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One of a Kind News Table of Contents
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = I love hearing from readers. If you would like to write to me, send an email to Sharon@sharondemarte.com. Do not reply to this message, as it won&Mac226;t get to me. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 1. Welcome Notes Welcome all new subscribers! I&Mac226;m glad you are here! If you would like to review past issues of One of a Kind News, click on http://sharondemarte.com/newsletter.html and go to the Archives. I am interested to know where our readers are. I know most of you are in the United States and suspect a few are from other countries. Please be so kind as to let me know and I will share what I learn with the readership in the next newsletter. You can write to me at Sharon@sharondemarte.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 2. The Power of One "The Peace Song" Words and Music by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller "Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me. I love this song! It reminds me that peace begins with me, which gives me hope, direction, self-responsibility and a knowingness that we can each make a difference in our world. We are living in the most dangerous of times. We are at a crossroad and the choices we make will determine the future of our world and the fate of our children and grandchildren. Which direction will we go? We owe it to ourselves and the generations to come to choose the direction that is for the highest good of all. We can no longer afford to just let things happen, to let others determine the direction we go. We can no longer afford to waste time and energy criticizing, complaining and blaming, being victims. It's time for each of us to take personal responsibility for our world -- it's time for us to become the heroes we were born to be. Have you ever wondered why you were born into this particular time in history, a time when our decisions will make the difference between life and death on this planet? I have. And, I believe there are no accidents. Each of us was born at this time for a reason and a purpose. It's up to each of us to remember that reason and purpose and act on it. It's time that we open our arms, hearts and minds wider than just the country we live in. We need to open them wide enough to encompass the entire world. We have learned, painfully, that what happens in any part of the world, happens to us too. What affects one of us affects all of us. It's easy to think that as one person, we can't make much difference. It's easy to feel helpless in the midst of all that&Mac226;s going on in our world. It's easy to play victim and let others make our decisions for us. Do we want to take the easy way? We are only helpless if we believe we are. Each of us is a lot more powerful than we think. If you think you can't possibly make a difference, think again. We can turn this world around one person at a time. As of this moment, Sunday morning, February 16, 2003 at 5:42 a.m., there are 6,313,567,300 of us in this world. Every single one of us is important, valuable and a child of God. Every one of us can make a difference. Here are three ways each of us can make a difference: 1. Make inner peace your greatest goal. Our outer world is but a mirror of our inner worlds. The only way we will change this outer world is by each of us changing our inner worlds. In each choice you make, ask yourself "Will this bring me peace or something else?" Let that question guide you in the direction of inner peace. 2. Create peace in your own circle of influence. What I mean by your circle of influence is everyone you come into contact with in your life, all of your relationships with others. Peace begins at home. If we can't create peace within our families and friends, how can we expect to create peace in our world? Battles between countries are no different than the battles we embark on within our own circles of influence -- only the magnitude is different. Practice looking for the God within every person you come in contact with. It will be the God in you that sees the God in the other. 3. Manage your mind. Your thoughts go out into the world as energy. All of your thoughts feed into a larger energy called the collective consciousness. There are 6,313,567,300 of us feeding thoughts into that collective consciousness. You could think of the collective consciousness as a huge pool of energy that all of our thoughts are feeding into. Right now it would appear that more fear (war) thoughts are being added than love (peace) thoughts. The more of us who consciously choose to feed love thoughts into the collective consciousness, the higher the probability there is of tipping the balance in the direction of peace. Each of us is contributing to the energy of the world; make sure you are contributing the energy you want. If you doubt the power of your thoughts on the collective consciousness, read the following story: The 100th Monkey "The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952 on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientist. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes. THEN IT HAPPENED! By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! But notice: A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea--Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!" Ken Keyes, Jr. I don't know if this story is true or not and it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it points out the possibility that each of us can, indeed, make a difference. And, if it is true, I want to be a 100th Monkey! I want to strengthen the field of peace and love in this world. I want a world that is safe and secure for every one of its 6,313,567,300 people. How about you? If it's to be, it's up to me and you and you and you and you. We can do it! My Prayer God, we have created a mess in this world. Help me to think with Your mind. Help me to let go of irritations and judgments toward other people and know that everyone is doing the best they can with what they know at this time. Help me to come from love, to see the God within each person. Help me to be kind and gentle. Give me courage and strength to be my best Self through the days and weeks ahead. Help me to do Your Will in all things. Amen = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." "All the armies and do-gooders will not right this world, but enough of us with love in our hearts can." "We are co creators, and it takes a great deal of strength and work to be a conscious co creator. To choose God&Mac226;s way, the way of peace, in the midst of adversity takes incredible strength and points us to the source of strength-unlimited love." "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things." = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Count your garden by the flowers, Blessings to you and yours, Sharon = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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