Hi everyone.

I can't help but be saddened by the impact of Katrina on so many people. In addition to sending monetary contributions and our prayers, how would Wally have us to respond to this? I have so much trouble reconciling these recent huge natural disasters. I watched a bit of coverage last night and was close to crying and felt my heart wrenching. But, Wally says not to focus on the "mean or squalid...." How should we view this event?

LauraR

Hi Laura,

I'm glad you started this thread. I was about to do exactly the same thing. We're very close to the start of the damage area here in Alabama, and although I realize that Wally says not to dwell on poverty, or pain etc. This is quite hard to ignore. I for one, have sympathy for those affected. But, I remain in total and complete gratitude that my family and my friends weathered the storm. From that perspective I can allow myself to build a CMI of New Orleans back the way it used to be, with me enjoying it as I have before. Walking in the French Quarter looking for another place to sit and have coffee and beignets. I would love to hear others comments on just how to frame this disaster within the SOGR methodology. Have faith friends, it will get better, but it's going to be quite a road.

Love to all,

Timmy

I saw, what I thought was an excellent way to respond here in North Texas. A local company saw a man and his family on the news and realized he had a job opening that would suit this man perfectly.

Somehow, through the news media I suppose, he was able to offer the man a job. The man was so grateful and is moving his family here to get started.

The business owner said the man could stay permanently or, if things turn out ok in New Orleans, he can go back home when he's ready.

I realize this is just one family, but I thought the businessman's approach to this was excellent.

Sherri

This has been on my mind as well.......I think the key is not to "dwell on" these conditions and the disaster. I've seen the headline news updates and have a good level of awareness as to what's happened/happening. However, I will not read and/or watch every report that's put out. That would be dwelling on it. There would be no benefit to the disaster survivors, or myself, in my doing so.
I would rather focus on how God would have me respond to this and at this time they are calling for monetary help and not physical aid. So I will give financially and spiritually (by praying). And I will have faith that God will provide and be grateful for that fact........

Sherri,

Thank you for sharing this lovely success story.

Working for an American boss in the HR department of an international company, I saw more details of Katrina this week than I had ever imagined from the news reports on tv. Reading the report on New Orleans shortly after the floods started. Business-like and facts only, no media coverage but from someone who works there and in about 60 seconds my knowledge and feelings about the situation changed a lot. Like being hit with a sledgehammer.

But I do not dwell on a situation that I cannot change. Doing my job as best I can and praying for every person and every situation that I hear about.

Caroline

Thanks everyone - great responses! Yes, we should focus on restoration and creating a CMI for the area hit by Katrina. See it as being restored and renewed like never before through effective help, love, creativity, and funds coming from every direction. That must be key!

Laura

Maybe it's the media's penchant for focusing on the negative, but I've seen so much coverage of stranded, able-bodied people, complaining about everything, blaming everyone else for not rescuing them, feeling entitled to be taken care of and throwing tantrums over trivia.

I keep thinking, step up! You're alive! God helps those who help themselves. Organize groups to gather firewood! Build fire pits, search for vessels to boil water, scavenge materials to build shelters.

What an opportunity this is for people to learn self-sufficience again. To see they can live, and even thrive, without the government bailing them out or the media telling them what to think. That life is so much better when it is not taken for granted.

Step up, people! We are doing what we can, but you have the power and the duty to save yourselves. Please, God, let the next day of media coverage bring stories about people who are rising above the victim mentality and becoming part of the solution.

Laurie

While I have compassion for any human being who goes through a tragedy such as this, I have to agree with Laurie.

God bless them all!

Bill and Lauie

I always enjoy your well thought out and upbeat posts but have to take a little exception to this one, I think about the old adage about walking in someomne else's shoes for two weeks.

I am not sure there is any water source that is not brackish or salt water for a lot of people down there. Even if there was, I heard a very well known doctor say on the radio today that pregnant women and children should not even be drinking boiled water due to cysts that can survive. I know that in my inland area in central Virginia most of the people in my county are not near a natural water souce (I mean miles) we have wells and the minute the power fails the water is GONE. Also, if there is a water source along the gulf coast, there was certainly not much if any dry firewood or matches.

