Feeling Suffocated

How many of us feel suffocated in the world we have chosen for ourselves? How many of us push ourselves close to a breaking point, or beyond?



What is interesting is not many of us question the chaos we are in, or do something about it, until it’s too late.

While I personally believe a good education and work is very important it’s not everything, in fact, in today’s world it seems to be counter-productive in many ways, especially when it is a fear driven.

We have very little nurturing going on, break downs on almost every level of the family unit, and a mirror of those break downs in the society around us.

Hey! but a little booze, MSM, Sports, Dancing with the Stars, Big Pharma meds and BSing ourselves will keep us in check, Right?

We have people that are supposed to be experts with outstanding credentials failing at an unparalleled rate no matter what they seem to do. People have strayed so far from their intuition that they do not know what is good for them, hence the chaos we live in from day to day, and handed down to the next generation.

Can we turn the tides?



In a world that appears to push us all to a breaking point, from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep, there are things that we do have control over, in fact, we have more control than we think, but changes have to be made on a personal level, and sacrifices have to be made. Maybe we need to relearn a new way of life.

We have forgotten how to actually live, so what is it going to take to wake us up from the nightmare we have created for ourselves?

The answers may lie in simplifying our lives. Overcoming our ego’s and downsizing are another battle that seems to be lost right after the last TV commercial, Facebooking, or our neighbor flaunting his new ride. What do we do?

What we need and what we want are worlds apart from each other, but the daily doses 24/7 of how we should live our lives is re-enforced from family, friends, media, government and anywhere civilization seems to be.

Do we need a bigger house? Do we need a new car? Hmmm better plan for retirement cause at 65 years old we’ll need lots of money to be happy, but in the meantime its misery, work, and chaos for 30 plus years.



What makes us happy, is it something simple, or is it something extremely complex?



I leave you all with a great story from the internet that I read to myself often to help ground myself, and make sure I am focusing on things that matter.

Peace and Love,

RT

Continued......

Author Unknown.


"A tourist arrived in a small fishing village and walked along the beach, he noticed a fisherman pulling his boat to shore.

The tourist complimented the local fisherman on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took to catch them."Not very long" he answered."Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the tourist

The fisherman explained that his small catches were sufficient to meet his needs." But what do you do with the rest of your time? "asked the tourist"

We sleep late ,fish a little ,play with our children, and take a siesta with our wives. In the evenings we go into the village to see our friends ,have a few drinks, play the guitar, sing a few songs. We have a full life" replied the fishermen

The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that, with the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you havean entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" Asked the Fisherman"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.

"And after that?" Asked the Fisherman

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, "answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!""Millions? Really?

And after that?" asked the Fishermen.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

"With all due respect Sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point of wasting twenty-five years?" asked the fishermen"

And the moral of this story is:

Simplicity, peace, love and a healthy lifestyle has always been there, whether we choose it or not is up to us.

Easier said than done....

Great post, agree 100%.

The suffocating culture that society is trying to feed us--vapid consumerism, constant divisiveness, overwhelming competition, and growing inhumanity--is a disaster. TPTB are trying to fill our minds with hate and violence and materialism, egocentric paradigms where other living things aren't supposed to matter and the world entire is just some giant mass of earth and rock to be exploited as it screams in pain beneath us.

That's what we see on television, in movies, in print media and online. That's what the establishment tries to foist upon us, but that's NOT what we have to be.

We each of us have free will--the God-given ability to choose the path we want to follow. You are not a robot, not a slave, not a "human resource." You are a human being, and that's the real hidden knowledge TPTB want to suppress.

I, on the other hand, want you to remember. We each are co-creators of our own reality, and we need to awaken to that truth. We each of us choose what we want to let into our lives, and decide the dream in which we want to live.

There's no one way to live this life, no fixed path to guide you from beginning to end. The only compass you have to guide you is your morality, and the only way to fail in life is to act out of sync with your better instincts.

You have the ability to create your reality. You have the strength to manufacture your own dream.

Think about that before you buy the pre-packaged "American Dream" that TPTB are trying to cram down your throats. Because really, that isn't a dream. It's just a nightmare.

I can relate,


I was extremely career driven, worked 80hr+ weeks waking up well before the sun came up, coming home well after it went down.

Sometimes living on 3 hours of sleep, made into the 6 figures though considered myself "successful".

My Marriage was falling apart, never saw each other, we loved each other, just never saw the other.

