C.L. Harmon

You Will Never Hear Me Say That

By C.L. Harmon

I hear people sometimes say that it would have been nice to have had what kids have now when they were that age. This is not something I will ever say. Sure, there were a few times I had to walk a few miles down a highway after my car broke down because cell phones were not available. And I remember waiting four to six weeks for delivery of an item I ordered. I can also still feel the disappointment after waiting days to go to town, only to learn that the store didn’t have what I wanted to buy in stock. There are a million things that were not available to me back then, and there are just that many things kids today may never get to experience as well because progress isn’t always positive progress.

I remember a slap in the face for being disrespectful. I can recount doing yard work for my grandmother and being told I would not accept any money for it regardless of how many times it was offered. I can still feel the taste of warm Pepsi that was the community drink amongst my siblings and me. A bottle of pop for each of us would be unthinkable. The words, “You are lucky to get anything at all” still rings in my memories. And yet I would not trade places with any kids today who gets a 44 once of fountain fizz all to themselves.

I remember hauling firewood through the snow when I didn’t want to and then made to clean up the mess it made. During quiet moments alone, I can still almost hear the chaos at the dinner table with six, seven even eight people reaching in all directions. It was like an angry squid throwing a tantrum. Still, I would not trade those dinners for all the peaceful ones in the world.

There were times I was told to hold my tongue because I was speaking to an elder in an unacceptable tone. I can also still feel the hot sun on me from a hard days’ work with the only compensation …a hot dinner and a warm bed. To be paid was laughable at such times in my life. Money was not the objective; there was a lesson in that labor.

In fact, all of these remembrances were lessons of one sort or another. Walking along that highway was a lesson in faith. God knew I was there and it provided me the time to talk to Him and ask for help. It was an opportunity for someone else to be kind and offer me help with a ride home. It was also a lesson to fix things that I knew were problematic, so I would learn that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of regret.

In those days, there was always a lesson it seemed. Six weeks is a long time to wait for something that one desperately wants. But waiting in those days was a lesson in patience and learning to accept that things are not always in my control. This was a lesson that would have far-reaching benefits later in life. There was no Amazon to the rescue or overnight freight. I learned to be excited and then disappointed over and over after the mail did not provide the eagerly awaited parcel. Then I learned how to accept both with grace and restraint because I had no other choice.

There were also lessons in communicating and overcoming awkwardness; learning that when I wanted something or someone, I had to face my fear and go for it. I had to swallow that lump in my throat and talk to the girl I liked. I had to make her laugh and make her smile without anything but my personality and my sense of humor. I had to stand up for myself and speak out to those I felt wronged me. I had to learn to become an adult who could stand his ground and solve issues peacefully and respectfully. There was nothing to hide behind, no secret attacks in cyberspace with ugly texts and posts. There was only run and hide or stand and grow. I had to talk with others and learn what it means to be a friend and to have one. I had to learn to give of myself and forgive others to keep and nourish friendships. I learned that friendships mean something, that they have value beyond measure.

I grew up in the last generation before technology became what I call “modernology”. I have lived in both worlds and can see that progress can steal from us when we lose who we can be without it. Sure, help is only a cell call away now, but where is humanity’s opportunity to come forth on a dark highway when we are walking and hoping for help to come along? Where is the patience that teaches us to become disciplined and how to learn that life offers the best of things to those who wait…and this is something Amazon or overnight mail can’t ever deliver? Where is the enlightenment and spiritual growth which comes from doing for others without any expectation of something in return? And how do we learn that a willingness to do good comes back to us if we never give without expecting compensation? Can there ever be any value if we are given to without limits and without disappointment? And how does one understand the miracle of giving if they only give what they have plenty of to give or obtained easily? It’s only through sharing what there is little of and what is hard to come by that we learn the meaning of value.

And what of respect or lack thereof it? Respect is first taught, then learned and finally earned. It should sting when learning of it and it should stick because only then will it stay. It is the lifeblood of a civilized people and how we learn to be humble in ourselves and happy for others. Growing up in a time, place and family where it was required was a gift that still gains in value as the years pass. What is so interesting is that one never understands the value of it if they don’ possess it. Each time we pledge allegiance to the flag, we offer veterans and soldiers a form of respect. Each time we acknowledge the elderly and ask for advice, we are telling them that we understand they have wisdom and understanding to offer. Each time we obey orders and perform a task to the best of our abilities, we are telling those in positions above us that we acknowledge their authority. These are all forms of respect that we offer and teach so that others will forward it on. This is how it used to be.

