Sunday 24 January 2010

The art of complaining - as long as your lips are moving no one notices that you're not doing anything.

Although I lived in suburbia when I was child I tell everybody I was raised on a farm. I spent weekends and school holidays working with my uncle, had my first paid job at eleven, and continued to share my time between my uncle and a part time job until I left school to work full time milking cows. After eleven months I spent the next five years working on dry stock properties. Twelve hour days seven days a week were common and you learnt that whingers and slackers didn’t last.

One day some stray town dogs had mauled a flock of sheep. I had arrived that morning with my work dog to move the sheep onto fresh pasture and woollen flanks were torn open, entrails dragged through dirt, blow fly’s were busy laying eggs, horse fly’s feasted on exposed flesh, and carcases lay strewn everywhere. Some sheep had been hamstrung and dragged their hind quarters to flee another dog, my dog, Tip, who was as shocked as I was.

He whimpered and looked from one bloody body to the next. He was trained to catch sheep that were in distress: ewes having trouble lambing, ewes with the putrid stench of mastitis udders, and the aged and infirm that I slaughtered for dog meat. His muscular shoulders quivered and his nose nudged my thigh.

Farming teaches you responsibility. You don’t waste time feeling horrified or indignant. You have two choices—act or go home. It’s only a mistake if it happens twice, until then its all experience.

I moved my index finger, “sssst, get a hold.” Tip caught the sheep I was looking at; his jaws firmly latched in the wool behind the ear, and he used his strong chest and body weight to barrel it to ground. I cut its throat and ended its suffering. Together tip and I put down thirty six mauled sheep. I climbed into water filled drains and pulled another nine bloated water logged bodies out, and tore my arms freeing frightened sheep entangled in prickly blackberry vines. Altogether more than sixty sheep died. Tip and I did what had to be done. We didn’t hesitate or complain; we acted.

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There’s a misguided belief that in 2012 a shift in consciousness will occur, but I believe this shift will not occur unless we act. Our deeds are the physical manifestation of consciousness. We cannot continue to live the way we are now and expect consciousness to move into the fourth dimension. Does anyone even know what that means? Will our children be more enlightened? Will I be as good looking as Matt Damon?

Without example and guidance our children will be filled with apathy and expectation. Too lazy to facilitate change, but expect to have everything. It’s already happening. I hear people complain all the time, but they/we will not do anything to change the situation.

In Australia the government routinely spends millions of dollars investigating whether or not the oil companies are price fixing, and why the price of fuel increases during peak driving periods. Pressure is put on the government to do this by motoring bodies and lobbyists. The findings always favour the oil companies. The Australian government makes billions of dollars in fuel tax.

Australians complain about the price of fuel all the time, but we do nothing about it, because we don’t think or act nationally. If everyone stopped driving for one day this would force change. What if everyone in the country didn’t drive anywhere for four days? The only vehicles on the road would be emergency services. That’s a shift in consciousness, because we’re thinking and acting nationally.

Don’t make an excuse about needing to go to work, because Australians take sickies all the time: to watch cricket, to go to the beach, to go camping, and to turn the Australia day weekend into four days. Walk to the shops to buy milk and bread. Stop complaining about being overweight! Obesity is a growing health concern in every developed country. Don’t let it affect your life. You ate those big macs, don’t blame Ronald.

Apply this action to everything. Don’t complain about your power bill if every light in your house is on. Turn everything off. Don’t watch TV. According to everyone television is crap anyway. Get outside and play with your children. Give your children some attention, and stop complaining that they’re disrespectful! This is a shift in consciousness because your family is functioning cohesively. Respect starts at home. Don’t complain about having no money and then buy alcohol and smokes. Don’t complain your child is drinking alcohol when they have watched you drink every day. If you have no money, don’t buy things you don’t need.

Be honest with yourself. How many times do you complain a day about things you can change? Stop complaining and act.

Healing is the manifestation of will and action. Consciousness evolves with interaction and change. Often a window of opportunity for change is created on the healing table. Be brave, change is sometimes difficult and confronting, but if you act then everything will flow.

Here are some practical things you can do after a healing to create change:

• Monitor and take control of your finances.

• All those jobs you have been putting of get them done.

• Spring clean your home and yard.

• Clear out your wardrobe. Most of us have clothes we never wear.

• De-clutter your cupboards. Half of the things we own we never use.

• Move your furniture.

• Change bedrooms or reposition the bed.

• Create your space. That space may include your partner, but move out business papers and junk. You need a space that your children respect.

• Stop smoking and save the money that you spent on smokes for you. Buy new sheets, get your hair done, put those golf clubs on lay-by, and take your son/daughter with you to play golf.

• Walk to the shops. Hell, walk everywhere.

• Turn the TV off and listen to music.

• Read more. Walk to the library.

• Stop swearing.

• Change your diet. Don’t be a fanatic, just be health conscious.

• Consider time away from friends that complain all the time.

• Look in the mirror and enjoy what you see. Nurture your body.

• Change the way you think. The voice in your mind that swears or tells you you’re not good enough, tell it to clear out. Every time it speaks.

• Become observant: look up, notice the sky, see a bird, look for ants …

• Remember that you fell in love with your partner. Those honeymoon moments and the reasons you fell in love haven’t gone away. They may have changed, but remember: he still smells the same, she still has great eyes …

• This next one is a big one. All of us can be judgmental about other people to some degree. We perceive people to be something because of race, appearance … Come on, be honest. When you see those people be compassionate and wish them well. Send them love. In the end you will benefit and notice the opportunities around you.

Do you have great ideas for change?

This story was inspired by this post something no one ever told me about negativity Thank you Miriam S. Forster.

For more Soul Healing, visit simonhay.com.au
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7 comments:

  1. Excellent post. And this-

    "Stop complaining and act."

    Sums it up succinctly.

    Hey I'm adding this blog to my Organically Nurtured Earth Bog's blog roll. Perfect fit for the type of readers that blog attracts, hmm?

    Have a great day "down under" my faraway friend!

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  2. Thanks Marvin. Down under is hot and sweaty today! Talk soon, Simon.

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  3. Good post, Simon. (It's cold and gray in Colorado USA and we might get a little snow tomorrow.)

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  4. Thank you Patricia. Snow! I'll have to put my head in the freezer. Thanks for visiting.

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  5. there is a silver lining to every cloud
    yes do try to find some thing good about every one some times it takes 2 or 3 times but you can
    thanks Simon
    scootter

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  6. Hi Scooter :) It's enjoyable to see good in people. Makes me smile. Thank you for commenting.

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