My ancestors walk with me.
They live on in my DNA.
An English sailor.
A German farmer.
An Italian factory worker.
A Spanish settler in Mexico.
An Aztec Warrior.
A West African slave.
How did you survive disease?
War-torn countries.
Blatant racism.
Food scarcity.
Unbearable suffering.
Because of your perseverance & strength.
I have this opportunity to live.
Thank you.
A vicious storm has almost sunk Pascal’s ship. It was unexpected and disastrous. Will he recover? Or will he be damaged permanently?
Pascal lays still on the main deck.
His breath shallow.
Nearly dead.
His first officer Pablo has taken over in these trying times.
In the coming weeks, Pascal slowly recovers.
Time seems to be in slow motion for Pascal.
All seems clearer after the storm.
Dark clouds clearing to an open sky.
Pascal has realized that his suffering is of his own doing.
Holding onto whats gone.
Going with fear based decisions.
Mis-judgments.
Limiting beliefs.
Pascal vows to do better.
I’m not your Zen Master.
Not your guru.
Not your leader.
I only share my life experiences.
Not yours.
Pave your own path.
Question me.
Question everything.
All flawed.
Perfectly imperfect.
There are no idols.
No holy men or women.
No saints.
No sinners.
Only human.
Born of love & fear.
Learning & growing.
There are no enlightened beings.
Only activities.
Worship no idols.
Become your own.
Bon Voyage Young Pascal!
Good luck on your journey!
The sea is calm.
But not your mind.
Anticipation gleaming from your eyes.
Butterflies fluttering in your stomach.
What wonders lie ahead?
What dangers will you have to overcome?
True strength comes from adversity.
True love from pain.
Keep going.
Even if you drown in the deep darkness of the sea.
You will have lived.
Lived with every breath.
Every beat of your heart.
With risk, comes reward.
With letting go, comes freedom.
Bon Voyage Young Pascal.
Into the great unknown.
Money, followers, and celebrity.
The new American dream.
How many followers do you need to be content?
How many Tesla’s will bring long-lasting joy?
Once I get 100K followers and I’ll be content.
Ten million dollars a year would be perfect.
20 million.
50 million.
Naw 100 billion.
You’re hooked.
Addicted to more.
Never satisfied.
How will you ever be free?
No amount of money.
Materials or followers.
Will bring endless happiness.
Define enough.
And you’ll find that you already have plenty of it.
A black hole appears.
Gravity stronger than a billion suns.
Pulling me slowly into its endless abyss.
Will I be sucked into the darkness?
My mission.
My purpose.
My vision.
Is to alleviate suffering in this world.
Will I fulfill this life’s mission?
The black hole of distraction.
It’s gravity stronger than a billion stars.
Addicted to scrolling.
Scrolling through the darkness of social media.
There are no passions found in the black hole.
Only distraction.
No purpose or meaning.
Countless missions left incomplete.
Social media & distractions are not all meaningless blackholes. But we must be careful that we do not get sucked into their gravitational pull. Set boundaries. Know the signs of addiction. Use mindfully.
Where there is hatred, I will show love.
Where there is fear, I will show trust.
Where there is doubt, I will show faith.
Where there is apathy, I will show compassion.
Where there is violence, I will show peace.
I vow to show others another way.
Fear.
Worry.
Doubt.
My three familiar friends.
Keeping me from my passions.
My mission & purpose.
Goodbye, my old friends.
Today, I will let you go.
For I only have one life and I intend to live it.
I hear a knock on my door!
Three new friends have arrived.
Love.
Trust.
Faith.
They even brought gifts.
Love brought joy.
Trust brought excitement.
Faith brought freedom.
Thank you, my new friends.
I look forward to our new journey together.
The darkness surrounds me.
Fear consuming every thought.
Anger pulsating through every cell.
Hatred burning into my soul.
Greed filling up my mind.
Do I resist the darkness?
Do I suppress these dark emotions?
No.
I will accept the darkness.
I will honor the greed, anger, hatred, and fear inside me as part of who I am.
But I vow to shine light into the darkness of my soul.
The light of love.
The light of kindness.
The light of compassion.
The light of forgiveness.
I will show the darkness another way.
The Narrow Path 