No, solving all our problems is not so easy as sitting on a couch and thinking positive thoughts.

The Law of Attraction does work. Like always attracts like, as we can see in nature all around us. Skunks don’t hang out with geese and fish don’t fraternize with sparrows. But it is not so simple as just being a positive source of energy and opening yourself up to the abundance of the Universe. All the goodies are not going to fall into our laps automatically.

The way it is designed, which many people would not like to face because they think it is easier to just wish and hope, is that we must meet the Universe at least halfway with action. It sounds like such a wonderful fairy tale to think that all we have to do to lose weight is to think about being thin. No, sorry, we must also stop eating fattening and non-nourishing foods and do some form of exercise.

And if we want to be wealthy, all we have to do is stop our negative vibes about cash flow and money. But again, this is wishing and hoping. It is not the whole picture. Yes, we can be unobstructed conduits for all the good of the Universe, but we must put in the effort. Not the struggle, not the grueling slavery, but the effort that shows our intentions.
​
The goal of “solving all our problems” is unrealistic and not the reason for our existence on this planet. Our problems are instigation for growth. And once they are “solved,” opportunities for new growth appear. It is never solved. It never gets done. and our opportunities for growth are endless.

​

From a spiritual perspective, cancer is just another disease that invades the body with the unconscious determination to destroy it. It cannot destroy our Souls and it can never tarnish our Spirits. It is only something that preys on the body, just as microbes, yeasts, fungi, and other invasive agents do. From the spiritual perspective, these physical agents have no real power over us, for we are not these bodies.

Our bodies come and go, are constantly in a state of flux, and are not designed to last forever. It would be a plague on this planet if everyone went on indefinitely. And so we have various agents that are beautifully designed to take us out and make room for others. Cancer is nothing more than one of these agents. It is not the Big Bad Wolf, it is not some malevolent spirit that is attacking us personally.
​
We are spiritual beings partaking of a physical existence. These bodies are our rental properties to care for with respect and gratitude. But they are not us. These bodies are no more us than the apartments or houses where we live. Therefore, Cancer, though not to be taken lightly, is not to be feared either. For nothing can ever kill the Eternal Soul.

No, it is not possible to get everything we desire. And this is a good thing. Many of our desires are selfish and unconscious of the rest of the people on this planet. Criminals desire to kill and destroy. Sexual predators desire to dominate a frightened victim. Therefore, what we desire is not even desirable for many people who are led astray by their ego-minds.

The Universe is not designed to pamper our every whim just because that is what we want. We need to calm down with our demands as well as with our expectations of how we can bend the Universe to our will. People living in abundance are miserable because they still haven’t fulfilled all of their desires. Like spoiled children, they bang on their highchairs and cry because the world isn’t living up to their fairy tale dreams.
​
They would love to believe that if they said enough affirmations and think positively enough, they will get all the goodies they crave and climb Mount Everest too without training. But that is not how it is designed. Yes, we may think positively and emit positive vibrations to attract good into our lives. But we are not in control of how or when that good comes to us. And we must put in the work. It is not enough to desire and think it will all happen. If that were true, everyone would win the lottery.

Feelings from ego are based in fear—even the happy feelings have a fearful component to them because we worry about how and when they are going to end. Ego-feelings are also based on external circumstances and are not generated from within.

Something happens and it makes us happy. The next minute something happens and it makes us sad. These feelings are all based on what our ego wants and how the world is bending to our demands at the moment. We want the perfect life for ourselves according to some definition we have in our heads and we will not allow ourselves to be happy until we have attained it.

Feelings from Soul are based in an underlying joy, regardless of the cards that are dealt to us by the Universe. The Soul is already complete and is not seeking completion in something else. It sees that the Universe is well-put-together and we don’t need to strive to bend it to our wills. Therefore, the Soul abides in peace while the ego-world goes on in its turmoil and strife.
​
The ego-based emotions are perfect for survival tactics, reproducing our species, and creating social structures. The Soul-based emotions of love, peace, and joy are perfect for understanding the meaning and purpose of our lives.

The only thing that motivates someone who has attained Eckhart Tolle’s state of presence to do anything is the sheer joy of doing it. Why does Eckart Tolle travel around the world speaking to large audiences? Because he loves to do it. It is what gives his life meaning. It brings him joy and not doing it wouldn’t feel as good.

Only people who don’t understand the state of presence do things for other reasons that relate to the future or the past. “I hate this job but I gotta pay the bills I incurred last year. But soon it’s quitting time and I can get out of here.” If we live in the present moment we understand that we only want to do things that bring more happiness and growth.
And if there are necessary jobs we don’t like to do, such as cleaning the toilet, we find ways to make that experience more enjoyable.
​
Eckhart Tolle does not advocate sitting around in squalor while we contemplate the glories of the present moment. Part of living in the present moment is applying the talents and abilities we brought to this planet. This includes “cleaning up the mess we made.” This includes living in a beautiful and natural environment. All of that takes work, which is what we came here to do—not escape into a fantasy world because we cannot control the antics of the ego-mind and give up all activity.

