Blog #212--Interesting Tidbits Not Included in Book, Part 18
This is one of a continuing series of articles sharing short subjects not included in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life.”
Tidbit #1: A tremendous musical artist who has enjoyed many years of success, and whose songs are mentioned frequently in my book, wrote a song that he didn’t feel measured up to his others. He included only two stanzas, too short for commercial publication. But his recording company felt otherwise and encouraged him to write a third verse and develop it further. That song became one of his biggest sellers. The artist was Paul Simon, and the song was “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
This story reminds me how often givers are unaware of the good they do. Paul Simon is one of those whose purpose on earth is to provide pleasure and perhaps a measure of enlightenment to a large number of people all over the world. He has given generously of himself in his writing, recording and performing history. He has statistics that catalog how many copies each of his songs and albums has sold, but he has minimal knowledge about who has used his verses or melodies to grow personally and/or spiritually.
Simon has undoubtedly received testimonials from many people over the years, but that number pales compared with those who have been influenced in a positive way by his music. Even some of his lesser-known songs have had success in ways he can’t begin to imagine. I know I was overjoyed to hear the song “Keep the Customer Satisfied,” which was published initially as the flip side of a 45 rpm recording of the more popular “Cecilia.” Simon may not place that song high on his personal list of those he feels might have had a profound effect on others, but it had as much or more effect on me than all his other songs.
In a real sense, givers can’t be choosers. Those of us who willingly give of ourselves to others do ourselves and others a disservice by judging the effectiveness of our sharing. Some of the things givers feel are their best efforts are often seen differently by others. There are people who might benefit in a major way from small, seemingly insignificant actions we take to help them. It may even be something we don’t consider as help. Maybe it was just an aside we happened to spit out while offering some other bit of information.
Even if we are helping someone face-to-face, we can’t be sure we are actually helping them. And once they are in their own separate environments, we don’t know whether anything we said or did had a positive effect on their long-term survival or enlightenment. All we can do is share what we know and hope for the best. It is up to them as to how they use it. There have been a number of people who later thanked my wife and I after talking with us at our bookstore, but often we didn’t even remember the conversation. They were helped, and that’s all that is important. Givers need to give, but there should be no judgment as to the value of the gift.
By the way, when two givers share with each other, conflicts can arise if they are unwilling to receive in equal measure. If we recognize their need to give, we can accept their gifts without guilt or doubt. For instance, one customer actually tithed by giving our bookstore $10.00. We didn’t want to accept it, but she needed to give it. We never did learn what we did to inspire that behavior, but we know we must have helped.
Tidbit #2: Speaking of Paul Simon, two of his songs I like but didn’t include in the book are “Fakin’ It” and “Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall.” Actually, the two have much in common, and both share an important message. As I needed to do for my book, I can’t share any lyrics in this article due to copyright laws. But I truly hope readers will take the time to find and read the lyrics of these interesting songs.
Most of us go through life faking it. That is, we try our best to fit into society, follow the path our parents set out for us, and/or try to become something other than what we were meant to be. We can fool ourselves all we want, but at least some others aren’t fooled despite our efforts to hide our true selves. Accepting ourselves for the way we really are is by far the smoothest path we can take toward the completion of our lives on Earth. Letting go of our fake selves frees us from a lifetime of complex misery. Even if our wildest dreams go unfulfilled, we can eventually discover alternatives that might have significant rewards down the road.
Flowers need moisture in the ground to survive, but many bend downward to avoid rain as it falls. They eventually die, leaving behind their offspring. We do exactly the same thing. Simon reminded us that pretending we live forever is as counterproductive as pretending flowers don’t bend in the rainfall. Accepting death as equally important to birth allows us to let go of our fear of dying while we are alive, and it allows us to transition to the afterlife less painfully since we know it is coming.
Both these songs are telling us to be ourselves and accept the truths of life on Earth since failing to do so backfires. That is a great message.
Tidbit #3: I have shared a number of ways our bodies utilize an interaction between + and – ions to function properly. One big example I didn’t mention is acid-base balance. This is measured by taking the pH of our blood. Normally, human blood pH is around 7.4, which is slightly alkaline. Problems with the lungs or kidneys are two major causes of an increase in blood acidity. The details are beyond the space limits of this article.
The pH measurement is another example of reversible electromagnetism as described in detail in my book. A neutral pH is 7, which is in the middle between 1 and 14. Numbers below 7 represent acids, and numbers above 7 represent basic or alkaline properties. These are opposites that balance one another within the body when we are healthy, fluctuating back and forth across a neutral middle ground, like a pendulum.
Food for thought: Non Sequitur cartoonist Wiley Miller shared a cartoon for our 7/24/16 newspaper that I found interesting. A young girl, described as “...the princess of the magical woods of niceness,” was dancing around finding perfection in a butterfly. She said butterflies are perfect and eternal. When reminded most butterflies live only a month, she took that as meaning that science agreed with her. Another child watching her described her thusly: “Her romantic hard drive has a strong reality spam filter.”
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