Hating is bad for your health

[Cyrano]

Last edited Tue May 2, 2017, 12:39 PM - Edit history (1)

I hate Donald Trump. I hate those around him. I hate most Republicans.
But here’s the thing. None of them care that I hate them. The only one my hatred is harming is me. Both physically and mentally.

It’s hard to avoid Trump and his minions. Turn on the TV, go online, read a newspaper or magazine, overhear a conversation: it doesn’t matter where you go or what you do. Short of living on a deserted island, you’re going to hear about Trump’s insanity.

And “Insanity” is the exactly the right word. Try to think back to the distant past when a sane, decent man named Barack Obama was president. He was a smart, competent, cool, decent human being who could calm us all in a crisis. He was an honorable man who managed to make medical care for all Americans a human right. He didn’t get it all the way there, but no Dem ever got it as far as he did. And yes, most Republicans, and every other mean-spirited prick in America hated him as the n****er who brought this about. Well, fuck them, and bless Obama.

Today, and every day, Trump says something worse than he said the day before. He would get rid of Obamacare in a second. And the fact that he contradicts himself every hour of every day on every topic imaginable, means nothing to the zombie-like people who are his followers. To put it as bluntly as possible, accepting Trump’s insanity has become normal.

We have a clueless man who holds the title of president. Those around him spend every day trying to sweep up the trail of rancid, infected shit he leaves in his wake. Foreign dictators who themselves are madmen and ghouls, love the example he is setting. He’s making insanity as normal for them as he is making it for us.

But let me get back to my original point. The hatred that I, and many like me hold, only does damage to ourselves. It’s past time to put the hatred aside and to actively fight the evil that currently holds all the levers of American power.

But how? None of us can do it alone. We must become active in like-minded groups. And that doesn’t mean just sending a check or signing a petition. We must become involved, and use every tactic that those who fought for civil rights in the 1960s did.

There is one image that is always in my mind. In 1989 during a Chinese student uprising, tanks rolled into Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China to put down the demonstrators. One student, holding a shopping bag, stood in front of a column of tanks. The driver of the tank seemed uncertain of what to do, and stopped. He tried to steer around him, but the young man moved to once again block his path.

The uprising turned into a massacre. No one knows who this young man was, his name, or what happened to him. Nonetheless, that image of him standing in front of a tank, became a world-wide symbol of resistance to oppressors and their evil.

So every time I find myself hating Trump, his enablers, his henchmen, and his voters, I think of that man, holding nothing but a shopping bag, in Tienanmen Square. I don’t know whether or not there was hate in him. But there was sure as hell a belief in freedom and a willingness to die for it on the spot.

In some way, thinking of that image pushes away the hate and fills me with determination and hope.

On edit: Here's the video of "tank man," a true profile in courage.

[Sunlei]

1. A friend of B.O. wrote this letter about 'how to be happy'. Any friend of Obamas is our friend.

all from this website https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/lessons-friendship-joe-biden-and-barack-obama


Dear Stranger,

You don’t know me but I hear you are going through a tough time, and I would like to help you. I want to be open and honest with you, and let you know that happiness isn’t something just afforded to a special few. It can be yours, if you take the time to let it grow.

It’s OK to be stressed, scared and sad, I certainly have been throughout my 66 years. I’ve confronted my biggest fears time and time again. I’ve cheated death on many adventures, seen loved ones pass away, failed in business, minced my words in front of tough audiences, and had my heart broken.

I know I’m fortunate to live an extraordinary life, and that most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But they haven’t; in fact it’s the reverse. I am successful, wealthy and connected because I am happy.

So many people get caught up in doing what they think will make them happy but, in my opinion, this is where they fail. Happiness is not about doing, it’s about being. In order to be happy, you need to think consciously about it. Don’t forget the to-do list, but remember to write a to-be list too.

Kids are often asked: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ The world expects grandiose aspirations: ‘I want to be a writer, a doctor, the prime minister.’ They’re told: go to school, go to college, get a job, get married, and then you’ll be happy. But that’s all about doing, not being – and while doing will bring you moments of joy, it won’t necessarily reward you with lasting happiness.

Stop and breathe. Be healthy. Be around your friends and family. Be there for someone, and let someone be there for you. Be bold. Just be for a minute.

If you allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment, happiness will follow. I speak from experience. We’ve built a business empire, joined conversations about the future of our planet, attended many memorable parties and met many unforgettable people. And while these things have brought me great joy, it’s the moments that I stopped just to be, rather than do, that have given me true happiness. Why? Because allowing yourself just to be, puts things into perspective. Try it. Be still. Be present.

For me, it’s watching the flamingos fly across Necker Island at dusk. It’s holding my new grandchild's tiny hands. It’s looking up at the stars and dreaming of seeing them up close one day. It’s listening to my family’s dinner-time debates. It’s the smile on a stranger’s face, the smell of rain, the ripple of a wave, the wind across the sand. It’s the first snow fall of winter, and the last storm of summer. It’s sunrise and sunset.

There’s a reason we’re called human beings and not human doings. As human beings we have the ability to think, move and communicate in a heightened way. We can cooperate, understand, reconcile and love, that’s what sets us apart from most other species.

Don’t waste your human talents by stressing about nominal things, or that which you cannot change. If you take the time simply to be and appreciate the fruits of life, your stresses will begin to dissolve, and you will be happier.

But don’t just seek happiness when you’re down. Happiness shouldn’t be a goal, it should be a habit. Take the focus off doing, and start being every day. Be loving, be grateful, be helpful, and be a spectator to your own thoughts.

Allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment. Take the focus off everything you think you need to do, and start being – I promise you, happiness will follow.

Happy regards,

Richard Branson

[hlthe2b]

3. I find Richard Branson absolutely fascinating... Though hardly educated at all...

he is one of the most intelligent and self-educated successful men in the world... And, truly Branson is the
ANTI-Trump.

[hlthe2b]

2. Good post, Cyrano... I wake up every morning reminding me of that...

It is damned hard not to feel those instinctive feelings, given the constant state of outrage. And even more hard not to take that frustration out on others... Thank DOG for my furry baby, that's all I can say (though she may get fed up with all that hugging out of the blue...LOL)

[lpbk2713]

4. Meditation and introspection help.

You don't have to join a cult or a religion to ease the negatives in your life.
And it's not about always having a conflict going on inside about what force
will prevail. Stay with it and you will notice a difference.