Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night

Just in case...

2012-01-27T13:38:00.000-06:00

...you've been thinking about thinking, God, Source Energy, Hermes Trismegistus, Thoth, and such, I've posted the text of my talk on such matters.

A Walk on the Moon

2012-01-24T14:20:00.001-06:00

For so many people, this is history, something that happened before they were born. Perhaps this marvelous clip will revive the thrill and excitement of an exceptional USA:

Thanks to Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic.

An Old New Look at Health

2012-01-17T12:04:00.001-06:00

“The universe is a great advancing life, and the purpose of nature is the advancement of life towards perfection, towards perfect functioning. The purpose of nature is perfect health.”

I like Wallace D. Wattles. His direct, no-nonsense, explanation of the realm of consciousness is refreshing. Wattles' books inspired Rhonda Byrne's The Secret which introduced the Law of Attraction to millions.

Okay, 2012 is here!

2012-01-09T13:52:00.001-06:00

It seems that many folks are happy with the new year. Part of that is a “thank God 2011 is over!” since many people found that calendar period to contain a number of challenges. 2012 offers unparalleled prosperity, health, delight and all around good feelings. Yet, as with any potential, a person must be able to accept it into their experience. That acceptance invariably means a shift in thinking and perception.

For instance, nothing can be brought into being (or experience) by thinking about its opposite. Everything has two ends, two sides, two points – a “higher” and a “lower” manifestation. Which manifests, appears, depends on attention. Is health obtained by constant thinking, discussing, and studying about disease? Not really. Studying “disease” only reveals (drum roll) more disease. “What’s wrong with me?” reveals more of what’s “not right” with me. Attention to anything means more of it, whether desired or not. Therefore, thinking about the “opposite” of what you want cannot produce what is desired. The desired manifestation is on the other end of the scale. The solution is always different (vibration) from the “problem.” Granted, many of us perceive a “solution” to be for a problem to stop being a problem.

A lot of challenges can be avoided by paying attention to your still, small voice. Also known as a hunch, an intuition, a feeling – you know the many subtle ways someone is trying to get your attention. Invariably you get a hunch to give your attention to something other than where your attention is going. For instance, I know of someone who went to a lunch with friends over the Holidays and shared an appetizer with one of them, who was recovering from a respiratory struggle. Don’t do that¸ said the quiet voice, as the person reached for the tasty treat.

Days later – when the person was beset with a nagging illness – came the remark “well, I should have listened to my hunch, but I never do…” And I must ask, why, oh why, do we NOT listen to the hunches, the intuitions (George, take a sweater to that football game…Nah, I won’t need it…) We know better, but still we refuse to listen to our own counsel. That is the source of such quiet guidance – our higher self that hovers beyond our physical senses.

So, a few things to make 2012 a great year (maybe that’s what the Mayan’s meant…):

· Pay attention to yourself and follow your hunch/intuition. If it’s a good thing to do, you’ll have good results. What have you got to lose by not doing so?

· Focus your attention on what you want and desire, not what you fear or dislike. This takes practice because anything out of “ease” (dis-ease) gets our attention because we inherently know it to be the exception rather than the rule. Giving something you don’t like more attention only brings more of the same into your life. You know this already although you may not have been aware of it in 2011. Make 2012 the year you are aware of where your mental and emotional attentions are focused.

· To insure prosperity, give everyone more in use-value than you receive in “cash” or money value. Think about this one and it’ll make sense.

· Appreciate something every moment. Heck, post something you appreciate on Facebook every day, or Tweet, or whatever expressions you like (silent prayer is a pretty good one.)

· All of the above reinforce the simple but effective game plan for living: What I want for myself, I want for everyone.

Now that’s a plan for 2012! Check the results December 21, 2012.

New Year's Resolution!

2011-12-26T13:51:00.000-06:00

Actually, I've never quite got the hang of making a Resolution for a New Year. I mean, if it's good for that day, why not everyday? I've noticed that the resolutions many people make to live a better life in the new year tend to be negative. That is, something I "won't" do, or eat, or whatever. "Habits Patterns and Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night" knows that won't work - from day one of the New Year you're fighting yourself. "I won't eat (that) this year.!" "Oh, yeah?" answers Self. And the arm wrestling beings. Attacking an old "problem" from another front is just continuing the same old unsuccessful struggle. Now, it you want to really move away from the old problems, then a shift in perspective is necessary. And that's easy enough to do.

Decide, this year 2012, to view your world in a different Light and treat it accordingly. Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night's Triangle of Philosophy is a suggestion:

Happy 2012!

Thou Plant, Arthur

2011-12-23T09:06:00.000-06:00

Arthur and friends.

I really can’t recall how old the plant is. I do know that it spent at least fifteen years in my various offices until about two years ago when it came to the house, along with this pundit. Yesterday I was moving into a new office and decided to bring the plant along (it never quite found a spot at the house.) As soon as the plant and I entered the office two staff rushed over.

“What’s it’s name?” She asked.

Huh? Uh, er, “Plant?” I mumbled. That was not the correct answer.

“George, every plant has a name.” She looked closer at the plant. “Arthur. This plant’s name is Arthur.”

So, Arthur has a new place, obviously among friends.

Somehow, I suspect there’s a Gnome lurking around this new place…

Heresy!

2011-12-18T09:10:00.002-06:00

Four hundred years ago Gregory Sams would have been hunted down and destroyed. To gain insight into the meaning of heresy and heretical, enjoy this interview with the author of "Sun of gOd" on The Moore Show (U.K.). The wicked proposition? That the Sun has a consciousness. That's not a new idea, it's perhaps the oldest idea. There is no life without the sun, literally. So the proposition is certainly a thought that goes bump in the night. This is the kind of thinking and thoughtful exploration that has been under assault for nearly two thousand years. Hardly scary and fully rational. The clip is long, but worth the time. So's the book.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T09:57:00.003-06:00

The Winter Solstice continues to be one of the most enduring moments for reverence and celebration. The darkest day of the year has come and hence forth each day shall be filled with more sunshine. I'm not aware of any civilization that did not make a big deal of the turning point of the year.

So, of course, this became the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus who became the Christ. It's pretty well accepted that Jesus was born not in winter, but in the spring and perhaps six years earlier than our calendar suggests. Since Pisces, the fish, was an early Christian symbol, I'd surmise that the birth occurred under that astrological sign. This is all irrelevant, of course. The historical Jesus Christ was one of a handful of master teachers known to us, and his instructions on how to live a more wonderful life have proven itself repeatedly.

Mischief arose when the teachings of this Master were edited, blended, codified, and otherwise rendered theological and political. Some even doubted he existed at all. However...

3. (63) Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works - a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was {the} Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and then thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.

Flavius Josephus, "The Antiquities of the Jews" 3.(63) (64)

Josephus

This brief paragraph, from a massive history, is the principle evidence of an historical Jesus. Josephus (A.D. 37 - c. 100) was born around the time of the crucifixion and likely knew of and possible met people who knew Jesus. A Pharisee, Josephus was a champion of the faith and worked to bridge the inherent conflicts of Roman rule and Judaism.

Through the years I've read that there was virtually no evidence of an historical Jesus who became the Christ. The nagging little paragraph by Josephus was begrudged and considered inconsequential - if Jesus had the impact history implies, then surely an historian such as Josephus would chronicle in detail. I think the paragraph is an astonishing summary. I particularly like "...if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works..." That pretty well sums it up.

The history is irrelevant. It is the teachings that shifted much of human consciousness and continues to do so. Jesus taught that thinking (prayer) was the road to a wonderful life. Thinking is very personal, therefore the relationship to God that Jesus taught, had to be personal as well. That, of course, didn't go over well with Priests or any positioned person to whom obedience and, well, worship were required. Radical stuff, actually.

So, to celebrate the Christ Mass, is a good thing. It is a Merry Christmas. It is a Happy Holiday. It is as pagan as it gets, for the celebration is ancient. Adjacent to Christmas, in our modern calendar, is the New Year! Really, rejoice that the great Teacher came to teach us joy, then embark on a fresh, new year that can be uncluttered with the mistakes (and erroneous thinking) of the previous year.

Why, there's even a host of robust celebratory music to accompany the season. Joy to the World! Happy New Year!

Hugo

2011-12-13T10:55:00.000-06:00

From time to time Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night will comment on a movie that, well, presents thoughts that are charming, insightful, inspirational, and so on. If you haven't already, enrich your Christmas experience with Hugo.

Director Martin Scorsese presents an absolutely charming and delicious fable centered on an orphan boy living in a Paris railway station in the 1930's. It's a visual feast and from what I hear, one of the best 3-D movies yet (I saw the digital version which was so sharp as to present a sense of depth.)

Asa Butterfield plays young Hugo Cabret, a natural tinkerer and fixer of broken machines. But Hugo is now an orphan and, in Paris, orphans are shuttled to orphanages rather than litter the streets. While dodging the authorities, he enlists Isabelle, Chloe Grace Moretz, to help solve the puzzle of an automaton - a mechanical man - Hugo believes has a message from his late father who attempted to fix the broken machine.

That's about as far as I can go without spoiling the absorbing plot. Suffice to say that Ben Kingsley had to play his part. The movie is magic and derives much of that magic from the early motion pictures - it's really a history of movies - and like the clocks that dominate the station, the characters who people the station move in their own stories and romances mirroring Hugo's quest.

It's a treat. Enjoy yourself.

Nikola Tesla

2011-12-12T12:48:00.003-06:00

I've always wondered about the extent of Tesla's work, suspecting that he was far, far more ahead of his (and our) time than we know. This plea for the release of his seized papers has, I think, an unfairly negative slant regarding J.P. Morgan, but otherwise seems on target. For certain, the FBI raced to Tesla's hotel suite immediately upon his death and took everything. Where are his papers? It's a good question.

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PBS has a nice site regarding their special on Tesla.

There Is No Pie!

2011-12-12T09:20:00.004-06:00

Photo: Cato Institute

Wit and Wag P.J.O'Rourke takes a shot at one of the most enduring thoughts that disturbs many nights for the "99%" - the zero sum game. This belief, held by many, is that there is a fixed amount of anything. The only way someone can add to their pile of stuff is to take some away from another. Thus is borne the concept that the rich have stolen their treasures. As a manipulative strategy, it works wonders - create the Haves and the have-nots and make sure the have-nots believe that they could have more but for the Haves.

Re-distribution follows with a body, government, making the deal: "I'll go get the goodies due you from the bad Haves, but you'll have to give me some of your freedoms in order to do it." Historically, many folks surrender their unalienable rights for the prospect of having someone (government) insure their economic and social justice.

But that's not the way the universe operates - there is no "pie." Wealth is created, not taken from a "fixed" stock. The Hermetic adage "As Above, so Below; as Below, so Above" provides a format: The Universe is expanding - there's more Universe being created. There is, certainly from our limited perception, no end to creation. If that's the case with the "Above" then it's the case with us.

O'Rourke notes how his teenage daughter laments how "unfair" everything is. The Universe is rigorously fair due to the Law of Attraction. The physics of the universe keeps everything in perfect balance. Many folks are not comfortable with such thinking (indeed, they are uncomfortable because of their thinking) and must have someone/something to blame for their misery. Scapegoat, Devil, the Haves... But I digress. P.J. puts it nicely (audio file with commercial header and trailer).

