Rock scissors paper

Rock, Scissors, Paper

This is an old game that most of us have played in our childhood. It is a good way to settle disputes or make decisions. I laughed at the comments that were made on a recent posting from my post master, as well as others who made their comments. 

This got me thinking about how I had come to some of the choices that shaped my own life. As a child with little experience in life, this game of  rock, scissors, paper, made sense to me. It solved problems and helped to pass the time. Those old fashioned games were the best. They didn’t need batteries. You couldn’t break them. The rules were made up as the game progressed. Sometimes new rules were made in the middle of the game to help those who were loosing.  Made up games were fun to do too. All you needed was an empty cardboard box or an old towel.

I have also used the scientific methods of drawing straws, flipping a coin, and throwing dice. They all seem to work equally well. I noticed an interesting new method too. It is called muscle testing. Seems to work well enough. This is how it works. Your muscles are linked to a network of information that flow through your body. A network much the same as your home computer, printer, scanner, etc. A local area network. You form the question in your mind and use your muscles to test if the answer is right or wrong. Strong response, true answer. Weak response, false answer. 

There is an interesting thing about these games we use. They are based on random chances of fate. They are influenced by the wind, angle of the throw, or subtle changes in our facial gestures. We often allow them to determine how we respond to life and the choices that we are unable to answer ourselves. Muscle testing is influenced by how clear our thoughts are when we ask the questions.

I look at the world and wonder if things could be better if we went back to these simple games of childhood. Politics, religion, and finances have become complex problems that grow ever larger each day.

There is one method that works for me in every case.  There is no technology involved, no middle man, no subtle tricks of observation. All that is required to do is to listen. Listening is becoming a lost art. All want to be heard, but few are willing to listen. Listening in silence. Listening in Silence. Did you get that? Listening in silence! No gadgets, cell phones, crystals, or prayer beads. These are all crutches, and crutches enable, not free us from the dependence of “outside things.”

It was a lonely feeling when I first started listening to the silence. I am used having the TV on, the music playing, and the computer looking for the latest trend. Try it. It will be a new experience for most. You will hear new sounds, sounds of the ice maker cycling, the soft blowing of the furnace fan. You may even hear the sounds of crickets or birds chirping.  While you are listening to the silence, you will begin to notice a new sound, really just a forgotten memory, but it will get louder. Listen carefully now, can you just hear it, from far away? It is your own inner guidance. You may call it, the still small voice, some may call it your conscience. It is there, it has always been there for you to use. Practice listening and you will begin to notice something else changing in your life. Your road will begin to smooth out. The bumps of life will be smaller. The demands of others on you will lesson. When you begin to listen and follow that inner voice you will also discover that your heart is linked to this wisdom. When you follow that wisdom, your heart will respond. It may tingle. It may cause goose bumps. It may burn brightly in your chest. You may have a complete spiritual enlightenment take place. It will be for you to discover. It is worth the silence. It is worth of letting go of those old childhood games.

This heart and inner voice game will always beat out any competition, and it will bring you closer to your true self and path. It really is golden ... the silence.