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.
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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.

Applying philosophy to physical training enables us to enjoy better workouts and make overall improvements. Philosophies such as “No pain, go gain,” are specifically aimed at physical fitness. But we can apply any ancient wisdom to bring more energy and enthusiasm to our workouts.
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“No pain, no gain” applies to any undertaking in life if we want to grow. If we want to gain muscle, of course we must push ourselves to failure to initiate the process of growth. And it is the same for anything in life that is worth achieving. Sometimes it hurts when we fail or fall down or exert ourselves. But if we learn from the process, it can only increase our spiritual and mental strength.

The Stoic philosophers have great relevance for athletes. They believed we could live a virtuous life by implementing a fitness routine based on discipline and self-reliance.They didn’t believe in lifting weights just to look good. They advocated lifting weights to lead a better life, according to the way of Nature.

The Stoics believed in keeping our bodies in good working condition and ready for action. One of their primary principles is that life is short. Therefore live your best life by building and maintaining your best body. The Stoic philosopher Seneca said, “. . . there are short and simple exercises, which tire the body rapidly and so save our time; and time is something of which we ought to keep strict account.”

When we apply a workout philosophy to our fitness routines, we are more apt to stick to the program. Random workouts based on how we are feeling at the moment, rarely produce consistent results. But if we go in with philosophy behind us, not only are our workouts more meaningful, they are also more effective.

Every day consciousness is like radar. We scan our environment to see what could be wrong so we can protect ourselves. Our everyday consciousness enables our survival. It attunes itself to all kinds of environmental cues and lets us know what we need to do next to remain safe and secure our basic needs.

Cosmic consciousness does not scan for anything. It rests in the eternal peace that underlies the structure of the universe itself. It is not actively on the lookout for what might go wrong. It relaxes into what is and experiences things as they are: Perfect.

Everyday consciousness has a component of fear to it, from the moment we wake up to the minute we fall asleep. We worry we will be late, won’t be able to pay our bills, we will encounter difficult people whom we’d like to avoid. We worry over our weight, the stock market, the weather, the state of the world, and our timespan on this earth. If we do experience happiness in everyday consciousness, it doesn’t last very long.
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Cosmic consciousness always has a component of love and bliss, regardless of external circumstances. It is attuned to the orderly flow of universal energies and does not fluctuate and vary. It is the eternal non-physical soul that is even behind the observer of our thoughts. Everyday consciousness includes the Observer. Cosmic consciousness exists even after the Observer has disappeared.

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.
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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.
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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.

If we define happiness as a state of inner peace regardless of outer circumstances, then, yes, Eckhart Tolle’s idea of presence is a state of happiness. Happiness does not always mean constant ecstatic bliss. It can be a state of underlying joy regardless of how our ego-minds rush forward into the future or obsess about the past. Even if we are in prison or being tortured, we can maintain a state of presence that diminishes the suffering.

This means that we are able to be clearly here and now. This is a very difficult state for the ego-mind, which relies on fear for its nourishment. But when there is fear, happiness cannot exist. They cannot be in the same space. Fear is what amplifies our pain and increases our suffering. Happiness and suffering are mutually exclusive.

The only place we can find happiness is in the present moment. As Eckhart Tolle points out, the past no longer exists and the future does not exist either. We only have the present moment, regardless of how our ego-minds kick and scream. There is nothing else. Realizing this allows for a clarity of vision that is not clouded by illusions that there is something better than right now.
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We cannot control our outer circumstances. There will always be global disasters and interpersonal strife. The only thing we have control over is how present we can be. If we are not in control, the ego-mind will take us down a painful and meaningless path. The Eternal Now is all we have ever had. And if we cannot recognize this, no matter how much wealth we accumulate or worldly honors, we will never be happy.

Many philosophical systems, such as Stoicism, may lead to a happier and more peaceful life. But just studying them misses the point. We must find what is true for us in our lives. Marcus Aurelius makes many observations and statements that could turn the light on inside the reader or listener and lead to the way out of anxiety and stress:

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”

“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...”

Marcus Aurelius is just one of may brilliant philosophers who contemplated how to avoid the upsets and troubles of life and be emotionally free. Yet, as we know, Marcus Aurelius and others came many centuries before us, and the world, as a whole, has not paid much attention.

The world is still engaged in behaviors that do not lead to peace or happiness. However, everyone can benefit from the great thinkers in their daily lives for they have shown us the way. Their words have helped many individuals and that is why they have survived to this day.

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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.
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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.