Anatomy of Peace

Wow, Its been a while hey :) Could it be the pregnancy making me lazy to write haha? I've been doing lots of reading lately, more than usual. I just have this hunger for knowledge about pregnancy, birth, being a parent and how I can improve as a person spiritually, mentally and how I can better interact and treat other people.


One of the books I've recently finished is called Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute. A few years ago I read Leadership and Self Deception also by the Arbinger Institue,so when I saw this book I knew it will be an excellent read.


I would never do justice to the book by sharing some points that i feel are key but I love sharing information so here goes.


In the book it says that the change pyramid suggest that we should spend much more time and effort helping things go right than dealing with things that go wrong. Most problems in life are not solved merely by correction.


We are sometimes inviting the very things we're fighting against.


So there are two ways of being:
(1) Heart at War
We see people as objects.
(2)Heart at Peace
We see others as people


No one can force a warring heart upon us. When our hearts go to war,we ourselves have chosen it. No one whatever their actions,can deprive me of the ability to choose my own way of being.


It got me to ask myself this question: Am I as vigilant in demanding the eradication of my own bigotry as I am in demanding the eradication of others? I can say from experience there are few things so painful as contempt from others.


When our hearts are at war,we tend to exaggerate others' faults,this is referred to as horribilizing.


As we practise self betrayl(doing something we know is wrong)we develop characteristic styles of self-justification. 4 comman styles are:


1. Better-Than style
To see others prejudicially, as less than you are,less skilled,or less important,less knowledgeable,less righteous and so on but always less and therefore you not seeing them as people,you seeing them as objects.


2. I -Deserve Style
When u typically feel mistreated,victimized,entitled,deprived,resentful etc.


3. Must-Be-Seen-As Style
The worry of being seen as likeable.Such a style will keep you from being able to do the helpful and right thing when the helpful or right thing might be something the other person won't like.


4. Worst-Than Style
When u view yourself as not good,fated and u feel helpless,bitter,jealous or depressed and u look at others as advantaged,privelaged and u think the world is hard,against u,ignoring u...


An example of using these styles
When a husband have the impression to help his spouse in the kitchen but then stay planted on the couch instead, he begin to see her and himself in ways that justify his failure to help eg. Seeing her as too demanding and himself as deserving a break.
Improvement doesn't depend on others.


Lasting solutions to our outward conflicts are possible only to the extent that we find real solutions to our inner ones.However bleak things look on the outside,the peace that starts it all,the peace within,is merely a choice away.If we can find our way to peace toward children who have stolen from us,spouses who have mistreated us,and even drunks who have taken our fathers from us,what mountains are too high for human hearts to scale?

Freaky stuff!

1. Number One freaky fact is, only 5% of the people who Read this will actually do something with the below info I gathered.

 2. When you experience a nutrient deficiency, your body will alert you by sending a message via any combination of seemingly inconsequential symptoms:

·        aches and pains

·        circulatory problems

·        cognitive impairment (such as brain fog, poor concentration, memory loss)

·        Dandruff

·        Depression

·        Fatigue

·        Infections

·        Insomnia

·        Irritability

·        Low Energy

 3. The greatest increase in diabetes was found among younger people aged 20 -49 years. This means a greater risk of developing

·        Heart disease

·        Strokes

·        High Blood pressure

·        Erectile dysfunction

·        Blindness

·        Nerve damage leading to amputation

·        Kidney disease

 4. Hospitalization, pills and treatments for the diseases above costs much more than spending a few hundred rand on a multi-supplement that will assist in the prevention.

5. A good multi-supplement meets all of the criteria below:

·        Contains vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

·        It is plant-based from a variety of plants

·        The manufacturer owns its own land and grows, harvest and concentrate its plants.

·        Are certified organic from soil and seed up.

·        The disintegration time (time from plant to tablet) on the tablet is about 30 minutes or less.

·        The manufacturer voluntarily adheres to Good manufacturing Practices.

·        The manufacturer must be ethical in demonstrating that they are not including known toxins in their products.

·        Manufacturer publish ORAC score.(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is how effective the product is at dealing with free radicals).

6. According to Euromonitor international (the world leader in strategy research for consumer markets), Nutrilite is the world’s leading brand in vitamins, minerals and dietry supplements.

7. What cost do you put on living a healthy life? I use Double x which is a product of nutrilite and Im impressed with the excellent results of this product.

You may visit the Nutrilite website at http://www.nutrilite.com/ 

PS. I do not work for Nutrilite, i have access to the product and can tell you how you can also get it direct from the manufacturer, interested? pop me an email. I believe everyone should know what the best is.

A lot of the factS I got from the following book, Secret to Supplements GLORIA ASKEW, R.R.N. and JERRE PAQUETTE, PH.D 

African Grey Parrot is no ‘bird brain’

Maara has been part of the Soeker family for 13 years now.  Taking care of her is like having a kid in the house J

African Grey Parrots are one of the most brilliant breeds on Earth. They have the ability to put together whole phrases and can actually learn fast.

One of them main reasons people seek African grey parrots as pets is because they are one of the species more likely to learn to mimic sounds or talk. What is particularly interesting about their mimicking ability is that its often so exact it is difficult to tell the bird from the real thing. This carries over to other sounds as well. Some of these sounds are ones that humans are not capable of copying. A favorite sound to copy for many African grey parrots is the sound of water pouring. African grey parrots also copy most beeping sounds they typically hear such as microwave beeps, home phone ringing, door bell etc. 

Maara has learnt many words and sounds over the past few years. She greets you when u enter the room for the first time or after a while. She says Hello and Salaamalaykum. When she’s outside and she’s wants to come in then she says ”Maara is getting cold”. She understands simple words like come and when she bites then she says “don’t fight”. And how she knows this, I don’t know but when she sees someone with a big head then she says “vetkop”. She’s embarrassed us many times calling guests that, esp cause they did have large heads.

African grey parrots have a reputation for being “intelligent.” Of course intelligence is a tough thing to measure and people like Dr Irene Pepperberg and the infamous Alex the African grey have spent a lifetime trying to provide data to support our casual observations.

If properly cared for the African Grey Parrot can live up to 60 years.

African Greys require constant attention from all members of the household to keep them from bonding with only one person. They need to have a great deal of socialization and stimulation to remain a happy, healthy member of your family.

An African grey is a real commitment, and takes patience, but it is something we do without a feeling of duty or resentment. It is just pure love. 

If you think bird people are overboard, I suggest u get an African grey parrot to see what the big deal is JMaara is so much fun to have around J