PLANNING or the thinking before doing

I have no doubt that at some point along the way, every individual must have asked himself or herself about the significance of planning, or weather to have a plan or not, and how big it could (or should) be, etc.…yes, lots of plans (short-term, midterm or long-term), involving a lot of soul searching, self-analysis, dreaming and

thinking, strengths and weaknesses examination, all these being driven by personal goals, vision or ambitions! And as in life, some ambitions might be bigger than others.

Generally speaking, planning is very important because it guides you where you need to go, “it gives you directions and decreases the danger of risk by making predictions”.

On the other hand, I’m sure that you also have heard those laud dreamers planning to save the world, or to save a number of endangered species of plants and animals somewhere in Africa, or those who really want to inhabit Mars, transforming it into a lush and friendly planet, and so on. Beautiful big dreams (nothing wrong with that), but when those special dreams are so far off their reality it could become very frustrating, and that could attract a lasting sense of worthlessness (which is a very unhealthy and damaging feeling). 

So, what to do? Well, once upon a time someone intelligent suggested that by “starting to make your own bed in the morning” could be a good beginning, or before you manage to plant a forest somewhere on Mars, better take care of the flowers from your balcony or plant a tree in front of your house (and diligently water it to grow).

In a nutshell, what I’m saying here is that those humongous goals are great, but they could be accomplished with a good plan, only after you learned how to achieve the smaller ones close to you (those ‘slender’ goals which are right in front of you). 
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said a while back that “a goal without a plan is just a wish”. Making small and constructive changes to our immediate surroundings could bring upon a fresh sense of fulfillment, which leads to a great well-being…so, dear friends, during the journey, please stay healthy and…practical!

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away the small stones.”

About LOVE & INTELLIGENCE

There are extensive studies in several fields of expertise indicating that love makes people more intelligent, and this is happening because our brains have a "love neural network" and a particular biochemistry that activates and increases a series of cognitive functions.

On the other hand, most elders of the world (from ancient times up to our days), claim in one voice that love makes better human beings.

Well, without any doubt, there is a lot to debate about these two vast subjects (love, respectively intelligence), but for the purpose of this brief assertion, mostly from a philosophical perspective, below I’m sharing with you several fragments of general interest…may you enjoy this reading!

ARTICLE:

~ Few excerpts ~

Intelligence is not separate from love ...

(by Jiddu Krishnamurti)

"Modern education, in developing the intellect, offers more and more theories and facts, without bringing about the understanding of the total process of human existence. We are highly intellectual; we have developed cunning minds, and are caught up in explanations. The intellect is satisfied with theories and explanations, but intelligence is not; and for the understanding of the total process of existence, there must be an integration of the mind and heart in action. Intelligence is not separate from love.

For most of us, to accomplish this inward revolution is extremely arduous. We know how to mediate, how to play the piano, how to write, but we have no knowledge of the mediator, the player, the writer. We are not creators, for we have filled our hearts & minds with knowledge, information & arrogance; we are full of quotations from what others have thought or said. But experiencing comes 1st, not the way of experiencing. There must be love before there can be the expression of it.

...

Information, the knowledge of facts, though ever increasing, is by its very nature limited. Wisdom is infinite, it includes knowledge and the way of action; but we take hold of a branch and think it is the whole tree. Through the knowledge of the part, we can never realize the joy of the whole. Intellect can never lead to the whole, for it is only a segment, a part.

We have separated intellect from feeling, and have developed intellect at the expanse of feeling.
We are like a three-legged object with one leg much longer than the others, and we have no balance. We are trained to be intellectual; our education cultivates the intellect to be sharp, cunning, acquisitive, and so it plays the most important role in our life. Intelligence is much greater than intellect, for it is the integration of reason and love; but there can be intelligence only when there is self-knowledge, the deep understanding of the total process of oneself. 

What is essential for man, whether young or old, is to live fully, integrally, and that is why our major problem is the cultivation of that intelligence which brings integration. Undue emphasis on any part of our total make-up gives a partial and therefore distorted view of life, and it is this distortion which is causing most of our difficulties. Any partial development of our whole temperament is bound to be disastrous both for ourselves and for society, and so it is really very important that we approach our human problems with an integrated point of view.

To be an integrated human being is to understand the entire process of one's own consciousness, both the hidden and the open. This is not possible if we give due emphasis to the intellect. We attach great importance to the cultivation of the mind, but inwardly we are insufficient, poor and confused. This living in the intellect is the way of disintegration; for ideas, like beliefs, can never bring people together except in conflicting groups.

As long as we depend on thought as a means of integration, there must be disintegration; and to understand the disintegrating action of thought is to be aware of the ways of the self, the ways of one's own desire. We must be aware of our conditioning and its responses, both collective and personal. It is only when one is fully aware of the activities of the self with its contradictory desires and pursuits, its hopes and fears, that there is a possibility of going beyond the self.

Only love and right thinking will bring about true revolution, the revolution within ourselves. But how are we to have love? Not through the pursuit of the ideal of love, but only when there is no hatred, when there is no greed, when the sense of self, which is the cause of antagonism, comes to an end. A man who is caught up in the pursuits of exploitation, of greed, of envy, can never love.

Without love and right thinking, oppression and cruelty will ever be on the increase. The problem of man's antagonism to man can be solved, not by pursuing the ideal of peace, but by understanding the causes of war which lie in our attitude towards life, towards our fellow-beings; and this understanding can come about only through the right kind of education. Without a change of heart, without goodwill, without the inward transformation which is born of self-awareness, there can be no peace, no happiness for men. "

"Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love." (J. Ratzinger)

Inspiration of the day: QUIETUDE

Ludwig van Beethoven: “Silencio” (classical music)

In the midst of everything, while ‘noise’ of any kind surrounds us we could easily get disconnected from ourselves to such an extent that we are not able to hear anymore that valuable inner voice (so called by many, the inner voice of reason), which always contains the wisdom that we need to heal, to grow, and to put our thoughts together in order to further carry on with our journey (swiftly and joyfully).  

Quietude is the only 'avenue' able to take us back within, where is peace, where is clarity, where is simplicity, where is the fundamental truth of life, we each need. 
Many times we all search for answers and clarity, and more often than not, we are looking into the wrong direction for guidance. 
In the current super consumerist society it could become a real challenge to go beyond the mind chattering in a consistent manner.

There are extensive studies explaining that only in silence people could focus and recognize the truth. Only in a safe and calm environment we might be able to ‘shift’ from the outer into the inner world, where we could find peace, direction, sense, the needed healing & the meaningful answers that we mistakenly were looking for where else.

If you haven’t practice such recollection yet, I encourage you to take time to find your oasis of peace, while remembering: the quieter you become the more you can hear!

“Listen to the silence; it has so much to say.”