Ilchi Lee's Blog, page 8

From Janitor to Leader: Your Work Doesn’t Define You

[Photo by VichienPetchmai via Envato Elements]

Uncover the secret to true fulfillment by discovering where your real worth lies within, far beyond the superficial achievements and titles.

In the rush of daily life, we often measure our worth by external achievements and accolades. Many believe that being a president or holding significant power makes one inherently valuable. However, such honors do not define a person’s true worth. Then, what truly makes a person precious if it’s not the power they wield or the titles they hold?

Let’s look deeper, beyond superficial measures, to the essence of our spirit. Even the highest achievements lose meaning if the individual’s spirit is not aligned with genuine goodness and truth. If this is even the case for those who have reached the pinnacle of success, what about the rest of us?

Each of us is born with inherent value. Our existence is precious, yet as we grow, we often lose sight of this intrinsic worth. Society pressures us to conform, to meet others’ expectations, and to pursue external validations. In doing so, we drift away from our true selves and the essence of what makes us genuinely precious.

The Dual Seeds Within

Within every human heart lies a conflict between the seeds of goodness and depravity. This internal battle is a constant struggle, regardless of our reflections and regrets. Recognizing this conflict is the first step toward understanding our true nature.

Instead of focusing on our doubts and fears, our greed or desires, we can recognize the unchanging diamond in our hearts. This diamond represents our true essence, untouched by external circumstances. This inner brightness lies beyond questions and rational inquiries. It exists in the place in our hearts that exists beyond light or sound.

To bring our awareness to this precious place and make our lives meaningful, we can simply feel inside with our hearts and minds, embracing the vibrations of life. To do that, we need to let go of everything that holds us back, even our attachment to our very lives, for it’s beyond our individual lives. This act of letting go is a conscious choice. By embracing this choice, we align ourselves with the essence of truth and become one with it.

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The Power of a Noble Mind

If we approach our work, or whatever we do, with a consciousness that stems from our inner light, even the most mundane tasks become meaningful. Conversely, if we engage in prestigious work with a low, vulgar mind, its value diminishes. Therefore, our state of mind determines the quality and significance of our actions.

With a noble mindset, challenges and crises become opportunities for personal development. Just as physical strength increases through persistent effort, our mental strength and emotional resilience grow when we face and overcome life’s trials.

As we go through life’s pressures with acceptance and persistence, confident in our inner truth, the impurities and imperfections around the diamond of our true selves in our hearts burn away. Our inner light shines more brightly on the world, and our lives can be recognized as truly precious.

Becoming Fragrant

This process is stronger when the challenges come from a noble goal that stems from our true selves. Genuine preciousness is found in those who hold truth and vision in their hearts. Such individuals possess a unique fragrance, making them attractive in a world often preoccupied with superficial success. Without a great vision and truth, though, the spirits of even the most successful individuals wither.

By aligning our minds and hearts with the truth, we discover our true preciousness and inspire others to do the same. When we polish the diamond in our hearts and live with a great mind and noble spirit, our true worth transcends all external measures. We are precious, not because of what we achieve, but because of who we are at our core.

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Harness Positivity for Real Solutions

[Photo by FG Trade via iStockPhoto]

Discover how profound positivity rooted in Tao consciousness can help you overcome the fear of unrealistic optimism and unlock your potential to create real-life miracles.

Can one have too much positivity? Does looking on the bright side seem unrealistic or unintelligent?

You may have heard that to achieve a goal or dream, we need to be positive. We need to make positive vibes and believe we can achieve something, even if it seems impossible. On the other hand, doing so may feel foolish. We may not want to be seen as silly or may be afraid that being too positive may gloss over issues we need to face realistically instead.

So what’s the best approach?

In my experience, positivity is not toxic. It creates miracles.

Positivity Is Intelligent

A discerning person may seem smart to others; using our discernment may seem sensible. However, discernment and intelligence are two different things. I would call someone truly intelligent if they have the consciousness of what I refer to as “kingly,” “great,” or “noble” positivity. A person with this consciousness can understand a situation clearly and make accurate predictions. But they can also see beyond these.

The consciousness of noble positivity is a Tao consciousness. As such, it exists beyond the boundary between positive and negative and is aware of the infinite potential that lies at the source of all creation. It can see the light of hope in any situation and find the way to hope.

When our minds and hearts are firmly rooted in the noble positivity of a Tao consciousness, we are able to imagine and affirm what we want into reality. We have the conviction that we can bridge the gap between dreams and reality and make the impossible possible. Positivity forms this bridge.

