2013-05-22T16:48:49-04:00 Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=shelley-a-lewis Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Shelley A. Lewis Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1374316 2012-03-27T12:19:04-04:00 2012-05-27T05:12:02-04:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
We take pride in re-ordering our lives to create space for new things to enter and old things that no longer serve us to pass. The very nature of this season gives us a feeling of inward confidence and blesses us with a gesture of greatness. Whether we are clearing out our closets, tending to our garden or feng shui'ng our living room, we are intent on bringing in our most favorite season with abundance and joy.

All of a sudden we pay attention to the language of our environment. The ancient art of feng shui is the method of altering our space to align with our intention for what we want to see arise in our lives.

We spend hours organizing our notes and our documents on our desktop to try and keep order in our lives, but we don't think about how we can create the space within that helps all the other things fall more effortlessly into place.

Focusing on cultivating our "sacred inner living space" might be the most effective solution yet for how we optimize effectiveness in our daily lives. Embracing a new philosophy for living that honors how we renew our inner selves will not only help us "spring clean" our souls this season and beyond, it will also give us renewed insight.

All too often, we move through life sweeping emotional issues under the carpet -- unresolved issues, or emotional baggage as we like to call it, always impacts our lives negatively and too often without us being aware of it.

As creatures of habit, we tend to repeat patterns whether they serve us or not. Insight helps us rid ourselves of the concepts we've accumulated that limit our experience and cloud our ability to see clearly, honestly and without judgment.

Begin by finding ways to escape from energy-draining conversations and devote a few moments every day to silence and stillness, to simply being. Soul cleansing simply means giving our attention to what is occurring inside us.

Our thinking brain-- which is influenced mostly by others' pre-ordained ideas for how we should live our lives -- takes a break, and we are able to distinguish our true thoughts from those that are thoughts of acceptance or judgment influenced by others.

In this process, we nourish those aspects of our inner being that give rise to that small, quiet voice within that is always gently leading us in the direction of our happiness. As we empty the mind of its noise we give space for our intuition to rise and we are more able to live in sync with what destiny has in store for us, without getting in the way...

Our culture has become a mechanical expression of endless functions to satisfy our logic, and yet what we all yearn for is wonder, to be re-enchanted by the world.

In feng shui, one is taught both the importance of visible (yang) elements and invisible (yin) elements. Unless there is a balance of the visible and invisible within our homes, our lives will not enjoy a deeper level of harmony.

When we consciously create our "inner living space," just like we create our lives, we tap into the power of sacredness in our lives and we start to experience more abundance, joy and success.

The benefit of taking a quiet moment out to reconnect and recharge is not small, it opens up our heart in extremely powerful ways and optimizes the potential of our relationships to flourish.

Spring is a time for renewal. A time to celebrate and grow. Just three minutes of mindful breathing every day is a great start to find harmony within and improve our ability to function in the fast paced and ever changing landscape of our lives.

Begin now.

For more by Shelley A. Lewis, click here.

For more on mindfulness, click here.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1165794 2011-12-22T17:26:49-05:00 2012-02-21T05:12:02-05:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
As Christmas affords us the opportunity to pause and reconnect with those that we love, we can also use it as a time to reconnect with ourselves. We can use it to find our center again, to tap into a sense of peace, to remember the sacredness of life and the possibilities of the present moment.

Between work and family, hopes and dreams, iPads, clothes and gift certificates... It's easy to get lost in the whirlwind of it all. Our conditioning primes us to reach for excess and yet actually all we really want for Christmas is contentment... wrapped up in a big red bow! Contentment invites us to be at peace with what is. When we have contentment we still have dreams but they don't have us.

We are able to savor the fruit of present awareness and with that we are able to offer others the possibility of finding the same joy. As we celebrate this special holiday, let us consider how it is that we take care, how it is that we pay attention. We have all experienced how differently we feel when the person we are talking to gives us their full focus and is connected to us in a heartfelt way. We feel embraced and cherished. We feel as if we matter.

