Renee Rothberg's Blog, page 22

The two-headed side of hate

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Picture a two-headed creature with the heads facing one another. Each head has a nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. Each head has its own brain and reasoning. The heads are connected to the same body so that the heart that beats for one beats for the other. The heads share needs and oxygen.

The hate-filled, turning at each other in Charlottesville, Virginia was a hate expression. It was not unique, but it was introductory to the coming conflict. This conflict reminds the present of past mistakes,...

Changing the things we know fail us

[image error]The previous post was about changing ourselves and the will to change. Today’s post delves into my personal failing habit, with hope it can speak to others.

A thing that fails me is my addiction to sugar. I wrote about it in the post “My Contract for Overcoming Cravings“. My sugar addiction was bestowed upon me by well-meaning parents and a food industry that pushed sugar. From a young age, my addiction to sugar affected my health and my food choices, and it followed me into adulthood. Even a...

The Will to Change

[image error]Will is a powerful force.

Wanting something—really wanting something—really, really wanting something—wanting something determinedly—inspires us to invest our time and thoughts to the wanted thing. When we know our energy is concentrated on achieving desires, we are willing to work and struggle. We are even willing to change!

Sometimes we say we want something—and we really mean to mean it—but the work seems too hard, the struggle feels endless, and the resolve to change is unsure. We waver,...

The color of your soul

[image error]Each person has individualized likes and dislikes, personality traits, reactions, and habits. These individualized self-definitions are influenced by genetics, family influence, societal influence, and the times in which the person lives. Beyond these influences is the influence of the soul.

When a person is born, he or she is the recipient of a soul and this soul brings color—soul-color! The color of the soul is the starting point for a person’s individual character and personality.

What Are...

The importance of delight

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Delighting in simple pleasures has become a lost art. Very young children do it; they can’t help themselves. They haven’t yet been conditioned to expect more.

Being told to delight in simple pleasures is a rather broad commandment.  First of all, what is a simple pleasure? Second of all, what exactly does it mean to delight in something? And third, why is it so important?

What is a simple pleasure?

A simple pleasure is a thing, a connection, or an event that causes a person to feel a smile w...

Investing for a rainy day, the good and bad news

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This blog post is not about investing money. It is about investing in what’s around you—in friendships, in committed relationships, in neighborly relations, in family, and in the community. Investing in these important relationships is investing for a rainy day at its best!

Good News: Investing in family, friends and community builds a safety net

“Investing in friendships and giving and taking from friends is nourishing. Investing in relationships is natural and is needed to live a balanced ...

Balancing the balancing—the intertwined design of life

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“The design of the body is just exact and nearly as beautiful as the most beautiful object. Being brilliantly designed and executed, the body accompanies its inhabitant throughout the body’s existence. Beautiful in motion, in repose, in its beginning and in its ending, ….”  from the chapter “Connection of the Four Components of Health” in Pond a Connected Existence.

“Being brilliantly designed and executed” is the description of the human body. This description refers not only to the physic...

Individual:Group:Self-Reflection

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People see. They see what others are doing and do the same—or  not. What they observe in others causes them to adjust their own behavior. People are always adjusting, and self-reflection is the vehicle to the adjusting.

Self-reflection has several meanings. It means seeing an image of oneself in others. It means reflecting back to others their humanness. Reflecting back and forth actions, ideas, and emotions, sometimes with thoughtful reflection and sometimes just reflection.

People are indi...

How to say NO to animal testing

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(This picture is from the Beagle Freedom Project website.)

I just watched a moving video about beagles that have been released from their cages after having lived their entire lives in cages because they were used in animal experiments for people products.

The video prompted me to ask Spiritual Presence about animal testing, and the answer I received is straightforward. Here is the answer:

If people would use natural products, there would not be a need for testing on animals.          I’ll r...

Mending the Memories

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Sometimes we remember mixed up. A memory that felt so clear loses its details. A different memory disappears and reappears a few years later happier than the original memory was. Sometimes a memory is someone else’s telling of an event that we were at, and we remember it partially through our own senses and partially through someone else’s words. Sometimes an event is too traumatic and we remember just little parts.

Sometimes, our memories of an event are actually memories of our feelings at...