I would never trade what I had then for what kids have today. With all the technology they have access to and the opportunities that increase as we move into the future, there is much that they will never have if they do not learn life’s important lessons first. Before “modernology” becomes a way of life, people must learn to live as though there is no technology. Learning to share, to go without, to wait, to show respect and to acknowledge others are life lessons that provide confidence, respect, humility, and self-worth. Siri may be able to tell you facts, but she, nor any other piece of technology, can teach you how to live a happy and productive life. For that, you have to put the phone down and talk to people.

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Traveling with the Past

Traveling with the Past

Mindset

C.L. Harmon

As we build our lives moment by moment, we are cognizant of the seconds which are eroding behind us. As such, we move forward in hopes of leaving what was to a distant void we call our past. But nothing is ever truly gone as long as we still breathe. Though the minutes of yesterday have vanished, we carry a residue with us that is alive.

Within that residue can be despair, regret, and shame. Each of these is impervious to the erosion which destroys time. They are a part of us, but a part we can control and conquer. As such, we are not prisoners of our past but stewards of what we become in the future. We can choose to be victims of yesterday or conquerors of tomorrow.

As our yesterdays crumble away into the abyss, we have the power to send our past mistakes into an internal prison liberating us from what was. It is imperative we retain what we consider negative in order to gain enlightenment, but equally necessary to realize that these are only ghosts which possess no power if we keep them under our control. Each moment born belongs to us, but each one past should be imprisoned away from tomorrow and free of us as we step into the future.

Photo by Nicholas Kampouris on Unsplash

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New Book Due Out

Hey Everyone,

I realize I haven’t posted in a while, but life has been very busy for me these past months. I would, however, like to announce that I have a new book coming out very, very soon. The book will be available on Amazon and I will post more details after it is released. Unlike my first book “In the Midst of Reality”, which is a compilation of writings like I usually post here, this one is more of a journey into life. I am excited for this work to be available to those who read my work because it will allow you to get a glimpse into how Mindsets originated and evolved. Thank you to all you who read my musings! More Mindsets and book details will be coming soon.

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Where Have I Been?

I haven’t posted much lately. I have been in a place where my life passion to create art with words has become lost on a dark road. I have felt this absence like the death of a friend whom I miss terribly. For whatever reason, tonight was the first inspiration I have felt in some time. I don’t always know what messages these inspirations are supposed to mean or to whom they are intended. But this one, I think was given to me for me. I hope others get as much out of this as I have.

Thanks for reading!

To be lost on a dark road is not to be forsaken, but to be found in the hollow path of someone who has traveled before you to the light of a new direction. As much as we may feel alone or lost in our hearts or minds in this life, we have never been completely abandoned for our roads are shared, sometimes by many and other times by only a few. Existence is a network of connecting roads and pathways that bridge time and consciousness from minutes to millennia, from souls to spirits. Whatever it is that burdens you today is simply a stone awaiting you to throw into the future for someone else to pick up and carry into their tomorrow. See, it is not your troubles which you give them with that stone, but your promise that we can all free ourselves of our burdens once we decide we have carried them long enough. This is the gift you leave for those who will one day find themselves on their own road wrapped in darkness. You may not be their direction on that road, but you will be their inspiration, their hope, their reason to one day throw that stone into someone else’s future. Always remember that you matter more than you can ever comprehend because your travels lead you through the darkness to become someone else’s light. And it is those same travels which shine onto another’s darkness becoming their light. We are all someone else’s rock and that matters to those who need you to throw them something they can hold onto and carry until they find their way to the morning light.

~C.L. Harmon

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Brothers’ Keepers

Brothers’ Keepers

By C.L. Harmon

When we choose to not understand or have empathy for those who suffer, we fail. We fail on every level and have no one to blame but ourselves. We are created to be our brothers’ keepers and yet we continue to choose ourselves over them. We would rather win than compromise, trip than step back and curse rather than listen. We are the enemy within which destroys what is meant to be.

Leaders choose egos over solutions while followers choose sides instead of sacrifices. We build weapons instead of homes and amass control in place of compromise. We accept greed as common places while countless deteriorate from hunger. And yet we claim to be civilized. We destroy life over plots of dust and rubble that hold no value in eternity and still never learn that our possession of it is always fleeting.

We lust for more and instead of being grateful for what we have. We place value in trinkets and paper and yet and never marvel at the miracle of the seeds which are perfectly designed to grow and give us the sustenance to live. What we should value has become lost to us in our search for a treasure that offers us no life, no love and no redemption. And yet we claim to be a civilized people.