Think for a moment of the difference between a zero-sum outlook and one that sees no "pie." The zero-sum folks live in a world of conflict - each must compete, seize, and hold his/her piece of the pie and make damn sure nobody else snatches some of their stuff. The "no pie" folks live in a world largely free of envy and resentment. The pursuit of happiness is the ruling norm and some people will make that pursuit with more or less zest than others. But, and this is the important but, the good, happiness, "stuff" available to anyone is not reduced by someone else gaining a good, happy or stuff.

The "no pie" people are able to divert their energy and attention to what they want and desire rather than surrendering their energy and attention to the envy and resentment of what others have. If you're not sure how the zero-sum envy thinking can interfere with daily living, visit this musing on a fellow who had a grudge against Bing Crosby.

The marvel in all of this is everyone's inherent freedom and ability to choose their thinking. This is news for many folks. Spread the word, it's their best road to happiness.

The Search for Bridey Murphy continues...

2011-12-07T08:34:00.001-06:00

...but this time perhaps he's found.

This is reassurng for many people. It is upsetting for many people. If genuine, and it seems to be, what could be upsetting? A Thought to go bump in the night.

Transfer Complete

2011-12-04T14:51:00.000-06:00

Every time I get into my car it talks to me. After a moment or two of silence, she states "Transfer complete." Most of the time I say "Thank you," and go on my way. Every now and then, however, I'll contemplate what happened.

What happens, of course, is the transfer of data from the cell phone in my pocket to the radio system in the car. This happens automatically. I don't have to do anything other than have my cell phone with me. The car and the phone then chat. I don't know which initiates the conversation.

What I do know is that for a moment or two, a lot of information passes through me. I'm sitting in the seat, minding my own business, and the phone and car are zapping the ether with high frequency signals. I know nothing of that. There is no sensation at all. The presence of this activity doesn't affect me at all. It does affect the ability of the car to receive any phone calls to me rather than the smaller phone and for me to make a call. I like that.

Then I realize that just about every other car out there has a cell phone constantly calling it's tower and satellite. Garmin, Magellan and Tom Tom are also communicating furiously with celestial presences by means of high frequency radio. None of this obstructs my vision or impairs the smooth operation of the car. And, as best I can determine, this barrage of energy doesn't bother others either. And I can punch a button and tell the car who I'd like to call.

This is our fourth dimension - the vibrational frequency of energy. Whether emitted from a dying star, spinning magnets powered by running water, or tiny battery and chips, we are surrounded by and live in an energy field. Fortunately, we are able to "tune in" to only a narrow range on that band of energy, and thus aren't overwhelmed. Thank you, brain.

On the other hand, what else is alive and active in the Universe that our protective brain censors, limits, or blocks? Dreams come to mind. What are emotions? What are hunches, conscience, and the "gut feeling?" What's being sensed in those cases?

I wonder if Garmin and allied fairies, elfs, gnomes and other historical mischief makers are allied? We created Garmin and her kin. What about the others? Are they in another channel, as in switch to another station? I certainly can't sense my phone and car doing their thing, but I do know it happens.

We can only perceive what we can perceive and everyone's perception is different. As no two people are alike, so are perceptions. What, then, is real? According to whose perception? Granted, most things in our three-dimensional experience are agreed upon, such as color, shapes, textures and motion. Yet you probably know of someone who has keener hearing than you. He or she is able to pick up (tune-in) to those frequencies the brain handles as "sound" on a range higher and/or lower than the range you are able to pick up. Same for vision. Some folks may be able to tune in to frequencies falling into the visible realm that are usually too high or low for most others. The effects of some drugs seem to stretch the ability of the brain to interpret frequency ranges usually blocked or filtered by the brain.

It hasn't happened yet, but I won't be surprised when one day, happily driving somewhere, when I'll look at the display a second or two before it lights up "Call from..." then sounds. I suspect you've done that through the years - look at the telephone just before it sounds. Somehow, someway, you tuned in to a frequency heralding the one used in telephonic communications. Kind of exciting, actually.

Appreciate Appreciation

2011-11-26T10:40:00.000-06:00

Just posted over at The Thinking Place an essay on Appreciation which is the text of a talk for Unity of Shreveport this weekend. The tag was timely...

"Over the Thanksgiving weekend, a Facebook friend posted a note to all about how she was enjoying giving thanks for the many wonderful components of her life. I couldn't resist commenting: It's fun to appreciate! To which she replied: It sure is!"

Really, it is fun to appreciate!

Even youngsters get it - appreciating a tree!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:50:00.000-06:00

Ancient Thoughts Keep Bumping in the Night

2011-11-23T09:48:00.000-06:00

Author and world traveler Graham Hancock continues to launch thoughts that go bump in the night. A dogged explorer of human evolution and civilization, Hancock weighs global commonalities in ancient petroglyphs. The motifs and patterns reoccur, oceans apart, showing identical images, patterns. How is this? Hancock presents a considered thesis - ancient individuals, entering altered states of conscious via drugs, witnessed the same spirit world. Thus a man in South Africa would describe the same other-wordly landscape/beings as would an ancient in Southwest USA, or France, or Australia. I can't think of any people whose ancient history does not include a free-flowing interchange between this world and that world. Perhaps such interaction was more common and personal in times past. Perhaps use of certain drugs affect DNA in such a manner as to become a "radio" tuner aligning frequencies, permitting the "man" to listen in, see, and perhaps even participate in the spirit world. Who knows? Shortly before his death Nobel Prize genius Crick admitted that he was high on LSD when he saw the DNA double helix. In this modern case, he certainly returned with knowledge, gained from, well, somewhere.

In this video, Hancock examines ancient rock art in the U.S. while chatting about identical marks, patterns, and themes around the world.

Images Through Time

2011-11-19T08:15:00.001-06:00

We like artifacts and other tangible items because they reinforce the continuum of human Life. Holding a flaked stone artifact gives me a "feel" for someone who lived a long, long time ago. Take a look at these old photographs - the oldest known images of folks, like us.

People are people. Over time, we get better and better (however that may be defined!)

(Hat tip: neoneocon)

Up Close, and Very Personal

2011-11-15T09:22:00.000-06:00

Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg has a lot to say, and show, about the cintinuum of Life:

The excerpts from "Wings of Life" begin at 3:17.

Take a Break.

2011-11-13T14:30:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just need to soak it up.

Put it on a loop for background. I like to listen to this while sleeping, on site, of course!

The Problem of Chief

2011-11-08T09:02:00.000-06:00

The little girl was distraught. Her mother couldn't understand why she kept crying and running to her room. This was a time for celebration. The mother happily informed her three children that their father had just made a Chief - a notable promotion in the Navy. But the little girl was frightened of the prospect. The mother made another attempt to explain to the youngster what this meant - a move to another city, probably a larger house so each child has their own room, and so on. Sniffling, the little one shook her head. "You can't fool me. I know what happens with a Chief, he goes to war!" Whatever she knew of her father and his profession paled beside the television and movie images of painted Native Americans riding into battle.

That true story took place decades ago, but the situation is timeless - people latch on to an idea, an image, and are unable to turn loose of it, even if it is in error. For a youngster, such as the little girl, the thought of living in the high desert of the Southwest and fighting was terrifying. She couldn't understand why her stupid brothers and mother thought that was a good idea. It ruined her day, several days, until finally her father returned and was able to help her understand that it was a promotion in rank and the word "Chief Petty Officer" was a title that had nothing to do with Hollywood western Chiefs. She settled down and began to understand how this was a good thing for the family. But until she had clarification, she was one miserable little girl.

Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night wonders how many folks are distraught because of their beliefs about a word, a phrase, or a concept? One candidate for such mischief is the word justice. Ask ten people what justice means and you'll get ten different answers.

Merriam-Webster's third definition of Justice is "Conformity to truth, fact, or reason." In this definition truth, fact, and reason are terms devoid of emotion. Justice, with respect to, say, gravity, indicates conformity (agreement or harmony) and thus no leaping off tall buildings. Gravity is what it is and acts as it does regardless of how one may interpret it. That's objective. Other interpretations of justice can be infused with emotion, generally with a powerful desire that some perpetrator (someone who's doing something we don't like) is punished.

Until there is acceptable punishment, in this belief, there can be no justice. A hundred lashes on gravity for making that woman fall down! Taken to an extreme, justice may become an irrational demand. A moment of thought on that will reveal the scope of opinion and beliefs about what justice can mean. One man's justice is another man's oppression.

There are other words that create angst among us due to the plethora of personal perceptions, a.k.a beliefs. Consider a few that instantly cause wailing and gnashing of teeth: God, Socialism, Rights, Freedom, and even, Happiness.

This is why Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night likes the statement by John Maynard Keynes - "When somebody persuades me that I am wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?" The corollary by Thoughts... is that "an irrational idea, passionately held, is still an irrational idea." The little girl ended her distress by learning the facts about what "Chief" meant. The same learning is available to everyone. But sometimes, some folks aren't sure what to ask for:

The six year old boy wanted desperately to enter a television contest whose winner received a pony. The lad calculated the amount of yard fenced in the back of the house and was sure the pony would fit. He carefully noted the instructions from the television show to enter the contest - send in your name, telephone number, and address. After a moment, the young fellow was distraught and tore through his closet and dresser. Finally, frustrated, he sought his mother, and asked if he could send in his name, telephone number, and a pair of pants? He didn't have a dress.

A Child Speaks!

2011-11-01T10:13:00.002-05:00

Anyone who's ever been around a two-year old has heard it. It's one of the most remarkable declarations of the human experience. It reverberates throughout every cell, every experience since the beginning, and every moment of everyday in every lifetime.

You ain't the boss of me!

The recipient of the declaration is sometimes a parent, more often an older sibling. But isn't it remarkable that someone with only two years experience on the planet is able to articulate the true relationship between self and everything else? (You said something to that effect as a toddler but, sadly, suppressed recollections of those key years.) Yet the spirit remains very aware. For instance:

You've got to do that!

For a fleeting instant, barely noticeable, but present none-the-less, was a bit of "shock" upon reading the previous sentence. The shock is the instinctive awareness that whoever/whatever issued the demand that "you've got to do that!" ain't the boss of you. You may or may not go along with the demand or conform to the behavior - that's your choice - but the instinct is a powerful reminder of the birthright of genuine freedom. That little flash of anger is a direct link with what some call our "higher" self - the part of us not energizing the body. Such links are recognized as emotions, a truly marvelous language.

As we live longer, and move away from our two-year-old self, we are barraged by thoughts, beliefs, and creations of others. It's how we learn, it's how we establish our relationship with all else. And that is fun. What's not fun is when we slip into forcing ourselves to think, believe, or act in a way contrary to our true nature. Our higher self gets our attention with negative emotions. The two-year old, not having "learned" how to "behave" feels that emotional communication sharply and expresses it immediately "you ain't the boss of me!" After a couple of decades, and certainly more, that emotional communication may not be understood for what it is and interpreted as a response to something another person has done to us.

"You ain't the boss of me!"

Of course the flip side is true. Good feeling emotions are communications that we are more aligned with our true nature. And, through the decades, it's possible to place those feelings in the same context as the negative, that is, interpreted as a response to something another person has done for us. The problem with the latter is becoming beholden to someone/something else for happiness and well being. That never works, because that is not the source of the desired state of being/feeling.

