About Us Humans

Category: Uncategorized

  • How life fucks you in funny ways

    Excuse the explicit language. If you have kids, tell them to look away (unless they are interested … it get’s easier with the following lines =D …).

    So let me tell you what I mean by “life can f*** you in interesting ways”.

    Today, I was sitting on the train again and two things happened. First, I left my sunglasses behind (let me get back to that later). The more important thing was, that I totally missed to exit at the train station where I should have exited.

    A couple of stops later I noticed that I was misdirected and got off the train. As I already had lots of “funny stuff” going on in my life in the weeks previously, I didn’t panic and paused for a moment. I then went into the station building, got myself something to drink and eat and flagged a cab to drive me back to where I needed to be (There was an appointment waiting for me and notified them that I might be running late … everything okay).

    Now the interesting thing about this situation was – and this is exactly how our universe works (if you are open to its magical ways) – that I felt drawn to the cab driver. He had arabic / turkish roots and I find the arabic culture and its religion (mostly Islam) to be very fascinating.

    Don’t get me wrong, I totally don’t subscribe to the extremists in the east (ISIS etc.). They got something fundamentally wrong. God or Allah is about love … not the hate and holy war that they are preaching. But take it easy and don’t blame them … not only they got this wrong. Christianity also – in large parts – thinks that they got the “holy grail” and everyone else is wrong. Oh geese …

    So we (the cab driver and me) chatted and exchanged some interesting ideas. Did you for example know that even the Jews in the old days referred to God as “Allah”? We booth had goose bumps during our chat (a heavenly sign and confirmation that we were on “the right track”) and we parted in the thought that we might meet again.

    To cut a long story short: There’s a reason for everything that’s happening. And once you understand that, accept it, and go with the flow … magical things start to happen. Trust me!

    Oh and regarding the sunglasses. 😎 I was planning to get some new ones anyway. So I thought “Okay, someone will be happy to find my left-behind sunglasses” (and I don’t need them anyway).

    And so I went to the sunglass shop right that afternoon. And not only did I find exactly the sort of sunglasses I was looking for, but I also got to know the lady who was selling them to me. We clicked, exchanged contact details and also parted knowing that we might (and will) meet again.

    So, please … relax when life f***s you and then try to discover the hidden messages it tries to convey to you. I know, I know … this is absolutely harder than it might sound. But once you get the hang of it, life starts to get really exciting. Sometimes too exciting for my taste, but hey … at least it’s not boring 😉

    In this spirit … Take care and – as always – feel free to share your experiences and/or thoughts.

    Sebastian

  • The richness and caveat of Pisces

    The richness and caveat of Pisces

    Okay, so this is gonna be my first publich dip into Astrology. If you are not a fan, bare with me and let me tell you – there’s more to it than meets the eye. Even the 12 sun sign distinction can give you some insight into what’s happening in your life and what your character is about.

    But take it easy, give it a try if you want to, otherwise simply move on. In earlier years I had my share of reservations against Astrology (in particular the seemingly simplistic) sun sign system as well. So I understand if you shake your head in disbelief 😉

    For a start, I am gonna keep this simple. If you find this foray interesting, just let me know. Then I’ll see when I can come up with some new ideas and insights.

    So what I was pondering about is the complexity of my sun sign Pisces. I was scrolling through the weekly sun sign forecast and even if the lines about Pisces resonated deeply with me – I also found myself in some aspects of the other signs (rather more than I would like to to be honest, being Pisces seems challenging).

    I previously heard about the notion that we as a soul and human being – over multiple reincarnations – want to find out how it is like to be each specific sun sign. And that in culmination we then incarnate as Pisces. I don’t know whether this is true, but I can’t deny the feeling that there is something about this …

    So, considering this idea, when we finally incarnate as Pisces, our essence already carries all the qualities of the previous sun signs (Pisces is the 12th and final sign in the Zodiac). These combined qualities might be more subtle, but they are present.

    A quick check on Google brought me this page, where it says

    The last sign of the zodiac has a universal element about it. It is the culmination of all the signs and it is something more than the sum of it’s parts.

    Edward Cannell

    So I am not the only one who has this feeling. And let me tell you, “more than the sum of it’s parts” is exactly what I feel right now. It’s not 100% but a lot more .. and this is sometimes hard to handle. What I mean to say is, I don’t think Pisces is superior to the other sun signs. It’s just different – with its share of up- and downsides, quite a challenge in my opinion.

    Do you feel the same? What are your thoughts about sun signs or Astrology in general? As always, I’d love to hear from you, if you are brave enough to share your experiences and thoughts. 🙂 I won’t bite … I promise.

    Take care and goodbye for now, Sebastian

  • The intended journey of life

    The intended journey of life

    Okay, this is gonna be an important and sort of deep topic, but don’t be afraid … I’ll try to put it in as simple words as I can. What this post is about, is the meaning of life. In other words: What’s our mission (so to say) during our lifetime.

    When you ask different people about their understanding of the meaning of life, you’ll get different answers. Some say it’s “Family”, others say it’s “Love”, maybe for some it’s having a career (I plead guilty ;)). A good friend of mine says, life is about growing spiritually. I know this might sound like fairy speak to some – it certainly would have to me a couple of years ago … so let me paint you a more tangible picture.

    So even now, as I subscribe to this idea of growing spiritually, I prefer to phrase it a bit differently. I would say, our mission here on earth is to get closer to the core of our being (our soul if you might want to use that word).

