My own simple daily mantra I created for all

Question everything and rejoice in the honesty that we know very little.
Understand all life is precious and is to be respected.
Have regard for those with different beliefs to our own.
Fight the egos wish for separation and see we are all one.
Understand that in our current form the only certainty is there is none

©Tony Pinfold 2006/8 All rights reserved

See all my art work at www.tonypinfold.com

A Moment in Time by Tony Pinfold

It is highly probable that you have a calendar on your wall with future events marked upon it, birthdays, holidays, and weekends away, you know the sorts of things. Doesn’t it seem like we are all generally waiting for a time when everything is as it should be… and all our dreams have come true.

Many religious teachings suggest that we are not in a good place right now, saying we are sinners living in this lost and imperfect world. Personally I reject the notion that true happiness can only be found after death, in some heavenly realm in some distant nirvana.  It is my belief that like my past self, people are avoiding the reality that life right now is just as it should be.

It could be this moment in time for you is filled with sadness and despair but this is only your perception. Every minute of every day can be viewed in a positive or negative light is it’s all down to you. Many will reject this concept as foolish and they will always see the glass of life as half empty. I will confess that enjoying the now and seeing it as all good is not easy, but like most things that will ultimately improve your life they rarely are. I‘ll happily confess I still have to monitor my 1^st thoughts from time to time, as they still tend to be negative but I fully realize  you can’t change a 40 year old mindset over night.  By simply evaluating my thoughts and seeking the positive before putting them into words or action, I’ve been able to enjoy my day no matter what occurs. Even after a few weeks I found my need to put a positive spin on thoughts lessened as this became more natural to me.

It’s a fact that right now many people you know are not living in the now. Some choose to dwell in some supposed golden age of the past, viewing it through the distorted lens of nostalgia. Others sit and only focus on the future and what it may or may not bring. While I do not begrudge the odd glance backward or forward in time, to dwell in these non realities for long periods does little to improve this moment.  In fact many lives have been wasted in evasion of the truth that this is the only time that matters and you control.

Many believe we can only live once we truly grasp our own mortality, we all know that death is inevitable, but despite this we still believe it won’t happen to us. Beware this foolish deception we play on ourselves, yes time rolls on forever but in our current form our time on this planet is finite.

In closing think upon this, the universe has been evolving for billions of years just so you can experience this very second in time. knowing that can you still view it in such a superficial way? I ask you to savour every minute of every day whatever it brings. Welcome to this wonderful moment in time, one thing is for sure, you will never see the likes of it again.

© Tony pinfold 07 all rights reserved

My Art work  ‘moment in time’

Engaging the Madness by Tony Pinfold

I, like many have used the quote ‘No news is good news’ on numerous occasions, but it is only recently that I have used this as a way to improve my life. Up until a year ago I was one of lifes news obsessed worriers, a trait past down to me by my mother and fully embellished by myself. On more than one occasion I have truly believed that I and the whole human race where on the edge of annihilation, only to live another 10, 20, 30 years.

It seemed to me that every depressing tale was a build up to the next world war, great plague or mass starvation. The news does it’s best to enforce a view that we live on the verge of total social break down. It became glaringly obvious to me that whatever these events were which were to lead to the end of civilization; I was most of the time powerless to stop them.

Hours, days and months of my life were used up in fear, much like a broker watches the stocks, I track the news allowing it to consume whole slices of my life. This constant barrage of despair was disempowering me and turning me into a harbinger of doom. I was so immersed in this gloom that I had completely over looked how much the news was damaging my mental health, not to mention restricting my lifestyle.

Then one day I simply unplugged from the news matrix: the pictures, the voices and the reams of words ended.  Without a doubt the change to my daily life was profound. You can be sure that keeping the news at bay was not easy; it is everywhere, even my web browser delighted in letting me know the worst, till I found more positive alternatives. Well meaning friends and family tried to fill me in on the gloom, but I had to just ask them to stop or walk away.

As of writing I’m virtually clueless as to what is going on in the news. The obvious thing most will say is that I’m just hiding from life. That may be true to some extent, but it is for my own well being.  Just like a former alcoholic who must avoid drink, to stop the addiction taking hold again, no good can come from me engaging events that are beyond my control.

For many the news is just a gleeful voyeuristic play of pain and suffering. They may believe this information has no effect on them, but by indulging this warped representation of life, the media monster grows ever stronger. It could be argued that we are now in a time when networks no longer just report the news; they are ultimately responsible for its creation. I would say with great certainty that many of the killings, bombings, rapes and abuses we see in our modern world are inspired by what is seen on the news today.

This media form can clearly be seen as giving the perpetrators of evil a sick form of world celebrity and extreme groups the recognition they need. It is unfair to brand Fictional movies solely to blame for our perceived violent world, in homes that would think twice before viewing a horror film, the news is sometimes on 24 hours a day. Should this branch of the media come with certification or a health warning? I think it would be worth some very deep consideration.

If you believe the world is only full of negativity, I would suggest that it’s your time to reduce your intake of this disempowering media circus. Switch it off, or turn it down, keep it out of your letter box, or delete it from your inbox. Take back control of your life and seek out the good, it’s out there and far more abundant than the current news forms would have you believe.

© Tony pinfold 07 all rights reserved

My Art work ‘Engaging the Madness’

For online shop www.tonypinfold.biz