One day I at 26, went to pick up a box of paper to fill the copier, Smelled burnt popcorn and everyone started speaking gibberish.

Next thing I know, Massive stroke, disabled, unemployed, etc.


BEST thing that ever happened to me, One event forced me to change my life, restructured what was important in my life.

Now we live much more simply, on far less, but we are far more successful than we ever where.


Part of it involved leaving our "comfort zones", Moving 1200 miles away from family and friends. Did things like live communally with some friends that came with us, who where also in need.

Like the fishing story, an easier life was always there.

originally posted by: jrflipjr
Easier said than done....

All it takes is willingness to go out side your comfort zone.

originally posted by: jrflipjr
Easier said than done....

Agreed to a certain point.

Anyone can be a keyboard jockey, but I have implemented downsizing, and simplification in my life and it's working.

When we say we can't do something, then that is what our life becomes. Also if we paint ourselves as victims, then that is all we will ever be.

I have found more time, even though I make less money, and the trade off has been very healing. The toxic lifestyle I used to wallow in is becoming less and less everyday.

The main question is can people live with less in their lives?

I am seeing more and more people here in Michigan downsizing.

Smaller everything becoming debt free.

So what are people doing? Here is a good example.

The Journey to Mortgage-Free Living

originally posted by: benrl
I can relate,


I was extremely career driven, worked 80hr+ weeks waking up well before the sun came up, coming home well after it went down.

Sometimes living on 3 hours of sleep, made into the 6 figures though considered myself "successful".

My Marriage was falling apart, never saw each other, we loved each other, just never saw the other.

One day I at 26, went to pick up a box of paper to fill the copier, Smelled burnt popcorn and everyone started speaking gibberish.

Change a few words and your story is mine. lol

Especially the gibberish part.

Best thread in a very long time. Not only do I believe in this but strive daily to achieve it. There truly is happiness in the simplicity of life and when you drop the expectations of society you drop the stress that goes along with it.

Love this thread. Costa Rica is my destination. Will take me about 10 years to be there as I have to get my two oldest through high school before we can move but I am ALL for a simpler life. I always take my vacations in areas like this and am in awe at the almost immediate relax I feel every time in places that live like this.

Love this thread. Costa Rica is my destination. Will take me about 10 years to be there as I have to get my two oldest through high school before we can move but I am ALL for a simpler life. I always take my vacations in areas like this and am in awe at the almost immediate relax I feel every time in places that live like this.

I feel a bit disconnected. Feels like I am just waiting for souls around me to wake up (achieve sensitivity to chi). Would it not be easier if you had intention manifest tool where you could share your current experience with another consenting being? Duality separation is annoying me and language have become such a limited media for understanding to be shared.

Kinda feel like this.

originally posted by: LittleByLittle
I feel a bit disconnected. Feels like I am just waiting for souls around me to wake up (achieve sensitivity to chi). Would it not be easier if you had intention manifest tool where you could share your current experience with another consenting being? Duality separation is annoying me and language have become such a limited media for understanding to be shared.

I can related and understand the state your in.

In order for the world to change it has to start with yourself. I still get in my moods and moments where I just wish the entire world would just wake the heck up, but it's not happening fast enough for me and time is passing me by, so I have chosen to live life the way I want.

Work in progress of course and things get bumpy, but nothing like the life I used to lead.


Peace and thanks for the input.

RT

Yeah, I'm not trying to be Debby Downer, but I grew up with the mindset of getting degrees while living a clean life. Now I'm working on my M.A. (not really sure why) and I long to return to the days of easy living, when I didn't have a family, mortgage, bills, bosses, and a solid career (something that's taken a long, hard time to build!). My wife and I are slowly discussing the options and I know it can be done, but the greatest fear in this leap of faith is that once you've "left the race", you can't get back in - not in this world.

I wish the world would take up this way of living, but I'm convinced that cannot happen. So, I trudge on, depressingly living life, hoping the ride will just end one day.

