TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK FIRST

I have been downloading the “A New Earth” webcasts from the Oprah Spirit Channel. I didn’t have time to read the book and thought this was a good way to cover it. I highly recommend everyone to get one of those pillows you can plug your mp3 player into! Eckhart Tolle and Oprah spend over an hour on each chapter, reviewing the content and taking questions on Skype from all over the world. Mr Tolle has come up with a very enlightening and powerful way of looking at life and how to live it.

Of course when you realise his message you just want everyone you know to hear it but if you understand the message you will realise only those who are ready to hear it can benefit. Pity, but true.

I was thinking the other day what an amazing man Mr Tolle was to be able to just settle the mind so much amid the chaos and see how living in the now and taking care of yourself first and not trying to change anything but yourself can be so effective. Its hard to think that putting yourself first can be beneficial to everyone else.
Certainly when you grow up in an organised religion, especially a Catholic Christian one, you are not encouraged to make yourself happy. Fear of God is at the centre of everything. Catholic Guilt can distract you from lots of other pursuits. ‘Pleasure’ must be prefaced with ‘Guilty ‘. Spread the word and try to convert people.
Taking Care of others first is drummed into you. It sounds noble but think of what they say during the safety talk on the airplane...Look after your own oxygen mask first before attending to others. In this instance you can see how taking care of yourself is absolutely the right and safe thing to do. Not doing so could result in catastrophe. A plane in trouble where the babies or immobile passengers have their oxygen and all the able bodied mature people, who could help them, are weak or passed out, is hardly desirable.

Perhaps Mr Tolle just remembered something we all knew inately before other incorrect information was thrown our way.
It got me thinking.
I suddenly remembered a story I wrote as a child in School. It was for a diocese magazine and I think I won a jar of Stamps for my efforts! (As odd then as it sounds now.) It was about how a smile can mean so much and acheive so much. In the story I think I outlined a scenario where a smile could travel around the world, brightening up so many peoples days in the process.
If we don’t try to improve things for ourselves how can we ever expect to be able to start the smile let alone be strong enough to help others? How could I brighten someone’s day if I am miserable. How could I inspire anyone if I am downtrodden and dejected. How could my mania do anything but unsettle those around me.

Living in the now is more uplifting than you can believe. Trying to do so can stop you from fretting uselessly about the future yet it can be apropriate to set aside time in the ‘now’ to plan. When things are bad you can remind yourself that this is just for ‘now’ but it will be over. You can stop dwelling on the bad stuff in the past by bringing yourself back to the ‘now’ yet there is always time in the ‘now’ to reminisce about the wonderful times you have had.

And if in the ‘now’ you are a happier, easier person who has the clarity to see the signs and opportunities that life presents then how can you fail to bring something better into the lives of the people around you. The ripples of your better life will spread out and enveope those around you and they in turn might have the same effect on those around them.

If you want to be the best you can be, bring strength and peace to those around you and have clarity so that you can be of help to others - remember to attend to your own oyxgen mask first and then smile.