If we're not satisfied with current affairs and situations, then a first measure for improvement could be recognizing who we've allowed to be the boss of me, then, like our two-year old, assert the truth.

Aha!

2011-10-14T11:02:00.002-05:00

Why do you enjoy being around certain people? You know, you feel good when they're around. There's more energy and delight when they're around. The sensation is evident, but what's going on?

Induction

c: the process by which an electrical conductor becomes electrified when near a charged body, by which a magnetizable body becomes magnetized when in a magnetic field or in the magnetic flux set up by a magnetomotive force, or by which an electromotive force is produced in a circuit by varying the magnetic field linked with the circuit. (Merriam-Webster)

I've highlighted what I believe is the operative phrase - near a charged body. Electrical induction describes a process of transference of energy or force through space. This principle holds vast promise for accessing electricity. Even more important, it helps explain such elusive phenomena as "mental telepathy," the healing factor of "prayer," as well as the sensation felt when in the presence of a charged personality.

Presumptions include

· Energy is a vibration

· Thought is energy

· Vibration has a frequency

· Energy can be transmitted

The bottom line is that we are vibrational beings and being such, can participate in induction. There is value in feeling good - it has an effect on others. In a sense, the best thing you can do for someone is enjoy yourself. The reverse is also true - that you can be influenced by the frequencies emitted by others. This is the sensation of entering a building, a room, a structure and having a "sense" of it - either pleasant or dismal. Literally, it is vibrating, the vibrations at least in part the result of induction from other people. Now, this gets to be fun when we realize this means we have a degree, perhaps a lot, of control over our experience.

Thought is the most inherent component of ourselves and we have the ability to chose, select if you will, how we think. The way we think affects our interpretation of what we sense around us and how we project to others. The implications are marvelous.

Physicist Dr. John Hagelin goes into the details:

Been Doin' Some Work...

2011-10-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

...at my favorite place. Soon to have a couple of books at the Kindle Store (once I get the hang of formatting manuscripts.)

It's about time...

2011-09-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

Thinking About Thoughts

2011-09-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

It's said that every thought, ever thought, exists. Granted, that celestial repository is elusive, but not necessarily impossible. Is it possible that the energy produced by thinking imprints a quantum fabric so fine that, like our nose, looms before us?

We humans have always wanted to preserve our observations, knowledge, and wisdom. The universe may do that by default and perhaps some of our distant ancestors knew this. But in the meantime, they had to invent language - to translate thoughts "inside the head" to the ears of those apart. Then they told stories, and their children re-told the stories and so on. Yet, as with every generation, since Eden, the youth were sending their inheritance to hell in a hand basket. To protect the integrity of their thoughts they learned to inscribe symbols in stone or other more permanent manner. Let the foolish youth mess with that! There was value in having previous thoughts (aka learning) available. As one wag put it, "invent the wheel once, not a gazillion times." But I digress.

Now our thoughts are kept for what may be a forever in the cloud of cyber space. Recently I read some emails sent long ago from my late father. His gentle and delightful musings exist, available to those with access. I had to think of our own postings on Facebook, Twitter, emails, and such, placed in that weird realm of frequency imprint. In that sense, thoughts have become immortal.

That realization prompts the admonition "post not that which you may regret." Not quite an edict from a prophet, but it seems to have common ground with the ancient adages - be deliberate in your thinking for it lives beyond your temporal experience. Your grandmother told you that - if you can't say something nice about someone then don't say anything at all. Or, as your humble writer would posit, what do you want as a result of your thinking? It's a heady thought.

In a sense we are the product of who-knows-how-long of thinking. We're adding to that body of thought/energy. What do we want? What kind of world do we wish to bestow upon the upcoming generation? What labors to invent another wheel may be spared? They'll create their own world, as we created ours, for sure.

Yet, when considering all that we've thought, from a higher realm, it would be nice to know that our efforts, our thoughts, helped create a better life experience. That can only be accomplished now - in this moment. I'm sure my late parents are doing that in their own manner. It just may be that the celestial frequency is getting closer and closer...

The Edit Heard Around the World

2011-09-10T09:56:00.002-05:00

Benjamin Franklin perused the draft of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. The young Jefferson had hit the crux of the matter: We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There was a problem, he thought, with the great truths.

If they are sacred, then they would be sacred only to those whose beliefs recognized such. Anything can be denied. After all, there were still those who believed the Earth to be flat. The truths of creation were more than sacred and undeniable. They were self-evident. The inherent truth of every person's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is obvious, it requires no teaching or training to comprehend. Every born child knows it.

What the Congress was seeking, Franklin knew, was a statement transcending man made law that would appeal to and be understood by anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Franklin drew a line through sacred & undeniable and wrote instead self-evident. It was quite possibly the most important edit in history.

Self-evident. No more would a person's life experience be determined by whatever benefit or privilege was granted by a capricious earth ruler, theology, or regime. The fundamental Right of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness was knowable to all. No longer would any person owe his being to another. It was an earth-shaking reality that terrified tyrants. On September 11, 2001 the earth shook, an aftershock of the declaration of self-evident truth.

On that Tuesday I was at work, but planning to take off the remainder of the week on a camping excursion to Arkansas to work on a novel. There was a buzz, a murmur, going around the various offices. A colleague had a mini-television in her office and was watching the news. She reported that an airplane had crashed into the world trade center in New York. Bizarre, I thought. Although huge, all but the most disabled aircraft should be able to avoid them and land in the water. I went back to my office to clear up my desk.

The second plane struck the other tower. That's no accident. That's an attack. The 21st century was inaugurated with its own Pearl Harbor. My concern went to my daughter who was in Queens, and to friends who worked in Manhattan. Calls and e-mails went out. A young nephew called attention to the obvious: 911 - the date and the emergency call number. I hadn't recognized that until then.

The low-pressure dread in my gut was that my daughter, and her generation, had been violated and thrust into a war as had my parents. My generation were mostly the "cold warriors" whose focus was preventing nuclear war. The Berlin wall came down. Then, the USSR crumbled. Maybe, just maybe the toils of the 20th century were setting the stage for freedom throughout the world - the heritage of those self-evident truths. Yet I know, as an amateur historian, that the struggle for freedom from tyranny is a never-ending cycle, in fact, it seems to be the human drama as individuals learn the truth of their identity and their Rights by relation to the Creator.

The decade since the suicidal attacks on the United States has resulted in more, not less, freedom on Earth. "We, the People" are global. The self-evident rights transcend the repression of tyranny, secular and religious, even in the most dangerous neighborhoods on the planet. I am optimistic. The future of the USA is wonderful. More and more other people learn their self-evident nature and free society expands. 911 is all about freedom. Freedom triumphs.

And, thank you, Dr. Franklin, for your contribution.

Artifacts from the 9-11-2001 attack

There Was A Time...

2011-09-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

There was a time

when there wasn’t

although I can’t remember

when it was.

When, then and now,

to be, a thing unthought.

All present and accounted for

in an array of life compressed

knowing that once

it was expanse.

Occasionally we can touch

that link in life

when our prattling succumbs

to the Truth of the present

and we realize, perhaps,

that we are what was.

And is.

And shall remain.

History is composed of the actions of the present, remembered after a while. People are pretty much the same in any time or place, therefore it’s of value to study the past and learn the evolution of thought. The Gnome suggested that I think back as far as I could. I did. This was the result.

Thinking, again...

2011-09-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

CREATION

To learn of the wonders of creation

and its beauty

take three steps

turn around

and look yourself in the eyes.

This verse caught the Gnome off guard. He spent three nights turning around in circles.

Score one for humans!

The Beast Perspective

2011-08-22T14:48:00.000-05:00

Perspective - you beast!
How dare you foil a simple mind
and confuse settled thinking
with an expanse of Life
without time.

Been pondering time, again...

Having Fun and Living Longer

2011-08-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

...well, that's the gist of what Neoneocon has discovered. At any rate, it's a Thought to run through the Night...

Good Intentions going Bump in the Night

2011-08-01T12:40:00.008-05:00

I wasn't surprised to read Therapy can exacerbate trauma andmake things worse according to a study looking at the counseling given to NewYorkers in the aftermath of 9/11. Trauma therapy, as it's often referenced, is always a delicate matter. Immediately after the levees broke in New Orleans, following the surge produced by hurricane Katrina, federal monies flooded into Louisiana to hire counselors to work with those presumed suffering from that trauma. No word yet on how that worked.

One of the themes of this blog is that whatever someone gives their mental/emotional attention too, he/she will experience more of the same. It's self-evident. For example, many folks practicing the "Complaint Free" exercise to reduce complaining (and have more problem solving) find that they are sensitive to complaining in general, and especially from those people closest to them. All those other folks aren't bitchin' and moaning more, it's that the person is more sensitive to complaining. A victim of a crime will be more aware of other victims of crimes and criminals in general. And that's the tricky thing with counselors working with people who "suffered" trauma. How to help find relief without inducing more suffering by focusing on the trauma.

An old practice "find relief" is to "relive the trauma." If it is the client/patient who insists on revisiting the event, then perhaps there is some relief to be found. There is always concern, when a clinician insists the client/patient relive the trauma, about the ensuing therapy.

The adage is to "get over it, and get going" with life. Such a person, who has experienced something beyond what is considered "normal" in the life of a human being, may very well want to restore normalcy and get on with their life. Moving on, so to speak, is difficult if the mental and emotional attention is stuck on the traumatic event. That's what grief is for. It works. But it works in time.

The Spiral of Time

Imagine Time as a three-dimensional spiral. This moment is a point at the base of the spiral. As you move along the spiral of time, in one year you will be above this moment. In another year, you will be above that moment. And on and on. Let's imagine that Jane is suddenly informed that her beloved Granny, who raised her, has died suddenly.

The sudden death of Granny is the loss event, the defining point in Jane’s spiral. Jane’s world is shattered and she experiences a high degree of pain and suffering from the loss of her very important person. Her preoccupation with the loss serves as a base line, what I call the Dwell Line. This is the point where Jane is immobilized by the shock of the loss. The Dwell Line represents a high degree of preoccupation with the loss, which intrudes into all other facets of her life.

Using time, Jane can adjust and compensate for the loss. In the best scenario, as time passes, she will gain more confidence to go on with her life. The anniversary of Granny’s death will be a powerful trigger for Jane. It is natural that she experiences sadness, hurt, and loss when the memory of Granny, and her sudden exit, is active. But she can free herself from the intensity by letting time work for her.

When Jane approaches the anniversary she is already above and beyond the level of pain and suffering on the Dwell Line. This doesn’t erase the memory or the sadness, but it is not nearly as intense. This is the goal. This is Grief and Habituation in action.

Many years after the event, Jane may not recognize why she is feeling odd, sad, moody or whatever. She may be approaching the anniversary of Granny’s death. Even if her conscious mind doesn’t recognize this, her former habits and patterns can.

When Jane recognizes that her memory of the loss of Granny is active, she has greater freedom to choose her actions. She does not deny the loss, she learns to manage it. She uses time to gently replace the habits and patterns associated with Granny—habits and patterns that have served their purpose—with new ways of living: A life without Granny.