Using Noble Positivity

If we want to solve real problems, rather than sticking to what makes sense given the current circumstances, we can adopt a nobly positive consciousness. With a positive mindset and the conviction that a solution exists, we can call answers to our minds and discover the best actions to take. The ability to do this is the highest power of Tao—and we all have it.

Rather than being foolish optimism, noble positivity comes from an inner knowing. It’s rooted in a secure connection to the essence of everything. This knowing and connection is a natural function of our brains. Having noble positivity means we respect and trust the brain and its inherent operating system. With this respect and trust, our brains help us create unexpected miracles.

Miracle Creation Method

Try this meditation sequence if you want to maintain a profoundly positive mindset and hone your ability to imagine the reality you want to create.

Decide on a goal.Look in a mirror and state your goal clearly. Then say, “I can do it. It will come true.”Vividly visualize your goal happening. Imagine how you will feel when it does.Press your navel in and out 360 times while looking in a mirror (Belly Button Healing). You can use the middle three fingers of each hand togetheror a blunt, stick-like tool. Keep a smile on your face as you get to know your facial expressions. This rhythmic moving meditation will help your energy and blood circulate and gather energy in your core while making your brain feel calmer, activated, and more positive.Amplify this effect with Brain Wave Vibration. Tap a point along the midline of your body that is two inches below your navel. Use alternating fists in a steady rhythm. Once you are comfortable tapping, shake your head from side to side as well, pivoting around the top of your neck. Feel the vibrations you’re creating in your abdomen. Practice this exercise for five minutes.Afterward, sit with your back straight and allow yourself to breathe comfortably yet deeply. Imagine bright golden energy entering your body from the top of your head and then passing through your entire body. Meditate this way for another five minutes.Then, stand up and walk briskly, either moving forward or in place. With your arms extended down, swing them lightly, palms facing the direction you’re walking and fingers straight. Focus on your feet as you gather more energy to your body and mind for five minutes with this form of Energy Walking.Next, increase the power of your mind by increasing the power of your body. Practice strengthening exercises for five minutes. Try push-ups, sit-ups, holding a plank posture, and the like. Use the strong exercises to keep your mind focused on your body.Now that your mind is connected to the vibrations of noble positivity, say your goal out loud one more time while picturing it in your head. Imagine bright, golden energy going toward that picture.

Embracing noble positivity allows us to transcend the ordinary and tap into the extraordinary potential within us. It’s not about ignoring challenges or being unrealistically optimistic but about harnessing the power of a deeply rooted, intelligent positivity that comes from a profound connection to the essence of life.

By practicing the Miracle Creation Method, we align our minds, bodies, and spirits with the boundless energy of the universe. This alignment enables us to face any situation with unwavering confidence and creativity. Let us cultivate this noble positivity, respect the natural power of our brains, and trust in our ability to create miracles.

Remember, with noble positivity, anything is possible.

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We Can Create Rainbows

[Photo by YNG Pictures via iStockPhoto]

Without light, there is no rainbow.
There is light, so there is a rainbow.

Originally, rainbows do not exist. There is no such thing, yet there is. There is, yet there is no such thing.

A rainbow is just a rainbow.
A rainbow appears and disappears.

It is so beautiful and touching—the meeting, parting, and collision of sunlight and water that is a rainbow.

People look for rainbows. We look for illusions and happiness. Success is something that doesn’t exist, but we search for it.

Everything is a phenomenon of life. Yet there is a reality beyond the phenomenon. We are able to know that reality. We can see the phenomenon of life from the zero point.

At our essence, we are zero. We can create anything and are the creator of everything.

These times now, what are they for us?
They are the time to become an owner. It’s time to be conscious authors of our reality. The creators of creation.

We can create rainbows together.

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Song: Love Is the Flower of Life

[Photo by Sanja85 via iStockPhoto]

Dear Friends,

In a world clogged with ugly messages, in which we keep hearing of division and mutual destruction, I would like to share love and beauty with you, simply and purely.

Not long ago, someone sent me the song, “Life Is the Flower of Love” sung by Patti Kim. It is an old song loved by many in South Korea.

My favorite lines are:
“You whom I adore
You who love me”

Love makes us feel alive and gives us the motivation to live better. It gives us confidence to follow our hearts. I hope this song touches your hearts.

Love Is the Flower of Life

Written by Woonpa Jo, composed by Chunseok Park

The wind sleeps quietly
The river flows calmly
Leaning on your chest
Listening to your breath

The joy of love overflows
I want to be a bird
I want to be a star
I want to be a beautiful flower

You whom I adore
You who love me
Love me forever
Love is the flower of life

Hatred is the flame of despair
Your love always
Gives me hope
Hate only brings pain

I don’t have anything
I have nothing to give
I have nothing to give but my love for you

You whom I adore
You who love me
I will always live for you
I will always live for you

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Achieve Greater Clarity and Stability with Belly Button Healing

A short daily routine of Belly Button Healing can help us feel more grounded and clear, enhancing our ability to move through our lives with purpose.

