The Reiki Cafe 

This is a long post.
I don't come here often and it's even more seldom I take part in a discussion. My choice.
So I haven't followed the whole debacle taken place lately. Maybe my point has been thoroughly penetrated already.

The internet is a fantastic tool for bringing people together from all over the world.
In the old days we had to physically travel to another country to meet with people from other cultures. Then we knew, or thought we knew, what we had in front of us so to say. We could see the difference, smell it and taste it. We were taught to go easy as not to offend other persons - or make a fool of oneself.
Today we don't know who's in front of us. Man, woman, adult, teenager. It doesn't always reveal itself. Suddenly we can't use the oldfashioned way of prejudice.
It gives way for a wonderful feeling. We respect each other far more than in real life.
The world is smaller. The world has moved into my living room. We get to know one another by means of the written word. Some are better at this than others.
As the discussion goes deeper and we feel more secure and at home with the new environment - new community-, we also give out more of ourselves. Sometimes we reveal a lot more of ourselves than we would have under other circumstances.

Computerised as we are, we still look upon the world with our own eyes and background. Our own perception of the world is whether you like it or not based on the religion we were brought up with. Religion in this case = life philosophy. Most often inherited since generations.
Religion forms our thoughts and actions. The obvious result is that we approach a given subject with different views. An innocent remark can be misunderstood.
This applies not only between people from different countries, it applies also within a country; between men and women; between ages - as the discussion on the Indigo subject clearly showed.

What do we learn from this? What is the "trend"? Will we be more "politically correct" ? Or will we step out of the discussion because we cannot acknowledge other peoples' views? I know I'm not the only one who have some homework to do, not only on the spiritual path.

I like Goldenisis' endings "Hail Eris"! I looked it up and I believe it could be loosely translated as "thank God for different opinions" .
The world will be a better place the day everyone deep within embraces the concept.

Namaste
Brit

Indeed so,

Travel and travellers both give us the oppertunity to learn greatness in the world. However in order to learn anything we must first let go of all the predujices of our own upbringing. Thats the challenge - to always be a student of diversity.

Love and light

Shanta

Otoharo!

Brit, even after we loose all our cultural teachings, we still remain, entirely unique and at the same time are the same.

finality

Hi Brit
Thank you for your rare posting, very well put I thought.
We are all here to learn, not to judge other people, their views or their way of life. after all "we are one"

love and light

Ian

hi brit..

nice one,i agree with you..i also feel that we are to quick in judging others on the way they act.a person could be having a brakedown for all we know..we don't think of things like this. we just see them as someone looking for trouble..what a person says..depends on their state of mind at that time..all of us at sometime have judged another and got it wrong,,but still we don't learn from our mistakes..one love..iboman... .

Hi Iboman
Yes at times we do judge people wrong, and also some of us make a judgement, not out of knowledge, but out of partial knowledge or on a misunderstanding of the way things really are. The trick (if you can call it that) Is to be open to another possabilty and to gather the infomation, before we make that descison.
On a medium like this, judgements (I don't like that word) can only be made on what is presented to us, ok there are subtleties to look out for , or be aware off.

The vast majority of us here, have the ability to see beyond the writtain word, they also remember patterns. So when someone is a bit off, they are asked about it.
This has nothing to do with cultral differances. but on being sensitive to others. That is multi cultural and also applies to all age groups and sexes.

Namaste

Rob

Otoharo!

Rob, you say almost all. Let me add, that we now do not judge at all. Since we are all one, how can we judge anyone.

finality

Hi Finality
You are so right , we do not judge.
It was late, I couldn't think of another descripitive word to use (LOL),that would describe it effectivly.
I do see this thread, as perhaps being very much tied in with yours on mirrors.It is all interconnected.
It does also show, as the events here have shown in the last week, that for every action, there is a reaction.
These reactions, can come from a misunderstanding.

Namaste

Rob

hi rob..i don't know why this person.who i think we are talking about said what she says..that was not a cultral differance..but we do not know why see said what she says..it was right for her to go and get her head together..no need for others to rub it in..she was trying to get a point over..but becouse of her anger she lost control..that does not make her a bad person..it does not help when others wright things like..i missed all the fireworks again.. email me so i can get the popcorn for the fireworks..we are talking about a person..not a game show..we should treat all with the same respect..as we would our own famileys ...one love...iboman...

hi rob.if you worked as a security guard in a large shop..and i told you that them two lads who have just walk in are drug addicts..would you not follow them and see if they are going to take something without paying..if the answer is yes..then are you not judging them..one love..iboman...