The purpose of philosophy is to do exactly what you're doing right now: To ask “why?”. After all of our basic needs are taken care of, such as food, shelter, and procreation, we then start asking the question "why?".

Until our basic needs are taken care of, we don’t have time to sit around and contemplate, “Why are we doing all this?” We just survived, if we were lucky or skillful enough. But all animals survive. What differentiates us from the animals is that we ask “Why?”

The ancient philosophers looked up at the sky and wondered, “What is this all about? Why are we here? Did anybody, such as God, put us here? Who are we? How can we be at peace within ourselves, now that all our needs are met?

The Stoic philosophers, the Buddha, Lao Tsu, and so many others realized that we have the capacity to reason, figure things out, and find a way to live at peace with ourselves, nature, and each other. This is why philosophy came about. As humans we have the unique capacity to contemplate our own deaths and frame our lives accordingly.
​
Of course, nothing can really be known with our limited brains, and we can debate about objectivity and subjectivity forever. But that is not the point. We are philosophizing animals if we live beyond the survival stage. And we will continually wonder why.

Everyone feels fear. It is built into our physical systems. One of the first responses of a newborn baby is “the startle response.” It serves as a protective mechanism and triggers fight or flight. At one point in our evolution it was useful but now, like the appendix or tonsils, we do not need it to the extent we did. It has become a plague of overthinking that brings depression and loss of morale.
​
I am not talking about fear holding us back from doing dangerous and crazy things that scare us, such as jumping out of a skyscraper window on a dare. I am referring to the little voice in the head that stops us from fulfilling our potential because we are too scared to fail, get hurt, or look like a fool trying. The fear takes over ands somewhere we feel less of a person because we backed down.

Your mission in life may require you to speak in front of large groups and anxiety stops you. You would rather give up. It is then that you can realize that everyone feels fear about public speaking but they go ahead and do it anyway, in spite of their stage-fright. They find out they didn’t die from the experience and end up trusting themselves more. Next time is is easier. But if you quit just because you feel jittery, you will never fully realize your goals.

If you are a world class downhill skier, I am sure natural fear kicks in as you face the steep descent. But you know that this fear is an automatic response and you can get past it. Then, once you allow yourself to “feel the fear and do it anyway” (as Susan Jeffers said) a triumphant feeling replaces the fear. You can even use the fear as fuel for extra adrenaline to sharpen your skills.

Everything great that has ever been accomplished by people (and animals) was because they “felt the fear and did it anyway.” Otherwise, life is about cowering away in our shells, protecting ourselves from all kinds of imagined and real threats and never fully living free lives.

Rationality does not equal happiness. It can lead to the opposite of happiness.
If we analyze life on earth with a completely rational mind, we see that it is a painful joke in so many ways. A child is born, only to have some mixed experiences, reproduce as all animals are destined to do, and then die, usually painfully. That is the way life looks to the reasoning mind.
​
What’s the point? Why go through all this suffering if we are just pawns of our genes’ propulsion to reproduce themselves? The rational mind cannot find comfort in Higher Reasons for why we are on this planet. So it looks for happiness to distract itself from the terror of its meaninglessness. It thinks it will find it in treasures and pleasures. But deep down, it also sees the old, forgotten man slowly limping down the street with is walker, and knows that this is his fate, too, one day.

Rationality is an admirable faculty of the mind when it is put to good use. But it can also be perverted and twisted, as we can see by all the evil dictators who have slaughtered millions for their “rational” reasons. But it does not equate to happiness on any level. The only thing that leads to happiness is happiness itself. We cannot get there by reasoning it all out.

If we allow ourselves to feel the natural happiness that rises within us, we will attract more happiness to us. Being miserable, even if it is rationally justified, is never the path to happiness. Happiness is a byproduct of doing something we love. It cannot be forced or reasoned into being but it comes naturally if we let it in.

I lived without any possessions for more than five years and I existed very well. It is freeing not to own anything. The few clothes I wore, I borrowed. I also used a toothbrush and a comb. But that was it. And it was very easy.

I was on an explicit spiritual path and did not want to be encumbered by any possessions at all. It seemed extreme but I loved and needed the uncluttered feeling of meeting life head-on without the constant maintenance of objects and physical details around me.

I was able to live completely joyful with nothing, showing me that it is possible. Having no possessions had no impact on my happiness except possibly adding to it. When it came time for me to rejoin the world of ownership and things that were “mine,” it was an easy transition as well. But life became more complicated and my energies were spent more on physical self-maintenance in addition to the inner journey to which I was committed.
​
So I did more than just exist without all the trappings that attest to the “quality” of person that I am. People who met me, accepted me, or didn’t accept me, just as they do now that I dress like an up-to-date female in the Western Hemisphere. But I know from experience that none of my possessions define me and they never will. For they all disappear, go out of style, get worn out, and get lost—while my Soul is eternal and is the Real Me.