One of the most commonly used metaphors for life is that it is a journey. We are told by others to 'enjoy the journey'. This goes along with 'stopping to smell the roses' and countless other metaphors which have been cliche'd to near meaninglessness. I've done this to myself and other people numerous times. I set a goal and then remind myself it's not about the goal, it's about enjoying the journey. I've also dished out my fair share of similar advice to others over time. How is it that we can be fairly alert to this principle and yet, seem poor at following it?
From time-to-time we must receive not so subtle reminders we are not in sync with our True Journey (ie pain, suffering, loss). This is because we've lost sight of the Now and our focus has been entirely on some point in the future. A point in which we may or may not achieve some pre-determined goal or desired outcome. Loss of the Now, in hope for the future allows us to live unconsciously while thinking what we are doing has some larger meaning or significance when it does not. In this respect, hope can be a major hindrance in our lives. Think about the last presidential election and compare the hope that was sold to what is happening Now. Not a whole lot has changed in most people's lives who were hoping for someone else to solve their problems.
People who have wasted their own journey striving and hoping for the future and have learned from this warn others not to do the same. But does just telling someone to enjoy the journey really help them? Most of the time it does not. They smile, hear what you are saying and 99% of the time go re-create the same scenario in their life over and over with seemingly fleeting results and suffering. And endless cycle of hope and disappointment, and bam you're 90 years old and dead.
So, what to do then? If you've only got someones attention for a brief conversation then that's the best you can do. Tell them 'enjoy the journey' and smile knowing you've done all you could for them. If you have more direct influence in their life, as say parents do, then you can go much further in counseling them to return to the present moment and enjoy life. And best, if you have their attention for a lifetime, as you do with yourself, you can do even better and have minute by minute reminders of the Journey of Life.
So let's act like we have our own undivided attention for a lifetime. Journey with a capital J is large, and thinking about enjoying the whole thing makes your mind unable to grasp the real concepts and give up on it. It's like trying to understand the concept of infinity, good luck. So, I like to break it down into simple pieces because I'm a simple person and simple is usually right. Simple is not easy though, if it were, everyone would do it. Simple = Hard.
If you're going on a journey, you need some simple items to ensure success:
#1 - The I (traveller/you)
#2 - A destination/goal (Vision)
#3 - A vehicle (Purpose/Mission)
#4 - A map (Signs/Guides/Goals)
If everyone will give me those 4 simple interconnected conditions necessary for a journey then we can continue.
#1 - The I... If I write some of this in first person when you read "I" think of yourself, not me. Now, if you feel like you are on someone else's journey, and you might be, don't fret, their journey has become yours. (If you don't like that feeling, you can choose at anytime to stop that journey and start anew). Another point worth noting is that you are never not on a journey. Even if you sit at home and watch TV for 10 hours a day, that's still your journey, you have to own it. Whatever was, is and will be your journey is your responsibility. Scary you say? Well, that may be, but it also gives you the opportunity to take that responsibility and change at any time and that my friend, is powerful.
#2 - The destination, goal or Vision. This is a large problem for most of us, including myself. What's our destination, goal, or Vision for our life? There are an infinite number of goals in life, some large some small. Some wholesome, some unwholesome. Some valuable, some not so valuable. Some which will take a long time, some which take very little. To make this metaphor of a journey make sense I had to initially use destination and goal, but I do not prefer those terms for our True Journey of Life. For that, I prefer to use the term Vision.
If we can define our Vision for Life, then the rest flows easily after. I have a great friend, John, who illustrated this principle very well for me over coffee a while back. I take no credit for this as original (nor anything else I write), so I hope I can do him justice in my translation. John had me work on a Vision statement for myself, with the theory all the others (mission,purpose, goals, destination) will follow in line. He correctly stated that many of us, myself included, work from the bottom-up. We set goals which then force a purpose and mission and we try to find some higher meaning or vision from the results we see.