We fail because we no longer see ourselves in others. Their suffering, we distance from ourselves, and ours they distance from themselves. Someone else’s hunger is not ours. Another’s sorrow is ignored instead of embraced, others’ fears become problems in which we choose not become involved and yet we call ourselves civilized. Until we become the keeper of others, we will never truly know what it is to be civilized and as long as we continue pretending to be civilized, we will fail to ever become our brothers’ keepers.

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Hello Loyal Readers

As many of you might have noticed, I have not posted any new Mindsets lately. I apologize for this, but I have a good reason! I have been working on a book and it is nearing completion. I am currently in the editing process and having the cover art designed. This book is not a collection of Mindsets like my first book, In the Midst of Reality, but one that is of a personal nature which explains the usage of our belief systems and how they often fail us. Once the book is published, I will post a link on this blog where you may purchase one if you are interested. Below, I am posting the Forward and Introduction to the book so that you may get an idea as to the content of the book.

FORWARD

God owns a school. It’s a private school called the Learning Institute For Everyone but most just use its acronym, LIFE. This school is much like any other elementary school with its classrooms, teachers, administrators, cafeteria and playground. Each class has assignments to do and subjects to study with teachers imparting their knowledge to the students. These teachers are insightful and caring, sharing lessons that will be vital for these students as they progress into other levels of education and life. This knowledge becomes the building blocks in which these children will use to construct a life that offers them happiness and rewards.

The owner and chief administrator, God, puts all of these teachers in place to teach the students what they must know but then offers this very odd appointment and gives the devil the recess period. The devil becomes master of the playground; the one fun place where everyone wants to go. He doesn’t explain Himself to the staff as to why He would place the devil in that position other than to tell them to trust Him.

It does not take long for the children to become fixated on the recess period and allow their thoughts to be diverted from regular studies during class periods as they daydream about the fun they will have on the playground. But the devil not only offers fun and games to the children, but also begins influencing the children as to all the fun that could be had if they skipped a period or two now and then. The children unaware of the potential harm, listen to the devil and slowly as time passes, they are convinced to stop showing up at all for class. The devil repeats this action with every child who will listen to him.

Those children are now being left out of the studies which provide the tools necessary for a successful future that should come after graduation. No one forced them to leave class in the first place or has forced them to return. God, as principal, spoke with each child and explained the importance of returning to school and that the education should be taken advantage of, but in the end, He allowed them to make the choice reminding them of the importance of a good education. He allows them the choice because He knows whatever their choice, will also be their consequence.

School is now in session. Are you listening?

INTRODUCTION

This book began writing itself a few months before I turned 19 years of age. I am now almost 51 and have finally decided it’s time to put the words that are scattered across my mind onto paper. To some, this book is an apology. To others, it is a gesture of gratitude. And when it’s completed, it will be an explanation to myself. This book is somewhere inside me, thousands of words jumbled into forgotten closets in my mind waiting to be transcribed from my memories and experiences. This work is not about finding happiness or reaching goals, but about understanding why we find ourselves in situations that seem so far away from where set out to go. In part, it’s also about finding acceptance in the fact that we are created by a God who seemingly does not want us to understand Him. It’s a journey into the building of and the collapsing of belief systems. It’s a reflection of everything that we have been taught and told which then becomes the foundation for our choices and decisions. This is a journey for me that I am asking you to take with me and hopefully find insight into your own lives by understanding my failing belief system and the construction of the new one I am building. This is a work about failure and what it is to fail. This is a story about losing over and over again until winning seems a distant impossible dream. This work is about hope and the loss of it and the unfairness in this life. It’s a book about me, about you, about us all.

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Follow The Wind: Mindset

Follow The Wind: Mindset

I don’t believe that one can understand the purpose of life in one lifetime. It makes sense that such a colossal definition can only come in multiple lifetimes. Perhaps one for each corner of the soul with each representing a significant meaning that is necessary for us to become whole with creation. Consider that the winds which move everything on earth come from four directions. Our entire navigational understanding is based on four directions.

This is not to say we live a life multiple times but rather live multiple facets in one life. If we are to understand pain for example, then we must experience both pain and comfort. One without the knowledge of the other is not understanding but sensation. To grasp a true sense of purpose, we must learn what direction from which we are coming to know which direction in which to move forward. We must always keep moving into new directions where different experiences await us. With each corner of life we inhabit, we learn about ourselves and thus about our purpose.

