Gary ‘Z’ McGee, Staff
Waking Times

“You can’t have a war on terrorism because that’s not an actual enemy, it’s an abstract. It’s like having a war on dandruff. That war will be eternal and pointless. It’s idiotic. That’s not a war, it’s a slogan. It’s a lie. It’s advertising... And we use it to sell soap, wars and presidential candidates in the same fashion.” –Gore Vidal

“”Support our troops” and “What about Hitler” aren’t invitations to actually discuss either subject. They’re magic words intended to shut down further discussion, because the “Team Violence” part of our brain reacts to criticism in the exact same way that Muslim extremists react to cartoons mocking Mohammed.” –David Wong

Violence begets terrorism. Terrorism begets war. War begets more terrorism. It really is that simple. But we just can’t seem to help ourselves. We’re a young and fallible species in an otherwise ancient and fine-tuned universe. All too often our animal reflexes kick in and we just want to kick some ass. Our inner-monkey wants to start throwing shit just because it’s upset. Without thinking, we holler “Bomb em’ all!” from the comfort of our La-Z-Boys. It’s too hard to think, so we go with the primitive and outdated default: fight or flight. But this is the immature, lizard part of our brain doing the talking, not the mature seat of consciousness that is trying to make the world a better place.

Emotionally intelligent people aren’t ruled by their thoughts; they are the master of them. Discover your emotional strength today with these 15 signs that you are emotionally intelligent.

1. You’re Fascinated by What Makes People Tick.

Emotionally intelligent people are fascinated by human behavior. They notice things like body language, dialect, and personal tics. Being a people-watcher helps them find clues about what makes each individual special.

2. You’re an Enthusiastic Leader Who Walks the Walk.

Emotionally intelligent people know it’s silly to talk the talk if they’re not willing to walk the walk. Instead of leading behind by delivering commands, they lead from the front by setting an example.

3. You’re Aware of Your Strengths and Weaknesses.

A tiny bug is threatening your morning orange juice.

In Florida, the Asian citrus psyllid, an aphid-size creature that feeds on the stems and leaves of citrus trees, cost the juice business $3.6 billion between 2006 and 2012. The real damage from “citrus greening” comes from bacteria spread by the bug, which causes leaves to turn yellow and kills the tree in a few years.

Researchers are looking into new ways to combat the pests, and one project focuses on sound rather than pesticides to disrupt the insects’ mating habits.

“We’re trying hard to cut down on use of pesticides in orange groves, partly because we are worried they’ll build up resistance to pesticides, and that will make things even worse,” said Richard Mankin, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He presented findings on acoustic disruption at the meeting of the American Acoustical Society this week in Jacksonville.

When a male psyllid wants to mate, he alerts a female by sitting on a leaf and buzzing his wings to send vibrations along leaves and branches. To disrupt that activity, the researchers created a device containing a piezoelectric buzzer and a microphone wired to a microcontroller.

Habits and addictions stem mainly from a loss of connection with one’s higher consciousness, and rekindling one’s authentic spirituality can pave the way for recovery and an enhanced sense of spirituality that gives life a greater purpose and meaning.

If you’re reading this, then you likely consider yourself a spiritual seeker and one of the main reasons people seek spirituality is because they’re searching for the wholeness, fulfillment and satisfaction they can’t seem to find in the external world.

They begin to realize that wholeness and satisfaction will always come from within, and the more you seek spirit, the more your higher consciousness can fill your life with color, vibrancy and the will to contribute to the spiritual revolution that’s being rekindled.

Dear Ones, shame is an emotion that often results in a person getting stuck in regret and staying there. Understand that we are always supportive when human beings are able to identify and reflect upon behaviour that does not match who they really are. That is an important part of growth. When that becomes problematic is when the person then uses that experience to stall their growth and slip into a pit of self-degradation.

There is a big difference between introspection and self abuse! Any experience serves your growth if it allows you to learn, redefine, and redirect your path and your expression of self. Introspection will help you understand and choose differently moving forward. Self abuse will simply keep you stuck, which can often result in even more behaviour that is not in line with your truth.

If you have done something that you are not proud of, feel into why you behaved in such a way. What sits underneath your behaviour? Was it fear? Disconnection? Loneliness? Sadness? Anger? There is always a wounded aspect of self that drives decisions that are not in line with who you really are. Connect with this wounded part of yourself, imagine gathering it up in your arms, and love and forgive it and give it everything it could possibly need to feel whole and complete. Give yourself the love and forgiveness you would so freely offer another.