THE MOST WONDERFUL MESSAGE TO HUMANITY: 1940 - Charlie Chaplin - The Great Dictator's Speech

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost....

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children - victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. .....

Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes - men who despise you - enslave you - who regiment your lives - tell you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drill you - diet you - treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

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HINDSIGHT TRULY IS A WONDERFUL THING - “GUEST POST by Close By Sky”

"About 3 years ago, I decided to change my life and take a new direction. I needed to find my true purpose, to start living from within rather than simply fitting in. However, I didn’t know where to begin, so I decided to learn meditation - it seemed a good starting point. I needed to listen to my crying soul, as for far too long I’ve ignored the pain inside. Life had blessed me with a Buddhist centre just around the corner from my new home. As I went to the classes, I made a connection with someone who was looking for peace of mind and direction, just like me. That someone is now my friend and we do our best to catch up whenever possible. We talk about the nature of life, humanity and our fears - conversations that we should all have once in a while. She kindly agreed to contribute to my blog by writing about finding her true purpose and her experience with work, something we can all relate to."

Love, Life as we go along.

A year and a half ago, I was in a stressful job that I did not enjoy.  I had felt that way for some time but fear of the unknown prevented me from doing anything about it. Now a year and a half later, I am about to start a new career, having spent a year training and working with a group of wonderful and inspiring people. 

I have learnt a few things along the way, and I’d like to share three of the most important lessons I learnt here: 

Fear is okay - I stayed for too long in a situation that was making me unhappy because I was afraid to step out of it. I was unable to imagine myself in another reality. Eventually, I became so afraid that I would regret not making a change, that I took the leap.

In the intervening months, I have been in myriad uncertain and unfamiliar situations and have survived. I’ve met wonderful people and felt the excitement of learning again.   My fear of the unknown has not gone away, but I have accepted that it never will. Instead, I see now that we all have a tremendous capacity to live with uncertainty and – with time- to thrive with change. We are infinitely more resilient and capable that we think we are.

There is no such thing as a ‘meaningful job’ - I, like most people, spend a lot of time working. My work is a facet of my identity. I spent 7 years working for a private sector consultancy. I used to dream of finding a more ‘meaningful job’, where I could help people and make a difference in their lives. Over the past year and half, having worked in different sectors and organisations, I have realised that no job is more worthy than another. You can find meaning in absolutely any job you do.

Meaning does not come from the job. It comes from you. You can inspire people, do good, and make people’s lives better through the way you think and behave, every moment of each day. 

I have met people working in social sector organisations, who are, frankly, not interested in helping people – inside or outside of work. And I know investment bankers who are changing their world and our world with their compassion, love and energy. It is how we are that matters. 

Spend time with people that share your values - You probably do this anyway, as we tend to gravitate towards people we feel a connection with. However, if you are looking to make a change in your life, achieve a goal, or realise a dream, spend time with other people that share your dream. This is not the same as surrounding yourself with people who agree with everything you say. We always need people in our lives that challenge us to think differently. But inertia can be a powerful thing. 

When you are striving for something that requires tenacity and determination – be around more people who tell you all the reasons why you can do it, rather than all the reasons why you can’t. Push through the fear that you will naturally feel. Positive energy is contagious!

"I hope you’ve enjoyed this and many thanks to the glorious Life as we go along for posting – your energy is truly magnificent!" - Close by sky -

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ARE YOU A PEOPLE PLEASER?

Do you put your needs after everyone else’s? Do you wait for people to be happy, so you can feel happy? Do you always say – YES? Do you give more to others than you give to yourself? Are you always organising other people’s lives?

Well, if you answered yes to many of these questions you are simply putting yourself second best. This behaviour is deeply rooted in your past, whether it is abusive parents, harsh critics, an absence of love, neglect, unrealistically high expectations of yourself or feeling at odds with society. 

Being continuously criticised or neglected causes the need for excessive control by trying to please everyone and projecting a sense of perfection. There are many people with this behaviour, and often there is one commonality – the fear of rejection or failure. Your attempt to please the world leaves you feeling like you’ve done something good; by always helping and giving you think people will have to love you in return.

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing." - AUGUST WILSON -

This pattern is very destructive as you are neglecting yourself. It can make you passive aggressive and foster resentment and it may also affect your ability to enjoy other people’s company and make you reclusive. In the worst cases, it can cause acute stress and depression as you will feel like everyone takes advantage of you. When your heart is lacking love and has done for a very long time, giving and pleasing is one of the many human coping mechanisms – pleasing becomes a currency to buy a moment of love. By pleasing, you feed on the emotion of other people and it will become addictive. You’ll end up relying on other people to make you feel good, whereas it should come from within. The remedy if you’re a people pleaser is learning how to say NO! The more you give, the more you’ll feel that you have been used, where in truth it was your choice to give, no matter if people asked for something or not. The choice to say NO is always yours.