But in my next life....

a reply to: Realtruth

Hi Realtruth!
That was beautiful....so very personal to me.
I have always had that very mentality. Always enjoyed relationships over things...happiness over prosperity. I've had many failed relationships (marriages and friendships) and realized that I had never ever REALLY had a relationship with another person who felt the same way.
People pretended to be like that in the beginning...but after years of knowing them, it became apparent that they were still "into the deep sleep", while I was on the verge of "waking up".
I have lost my ability to earn an income also...have suffered much physical and emotional pain...and lost every 'thing' I once possessed. I am now very grateful for the small but important things.
But...I can't spend much time around the people who still care about their image, their money, their possessions, their looks, their blah blah blah....I would rather come here and speak to other people who care about the 'bigger picture'.
S&F
jacygirl

originally posted by: jrflipjr
Yeah, I'm not trying to be Debby Downer, but I grew up with the mindset of getting degrees while living a clean life. Now I'm working on my M.A. (not really sure why) and I long to return to the days of easy living, when I didn't have a family, mortgage, bills, bosses, and a solid career (something that's taken a long, hard time to build!). My wife and I are slowly discussing the options and I know it can be done, but the greatest fear in this leap of faith is that once you've "left the race", you can't get back in - not in this world.

I wish the world would take up this way of living, but I'm convinced that cannot happen. So, I trudge on, depressingly living life, hoping the ride will just end one day.

But in my next life....

Man I totally empathize with this, especially since I just did like RT and benrl and walked away from a relatively high paying job in favor of pursuing my dreams. So yeah it's definitely hard to take the plunge. Yeah there are risks involved.

But if you've got that feeling in your gut that you need to escape from the corporate drone hive, if it just grows and grows and refuses to leave you alone, sometimes you just gotta do it.

None of us know what happens next. But for me, at the end of the day, I'd rather look back and say I lived whatever time I have here on my terms, rather than suffering a slow painful death of the soul on theirs.

a reply to: Realtruth

People are suffocated by their own mind for more and more material goods. A person will never be happy through selfishness because they'll never be satisfied. They'll always want more and more like a consuming fire.

Detaching from materialism by letting go of neediness, greed, and selfishness is not spirituality, but is neutrality, that helps neutralizes a person from all of the un-fulfillment of the unsatisfiable greed and neediness which grows and grows.

The Spirit is happy in purely giving to others without seeking anything in return (because it knows that as it provides for others it is taken cared of - so no need to worry about self). Its joy comes from working through love to serve others. That is the real reason why we feel so good when we really feel like we did a lot to help another person out (unless a person was expecting something in return and didn't get it which would lead to disappointment or anger, and in that case the person wasn't purely giving).

The Spirit makes everything so simple that the mind complicated.

This is a good thread.

a reply to: jrflipjr

You are making excellent points.

Everything I was doing in my life seemed almost pointless, the drudgery of my everyday life was numbing and I felt I had no way out.

My first steps were to find time for myself, and start doing things I used to love to do, so I had to think back to when I was a child. Yep seriously that far back.

The things that made me happy were simple.

I think one of the things that help to wake me up was my 7 year old son, and when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.

His answer: " I want to be happy daddy" I was floored.

I thought to myself what a great role model I was at the time. Miserable, stressed and piling on more of it.

I was hell bent in finding myself again and happiness for my stake and his. My marriage had already fallen apart and my life was at an all time low.

Anything material that stressed me out like my speed boat that would break down, need gas, constant repairs, etc.......I traded for a Kayak, camping trips and things that made me happy. The time I used to spend working on the damn boat, prepping it for a day on the lake and hauling it around was stressful, was replaced with more meaningful things that I believed would eventually change my world. And it did.

People would say to me "Well it's all how you react to situations" That's great and all but the complicated life I had choose was making me very sensitive and over-reactive, so something had to be done, or I wouldn't live to see my son grow up happy.

It sounds like you are searching and I wish you and your family the best.


Peace,

RT

originally posted by: jrflipjr
but the greatest fear in this leap of faith is that once you've "left the race", you can't get back in - not in this world.
.

If you have the skill, the knowledge, and the confidence, you will find work where ever you go.

The question is, if your willing to take it.

As someone who went from low 6 figures, in a 600,000 dollar mortgage, I know the fears.

Anything, can be recovered from if you are willing.

The first step, is like the OP says, learn to live simpler, learn to find the things that truly matter while discarding those that don't.

a reply to: jacygirl

Oh wow. Completely agree. I have actually not been able to speak with close family due to conflicting beliefs over materialism. It makes it very hard when those who should be closest to you,just do not understand. They find my frugal ways ridiculous. Sometimes outright insulting. When I try to explain that I see the world differently and why,I get called eccentric,odd. I think Iam just a hippy born in the wrong era.