Charles Hanna - Higher: Awaken to a More Fulfilling Life

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I MET CHARLES HANNA in 2005. He is a special man in many waysblessed with intelligence, possessed of keen awareness, and capable of tremendous insight about people as well as the world. Life is about experiences, but unless we are particularly aware, most of us take them for granted. This is not true for Charles; he remains determined to see the gift in every experience. He has taken the time to document many of his most important realizations in this glorious compilation of essays that encourages us to look at our lives and appreciate them in new ways.erceptive and prescriptive, Higher is a guide to a better, more connected, and vibrant way of being.

Writing a book that would be of benefit to others has been one of Charles long-term goals and Higher is the result. Giving back is critically important to him. So is empowering people to reach a higher level, hence the name of the book. I believe that Charles has achieved his goals in a manner with which readers can connect.

Higher is a book that challenges each of us at a very basic leveland it will challenge you. Each page will urge you to question your values and encourage you to examine your relationships, your spirituality, and your purpose. Best of all, Higher will help you live a fulfilling life and become the person you were intended to be.

DAVID FEDER
counselor and therapist

No matter what our self-centered perception tells us, life is a treasure. We have everything we need.

WE WAKE UP MOST MORNINGS COMPLETELY oblivious to the miracle of miracles that it takes to make a new day happen. Yet, every moment has the power and potential to transform our lives completely. At the very least (and barring crises and catastrophes), there is no reason why we cannot experience utmost joy and gratification every single day.

Normally, we focus on our chores and routines instead of our fortune of having a life and a purpose and the ability to live them. We worry about and focus on what we believe we must have to be happy. We may dwell on our resentments and the people and things that frustrate us or worse, and too often were consumed by pettiness. All of these states of mind can cause us to completely miss the magnificent day that lies before us. This is normal human nature, but with guidance we can learn to always remember and appreciate our gifts.

Our Higher Perspective is our ability to see our lives and our selves in the context of the entire universe. By so doing, we realize that almost everything that happens to us and around us is part of a larger order and has little to do with us. This helps us to live in harmony with the universe. We develop a less self-centered point of view and stop feeling responsible for everything that affects us or consumed by trying to control it.

Each one of us received life free upon birth . Free ! No one was asked to pay for it . No one was told what to do with it . This priceless gift was given with no expectation of anything in return .

THERE IS A truism to describe someone who is in a state of bliss: They dont have a care in the world. No matter who we are or where we are from, I am sure we would all agree that it is a pretty good goal and that it says that in the absence of worry, life is pretty good. In other words, we do not need to acquire things or status to achieve freedom from worry. Life is as good as it can ever get all on its own if our happiness is not sabotaged by fears, angers, and resentments.

Look at what life gives us. Every morning we wake up because a trillion things happen perfectly that enable us not only to breathe and be conscious, but also to explore and interact with the world and to enjoy our senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touchany one of which is worth more than all the money we can imagine. Consider itwould you trade your eyesight for a billion dollars? How about the ability to fall in love? What is that worth?

It is not just our senses, it is also the richness of what we can freely enjoy with those sensesbeautiful skies, sunsets, oceans, and all the awe-inspiring beauty of nature. Not to mention the people with whom we share our happiness and experiences, strengths, and hopes; with whom we fall in love; and with whom we share protection and support. What about the privilege of having plants for our medicines and food? Or the love and devotion of pets? Have you ever considered what an incredible gift it is to have a soul look at you for its every need and devote its entire being to loving you and giving you companyunconditionally? Then, of course, there are children and the immense blessings they bring. Think about the absolute trust placed in us by the universewe are honored that so many of us are blessed to have a child whose growth we can shape to the best of our ability. Our gifts are many and great.

And what about the time and world we are living in? Every one of us could have been born at a different time and place with nothing compared to what we have here and now. Just consider history aloneEarth is about 5 billion years old, and so the odds of being born at this time instead of at any other time are perhaps 500 billion to one! We have better odds of winning a huge lottery prize.

I suppose what amazes me the most as I consider our immediate and wider blessings is that 6 to 7 billion people are alive today and so many of them are working to make our lives better, producing art, clothing, medicine, and housing, and working in agriculture, transportation, technology, and government, to name only a few sectors.

Yes, each one of us received life free upon birth. No one was asked to pay for it. No one was told what to do with it. This priceless gift was given with the expectation of nothing being offered in return. Something made this happen and for that I am eternally grateful.

Once, several years ago, I was walking in the streets of Egypt when I came upon a blind man dressed in a dirty galabeya (the traditional mens clothing in Egypt) and wearing dirty pieces of cloth instead of shoes. I heard him muttering to himself, I thank you, God. You who are kind and merciful. This brought tears to my eyes, because he had gratitude for his life even though he had no wealth, power, career, or importancenot even his eyesight.

Sadly, it is usually only after great losses that we learn to appreciate the worth of what we have. No matter how rich we might be, or smart, fast, powerful, or good-looking, and no matter how much we lose and how hard that may be, the sheer magnificence and quantity of all our basic gifts of life make all that pale by comparison. Being connected and feeling grateful for my blessings is what spirituality has come to mean for me and what my Higher Perspective helps me to experience on an ongoing basis.

Nothing is forever lost or damaged ; eventually , somehow , sometime , somewhere , it will all appear perfect again because it always was , always is , and always will be .

THE MORE I work on my understanding of life, the more I see that everything is the way it is supposed to be and that it could not be any better. If you looked at it from a Higher Perspective, you would see that this lifetime is only a very small part of our existence, and no matter how tragic it is, we must believe that it is part of something bigger and eventually, somehow, sometime, somewhere, it will all appear perfect again because it always was, always is, and always will be.

Let me use a tree as a metaphor. During the holidays, I often find Christmas trees frustrating because the branches are not spaced evenly to allow for optimal placement of ornaments. I used to think, Wouldnt it be nice if all the branches were exactly three inches apart and at 120 degree angles as they spiraled evenly up the trunk? Instead, in real life, they are randomly spaced and sized. Sometimes there are big gaps between the branches and even large spreads without any branches at all. Conversely, sometimes branches are close together and even clumped in groups. But if I were to step away from the tree and look at it as a whole, and then step even further back to look at many trees in a glade or a forest, it would become obvious that the trees are all perfect. Mother Nature is perfect and there is nothing that I could possibly do to make Her better.