Armando Vazquez
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By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor
- LOVE LIFE: Stop the killing and fighting and let love reign. Who can argue that the value of human life is perhaps at an all time low? What brought us to this horrific abyss? Billions of people on this earth and we all have a mind so there are a billion reasons. Alas, every one of us has a heart, a soul and a spirit that at the core emanates love. Love, and only love can liberates from hate and killing, join me brother and sister let us make love and not war.
- SHARE: Give a little! Fewer people than ever control the earths’ wealth, resources and power, all the while the vast majority of the world’s population needlessly suffer. Greed is driving us to calamitous acts of barbarism and inhumanity. Some of us in Oxnard, in America can certainly do with less, and share more. Love is contagious past on!
- SERVE: In serving others, those we know and strangers, we get out of our selfish and small world of want and need and are magically transported into the world of sharing, sacrifice and giving to other. The act of sharing reaches out to makes the circle of life complete and complimentary. We are in the world together; surrender and serve it will soften our heart and bring peace to our spirit.
- HEALTH: We are all of flesh and bone so we will all suffer (and man do we all know it!) from illness, disease and pain. Some of us suffer much more than others. This unfair reality can help us focus, teach us to appreciate more the blessed moment of the now breathe. I will inhale and exhale in profound gratitude and be free of pain; in my heart and soul, if nowhere else I will radiates spiritual health a moment at a time.
- JUSTICE: I know in my heart and mind what is just, not what is right or wrong, but what is just! I will meditate and pray so that I can have the discipline and the courage to practice in all of my affairs equality, fairness and justice for all my sisters and brothers. In our practice of justice our children will learn and they will teach justice to their children until we are all one in love and in justice!
- GRATITUDE: In all affairs of my life, big or small, I will give thanks and praises for all that life has bestowed on me. I am a blessed man!
- PEACE: I will find more quiet places in heart and mind and stop to meditate there, so that I can feel the heart and soul beat of my sister and brother and together we can radiate a love supreme and peace is our constant companion.
- STAY WITHIN: As my family, friends, community and world gyrate out of my orbit I will work to stay within myself; and continue on the orbit that I have carved out for myself as hurl through time and space to reach the source.
- HAPPINESS: That is the source my friends, and at this moment and every moment here on earth I am at the source, of love, peace, justice and happiness. It is not around the corner. But right in our heart. One Love!
- MOTHER EARTH: I will harder, smarter with more compassion to do my small but undeniably important part in making sure that our MOTHER survives and prospers. Join me brother and sister so that we can honor our Earth, as SHE blesses us with the gift of life for another year.
— Armando Vazquez, M.Ed., is the executive director of The KEYS Leadership Academy@ Café on A in Oxnard.
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