Thus, my vision in life at one time was to be a professional athlete. I was an above-average athlete and was relatively successful at achieving short-term athletic goals (they didn't seem short-term at the time of course). When I was not able achieve that goal which had become my vision of myself, my identity (the "little I", ego-self) was crushed into non-existence and left questioning who I really was. That's a heavy load to bear in your early 20's with no proper foundation or mentoring, so I chose drinking and drugs to squash that emptiness and pain.
From having coffee with John one morning I left with invaluable guidance and was able to re-focus my efforts into developing a Vision for myself and explain who the I AM that I AM is to the world. (I would be remiss if I did not give some credit to my mother, who while growing up always stressed the importance of vision and mission. Some of that stuck without a doubt, but having it come from an older male finally cemented it in my brain. Funny the way it is... :)
Thus, I developed this Vision Statement for myself - "Being love, joy and peace in the Present Moment"
Simple, but not easy... In fact, very hard moment by moment in this world. Also, notice the destination is not in fact a destination, it's the Present Moment. That's the only place in time-space where I can be true to my vision. That's a huge insight to grasp.
#3 - So we've got an I and we've got a where (Vision), now we need a way to get there, a Vehicle per se. In modern lingo this would equate to the purpose or mission. In Buddhism there is the metaphor of taking the raft to the other shore. Say you start on one shore, then you get in the raft and paddle, the other shore is the destination and the raft is the vehicle. OK, easy enough you say, but how do you know which raft will get you to the other shore? There are thousands if not millions of rafts in the world today, all claiming to be the Truth.
I took some cues from Jim Rohn. In his CD "Challenge for Success" he states clearly "Truth is Old... beware of someone selling New Truth". Wow, that sounds right. He goes on to illustrate by saying what if someone asked you to come to their shop because they were manufacturing antiques... huh? Yeah, that would not make sense. So, Truth is Old and Truth does NOT change. Now we can throw away anything in the Self-Help section of the bookstore and save ourselves hundreds of dollars a year.
Truth you will also find, is pretty much always FREE. Why is it free? Because apparently not many people in modern times find it very valuable. Quite sad state of affairs we find ourselves in these days. We will kill for "freedom" but no one will pay even one penny for the Freedom of the Truth. So Truth is available, for free, to all of us right Now. We can choose the vehicle of our choice, as long as it is time tested. Many of the great religious faiths are time-tested and have Truth. Be careful not to get lost in the dogma, doctrine, rules, regulations, memberships, church cook-outs, rituals, etc... though.
From the Truth that I experienced through the vehicle of Mahayana Buddhism and the compassion of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara I was able to outline my purpose and mission. Here's what I came up with -
1. To help and serve other sentient beings the most productive way I can with the skills, knowledge and experience I have.
2. To positively influence and help to raise the level of human consciousness in the process.
Which leads us into #4 - The Map. The map includes signs, guides and goals. Once we have a Vision and Mission we are ready to pick out the map which leads us on the correct path. Like false truths, there are also a million and more misleading maps, signs and guides out in the world. It's hard to figure out which is right and mistakes will be made along the way. But assuming we have figured out who the I is, the I has knowledge of it's Vision and has firmly established a Mission, then we are limited in which map is proper for us. So in essence the map is already chosen.
The map comes in many different forms, sometimes as people and speech, sometimes written word, sometimes visions and sights or signs. We follow the ones which are in line with our Vision and Mission and disregard the others. We find people who have travelled similar roads and have the wisdom to point us forward on the path. While we do this we have to make sure not to mistake the maps, guides and signs for the Truth though. Back to the metaphor of taking the raft to the other shore, the raft is the raft, not the shore, don't mistake one for the other.
There are short-term goals but always the larger Goal, the Infinite Goal. Small goals let us know we are progressing and on the correct path, just as the signs that point the way and guides who confirm we are moving in the right direction. If our largest goal is something mankind can understand and achieve then we are bound for suffering and distress. Once we reach it we must replace it with yet another goal and another goal. An endless existence achieving goals, for what?