I think you have a point but I am also thinking thatwe need to learn more or even experience more we decide they should snap out of it.

Maggie

quote:

True, there may be a good many things in existing conditions which are disagreeable; but what is the use of studying them when they are certainly passing away, and when the study of them only tends to check their passing and keep them with us? Why give time and attention to things which are being removed by evolutionary growth, when you can hasten their removal only by promoting the evolutionary growth as far as your part of it goes?- SOGR, Chapter 10

Of course, the current situation looks tragic and, in the moment appears bleak.

Last year, it was Florida getting slammed several times within a month. But look at Florida today..barely a year later....stronger, more vibrant than ever.

The same will happen in New Orleans. This time next year it will be a distant memory and that incredible city will be thriving and prosperous...stronger, better and even more alive.

That said, I don't think Mr Wattles in SOGR says we should be heartless and ignore things like this. Just understand the underlying truth of things....that the world is always in the process of a wonderful Becoming.

Mark my words, a year from now New Orleans and surrounding areas will be better than ever after this...I look forward to seeing it!

In the moment, I think its a good thing to do all we can to assist the people to reach that desitination.

Michael M.

I was an evacuee of the hurricanes in Florida last year. I also worked at the World Trade Center, so I am reading your comments with great interest. I think they will help me decide if I should continue to participate in this group.

I noticed that some posts focus on the city and how it will be rebuilt in a year. This hasn't been true for Ground Zero or most of Florida. In addition and more importantly, as least to me, New Orleans has had extensive loss of life. In fact, it appears that the death toll hasn't even been estimated. There are also incalculable people missing. I’m interested to find out how practitioners of SOGR address this.

My faith helped me make it through these events I mentioned and yes, I was blessed in spite of the circumstances.

I think SOGR is very accurate at this time because the evacuees' the best way to help at this time is with financial assistance. So being rich is the best way to way to help others.

I have recently picked up SOGR again and I am not yet familiar with all the principles and their applications, so I'm just going to lurk a little bit digest the posts.

Many prayers and blessings to all of you and many, many more to the victims of hurricane Katrina.

Michael, I am an up-beat positive thinker but your picture is wrong. It is going to take months before people can even return to the city and rebuilding will take years. The sad truth is that financial aid will start dwindling as soon as the news focuses on another disaster elsewhere. And then they will have still a few years of work left to do.

The damage is too big, there will be no quick fix for this one. And that is only speaking of the material rebuilding. A few days later with more and better information about the situation, I know that there are many people missing and for those kind of losses, there will never be quick fixes.

Well, I am not a person who simply views the world through "rose-colored, polyanish postive thinking" glassses. Far from it.

My point is, mankind and the earth have faced every kind of horrific disaster in the past. The inherent essence of Nature is toward increased life and abundance.

While there are parts of Florida, for example, that are still ravaged, the truth is the area is in a state of constant improvment. Instictively, people are not only rebuidling but improving. While there are areas still recovering, the state of Florida is not shut down..they are moving forward toward more life.

The same holds true for New York. I was there not long ago and, while it is still bad, New York is alive and moving forward to even more life.

This thread was started by asking how we should see these things in terms of SOGR. My posting is framed within that context.

Michael M.

quote:

Originally posted by Caroline van der Hout:
The sad truth is that financial aid will start dwindling as soon as the news focuses on another disaster elsewhere. And then they will have still a few years of work left to do.

This is SO accurate. When I initially went to an international reputable charity online to make a donation for Katrina's victims, I was dismayed to find they were still asking for donations for last year’s victims. In fact, they anticipate needed relief workers well into next year to complete disaster relief for the 'Fearsome 4' of last year. I thought everyone had been taken care of but I found are many still in need. So, you are right. The focus will be on something else and people will assume that all it well when it is far from even being addressed.

I know we are not to study poverty, in an effort to achieve riches. I wholeheartedly agree that this does not work. I don't believe SOGR means and 'Out of sight. Out of mind.’ neither mentality nor do I believe it means to ignore others in need. I do believe we need to exercise control over our mind and thoughts because we can be morbidly fixated on negative news and thoughts. This can only result in the manifestation of negative things and occurrences.