If you can acknowledge the negative emotions and experiences associated with the loss at the base or Dwell Line, then you gain a method to measure your improvement. Pick a loss, any loss. Remember how you first reacted. Stunned. Preoccupied. Scared to death. Immobilized. How would you rate the level of those feelings today? The fact that you can do so indicates that grief works.

If Jane is unable or unwilling to move beyond the Dwell Line, she will remain stuck in that pain, depression and sorrow regardless of how much time passes. Jane will encounter the anniversary dates all right, but the intensity of the pain will stay the same. It is as if she never left the moment of Granny’s death.

She missed the ride on the Spiral of Time. Hopefully, well-intentioned others will not keep such a Jane from catching that ride.

You Really Hope this is Real

2011-07-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

The implications are enormous.

You gotta hope this is real. I'd call it the Universe Machine.

More Complaining...

2011-07-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well, not complaining, but once again taking up the subject of how reducing complaining can end up helpling you feel better. Rather than restate earlier musings, here's a link to the latest text. The Fourth of July time is always a good time to celebrate life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happy Fourth!

I Can't Resist...

2011-06-28T18:31:00.001-05:00

Okay, I realize that not everyone gets excited about a cotton-tail who hangs out in the yard. You may remember when the tiny, yes, tiny Bunny appeared just before Easter this year, and was thus titled the official Easter Bunny.

A precious little fellow who was very tolerant of us two legged mammals wandering around his domain. In the ensuing months Bunny sightings continued, even as he munched on whatever it is that sprouts between some of the patio stones. Surprisingly, he continued to make the Green House (the tool shed in the back yard) his hangout as he grew larger (relatively, of course.)

So, it was a delight, and a bit of a surprise, when we noticed yesterday the sudden appearance of his new, er, girl friend?

I managed to get a quick shot of them leaving the porch. The Easter Bunny, near to the porch, is obviously delighted to have a new friend.

To be continued...

A Momentary Disturbance

2011-06-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

The over-the-stove microwave died. It worked just fine reheating a grilled bratwurst for breakfast. But later, when she went to heat something, it did nothing. Door wouldn't close, tray didn't move, light wouldn't go out...no response. Alas, it had been a good decade or so.

It'll be a week before the replacement unit arrives and is installed. As was said, you never miss the water until the well runs dry. It hit me - no microwave. No popcorn. No quick nachos. No quick hot water for an afternoon coffee. No...the list grew. Now, like yourself, I survived quite well for numerous decades without microwaves. Although, like the fax machine, I'm not sure how I managed. Heck, I even get a bit nervous when cell phone coverage hits a dead zone. Truly, thoughts that go bump in the night.

The "problems" and challenges for life that we face in the 21st century are so far removed from a mere generation or two. There's an email making the rounds for some time that looks back a hundred years and snap-shots some situations from 1911 with PunditGeorge commentary:

· The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was only 30 . It IS in the middle of the desert, you know.

· Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet. You have to wonder how they managed, day to day.

· There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day. Many good ideas are in the future.

· Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. No data on "common sense" which I suspect was more abundant then.

· Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Sometimes I think some folks are working night and day to totally eliminate "over the counter."

· Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" Have to wonder about the clinical trials

Percy Spencer

· Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help. Ah, love those labor-saving appliances. Thank you, electricity, Mister Tesla, Mister Edison, Mr. Westinghouse, and Percy Spencer - the man who discovered microwaves cook things.

That last note is important. I love popcorn. A couple of decades ago I was featured in a newspaper story on popcorn - and how best to pop it. This was just before the magic of micro-waved popcorn hit. Popcorn aficionados would debate stove top, electric popper, air popper and mixtures of oils and salts (nothing, of course, bested movie popcorn) but most, moi aussi, surrendered to the superior microwave process. And so it has been.

Until this week.

Like riding a bicycle, I know how to do it, the ancient way. But, oh well, it's only a few days. Meanwhile I can breezily gaze a century hence and envision what marvels await. Now that's fun...while waiting for the popcorn.

UPDATE: Prepping fresh corn on the cob last night when we realized...no microwave to steam it in. So, back to ancient methods: Boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat, sit for ten minutes. Mucho goodo!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

John Dickson Sewell

Now I understand why I prefer aviator sun glasses...

Memorial Day

2011-05-29T08:01:00.003-05:00

Indeed, today is a wonderful gathering of family and friends in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to cheer, delight, honor, and embrace the wonderful life of Juanita "Dink" Sewell, Oct. 6, 1929 - May 23, 2011. PunditGeorge has been away from the blog of late for this reason.

After Two Seasons - Hollyhocks!

2011-05-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

The garden obviously hasn't gotten the word it's in a draught.

Fine Tuning

2011-05-03T12:36:00.002-05:00

Everyone thinks. Many are aware that they are thinking. Some are aware that they influence the thoughts they are thinking. And, there are those who select their thoughts as carefully as they choose their clothing, food, beverages, automobile, electronics, and so on. This last bunch are probably having a good life.

The more folks are aware of their thinking, the more likely it’s understood that thoughts, like birds of a feather, do in fact collect/draw/attract/flock together. It’s self-evident. Getting out of the wrong side of the bed comes to mind. When it rains, it pours. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Thinking is the most natural process of living. Like gravity, it's pervasive and inescapable. Also, like gravity, we may not fully understand what it is and why it does what it does, but we know how to make use of it. Isn’t that enough? Leaping off tall buildings sans parachute has a predictable (and verifiable) end. Thinking about that gives rise to the idea of the parachute or glider and, suddenly, gravity is used to propel someone rather than smash them. Thinking in action.

Fine-tuning thinking is fun. Fun, in the sense, that it produces results. Fine-tuning thinking is the process of aligning the conscious thought more precisely with the desire of the person. For one desiring a happy, satisfying life, aligning the thinking with that desire is more likely to produce (create, if you will) similar situations/conditions/people for the thinker. That’s just the way it works. Yet fine tuning can be mischievous – it turns out that despite the best intention, the thought is still linked to something unwanted, or feared (it is impossible to feel good and bad at the same time.)

For instance, many positive folks are grateful for their blessings, family, friends, health, _____fill in the blank. And truly, such gratitude is light years away from thoughts of despair and distress. So, how would one “fine tune” gratitude?

Substitute the word appreciation for gratitude. To be grateful carries an implication of an exodus – escape from some unwanted condition or situation. “I’m grateful for my health (because I used to be sick” or, “because I could become ill.”) “I’m grateful for this food (because it was no fun when I didn’t have enough food or hated what I had to eat.) To appreciate is simply to look upon something pleasing and delight in it. Period. No strings attached, no beseeching a deity, no covering the bases. Feel the difference:

“I’m grateful for you.”

“I appreciate you.”

Although appreciation is a delicate word, it is a more powerful thought. That means the thoughts are attracting more of their kind rapidly. The more one appreciates, the more there seems to be to appreciate, and since appreciation is feeling joyful, the more joyful is a person.

Some other fine-tuning:

Motivation? Or, Inspiration? Motivation comes from an external force (or fear) while Inspiration comes from within. One acts with enthusiasm when inspired. Would you rather be motivated to do something, or inspired to do something? More joy is likely with inspiration.

Which do you prefer - to be controlled? Or, to be influenced? When thinking of others and situations, is the thought one of control? If I can get him/her/it to act right/behave, etc., then I'll feel better. How many people have thought that of you? Did it work? Controlling someone/something is always a struggle. To influence someone/something is quite different. Much more subtle, no struggle, influence implies an internal response.

Stubborn? Or, Persistent? I know, many folks still harbor that adage that “stubborn is a virtue.” It isn’t. Stubborn is a thought and act of resistance. Resistance by definition means impeding flow. Stubborn is a struggle, and the struggle creates heat, which can burn and destroy. I suspect when people (mis) use the term stubborn, they are really meaning their desire to persist. To persist is to remain focused on a desired outcome or creation. That’s a huge difference from stubbornness. To be persistent is to use focus (thinking; mental attention) to step towards the goal. The goal always is something which, when obtained, or achieved, makes the person feel better. In a sense, to persist is to “go with the flow” of thought and energy, while stubborn is to resist and struggle. Both are available.

Gratitude Appreciation

Motivation Inspiration

Stubborn Persistent
Control Influence

The columns line up, birds of a feather…

Hitting the Pause Button

2011-04-22T08:50:00.001-05:00

The phone chirped (or rang as one used to say) while I was engrossed in a program on television. What to do? Hit the pause button and take the call - from a friend, according to caller ID.

I stopped time. Thanks to the DVR, the program would "wait" for me. What fun to manipulate the universal laws!

It's quite easy to find something to marvel at these days. Marveling is fun - it's a form of appreciation. There's a lot to appreciate these days. I'm a plodding technological dinosaur, I confess. The pocket calculator still fascinates me.

A recent visit with two nieces disturbed my thinking towards getting a Kindle. As teachers, they know things. I love to read, and spend a couple of hours doing so most days. But reading without, er, books?

As Yakov Smirnoff says, "is this a great country or what?"

Julius Caesar could have read the ancient texts with a Kindle (or similar device.) The Universe has not added new laws or substances since that time. Everything needed to produce the Kindle (which is a result of decades of marvelous advances in electronics, data storage, space exploration, etc.) existed thousands of years ago. Yet Caesar didn't have it. Why now?

I have to think the inalienable rights are more in play now than ever in known history. Freedom to think and pursue happiness - pursuit of happiness certainly includes new and better ways to download music, or books, and take them anywhere. The American Garage continues to spawn great ideas.

Marvelous. Simply marvelous.

Is this a great country, or what?

You know it's spring...

2011-04-13T15:06:00.002-05:00

...when the Easter Bunny shows up.

I couldn't resist this post.

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-07T12:16:00.001-05:00

The old German word lent refers to the swing season of spring when life reaffirms itself following dormancy during winter. There is an almost instinctive drive to clean up, re-order, toss out, etc. in many arenas. Two words are often used for this process: Sacrifice and Fasting. To sacrifice is to give up something of value to appease whatever forces are in play to ensure continued benevolence. Fasting is at first a self-denial of sustenance, but also a period for the body to eliminate unhealthy substances.

The mischief is in the perspective – even if one cheerfully “sacrifices” deserts the sheer concept of sacrifice places the emphasis on the desire and value of the desert (or whatever delight is to be surrendered.) The absence of the desired is strengthened, which conflicts with the desire (which is one reason why dieting tends to fail.)

Fasting has a long history of helping bring clarity to thinking and, when this is occurring, it happens naturally and on it’s own. That is, when one is joyful in thought (a.k.a. prayer, meditation, appreciation, devotion) it is quite likely that the demands of the body for food, water, etc., will reduce. The converse is, however, untrue – “I fast, therefore I am holy.” There seems to be a tendency for evolved spiritual folks to eat mostly (if not exclusively) plants. The vibrational level of their experience doesn’t resonate with animal flesh as food. It’s neither right nor wrong, just what it is.

The practice of sacrifice and fasting can help mightily with joyful living. Sacrifice something you don’t wish to have part of your life. If that is an odd thought, then ponder the belief that equates “sacrifice” only with something of value or desired. Why not “sacrifice” illness? Or “not enough money,” or “unhappy ______ (fill in the blank.)” When one is aware of what is not wanted, it means that the concept of what is wanted is more clear. So, give thought to what is desired.