So we realize there is an Infinite Goal which we never truly "reach", which is really not out there in the first place. It is from within us that we come to know it. It is a place in which we can Be but not attain. It is the Kingdom of God, Nirvana, No-Self, Realization/Actualization, etc... and it is available Now and only Now. It's not available in the future, you can't try harder, pray harder, meditate harder, tithe, repent or do anything else to get it. It's here right Now, if you don't see it you missed it, but it's Now again so you get another chance. :)
In Buddhism the small goal is Nirvana, the Infinite Goal is the Bodhisattva vow of returning to the world to help relieve the suffering of all sentient beings. The Bodhisattva puts off their own Heaven to help others and only when all others are helped can they rest. In Christianity Jesus returned to the earth and took human form to help end suffering, to the extent he died for every one's sins. Those are examples of Infinite Goals, helping and serving others. Taking the maps of the great saints, Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Teresa and countless other self-less examples we find ourselves living on The Path, living in Truth and in harmony with the Universe.
The Way I See It... we don't have to "re-invent the wheel" to find joy and peace in this lifetime and we don't have to wait until we die either. We have to Be in the Present Moment and learn from those who have already travelled the path. Simple, but not Easy, yet infinitely rewarding.
With Metta,
doug
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Black Magic of "Should"
The third law of thermodynamics is - "As a system approaches absolute zero, all processes cease and the entropy of the system approaches a minimum value." I could spend all my time explaining how that relates to me or you, but not many people stayed on long enough for the 2nd law, so I'll take a cue from the audience and move on. If you're interested in the 3rd law write me and we can discuss. :)
I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about the word "Should". The word falls into a catagory called a "deotonic linguistic modality". Which means it helps explain how the user thinks the world ought to be based on their perception. If you understood that definition then you have already realized the great peril in using the word. If not, read it again slowly, focusing on the individual words.
I was first introduced to the problems surrounding Should when I was in a recovery center for addiction close to 2 years ago. A counselor told me "don't Should on yourself" and "don't Should on other people". Our groups loved the chance to catch someone using Should, it was fun and a highly effective technique for opening eyes to reality. Obviously, Should can be replaced with an expletive and you get the point. Should'ing on someone (or yourself) is the same as sh!tt!ing on them (or you).
I Should lose weight, stop smoking, eat better, be richer, work harder, work out more, watch less TV, spend more time with my kids, have more sex with better, stronger, faster orgasms, have bigger breasts/penis, love my spouse more, take care of my elderly parents, shoot under 80, wear those brand of clothes, have a bigger wedding ring, have greener grass, drive that kind of car, be that spiritual, have better posture, be a better athlete, pray more, believe in god, have faith, tithe, live like I'm dying, dance like no one is watching, Just Do It, vote, ah.... I think you get the point. It's never ending. It all is covered under the umbrella of "I'm not good enough the way I am".
To make life more interesting we then do that to everyone we meet and especially to the ones we claim to love and care about the most. We Should on them and tell them they are not good enough exactly the way they are in the present moment, which is really the antithesis of love. A great philosopher named Jesus said "Love your neighbor"... not love your neighbor when they change to fit how you think they ought to be. No, it's love them the way they are Now, no conditions. Now, disliking their behavior is different, but loving them is not.
I've always been fascinated by "If you loved me you should have known I needed/wanted/expected/thought/felt x,y or z". Obviously there are a million versions of that and I'm sure an angry person has attempted to use that against you. The Way I See It... the word Should is a type of Black Magic spell one places on another. It's a form of emotional blackmail.
They are in affect telling you that you need to first, acquire psychic powers. Second, please them according to what they and only they want. Third, conform to their version of how the world Should look. The fascination I find is that this Black Magic actually works 9 times out of 10. We accept their definition of who we Should be. We conform to their perception of reality and change ourselves to meet that. (Note: I'm using the definition of Black Magic from the book "The Four Agreements" by don Miguel Ruiz... I don't believe in voodoo or anything)
Instead of vocalizing the fact we are not psychic and do not always know what another feels, thinks, wants or needs in any moment, most of us feel guilty and shamed for not being better in the relationship and agree to become "better".