Balancing the demands of daily life can often leave us feeling depleted and disconnected from our own well-being. Finding an effective and time-efficient way to enhance our health might seem challenging, but Belly Button Healing offers a promising solution. This simple practice, which involves repeatedly and rhythmically pressing the navel, requires only a small part of our day yet can foster a deeper connection between our body and mind, leading to noticeable improvements over time.

The Water Up, Fire Down Principle

Belly Button Healing is deeply rooted in the ancient energy principle known as Water Up, Fire Down. According to this principle, our body’s energy should circulate in a specific pattern: cool, calming energy (water) ascends from the lower body, nourishing and moistening the internal organs, while warm, invigorating energy (fire) descends from the upper body to accumulate in the abdomen. This balanced energy flow promotes overall health and well-being.

When this natural energy flow is disrupted, it can lead to various physical, mental, and emotional issues. For instance, too much heat in the head can cause headaches and negative emotional states, while insufficient fire in the belly can weaken digestion and reduce vitality. Aligning our energy circulation with the Water Up, Fire Down pattern helps achieve a harmonious state, positively impacting multiple aspects of our health.

The Progress of Change

Within the first week of practicing Belly Button Healing, we might begin to notice subtle shifts in our well-being. Many practitioners report a reduction in feelings of bloating and minor discomforts as inflammation starts to decrease. Improved blood circulation can lead to a sense of calm and stability, helping to alleviate stress and enhance our mood.

By the second week, these initial benefits often become more pronounced. Enhanced blood flow and reduced inflammation may contribute to a clearer mind and increased mental sharpness. We might find ourselves feeling more energized and capable of handling daily tasks with greater ease.

After a month of consistent practice, the cumulative effects of Belly Button Healing can lead to a more profound sense of well-being. While individual experiences vary, many people report improved digestive health, better mood regulation, and enhanced mental clarity. This holistic approach supports our journey toward a healthier, more balanced life.

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How Belly Button Healing Works

Belly Button Healing works by rhythmically pressing the navel, which lies over important blood vessels and lymph nodes. This stimulates circulation and helps move food and waste more efficiently through the digestive tract. The increased circulation helps create a gut environment friendly to healthy microbes, enhancing immune function and promoting better digestion. It also promotes immune function by helping to raise body temperature, which increases the activity of the immune system.

Additionally, the practice increases energy flow through the body’s energy channels, aligning with traditional Asian medicine principles, like Water Up, Fire Down, that emphasize balanced energy flow for good health.

The belly button also connects to internal organs through connective tissue, affecting areas such as the shoulders, neck, back, hips, and knees. Pressing the belly button can unwind tense fascia, allowing deeper breathing and better oxygenation of the body, promoting relaxation and a state of “rest and digest.”

Instructions for Belly Button Healing

1. Preparation:

Sit in a chair or lie on the floor, leaning your upper body comfortably against the back of the chair.It’s best to do the exercise on an empty stomach. Use the middle three fingertips of both hands or a tool such as the Belly Button Healing Wand to press your belly button.

2. Execution:

Relax your shoulders and press your navel rhythmically. Breathe naturally, exhaling through your mouth. Emphasizing your outgoing breath enhances the relaxing effect.Perform 360 repetitions in three sets of 120, which should take a few minutes.

3. Post-Practice:

After completing the repetitions, spend a couple of minutes focusing on your body while breathing comfortably. Imagine life energy entering your abdomen through your belly button.Notice the changes happening in your body, from your belly and fingertips to the tips of your toes. Feel your breathing deepen and your body relax.Embrace the Benefits with Mindfulness

Belly Button Healing is not just a physical exercise; it’s a practice of self-love and mindfulness. Approach it with gratitude and a sincere desire to heal, paying close attention to the sensations in your body. This mindful approach will enhance the effectiveness of the practice and help us connect with our body’s natural healing mechanisms.

Conclusion

Incorporating Belly Button Healing into your daily routine can be a simple yet powerful way to enhance our overall health. By aligning our energy flow with the Water Up, Fire Down principle, we can build a strong gut and, in turn, a strong brain. Embrace this practice with dedication and mindfulness, and experience the transformative benefits it can bring to your life.

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Discover Your Inner Healing Power with the Love Heals Practice Guide

Embark on a transformative journey of healing and growth with the upcoming book, Love Heals Practice Guide.

