ideals upon which this country was founded — that all of us are created equal — there are people to whom this just doesn’t seem to matter.

I’m not going to go on one of my big rants today about the terrible things being said by Americans about other Americans. Instead, I’m going to ask you to do four things. One — If you’re registered to vote in this election, BE SURE TO VOTE!

The second thing I’m asking of you is to watch this video. It features the person I support for the Presidency of the USA, Barack Obama. This is the speech he delivered on Monday, October 27, 2008, in Canton, Ohio. It’s being called “The Closing Argument“. I feel this speech makes the choice in this election starkly clear. I looked for some excerpts that were shorter, but the couple I found didn’t do the speech justice. As usual, I’ve included a link in case the video doesn’t play for some reason.

The Closing Argument

The third thing I’d like you to do is read this blog post by Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama. This was a post she wrote on the same day that her husband gave the above speech. She wrote it for the Blogher community. It will only take a couple of minutes to read, but it will give you a clear idea of who this person is and why she would also be a good role model for parents and spouses in our country.

Here’s the link to it:

Michelle Obama’s Blog Post

Or — if you’d rather read it here, I’ve included the text for you:

One Week to Change

by Michelle Obama

The leaves are turning, the air is crisper, and my girls are completely wrapped up in their preparations for Halloween. Yep, it’s definitely fall.

Malia and Sasha spent hours this weekend putting the finishing touches on their costumes. Then they paraded around with their friends at the Halloween party we hosted on Saturday night. Malia was what she calls an “evil fairy,” and Sasha was (I can hardly believe I’m writing this) a corpse bride. They were both aiming for terrifying, but as Barack put it, they really are just too cute to be scary.

In a few days, we’ll go trick-or-treating. And then, just a few days later, it’s Election Day.

After 21 long months, the big day is almost here.

This campaign has been such an incredible experience for me and for our family. I’ve learned so much. And I don’t just mean how to travel to five states in two days, or where to find places for kid-friendly fun anywhere in America on a moment’s notice. (Though, believe me, these are extremely useful skills.)

I’ve learned that there is so much more that unites us as Americans than divides us—no matter what our differences may be. I’ve seen neighbors pitching in when the folks around them need a hand—without being asked, and sometimes without even being noticed. Strangers seeing each other struggle, and standing up to say, “I don’t know you, but I want to help.”

This is exactly what Barack has been talking about for years. The fundamental values and experiences that bring us together… regardless of our race, our political party, our socioeconomic status, our age or our gender… all the threads that connect our lives and our futures. Because the truth is, we are in this together. We will rise and fall together. And the only way that we’ll build a better future for our kids is by coming together and working together for change.

As Barack always says, We don’t live in red states or blue states… we live in the United States. And during the past 21 months, as I’ve traveled around this beautiful country, I’ve seen the truth of his words again and again.

Now, with just one week to go until Election Day, I’d like share with you one of my favorite memories from the campaign trail, for you to get a sense of the extraordinary strength and kindness I’ve seen on my travels.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve hosted round table discussions with women—both to introduce myself and our family to the American people, and to hear the questions and concerns of folks all over this country. A few months ago, I was in Kansas City, Missouri, meeting with a group of local women, when one woman started talking about her son.

He had some developmental problems, and his pediatrician urged her to give him as much enrichment as she could. But she didn’t make enough money to afford daycare. So instead of spending his days playing with other children in a lively environment, this little boy was spending his days sitting in a relative’s living room, waiting for his mom to finish work.

This mother was heartsick over how to give her son a better quality of life during these crucial formative years.

Another woman was participating in the discussion that day: a nun named Sister Berta, who runs a nonprofit agency that cares for low-income children while their mothers are at work. And after we finished our discussion that day, Sister Berta quietly went over to the woman, and offered her son a spot at her center—for just $10 a week.

It almost seemed like a miracle. Right when that woman was brave enough to tell her story, there was someone listening who could help her. And two people who didn’t know each other before that morning found their lives on a different path after we left.

I think about that moment all the time. Because that right there—that sense of cooperation, that unity—that is why Barack is in this race. Because he believes so deeply in our ability to come together in times like these—times of crisis—to overcome any challenges that we face.

It’s going to take all of us working together to build a better future. And we have to start now. This election gives all of us the opportunity to change our world. So please, make the most of this moment. Educate yourself, and your friends and family, about the issues at stake in this election. And please, no matter who you vote for, make sure you vote.