(Note: In my life I am 100% certain I have never read another person's mind. I also confess to not even knowing what is my own mind most of the time. That confession or realization is what led me to meditation. I figured I at least have a shot of learning about myself.)
It is exactly this above described controlling/fear dynamic which dooms most interpersonal relationships. The controller Should's, then the shamed tries really hard to predict everything the controller wants out of fear of upsetting them and being shamed further. Still not being able to acquire psychic powers, they fail the controller time after time. This will continue until anger builds to rage in either party and chinaware begins to fly. In some relationships the two roles are constantly flipping so one can gain power over the other and feel in control.
Yet, we cannot blame the controller and feel sorry for the shamed. They are both equally at fault, which also means they are both equally Innocent. Innocent because we have all been conditioned by friends, parents, media, society and thousands of years of human consciousness to engage in this behavior. No one grows up wanting to be in this dynamic. Spend 5 minutes with a child not yet conditioned to play out this drama and see what our true nature is. We enter this world helpless, but Free. In order to acquire security and safety we give up our Freedom. This is all an illusion.
The "problem" people have with small children is they do what they want, when they want, and tell adults exactly the truth about it. Children say 'no' more than 'yes'. Adults say 'yes' (or some version of it... i.e., maybe) more than they say 'no'. 'No' doesn't even feel right as an adult to most of us. Even to this day it takes nerve to tell someone 'No'. Instead of just saying 'no' we typically lie to the other party. This causes us to feel like crap inside. Or we feel we Should be something other than ourselves and agree to many things we don't want to do. Why? Fear.
First, the fear of upsetting the domestication and function of society. There is an inherent fear of alienating oneself from others. Maybe it is due to the idea we are all tribal in nature. I think in post modern society it is because it would be hard to physically survive for most of us if we abandoned all societal norms. Being homeless or living in a cave carries with it it's own hardships most are not willing to trade out. Everything is a compromise on some level to operate within our societal structure.
Second, fear of loss of safety and security. We find comfort in our things. Yet, they are all marked by the reality of impermanence. We like having some things and dislike others. The things we like bring us an illusory sense of safety and security. Money, house, car, spouse, career, etc... These are not inherently good or bad, they just are. Yet, clinging to the notion we find safety and security in those things it setting us up for a life of suffering.
Third, fear of the loss of love or being alone. Somewhere when we were Innocent someone used the Black Magic against us and in our innocence we bought into it. We gave up ourselves and compromised who we truly are to please another. Sadly, this is usually first comes from the words of a parent or close loved one/relative at a young age. Notice I didn't call it bad, because it's not their fault they did this to us, it was exactly the same thing that happened to them in their life and countless generations before. Conditioning drives behavior.
There is a cure for this... years of shock therapy... just kidding. Actually, just being aware that this happens shines a huge floodlight onto the behaviors and conditioning. The first step is always to be aware there is an issue. This is a major issue many people, including myself, face on a daily basis. Today I try and live by the mantra "To Thine Own Self Be True". I have to live with myself 24 hours a day, no one else. Thus, I have to Love myself first, and second be at Peace with who I am, my Life, my choices and the subsequent outcomes in every moment.
I have found trying to please another is always a lose-lose proposition. Being true to myself is the beginning to finding Freedom, Safety, Security and Love in this lifetime. Have a great weekend and don't Should on yourself!
With Metta,
doug
I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about the word "Should". The word falls into a catagory called a "deotonic linguistic modality". Which means it helps explain how the user thinks the world ought to be based on their perception. If you understood that definition then you have already realized the great peril in using the word. If not, read it again slowly, focusing on the individual words.