In life, our perspective can either enhance our experience or impede it. If we feel given to we will feel the ebullience and joy of giving. If we feel taken from we will have less to offer. When we practice being present we cherish the most tender part of ourselves and we naturally and effortlessly give the gifts of joy and abundance to others.

Like tuning in the radio, there is a palpable difference in the quality our awareness, we recognize the slowness of the pause, the mindfulness that causes us to shift each time we call forth another part of ourselves to be present.

The beautiful thing about the unseen world is acts of kindness, they are something we can not live without. Taking a moment out to reconnect and give the gift of heart centered awareness, to yourself, and to those you love this holiday, is a gift of enduring worth and one that never goes out of fashion!]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.972488 2011-09-20T17:47:19-04:00 2011-11-20T05:12:02-05:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/ a spoiled child.

It was a bold statement for Turkey given the "powers at be" perpetual allegiance with Israel and its long-standing ambition to join the European Union. However, Turkey's response over Israel's refusal to apologize for the killings on the Gaza bound Turkish flotilla, coupled with its opposition to Israel's Gaza assault back in late 2008 by storming off stage at Davos might well represent for us the emergence of a new trend. Namely: the end of the era of self-entitlement.

It is a trend in keeping with global affairs in general. The deleveraging and the scaling back we've seen going on all over the world in the last three years as a result of the financial crisis aided by the massive debt burden bought on by the war on terror, has catapulted us in a trend towards simplification: A weeding out of the un-sound and un-just to beckon in a new era where the fashion for what is Fair and Just will reign supreme.

The good news is, it's an approach that the world was been hunkering after.

Turkey's treatment of Israel doesn't signal a refusal to be diplomatic, it signals a refusal to put up with the type of spoiled, entitled and arrogant attitude that has always been the bone of contention amongst the extremist Muslim world.

I am reminded of Noam Chomsky's brilliant but alarming commentary "Was There an Alternative?," in which he cites that although we've killed the world's most wanted man "(His) ultimate aim was in fact to drastically alter US and Western policies toward the Islamic world," and in that regard he has largely succeeded."

Look at the Arab uprisings we've seen coloring the world stage in 2011 and Palestine's affirmative quest for statehood -- Could you have imagined such a request one year ago? The answer is No.

In his article Chomsky continues by stating that: "US forces and policies are completing the radicalization of the Islamic world, something Osama bin Laden has been trying to do with substantial but incomplete success since the early 1990s. Concluding as a result that the United States of America remains bin Laden's only indispensable ally. And arguably remains so, even after his death."

The atrocities of 911 make that a comment hard to fathom and certainly to digest. The tragic loss experienced on that day will leaves it permanently etched on our minds forever.

But what doesn't seem inappropriate in considering this unpublicized reality is to ask -- Where in our perceptions could we be falling short?

If we consider the case of Turkey again. The European Union's long-standing conflict with Turkey has been its contention over the supposed rigidity of the country. Having dismissed its entry into the EU predominantly on the grounds that its Islamic law may impose a very credible threat to Western democracy.

And yet if we take a moment and reflect, we will see Turkey acting as the great Mediator. The Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has already has brokered indirect talks between Syrian and Israeli officials seeking a peace deal, discussed with Secretary Clinton how they might help negotiate peace talks with Iran, and most recently in response to Palestine's quest for statehood ratched up pressure on the United States and Israel by telling Arab League ministers that recognition of a Palestinian state was "not a choice but an obligation."

Why, because it is Just and Fair.

Can Turkey succeed at bridging the divide in our perception between two fundamentally opposing mentalities? Helping us navigate a new generation of world politics that sees a new integration of Islam.

There's no doubt that Turkey is a rising power, particularly in its ability to broker Middle Eastern relations. But how ironic that our perception of its religiosity impinging on our Western freedoms results in us turning to them for assistance. This isn't said to over glorify the role of Turkey -- there are still very real bones of contention with Washington over the Armenian and Kurdish disputes.

This is however said, to help us recognize that in doing what is Just and Fair both countries and the world at large is called to let go of its past woes, put aside its outdated beliefs and learn to press the reset button on those previously held perceptions that can no longer play a valuable part in our cultural world ethos. Not at least if we wish to move forward successfully and with a greater degree of world peace.

