Is There Such a Thing as Chance?

By Ischalea





As with all things, be it winning a lottery, famines, the destinies of nations...is there really such a thing as chance? Surely, it's easy to say so concerning someone who wins a lottery. But how about someone who happens to be in an airplane that crashes while another passenger survives? Is that also by chance? How about someone who is on a planned vacation in a foreign country where a war breaks out suddenly and he's killed? Is that also chance? Millions of scenarios could be referenced; however," if chance is to be a determining factor in bringing about events, there must then, of necessity, be a law of chance. And then chance becomes a law which must fit in with other laws and be related to them, or else the established laws would be jostled around and overthrown.

As nature is governed by laws, so also mankind and human relations must be governed by law. AND LAW THUS DISSIPATES THE THOUGHT OF CHANCE. Chance is only a word used as an escape from the inability to understand and to explain law." All creation and all that happens in creation are governed by laws. Each major religion has reference to certain laws that are part of the very fabric of creation. For instance, "if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword." "Whatever one soweth, that shall he reap." And in everyday parlance, "what goes around comes around." These laws do not bend to the whims or fancies of man's thinking or behavior. As my grandmother used to say, "how can you plant an apple tree and expect to pick peaches?" Age-old wisdom spelt out in very simple words. Karma, retribution...these are universal laws and do not allow for chance.





We may take chances, with the hope or desire for success; however, the results are never by chance! Universal laws govern every aspect of our existence and, therefore, do not allow for chance. If one has not in some way 'earned' the right to success by previous thoughts, words and deeds, the universal laws do not alter themselves to bend to the efforts of a person towards achieving success. It is the reason why some people work very hard and simply make little profit in a business while someone else in the same line of business, same locality and working just as hard does very well. What's the difference? It's not that this latter person is lucky, because universal laws do not permit for chance and thus there could not be any such thing as luck. The difference is that what we tend to think as luck are, rightfully, only rewards resulting from a person's karmic account.





So, whenever someone exclaims "what a lucky bastard", know for sure that that 'lucky bastard' is simply making withdrawals from his 'karmic account' and it's definitely not by chance that he is enjoying his 'gifts.'

Are You a True Warrior?

Have you ever felt that you were here for a purpose – a very specific and special one? If so, then these affirmations can help bring out the 'true warrior' in you – that part of you that is not fearful, judgemental or weak, but courageous, accepting and powerful.

WAYS OF THE WARRIOR (by T. Harv Eker)

I create every moment of my life

My choices create my reality

My response creates my outcome

Thre is no "cant", I choose to do or choose not to

There is no "try", I do or do not do

I am true to my own heart

I speak my truth...with compassion

I keep my commitments

My word is law

I approve of myself, now

I don't have to please everybody

I don't take anything personally

I understand that how others judge me is about them

I look 'em in the eye, I tell'em who I am, and if they don't
like it, _____'em!

Remember, a warrior is charged with accomplishing a task – no excuses. He is also responsible not only to himself, but to his fellow warriors. He dies, if he has to, doing his duty. He risks it all when he goes to the rescue of a member of his clan. It's not about him, but about the task and about his tribe – his fellow warriors.

In summation, a warrior takes charge of his life and dives in full on. To every challenge he says, "bring it on." The big question is, will you be a Warrior of Light, driven by virtue or the opposite? The tools of self-empowerment are being given to you – only your intentions set you on the stage as a Warrior of Light or a Warrior of Destruction.

Not Even Cancer Can Stop Her!

Here's a 79-year old who refuses to let life get the better of her. With terminal cancer as her prognosis, she continues to be a dare-devil; however, what is most impressive and worth remembering is the fact that she is unafraid to die, unafraid to take chances, and unafraid to face any challenges. She is the epitome of what I call truly being alive.


