We Create Our Reality Whether We Know it Or Not

Think in a way that is positive and you will see yourself and the world in a way that is positive.

It is a beautiful world

As the following quotes say, we create our world in our minds. If we think of gloom and doom, we see everything that way. Speaking for myself, I have a well-honed skill for seeing life from the worst possible perspective. I’m almost 82 years old and still have time to change how I view the world and my life. We create our reality. I want to create a reality filled with positivity, friendship, and love for my family. So, I urge everyone to join me in transforming our perspective into one that is positive and filled with love.

I have a well-known tendency to “take the bait” when I see controversial posts, news, and opinions that are opposite of mine. I must stop doing it and I will. Life is short. I need, and we need serenity.

"The mind is its own place, and in itself, 'Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." John Milton"

"As the Rebbe (Baal Shem Tov) wrote to someone complaining about his ailments, 'I have told you many times: You are a healthy man. Think that way.'

"Mindfulness: One should observe thoughts and emotions without attachment because how we see and react to them will define our experience."

This quote from John Milton encapsulates the great reality of the human experience. Satan speaks this line after he and his other followers have been driven out of Heaven into Hell. They are in a place of torment and despair, yet Satan claims that the mind can be its place and, of itself, make a "Heaven of Hell or a Hell of Heaven."

“Paradise Lost,” Milton

Milton's quotation is based on the transformative power of the mind. Elements of the outer world and the inner view determine a person's experiences. According to Milton, the mind can reshape a person's view of reality.

A person in a tough situation can always view it as an opportunity for growth, making their own 'Heaven' right from what seems like 'Hell.' the one in an ideal situation can focus on the negatives, turning their own 'Heaven' into a 'Hell.'

This perspective coincides with the perspective of 'mind over matter,' wherein our thoughts and attitudes go a long way in determining how we experience life. Even the most positive circumstances are bound to become unbearable if we allow ourselves to drown in negativity; those with a positive and resilient outlook can surpass most challenges.

From the Talmud, which is the Hebrew commentary on the Old Testament,

The Baal Shem Tov was an 18th-century Ukranian Rabbi who taught, 'Where a person's thoughts are, that's where he is, all of him.' So, if you want to be healthy, put yourself in a healthy space. Think good thoughts. Speak good things.

Baal Shem Tov

You don't even have to say you are sick. Just say you are recovering, becoming healthy, and getting stronger and stronger each day.

As the Rebbe wrote to someone complaining about his ailments, 'I have told you many times: You are a healthy man. Think that way.'

That is where the relationship lies: Milton and Baal Shem Tov are mindful thinkers but Buddhists.

Buddha

In Buddhism, the mind is the root of all experiences. Whether one possesses happiness or suffers depends on one's mind. One should observe thoughts and emotions without attachment because how we see and react to them will define our experience. That's like Milton's idea that the inner state can transform the perception of outer conditions.

So, we can moan, groan, complain, or take an entirely different, positive perspective.

Shalom, Namaste, Peace