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection" - GAUTAMA BUDDHA -

You are no good to anyone if you don’t look after yourself. Your heart is in the right place, but before you feed the world you must feed yourself. Give to others if you have extra, but don’t deprive yourself from things that your heart desires. Don’t let the guilt of success or personal abundance ruin your enjoyment of life. Start being generous towards yourself, as other people only need your love -- anymore than that is superfluous. You cannot buy love, but if you surround yourself with the right people they will love you unconditionally. Indulge in the things that you enjoy – by fulfilling your deepest desires and making your dreams come true, you won’t have the need to please continuously.

Most people want to surround themselves with strong and confident people; so you must learn how to say NO as otherwise you will be taken advantage of. There are many people who will try to pass you boring tasks and make you responsible for difficult situations, don’t make their life easy at the expense of yours.

“If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.”- DHIRUBHAI AMBANI -

You are an incredible human being with a bright future, just choose to see it! Release the pain from the past, your lack of love can be filled with a handful of good people and the pursuit of a happy life.

YOUR UPBRINGING & YOUR PAST DON’T DEFINE YOUR FUTURE. 

YOU DO!

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DEFICIENCY OF LOVE

OUR WORLD SUFFERS FROM A DEFICIENCY OF LOVE that causes so many people to feel misunderstood and disheartened. What is LOVE? It’s an intense feeling of affection that can heal your heart from pain and hate and fills it with joy and happiness. Our heart is the first organ to form during foetal development in the womb and I don’t think this is random but the creation of a person through love which is the essence of life.

Without love our hearts couldn’t function properly, it knows how to love but when broken the pain starts and hate can result. Our earth is in desperate need of compassion and equality; the reason why so many people feel lost and unhappy is partially because they feel misunderstood and unloved. Instead of loving some people prefer conflict and are quick to judge those that are different, sometimes it is easier to be unkind than give a little bit of our own heart. People have forgotten the simple kindness towards one another, the acceptance of our neighbours, and acceptance of people the way they are; instead we seek validation for our choices and criticise anyone who dares to be different.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. - Martin Luther King, Jr. -

We don’t show enough love, or say it enough either. The way we are brought up has a huge impact on who we become later in life. Growing up surrounded by unconditional love and a happy family helps create a balanced mind; but sadly, this isn't given to everyone.

Although, I do believe that anybody can turn their life around and become happy, even if their childhood was dysfunctional. It’s about forgiving the past and letting go of it. And, in some cases letting go of the people that bring drama into your life, no hate is required, silence will speak for itself. Keeping people in your life that make you depressed is like carrying a hedgehog in your pocket so every time you put your hand in, you get hurt.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. - Oscar Wilde -

I have read so much about people’s unhappiness: suffering in silence, heartache, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, negativity, misfits, but all of these feelings come to one thing, the lack of love for yourself and low self-esteem. If there is a lack of love for yourself, there will be pain and sadness. It’s not easy but once you enter the land of pain; make sure you have the intention to come out stronger and self-loving, otherwise a life of sadness will be your fate. Everyone in the world can be happy but it starts by loving who you are and what you are born with. Love all that you are including your gifts, your talents, your body and your mind. You are your own person; you don’t need to be like everyone else to be happy. You don’t need your friends, family or the neighbours to approve of your choices on how you live your life; you only need their love, if it’s unconditional.

By loving who you are and being confident in making choices that please you, you will attract happy people and your energy level will be on a higher frequency. Don’t let the gloominess of life steal your heart. We all have our battles. Don’t let go as the best is yet to come.

Do things you love, with people you love. Become passionate about something so the lack of love is filled. You must decide that happy is the only way to live. Love those who love you and ignore the haters. Your happiness can save the world and bring peace, it is the best thing you can influence someone with, compassion and love, so they in turn can influence someone else. If everyone took charge of their own happiness, and cared for one another, the world would be different. If we started to smile and be kind to each other as often as possible, the misinterpretation of kindness will disappear and become normal. Disregard the people, who won’t embrace it, they cannot love if they don’t feel it. Don’t tell the world; show it with your actions.

SPREAD LOVE AND KINDNESS SO ONE DAY THEY BECOME LIKE BREATHING AIR AND DRINKING WATER.

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FRIENDS

FRIENDSHIP is such a beautiful thing especially when two people truly appreciate and respect each other, and when the feeling is mutual. Friends should bring you joy and make you grow, they are a core part of life, having friends that you trust and love is essential to your well being.  I treat mine like I would like to be treated - I love them and wish them happiness.

« Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom ». - Marcel Proust -

I once had a friend that I trusted, but the relationship was unbalanced.  I would make her laugh when she was down; I’d send her gifts and fly to visit her every year.  I was her friend basically; but on many occasions she would say unkind things and I wouldn't say anything back. She didn't make me feel great about myself.

What this taught me is not blame the other person for being unkind or not returning what you have invested in the relationship, but to have self-respect and understand that people, whomever they are, will treat you the way you let them treat you.  Some people are simply unhappy or insecure and can’t return your kindness; and others are a little needy and may overwhelm you with a demanding friendship. If you have doubts about a friend ask yourself these questions:

Does this person make me happy? Can I be myself with this person? Does this person love me? Does this person lift my spirits and believe in my potential? Can I trust this person? When I think of this person, do I smile?

If most answers are 'NO' then protect your happiness and self-esteem, drift away gently without drama, sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing. Some people only cross your path to teach you something, so learn and move on.

There are different types of friendships and some are hard to identify.  It is essential that you surround yourself with happy and positive people that assume the best in life, even when down moments hit unexpectedly hard. Do your best to be there for the people that are going through a hard time, the genuine friends that just need a little boost from a good person so they can find their smiley face again.

“A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” - Jim Morrison -

I’ve had a variety of friends, from wonderful to toxic, but I’m grateful to all of them because I have learnt so much through these different friendships.  As I understand more about the types of people in the world, I also have a better understanding about who to let in my life and who I should protect myself from.

IT TAKES ALL KINDS TO MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND.

The Supportive Friend - Always ready to cheer. Everyone should have a cheerful friend that will support you and your dreams. This little gem will love you and be ready to fight your corner. They are true to you, they don’t gossip, they're rarely negative and they remind you what a fantastic person you are. Treat those friends like diamonds, if you lose them they will be difficult to replace!

The Guru - The Guru is someone that gives you hints and clues on what to do when you are lost or not sure about the way forward. This friend always seems to know what to say and when to say it. They are truthful and they’ve experienced life and learnt their lessons. They sometimes go overboard and forget that everyone needs to make their own mistakes in order to learn the lessons. They have your best interests at heart because they love you and don’t want you to suffer.

The Comedian Friend - Nothing is that serious. The Comedian Friend makes you laugh, from your belly. They'll make your day with crazy stories. They have a gift to make people laugh and they’ll always see the positive side of any situation and make it into something funny. After having spent some time with this friend, you should have a smile on your face. Laughter is the best medicine. We all have a different sense of humour and sometime this friend is misunderstood and may offend people by joking about something sensitive.

The Good/ Best Friend - Everyone needs good and trustworthy friends in their life.  This friend sticks by you no matter what, because they love you and understand you like no one else. They would never would speak behind your back and don't judge you. Your best friend is the first person you call when you are down or going through hard times, also the one you call when you've got yourself in the “poo”, because they know that you are there for them, too. The relationship is balanced. They remember your birthday every year and celebrate the special moments. Some of your best experiences in life are with your best friend. I'm lucky to have a few of these gems in my life. I have experienced the craziest and funniest moments with them but also shared my tears and sadness, without these guys my life wouldn’t be what it is, they are my family.

The Toxic Friend - Vampire emotion, they suck the life out of you. The frustrating thing about this friendship is how it creeps up on you unexpectedly. Their negativity is astonishing, nothing is possible, and everything that happens to them is the end of the world. If you are sharing future plans with them, instead of cheering for your success they give you a list of bad things that might happen if you do it. Most conversations are about them and how unlucky they are. Usually these people don’t make you feel good about yourself and may even make you feel guilty to have what you have. They often knock your confidence down by throwing unkind comments your way to make themselves feel better. Knowing the signs of a toxic friend will help you to avoid remaining in such a friendship, or perhaps even developing one in the first place.

The Serial Canceller - You are disposable. This one has issues with time keeping and diary management. They will cancel on you all the time at the last minute. They know their craft and their excuses are original, but the truth is they simply can’t be bothered to meet you. Usually they will go quiet on you when they are busy and won’t have time to meet-up, but when they are bored they will know where to find you. If someone is not willing to make the effort to value your friendship, then move on. To them you are at their disposition and they will take advantage of your kindness.