Home
The Early Show
Presented by:
NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2009
Daredevil Grandma Living Her "Bucket List"
Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer, 79-Year-Old Susie Mann Has Bunch of Adventures for Time She Has Left
Font size
Print
E-mail
Share
18 Comments
Play CBS Video Video Daredevil Grandma's Bucket List
Susie Mann is a 79 year-old grandmother battling cancer but not taking it lying down. Mann is a daredevil who is living her last moments of life to their fullest. Maggie Rodriguez reports.
Photo
Susie Mann, a 79-year-old grandmother, stands in front of a hang glider. Hang gliding was one of the activities on her bucket list. (CBS)
(CBS) Susie Mann, a 79-year-old grandmother, has always been a bit of a daredevil. She's gone swimming with sharks, paddled down a foaming river on a raft, and even harnessed herself to a bungee cord for a 400-foot cliff dive over Africa's Zambezi River. Mann told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, "I don't think I've ever been scared of the unknown. I think I take it as a challenge." Now, Mann's been diagnosed with terminal intestinal cancer. However, she refuses to slow down. Mann said on "The Early Show" Friday, "Enjoy life. Absolutely enjoy it. It's a gift." Mann was told she had cancer last spring. Her doctor said she had six-to-nine months to live. How did she react? "I said, 'Oh good, that'll give us time to do things.' And he almost fell off the chair!" The grandmother of four has created a "bucket list" of adventures she will complete with her family by her side. Mann went hang-gliding recently, flying 2,500 feet above her family, who watched her from below. "It was great," Mann said. "It really was. It was so quiet up there. You really felt like a bird." Next on her list is to go skydiving, this coming weekend. Soon, she also plans to swim with dolphins and descend into the Grand Canyon on a donkey. Mann has refused treatment for her cancer. Her reason? She told Rodriguez, simply, "Who wants to be sick all that time?" Mann's daughter, Louise Weadock, said she wishes her mother would receive treatment. However, she said she admires her mother's ability to move forward, despite the diagnosis. Weadlock said, "There are times when we want to sit back on the curb, lick our wounds, have our own little pity party, and she's out there playing the game." Rodriguez asked Mann what she says to people who are feeling down. She responded, "Get over it. Get over it. I don't have any time for that. ... I love life. I really do. I've been very, very, very lucky." To Mann, dying is another part of living. She said, "It doesn't have to come to an end. It can be a beginning. ... Dying is just another page of life, just a different journey in a different place."

Listen to Your Voice

"There is a voice in each of us that speaks to who we are. It is our bluepring, our Divine expression, that tells the world what we are about. When we align with our voice, the calling of our heart is expressed on a deep soul level. The gift and blesing of who we are becomes clear and apparent as we step into the vision we have set for ourselves. There can be no mistake that the uniqueness and specialness that each of us brings to the birth of a new day is alwaways backed by the clear and focused expression of magnificent excellence which is the gift we shae on our journey.

The path we have chosen must be centered in a mindful creative attitude of prosperity and abundance because when we do, our day becomes one of infinite possibility and unconditional love.

LISTEN TO YOUR VOICE: it has sweet messages of infinite wisdome nad divine intelligence.
LISTEN TO YOUR VOICE: it will guide you n the journey towards realization of your dreams.
LISTEN TO YOUR VOICE: it is the map of possibility within you that always has your best interest in mind.

Today is the day to say to yourself, "I believe in my heart that I am worthy to have the life I desire."
Today, know in our heart that the Universe is ready for you to step into your gratness in an effortless way so that all of LIFE rushes to you with ease and grace. Stand up and shout it out that "It's My Time to absolutely have it all. You are an extraordinarily amazing being that the world needs to show up in all your glory as you LISTEN TO YOUR VOICE and say yes to all the opportunities that are available to you."

Paul Hoffman

The Power of Intention

In 1974, weeks before Muhammad Ali met World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman for their "rumble in the jungle" in Kinhasa, he would practice his punches carelessly. Ali mostly laid against the ropes and allowed his opponent to punch away at him from all sides.

In later years into his career, Ali spent a great deal of time learning HOW to take punches--for instance, shifting his head just a hair before the connection was made, or where in his own body he could possibly deflect the punch so that it would no longer hurt. In doing so, Ali was not training his body to win but his mind not to lose. He was preparing his mind not to lose at the point where extreme fatigue starts setting in around the twelfth round--where most boxers simply cave in. Thus, the most important work Ali did was not in the ring, but in his armchair. He practiced fighting the fight in his head.