Hi Iboman
People relieve stressful and/or upsetting situations , by making a joke about it. You have no doubt heard the Morecombe Bay Chinese jokes . Talk to firemen, policemen and other emergency service personal. They will tell you the same.
So I don’t think it was/is a rubbing in thing at all.
We all have our little foibles, we all react differently in certain situations. Our buttons get pushed. That applies to each and every one of us, How we react to it, is influenced by what is going around us at the time. Or by our shadow side/ego. I think that everyone here understands that.
The respect thing is different . Once again I have seen no disrespect, or if there was any, not intentional.

Anyway changing the subject.
How is the practice going?

Namaste

Rob

Iboman
Having worked in a store for many years, if you are alerted to a certain situation, is that not your responsability to do that job on the infomation provided?

having been in situations, where known crack addicts come into the shop with the intention of stealing from you. It was my job to protect that stock. If that means following someone to prevent them from stealing from me, then is that making a judgement?. I think not.
People get themselves into situations. They don't deserve judging because they have got into that situation.
The shoplifting thing does apply to non drug addicts as well. So in those situations, you have to be aware.
You are influenced by expieriance, you get to know these things and how to best handle the situation.

By telling me that there were 2 drug addict in the store, would you not of made a judgement that they were going to steal anyway? otherwise, why would you have alerted me in the first place?

Namaste

Rob

hi rob..i too have done that kind of job..you do go on experience..but befor you get that experience you do judge people..when i wrote my post saying we are quick in judging others..i was talking about myself also..i am no different..still learning,always will be..anyway rob my practice is going well thanks..very nervous at first..asking someone personal questions when you don't know them is not easy for me..you need to ask and get them to sign a form..so you cover youself..did my RM last weekend..so i feel truly blessed at this time....anyway rob you take it easy for now...one love...iboman.;-) wink...

Otoharo!

Rob, several have made this statement, "for every action, there is a reaction". Perhaps, there is a reaction, perhaps there is a response. Reaction is like a ball hitting a tennis rachet. It rebounds, reacts. Humans can choose to respond rather than react. That changes the automatic rebound. Firekeeper is a great example of this.

finality

Otoharo!

iboman, judgman is a decision one way or the other, good-bad. Checking on details may simply be accruing data. Even catching them in the act of taking things is not a judgment. There is a real difference between observation and judgment. Acting on observation is not a judgment. Even handling a situation where a law is broken is still not a judgment. If at the same time, one is seeing them as bad-good is the judging part. Judgment happens in the intellect.

finality

hi finality..you say that we do not judge at all,we are all one..how can we judge you say...then in another post you say..judgment is a decision one way or another..if judgment is a decision..then we have to make a decision..if we make a decision then we have judged...one love..iboman..

ps i will judge you now and say you will not agree with me lol..you take it easy...

Otoharo!

iboman, I was reading your mind! Of course. I do not judge. It has taken a long time to clean up my language to eliminate vocabulary that denotes judgment, it is not an automatic happening. Because we do not agree is not a judgment. This is an observation of a fact. It is only judgment if you think I am a nincompoop for not agreeing with you, or that I think I am better than you. That would be a judgment. For something to be good. is a judgment. For something to be bad, is a judgment. Something just is. We make it good or bad by our judgments. I am able to say that I do not judge and if a boo-boo slips out in my language, I clean it up right away!

Making a decision is not judging, it is the making of a decision that a thing is good or bad. You may make a decision that this thing is colorful, that it can be useful to you, etc. It is only making a distinction between good and bad that results in judgment.

We do get to know each other, don't we? Ha! Good to hear your voice again.

finality

hi finality..i am happy for you to read my mind,,as i will send you some loving thoughts..i had to laugh at the word boo boo..been a long time since i heard that one..the road has been bumpy,but the journey has been a good one..as we do get to know each other....one love...iboman...

Hi Iboman
Glad it is working ok for you and well done on finally getting the RM training.
It was after my RM training and during the assimilation period, that the way things are for me became clearer.
Try a meditation with the master symbol, see what it shows you (LOL).
The way of things became a lot clearer for me after that, of course it may effect you differently. To each their own journey. The concept of this, I find difficult to actually explain, But it is a sort of knowing, that I always had but never ackowledged.
Have a lot of fun

Namaste

Rob

hi rob..thanks for your post..i will try a meditation with the new symbols.haven't done a meditation for a while now..look forward to it..thanks for the thought..one love...iboman...

Yes, we can use less of the arrogant looks, the "looking away" habits or poorly choosen reactions and responses. Choose wisely when possible; for what you have given out cannot always be taken back.

Yes! I am sure that is I need to contribute. I hope I will not have to reverse the action of posting or reshuffle the wordings.

Thanks for the live discussion. It is better than TV! :)ing all the way till I see a cross road. Seems to be all clear from here.