Same for fasting. To really be effective, move the “fasting” to thinking. No need to deny the body food and drink or go hungry or, well, you get the idea. Mentally fast negative and disturbing thoughts. If you’re scratching your head with that, consider Complaint Free living, as an example. Moving thinking and conversation from complaining (emphasizing deficiencies) to a new perspective on facts, takes the same effort as the old style fasting, but has beaucoup payoff.

Regardless of how one interprets and practices “sacrifice and fasting” the effect is still to produce more of what is given attention. Think about the lack/suffering and there will be more lack and suffering. Think about abundance and delight and there will be more prosperity and delight. Those who resonate with those lofty concepts will have that experience. Those who don’t get it, can’t get it. At least for now.

What on Earth is Going On?

2011-03-23T11:19:00.000-05:00

Evolution.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, wars and rumors of war, passions running wild, discomfort, edgy, irritable, unsettled, angry, agitated…yeap, looks to me as if there’s a whole lot of change going on bumping the hell out of many nights.

End of the world, 2012, doom and gloom, and other such anticipations are but the latest summaries of the evolution of mankind and thought. As aptly put, plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. Indeed, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The battles and conflicts splashing over the internet, television, phones and all communications are nothing new. What is unique is the sheer number of folks walking around the planet contributing their thinking/emotional state to the mix. That’s a lot of energy.

I’m optimistic.

Evolution is not a circle, not a destination, it’s a spiral process. We know how our planet, solar system, and Life cycles – always in motion, but – the important aspect – always morphing into something better. Among human affairs there is nothing more wrenching than releasing an old belief to begin a new thinking. Tenth century practices are totally lost in twenty-first century speed and openness. Personal responsibility for thoughts and decisions trumps a nefarious devil creating mischief.

Nothing is occurring that hasn’t happened before, many times. We’re just a bit further up on the evolutionary spiral. And there are a lot more of us contributing.

Be Happy! Live Longer!

2011-03-03T15:41:00.001-06:00

Like the full moon drawing out luny behavior, somethings are just "known" without ever being "proven." Happy people live longer is one of those. You suspect it, if for no other reason than miserable people often desire an escape from torment. It's the how that stumps folks. Then again, it might be simple:

"A new study led by a Michigan State University business scholar suggests customer-service workers who fake smile throughout the day worsen their mood and withdraw from work, affecting productivity. But workers who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts – such as a tropical vacation or a child’s recital – improve their mood and withdraw less."

The link includes such mischief as "Look on the Bright Side" from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Although attributed to Abraham Lincoln (but something for certain Benjamin Franklin would endorse) is that a person is about as happy as he/she makes up their mind to be. Mortgaging your happiness (or well-being) to someone or something else is a B A D investment. It never pays off. Happy, it appears, is not something that is conjured by external events or others. Happy is a state of Being of appreciation and delight.

I know, I know, those who get it, get it. Those who don't, can't.

Put China and the Middle East on Pause...

2011-02-19T15:44:00.002-06:00

...ignore Wisconsin (for the moment) and enjoy the real fireworks!

World Class fireworks at EPCOT celebrating a kinder, gentler planet

Dreams burst over Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom

Just back from a week at Disney.

At least we got to see her...

2011-02-06T08:43:00.001-06:00

...in Houston last year. So it seems the Beauty of Xiaohe, a remarkably preserved 4,000 year old female mummy who lived in what is now western China, will not complete her tour of the United States. The Secrets of the Silk Road exhibition is stunning, as we know from seeing it at the Houston Museum of Natural Science last fall. However, it seems the powers that be in China are suddenly queasy with such evidence of a different racial history for that region. That's a thought that goes bump in the night and another reinforcement to visit the museums, the historical sites, the heritage areas and such. In a sense, seeing is believing. The Beauty of Xiaohe was a tall (six foot), finely featured, caucasian with lush auburn hair. Her mummified remains clearly show that.

Serious Time Travel

2011-01-27T18:57:00.002-06:00

Well, wouldn't you know it. Not a week after I saw the marvelous IMAX film about the Hubble at the Sci-Port, NASA releases news of the latest additions to the celebrated instrument, that of the Wide Field Camera 3. And what to its wondering infrared eye should appear? But the oldest known light in the Universe. The object, a compact galaxy of blue stars whose light took 13.2 billion years to reach us, is one of the early manifestations following what is called the "Big Bang."

The object may or may not "be there" now. It is, after all, only photons emitted from that instant 13.2 billion years ago, that we, rather the Hubble, is able to "see." It's always a curious to ponder the night sky. What we see is light emitted from a long ago past, as we recognize it. In a sense, it's all illusion - as much as a projected movie. Still, it's quite a show. And well worth the admission.

What do you do?

2011-01-15T17:36:00.001-06:00

"You have an awesome ability to change your thinking, attitudes, and perceptions about the people and circumstances in your life. Economist John Maynard Keynes summed it up - When somebody persuades me that I am wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?

Indeed, what do you do? The ability to change your thinking is a wonderful skill. As with any skill, it can be learned, practiced, and even mastered.

Those who can’t manage a change in their thinking, or their perception of the world around them, can find themselves in a number of tricky situations:

Fighting needless battles - not against the world, but against themselves

Investing tremendous energy, time, and expense attempting to solve the wrong problem

Working very hard for success but not getting the expected emotional payoff

Frustration when the same unwanted event or situation happens over and over..."

It's been over a decade since I wrote that opening to the first edition of Habits, Patterns, and Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night. I stand by it still. Of course, Epictetus thought pretty much the same, and a long time ago, with his observation that people are not disturbed by things so much as the view they have of them. In essence, their perspective - how a person interprets an observation determines whether they are distressed or not. Perhaps a variation of the half-full/empty glass.

A more active way of putting the same thought is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That is an ancient teaching and is often presented as the law and everything else as commentary. It is quite possibly the finest philosophy yet conceived. The perception, the action (thought, belief), the context lies with the person, and it will be produced (created, attracted) in the person experience. Therein lies the creative power. Treat everyone (and everything in my version) as you would treat yourself. That approach will create a more joyful life. This is freedom.

Yet in a universe of polarity (opposites) there is the flip-side, which goes something like do unto others as they would have you do unto them. This is dramatically different - "others" must inform you how you should treat them (and woe to you if you fail.) This is subjugation. This philosophy is what I suspect Keynes considered with his question What do you do? These are the stubborn, demanding that people and environments conform to their desires. It was also noted in Habits, Patterns... that stubborn is not a virtue - it is a rigid state that sees the half-empty glass and is pissed that no one is filling it up. With that interpretation it's understandable why such person is unhappy, onary, irritated and generally not enjoying his/herself.

Ultimately it is a matter of choice. If something you have believed turns out to be in error, what are you going to do?

Some shoot the messenger.

Others enjoy the freedom of a new belief.

A Complaint Free 2011

2011-01-01T09:18:00.002-06:00

If there must be a resolve for the new year, then this is it. If it can be managed, every other good and desired thing will fall into place.

Happy New Year!

Thoughts on Happiness

2010-12-27T18:16:00.000-06:00

Happiness does not come from external situations, conditions, or people. You choose whether you are happy. Either you are happy Being or you are not.

Happiness

is wherever you are

doing what ever you are doing

at any given moment.

Sooooo, who decides if you should be happy, and what’s best for you?

On one side are folks who answer quickly: “I decide if I am happy.” On the other side are folks who answer quickly “I decide if you should be happy.” It’s easy to see why there appears to be so much struggle and angst – those two positions are polarity – opposite ends, and as such, repel each other. Which are you?

Are you choosing to be happy? Or, are you waiting for someone or something else's approval or permission in order to feel happy?

What we call happiness is another way of describing a dominant feeling or emotional state. It’s on the high end towards JOY, which appears to be as delightful a state of being as we can manage at the moment in our spiritual evolution. We equate JOY with LOVE.

People often describe their happiness in terms of loving and being loved. Indeed, we do feel happy when we are loved and we feel happy when we love. This is unconditional love, no strings attached. That which we call Love cannot have conditions or strings for if they are present, it is not love, but something else.

I like to substitute the word APPRECIATION for Love. They are virtually synonymous. Yet when we appreciate someone or something there's no "exchange" necessary - what are you going to do for me? Appreciation is just that - a positive, uplifting, joyful feeling of enjoying the focus of your appreciation. Simple.

Sometimes folks fuss about how silly this concept is - Choose happiness or choose whatever and it'll happen. They don't believe in magic. Me neither. It's not magic. It's physics. You KNOW how it WORKS because you choose and create your experience every moment.

An example: You decide you would enjoy dining out. You make a decision that you will go out to eat and at once you begin drawing to you all the resources necessary to create that desire. You select a time, you choose what restaurant, you may invite a friend or someone who you believe would enjoy dining out as much as you. You determine the means of exchange for the meal (a.k.a cash, credit, debit card), and time passes, moving you closer to the event. And then you go out to eat - having determined how you would get there physically - you drove your car this time.

This IS creation, this IS how it works. You DO it constantly, you are good at it. What we often miss, is that we CAN create our level of joy, our experience, just as easily as we can create a dining experience, or shopping experience, or going to work experience, or, well, anything.

DON’T WORRY! BE HAPPY!

2010-12-14T13:05:00.004-06:00

“Yeah, riiiight…” “If you’re not worrying, you don’t understand the situation…”

Okay, we’ve all been there – had some irritatingly cheerful soul spout some nonsense about “don’t worry…think positive” or some such grating platitude, when we’re tangled with a situation that scares us. What’s wrong with the goody-goody unicorn rainbow person that he/she doesn’t get it! I’ve got to worry about it, because if I don’t…”

Stop it right there. “I’ve GOT to worry about it, because if I don’t…” Then what? What WILL happen should you STOP worrying about something?

Is a loved one suddenly going to wreck their life because you stopped worrying?
Is some situation going to crater or explode because you stopped worrying?
Is someone going to think less of you if you stop your suffering on account of someone else?

Well, maybe the last one. But then, maybe that's a relationship to re-consider...

What IS worry, anyway? Worry is creating something you do not want. It’s that simple. Worry is the desperate action of focusing your thinking on something that you fear and do not want. Now, how on earth does that thinking improve anything? It doesn’t. It only increases your awareness of what else is “wrong” or “un-desired.” It’s very easy to worry about a mole hill - then find yourself under a mountain avalanche of grief.

The mental action we call “worry” is an energy launched at something that scares us. “Oh, gosh, I sure hope Fred doesn’t eat too many sweets over the Holidays, it’s bad for his health.” “The weather is terrible, I’m afraid Jane will have a wreck!” Of course the mental activity can be more nebulous and manifest as a chronic dis-ease regarding certain people or situations. I’ve even heard of physical manifestations – warts – in particular.

Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something!

Calvin Coolidge got it right. “If you see ten troubles coming down the road,” he said, “you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you and you have to battle with only one of them.” With an outlook like that, it’s easy to understand why Silent Cal was seldom anxious. Unfortunately, many people see the ten troubles and leap into action ten different ways. Some, fifteen or twenty – a typhoon of diffused activity.