He was a Master of Intention! Developing a set of mental skills, he used them to his advantage in the ring--affirmations, visualizations, self-confirmations and most importantly, his self-proclamation of his own worth, "I am the greatest." Before every fight Ali used these techniques. Using rhyming quatrains and couplets he cleverly disguised his very specific intentions. For instance:
Archie Moore
Is sure
To hug the floor
By the end of four

Now Clay swings with a right
What a beautiful swing
And the punch knocks the Bear
Clear out of the ring.

Brilliant!! Before a fight, Ali woud repeat these rhymes like mantras everywhere--to the press, his opponent, and even in the ring until he himself believed it and accepted it as fact, that he'd knocked 'the Bear clear out of the ring.'

In his fight with Joe Frazier, Ali created in his mind an image of Joe as a tiny rubber gorilla, and literally carried a 'vodoo doll' in his top pocket, taking a punch at it from time to time for the tv cameras, repeating: "It's gonna be a thrill and a chilla and a killa when I get the gorilla in Manila." Frazier had already been reduced in his mind to something less human by the time he entered the ring.

In addition to these verbalized intentions, Ali carried out powerful mental ones where he would rehearse every moment of the fight in his head: the sweat pouring down his body, the cuts and bruises on his face, the screams of the crowds, the weakness in his knees, the pain to his kidneys, the cameras flashing, and even seeing the referee lift his arm in victory against Frazier. What happened here? Ali had sent powerful intentions to his entire body to win and it responded by simply following orders.

This is the great Power of Intention. Imagine harnessing this power in anything we propose to do, especially when the odds are seemingly stacked against us, and witness the unbeatable champion in you not only rise to the challenge, but emerge victorious, each and every time!

Something within me wanted me to continue looking at a documentary tonight regarding 9/11. It's hard to think that eight years have elapsed since that fateful day. Yet, the emotions were again stirred except tonight I felt numb. The sadness was just too great. Even when the documentary was over, I felt glued to the television as if there was something of import that would go past me unnoticed. Then, the caption appeared concerning one unsung hero. His name was Rick Serola and this is briefly his story.

Rick believed that many of the key buildings in the World Trade center lacked proper security. His fears were realized at the 1993 bombing. After this, he was adamant about security at the WTC and worked diligently towards that end. At Morgan Stanley, he organized and supervised the frequent fire drills of over 2,000 of their employees. Rick was sure that an air attack was inevitable, since ground security had been beefed up. His dear friend and security consultant agreed wholeheartedly.

Morgan Stanley occupied floors forty four through the seventies, and on that fateful day, Rick was as dedicated to the safety of his people as he was to his platoon in Vietnam. Then a hero and again on 9/11 Rick was to prove unequivocally that the love he held for his co-workers, all 2,o00 plus of them, and his unswerving duty to protect them was not unlike his heroic actions decades before. Against the genuine concern of others for his own safety, Rick made sure that everyone that he could possibly reach made it out that tower, going back six times through different floors to make sure noone was left behind.

All but six employees did not survive, and so, too Rick. He died a hero. And today I join the families of Morgan Stanley to honor Rick Serola, a true American hero. As I look at his widow on tv, I feel the pain she bears; yet, I feel the pride she holds. And as I think of Rick, I also think of all the other heroes--firemen, policemen, office workers who helped others, strangers who helped strangers and I honor them all. And I also honor my young daughter who braved the carnage to offer her help while I sat across the other bank of the Hudson River wondering where she was and what had happened to her.

To Rick and all those who are no longer with us, our heartfelt thanks for the sacrifices you made and for the great heroism you exhibited. And our love and prayers go to your families.

How to Manage and Train Our Minds

We have to power to choose our thoughts, thereby creating our preferred life situations and environments. Thoughts are energy and since we live in a Universe of vibrating energy, all thoughts unleash great possibilities for the physical manifestation of the objects of those thoughts. We have only to look at the world today that humankind has collectively created over time and cringe at the monsters that have been unleashed!

So what can we do about it? We can start right at this moment to help change this, for each of us has the natural ability to install self-empowering thoughts in our minds at any time. How? By simply making the choice to focus on them! Both individually and collectively, we have the power to control our minds--it's just a matter of training ourselves to do so. As in running an effective business, so in running an effective mind--training and management go hand-in-hand.