Happy Thanksgiving To All U.S. Readers

News & Current Events Public News & Current Events
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Today is Thanksgiving in the US, a prominent holiday typically marked by insane travel nightmares for many, and a chance to spend time with non-core relatives.

To balance all that out we usually overeat, over drink, and slip into a tryptophan coma in front of the TV.

At least, that’s what the holiday has become for many.

Here at Peak Prosperity we like to remember that the holiday consists of two words, thanks and giving.

To truly give thanks to the people around you, but also to life itself and the immensely wonderful playground that is all around us in every moment, is to step towards and then into happiness.

Gratitude and happiness are linked. This has been proven in study after study (if you prefer your lessons from western science) and has been known by various spiritual lineages for ages (if you prefer your lessons from that arena).

This TED talk on the topic is worth a listen and comes to us from a monk who tells us to slow down, look where we are going, and be grateful:

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful?language=en

Or you might try this cute short video which takes the experimental and data driven approach:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHv6vTKD6lg

What is it about being truly grateful that brings happiness?

In my life what I’ve learned so far is that I’ve been fed a load of bunk about the human condition.

One example is that I’ve been led to believe that good heath is something that you have to work for instead of being our natural baseline. Want to be healthy? You’ve got to go to the gym and work hard. Instead, what I’ve learned in that health is the human baseline, as it is for all creatures.

If you are not healthy it means that something is out of balance in your life or you are being exposed to too many unhealthy things (like sugar, excessive carbohydrates, and inflammatory foods).

The other example pertains to this topic of happiness. I’ve somehow been led to believe that happiness is something that you have to attain, like health. It’s something that you have to work for, maybe go somewhere and study with someone, or take workshops and then meditate long and hard.

While each of those things may be worth doing, they also support the fiction that happiness is a rare and fleeting thing that must be earned.

Instead, I now hold the view that happiness is our human baseline. It’s what sits right at our core and is wired into our DNA blueprint.

No matter where you go on earth, and no matter what the level of technological sophistication of a culture, every culture has rituals because those are what connect us with the moment.

It is no accident that so many cultures independently developed rituals around offering gratitude. The practice of gratitude is what helps us to get back to our human baseline of happiness.

As I experience it, gratitude provides me with the opportunity to re-connect with the present moment, to provide my own frame of perspective on what I have and the abundance in my life.

Without gratitude we have to wait for life to take something away before we realize what we had.

With gratitude we can see the things we have while they are right there, in our lives, nourishing us and providing abundance.

However, it is the re-connection to the present moment that is, for me, the strongest gift of gratitude. All we really ever have is this present moment. To be in the present is to be content, and happy.

So as we think of all the things we can be grateful for, health, family, food, a roof over our heads, my invitation is to simply be grateful for the moment as it is.

I am grateful too for this community here at Peak Prosperity, for the work I get to do in the world, and for everything in my life that got me to this point.

And I don’t just mean the accomplishments and good times – but everything! – suffering included. It all was necessary and contributed to who and where I am in life and where I am is perfect because it is exactly where I need to be.

What are you grateful for?

 

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://peakprosperity.com/happy-thanksgiving-to-all-u-s-readers/

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I am grateful to be in a healthier, more hopeful state of being.
I am grateful for the joy of listening to my son's laughter, and the gift of being his mom.

I am grateful for the joy and unconditional love my dogs add to our lives (but not the messes on the carpet:)

I am grateful for the opportunity to interact with this community, to participate in the exchange of thoughts and ideas on topics of immense interest, and to learn at a level greater than I could have ever achieved alone.

I am so grateful for my friends and family, and the richness they have brought to my life.

PS Great TED talk, Chris; thanks for sharing!

 

 

 

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I am grateful to be able to see the robins feast on the pyracantha berries .And watch the cat .And play in the rhythm of my moment with our family.I thank the goodness and transcend the badness.What a swirl!
 

 

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An attitude of gratitude nurtures beatitude! heart

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Rarely actively post these days, but still view the website weekly.
I'm over visiting the US from the UK this Thanksgiving…

I appreciate the following perspectives that PP.com gives us.

That we inherit the abundant incredible times that we are born into and live in.

Our access to the knowledge and insights of the contributors offering understanding + purpose.

Great podcast quotes that resonate, a more recent example, "Pain is real, suffering is optional"

To follow on from Yoxa, one thing a respected mentor said to me this year that helps motivate and give balance to a patch of feeling blue, is a simple but effective quote…

"Gratitude is the only Attitude"

 

 

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I'm posting from the road, so will keep this brief. I'm thankful for:
1) Another year of doing exactly the work I want to do – I've reconnected recently with several folks I knew well from my Silicon Valley days, and have suffered a degree of PTSD, flashing back to those days of endless meetings and misdirected energy. It's been a nice reminder of my great good fortune to be 'living my truth' with the work we do here at PeakProsperity.com

2) Expanding the reach of the Peak Prosperity message – Many of you know Chris and I were recently asked to present in Peru and Mexico, where the reception to the Crash Course and our advice on building resilience were extremely well-received. It's been very promising to see how the material is just as relevant (in some cases, more so) outside of the US.