In the intricate maze of modern life, it often feels as though we are searching for answers beyond our reach. When something goes wrong with our bodies or minds, we tend to look to experts or the Internet. Yet, these resources don’t always have the answers we need.

I have found in my work with many people that within us lies a reservoir of wisdom and potential. I first discovered this reservoir many years ago when I met my true self through energy. As I explored and experienced this energy directly, I realized that I am life itself—infinite, immeasurable, complete, and beautiful. I was so moved that I fell in love with myself. This experience also showed me that the great life I felt is my essence and the essence of all people and things in the universe. I believe that when we recognize and embody the absolute value of our true selves, we can change our individual lives and the world as a whole.

Journey to the Love Heals Practice Guide

Sharing this wisdom has been my life’s work, and most recently, that work has led me to co-author the upcoming book, Love Heals Practice Guide: A 21-Day Journey to Personal Transformation, with Ilchibuko Todd. This guide stemmed from the Love Heals Retreat Ilchibuko led as part of the film I produced, LOVE HEALS.

Over the course of the five days of the retreat, Ilchibuko took eighteen participants on a journey back to themselves. They experienced their true selves through energy, embodied principles of energy circulation in the body such as Water Up, Fire Down, and ultimately, learned to love and accept themselves unconditionally. Through this love and acceptance, their physical pain and emotional trauma began to ease. And they gained insight into themselves, seeing answers to the challenges they faced.

After people watch LOVE HEALS, they often wonder how they can find love and healing like the people in the film. Ilchibuko began to lead more retreats at the Sedona Mago Center for Well-being and Retreat. But not everyone can travel to Sedona, so Ilchibuko and I decided to bring the retreat to you.

The Love Heals Practice Guide is a culmination of my years of work as well as Ilchibuko’s more than 20 years of experience leading classes, workshops, and retreats. It offers practical tools for navigating the complex terrain of self-healing. Written in Ilchibuko’s voice, the book radiates her heartfelt dedication and commitment to our healing and personal growth journey. Her authenticity lights the way, steering us toward the profound truths, deep love, and remarkable healing abilities within us.

Join the Journey

The Love Heals Practice Guide lets us harness the incredible potential within us for both physical and emotional well-being. It helps us explore the universal principles of energy and discover how to apply them to heal our bodies and mind. At the core of this path to healing is the practice of self-love. With self-love at its foundation, this guide invites us to unlock a world where healing and growth can flourish.

There is no greater joy or inspiration for me than seeing individuals realize their potential to effect change in their lives and the world. The LOVE HEALS film and this book were created to remind people of the great potential within each of us. The love and creativity we all possess can heal individual and global pain, bridge divisions, and create a new and better future for our planet.

As the Love Heals Practice Guide becomes available for pre-order, I extend a heartfelt invitation for you to embark on this transformative journey with us. Together, let us unlock the boundless potential within ourselves and cultivate a world where healing and growth flourish.

You can learn more about the book and find links to pre-order your copy of the Love Heals Practice Guide at TheLoveHealsBook.com.

Reveal Your Unconditional Value with Daily Mind-Body Training

[Photo by AzmanL via iStockPhoto]

We all have value that cannot be diminished. We can feel it and express it by training our bodies and minds to purify our energy.

When we see beautiful people with beautiful-looking lives on social media, or think about the success we hoped to achieve but haven’t yet, we may fall into negative thinking. We may look down on ourselves or even want to hide ourselves from others. We may believe we are not worthy to interact with them or that we are not deserving of recognition or abundance.

However, that’s when we need to do the opposite. We need to reveal our true selves.

Independent of how we compare with others, how healthy we are, how competent we are, or how successful we consider ourselves in life, we have value. It’s the value of our true selves, a value that is absolute and eternally changeless because it comes from the very source of all life. As such, it’s linked with limitless potential that we can access and use.

We can always experience and bring out this absolute value, our true selves. Then, we will feel its energy and consciousness, and we will have the confidence to stand tall in any circumstance.

Raise Our Value with Simple Mind-Body Training

To find and amplify our true value, we train our bodies and minds to clear the thoughts and emotions that cover it. To do this effectively, we can regularly clear and release the energy of stress, thoughts, and emotions that we naturally accumulate every day. It’s like taking a daily energy shower; in fact, I recommend doing it twice a day—as soon as we wake up and right before we sleep.

The training can be as simple as moving for at least one minute in whatever way comes to mind while focusing our attention on our bodies. It’s important to move freely without outside distractions. Close your eyes, focus on your body’s sensations, and start to move. You can tap, shake, stretch, jump, rotate—anything that feels good. As you move, you will become more in touch with your body, deepening the connection between your mind and body. Then, you can get a sense of what your body wants and let your body direct your movement more closely. Our bodies know how to move in order to stay healthy and have clean and clear energy flow. By moving this way, we can become more energized yet relaxed at the same time. We activate and clean our energy, making our bodies warmer and looser and our minds clearer and quicker.

