Some thoughts and feelings I felt I should share

Some thoughts and feelings I felt I should share:

This is rather long, as it turned out, but I hope at least some of you will enjoy it

A lot of people, maybe even the majority of this people, in all walks of life, rich or poor, educated or not, healthy or not, are living in fear right now, fear and anger, disappointment, frustration, a sense of being lost and all those negative feelings.

And most of us want to blame somebody else - the Government, the rich, the greedy, the warmongers, the scientists and even our family or neighbours, for this or that situation, often one bad thing after another, in our lives.

Now I am not saying that those people are blameless or faultless for many of the bad things that happen in this world, whether viruses, wars, climate, poverty etc - but are they to blame for how we feel within inside ourselves?

Many of the world's "leaders" are actually quite pathetic, not suitable to lead us anywhere good, with misguided or selfish aims, cravings for power and money.

Truth is they are scared and lost and confused too; they too, in reality, need to me led out of this mess. And they want to blame somebody else too, they will not admit that they find themselves in such a mess because they allowed themselves not only to be in it, but have led others into it too.

They like us live their lives in the hope that somebody will come along as lead them out of their mess, ease their fears and "put the light on".

But how do we choose our leaders. In most countries it is through elections. Somebody puts themselves up for the job and the people, living in ignorance and fear, often thinking little beyond themselves and maybe their families, by majority, elect. So fearful and unhappy people elect their leaders? And really, look at the choices we get!

But this fear and confusion, the sense of loss, of not being able to achieve what we want and what we think will bring us peace and fulfilment in our lives, is nothing new.

Whether local war, gangs or thugs on the streets, violence at home within the family or tribe or neighbours, the dwindling ozone layer, climate devastation, famine and disease - right now this corona virus (once it was Spanish Flue (which apparently originated in America), bird flue, AIDS, SARS, Ebola right back to the Black Plague) - we have become almost accustomed to fear to such an extent that peace and love is rare.

About 50 years ago, I used to do fell walking. One time, up a mountain with a group, a heavy mist came down. We could hardly see 6 feet in front of us. One guy stepped up declaring that he had a map and compass and would lead us back down. Hardly walking twenty yards, he almost fell over the edge. We didn't even elect him to lead us. Then we all looked at the map and compass, of course assuming they were correct, and decided to walk the other way. We did get safely down out of the mist. Should we have blamed him had we followed him over the edge? Would blaming him have helped?

So who can we turn to to lead us?

Firstly I would say it has to be somebody I know and trust. But who?

I have found that politicians, teachers, doctors, lawyers, clergy and the press and media including the internet, have told me lies. I find it hard to believe them. I find it hard to even give money to charity!}

So, I do not want to lead others until I can lead myself; I have to find my way before leading others and only then would i be happy if others choose to follow. I have to remove the mote from my own eye first.

So I have to look within myself - all the words "greatest" teachers have said that the answer lie within, the Universe is within (Buddha), the Kingdom of Heaven in within (Christ), true Knowledge is within (Krishna) and so on - could there be truth in that?

And if yes, how do we do that? Think? Meditate? Yoga? Music? Dance? Chant mantras?

WE have to find a way to do that. And that cannot be through seeking richness, academic qualifications, friends or even marriage, fame or glory or trying to just put it all right. Because if you look at the rich, the powerful, the famous, the well education, the healthy, the married, the people that live alone in places they think just right for the, they often seem lost, afraid and unhappy too.

So the first step is to turn within, find somebody that will show us how to look in the right place. We have to stop blaming others, stop following fake leaders, stop trying to put the world rights, stop wishing for great leaders or being from space to sort it out, and to appreciate that we are alive and breath comes in and breath goes out, without our consent - we cannot stop it, we cannot stop it stopping one day, but we can appreciate it and realise that all the answers are within, all the feelings good and bad are within (when you love or hate somebody, you do not feel it in them you feel it within yourself), peace is within?

Have you felt the good feelings? Look for them again, focus on them, and I guarantee your life will improve. Lead yourself within, find yourself. Put that first.