Well, I guess there are many things I just don't know right now and that's all right by me. I do believe it will all eventually work out.

Just yesterday, I happened upon a hymn book owned by a co-worker and it told the story of Horatio Spafford who wrote the hymn 'It Is Well with My Soul' after suffering a devastating tragedy. His wife and children were sailing cross-Atlantic when their ship collided with another and sank. Her four children were torn from her arms by the water and his wife was 'Saved Alone' as her telegram stated.

This story gave me encouragement that even Katrina's victims who have lost family members will be able to rebuild their lives in spite these unfathomable difficulties with faith, hope and peace especially through the charity of so many wonderful, caring people in the world.

Many blessings to you and many more to the survivors of hurricane Katrina.

Yesterday my amazing friend, Dr. Alexandra Gayek (who more than a year ago founded a sister site, The Science of Being Well NETwork), sent out a special Update edition of her ezine, Be Well! in response to all this.

(If you don't have her SOBW ebook, you're really missing something because Alexandra has brought it into the 21st century in a unique and wonderful way.)

When I read her response to the Katrina situation, I realized that she had beautifully and eloquently said everything I would like to have said and much more. I think it's brilliant, and so I am sharing it with you here. If you agree, just go to her site and get a free subscription to Be Well!. You will be very glad you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Rebecca --

At any given moment, you might be looking at your world as
peaceful, happy, unfolding perfectly -- or catastrophic, out of
control, heading in the wrong direction -- or somewhere in
between.

When things seem to be at the catastrophic end of the scale,
particularly when you feel powerless to do anything about them,
how on earth are you supposed to think positively so that you can
create something different?

Yesterday, a gentleman in an elevator asked me if I was following
Hurricane Katrina in the news. I think what he was asking was how
horrified had I become at the unfolding images of devastation and
suffering.

I didn't know quite where to begin to explain how I am finding
peace and joy in the midst of this and everything else going on
in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

This week content honeybees and hummingbirds are finding
beautiful flowers full of nectar and pollen, happy babies are
being born to happy parents, sun is shining on joyful people on
vacation in beautiful places or gardening or enjoying backyard
hammocks.

This week gentle rains are falling on the fields of grateful
farmers, little kids are catching their first fish, a new author
is hitting the best seller list, people everywhere are having
unexpected financial windfalls, scientific breakthroughs,
business successes, miraculous healings, joyful weddings.

This week people everywhere are being kind to family members,
neighbors, friends, and perfect strangers.

This week there are violence and genocide and epidemic disease in
Africa, people being forced from their homes in Gaza, continued
death and destruction in Iraq, raging fires in Portugal and
France and the forests in my part of the world.

This week there is widespread devastation from Hurricane Katrina
in the southeast USA.

This week there are the ongoing stories of global warming,
terrorism, worldwide environmental destruction, poverty, crime,
the panicky rise in gas prices, and to top it all off, I got
sick. (I know, this isn't supposed to happen to ME! In the future
I'll explain why it's a good thing.)

WHAT TO DO?

It's all fine and well to say well just don't watch the news. I
recommend it. But what if the dreadful things are happening to
YOU, not someone halfway around the world? What if your family
members or friends are involved? Or what if you are someone who
feels deeply touched by events in the world, even if you don't
watch the news, and have a strong desire to DO SOMETHING to help?

Below you'll find a somewhat edited version of what I wrote back
in January after the tsunami. Rewriting it helped me to remember
how I find peace and joy in this world with all its problems.

Humbly I offer it to you, just in case you might find it useful
now or in the future. Please contribute your thoughts in the
discussion forum at:

The Science of Being Well NETwork

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOME QUESTIONS ... SOME ANSWERS

What does the Science of Being Well have to do
with natural (or human-made) disasters?


While it appears that Mr. Wattles wrote SOBW for individual
healing, his ideas can also be applied on a larger scale.

In a way, what individuals and families face with unexpected
death of a loved one, an unexpected diagnosis of a serious
disease, a serious accident involving injury, and what
communities face after a hurricane, during epidemic disease,
drought, war, and other traumatic events are all different
versions and intensities of the same sorts of stress.