The time has come to lift the veil of our perceptions.

The positive news is that the younger generation, those men and women in their late twenties and thirties leading the revolutions across the Middle East have vigor and vision, are expansionist and want equality and justice, not just for their nation but the world.

Some members of the young Jewish community feel this. They no longer wish to live in the same closed monologue. They want to have power with, not power over, they want to work together in an open dialogue and co-operative fashion to achieve mutually desirable goals.

It's a shame that there isn't a consortium of young thinkers leading the negotiations between Israel and Palestine now, a fresher voice capable of creating the change oh so desperately needed -- especially at a time when Israel is most in need of a flexible solution.

It isn't about defending your territory, it is about embracing the world entire and defending its barrier. Gone is the era when we camouflage our self-interest behind institutional power and money. No one has any, anymore. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.904193 2011-07-20T06:47:22-04:00 2011-09-19T05:12:02-04:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
If we are lucky our environments, pace, volume, and intensity will be suitable to us, providing a comfortable range of stimulation and facilitating us to set down healthy patterns of communication for future conversations.

The birthing of conversation:

Is the amount, volume, intensity, such that I can experience myself without disruption and select out meaningful clues and signals from you? Are you aware of my needs, and signals and are you adequately responsive to them? Do you respond to them in a timely manner so that my excitement level is comfortable and I can focus in on your response? In this way, I learn more about myself and about you.

As I grow, do you get in sync with me so that I can feel what it is like to be responded to and feel what it is like to respond to you? Do you give me time to move from seeing what you do, ie: when you play mouth movements with me, to perceiving you, ie: going beyond just visually seeing your mouth movements to my becoming aware that you are showing me something , and playing with me? Do you give me time to move my perception and awareness of what you are doing into the integrative part of my brain so that I can prepare my nerves and muscles to copy your mouth play and play back with you?

Do you help me to know those places in me, by being there inside yourself as well - supporting me not distracting me? Do you enjoy these feelings in you, in me, in our emerging as us? Do you feel my motor brain and nerves and muscles begin to fire, contract and form a response that I will feel in my mouth and you will perceive in yours? Do you take joy in my doing it, in you being part of it, in our sharing? Do you provide that exquisitely sensual joyous, supportive pause that allows us, facilitates us in this sequence.

For now this is a sequence that is already laid down and experienced, and now the repetitions will let it become more familiar and finally known. Like a Polaroid film emerging into existence as the chemical process proceeds into recognition. Once this sequence is known to me, it will be my turn to initiate a new sequence.

Do you remember and enjoy the pause - that most essential pause, that allows us to note and become aware of what has just happened and allows us the next pause, that allows self integration to emerge so that we may become more than we ever were before.

Do you?

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.888130 2011-06-30T17:16:39-04:00 2011-08-30T05:12:01-04:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
Amongst the colorful chaos of the brightly lit streets in Dhaka, Bangladesh, traffic moves left, then right, then left again, in a cataclysmic array of madness. The legless beg. The children play, and the seven year olds walk to work. My senses bombarded by the onslaught and novelty of a culture so unique to my own. Yet, amidst this chaos, this apparent display of destitution, there seemed to exist a subtle, all pervading peace, the kind of peace one finds when one is not always struggling to be better than, to become more.

Visiting the children's ward at Cholera Court, I can assure you, is not for the faint-hearted. The profound emotions of loss and death and hope one feels entering such a place is overwhelming. These children live without the convenience and comfort of the world we know, a world where nothing is taken for granted, and every human encounter, human touch and human smile is a blessing. They appear to savor and live every moment for what it is, and have a reverence for life and for basic human qualities that most of us simply take for granted. Their great brown eyes piercing straight through you, uncovering every guise and veil ever created as a means to hide from the world. I felt in these children an intense passion. In spite of their suffering, they shone with the beauty of resilience.