The Taker Friend - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of heartache. They will be happy to receive things from you, but you won’t see much from them. They love you when you pay the bills at the restaurants or when you spoil them with gifts on their birthday, but you won’t see a thing from them on your special days. They always borrow without giving back what they owe you and they always call you when they need something, but when you need something back they’re conveniently busy or unavailable. They are so happy to have you as a friend because you are generous. To be friend with a taker will drain you and lower your confidence, as you will be confused as to why you have given so much but received nothing in return. To avoid the heartache which may result from low self-esteem, you must walk away; they don’t deserve your time or your kindness.

Treat and love your friends like diamonds but do yourself a favor, walk away from negativity no matter what.

A few good friends is all you need.

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DO YOU WANT TO BE RICH OR ENRICHED? Are they the same thing?

Apparently, the love of money is the root of all evil - well, let’s be clear - it’s the love of money that is wicked, not money itself.  When you love money, it becomes obsessive.  You want more, it’s never enough; it may even corrupt your mind and weaken your values; and some people want money to control others or acquire power.

“Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will.” - Nelson Mandela -

The reality is that we all need money to live, at least enough to care for our health, to have shelter and feed ourselves, all of which are humble and essential needs!  Until someone comes up with a better system, or a social structure like Star Trek where the Federation is classless and operates within a moneyless society, money will rule our lives and the world.

To me the difference between being rich and enriched is simple.

If you ask to be rich, you are wishing for money alone, lots of bits of paper with monetary value, carried around in your pockets and the rest stored in your accounts with international banks.  You are rich!  You have money, material possessions, holidays and cars.  WOW! But, all of these things have no love or feelings, wishing for money alone is an incomplete wish, it's only one of the many contributors towards happiness not the only one.

I would prefer to be enriched than rich; I’d like to have enough money rather than loads of it.  I prefer to make space for other things in order to be happy.  To me, enriched means being healthy, loving, having trustworthy friends, building a happy family, having enough cash to pay the bills, enjoying life, being successful and being generous.  Whoever believes that love and friends can be bought, well, think again, you are mistaken!

“There are people who have money and people who are rich.”

  - Coco Chanel -

Happiness is made of many things, money being one of them, each person has different needs and desires, and it varies from one person to another.  If someone grows up poor, they may wish to live a lavish life once older, but until they experience it, they won’t appreciate that money is not happiness it just offers security and protection.

DON’T LET MONEY RULE YOUR LIFE, IT'S ONLY ONE OF THE TOOLS TO LIVE WELL.

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WHY DO WE CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK?

We have all experienced this limiting fear, where we impose restrictions on ourselves because we give so much importance to what other people may think of us and the decisions we make. We hope that our choices will be validated by the world. I describe this as self-betrayal! I believe the reason why it’s such an engrained habit is because everyone judges each other, and this has been passed down to us since the beginning of civilisation. It goes for our physical appearance, our lifestyles, our beliefs and our social status. 

We must teach ourselves not to judge one another, or at least to reserve judgment, as we are all unique and we experience life differently. All we need to do is teach one generation to live and let live and then we will embrace this new way of life.

“I feel like when people judge me they're not judging me, because they don't know who I am.” - Gisele Bundchen - 

By seeking validation of our choices we give people power to influence us in line with their lives and their choices, so we end up validating them. Instead of shining through our true self, we chose to suppress our reality and become a copy of someone else, who in turn is probably a copy of someone else and so on. 

Why such a deep desire to be validated all the time, you may ask? Well, I believe it comes from trying too hard to conform to our rigid society and our childhood conditioning. If a child isn’t given enough freedom of choice and isn’t taught to be his own person, the dependence on being validated in his adult life will remain. Another factor is the fear of being alone. If we don’t conform to others and their decisions we fear their rejection and that we might end up lonely.

I believe we are getting confused between being inspired by someone and becoming that person. Surrounding ourselves with positive, intelligent, ambitious and open minded people is a must in order to learn and excel at life, but everyone is different so remember to get inspired but stay genuine.

-“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.-”- Nelson Mandela -

There is another essential quality to stand out from the crowd and never give too much importance to what others’ think - and that’s confidence. It plays a crucial role in mastering self-validation because if our minds are always doubtful and pessimistic, making choices that impact our lives will be difficult as our judgement will be clouded. Most of us are afraid to make mistakes, but how then do we learn? We have to make choices and learn from those experiences. 

We are the scientists of our own lives. 

We conduct experiments all the time without even knowing it, and we have our own theories and evidence on what works for us. Don’t be imprisoned by others’ thoughts, as what they think of you and your life experience is their problem. By being wholly you, you will naturally attract people who won’t judge you by simply love you for all that you are. These people are most likely to help you excel in life and support you to become the best you that you can be!

LIVE YOUR LIFE BY YOUR OWN STANDARDS AND NEVER BE AFRAID TO SHINE.

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