Some Thoughts on Worry:

Worry has been described as the interest paid on trouble before it falls due or actually arrives. Many people go through the day paying a very high interest rate on their perceived troubles.

Worry is a part of the natural response to fear. Worry is a mental activity that attempts to satisfy an instinct to do something.

Worry feeds on indecision. Worry flourishes when someone perceives that he/she has no defense against the threat. Perceives sounds a lot like believes. The greater the worry, the more fearful a person feels about the situation. Worry in itself accomplishes nothing. But it sure burns up a lot of mental and emotional energy.

The above are notes in progress for a talk on Worry next week. All in all, it boils down to deliberately choosing where you focus your immediate mental attention. It's amazing how concerned many folk are regarding what they eat, or drink, or wear, or drive...but remain so casual about what and how they think!

A Good Morning "DUH!"

2010-12-08T08:34:00.001-06:00

Just in time for Christmas! John Stossel pegs a "root cause" of poverty world-wide. It is a thought, once fully understood, banging around and disturbing the night for many. Catch it in his JWR column.

Well, why not?

2010-12-07T13:35:00.001-06:00

I made it a point
to smile one day
in spite of all around.
Grousing vanished,
moaning faded,
and complaining walked away.

No matter what,
I could see beyond
and glimpse the inner core,
and that was a smile indeed.

After a while
those happy in their grief
stood further away,
and I had a marvelous day.

Guess who was grinning?

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T15:02:00.003-06:00

Not only is autumn my favorite time of year, I adore the series of three major Holidays in the United States: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. I interpret the trio as Appreciation, Expectation, and Celebration.

Appreciation is one of our most powerful expressions. Any time we appreciate something (a.k.a. being thankful or grateful, although these words carry a bit of baggage) we elevate our consciousness to a grander vista. Perspective alters, and a greater awareness of Creation is gained.

Expectation is the trademark of Christmas. Yes, yes, the Historical Jesus was probably born in the spring under the sign of Pices (got to be a reason for the fish in early Christianity) and the Winter Soltice was already a popular celebration. Hope and expectation are hallmarks of the teachings of Jesus. The giving and receiving of gifts has evolved as a trait of the ancient Mass.

And, of course, the thrill of beginning anew, which by our calendar we do every January first. Let by-gones be gone, and a new future unfold. That's something the celebrate.

For sure, it's a joyous time. Or it can be. Perhaps, should be. This is not a time of suffering, of denial, of dearth and death, although it's often approached as such. Thanksgiving is a celebration of abundance, not lack. Christmas is empowerment through spirit. The New Year is freedom.

Yet some folks are miserable. They look about them and see pain, suffering, failure, sickness and so forth. They cannot feel good while so many suffer. They often expect others, then, to make a sacrifice to help the unfortunate. Check to make sure you're not carrying into the season an erroneous sense of "sacrifice." Mis-understood, that's a word that cheats people of joy, albeit with good intentions (did someone say road to hell?)

The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary defines sacrifice as "A refining process that is constantly going on in consciousness." Always, the action is within. To make a sacrifice is not to "give up" something cherished (talk about a fast track for self anger!) but instead to refine consciousness (back to the appreciation thing.)

For instance: Is it possible to sacrifice your health for a sick person to get well? Although I suspect many a parent/husband/wife has wished to be able to remove a loved one’s pain and suffering by absorbing it. That’s compassion. But it’s not possible. You simply cannot “give” your health to another. Your pain, your illness, your suffering will not somehow make another healthy.

By the same token "sacrificing" or deliberately choosing to do without something you like and desire is not going to improve anyone else's life experience. It doesn't matter what the motivation to do without is, such as guilt and its cousin obligation, a diminished you doesn't benefit another.

Appreciate all that makes up your experience, right here, right now. That's good for all of us, especially when you enjoy the holidays.

As always, John Stossel has a take on Thanksgiving worth noting.

Seek, Find, be Disturbed, then Prevail

2010-11-17T08:12:00.001-06:00

This post will be enlarged in bits, but for the moment, John Stossel disturbs some prevailing thinking.

And, far, far away the little rover that could, and did, far beyond expectations, hasn't been heard from for over eight months which means it's, well, not going to send anymore data. Forty years ago such a venture was hardly conceivable. Now that's Spirit.

Spirit on Mars, RIP Nov. 2010

An Exception to the Rule

2010-11-03T08:02:00.001-05:00

Update: Some good thinking here regarding what truly works and doesn't in a society.

***

This blog deals with thinking - personal and collective - and is not usually a current events, political, or social commentary.

However, there were a host of "thoughts going bump in the night" November 2, 2010.

"...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." Thomas Jefferson.

The Constitution has proven its worth. Indeed, the tree of Liberty has been refreshed, but with the votes of patriots rather than blood.

WE, the People, have used our Constitution to throw out the bums in Congress that do not listen. What has transpired across the United States is not an "anti-incumbent" rant, but a deep rejection of those elected officials who ignored us and forced legislation, by means of dubious process, down our throats. Bad medicine, bad. The newly elected will do well to remember this.

We, the People, are considered the New World for all the correct reasons. You want a blueprint for a "New World Order?" Here we are: E pluribus unum.

Now, are we serious? If so, the new Congress can begin the debate on Fair Tax as the means to fund the federal government. Begin in February, 2011 and keep at it until such time as that revolutionary measure is the properly debated, voted, and decided the law of the land or honestly rejected. If enacted, the Fair Tax will unleash unimaginable energy and prosperity for the new century.

Halloween Musing

2010-10-30T15:46:00.002-05:00

Some spooky thoughts follow - excerpts from a talk presented on Halloween (Full text here.)

Stop Ear Pollution!

Many people are comfortable taking up a cause, something they feel good about. Fine. Let me suggest joining the movement to end Ear Pollution. Let’s define Ear Pollution as the amount of complaints and complaining spoken around the world. Do the math. Wow! Actually, this really is pollution and detrimental to a joy filled life. Don't worry about your "carbon footprint," become more aware of your "complaining footprint."

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you end Ear Pollution? One complaint at a time.

Important difference between a statement of fact and complaining:

• A complaint is NOT a statement of a fact

• A complaint is NOT an observation of someone’s behavior

• A complaint IS personalizing the observation or fact.

Facts are neutral, complaints are charged with negative energy.

It is said that behind every illness lies a complaint. The physical body responds to the thinking, or dominant thought patterns. In a real sense, chronic complaining, and the mind-set it creates, affects health. In a sense it's the question: Does a sick person complain because he/she is ill? Or is a person sick because he/she complains? You don't find people who are happy complain, certainly chronically. I think that gives us a big clue. All you have to do is survey people you know, and yourself as well, and you will see the strong connection between dis-ease and chronic complaining.

Happy Halloween!

Twick or Tweet?

2010-10-16T10:11:00.001-05:00

"I wrote 2 U B 4" he twittered. Er, he text messaged. Uh, how about a line in a poem written in 1867? It seems cryptic English is nothing new.

So reports Discover Magazine in its "Good News" section in the November 2010 issue noting an upcoming exhibit at the British Museum - Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices .

Twitter, texting, discrete shorthand - nothing new about that. Indeed, as Alphonse Karr noted a generation before the "2UB4", plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Indeed, the more that changes, the more it's the same thing. That's why the header for this blog includes the admonition from the Oracle at Delphi to "know thyself" as the road to all wisdom.

Evolving English. Perhaps in another generation some wag will blog (twick, or tweet, or merely think, a bundle of thought without need of words) a more succinct manner to engage another. "IMthe1, U2."

You Know It's Fall When...

2010-10-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

...somebody makes apple pie..

It's The Little Things

2010-10-05T15:15:00.002-05:00

Decades ago I sought to compress my general philosophy into three expressions:

It's all Good
Everything I think, say, and do is Important
Treat every thing as if it were self-aware

It made sense to me, but elaborating on the concepts proved to be quite an adventure. Adventure is defined as "an exciting or remarkable experience". Here follows the update on those three points.

Whether viewed externally as the Big Bang or other description, such as "And God said..." there appears to be some measure of acceptance that All That Is sprang from a common point/source of energy. I call it Consciousness. A lot of folks aren't ready for that leap, however.

Whatever exists now is connected to that first cause (conscious or not.) Therefore, in a fit of poetry (see A Gnome, A Candle, And Me) came the following:

IT is all connected

It IS all connected
It is ALL connected
It is all CONNECTED

That's got to be Good.

Yet why on Earth would I conclude that everything I thought, said, or did was important? What's the alternative, based on the first premise? We, you, and I are a part of Creation. We exist and we are aware of that. Consciousness. Debates can discuss the "I think, therefore I am" versus "I am, therefore I think" conundrum.

Perhaps you've had a moment where someone, perhaps a stranger, smiled at you. Maybe they wavedYou know how you felt. And, I suspect, you've also smiled, waved, or thoughtfully appreciated someone. They felt your gesture as surely as you felt theirs. I'd call that Good - an extension of the source Good. In essence, we're all a part of this creative Universe, and by doing our "little things" in every moment we add to that "tide that lifts all boats." Even those boats that don't know they're in the water.

Treating every thing as if it is self-aware comes easily. Got a name for your car? Love your pet? Chat now and then with your plants? Enjoy a sun rise, sun set, moon, clear sky, etc.? There is a long list of things we appreciate.

If IT is all connected, then appreciation for every thing makes for a more joy-filled moment. And, like you and me, you feel good when you appreciate something. Appreciation may prove to be the closest thing we have to the elusive concept of Love. In the "all is connected" scheme, appreciation/love may be the creative experience we have with gravity, whatever that universal force may be. Newton described it, Einstein wanted to explain it, but to date gravity remains perplexing.

The Universe is expanding, confounding many. Gravity should have reached its limit from the Big Bang and begun contracting. It would. Unless, of course, a multitude of little things energize it into another direction.

What an adventure! So, why not smile, wave, wink, and delight in every one and every thing? It certainly couldn't hurt anything. Who knows, such activity may propel our wonderful Creation forward. Now that's Good!

Finessing Time Management

2010-09-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Many of us attempt to accomplish as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. We consider it efficiency - getting maximum value out of the investment. It isn't the time that is the real issue here, but rather what we're doing in that moment.

The premise of this blog is that thinking always precedes and influences experience. What you hold as dominant thoughts (often called beliefs) in your mind determine the experiences attracted by them. That's one reason why Charles Fillmore said if you're unhappy with your life, change your thinking. It is possible to deliberately think, rather than mentally react and respond to what the senses are interpreting.

If it wasn't your mother, then perhaps it was a grandmother, or aunt, or other older, wiser woman (usually) who admonished young you that if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all.

There's great wisdom in that.

If you're not looking for something worthy about someone (or some situation or condition) then you're emphasizing an undesirable element that will become more a part of your experience. A.K.A. complaining.

I come back to this theme, complaining, because it is important. Happy people do not complain. The question begs, do unhappy people complain because they are unhappy? Or, are they unhappy because they complain? To escape that vicious circle of reason one must ask in earnest - do I want to be happy? If the answer is YES! then the process has begun. Yet if one doesn't "want to be happy" then no way can they feel such joy. There are many reasons why a person might not "want" or feel they "deserve" to be happy. More on them another time.