All these things involve events that seem beyond our control, and
that threaten or destroy our health, families, homes, livelihood,
communities -- all the familiar structures that give us a sense
of security.

All of them bring up a similar range of emotions and reactions --
terror, numbness, denial, anger, overwhelm, apathy, guilt, shame,
confusion, anxiety, grief, the desire to rescue others, feeling
powerless...

And to all of them similar remedies may be applied to the
individuals involved. In the case of the hurricane, those
individuals would be everyone in the world who witnessed this
event in person, on TV, in any form of the news, or anyone who
knows or knew people or places involved. That includes me. You
too?

So what are the remedies?

Once you and those in direct reach are out of immediate danger,
and a plan is begun for your basic needs for water, shelter,
clothing, food, the primary need all of us have no matter how
close or far we may be from the actual traumatic event, is ...

...to accept that we are loved.

If this sounds strange, remember that when we experience trauma,
we all revert to pretty primitive emotions, even if for a short
time. It's human nature, and it's predictable.

After dealing with immediate survival issues, we turn to make
sure we still belong, we're accepted in the new order of things,
the changed situation. This becomes particularly important when
there is the appearance of scarce resources, and/ or there
appears to be continued danger. If we feel loved, we feel more
secure, and this helps us pull ourselves back to feeling
centered, thinking clearly, and able to function normally.

This is where Mr. Wattles' ideas begin to come in. You are loved
unconditionally. The breath of your life is freely given to you,
with no requirement other than that you take it in. You are not
required to be brave, smart, compassionate, efficient, helpful, a
hero, a "good patient" or a "good person."

If you are a survivor and others are not, you do not have to
prove that you are more deserving to be alive. Life is not
something you have to earn. So, the best thing you can do is to
breathe deeply of the life that is yours, and live it abundantly.

It is to no one's advantage that you play small, live small,
wallow in guilt or shame, behave as if you do not deserve good
things. You can't do yourself or anyone else any good this way.
It is to everyone's advantage if you open yourself fully to the
power, energy, wisdom, health, and wealth that come naturally
when you ACCEPT the life that is "pressing in on you."

*************

But what about all those people looting and
taking advantage of others' misfortune? What
about those who should have done more to PREVENT
this? And those whose "evil" ways CAUSED this?


First remember that if you are moving from feeling powerless, it
may be a necessary part of your healing process to touch anger,
resentment, blame, and the desire for revenge for a day or two.
This is as true for everyone else as it is for you.

You'll likely find that if you are horrified by these feelings in
yourself and try to resist them, they will persist. You may also
find yourself continuing to judge others, feeling bad about
yourself, and finding unwanted things happening in your life.

The best thing is to let the "negative" feelings move through
you. I find it useful to even encourage them, write them all
down, see how big I can make them all at once, yell about them,
jump around, all in order to feel the full power of the feelings.

It doesn't mean you should recruit others to agree with you.
Please don't. The point of this is to HEAL, not to reinforce any
idea of truth that the world is awful and full of evil people.

It also doesn't mean you should ACT on these feelings in ways
that could harm yourself or others. Acting on them also plants
you more firmly into believing the negative ideas roaming in your
mind, and causes more negative events to "prove" that you were
right.

Remember, these feelings are based on the misperception of
scarcity -- of all resources including life itself. Most of us go
directly to these thoughts when we are scared. In the height of
all that emotion, we're not in touch with our inner knowing of
the infinite nature of the universe and that all is well.

If you're not caught up in the emotional drama, the best thing is
to hold firm to your image of every single person as strong,
centered, clear, capable of accessing their highest inner wisdom
and all the infinite resources of the universe.

You may not be able to imagine the solution that would suddenly
provide clean water and food for millions of stranded people, but
you can probably imagine the light going on for each person as
she or he finds a forgotten reserve, or finds a way to safety.

In this way, you are contributing directly to the solution.

*************

How does my living abundantly help the suffering
of people who have no shelter, food, water,
sanitation, or health care and who are thousands
of miles/ kilometers from me?