I know we can do this. I’ve met so many strong and compassionate folks on the campaign trail. Folks like Sister Berta, who knows that we rise and fall together—and who can’t stand by if the situation demands that she step up.

My family is committed to this campaign because of people like her, and people like you.
So I’ll be carrying so many stories in my heart during these final days, wherever I go—whether I’m on the campaign trail, or collecting candy from our terrified neighbors, as I go door-to-door with our ghoulish girls.

*****************************************
Finally today, with only four days until the election, I’d like you to watch this short video. It concerns the first thing I asked of you — and that was to be sure you vote. There has never been an election this important to every single one of us, not only here in the USA, but also throughout the world. This video came into my life just yesterday from a new friend of mine I met in the http://www.beta.intent.com ning group, Jim Aycock. He and a couple of film maker buddies of his, George Smith and Michael Mills, put this video together which features a song written by Jim called, “We the People“. Jim gives tons of credit to his wife, Cindy, for being the driving force behind the making of this wonderful video.

Please watch it and enjoy it — and then get out and vote. And be sure those you know do the same. Again, I’ve included a link in case the video doesn’t play for any reason.

We the People Video

==========================================================
Be sure to vote. Be sure to check your registration before you vote by contacting your local voter registration office. If somehow your registration is being purged, you will know by checking first. Do it now, so you won’t be pressed for time just before election day. If you can, vote early to avoid long lines at the polls. And my last bit of advice — tell everyone you know to do the same.
===========================================================

Thanks for hanging in here with me. I appreciate it.
=================================================
Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

~~~ Buddha

==============================================
I meditate every day to help keep me sane in this crazy world we live in. Those glimpses we get of peace, love, acceptance and happiness when we’re meditating will soon grow into more than glimpses if we keep practicing. Keep those feelings alive. A meditation can be as simple as one, deep, conscious breath. When something happens in one of your moments to cause you to suffer, just stop and take one of those breaths and remember, “This too shall pass!” Another thing that is wonderful, especially at certain times of the year, is to have a fresh flower where you work. Just stop from time-to-time and look at it — don’t label it — don’t judge it — just be with it for a couple of moments. It really does work. I’m looking at mine as I write this.

“Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature”

~~~ Gerard de Nerva

=======================================

“Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.”

~~~ Buddha

Namaste!

I share these words for you in closing — .

“Be happy now, my dear friends. Today is all we have. Be good to one another. Take comfort in whatever spirituality you are so inclined (or not), and learn to be happy despite your circumstances. Follow your path; pursue your dreams. Work hard, love your family, be generous and forgiving. Do it today, while you still have the flicker of life, for one day your own candle will dim.”

You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

~~~ Ron
http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
================================================================
In my meditation I often use what I believe is a powerful aide to deep meditation. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels.
(5) It is the proven path to finding the peace, love and compassion within all of us –

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution
================================================================

====================================================================
[tags]peace, inner self, inner peace, Buddhist Belief, Buddhism, Buddhist, Bailout, dreams, spiritual energy, hope, action, value, inner balance, enlightenment, destiny, manifestation, meditation, patience, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, body balance, life cycle, beginnings, endings, positive thinking, ego, silence, consciousness, staying grounded, cycle of life, new story, Big Picture, Mother Earth, sustainability, compassion, Barack Obama[/tags]

Big Picture – What Would Buddha Say?

” Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

~~~ Buddha

I don’t know where to start today. Yesterday I began writing this blog article about five different times. I scrapped every one of them. Today is my normal day to post an article here, so I’m back at the drawing board to try again. I keep thinking I’d better get off my soapbox with all the “rants” about politics and corruption, and get back to writing more uplifting articles about being better human beings. Since I also write another blog about Buddhist Belief (http://www.buddhistbelief.com) I thought perhaps writing how a Buddhist would feel about all the crazy politics might be something I could write and not feel the need to toss it in the recycling bin. Who knows — here we go for another try ….

I don’t even come close to having any idea what Buddha, or Jesus, or any other of the spiritual avatars we’ve come to know would say about the things going on in our USA political arena. I do know what Buddha taught about the dangers of greed, hatred and ignorance. The Buddha called those the three poisons. Those three aspects of human nature we’re seeing displayed so prominently in this Presidential election cycle are the three primary thieves of our happiness. Greed grabs our desires — hatred plays on our fears and insecurities and convinces us to find blame in everyone other than ourselves — and ignorance clouds our minds so we lose sight of the visions we seek.

Greed is what brought the economy of the world to its knees. Greed has a slew of relatives like jealousy, ambition, addiction, pride, grasping and clinging. All of which lead us into being dissatisfied with our lives. We find ourselves frustrated, irritated, annoyed and even depressed by the way our life is playing out. When we’re being greedy we don’t tend to be generous. It makes us want what we want when we want it and we don’t give a hoot how we get it.

Hate seems to be playing a role this year as well. It is one of the most destructive things we can carry within us. If you look at prejudice against people of different races — or people with differing religious practices — or people with different sexual preferences — or people with opposing political beliefs — it’s all still prejudice and prejudice is embodied in hatred. Whenever we’re caught in the web of believing only our way of being or thinking is the right way — and attacking anyone who says anything opposed to what we believe as being wrong — we then create a concept of someone being the enemy and worthy of such attack. I see much of this kind of behavior in the way we’re being bombarded with nasty mailings and vile robo-phone calls.

One of the principles taught by Buddha was things like hatred, ignorance and greed are the very things causing us to be dissatisfied and unhappy. One of the reasons why we suffer so much is our belief that we are all separate from each other. We really do foolishly believe we can hurt someone else without hurting ourselves. We have this desire to always feel we’re more important than the other guy. This kind of thinking only destroys everything around it — including ourselves. It even has drastic effects on our health — both physical and mental. Prejudice makes us quick to judge or find fault, it closes our heart and shuts down our sensitivity. I read something or heard this somewhere (probably on the Internet) about a family where the word “hate” was not allowed to be spoken in their home. Why not try that in your homes? Just don’t let the word be spoken. It will make a difference.

When you’re thinking about pointing your finger in accusation at the other guy, just remember, there are three or four fingers pointing right back at you.
*****************************************
Just one more bone to pick and then I’ll get out of here and stop ranting.

I’m sure by now most of you have heard about the Republican National Committee giving Sarah Palin some extra spending money for clothes, hair, and make-up for herself and her family. I don’t know if the figures I heard are true or not, but it was apparently in the six-figures somewhere. Fortunately, I didn’t make any campaign contributions to the Republican party, so I truly don’t have a bone to pick about how they use their money.

But, this comment is not about clothing — I don’t know a thing about fashion. So, ladies, don’t send me letters about picking on someone’s need for style. This is about the issues. It’s just the concept of how we choose people to lead our country. Is this about how they feel about our health care or national security or the economy? Nope! It’s about what they’re wearing or how they tie their tie. This last comment is about the economy and how the candidates feel about it and what their basic understanding is about how we should be using our dollars.

This little video clip I want to show you took place this past July, so I presume that both Barack and Michelle have purchased some new clothes since then. I haven’t heard about them using campaign funds for it, though. My guess is they have enough money of their own to buy a good suit of clothes. I do believe their basic values are rooted deeply in the way they feel about how you and I may have to dig deep to get something nice to wear. Here’s what I mean …

The Obama family sat down for an interview with Maria Menounos of “Access Hollywood.” One of the topics discussed was the Obamas’ style icon status, which amused the family because, as Michelle points out in the interview, Barack is wearing pants he’s had for 10 years, and says that his belt and shoes are pretty shabby, too (“I hate to shop,” he explains). Michelle also reveals that the sundress she’s wearing is from the Gap: “Fortunately they make pretty stuff at all price ranges…[Barack] will be happy to know that this is, like, a $30 dress.” Her husband then high-fives her and daughter Sasha screams out “Mommy buys everything from Gap!”

Here’s a video of that interview…. (Use the link if it doesn’t play for you for some reason) …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vkWRIcezc0

=============================================

I don’t know what the next week will bring, so I can’t guarantee we’ll get back to the “other topics” we used to write about. At some point, I know we will. There just aren’t any promises for the immediate future.

And .. Thanks for hanging in here with me. I appreciate it.

=======================================================
My advice to everyone is this. Be sure to vote. Be sure to check your registration before you vote by contacting your local voter registration office. If somehow your registration is being purged, you will know by checking first. Do it now, so you won’t be pressed for time just before election day. If you can, vote early to avoid long lines at the polls. And my last bit of advice — tell everyone you know to do the same.
====================================================
And .. Thanks for hanging in here with me. I appreciate it.

There’s more to come next week. Come back and help us to continue this important conversation. Invite your friends. We need many more people to be listening and sharing.
=================================================
Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

~~~ Buddha

==============================================
I meditate every day to help keep me sane in this crazy world we live in. Those glimpses we get of peace, love, acceptance and happiness when we’re meditating will soon grow into more than glimpses if we keep practicing. Keep those feelings alive. A meditation can be as simple as one, deep, conscious breath. When something happens in one of your moments to cause you to suffer, just stop and take one of those breaths and remember, “This too shall pass!” Another thing that is wonderful, especially at certain times of the year, is to have a fresh flower where you work. Just stop from time-to-time and look at it — don’t label it — don’t judge it — just be with it for a couple of moments. It really does work. I’m looking at mine as I write this.

“Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature”

~~~ Gerard de Nerva

=======================================

“Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.”

~~~ Buddha

Namaste!

I share these words for you in closing — remember these words …

“Be happy now, my dear friends. Today is all we have. Be good to one another. Take comfort in whatever spirituality you are so inclined (or not), and learn to be happy despite your circumstances. Follow your path; pursue your dreams. Work hard, love your family be generous and forgiving. Do it today, while you still have the flicker of life, for one day your own candle will dim.”

You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

~~~ Ron
http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
================================================================
In my meditation I often use what I believe is a powerful aide to deep meditation. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels.
(5) It is the proven path to finding the peace, love and compassion within all of us –

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution
================================================================
[tags]peace, inner self, inner peace, Buddhist Belief, Buddhism, Buddhist, Bailout, The Secret, Law of Attraction, dreams, spiritual energy, hope, action, value, inner balance, enlightenment, destiny, manifestation, meditation, patience, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, body balance, life cycle, beginnings, endings, positive thinking, ego, silence, consciousness, staying grounded, cycle of life, new story, Big Picture, Mother Earth, sustainability, compassion[/tags]

Big Picture — It’s Not Funny Anymore!

“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

~~~ Abraham Lincoln

Yes, that is the same quote I used in the last article. It still applies. As I say in the title to today’s article, the political campaign here in the USA isn’t funny. It’s darn serious. There for awhile, the late-night talk-show hosts were having a lot of fun with some of the antics being used by both political parties. Lately, they’ve been making fun of the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. I don’t like it. The humor has gone out of it. It’s reached the point where we need to look at some of the recent antics and inject a bit of realism into the Big Picture.

First, let’s look into the way the Republican campaign has been riling people up by the way it uses Obama’s name, putting the emphasis on his middle name, Hussein, and invoking some sort of connection between his name and terrorism. This has even reached the point where people at the Republican rallies are concluding that Barack Obama is a terrorist himself. A woman recently, stated she wouldn’t vote for him because he was an Arab. This just isn’t funny.

Last February, conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham, no doubt wanting to play up the Obama-as-foreign-terrorist angle, repeated Barack Obama’s middle name three times prior to an interview with John McCain. When McCain was informed, he released a statement saying that it was inappropriate to invoke Obama’s middle name. “I absolutely repudiate such comments,” McCain said. “It will never happen again.” Of course it happened again, most recently when a Florida sheriff introduced Governor Palin at a rally. Palin’s campaign spokesperson, Tracey Schmitt, later called the sheriff’s use of Obama’s middle name an “inappropriate rhetoric.”

What bothers me, in addition to the fact of the dangers of riling up the potential for extreme reactions, is the fact that we still pander to the elements of racism. Why should the use of Obama’s full name even be a fear-inducer? When are we going to stand up and defend the use of Obama’s full name? When will we be able to show that the use of any name, regardless of race or origin, is free to be used without fear of abusive reaction? Can you see why I feel it’s not funny anymore?

Where did we get this idea that a person who has a name that is from Arabic origin cannot be a true American? It wasn’t that long ago that the anti-Semites sent the same message to Jews. Irish, Italian, Polish and other immigrants, as well as African-Americans, all have a history of being penalized for their names. If we truly believe that it is the content of a person’s character that should be judged, and not their skin color or ethnic origins, then we should stand up to such belief. We should welcome the use of his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. It’s not something we should be ashamed of. We should be proud to be supporting such an impressive member of the human race. We should be proud of the fact that Obama is such an outstanding American.