It also allows our true selves and their absolute value to grow. Our true selves reside within our bodies while we’re alive. When we hand the reins of movement over to our bodies, they end up moving in a natural rhythm. We flow with the rhythm of nature, the rhythm of the source of life. Then, we not only remove the thoughts, emotions, and tension we’ve gathered, but we amplify this rhythm and energy inside us until it shines out to all around us.

Release Negativity for Good Dreams and a Better Tomorrow

Ending our day with this kind of mindful movement helps us let go of the stress and emotions of the day to settle our bodies down to sleep. If we hold onto stress or negative information, they will stay in our unconscious mind. Our minds will be busy processing them, and they might even appear in our dreams. Then, bad memories from yesterday will continue into today, and today’s problems will continue into tomorrow. Instead, we can deal with bad memories immediately and take good memories with us.

I suggest clearing our energy at least five minutes before sleeping so that when we open our eyes, we will have new hope, goals, and passion. We will move forward with our true value instead of yesterday’s problems.

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Stick to Healthy Energy Habits

Although sometimes it may be hard and painful, sticking with the training will bring us joy as we feel our value rising. For example, when we create muscle, we may feel pain or discomfort, but when we endure it and exercise anyway, we happily realize we’re developing muscle and strength. In the same way, when we are temperate and work ceaselessly to develop ourselves, although it’s painful, we realize that we’re compensated by joy, giving us the motivation to keep going.

This only happens when we continually develop ourselves. We make no progress when we do it in fits and starts. This applies to everything. When we set a goal and continue toward it, it becomes a habit, and then our value rises. This is “character.”

By steadily tuning into the energy and consciousness of our true selves by training our bodies and minds, the value people see on the outside will come to match the absolute and limitless value we all have within.

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Sustainability Is Based on Communities

[Photo by seventyfourimages via Envato Elements]

The thriving of our species depends on more than taking care of the natural environment. Strong communities formed by meaningful relationships can lead to peace between nations and the cooperation we need to make a sustainable world for everyone.

The word “sustainability” has become a familiar term to most people, used for everything from product selection by individual consumers to national governmental policies. But we must remember that sustainability can only be realized at the community level. The life of an individual is not inherently sustainable. In the natural world, some species live solitary lives, except at certain times such as during the breeding season. Tigers are an example of this. However, many more animal species live in groups and often form well-organized communities.

The most prominent example is us, of course—humanity. It is obvious that humans are superior to other species in intelligence as we define it and have gained an advantage over other creatures, for instance, by using fire and tools. However, such advantages aren’t all that useful for individuals. Modern humans are a species capable of using knowledge and technologies incomparable to anything in the past, but even with all our accomplishments, an individual thrown out into nature on his or her own would be unlikely to survive. We are currently thriving in the global ecosystem not because individual humans are impressive but because we are strong as a species.

What Makes Humanity Most Successful?

The history of evolution consistently shows how much more powerful sociality is than individual ability. Neanderthals—Homo neanderthalensis—are the closest known species to modern humans, Homo sapiens. How Neanderthals, who lived alongside our ancestors, vanished and left us as a single species remains a mystery. Recently discovered biological data suggest Neanderthals had larger and stronger skeletons than Homo sapiens. Considering brain capacity, which can be inferred from skull size, and the level of tools Neanderthals seem to have used, we cannot conclude that they were inferior to us in intelligence, either. While Homo sapiens originally came up from warm climates, Neanderthals survived in harsher, more barren surroundings and are presumed to have been more adaptable to the environment.

So why were Neanderthals, who seemed to be at an evolutionary advantage in every way, pushed aside by Homo sapiens? One widely accepted explanation is the difference in sociability. Being more sociable, Homo sapiens may have become more accustomed to cooperation and a division of labor, enabling them to form larger groups. No matter how Neanderthals were as individuals, the difference in group size would have left them unable to compete.

We can see a similar historical example in the competition between nomadic and agricultural peoples. Sweeping away all before them to conquer vast territories, nomadic people often outperformed agricultural people in personal fighting power. But in terms of sociality, division of labor, and cooperation, and in the size of the groups that can be created under such conditions, the nomads were inferior to the agriculturalists. As a result, agriculture-based communities now predominate.

