Jonathan Lockwood Huie - Articles

2009-03-15T10:39:00.001-07:00

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I Support President Obama's Stimulus Package

2009-02-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

America's economy needs a shot-in-the-arm - right now. I'm all for free enterprise. For all its flaws, it is far superior to any alternative. Free enterprise has and will continue to make America the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.

One of the biggest flaws of free enterprise is its tendency to create boom-and-bust cycles. When times are good, optimism reigns supreme. Everyone is sure that things can only get better. Consumers consume, investors invest, businesses hire additional workers and increase production. This is what happened in the late 1990's. In Silicon Valley, as an extreme example, companies speculated on an exponential growth in demand for computers, internet bandwidth, and electronic gadgets of all kinds. No one was without a job, and the salaries of even entry-level engineers were bid up to astronomical levels.

Then bust hits. Goods have been over produced, and begin to pile up in warehouses. Companies stop hiring, then they start laying off. Investors stop investing, and then attempt to convert their investments into cash. Laid-off workers stop consuming. The news media screams "Depression." Pessimism - fear actually - takes hold of the nation's emotions. That's America's situation today - fear rules, and few see good times returning quickly.

The solution to the boom-and-bust nature of the free enterprise system is for government to cool the economy when economic enthusiasm surpasses reality - such as in the late 1990's, and to stimulate the economy when pessimism strikes and American's become afraid to produce, hire workers, invest, and consume. Now is a time for our government to stimulate America's economy.

Critics raise the cry of creating inflation, "counterfeiting" money, and socialism. These arguments are badly timed. 1998 would have been a great time to argue for increased taxes to dampen an over-stimulated economy and build a war chest for hard times - such as today's recession. There will again be times when unrealistic optimism reigns in America, and an unsustainable boom needs to be moderated. That will again be a time to raise taxes to dampen the boom and rebuild the reserves.

It is always difficult to imagine times being different than they are today. Even though the cycles of boom and bust are fully predictable - if with irregular timing, people's emotions get caught up in the feeling that times will always remain good - or will always remain bad, whichever they are today.

America's government needs to spend more than it receives in bad times, and tax more than it spends in good times.

Jonathan's Ezine-articles

2009-02-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Where there is no accusation of "fault," there can be no anger - jlh

2009-01-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

Where there is no accusation of "fault," there can be no anger.
- jonathan lockwood huie

When I get angry, I am always angry AT someone - perhaps my friend or spouse, perhaps a stranger, perhaps the nameless "they" - "those people at the bank wronged me," perhaps God, or perhaps myself. In any case, when I get angry, I want to find someone to be "responsible" for what happened.

My window breaks. I want to know WHO broke my window. Who threw the rock, or who built the defective window, or who didn't prevent the hurricane or meteorite. America's penchant for filing law suits, along with untold misery, is built upon pandering to our instinct to blame someone whenever life doesn't occur as we prefer.

Life just happens - enjoy it anyway.

How do you want to be remembered? Live life full out - Begin today - jlh

2009-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

How do you want to be remembered? Live life full out - Begin today.
- jonathan lockwood huie

What do you want written on your tombstone? Inspired people? Good friend? Loving spouse and parent? Or, worked late at the office? What you do TODAY is what others will remember. Make today count.

You do not need anyone's permission to be your true self - jlh

2009-01-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

You do not need anyone's permission to be your true self.
- jonathan lockwood huie

NO ONE has been granted the authority to tell me how my life should be lived. I answer only to myself and to Spirit - whatever that means to me.

Please accept this photo as representing all self-proclaimed authorities. It is not my intention to single out any particular religion, gender or race.

Where There is Love, Nothing is Missing - a Parable - jonathan lockwood huie

2009-01-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

The businessman looked around the vacation villa in Puerto Vallarta. Plain, but clean and well furnished. A good place to grab a few days away from his failing business and troubled marriage. He had brought a large supply of sleeping pills and had requested several bottles of Tequila to be brought to his room. Perhaps he could at least drown a few of his worries.
     He watched as the housekeeper stocked the villa's kitchen - frozen dinners, some dry cereal, and thankfully, four large bottles of liquor - they had paid careful attention to his unusual requests. The frozen dinners would be easy - he could focus on his lonely drinking, and lose himself.
     Jim noticed the housekeeper's slow movements, the stoop in her shoulders, the stubby yellowed teeth. It was somehow comforting to see that other people could be even worse off than he was. Even with his company troubles and impending divorce, Jim was sure he could always find the money to keep his teeth whitened and in good repair - even find the money for the hair transplant he had promised himself. He shivered a little, just thinking about those teeth.
     The woman shuffled over to him. "Senor, you not look happy. TV dinner not good. I am Maria, I cook. I bring you real food."
     "OK, OK." Jim didn't want to talk with anyone, and certainly not with this woman. Besides, a taco might be better than microwave food - if it showed up on his table.