I was first introduced to the problems surrounding Should when I was in a recovery center for addiction close to 2 years ago. A counselor told me "don't Should on yourself" and "don't Should on other people". Our groups loved the chance to catch someone using Should, it was fun and a highly effective technique for opening eyes to reality. Obviously, Should can be replaced with an expletive and you get the point. Should'ing on someone (or yourself) is the same as sh!tt!ing on them (or you).
I Should lose weight, stop smoking, eat better, be richer, work harder, work out more, watch less TV, spend more time with my kids, have more sex with better, stronger, faster orgasms, have bigger breasts/penis, love my spouse more, take care of my elderly parents, shoot under 80, wear those brand of clothes, have a bigger wedding ring, have greener grass, drive that kind of car, be that spiritual, have better posture, be a better athlete, pray more, believe in god, have faith, tithe, live like I'm dying, dance like no one is watching, Just Do It, vote, ah.... I think you get the point. It's never ending. It all is covered under the umbrella of "I'm not good enough the way I am".
To make life more interesting we then do that to everyone we meet and especially to the ones we claim to love and care about the most. We Should on them and tell them they are not good enough exactly the way they are in the present moment, which is really the antithesis of love. A great philosopher named Jesus said "Love your neighbor"... not love your neighbor when they change to fit how you think they ought to be. No, it's love them the way they are Now, no conditions. Now, disliking their behavior is different, but loving them is not.
I've always been fascinated by "If you loved me you should have known I needed/wanted/expected/thought/felt x,y or z". Obviously there are a million versions of that and I'm sure an angry person has attempted to use that against you. The Way I See It... the word Should is a type of Black Magic spell one places on another. It's a form of emotional blackmail.
They are in affect telling you that you need to first, acquire psychic powers. Second, please them according to what they and only they want. Third, conform to their version of how the world Should look. The fascination I find is that this Black Magic actually works 9 times out of 10. We accept their definition of who we Should be. We conform to their perception of reality and change ourselves to meet that. (Note: I'm using the definition of Black Magic from the book "The Four Agreements" by don Miguel Ruiz... I don't believe in voodoo or anything)
Instead of vocalizing the fact we are not psychic and do not always know what another feels, thinks, wants or needs in any moment, most of us feel guilty and shamed for not being better in the relationship and agree to become "better".
(Note: In my life I am 100% certain I have never read another person's mind. I also confess to not even knowing what is my own mind most of the time. That confession or realization is what led me to meditation. I figured I at least have a shot of learning about myself.)
It is exactly this above described controlling/fear dynamic which dooms most interpersonal relationships. The controller Should's, then the shamed tries really hard to predict everything the controller wants out of fear of upsetting them and being shamed further. Still not being able to acquire psychic powers, they fail the controller time after time. This will continue until anger builds to rage in either party and chinaware begins to fly. In some relationships the two roles are constantly flipping so one can gain power over the other and feel in control.
Yet, we cannot blame the controller and feel sorry for the shamed. They are both equally at fault, which also means they are both equally Innocent. Innocent because we have all been conditioned by friends, parents, media, society and thousands of years of human consciousness to engage in this behavior. No one grows up wanting to be in this dynamic. Spend 5 minutes with a child not yet conditioned to play out this drama and see what our true nature is. We enter this world helpless, but Free. In order to acquire security and safety we give up our Freedom. This is all an illusion.
The "problem" people have with small children is they do what they want, when they want, and tell adults exactly the truth about it. Children say 'no' more than 'yes'. Adults say 'yes' (or some version of it... i.e., maybe) more than they say 'no'. 'No' doesn't even feel right as an adult to most of us. Even to this day it takes nerve to tell someone 'No'. Instead of just saying 'no' we typically lie to the other party. This causes us to feel like crap inside. Or we feel we Should be something other than ourselves and agree to many things we don't want to do. Why? Fear.
First, the fear of upsetting the domestication and function of society. There is an inherent fear of alienating oneself from others. Maybe it is due to the idea we are all tribal in nature. I think in post modern society it is because it would be hard to physically survive for most of us if we abandoned all societal norms. Being homeless or living in a cave carries with it it's own hardships most are not willing to trade out. Everything is a compromise on some level to operate within our societal structure.