The most significant reason humans can dominate other species is our ability to cooperate socially and communicate. So, it is ironic that the closest, most significant threat to humanity—one that could cause the collapse of human society—is conflict within the species. This is confirmed by the war in Ukraine, talk of the competition for supremacy between the United States and China, and even the threatened use of nuclear weapons. The biggest crises we face are climate change and environmental destruction. However, a more stable climate and a healthier environment will not necessarily lead to human sustainability. Conflicts within human societies threaten human sustainability as much as environmental factors, perhaps even more so. There is no sustainable future for us unless we find a way to resolve the conflicts within human society and learn to live together.

What Makes a Community Safe and Healthy?

Thanks to the development of high-speed communication technologies, it doesn’t take much time to know what’s happening anywhere on the planet. We can get information from distant countries with just a few clicks. We can buy products made in those places and have video chats in real time with people on the other side of the planet. Since distance is no longer an obstacle to communication and exchange, most people find other countries and cultures much less strange than they once did. Even distant countries we’ve never visited now feel like nearby cities. We can vividly see the lives of the people there through YouTube, and it’s easy to interact directly. As a result, the world feels much smaller.

What’s easy to miss in these communication networks is the quality of the connections, not the quantity. According to Facebook data, as of 2021, 2.9 billion active users access their Facebook pages at least once a month. That’s 36 percent of the world’s eight billion people. The average number of “friends” per person is 340, and the total number of individual friends is more than 100 times the global population. In other words, the world’s social network comprises many interconnected layers of friends. If 36 percent of the worldwide population is bound together by friendship, then the earth should be a utopia, with few enemies to be found anywhere.

Unfortunately, crimes stemming from violence, terrorism, discrimination, and hatred never cease. And recently, something has been getting attention as a new factor threatening health: loneliness. As a problem, loneliness is considered more severe than smoking, obesity, or lack of exercise. Studies have shown that a lack of close social connections can increase mortality by as much as 26 percent. This is equivalent to smoking fifteen cigarettes per day.

How paradoxical is it that so many are dying of loneliness in this world full of friends? We eagerly share our daily lives with countless friends through various social media platforms, not just Facebook. But how many of them share our dreams and feel our pain? A real connection isn’t the number of friends you have or the number of likes your post gets on social media. External links without any inner connection only make people feel lonelier. To create authentic relationships, we must learn to trust and care for one another and share a common dream for the earth and humanity. Even seemingly beneficial, high-profile connections are no more than trappings papered over the mess of our lives if they lack mutual trust, consideration, care, and shared goals and values.

The Heart of Community: Caring and Compassion

Research into what factors significantly affect quality of life in a community has produced some fascinating results. What do you think most impacts overall quality of life in a community—safety, crime rates, job opportunities, public health? Security systems, the number of police officers, community members’ educational levels, income, businesses providing numerous jobs? All of these are important, of course. But according to many studies, there are other factors with the same or greater influence. These are “how many people know each other’s names” and “how often they interact in public spaces.” Stated more simply, it’s how much people care about each other. It starts simply with knowing who each other is. An example is greeting someone by name when you meet on the street or in a marketplace. This seemingly straightforward element gives people a feeling of belonging to a community and motivates a sense of responsibility for one another. We want to help others around us who are in need and makes us less likely to harm other members of the community.

When I was young, rural villages were small, and we knew each other’s family circumstances well. To exaggerate a little, neighborhood women even knew the number of chopsticks next door because they’d go to help when there were big events, such as weddings or funerals. When adults saw children being rude or misbehaving, either their own kids or those of others, they would scold them. “Do your parents know what you’re doing?” they would ask, giving the youngsters an earful. This was an expression of concern and care, not criticism. In such an environment, misbehaving isn’t easy.

Korea is not alone in this. In the United States, a saying from Africa has become popular: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Similarly, we find the Korean expression: “A disease is healed only by spreading the word about it.” For this proverb to make sense, you must live in a community whose members care about each other. Otherwise, the disease is a private matter that must be kept hidden; letting people know about it may result in discrimination.

Many individuals in communities today are less about caring for their neighbors and more about “keeping up with the Joneses.” They commute long hours to jobs in the cities that help pay mortgages in fancy neighborhoods in the suburbs where no one talks to each other. Often, they don’t even know each other’s names. Lacking mindfulness and care for one another, this sort of community is like a body without a spirit. The greatest power making a community safer, healthier, and more sustainable is the compassion flowing between us, from heart to heart. This applies across the board, from the smallest village to human society, and to all living things. Developing and expanding this mindset can make the world more harmonious and sustainable.