The bustling in the kitchen brought Jim out of the depths of his hangover. It hadn't been a really big night - less than a whole bottle of booze, and none of the sleeping pills - he might want to take those all at once. Still, he felt really lousy, and resented the intrusion. The bedside clock showed 12:30 as Maria opened the curtains and sunlight poured in.
     The enticing smells of spicy meat and corn filled the villa. Maria stood over him, offering a plate of tamales. "Senor, eat. You feel better."
     Jim reached for one, took a hesitant bite, and relaxed a little. Before he knew it, the heaping plate was almost empty.
     Maria moved the nearly empty plate to the kitchen counter. "You were hungry. Get a nice hot bath. I come back," and she moved toward the door.
     "How much do I owe you," Jim called out, remembering her apparent poverty.
     "Nothing. My gift. You were hungry," and she was gone.

The next afternoon, Chiles Rellenos appeared. Jim had drunk less the second night, and was even more appreciative of the good food. Again, Maria would not accept payment. "I have money. You must need money, please take it," Jim almost pleaded.
     Maria replied, "I am rich. Please come to my home tonight. I will show you. I come back at seven."

At exactly 7 PM, there was a knock on the door. Jim followed Maria into the warm twilight. They walked silently through the tourist area, then turned sharply down an alley. They emerged into a neighborhood of partially finished stucco dwellings. Iron reinforcing rods spiked the tops of the unfinished verticals. Plastic sheeting substituted for glass in the unfinished windows. Maria led Jim to one of the unfinished stairways and began to climb.
     Opening a door on the fourth floor, Maria smiled at Jim and beckoned him to enter. The walls and floor were bare except for small rugs and weavings that combined bright reds, oranges, and yellows. A small sofa and a few chairs lined the walls, one of which honored an oversized Madonna-with-child picture featuring a dark-skinned Mary. The small room was dominated by a long plank table covered with food and surrounded by a dozen happy-looking eaters of all shapes and ages - newborns to nineties. The delicious smells welcomed Jim.
     Near tears, Jim turned to Maria to thank her, but words didn't form.
     Leading Jim to the table, Maria introduced him to her family, saying, "I am rich. I have my family. Where there is love, nothing is missing. My family is now your family."

Standing in the inspiring vision of my future, I boldly take every step - large and small - with courage and intend - jlh

2009-01-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

Standing in the inspiring vision of my future, I boldly take every step - large and small - with courage and intent.
- jonathan lockwood huie

Having set a direction, begin - begin today. Take action - take action every day.

Life is best when I wish neither to hurry the future nor to slow it - jlh

2009-01-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Life is best when I wish neither to hurry the future nor to slow it.
- jlh

TODAY - today is what life is all about. When I desire for the future to arrive quickly, I become unable to savor today. I can't live in tomorrow, and when I focus all my energies on the future, I shortchange today. Likewise, fearing the future emasculates today, leaving it dry and lifeless.

Whatever you do, do with kindness. Whatever you say, say with kindness. Wherever you go, radiate kindness. - jonathan lockwood huie

2009-01-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

Whatever you do, do with kindness.
Whatever you say, say with kindness.
Wherever you go, radiate kindness.
- jonathan lockwood huie

Love Without Limits - jlh

2009-01-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

"Hurry up" ranks right up there with "you need to" as a destroyer of our humanity - jlh

2009-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

"Hurry up" ranks right up there with "you need to" as a destroyer of our humanity.
- jonathan lockwood huie

Why hurry? Why the urgency? What is the worst that could happen if you didn't meet someone's deadline? Is a deadline worth your health and happiness? Consider a gentler, quieter, slower life. Pause to smell the roses, to breathe, to take quiet moments for yourself.

Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat, Push Your Buttons, Get You Riled Up, or Annoy You - 6 Ways to Cope - jlh

2009-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Stay Happy, never let anyone get your goat.
- jlh

Whether phrased as "push your buttons," "get your goat," "get you riled up," or "annoy you," it's no fun to be on the receiving end. How to cope?

