Worldtimepiece, Alexanderplatz, Berlin

 

 

Time and Numbers

Chief Joseph and John Cali

Sentinels of the Sky: Conversations with Chief Joseph
www.greatwesternpublishing.org
Copyright © 2006 Great Western Publishing



 

JOHN

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a relative about an upcoming family wedding. We were discussing gifts for the bride and groom. After the conversation was over, I realized how much of our discussion revolved around the number of dollars we thought appropriate to spend on gifts.

I don’t see anything wrong with thinking about money or numbers -- after all, they’re a necessary part of our physical world. It’s pretty hard to avoid them. Nor would we want to.

But I got to thinking about how many of us, including me, are sometimes obsessed with numbers. The whole world seems obsessed with numbers.

On a personal level, we often spend a lot of energy counting the dollars in our bank accounts (probably not enough there), the pounds on our bathroom scales (probably too many there), the hours in our day (never enough, are there?), the years we’ve been alive (we probably don’t like the number we’ve accumulated), how many friends we have (too many, too few?), how many square feet in our houses, how many cars in our garages, and so on. The litany could go on forever.

I don’t know about you, but I decided I focus on numbers too much, and need to focus more on simply finding joy in my life, enjoying the journey.

Here’s Chief Joseph.

CHIEF JOSEPH

Often, when we observe you from our perspective, we’re fascinated by your preoccupation with numbers. You often live under the tyranny of numbers instead of in the freedom of allowing your lives to flow easily and effortlessly.
As John said, money and numbers are necessary parts of your earthly existence. We have no problem with that. But we see an imbalance here.

How important is it to you that you have so many dollars put aside for your retirement, how many vacation days you get each year, how old you are? You have an endless list of goals -- things you will have some day -- maybe.

Many of your goals and ambitions are centered around numbers. While we see nothing wrong with having goals, we do see goals often detracting from the quality of your lives.

You’re living for the future -- for the day when you will retire, marry, be rich . . . . you fill in the blanks. All of that is fine. But it often takes so much of your energy, you’re drained and have little left for the present moment.

And yet the present moment is the only time and place you can live. You live now -- not when you retire, marry, etc. Now is all you’ve got.

Set your goals, have your ambitions, dream your dreams. But also know this: Absolutely the best way to get what you want -- all of what you want -- is to just get into the flow of your higher selves. That eternal, all-wise part of you who knows everything, who loves you, who adores you, who wants only joy in your lives.

When you are fully focused in the present moment, finding joy in every breath you take, you will find your lives becoming easy and effortless. Everything you want will flow to you, often without you having to do anything. All you have to "do" is just be who you are.

Then you will be free. Then you will no longer live under the tyranny of numbers. You will be who you truly are, fully connected and aligned with your souls.

There is no greater joy, no greater freedom, no greater goal than that.

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