Here's a shot of Chris and me at the Pyramids of the Sun & Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico:

3) Family – At Peak Prosperity, we focus on 'Creating a world worth inheriting'. Spending so much time on the road helps me appreciate who we're doing this for: our families and loved ones. I thought I'd share a recent photo of mine with you:

4) Vacation – After 4 and half years since leaving Yahoo! to found PP.com with Chris, I'm soon off for my first real vacation, where I can fall asleep under a palm tree and forget the Federal Reserve and the price of oil and gold for a while (a goal long in arriving):

See you back on the site soon!

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Adam is taking a very (very) well deserved vacation, the first one in four years together.  People often ask how we get so much done around here and that's a big part of the answer.
I am truly grateful to have Adam as a business partner.  None could be finer.

Echoing his sentiments too, I will say that being able to help change the world doing something that I love to do is a real blessing.  

While not everybody gets to say that, not everybody is willing to give up a paycheck and strike out to create something.  Especially a good paycheck.  That's risky stuff right there.  

So while Adam is off recharging his batteries, I will contrast his final picture with what I saw out of my office window this morning.

If you look closely, you will notice several subtle differences between his chosen spot in Nicaragua and where I currently am.

:slight_smile:

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but the atmospheric nitrogen fixed by the snow is so much better for the gardens' season than the unrelenting sun of equatorial climes. (maybe an imagined reality)

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Knowing the truth is a rare and valuable thing in a society that has made ignorance a virtue. I am grateful that I can see the world as it is, and understand what it all means.  Knowledge is a gift, and I thank God for the various ways truth is revealed. This site is one of those ways. 
Rector

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Gracias a la vida is by Chilean Violeta Parra, but this version is sung by contemporary Latin American artists.  English translation below.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  smiley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvQ2aL-YgOU

Gracias a la vida - Violeta Parra   Translation by William Morín

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me dió dos luceros, que cuando los abro.   It gave me two beams of light, that when opened,
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco   Can perfectly distinguish black from white
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado,   And in the sky above, her starry backdrop,
Y en las multitudes   And from within the multitude
 el hombre que yo amo.   The one that I love.
     
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho   It gave me an ear that, in all of its width
Graba noche y día grillos y canarios   Records— night and day—crickets and canaries,
Martillos, turbinas, ladrillos, chubascos   Hammers and turbines and bricks and storms,
Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado.   And the tender voice of my beloved.
     
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario.   It gave me sound and the alphabet.
Con él las palabras que pienso y declaro,   With them the words that I think and declare:
“Madre,” “amigo,”hermano,” y luz alumbrando   “Mother,” “Friend,” “Brother” and the light shining.
La ruta del alma del que estoy amando.   The route of the soul from which comes love.
     
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados.   It gave me the ability to walk with my tired feet.
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,   With them I have traversed cities and puddles
Valles y desiertos, montañas y llanos,   Valleys and deserts, mountains and plains.
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio.   And your house, your street and your patio.
     
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me dió el corazón, que agita su marco.   It gave me a heart, that causes my frame to shudder,
Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano,   When I see the fruit of the human brain,
Cuando miro al bueno tan lejos del malo.   When I see good so far from bad,
Cuando miro el fondo de tus ojos claros.   When I see within the clarity of your eyes…
     
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto.   Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
Me ha dado la risa, me ha dado el llanto.   It gave me laughter and it gave me longing.
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto,   With them I distinguish happiness and pain—
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto,   The two materials from which my songs are formed,
Y el canto de ustedes que es el mismo canto.   And your song, as well, which is the same song.
Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto   And everyone’s song, which is my very song.
 
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  IV. Infinity's Point  

Contents: i. Introduction

I. “In the Beginning…”

II. Synchronistic Webs

III. Daily Encounters

IV. Infinity’s Point
    The Point of Infinity 
    On Route 17 
    To the Point 
    An Enlightened Community
    The Mountain Top
    Out of Nowhere 
    The Temple of Consciousness

V. BodyTemple

VI. Observations

VII. Enlightenment

VIII. Alternatives

IX. The New Age Center

X. “At the End…”

Vol. 2

XI. Enlightenment Poems

XII. Worldly Concerns

NOTE: On Monday, April 21, 2003, while working and resting at the Point of Infinity, the following lines presented themselves.

The Point of Infinity by the Steward of the Land

  1. This holy land Awaits the seeker. Sacred, mystical, magical mountain-top     cloaked in wild laurel. Silent as the stillness within, A heavenly stairway1.  

  2. The Peace Pole2 welcomes Wild creatures greet us. Winds beckon from the Four Directions Father Sky blesses Mother Earth     and all of us.  