Physical conditions allowing people to connect through compassion, regardless of spatial distance, have already been created here on earth. As the use of social media has increased and many people have shared their lives with others, we have gotten used to the fact that ways of living and thinking different from our own exist in the world. And we can now connect and interact with people we feel emotionally close to regardless of spatial distance. Through such interactions, tremendous changes are taking place in the ways we define community, where the geographical limitations of space were once an important factor. In addition to traditional local communities, new communities of another dimension are emerging, free of geographical limitations.

The networks and social media that connect the world today allow us to create holistic communities where information and emotion flow together. The key, however, is found in people’s hearts, not in technology or infrastructure. In South Korea, this spirit is known as “Hongik”—the intention to care for the world, not just for ourselves—and this spirit is what makes the earth a true community, a global village.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about how to maintain sustainable communities in Ilchi Lee’s book, The Art of Coexistence: How You and I Can Save the World.

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Five Steps to Clearing Mental Clutter with Information Fasting

[Photo by Masson-Simon via Envato Elements]

Discover the power of an information fast to rest and recharge our minds and to allow us to uncover the true self we have inside.

Last week, we talked about cleaning out the information in our minds to empower them to be at their best. One way to do this type of cleaning is with an information fast. An information fast is a deliberate attempt to remove ourselves from the constant barrage of information in our society. Doing so allows us a chance to reconnect to our true selves beneath the noise, free from the constant chatter of our inner and outer worlds. Like a dietary fast, it is a chance to rest, cleanse, heal, recharge, and rejuvenate.

Step One: Start with a Daily Meditation Practice
Just as with a dietary fast, we should begin with baby steps and then work up to something bigger. Doing a week-long information fast is not realistic for beginners. Yes, we could remove ourselves from outside information by renting a cabin deep in the woods, but more than likely our inner chatter would continue going a mile a minute, and we would feel very anxious and uncomfortable. Most of us are information junkies and going cold turkey just doesn’t work. Instead, I suggest beginning with a simple meditation practice for a few minutes a day. A genuine meditation practice will allow us develop the ability to watch and quiet our own mind first. We can also incorporate deep breathing to help us relax the body and mind. Simple, light, repetitive tasks that do not require much thought—such as cleaning a floor by hand, folding clothes, or washing dishes—can also help us center ourselves and practice watching the activity of our minds. Cleaning also becomes a reminder of our need to clean our minds, scrubbing it free of preconceptions and negative thinking.

Step Two: Choose the Level of the Fast
Then, once we have developed this ability, we can take an inventory of the sources of information in our lives. Write down a list of all the places that provide facts and ideas, such as friends and family, social media, newspapers, television, and so on. Notice the ones that do not serve you well or that take up too much of your time unnecessarily. Choose one or more of those to do without for a short amount of time.

Step Three: Pick a Schedule
Next, we can plan a date to start and a length of time that we know we can commit to. We could start with only a single day without one source of information and work up to a longer time, perhaps a week or month, where we refrain from unhealthy or time-wasting sources of information. We could also go “cold turkey” and eliminate a great number of informational sources at once, or if we want to get away from ones we can’t avoid, such as email and other work information, we could plan vacation time around the idea of informational fasting. We could even plan time on our own, away from family, friends, and coworkers, to help us truly get away from the constant flow of information.

Step Four: Prepare the Environment
We can’t expect ourselves to succeed on an information fast if we don’t prepare our environment for success. Ideally, we would find a place that is naturally free of informational distractions. If possible, it’s best to plan for a place that is away from family and friends and that does not tempt us with cell phones and the Internet. Designate a specific time, perhaps at certain times of the week, when everyone knows that this is “alone time.” If that is not possible or easy to do because of our responsibilities, I suggest planning a time away from home and work in a place that is free of distractions, such as a mountain cabin or a peaceful spa.

Step Five: Work Up to a Deep Informational Cleanse
Eventually, we can grow our meditative ability and become more comfortable with our information fasting so that we genuinely and completely get away from the constant busy chatter of the world and, more importantly, of our own minds. We can plan a deep informational cleanse for a time when we can fully commit to being with only ourlselves for an extended period of time.

Informational Health Is the New Branch of Healthcare

We have reached a time in the story of human evolution that informational health is critical to individual and societal health. Informational fasting is one way we can begin to experience and use information in a better way, in a way that won’t control us or wear us down. This is very important for knowing who we truly are beneath all our layers of beliefs, preconceptions, and assumptions. Information fasting is a simple way for us to dig down and find out who we are underneath it all.

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Informational Spring Cleaning: Cleaning Out the Closets of Our Mind

[Photo by andreswd via iStockPhoto]

Make a happiness circuit in your brain while clearing your unconscious mind with meditation and a positive mindset.