For the moment, let's realize that you can look for a compliment as easily as a complaint. It takes the same amount of time. Why not go for the compliment? If you want to be a happy person, then test it. Become more aware of complaining and find a compliment or appreciation instead. Notice how you literally feel when appreciating someone or something as opposed to complaining. It's self evident.

The Universe as Hubble telescope sees it

It is said that every thought, ever thought, still exists. Our contributions to the universe never cease.

A Nautical September

2010-09-25T18:48:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's the Indian Summer (or the never ending H O T and D R Y) but for whatever muse, I took the time to re-read John Keegan's "The Price of Admiralty." Bought the book when first it came out in 1989 because I enjoy historian Keegan's works. Good reading, especially the survey of 18th and early 19th century naval warfare in the Trafalgar story. Keegan gives a real feel for life onboard the great timber craft and how they managed.

In fact, the imagery was so vivid I had to re-visit Peter Weir's "Master and Commander." I like Russell Crowe - the Charlton Heston figure for the turn of the century. This 2003 hit is a manly adventure of the sea during the Napoleonic war. Crowe captain's the British ship Surprise in search of a French man-o-war heading for the Pacific. It's a great chase with splendid characters and stunning cinematography. Director Weir makes the ship and sea the central forces. It's a great Saturday afternoon movie for any ten year old kid of any age (I confess.)

Okay, now on to cooler weather in October!

Remembrance

2010-09-09T15:49:00.003-05:00

A day of infamy

It’s hard to believe nine years have passed since my nephew noted that the September 11, 2001 sneak attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. were “9-1-1” since that means emergency. Like Pearl Harbor, the murder of John Kennedy, and such, people will likely remember what they were doing that Tuesday morning. I know I do.

I was at the office, going about business as usual when one of the social workers started passing the word that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. My thought was that would have to be an uncanny accident – perhaps a pilot had suffered a heart attack or something. I’d been to New York and was familiar with the two tall towers. They were big, but still a small point in a huge sky. Radios and some portable televisions were turned on when the second jet slammed into the South Tower. “That’s no coincidence,” I knew. Who would do that? How? Why?

By the time news of a third guided missile attack on the Pentagon came around it was evident this was an historic day – this generation’s equivalent of Pearl Harbor. We were being attacked, murderously. Around this time I reflected back on an earlier bombing attempt on the World Trade Center – radical Islamics. They found a better way, it seemed.

Word came around of a fourth hijacked plane crashing in Pennsylvania – apparently the passengers learned of the earlier suicide attacks and weren’t going along with that one. Save one White House, or Capitol. We, The People, had begun the counter-offensive.

I recall being impressed with the cool professionalism of President Bush who completed his task with young students without alarm before going aloft. More impressive was his stop at Barksdale AFB.

Like the 19th and 20th centuries, the 21st would begin with a major war – of ideology rather than dynasties and nations.

A friend living in NYC sent the following email, dated September 12, 2001:

Today in the office, it is sad beyond description. In spite of the fact that many of us didn't lost friends or loved one, the site of people leaping out of windows, and the fact that something this horrible it could happen at all has changed us. The streets are empty, people are shell shocked. Sometimes it hits you this really happened and then sometimes you feel numb to it as thought it didn't happen and life is as usual. It is the most beautiful day outside as was yesterday. Hints of fall in the air - but eerily silent – no traffic - no airplanes - no hustle bustle. People continue to move about as though they are dreaming. I am devastated by this and feel certain this is the beginning - the beginning of more horror to follow. War? Most of the elderly compare the events to a blitz. Our lives have been altered forever here.

The amazing aspect of the attacks were the casualties - remarkbly few, considering. The wake-up, as it were, was that many people simply do not "get" the "We The People" format of this nation. It terrifies them. I've never fathomed how freedom can frighten. It's an old conflict, and it continues...

9-11-01 Artifact

Things That Dropped in the Night (and Day as well)

2010-09-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

He wiggled his wings and risked court martial, yet the pilot of the C-47 was determined to drop candies to the starving children swarming over the rubble a few hundred feet below. For his efforts the youngsters dubbed him “Onkel Wackelflügel” or Uncle Wiggly Wings. It was a gesture by the conscientious Mormon, Gail Halvorsen, noticed around the world.

It was the Berlin Airlift – June 1948 thru May 1949. The United States, Great Britain, and France mobilized aircraft to ferry food, coal and supplies into West Berlin after Stalin closed access to the city. I recently visited the Truman Library in Missouri and reflected on the bold action. It was the “Cuban Missile Crisis” of its time.

The airlift began as a political maneuver in the expanding Cold War in Europe. Stalin didn’t want a prosperous West Berlin adjacent to his preferred weakened status of the conquered nations. His efforts to starve West Berliners (hence the allies) into submission was foiled by the logistical success of air cargo – and pilots like Halvorsen who understood the full humanitarian impact of the airlift.

Halvorsen distributing treats

Truman ordered it, the Military Governor of Germany General Lucius Clay carried it out, and Lt. General William Tunner forgave the young pilot for wiggling his wings at the children and encouraged such drops. They were called the Raisinbombers by the Germans. It was a political and humanitarian success. And a typical American response.

Halverson was the first Candy Bomber, but soon other crews joined in. Volunteers stateside were making the tiny parachutes for the bundles of candy and American candy makers were donating the goodies. Stalin never had a chance – a plane was landing at Templehof airport every 90 seconds and most were parachuting treats for the beleaguered kids.

The American spirit that carried out that unique effort is very much alive and appears to be awakening after slumbering for a generation. Another reason I am optimistic for the 21st Century.

Labor Day Muses

2010-09-02T10:38:00.003-05:00

I’m optimistic about the future. 2012 will be a remarkable year – the only possible year that could fall between 2011 and 2013. 2012, or any period, is what you make of it. At the moment a lot of people seem to be scaring themselves – fiscal nightmares, wars and rumors of wars, rampant diseases, rampant stupid people, and the list goes on. For those who can only think and see such, they will see and find it. But, it’s not for everyone.

I’m celebrating this Labor Day by reading the companion book to the 2004 PBS series They Made America, Harold Evan’s masterful survey of principle innovators since the steam engine. Anyone who has any doubts about the character and resiliency of that remarkable assemblage of misfits and dreamers called “Americans” should read this immediately, or Netflix the DVD. Who knows how many people tinker with their dreams and visions in their garage or other thinking place? A snapshot of 2010 life in America presented to a citizen in 1840 would be alien. The general thought pattern of 1840 is far, far removed from that today. And it will be such in the future, which is why it’s always dangerous to declare that we’ve gone as far as we can go.

Who can imagine the “jobs” Americans will engage in the near future? Good grief, even a couple of decades ago the term “I.T. Engineer” would have brought curious looks. Mobility and freedom of movement seem to me to be the consistent theme and new heights of both are in the works.

“Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night” reflects the thinking cause of grief for people. The reverse is also true, of course. It is the manner of one’s perspective in thought that determines the experience. For instance, the wonderful phrase a rising tide lifts all boats describes how an uplifting for some can benefit all. It’s a nice image and, I believe, is accurate. However, there will still be folks who refuse to participate will anchor their meager tubs to the muddy sea floor rather than float any higher. The limiting anchor is thought - not the world, not the actions of others, and not the environment.

Seasoned readers may recall the great Toilet Paper shortage of the 1970’s. Yes, it’s true – there was a shortage of toilet paper in America! Now that’s a horrible thought. Yet it was an illustration of self-fulfilling concepts. Johnny Carson made a joke about the nation running out of toilet paper. And then...

Much to the amazement of not only the show but of toilet paper factories across America, 20 million people that watched the Carson show that evening ran out in the morning and bought as much toilet paper as they could carry. By noon on December 20, 1973, practically every store in America was out of stock. Many of the stores tried to ration this valuable paper but they could not keep up with the demand no matter what they did.

There’s a truth in that; thought = belief = experience. There was no natural loss of toilet paper. No capricious demon snatched it away. The idea, planted by jovial Carson, was seized by viewers as fact and they reacted accordingly – creating a shortage that did not exist prior. Never underestimate the ability of anyone to create a shortage or misery (keeping that mental anchor on the sea floor.)

In effect, what you expect is what you experience...

   Fred was a man of great faith who knew that, despite whatever came his way, God would take care of him. One spring there were terrible rains and the town began to flood. The levee burst upstream and the police went around the town warning residents to evacuate at once. The policeman told Fred to get in his car and leave town— 15 feet of water was headed his way. Fred was polite and informed the officer that he trusted in God and that God would take care of him. The policeman left.

   The waters began to rise and eventually Fred had to climb onto his roof. A boat from the Sheriff’s Department came around and the deputy instructed him to get in, that there was still time for him to escape. Fred informed the deputy that he trusted in God, and that God would take care of him. The boat left.

   The waters continued to rise and Fred was perched atop his chimney to escape the snake infested water. The sun was setting as a helicopter from the National Guard flew overhead. A voice told him to grab the harness, and they would haul him to safety. Fred shouted back that he trusted God and that God would take care of him. The helicopter flew away.

   The water continued to rise and Fred was about to be swept away. Fred became angry and cursed God. “Why have you forsaken me, Lord? I waited for you, and now I am about to drown!”

   Suddenly, a Voice boomed from the Heavens: “What more do you want from me, Fred? I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter.”

Sigh...anchors, always anchors on the sea floor...

Battle of the Sculptors

2010-08-23T19:21:00.002-05:00

Enjoying the fresh air, low humidity, and incredible art work in Wyoming and South Dakota, Black Hills. Applause for the artists!

Gutzon Borglum

Great Spirit

Korczak Ziolkowski

Great Spirit (reverse)

August is a Diagnosis

2010-08-06T15:13:00.002-05:00

August is H O T. Many folks this time of year begin their annual longing for September when, you know, Autumn officially arrives. The Equinox is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t mean COOL, at least here. Cool doesn’t arrive until mid-October.

Years ago I took note of the general aberrant behavior of otherwise sane folk towards the latter part of summer. The only variable was the unrelenting H O T, no Holidays, capricious and teasing rain, and more hot. Therefore such odd behavior was christened “August,” as in “She’s got a case of August,” or, “He’ll survive, it’s a case of August.”

Surviving August is a learned skill. There are some useful tools for adults, however.

Beer.

Yes, it’s true. For those who are able to enjoy the adult beverage, then it eases the attention on the H O T August. And, we find, can be healthy.

An article in Self.Com, cites a number of studies noting the health benefits of beer. Other articles identify the studied benefits of beer.

Making Beer in Ancient Egypt

Now there is always the disclaimer about “modest” or “moderate” use (like always having to preference some finding/knowledge with an urge to consult your physician or attorney for medical or legal advice) and it’s self-evident when partaking of this ancient gift of the gods no longer improves the day.

So, if you’re one of those happy adults who can enjoy your brew, then August is a bit less awesome – at least while you kick back and chill. If you’re looking for adventure, investigate Sierra Nevada (Chico, California) Stout – my favorite of their many delectable brews.

August won’t last forever.

Summer Reading List

2010-07-31T14:33:00.007-05:00

It’s back to H O T which is always a good time to catch up on reading. Or, in this case, enjoy a bit of pictorial history and read again a head-knocking, consciousness expanding tome.