  3. The Tipi and Sweatlodges invite. The Druid Stone Circle's stones delight The Medicine Wheel attracts The Labyrinth a-mazes All Honoring the Mountain  

  4. Native Spirits prevail3 Pathways4 lead to the Unknown Follow your heart!  

  5. Spiritual groups5 bless the hearth Enhancing all with their energies. Practice deepens the potential. The Unlimited offers infinite grace.  

  6. What more can come? Only Spirit knows. Here, Beauty, Peace abide, And, all that you desire. Love6, above all.

Footnotes:

  1. The topography of the Point of Infinity is such that it ascends in step-like gradations.

  2. The famous Peace Pole was created to be planted all over the world. It contains the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Our Pole has English, Spanish, Mayan, and Tibetan languages.

  3. A few “psychics/sensitives” visiting the Point of Infinity have “seen/felt/sensed” the presence of many American Indian men, women, children and animals.

  4. There are many old logging trails to explore.

  5. “Spiritually-oriented” organizations/groups periodically rent out the Point of Infinity for activities.

  6. Love can be defined as: "recognize the other as yourself." Or, "accept what is, just as it is." Or, other significant definitions.
 
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The following is the one I really wanted to send but not being good at this computer stuff, I sent out the wrong one.  How does one stop or erase something when one wants to?
Bringing GRATITUDE up to date, is quite impossible since, like many of you, it's an endless amount of family/friends/events/experiences, etc. However, for me, being in the present means practicing/living THE PRESENCE.  It's my beingness, suchness, or as the East says: "I am THAT," that brings me constant joy, peace, love–in fact, all the archetypes of Jung.  That I am blessed to be a CO-CREATOR in the evolution of the ground of being, Quantum Consciousness, is way beyond my greatest dreams. In fact, at times, this feeling/emotion of Gratitude is enough to melt away this bodymind apparatus that I almost melt into the transcendent/immanent Spirit, my Beloved.

 

NOTE: On two weekends in May, "Sacred Mountain" Willie Black Cat led two incredible "sweats." On the second sweat, Grandmother Wild Flower blessed our event with her presence and song. Riding back, a poem arose.

Gratitude

  1. Counting the countless arisings of gratitude. An ever-expanding vortex of grateful energy. Opening the heart until almost bursting. Vibrational frequency rising, exquisitely intolerable  
  2. Sweats at the Point. New seeker friends constantly arriving. Sharing prayers, songs, and conversation     over foodfeasts delighting exterior and interior. Each expressing heartfelt thankfulness     like thunder clouds abuilding, Pouring forth tears of joy and peace     nourishing the land.  
  3. Grandfather, Grandmother with smiles rejoicing, Their children all brothers and sisters becoming. Visions, healings sending,     in song their voices heard. Heaven meets Earth again.  
  4. The heart created for love, Yet Love needs the heart     to manifest Itself. And manifested Itself indeed!
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…I look forward to each and every moment in my life, good or bad. I am most thankful for life itself. I don't really over analyze so much as I collect information and wisdom then add or subtract where this fits in my life to make me better towards those I chose to please.
 

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I believe Gratitude is a practice, not an emotion.  It can release joy, contentment, happiness, peacefulness, but gratitude itself is something we chose to do. Gratitude can be one of the supports of a sustainable life.  Gratitude for what we have, what we can do, is the opposite of society's call for constant striving for more, bigger, better, faster. Gratitude for the natural world opens us to the need to preserve, conserve and live in harmony with nature.
I am grateful for my wife, children and grandchildren.  For my parents siblings and friends.

I am grateful for living in these challenging but most interesting times.

I am grateful for the moments of intellectual and spiritual insight.

In my sixth decade, knowing and accepting, that I must someday leave this place, I am incredibly grateful to the sustainer of all things, to awake each day, to get to do it all one more time.

I am grateful for the friends and acquaintances I have made at PP who walk part of the way with me each day. 

JT

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This thread is too feel-good not to jump in!  I've had quite the number of experiences over the past couple years.  In 2012 I was part of a group that beat-out republican shoe-ins to represent Massachusetts at the Republican National Convention, where I joined with hundreds of Ron Paul supporters from around the country to spread the contrarian messages of individual liberty and free markets.  Seeing the enthusiasm of all these average Joes like me, getting to meet the Ron Paul family, and having my eyes opened to the harsh realities of our present political system were truly wonderful opportunities.
In 2014 I discovered Peak Prosperity and took an intellectual deep-dive into the flawed system of central bank manipulation, peak oil everything, and contrarian views on the financial markets that seem all-too-obvious in hindsight.  I've found endless education in the content put out by Chris, Adam, Dave, and the countless members of this community.  Again, I feel truly blessed to have access to the thoughts and opinions of all these smart against-the-grain people.

So this Thanksgiving, I'm giving thanks for all the contrarians out there.  Keep questioning the world.  Keep encouraging others to do the same.  Society is a sum of all its individuals - the next 20 years is up to us to shape.

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I am grateful for my alcoholism and subsequent sobriety,
words fail,

John G

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I think it was the Buddha who taught that:
Being born a human being is great fortune

To know there is a path is even greater fortune.