One hour from cholera court, we arrive at Sreepur Village, an orphanage started in 1988 by air stewardess, Pat Kerr. Quickly surrounded by girls eager for recognition, feeling the novelty of a blond westerner holding their hand. I was ushered into a brushed clay building where children slept each night on 15ft long communal beds. As I walked around the L shape building the rooms on the left towards the exit housed the youngest children. Clean and fed, the babies were well taken care of. Yet they lay there in their cots with limited human interaction. I heard the voice of a friend in my head echoing the importance of developing medical skills if you wanted to be of use in a third world country.

It was true that these children needed health care, food, shelter and water but the most profound unseen element of poverty was the lack of human interaction and touch. This one essential ingredient, the human relationship --one of the most basic needs of all humanity -- seemed to be missing. My simple act of holding these children brought an elated smile to their faces. The slightest touch, my most tender glance moved them deeply. It was as if the aura of human contact through a shared basic existence was so present that the children avail themselves of direct contact whenever it is present. The babies seem to lie in a deeply connected meditative state ready to burst into responsive smiles with the experience of a gentle touch.

In contrast, I then return to New York and walk down 57th street, the same walk I had made many times over. I saw the designer dresses in Bergdorf and felt the frenetic pace of the people passing by. Yet in the air, there was an emptiness, a void. People seemed to have everything and somehow be touched by nothing. And intermittently the faces that flashed in my mind were those of the children, who had nothing but were touched by everything.

Sir Laurens van der Post, the famed author, storyteller and prisoner of war, a messenger in search of meaning who lived and taught his belief, once said "Every human being has a two thousand year old man within himself and if he loses contact with that man he loses contact with his real roots. So the question of why modern man is in search of himself has a lot to do with this naked little bushman who owned nothing. That the difference between him and us was that ' he is ' and that 'we have.' We no longer are. We've exchanged having for being.

As we consider how we educate children in this increasingly interconnected world, why don't we start by basing our educational philosophies on the notion that the human relationship, the bonding and love which is shared in such a paradigm are just as important as any facts the teacher can impart to the child. Thereby, accomplishment can be measured by a sense of self and value for others not simply by what grades you receive. Schooling, housing, food and sanitation are all important but each human being needs the sustenance of the heart, a deep sense of emotional well being and strengthening of imagination to find meaning in one's life. These qualities of spiritual enrichment are necessary to excel in the world of tomorrow, to dream beyond the norm and strive to fulfill a sustainable future.

We can't always anticipate where our next gift to break open -- beyond definition, will come from. The children I encountered during those ten days spent in Dhaka, working with the National Science Foundation on the Sari Filtration Project, not only reframed my notions of poverty forever -- they also taught me about the unyielding power of the human spirit and what unites us all as human beings.

It is possible to be rich long before we have money.

In life, some experiences go unnoticed, some cause us to pause, and then there are those that are so profound they change the very fabric of our being. The real question is what do we do with these experiences, and how do we honor the calling they awaken in us.
]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.874873 2011-06-12T12:10:00-04:00 2011-08-12T05:12:02-04:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
A Delta advert on the subway reads, "A larger network makes a smaller world." So our world appears smaller, and not only does it fill us with a feeling of extended opportunity, but we assume that it is in our best interests.

But is it really in our best interests? What are the true impacts of globalization, from an ecological, economic and, more importantly, psychological perspective? In short, what is the psychological impact of globalization on our sense of self?

Helena Norberg Hodge explores this beautifully in her recently released film, "The Economics of Happiness," in which she calls for a return to localization.

"We have created a system that could not be more wasteful," Zac Goldsmith states in the introduction to the film. "You have tuna fish caught on the east coast of America, flown to Japan to be processed, shipped back to America to be sold to consumers. You have English apples picked in England, flown to South America to be waxed, flown back again to be sold to consumers."

I have read that sentence 50 times since I typed it, and I still can't get my head around it. The prominent policymakers' belief that economic growth can solve everything has created a system so wasteful and inefficient that now it seems that the only hope we have is in those grassroots organizations that a decade ago we were laughing at but that today, in a very different world, we are starting to eulogize. Goldsmith's comment, displayed for more to see, would at least give us a clearer picture of the systemic problem we are facing.