We find our way because we are lost in search of purpose not because it finds us and gives us direction. Perhaps a large part of our purpose is to simply seek out that purpose. We should trust that every direction we take will not always be a positive one that rewards us for what we desire, but will instead be steeped in the riches of understanding our personal purpose. Just as the origins of the winds are a mystery with their own purpose, as are we. Life’s purpose and our part in it are a secret hidden with bits and pieces strewn about in the corners of creation. And we must venture into those corners even when they are dark and foreboding to complete our creation and discover our destiny. We become enlightened because we seek; we become purpose because we find.

Because Something Bends And Does Not Break, Does Not Mean It’s Not Broken

During the Holocaust, a brave group of people who had lost everything except their own lives, took a stand to risk their only tie left to this world—their very existence. On October 7, 1944, several hundred Jewish prisoners at the death camp Auschwitz (at Birkenau,) were being forced to carry corpses from the gas chambers to the furnace to dispose of the bodies. In those horrible moments, they chose to show the scope of humanity’s spirit in one of the world’s darkest hours. This band of broken, weak souls blew up one of the gas chambers and set fire to another, using explosives smuggled to them from Jewish women who worked in the nearby armaments factory. Out of the 450 prisoners involved in the sabotage, 250 managed to escape the camp. They would all eventually be found and executed as well as those co-conspirators who never made it out of the camp and the five women from the armaments factory. Their actions, however, are a lesson in the sense that we should never stop fighting for what is right and good even when it seems hopeless. When we choose to give up, then those who oppress and harm us find our acceptance in their deeds, but when we fight, they are forced to question their actions and the beliefs which led them to such actions. Morality is not a flexible boundary that can be pushed to justify action, but one that should be bound in stone to remind us that some boundaries were never meant to be breached.

What Matters Are The Particles Of Matter: Mindset

Words,music notes, brush strokes and elements come together to form beauty, art andvision. Mysterious particles of matter and thought swirling about a vastnessbeyond comprehension and yet they group to form a discernible pattern of beautyand purpose. Do we draw reason or coincidence from such an awesomecollaboration? Could it be that each particle has purpose; a destiny it mustfind in a sentence, stroke of color, or chemical compound? Are they asmagnetized molecules drawn to one another? Or are they simply lost looking tofind a home in a creation larger than itself which then creates something weexperience as beauty?

How do we know? Which do we choose to believe? Does not thisvery question determine how we choose to live, how we believe as we travelthrough this life? Every choice we make is rooted in the answer we offerourselves. Is it logic or faith which guides us? Is it a combination of thetwo? If so, which is dominant? Does either offer explanations that we feel safe to bet our life’s outcomes on? Are we individual grain of sands combining to form the intensity in a dust storm?

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle or even beyond our scope of understanding entirely. I believe it’s not about the manner in which beauty materializes but the proof that it does which we should focus. We should follow the particles because they appeal to us in a way that brings about fulfillment. They are not an offer of anything else other than they are real to us. To expect a particle of matter to obey our commands or to lead our lives to where we wish them to go is to save the night in a jar, but to embrace that night is to own it. What is created, whether in our control or not, is simply the proof that we mattered at one time and place in a vast creation simply because we accepted the opportunity to follow a few particles of matter and witness what they made for us.

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Seeking The Darkness Within The Light: Mindset

Seeking The Darkness Within The Light: Mindset

For most, life is about the pulling the light from the darkness, but for others it’s about seeking the darkness within the light. We associate what is bleak or twisted within the wreckage of tragedy and chaos as the destructive forces which pull us away from the shining rays of comfort and safety. We few, however, know this and still make choices to gravitate toward it. In some respects we never escape the darkness regardless of how much light is present. What is the darkness? Who is the darkness? Why are we drawn to it?

Is the definition of such a concept as simple as black and white? Does it not provide cover from enemies in conflict? Does it not bring relief from a blistering sun? Does it not have a mystique and beauty to be appreciated? As with any creation, it has an allure that beckons to certain individuals who can feel its prowess and energy. For those few, there is a desire to pull reasoning and purpose from what is hidden, what is lost. It is as a seed planted in the soul which desires the dark to the light, drought to the rain, chill to the warmth in order to grow.

Seeking direction in the darkness is not insanity, but faith. To know such knowledge is the doorway between complexity and simplicity. It is to turn pain into creation, devastation into new ideas. As charm and elegance is found within the light, depth and mystery is within the dark. Those who are drawn to it are the ones with the courage to discover that life is never lost within itself or within the wreckage which litters our existence. They are the ones who discover that inspiration resides in the corridors of life that most fear to tread.

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