That’s cool

Cruelty occurs when someone has abandoned the courageous or accountable task and said “nah, I’ll do this instead.”

Cruelty is weakness dressed up in a strongman costume. Don’t be fooled - when a cruel act is performed,it is usually because someone didn’t have the courage to be vulnerable, to be truthful,and/or to be accountable,whether it be for the own actions,their thoughts, their feelings, or their emotions.

Personal accountability is a sign of true strength. Vulnerability (not helplessness, but vulnerability which leads to connection) is a sign of strength.

Hell is the torture of not being who and how you are intended to be. It is not wrestling with the conflicts inside of us. It is disowning, abandoning, or shaming parts of ourselves.

Hell is the absence of love. Heaven is the presence of love. It’s as simple and as complex as that.

I truly believe that when we live authentically - with honesty and integrity - we are experiencing Heaven. When we step away from ourselves, we are experiencing Hell.

Don’t argue with the wisdom - that’s your ego getting in the way. Honor the wisdom. It won’t always say what you want it to say, but it will always speak honestly if you are engaging with it authentically.

But most importantly, connect with yourself - that still, small voice inside you. Connect with the inner wisdom you’ve always had but from which we’ve been acculturated to step away. Sit with that voice, listen to them, and honor what they are saying.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is a wonderful work.

The Telepathy Tapes podcast explores some truly fascinating material.

James Hollis has several excellent books.

These are just a few examples - there are lots of works to explores, materials and people with whom to connect.

These stories are not new or magical, nor are they unique or beyond the human realm. They are simply occurring in that space of humility, self awareness, and reflection.

I’m struck by the accounts of people who, by outward appearances, are trapped in situations - perhaps they are in chronic pain; have a debilitating illness; or are imprisoned - and go inward, ultimately finding a deep connection with both themselves and something larger, and then feel a freedom.

Overprivileging or underprivileging something (giving too much or too little energy to it) leads to that state one might call Hell.

Love, right sizing energy, and checking our ego at the door leads to that balanced state one might call Heaven.

You are very kind. And one of my favorite humans, you smarty pants you!

I am proud of the hard work I did to earn my degree - no one can take that away from me. AND I am strong enough to acknowledge that I did not get there alone, and that many people traveled a much more difficult road than I did to get the very same degree.

Systems work against us; some of us more than others. And if you don’t believe that, you are not paying attention. And if you don’t work against it, you are not doing your part.

Now get out there and get to work.

I thought about how going at that slower pace had actually cost me more in tuition because I couldn’t take 15 hours of credits each semester, I slowed down to 12 for my brain health. And then I heard what she had gone through. We were getting the same degree.

I thought about how difficult it was for me to complete my degree, how much I had struggled, the long nights, the lost sleep, the slower pace I had to go because I was older and because I have epilepsy.