Category: mindfulness

Question Everything.

Question society

Question your culture

Question your thoughts & behavior

Your diet

Your values

Your opinions, beliefs, and habits

Question if this is truly who you are

Or what you were taught by others

 

Life is too short to live it blindly

Not questioning what we have been told

Question everything, including yourself

Is this what I truly believe from logical evidence?

By love?

Or is it driven by greed, hatred, or fear?

Lost.

 

I’m lost in the negativity

Drowning in the sea of news

Death counts on my mind

Economy crashing

Endless news of this pandemic

 

Fear & anxiety

Run through my mind

The 2nd pandemic

Of our times

 

I know this will all pass

Impermanence ends all

All we can do is have faith

Faith that things will work out

The way they are suppose too

 

Ferris Wheel of Life.

The Ferris Wheel of life

Enjoy the views

The sounds

Bask in awe of life

As you turn slowly

Aging

Growing

Ever-changing

 

Embrace your childlike curiosity

As you notice all the details of nature

Outside & within you

Beauty found everywhere

 

 

Love unconditionally

For everything & everyone is impermanent

Enjoy each day alive

Knowing it won’t last forever

 

The ride will end for you & I

Allowing others to enjoy the ride

Without death, there is no life

Embrace both

 

Greed.

How will we break from the spell of money and power?

Caring more about the dollar then human life

Living as if our bank account is the only thing that matters

Sacrificing our grandparents for the dow jones

Even in crisis, the rich get richer

Leaving crumbs for the rest

I’m not a revolutionary

But a man who questions everything

Especially my own life

I will look within

Within my greed

Doing my best

To choose generosity over greed

And the love of life over the fear of losing money

 

Drifter.

A drifter

A vagabond

Never commiting long term to a job

A relationship or location

This is how I choose to live my one life for now

For the open road is welcoming

New people

New experiences

The journey along the windy path into the unknown

Adventures with new friends

New places to explore

Discovering who you are through the adversity of uncertainty

The uncomfortable decisions you have to make that push you to be better

Never stagnating in one spot

Not decaying & mold from staying still too long

I’ll embrace this journey as a vagabond for now

Not knowing where life will take me

Earthlings.

I have a dream

That one day our fellow earthlings will not be exploited

Whether it be for taste, fashion, science or sport

I have a dream that no mother cows will have their calves stolen from them and sold to veal farmers

Exploited for their milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt

Used & abused they are then sent to the slaughter house

I have a dream that no animal will have to live a life of suffering & pain

No animal used for leather or wool

A life is worth more then a fashion statement

I have a dream that no dogs, cats, monkeys, etc will be forced to suffer for science

Forcefully injected with chemicals, drugs, & radiation

I have a dream that no whale, dolphin, seal, or fish will be dragged out of the ocean for fun or food

I have a dream

That all circuses, zoos, slaughter houses, fisheries, and all forms of animal exploitation will come to an end

That humanity will wake up to the suffering of their fellow earthlings

To see them as sentient beings who need our protection

Not things to be exploited for our taste or entertainment

All beings want freedom

Animals suffer just life you & I

Please do your own research

Watch documentaries like “earthlings” or “dominion” and you will see what I have seen

We together can change this world into a more compassionate & peaceful world

This dream of mine will not happen today nor tomorrow

Not even in my lifetime

But the mere fact that I & many others care gives me hope

That maybe one day this dream will come true

For now I will do what I can to help alleviate suffering in this world

Earthlings Documentary:

Practicing Peace.

I recently went to a Vegfest in my local community. The food was great and overall the message was a positive one. A message that we can help stop climate change, transform our health, and vote with our wallets to stop cruelty against animals through eating a plant based diet. A few of the vegans were so angry at meat eaters though. One of the presenters went on an angry tangent about decapitated pigs heads at the grocery store. She yelled at the crowd that she couldn’t understand meat eaters(even though she ate these products most of her life). It was a friendly reminder to me that true compassion encompasses all beings, not just those who live the same way as you. The way of peace doesn’t condone violence but seeks to understand others instead of judge. True compassion encompasses Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Manson.

If we want others to be more peaceful we must be peaceful, it’s as simple as that. Maybe we could just focus on ourself, making our own life our message to others? Our message of peace will be watered down if we communicate in a violent way. Practicing non-violence is something MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and mother Theresa all agreed on. It’s something they wanted us to practice on a daily basis. The next time we complain about the world affairs we could ask ourself “how can we expect the world to be at peace if we aren’t?”

Focus within. One lit candle can light a thousand candles.

With Aloha,

Johnny Hoffman

I’ll Stay in my Own Lane.

I won’t change you

I won’t judge you

I won’t argue with you

I’ll stay in my own lane

For life is too short for me to focus my energy on others

Telling them what they should or shouldn’t do

My work will be to accept all as they are

For I’m no god nor tyrant

No dictator or ruler

My path is mine to walk

No one can walk it for me

And I can not force you to change

Grow & change in your own time

Or not!

Who am I to judge?

I have plenty to work on

Much growth to be had

Any energy spent on you would be wasted

For my life is my message

If others follow

That’s great

If they don’t

That’s fine too!

I’ll stay in my own lane

Kobe & Gigi.

Some of us won’t grow old

Some of us will die too soon

They will not see another beautiful sunset

They won’t see their children grow

Their death is a tragedy

But an important lesson for us all

That life is short

Too short to hold grudges

Too short to be cruel

Too short to hate

Hold the ones you love closely tonight

For we truly don’t know what lies ahead

Show gratitude for your life

Show love to all

 

RIP Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant, & the 7 others who lost their lives today

You all will live on within your family & friends