1. Don't take it personally. Even when someone criticizes your actions or demeans your very nature, know that they are merely directing their inner turmoil in your direction. Someone else's opinion of you is mostly irrelevant, and basically none of your business. Don't assume that there is any validity to an accusation. Perhaps there is a valuable lesson buried inside the unkindness that merits objective consideration, but negative emotions are best just quickly discarded.

2. Look to the positive people in your life for support. If you balance many positive and supportive friends against one or two negative influences, it is much easier to cope. If you don't currently have enough positive people in your life, begin a focused effort to add positive people to your inner circle. If you don't have personal connections, search for groups of positive people at MeetUp.com

3. Remove negative people from your life. Yes you can, even if it's your boss. You don't need that job so much that it's worth your health or happiness. Everything in life is a choice. Sometimes making a change is important, while other times just knowing that you hold the power to make a different choice is enough.

4. Forgive the offender, not for their sake, but for your own sake. The act of forgiving releases your anger and provides space for rational thinking and action.

5. Be grateful for the wake-up call. Any time that someone or something grabs your attention is a good time to be grateful - even if the message is unpleasant. Something is happening that requires your conscious awareness. Perhaps you have a lesson to learn or an action to take. Perhaps it is time to remove another negative influence from your life.

6. Release any expectations that the unkind person should have acted differently. Life is not fair, and you only cause yourself unhappiness if you hold an expectation that life or any individual should be fair or kind.

Read Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets for more ways to cope with anger.

Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning - jlh

2009-01-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning
- jonathan lockwood huie

Yesterday is dead. Tomorrow is a dream. Today - each today - is where the action is - where all of life occurs. Today IS your life - your only life. Life today to the fullest.

I Love You Just the Way You Are

2009-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Happiness lies in accepting everyone in our lives EXACTLY as they are. We cause ourselves untold misery whenever we believe others to be imperfect and try to change them. This is the number one rule for a happy relationship.

Read my articles on relationships:

The "Spousal We" and 6 Other Ways to Leave Your Lover

How to Know When "Mister Right" is Mister Wrong - 7 Keys to a Great Relationship

Beyond the Grief of Divorce - 7 Steps Toward New Beginnings

Most of the Dating Advice You Have Read is Dead Wrong

A Man’s Guide to Online Dating After Divorce

Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is - jonathan lockwood huie

2009-01-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is
- jonathan lockwood huie

Whenever you say or even think, "This is hard," that task or challenge becomes difficult. Dread it, and it becomes terrifying.

When you choose to move past fear - fear of of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of "looking bad," fear of losing respect - life becomes much lighter, and most any task becomes possible - perhaps even enjoyable. Most any challenge can become an adventure of discovery.

The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow - jonathan lockwood huie

2009-01-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow
- jonathan lockwood huie

The crops were planted, tended, and harvested - now the ground lies fallow, awaiting the new planting. Did the year fail? I think not.

As the year has seasons, everything in life has its own cycles - its own rhythms. There will be a Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn every year. Every creature will be born, reproduce (or not), and die. A tortoise may live a century and a butterfly a few hours, but each has a cycle.

The unpredictable and irregular happenings of life's cycles are an inherent part of their nature. There are droughts and heat waves, injuries occur. The lion eats the zebra - one is nourished, one dies - neither failed.

Careers and relationships also have their cycles of birth, growth, and death - to be followed by rebirth and the renewal of the cycle.

The ending of a job or a relationship may appear as the darkest night, but it is merely the Winter season - the time of renewal and rebirth that precedes the new planting - the beginning of the next great cycle.

Beyond the Grief of Divorce - 7 Steps Toward New Beginnings

2009-01-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

If you have been divorced, you know it hurts - especially if your marriage had lasted many years. Whatever the circumstances of your relationship, and whatever the nature of its ending, there is always grief and regret - perhaps regret over the ending or perhaps regret over not ending the relationship sooner - or perhaps both. How to move past the grief and regret? No matter how painful, divorce, like all endings, opens the door to new beginnings. Let's examine several.

1. Get support: Don't be embarrassed to ask friends for support. Join a divorce support group. Join a more general women's or men's group like ManKind Project and share your story.

2. Reconsider your obligations: In reality, you have NO obligations. There is nothing you ever have to do, because everything you do or don't do is always a choice. Be especially clear that you don't owe anyone an explanation or justification for any of your actions - ever.

3. Simplify your life: There is nothing that you really NEED to have. Material possessions seldom bring joy. Consider eliminating whatever you haven't used in a year, and minimizing new purchases - not based on economy, but on your choice for leading a simple unencumbered life.