Spring is a wonderful time of year. It’s a time when the whole earth is renewing herself. New leaves and blossoms appear on the branches of trees, birds and butterflies chase each other in the sky, and the crisp air of spring carries the hopeful hint of summer’s warmth.

It is also the traditional time of year for spring cleaning, a chance to brighten and freshen our living spaces so that we, too, can feel renewed and refreshed. This year, I’d like to suggest doing another kind of spring cleaning as well—informational spring cleaning. It’s the perfect way to kick-start a total transformation of self.

Information Is Your Brain’s Food

Our brains love information. It is like food for the brain, and our brains can never get enough. In today’s Information Age, we are drowning in information as it pours out of all sorts of media from our readily-accessible devices—the Internet, social media apps, books, radio, advertisements, TV, and more. Just like we can consume too much food, we can consume too much information, which causes our minds to race with myriad thoughts and impulses.

Some information is fairly innocuous; it just passes through without much influence at all. But other information sticks around as content we use to form our beliefs about ourselves and the world. For the sake of informational spring cleaning, it is important to determine which pieces of information are serving us and which are not. In ordinary spring cleaning, we throw out trash and get rid of stuff that is no longer of use. Informational spring cleaning is the same.

Power Brain Information

When determining what information to keep and what to shed, an important question is: “Does this information assist me in living according to my true self?” If we can answer, “Yes,” if the information assists us in living our best life possible, is inspiration or helpful, then it benefits us to keep that information. A brain that lives by this kind of information is what I call a Power Brain because its potential is limitless.

The information that needs clearing gives us a “no” answer to that question. This kind of information unnecessarily creates feelings of fear and undermines our sense of confidence and self-worth. Sadly, our culture is swarming with bits of information of this type, and it takes many forms in our world: fear-inducing news reporting, paranoid conspiracy theories, unrealistic standards of beauty, and advertisements that preach the notion that happiness can be bought.

Some of these things may have influenced us while others have not. To determine how influenced we’ve been by fear-based information, we can look very carefully and honestly at the beliefs we hold. What beliefs that we have are stopping us from doing what we really want to do? What beliefs stop us from believing that the world can be a peaceful and wonderful place? What beliefs stop us from loving others unconditionally? All of these beliefs were constructed out of negative information that we have accepted as true.

This does not, of course, mean that we should be a Pollyanna, always ignoring the unpleasant realities of life. Information about legitimate dangers and realistic assessments of difficult problems is not negative information because it is actually quite helpful. The information that needs cleaning goes far beyond reality by creating fears that serve no purpose and diminish humanity’s ability to create a better world.

The Habit of Positive Thinking

Most negative information has collected like dust and dirt in our brains because we have let it in. For most people, negative thinking, such as the assumption that great results are impossible or that human nature can never be trusted, is a habit. With some patterns of negative thinking, it is knee-jerk—certain situations will ignite negative thoughts in our brains, and then we become lost in the negativity. The source of these habitual patterns of thinking lies in our unconscious minds, where it is difficult to recognize, although we can witness its effects.

Our insecurities, inexplicable emotions, and illogical behaviors come from the huge amount of information in our unconscious minds. This information, and the unseen ripples it creates, can determine our fate. However, the moment we recognize the information hidden in our brains, its power over us disappears. We free our consciousness and spirits when we see this information and when we know that the information is not who we are but something we possess.

Free to Use Our Whole Brains

Unconscious information cannot be converted into knowledge. It can’t be used, but it can be witnessed. We can negate its effects on our lives by looking at it, changing it, and cleaning it out through breathing and meditation.

We can also catch ourselves when these effects pop up. If we find ourselves in negative thinking, instead of beating ourselves up with more negative thinking, we can just watch ourselves and remember that the thoughts we’re having are not who we really are. We have a choice, and we can change them. We can say to ourselves, “I’m choosing to be negative right now,” and replace those automatic patterns with a positive twist. Or, if that is too hard, we can do our best to go into a neutral emotional state—a zeroed state. From there, we just might be able to see the positive aspect that exists in all situations—the proverbial silver lining. Over time, more positive thinking will become a new habit, and our lives and everyone around us will benefit.

Positive thinking acts like a vitamin in our brains; it’s the best food. If we can see happiness in a big way in any situation, a “happiness circuit” is created in the brain. It’s made by the expectation of happiness, and it’s reinforced the more we expect happiness. With this expectation, misfortunes that happen can seem very small and funny instead of the end of the world. Conversely, if a “misery circuit” is created in the brain, we won’t even recognize happiness when it comes to us.

We can better use all the powers of our brains by paying as much attention to the thoughts in our head as we do to the food we eat. We can stay positive and use our unconscious minds when we keep them clear with awareness, breathing, and meditation.

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