    Because this core essence of our being wants to shine. And it’s direly needed in this world of turmoil that we are living in. The soul has its purpose and this purpose (which we can only recognize as we go) longs to evolve … and thereby reach higher planes of existence and happiness.

    As one of my favourite authors, Ulrich Schaffer recently said:

    You are the sum of all of your experiences, but you are so (!) much more.

    Ulrich Schaffer

    So don’t cling to phases of your life that have served it’s purpose. This may sound harsh and hard, but once you get the hang of it (and this might take years or even decades of practice and necessary hardship), it get’s way easier.

    So we should be steadily trying to recognize and unearth our potential. This doesn’t need to happen every day, so don’t push to hard. But when you get the feeling that you are stagnating and your life circumstances are dragging you down … then you should seek to go deeper within – and thereby ways out of your situation.

    You don’t have to walk this journey alone though. You are not the only one going through this. And there’s people who can help you. People who have been through the storm of change and who know that there’s a safe place waiting for you. So reach out to them and keep walking towards a brighter life.

    The trouble and effort is worth it! Embrace the change, don’t fight it.

  • Trust your gut. It’s your compass

    Let me tell you a short story on the importance of following your gut. Many people – like me for a long time – are caught in their mind and often have difficulties making decisons. Or sometimes they make decisions that are not in their best interest – and/or their fellow human beings.

    Very young kids don’t have this problem. They have a very strong inner compass that tells them what they like and dislike. You can easily see this, when it comes to food. They tell you right away “More, more!” or “F*** off, I won’t eat this!”. And that’s not simply a mind thing, but their body telling them, what they need and what not.

    Very often, harsh education and upbringing teaches us humans to disregard our inner compass and instead follow rules that are imposed upon us by parents and society. In the first years of our lives, these people are mainly our parents and other attachment figures. Thus, we – unfortunately – start to disregard our compass and instead tend to satisfy other people’s expectations. Not very good, I can tell you.

    These – often enforced – expectations and rules are then internalized and we start to follow such “programs” which are then engrained in our heads. Rather than following our gut …. and that’s when the troubles start.

    I was caught in my head for decades and I can tell you this is tiring. Luckily, I started to unearth my gut feeling again (with loads of help from others) and now I can say that my compass is very strong. It is guiding me safely through the turmoils of life. I still need my mind though to counterbalance my sometimes strong emotions.

    As the saying goes:

    “The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.”

    Old Asian Proverb

    See this article on it for some more, short, but valuable information on the balance between feelings and the mind. I wish you all the best for unearthing your compass and then steering through the journey of life. Once you get to the balance of gut and mind … life can be fun! Trust me 😇

  • Johannes Czwalina on diversity

    I just found the following text passage by the German author, theologian, and corporate consultant Johannes Czwalina in my quotes collection. In this text passage he absolutely beautifully describes human diversity and individual purpose on this earth. I could not have found better words, so I thought I’d share them with you.

    This is an English translation from the German passage which I recorded back then. Unfortunately I haven’t recorded where I got this passage from. But anway … enjoy Johannes’ words,

    Each person represents a unique, unmistakable combination of strengths and weaknesses, of talents and idiosyncrasies. His individuality, his uniqueness are not random products. Every wrinkle in the face, every smile on the lips, every sadness in the heart, every fear in the stomach is a unique sight on this earth. This uniqueness corresponds to something besides his job, which fulfills him today and can be gone tomorrow, something like a unique life task, which requires exactly those character traits that he combines in him as a single person. This includes the weaknesses and the areas he may be ashamed of. This life mission is part of the deeper meaning of life, its redemption for personal fulfillment.

    Johannes Czwalina

  • Diversity according to Ayurveda

    The first time I stumbled upon the notion that humans are in fact different was when Ayurveda came into my life. Ayurveda is an ancient indian wisdom and teaching about our body, energies, and health.

    Ayurveda has the notion that there are three different types or elements.

    • Vata (element “air”)
    • Pitta (element “fire”)
    • Kapha (element “earth”)

    Each person tends to fall into one of these types. Usually, one type prevails, but people can also be a mix of types. Furthermore, the type is not fixed for the whole life, but can vary over different phases. Some people are even a balanced mix of all three types.

    If you want to find out your type you can take this short test.

    Why should you do this? Once you know your type and it’s associated attributes you can for example better understand why your body reacts to different foods the way it does.

    Each type has different preferences or needs when it comes to food. Vatas for example are very agile and need lots of grounding, i.e. they can mainly benefit from warm food and drinks. The warmth balances their energetic nature and keeps them stable.

    Kapha types (the other end of the spectrum) are already very grounded – and sometimes sluggish – by their nature. You can usually (but not always) spot them by their large body mass and heavy stature. These types need “a kick in the butt” so to say. They should avoid heavy foods and can benefit from energizing things like spices or coffee.

    If your interested and want to learn more … the web is full with tons of information on Ayurveda. Happy exploring.

  • Embrace the variety of creation

    Owing to my upbringing and my parents, I often used to frown upon other people who would not fit into my narrow worldview or would not live up to my standards. This included (inferior) job positions, clothing, hair styles, furniture, and much more. All of this in a seeming attempt to elevate my brittle ego (I was suffering from a narcisstic personality disorder back then).

    Thanks to the development of a more tolerating and healthier consciousness over the last few years, this has slowly but surely changed. I now can look at others and appreciate their differences instead of condemning them; I learned that each and everyone of us is a part of the grand mosaic of creation. How boring it would be, if human beings were all the same.

    Thus, embrace the variety!