4. Try something new: What have you been wanting to do, but couldn't find the time or commitment to begin? Perhaps yoga, qigong, stretching, walking, a new spiritual class, a book discussion group, ballroom dancing.

5. Learn and explore: You are never too old for learning and discovery. Open your mind. Study something you always wanted to know about but that didn't seem necessary or practical - other cultures and times, comparative religion, whatever calls you.

6. Volunteer: Nothing works better for relieving self-pity than helping others who are worse off. Fill the time you would have spent feeling sorry for yourself by giving something of yourself to others.

7. Get away: If you can possibly afford it, take a trip with a group of compatible people - perhaps a spiritual journey. Also, ask what is tying you to the community where you currently reside. Now is a time to consider the question of where, and how, you really want to live.

Believe in yourself. You have free will. You, and only you, are responsible for your life.

Also read my article 7 Secrets for a Happy Life.

Beginnings - Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

A new year - a new season - a new beginning - renewal - rebirth.

Let every day be the first day of the rest of your life, but especially let today be a new beginning.

What is your vision for your life? Put it into action starting today.

Happy New Year!

Celebrate endings - for they precede new beginnings. - jlh

2008-12-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Celebrate endings - for they precede new beginnings. - jlh

Endings - sometimes a season of sorrow and grief. Endings - what must precede new beginnings. Life is an endless cycle of endings and beginnings. Renewal and rebirth cannot occur without endings - as the new year's crop can only be planted and flourish in the decay of last year.

Joy is a Choice - but Not an Easy Choice

2008-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Of course you want to be happy, but life is hard. Your job's a pain, your family nags, and sometimes your body hurts, so how can a Joyful Life be a choice? It isn't an easy choice, but Joy IS a choice that you can make.

Some choices are easy, because clearly defined alternatives are available. Choosing between vanilla and chocolate ice cream is such a choice. Other choices sometimes don't even appear to be choices. If I live in Detroit, but I would prefer to live in Florida, I may not feel that I can choose to relocate. In reality, I always have a choice about where I live. I have my story about how my job, my house, my family, and my friends prevent me from moving, but it is truly only a story.

The greatest obstacle to a Joyful Life is your "story" about your life. Your story is filled with needs and obligations. You are sure that you "need" at least a certain income to live - and you likely feel that you "need" more money than you have. You "need" a "good" job. You "need" a big house. You feel obligated to do whatever your boss and your spouse ask of you. Perhaps you also feel obligated to serve your parents, children, friends, church, and more. STOP!

There is nothing I ever need to have.
There is nothing I ever need to do.
I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart. - jlh

The secret to a joyful life is Simplicity - saying NO to the advertisements for the latest this and the most glamorous that - saying NO to chasing that next job promotion - saying NO to all the stressful demands upon your time and energy.

It's YOUR time - it's YOUR life - YOU get to choose how you use it. There is no way that your life is "supposed" to be. Your parents had their vision for your life. Your boss, your spouse, your church, your friends, and even the family next door have their ideas of how you should live your life. What about YOUR vision for your life? What do YOU want? YES, it matters what you want. YES you can have what you want.

CHOOSE the life you want, and CHOOSE to live Joyfully.

Say NO to Stress: 8 Easy and Powerful Ways - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

2008-12-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

Less Stress - More Joy - Making Healthy Choices
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Stress is to your emotional health as junk food is to your physical health. You need a certain amount of food to sustain your life, but overeating and eating the wrong foods are unhealthy and sometimes dangerous.

As you need food to live, you also need a certain amount of emotional stimulation, but unless you choose to live alone far from the reaches of civilization, you are bombarded daily with innumerable stressors (agents, conditions, or other stimuli that cause stress). You hear the daily woes of friends and family. Your job and your daily commute are filled with agitation. Just a few minutes of the 11 o'clock news provides far more than your daily requirement of emotional stimulation.

What to do?

1. Simplify your needs: Much of our stress is due to what we believe we need to have. Actually, we need very little - food, a roof over our head, companionship. The rest is all perceived need that causes stress. As a crazy, but everyday example, we get stressed that we don't have the money to finance a relaxing vacation trip. Suppose we just relaxed every day knowing that we don't need luxuries.

2. Simplify your obligations: Practice saying "NO." No, I won't babysit your parakeet. No, I won't work a double shift Sunday. No, I won't chair the fundraising drive. There is actually almost nothing that you must do. Everything in life is a choice. Break the habit of assuming that you need to do everything you are asked to do.

3. Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen: Usually the worst isn't really so bad. For example, the worst your boss can ever do is to fire you, and if you hate your job, that would be a blessing in disguise.