First, remember that we are all connected. If you've been
receiving the "Being Well! 52 VERY Alternative Health Tips"(tm)
for some time you may have encountered the concept that at the
level of molecules and atoms, there is no separation between your
body and the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the water you
drink. In this way, you are continuous with every physical form,
living and non-living, on the planet.

Because of the ability of plants to make matter out of sunlight,
and the ability of animals, including you, to transform matter
into energy and energy into matter, you know that you are
continuous with every form of energy. This includes heat, light,
wind, electricity, gravity, magnetism, and yes the power of
hurricanes. It's all one.

When you understand how thoughts and emotions work in the
physical body, you will understand how your thoughts and emotions
are continuous with everything else.

So there is no way that what you think and do halfway around the
planet does not impact people who are suffering.

YOU MATTER AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHETHER YOU INTEND TO OR NOT.

You can, of course, take direct action that will have a different
sort of impact, and there is plenty of information available
about how to do that. Remember though, that the intention and
emotion in your actions are at least as important as the actions
themselves.

*************

So does that mean people's thoughts and actions
are to blame for causing the hurricane?


Mr. Wattles is very clear that there is no benefit to focusing on
the causes of problems (diseases, poverty, etc.) or speculating
on their likely outcomes. Nor is it useful to focus on the
disaster itself, or to judge or blame anyone.

What this means is that by allowing ourselves to be mesmerized by
hours of television that prompt us to gasp in horror and shock
and grief, we are actually pouring energy into perpetuating the
problem.

By spending time and energy worrying and being angry over how
what humans have done to wreck the natural environment
contributed to this disaster, or how all the violence we do to
one another around the planet surely is the cause, or how all the
fear caused by previous disasters surely attracted this latest
disaster, we are contributing to the very energy we complain
about.

Similarly, if we make predictions on all the terrible diseases
that will surely develop because of the conditions, how difficult
it will be to rebuild what's been destroyed, all the obstacles
the rescuers will face, or what other "acts of nature" are sure
to come, we are again reinforcing the energy that feeds the
problems instead of turning our energy toward the solutions.

Regardless of what we choose to do to support distant rescue
efforts, the first place, always, is with ourselves. To focus
with love and compassion on the peace within ourselves and our
connection with our Source.

When the impulses for our actions come from this connection, and
not from our fear or need to prove ourselves, we cannot go wrong.
We look to see where we can make a difference creating peace and
harmony right where we are, in our own families, workplaces and
communities, as well as how we can reach out to those far away.

Mr. Wattles also directs us to act toward those in need with
respect for our common humanity rather than with pity. With a
vision of certainty of our common strength, wisdom, health, and
all positive things rather than be distracted by the appearance
of suffering and struggle, or the difference between "them and
us." We're all in this together, and we can drag each other down
or raise each other by our attitudes and actions.

In this way everything we do is focused on building the world in
which there is more life to all and less to none.

*************

But how can you trust God, Nature, the Formless
Substance, the Supreme Intelligence when it lets
these things happen? How can it be all good?

This question, "WHY do things happen?" is the foundation of all
of science, religion, philosophy -- all our human attempts to
understand and make sense of our world. We humans like the
security of the idea that we can know how things work, that we
can control our world to have only what we like, that we can
preserve what we love. We fight wars over these things.

Mr. Wattles tells us that we go wrong when we attempt to figure
out the how and why of things, and instead to trust in a power
that may be greater than our ability to comprehend.

He asks us to CHOOSE to believe that there are no evil forces,
only the force of good, to CHOOSE to believe that all the natural
forces at work are those moving toward more abundant life for
all.

The appearance of our world is constant change. The seasons, the
tides, our bodies, our relationships, the economy... Much as we
may want to cling to our favorite parts, everything changes. At
the level of science we can understand, there is constant motion
in EVERYTHING, no matter how solid and still it may seem.

Sometimes the change is subtle, like gradual aging. Sometimes
it's dramatic and abrupt, like this hurricane.

We can choose to think we are being buffeted about like hapless
victims in a world we can't understand. We can choose to think we
are being punished, or are the victims of someone else's bad
behavior, or even the collective "sin" of human nature.