I live in an area of Ohio that still carries many of the old feelings about race. I was doing a “Visibility” event recently (where groups of people gather at busy intersections and hold signs supporting their candidate), and was amazed at how many people shouted terrible, racist words out of their car windows at us. I know racism still exists. I also know there are people still hoping there will never be a cure for this. However, those of us who don’t believe in it should never allow ourselves to be shamed into silence. It’s not funny anymore.
===================
On to another issue that is also not funny and is being blown all out of proportion by the main stream media and the politicians. This is about ACORN. The Republicans are stating that some of ACORN’s canvassers were turning in voter registration applications with fake names and information in order to meet their daily quotas. As a result, the media and the GOP are screaming “voter fraud”.

Did some lazy ACORN canvassers turn in a bunch of fake registrations with names like Mickey Mouse and the entire Dallas Cowboys starting lineup in order to pick up a few dollars without doing the work? It looks like that did happen. This prompted the political machine to turn up the volume on the phrase “voter fraud”.

Why are they doing this?

If Obama wins in November, they will be able to scream, “He won because of “voter fraud”. They are laying the groundwork now so they can cry foul after the election. It is true, that some of the ACORN canvassers may have been a few bricks short of a load. Did some of them turn in bogus voter registrations like the one for Mickey Mouse? I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Is that registration fraud? If it’s proven, it sure is. And the people who did it should be appropriately punished.

Is is voter fraud? No, it is not.

The only way this becomes voter fraud is if Mickey Mouse shows up at the polls on election day and tries to vote. My state of Ohio is one of those being accused of voter fraud. All I can say is if a bunch of Mickey Mice show up and are successful in casting a vote, then I’ll agree there has been voter fraud.

Anyone who registers a voter, including ACORN, has to turn all the registrations into the board of elections, even the ones that look bogus. They have to — it’s the law. ACORN starts the verification process by attempting to call the individual names on the application. If they’re not successful in this attempt at verification, they flag the form and send it on as required by law. In Ohio, the Board of Elections also has to verify the registrations are valid. They do this by sending out a verification form to the address shown on the registration application. If the card bounces back, the registration is not processed. Even if a fake registration somehow does make it through the verification process, the fake person still has to show up at the polls to vote and identify themselves. If the person doesn’t exist, how can they show up to vote?

I don’t see where the voter fraud exists if no vote is ever cast.

The big picture here is how the ACORN myth allows the Republicans to do more arbitrary purging of the voter rolls based on so-called “anomalies” in the voter registration databases. Richard L Hasen, author of the Election Law Blog and a distinguished law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles recently wrote, “Careless purging–driven by unsubstantiated fears about voter fraud–can lead to many eligible voters being incorrectly removed from the rolls.” Already, here in Ohio, the Republican Party is pushing for more purging and they found a federal judge who agreed, citing ACORN’s activities.

All this ballyhoo is about those newly registered voters and who they might vote for.

It isn’t funny anymore.

My advice to everyone is this. Be sure to vote. Be sure to check your registration before you vote by contacting your local voter registration office. If somehow your registration is being purged, you will know by checking first. Do it now, so you won’t be pressed for time just before election day. If you can, vote early to avoid long lines at the polls. And my last bit of advice — tell everyone you know to do the same.

And .. Thanks for hanging in here with me. I appreciate it.

There’s more to come next week. Come back and help us to continue this important conversation. Invite your friends. We need many more people to be listening and sharing.
=================================================
Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

~~~ Buddha

==============================================
I meditate every day to help keep me sane in this crazy world we live in. Those glimpses we get of peace, love, acceptance and happiness when we’re meditating will soon grow into more than glimpses if we keep practicing. Keep those feelings alive. A meditation can be as simple as one, deep, conscious breath. When something happens in one of your moments to cause you to suffer, just stop and take one of those breaths and remember, “This too shall pass!” Another thing that is wonderful, especially at certain times of the year, is to have a fresh flower where you work. Just stop from time-to-time and look at it — don’t label it — don’t judge it — just be with it for a couple of moments. It really does work. I’m looking at mine as I write this.

“Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature”

~~~ Gerard de Nerva

=======================================

“Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.”

~~~ Buddha

Namaste!

I share these words for you in closing — remember these words …

“Be happy now, my dear friends. Today is all we have. Be good to one another. Take comfort in whatever spirituality you are so inclined (or not), and learn to be happy despite your circumstances. Follow your path; pursue your dreams. Work hard, love your family be generous and forgiving. Do it today, while you still have the flicker of life, for one day your own candle will dim.”

You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

~~~ Ron
http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com

P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
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In my meditation I often use what I believe is a powerful aide to deep meditation. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels.
(5) It is the proven path to finding the peace, love and compassion within all of us –

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution
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