As the ecological impact is acknowledged but poorly understood, the economic impact is far clearer.

The world is bombarded with Western-style consumerism: the latest handbag, the newest car, the next-generation iPhone are now plastered on billboards from Belarus to Bangladesh. Like robots, we are programmed to purchase and follow with bated breath the next cool thing. And with that, we've created a type of globalized, homogenized beauty. Images we have learned to associate with perfection are everywhere, and although there is transitory pleasure in the promise of self-improvement that they hold, the bigger truth is that the effects from a psychological and holistic perspective are breeding intense competition and breaking down cultures.

Learning to think is what a good school is supposed to do for you -- not the rote absorption of facts but the systematic development of constructive, sound thought.

However, as Norberg Hodge rightfully states, "A set of corporations rule children, and yet the constant hankering after the latest gadget is leading them far astray from what they really seek, a feeling of deep love and true connection."

Why is it that having more seems to lead to less?

One interesting theory comes from a new study by psychologists at the University of Liege, published in Psychological Science. The scientists explore the "experience-stretching hypothesis," an idea first proposed by Daniel Gilbert, who expresses his theory in anecdotal form: A man who is given a drink of water after being lost in the Mojave Desert may at the moment rate his happiness level as 10 out of 10. Yet a year later, the same drink might induce him to feel no better than a 2.

As that relates to the aqusition of objects, the ability to enjoy over and over again the best things in life actually reduces our ability to savor those pleasures, and it is in the savoring of experience where we find our greatest satisfaction.

In our over-stimulated, have-it-all culture, we have become acquirers, not makers; we have lost touch with the very byproducts of our output, the direct result of our work, that we need to experience to keep grounded in a sense of our own identity.

Is what's required a return to localization in the truest sense of the word? Do we need a return to localization to reclaim our sense of self?

Centuries ago, in tribal cultures, enclaves of which still exist today, it was one tribe against the other tribe, especially during times of scarcity. During the capitalist era it was the individual against the corporation. In the culture of today, where the digital age beckons us into the virtual world of tomorrow and an overstimulated frenzy to keep up, it has become me against me.

Where along the way did we get so lost? And how do we reinvent a return to innocence to reclaim those essential elements of the self that are necessary to flourish in our contemporary climate, where, ironically, staying connected in our interconnected world is, in equal measure, both harder and more important than ever?

How do we stay connected to that sacred space within that allows us to stay present so that we don't miss our appointment with life?

Observing cultures who appear to have less, but in which the primary emphasis is on sense of community and not materialism, is one helpful way to get back in touch with the kind of support system that is necessary for the self to grow and be nurtured in a healthy way.

Several years ago, while working for a private foundation, I took a trip to Bangladesh, and much like the experience Norberg Hodge had in Ladakh, Tibet, I was amazed at the power, joy and resilient nature of the people. The influence of that trip on my life deserves an entire post dedicated to it, and it will have one, but the lessons I learned from the people I encountered emphasized the qualities of enrichment we all seek: deep love and true connection.

When children in particular are fast-tracked, as is common in advanced societies, it almost inevitably leads to feelings of isolation and not being good enough -- not to mention the fact that we are depriving them of the very inner resources they need to get ahead: a sense of equanimity and accomplishment.

Localizing our efforts on the relationships closest to us that give us deeper meaning beyond the homogenized, fake images of perfection that are being fed to us is extremely important in creating a blueprint for living that is fresh and relevant.

In the U.K., the Transition Towns Movement, a dynamic, community-led group that is strengthening the local economy, reducing the cost of living and preparing for a future with less oil and a changing climate, has become one of the fastest-growing schemes the U.K. has ever seen. The return to a localized sense of community is proving extremely effective in combating the deleterious effects of globalization and the digital era in which live.

New York City is in its own way encouraging local green markets that bring in fresh produce from the nearby farming areas and establishing seated areas by replacing traffic lanes with tables and chairs for people to commune, but it doesn't yet provide the atmosphere of a town square.