Mr. Wattles suggests we choose to believe that we are not victims
at all, but are powerfully creative parts of a greater good, and
that we can influence the appearance of things to everyone's
benefit by our participation in this belief.

He offers us a deeper security possible than what we can have by
hanging our beliefs on how things appear in the world. If we
choose to believe in his version of how the world works, we can
turn our attention from trauma, disease, problems and obstacles,
and focus instead on what we can be and do.

************

Thank you for being there to receive these thoughts. I welcome
yours, especially in the discussion forum where we can all
participate, even if just to let us know you are okay. You do
matter, and I'm thinking about you, and so are many, many other
people.

If this is a difficult time for you, please consider taking
advantage of private coaching or the Infinite Coach(tm) Audio
Set. It's especially designed to help you through rough times,
especially if I'm not available for a coaching session when you
need one. To check it out, go to:

--> http://www.scienceofbeingwell.net/infinitecoach


To set up private coaching, go to:

--> http://www.scienceofbeingwell.net/consult.html

I'll be back with you soon with lots of goodies in the normal
monthly edition of BE WELL!(tm)

Until then, trusting that you will go on until the priceless
blessing of perfect health is yours, I wish you infinite
blessings.

Warmly,
Alexandra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BE WELL! (tm) is a trademark of Alexandra Gayek, ND, Seattle, WA

Copyright (c)2005 Alexandra Gayek, ND. You have permission to
reprint the above article only if no changes are made to the
text, the following "Resource Box" is included in its entirety,
and the publication is free of charge. You may reformat as needed
and use your Science of Being Well Network affiliate code for the
URL. For all other uses, written permission of the author is
required.

Resource Box:
Dr. Alexandra Gayek is the author and publisher of the BE WELL!
ezine where this article was first printed, and founder of The
Science of Being Well Network, where you can download your free
copy of the priceless 1910 classic, The Science of Being Well.
http://www.scienceofbeingwell.net (c)2005 Alexandra Gayek ND

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BE WELL! is sent to confirmed subscribers only.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca here again. See what I mean? I'm sending this to friends and I may even ask Alexandra if I can send it to the entire Certain Way ezine list as I think it's something we can all benefit from.

Thank you, Alexandra.

"Mark my words, a year from now New Orleans and surrounding areas will be better than ever after this...I look forward to seeing it!"
Posted by "M"

"I am an up-beat positive thinker but your picture is wrong ... rebuilding will take years."
Posted by "C"

Two ... apparently ... opposing views ... but both (I think) illustrations of the same priciple found in SOGR. Consider this question: "Why will it take one year?" OR "Why will it take many, many years?"

Either way, does it not depend first of all upon the THINKING of those who have to deal with the problem? (Which, to some degree or other, is all of us.)

Consider also what actually happened during World War II ... when trans-Atlantic supply ships were being sunk faster than they could be rebuilt. The situation seemed "lost", because it took many, many months to build each replacement ship ... there was just no way round that.

But what happened? ... a different kind of thinking was applied ... and they got busy building replacement supply ships ... and soon learned how to build each ship in just ONE WEEK. (And it was Americans who achieved that.)

So, what kind of thinking is going to serve best, not only the good people of New Orleans, but people the world over?

Love to you all, Steve.

Michael, thank you for explaining what you meant. And you are right. People are resilient and they will bounce back and start rebuilding. But most of them are trapped in the lie that they are helpless.

Because nobody is ever helpless. In my opinion, God is always here watching over us and he is the best helper I have ever known. And in the Science way, everybody at every time (by the way, Viktor Frankl said the same thing) has the power to choose their own thoughts.

Which is why I am going on a news fast. Not because I don't care about what happens. But because the reporters are telling me that I should worry and feel all those other powerless and useless emotions. Why would I want to waste my time if I can spend it in the presence of giants instead?

Thank you Rebecca for sharing Alexandra's message. I will add to my prayers that all people will know that they are loved unconditionally. And that they will see a light go on in their lives. Just that. God will know what colour of lightshade they will need the most.

