What is our purpose?
Money?
Fame?
Is our only purpose in life to consume & buy stuff?
I believe our purpose on this planet is much more than what’s listed above.
We are here,
To inspire.
To create.
To help others.
To protect the innocent.
We are much more than our career, bank account, awards, and trinkets.
Fear bubbles underneath the volcanoes surface.
Pain filled smoke seeping to the surface.
Anger, hatred, & rage boiling inside.
Until one day,
A vicious explosion destroys all in it’s path.
Leaving only pain & suffering to all.
Innocence lost in a moment.
How could this happen?
Will there ever be peace?
Fear, anger, hatred, & rage live within all of us.
Simmering under the surface.
Compassion leads us to love & understanding.
Love & understand can tame the simmering flames within us.
Peace begins & ends with us.
This poem is in response to the Christchurch mosque shooting on 15 March 2019. RIP to all who lost their lives and condolences to all who were touched.
Inspired by the late Chester Bennington & the band Linkin Park’s song “One More Light”.
I wake today,
Fueled not by apathy,
But compassion.
For the 150 billion of animals slaughtered each year.
For the million of children who die from disease and famine.
For those who commit suicide & those who suffer silently each day.
I vow to live a life that reduces the amount of suffering I cause in this world.
To speak for those who have no voice.
Who cares if one more light goes out in the sky of billions stars?
I do.
All life is precious.
Aloha,
Today’s blog post is about being vulnerable. Vulnerability is humanities greatest strength. It takes courage to be completely open and honest about our struggles.
Instagram & Facebook show us highlight reels of other people’s lives, which makes us feel like we aren’t living our lives to the fullest. There is a reason that studies show that heavy social media use is linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. We only connect at a surface level in sharing our highlights. Full transparency allows us to connect at a much deeper level.
Everyone has hardships but we rarely (if ever) share them on social media. Why is that? Are we scared that others will pity or judge us? From my experience, others will support and open up to their struggles once we break the ice. Connecting with others in this way is special.
For the past 6 weeks I have been traveling New Zealand on a working holiday visa. I haven’t started the working part of that yet though! LOL. Its hasn’t been perfect though. I spent way more money than expected on my first month of traveling which has caused me anxiety. At times, I have felt lonely in my travels, even when many others were around. Lately I have been having a hard time dealing with boredom and lack of purpose with no job. Lots of self judgements and worrying about what others think of me. Slowly I’m excepting the fact that this is a sabbatical and I will find work in the new year. I need to show some faith in myself once more and enjoy my free time.
Our society could benefit from being more vulnerable with each other. It helps us feel more connected and compassionate to others. Vulnerability takes true courage and strength. We all share the human experience together, let’s help each other live the fullest life that we can.
What have you been struggling with lately?
Namaste,
Johnny Hoffman
The ego whispers “you’re right”. Unchecked, our ego will lead us into hatred of anyone who different than us. Hatred cannot be stopped by more hatred. It’s a vicious unstoppable circle of ego, fear, and hatred. Without the light of peace, the circle is infinite. Apathy & fear fuel the ego. I believe compassion and love can bring humanity true peace. Does humanity really want peace though? That’s a million dollar question. If we truly want peace we have to be mindful of the ego and its tendency to label everything as “right” or “wrong”. Labeling is the first step to hatred and violence. Labeling isn’t always bad (foods, streets, colors, etc) but when we label our fellow humans we put them in boxes; which we then label “right” or “wrong”. This distorts reality and makes peace difficult.
Understanding is the first step towards peace.
Without understanding peace is not possible. This is why mindful listening is so important in peace talks. Understanding the suffering inside another is a skill we can develop with compassion. Understanding, compassion, and peace are intertwined at their core.
Do we truly want peace or to be right?
I see this in my fellow animal right’s activists. Well-intentioned people who let their ego blind them. They care more about being right than understanding meat eaters. They end up pushing their meat-eating brothers & sisters further from plant-based living; causing more violence in the world. We all have been guilty of letting our ego take control of a conversation. I intend to show true compassion to all living beings, even those who believe the exact opposite of me. How will they know peace if we don’t show them? MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and Mother Theresa all preached this message of peace.
Let’s start today by mindfully listening to others instead of allowing our ego to lead into hatred. If we truly want peace in this world we must live peacefully with all living beings. By living this way, we leave the world a better place than we arrived.
With Aloha,
Johnny Hoffman
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.
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.
Unexpected storms.
Unbearable winds.
Unavoidable destruction.
Your ship is broken.
Years of neglect.
Storms breaking it piece by piece.
Abandon your ship.
Let go and go into the great unknown.
Dive deep into the darkness of the sea.
The water is coldest at the bottom.
Unbearable pressure.
Suffocating pain.
Keep going.
As the storm passes, you will see a light.
Follow it.
Do not get accustomed to the darkness.
Do not wish for your old ship to rise from the depths.
Through the pain, we can grow.
Through the suffering, we can heal.
As you reach the surface you smile.
New life has been given.
Gratitude shining from the sun.
As you wash ashore.
You’re full of joy.
Curious about this new island.
Excited about new adventures.
New beginnings have been given.
New experiences to enjoy.
Fighting for peace.
Shaming for love.
Anger spilling into the streets.
Not an ounce of compassion.
How will they ever know peace if all we show them is violence?
We must show them another way.
The way of peace.
Our life is our message.
The message of peace.
The message of love.
The message of compassion.
Go to the streets.
Go to them in peace.
With love.
With compassion.
Anger can’t stomp out anger.
Only love can.
Violence won’t stop violence.
Only peace can.
Apathy won’t end apathy.
Only compassion can.
The Narrow Path 