Lost Shreveport : Vanishing Scenes from the Red River Valley is a delightful collection of history and photography compiled by historian Gary Joiner and history collector Ernie Roberson. The easy to read book follows the history of the city on the upper Red River from its founding following the Alamo (hence Texas Street, Crockett Street, Travis Street...) and the herculean efforts of Henry Miller Shreve in untangling the Red River from a hundred-miles long timber “raft.” It ends in the early 20th century with chronicles of visits to the bustling town by Booker T. Washington.

It’s always fun to probe behind the historical curtain and witness the enormous changes that have occurred in the Shreveport-Bossier City area since the “late unpleasantness” artfully told in Joiner’s One Damn Blunder From Beginning to End, noted last year.

Again I’m slowly, oh so slowly, turning the pages of Biocentrism, the masterful and daring excursion into reality that upends just about everything. It's an easy read - I go slowly to savor the ideas. Robert Lanza, MD, and astronomer Bob Berman posit the simple concept that life creates the universe rather than life being a random consequence of a capricious universe. Let’s put it this way, Chapter One begins with John Haldane’s statement “The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.”

Berman and Lanza move step by step presenting the concept of Biocentrism as a series of Principles. For example:

What we perceive as reality is a process that involves our consciousness
Our external and internal perceptions are inextricably intertwined
The behavior of subatomic particles – indeed all particles and objects – is inextricably linked to the presence of an observer
Without consciousness, “matter” dwells in an undetermined state of probability

That's only a few of them, but you get the idea. Or, maybe you don’t. I think I’m getting the idea.

On the shelf:

Thomas Edison

"The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World" by Randall Stross

This is GOOD

"The God Theory: Universes, Zero-Point Fields, and What's Behind It All" by Bernard Haisch

Some Folks Catch on Sooner

2010-07-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

Alas, I’m not one of them, it seems.

I reflect back several decades to a conversation I had with a good friend who was one of those disgustingly cheerful, optimistic people. I recall being shocked, shocked mind you, that my friend appeared to me to abdicat his adult responsibilities. Yes! He didn’t read the local newspaper, didn’t watch television news (this prior to the advent of CNN, FNC, etc.) and didn’t pay attention to the news on the radio when he was listening. How, I wondered, did he expect to be informed to make decisions at election time? Or decide what organizations to support, or what groups to oppose, and so on.

“It’s not my business,” he remarked. “Well, what is your business”, I challenged. “Being happy,” he said with a grin. Groan (thought yours truly.)

It’s taken a while for me to recognize the young adult genius the fellow possessed. He had a focus most people, including self, lacked – he knew what was most important to him. He could answer that ancient question Why am I alive? To be happy.

Pondering over the years I came to understand that he wasn’t isolating himself from the state of affairs of others, but keeping himself tuned to those people and circumstances that resonated with him. In other words, if something bothered him, he would change his focus so as not to be bothered. He didn't complain, gossip,or connive.

My friend knew instinctively that whatever he gave attention, would appear in his experience. Focus on crime and you see more crime. Focus on health, see and experience health. Focus on illness, see and experience less health. Focus on unhappy people and become unhappy. Despite my deliberate efforts to be a good and honorable person, I lacked, at that time, his wisdom on how best to assist others: Be what you would like for others.

It’s totally logical and in sync with great wisdom through the ages – a variation of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Be happy. Isn’t that what you want for others?

Some Like It Hot

2010-07-17T17:57:00.001-05:00

They do, they really do. (But they sure want the water...)

Science Proves Common Sense

2010-07-13T10:16:00.002-05:00

The August issue of Popular Science arrived yesterday and it contained good news. Well, good news that from time to time science (research/study) validates what common sense says. You'll be pleased to know that the following observations have been confirmed, in one fashion or another, by research:

Blowing up mountains harms the environment (Duh!)
Old folks prefer pleasant memories and don't seem to worry as much (As a budding "old folk" I know this)
A mean gym teacher doesn't inspire interest in sports (You don't mean...)
People are happier on weekends
Talking on the cell phone and driving is not a good mix for safety
Siblings who fight - don't get along! (Who'd have thought...)
Gen Y workers want big bucks and lots of time off (Well, so did everyone else, it just wasn't possible at the time)
FLASH: Drunk college students are prone to injury! (How did we go so long and not notice this?)
Self-Control makes for more manageable students (Oh, dare we probe deeply into this arena?)
Enivironmentalists can be smug jerks (Politely stated, I thought)

I suppose the "lesson" here is to stick to your instincts and guidance. Sooner or later scientific inquiry will validate what is self-evident.

Doom and Gloom

2010-07-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

Came across Matt Ridley's muse about doom and gloom and I have to agree. In fact, I'd take it back a little further to the early memories in the earlier post. How soon after birth, or at least with memory, are we barraged with messages from the "adults" and authorities about being careful about all the things that could hurt or kill us. Heck, life has barely begun and the child is already being prepped for danger and death. I like Ridley's perspective - the end of the earth, no more oil, the sun's going to bake us all, no more food, mass starvation, the plague to end all plagues... - has never come about. The evolution of humans is always improving and, I have learned, a rising tide lifts all boats. And the tide of human affairs is always rising.

Memory

2010-07-06T13:29:00.004-05:00

The other day I was perusing Neoneocon,, one of my favorite blogs, and she posted a previous muse of earliest memory – the first clear memory from childhood. An interesting subject to be sure, but I was especially taken with a reader’s comment about her own first memory – that of sitting on a training potty in the bathroom and her mom sitting on the edge of the bathtub. That memory is sharp enough, but the reason that memory was retained is that it was the first time the toddler noticed that she and her mom were two different people.

That rang a distant bell within me. Not the potty bit, but hazy recollections of learning the nature of this experience – three dimensions with everyone/everything separated by space. The implication is that the realm from which the infant arrived was connected; a sort of unified whole.

Neoneocon’s commenter noted that the experience was both scary and fascinating. Indeed, someone only a year or so into this life experience would have a lot of adjusting, beginning with “how do I get this body thing to work?” And, the surprises of noticing how the body-thing works.

I’ve pondered the nature of memory on occasion and, like many, have sorted the earliest recollections of actual memory from recall of photographs or oft told tales. The latter can conjure a mental image just as clear as the former.

There is often an element to a memory that hints, I think, of how memories are created and held. A number of years ago I made a casual survey of memory by asking agreeable folk to take a memory, any memory. Once the memory was active I asked about the event/scene. In most cases the person described a location and event, that is, a description of a place, time, and others present. What was curious was the picture of the person in the scene. That is, the “camera” point of view tended to be above and slightly removed from the event, thus capturing the person in the moment.

What garnered my attention about this type of memory was that if memory were a cellular replay of a physical sensory moment, then the point-of-view should be that of the person – the location of the senses. The more omniscient vantage of many actual memories suggests something else in play.

That something else may be linked with the connected realm the infant leaves in the first years following birth. Many people believe that the soul, supreme energy source, that animates the physical body is but a small portion of the more complete and total Self. That Self is conscious of both the physical experience and the other realm while the portion inhabiting the body is (usually) unaware of its total existence. For an infant having a still active knowledge of Self, the first notice of separation (and that Mom or Dad is someone else and not me) can be unsettling. And, exhilarating.

How Not to Solve a Problem

2010-07-06T09:38:00.003-05:00

"Significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Attributed to Albert Einstein.

I'd add that it's a stretch to think that the people who created a mess are the only ones who can clean it up.

(An earlier post I couldn't resist revisiting)

The Case of the Sore Elbow

2010-07-01T10:13:00.001-05:00

I’m often amazed (well, not often - always) at how well Louise Hay targeted illness/ailments with dominant thought patterns in her book “Heal Your Body.” For instance yours truly has a very sore elbow, which makes sense considering the amount of happy labor I’ve been doing for several weeks. But the soreness doesn’t seem to fade as quickly as I’d expect. So, time to consult the book. Lo and Behold: Elbow (joint) issues “represent changing directions and accepting new experiences.” Touche! The healing thought pattern can be “I easily flow with new experiences, new directions, and new changes.”

Hmmm. Who officially “retired” yesterday at 4:30 pm? Duh!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

2010-06-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

A long time ago I overheard a discussion about money and how it flows. The context was how, if all wealth (a.k.a. money) was suddenly dispersed in equal amounts to everyone, it would take about two years for the money (a.k.a. wealth) to return to those that initially created it.

In the ensuing decades I’ve kept that discussion on a back-burner, so to speak. I know, and you probably do as well, folks who always create (attract) money. Some manage it well (in the opinion of outsiders) and others don’t or can’t. Yet regardless, money continues to find them. Or, in many cases, money remains elusive. In effect, money (property) comes to those who have a consciousness for it. And visa-versa.

The constant is consciousness and not the amount of material substance. Such is an ancient conundrum – those that have, prosper, and those without, lose what they have. The two conditions are not linked and have nothing to do with one another.

Quick side-bar: This is about money, not happiness or other quality of Life factor. Many folks have a wonderful consciousness to attract Joy and delight but may not have the easy attraction for wealth. And visa-versa. As one wag remarked (also a long time ago) “would you rather have a million dollars or a millions friends?” Duh. A friend would likely spot you a buck and you’d have a lot of people to play with.

Through the years I’ve come to accept the conclusion of that long-ago discussion. No one can take from you anything that your consciousness is attuned. On the other hand, no one can give you anything that your consciousness can’t accept. Whatever is “given” simply won’t remain. The universal Law of Attraction trumps.

Summer Movie

2010-06-16T17:55:00.005-05:00

From time to time I’ll mention a book, movie, or television series that gets my attention. The other evening we were watching the latest Netflix arrival of The Lovely Bones. The premise sounded interesting – a teenage girl, Susie, is murdered but watches over her grieving family from the other world while her killer prepares for a new victim. The film, directed by Peter Jackson, is a slow paced, absorbing work presented through the consciousness of a teenage girl. I say slow paced because the killer-on-the-loose element is usually fuel for action adventures. Lovely Bones is a remarkable adventure and the action is, well, thoughtful.

Riveting is the best description of Saoirse Ronan’s portrayal of the young teen who missed out on her first kiss. Much of the film involves her learning the nature of her new existence – one filled with symbols reflecting her feelings and those she remains close to, such as her father (Mark Wahlberg.) It is these otherworld landscapes and operations that really got my attention. An instantaneous quantum-ruled existence where everything moves in and out of form according to the prevalent thought or fixation. As the film unfolds Susie realizes she can’t simply move on because she wants vengeance – a desire her father acts on, in a learning moment for her.

There are similarities with two other favorites who trod these realms, Ghost (1990) and What Dreams May Come (1998.) Like Ghost, Susie is aware of the nefarious plans of her killer, as Patrick Swayze tracked his in Ghost. And, like Ghost, a medium provides a crucial moment permitting the deceased to finally move on.

But it is the dream-like landscapes and quantum-formations that distinguish Lovely Bones and recalls the never-quite-dry paint world Robin Williams experienced as a newly deceased in What Dreams May Come.

The films base their story on consciousness continuing after physical death and the protagonist learning the range and scope of his/her “new” ability. Consciousness is the creative element. And what it conjures is remarkable.

Oh, there's a reason for the title The Lovely Bones. The movie did not end the way one might expect early on.