Hi Laura,

I haven't taken the time to post on this forum for several weeks because I've been quite busy with a new enterprise. I have, however, taken a moment here and there to catch up on the postings of others and today I actually came to the forum to see if anyone had posted on Katrina and the devastation left behind. So let me begin by thanking you, Laura, for starting this thread. I believe it is very important, especially for those who are new to SOGR.

And thank you to everyone else who took the time to post here. So much thought and caring was put into every response. It reminded me of why I love this forum so very much: Because it gives me an opportunity to be with like-minded others who would rather focus on ways we might make things better than on how bad things appear to be.

I think it was Reverend Ike who said the best thing we could do for the poor was not be one of them. Along the same vein, I believe the best thing we can do for those who are suffering through the effects of Katrina right now is to not suffer along with them.

And whether we realize it or not, we join them in their suffering each time we allow our attention to be focused on what is wrong with this situation rather than what is right.

I know it's hard to think there is anything right in all of this, but that is only because our perception is limited. We can see only a tiny speck of the Universal whole. And, as Wally has taught us, it is often what we don't see that counts the most.

If we take a moment to look at the "bigger picture" we realize that for every act of inhumanity CNN would have us give our attention to, countless acts of love are going unobserved.

For every insane person who has used Katrina as an opportunity to take, countless others have seen it as an opportunity to give.

For every mother who has held a dying child in her arms, countless other have been reminded to give their living children a hug and say "I love you"; right now, this very minute, before it's too late.

And for every person who has died as a result of this storm, countless others have made the conscious decision to truly start living.


Devastation, struggle and inhumanity are always with us and they are always loud and obnoxious. They burst in upon us like an explosion and slam their fists down on the tables of our mind to grab our attention and hold it. And then try their best to block our view of everything else. Our job is to not let them. Our job is to stay focused on the truth.

One way we can always stay focused is through gratitude. For instance, we can choose to see the rescue effort as going tremendously well, despite what news reports might tell us to the contrary. And for that we can be thankful.

We can choose to believe that everything that can be done to heal, transform and end this devastation quickly is now being done and will continue to be so. And for that we can be thankful.

We can choose to believe that despite what historical evidence would indicate, restoration and rebuilding is already taking place and will be completed far more quickly than most would imagine. And for that we can be thankful.

And we can choose to believe phenomenal good will arise from this situation, not just good for a few, but good for the whole of humanity, now and for forever more. And for that we can be thankful.

It is my own personal belief that God is in everything. I trust that even when I cannot see, even when I am totally blinded by circumstance, even then --perhaps most especially then -- God is still present, being God. And because God continues to be God, all is well, whether I am able to see it or not.

I do not need to see in order to choose to believe. And for that I can be thankful.

Blessings of peace, joy and abundance to all...

Kate

As I read and interpret Mr Wattles writings in SOGR, I can see how, on the surface, people may think he is instructing people to ignore the suffering of others with statement "ignore poverty" Taken out of context, it can appear to be heartless...unless you study and absorb the entire message of his writing.

You are not deserting the poor (suffering) in their misery when you refuse to allow your mind to be filled with pictures of that misery.

Beyond all the other things posted by Rebecca, Kate and others...I also see this way of thinking as extremely valuable from a very pragmatic point of view.

When disaster strikes, man-made or natural, you need people with clear minds who are focused on solutions rather than problems. For example, if you are in an auto accident, you sure don't need an EMT who is so focused on the tragedy of it all and overcome with such emotion they can't do anything to help you. You want someone who is detached and focused on getting you the help you need. Does this mean the EMT is heartless and uncaring? Not hardly.

In my way of thinking. Mr Wattles is advising us on how to develop a clear mind. Bad things happen in the world..and, unfortunately, will continue to happen. But none of us can do any good in addressing the solution if we are constantly focused on the misery.

To me, SOGR is a very pragmatic way of viewing life and offers an efficient way to address the countless situations we all face in life.

Michael M.

Thank you Laura for posting this. After having seen so many images from the media I was wondering how deal with it all. So I came here looking to see if anyone posted anything as of yet ..and lo' and behold there was! So thank you! And thank you to everyone else. You all have helped me to see another side to this and move past it to a better place.