4. Don't be demanding: You ask someone to do something, they don't do it, and you get upset - raising your stress level. Suppose you asked less of other people? Your stress level would go way down. For example, you want your teenagers to keep their rooms tidy. For them, a structured living space is not a priority. Ask yourself whether exerting your control is worth the high stress level that it causes you.

5. Mentally, prepare for failures: Your boss WILL be critical of your work. Your cell phone and computer WILL fail. The stock market WILL drop. There WILL be another terrorist attack or war. It is just life. If you are mentally prepared, you won't be surprised or get stressed when the inevitable happens.

6. Mind your own business: Many of us get upset - and stressed - over the actions of others that are really none of our business. The lifestyle of others is NOT our business. Whether your adult son or daughter has a job, whether they married the "wrong" partner, whether your neighbor recycles, whether the man down the street watches adult movies or his wife is having an affair - these are NOT our business. Know that there is no single way that life is "supposed" to be. Demanding that life meet our expectations is a sure fire recipe for a miserable existence. Life is a game with no rules. Have NO Expectations of life. Stay in your own business and lower your stress.

7. Be grateful for what you have: Each of us has been infinitely blessed - beginning with the gift of life. Whatever may appear to be missing or broken on any particular day, our glass is not half full, it is 99.9% full. More practically, when we feel ungrateful, we become unhappy and stressed. When we choose to feel and express our gratitude, the act of feeling and speaking our thanks creates a happiness within us. The more we express our gratitude, the more we have for which to be grateful.

8. Make YOU your top priority: Your ONLY responsibility in life is to your own happiness. Lower your stress and raise your joy by focusing on yourself. Today and every day, take time to celebrate your life - whether an hour's meditation in a quiet natural space, or a brief moment's conscious pause to breathe deeply and celebrate gratitude for your life.

A flower is a weed seen through joyful eyes. - jonathan lockwood huie

2008-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

A flower is a weed seen through joyful eyes.
- jonathan lockwood huie

The virtue of anyone or anything is solely in our perspective. See gold, and there is gold; see lead and there is lead. If you see this thistle as a thorny nuisance, then it is a weed. If you appreciate its bright pink bloom, then it is a flower. It becomes what you name it. The power is in your choice, your perspective, your speaking.

We become the face of God

2008-12-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

When the vast cathedral of our being becomes a sanctuary for all creation, we become the face of God.
- jlh

December 25 is a challenging day to compose an inspiration that feels appropriate to the entire Simply An Inspired Life community. For some of you, this is one of the Holiest days of the Christian year. For others, today is a day to celebrate family and friends, and exchange gifts. And, for a third group, today is just another day.

My wish, today, for each of you is Joy, Honor, acceptance of diversity, and Unity with Spirit and All Creation.

The "Law of Attraction" is a Dangerous Half-Truth - jlh

2008-12-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

We attract abundance when we ask from a compassionate heart.
- jonathan lockwood huie

The "Law of Attraction" is a Dangerous Half-Truth

Everything regarding the so called "Law of Attraction" is an opinion. There is no scientific basis whatsoever for the "law," as there is no scientific basis for anything else in metaphysics or in religion. Does that mean all of metaphysics is wrong? No, just unprovable.

Is intent - or intention - real? While not scientifically provable, intent is certainly very real in my personal experience, and the experience of those of my community.

My Intent is my transmission to the entire Universe. It is the way I speak my vision for the future. While I can "speak" anything to the Universe, many transmissions are not received or are diverted.

My compassionate intents are generally received clearly and acted upon - perhaps not immediately, or in exactly the way I hope- but acted upon favorably, nonetheless.

However desires that are neutral - such as my desire to win the lottery - are just ignored. Further, my harmful or "evil" desires are not only rejected by the Universe, but are mirrored back to me as intense personal suffering - essentially Hell-on-earth.

The usual expression of the "Law of Attraction" states that the Universe will give you ANYTHING you want. That is half-true in that you can have anything that you request with compassion. The untruth is the expectation that the Universe will respond favorably when you ask for money or ask to harm others.

Consider the distinction between affluence and riches. Affluence is a state of mind. I can perceive affluence regardless of my external circumstances. The Universe responds favorably when I request affluence. I always receive the feeling of having everything I need. Sometimes I actually receive riches, and sometimes I receive that satisfied feeling with what the Universe deems is best for me. Either way, I truly receive affluence.

If you prefer to use the phrase "Law of Attraction," just remember that it will provide what you request with compassion, but not satisfy your hurtful or greedy requests.