What if public schools opened their doors until 10 p.m. for the community and had local individuals or restaurants take turns providing low-cost, nourishing food? This would allow a gathering place for students do their homework and help each other, and for parents to come together and share ideas about what is needed in the community and how to best provide for those needs to be met.

What if bookstores were reinvented on a global scale as a place of community in the city, developing programs that encouraged creativity in children and reinvigorated a sense of the intellectual life again, as a means to deepen our connection to self and others?

In life, the power that systems have over us are only as important as the power that we yield them. Rerooting our sense of self by embracing the community in a fresh way will help lead to social healing on a global scale that feeds us from the inside out, not the outside in. And that, as we know, is the only way to go. Then, globalization carries its inherent importance without the loss of what matters most: peace of mind. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.849792 2011-04-17T11:48:00-04:00 2011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00

Shelley A. Lewis http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-a-lewis/
In Bhutan, the emphasis on an economy that serves its culture based on spiritual values rather than material gain has long been the basis for the quality of life of the Bhutanese people.

His Majesty the King of Bhutan said in 2008 that a society that measures its wealth in terms of Gross National Happiness (or GNH) rather than Gross Domestic Product (or GDP) is one in which the happiness and well-being of all sentient beings are the ultimate purpose of governance. He believes that happiness is an indicator of good development and good society and that national development happens when material and spiritual development occur side by side, to complement and reinforce each other.

Like Matthieu Ricard, the meditator and scientist who helped us explore the nature of happiness in his book "Happiness: Life's Most Important Skill," the field of positive psychology, founded by Martin Seligman and originally coined "Authentic Happiness," endeavors to make sense of this often elusive but increasingly popular term by breaking it down into three separate lives: the pleasurable life, the engaged life and the meaningful life. The extraordinary rise of positive psychology is a testament to our global and unified quest to better understand what it takes to be happy.

In 2009 the "Positive Psychology" course at Harvard University was the most oversubscribed course for all first-semester students. When our country's brightest seek to measure quantitatively and understand elementally how to lead a happy life, then we begin to see the relevance of the tiny Himalayan kingdom's Gross National Happiness ideology. It shines a poignant light on the importance of considering a society's happiness in the planning documents that guide the economic development of any country.

Neoclassical economics have long quantified "happiness" through measurements in consumption and profits. Yet we now find ourselves in a "post-plenty" economy, one that lends itself to a new, less consumer-orientated mentality. The growing shift in people's orientation away from material gain and toward genuine happiness is a powerful indicator that the old way of measuring progress and wealth is no longer relevant.

Bhutan's attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than GDP can be of great inspiration in this moment to our culture, and certainly to our children, who, as the Dalai Lama commonly says, are "the world's most precious resource."

A study carried out at the University of British Columbia by Mark Holder, Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace suggests that to make children happier, we need to encourage them to develop a strong sense of personal worth, and that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, high-quality relationships are happier.

Treating happiness as a socioeconomic development metric that becomes more intimately ingrained in our economic worldview will go a long way toward creating a sustainable future for our children, not to mention updating our own framework for living toward a more harmonious way of being.

In a world where the systems that used to be stable are changing rapidly, the fact that we are designing meaningful, psychological and social indicators that can assess standards of living highlights the shifting policies and practices toward the pursuit of genuine happiness.

In 2009 President Nicholas Sarkozy honored this approach by announcing that France would start to measure well-being, as did the Office for National Statistics in the U.K. with its decision to start developing methods to measure "general well-being."

What we measure affects what we do, and GDP certainly doesn't measure those things that make life meaningful. It doesn't measure our sense of purpose at work, the quality of our relationships, the health of our children, or our commitment to institutions that add value to people's lives and thus their output.

Honoring the power of networks and communities and the values that sustain them will be increasingly important to our new economic prosperity as the nature of business changes and the value of entrepenurial endeavors helps reinvigorate the economy.

By changing policy at the national level, we change patterns of behavior toward those that reflect the true needs and wants of most people.

We have to thank Bhutan for its wisdom: Gross National Happiness seems like an idea whose time has arrived. For those of us who are willing to listen, though the rules may be slow to change, the journey is destined to be rewarding.]]>