Second, fear of loss of safety and security. We find comfort in our things. Yet, they are all marked by the reality of impermanence. We like having some things and dislike others. The things we like bring us an illusory sense of safety and security. Money, house, car, spouse, career, etc... These are not inherently good or bad, they just are. Yet, clinging to the notion we find safety and security in those things it setting us up for a life of suffering.
Third, fear of the loss of love or being alone. Somewhere when we were Innocent someone used the Black Magic against us and in our innocence we bought into it. We gave up ourselves and compromised who we truly are to please another. Sadly, this is usually first comes from the words of a parent or close loved one/relative at a young age. Notice I didn't call it bad, because it's not their fault they did this to us, it was exactly the same thing that happened to them in their life and countless generations before. Conditioning drives behavior.
There is a cure for this... years of shock therapy... just kidding. Actually, just being aware that this happens shines a huge floodlight onto the behaviors and conditioning. The first step is always to be aware there is an issue. This is a major issue many people, including myself, face on a daily basis. Today I try and live by the mantra "To Thine Own Self Be True". I have to live with myself 24 hours a day, no one else. Thus, I have to Love myself first, and second be at Peace with who I am, my Life, my choices and the subsequent outcomes in every moment.
I have found trying to please another is always a lose-lose proposition. Being true to myself is the beginning to finding Freedom, Safety, Security and Love in this lifetime. Have a great weekend and don't Should on yourself!
With Metta,
doug
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Nature of Nature
Whenever I enter a wooded area or what I would consider a solitary serene nature setting, I am always immediately calmed and a sense of peace comes up through me. This experience has been confirmed in other humans, so I am fairly confident that we can all experience it if we are open.
I speak of the nature of humans, but had I ever heard anyone speak about the nature of Nature? Of course not, that's why it's called Nature. It is exactly the way it is supposed to be. That's also why It's peaceful, because It is a system that is completely in order and functioning exactly the way It is supposed too.
Humans deem things in nature as chaotic (tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, black holes, death, pain) but those are necessities in the system of the earth and the universe. Only our perception of them labels them good and bad. Or the question of Why me God? Why me? Why would Nature or God or a Higher Power allow suffering and death? Well, that's the way It Is. Resistance is futile, yet insanity prevails.
The opposite of Natures' nature is every other system that mankind has developed - economic, social, religious, political, familial, etc... These are all inherently in a constant state of disorder. They are set up to counter-act the effects of Nature, and this is subsequently why they all miss the mark and fail. I probably don't need to cite examples as anyone can readily see this is and has always been the state of the majority of humans on this planet.
If you read the first blog, thank you. In it I spoke about the First Law of Thermodynamics, which basically states that you cannot create or destroy energy, just transform it. The Second Law Of Thermodynamics deals with the entropy or dispersion of energy in systems. This is very useful in science, but no one besides maybe Schaake is a physicist. (He probably crawls with wanting to correct my limited knowledge of science) Instead of showing my lack of physics training, I'm going to attempt to relate my limited knowledge to my and your daily life.
The SLT involves a term call entropy, which was classically and erroneously defined as "disorder" and more recently as the "dispersal of energy". In essence all energy has a tendency to flow outwards from it's concentrated source. Heat disperses, light travels, sounds waves move, etc... energy is not static. I'm being overly simplistic, but if I don't, I'll spend all my life researching and none writing.
The term disorder is a human classification of the result of the dispersion of concentrated energy. So, in our world, who is dispersing the energy creating disorder? We are. What's labeling it disordered? We are. What is disordered? Human society is. Why don't we see this?.. Denial maybe, or we're busy watching American Idol, who knows. If I sampled 100 people, I'm sure most would say they want order (harmony) in their lives. Yet, we construct society in a most inharmonious way. In most cases actually pitting ourselves as a foe against Nature. Think building your home below sea level on an ocean and being surprised by a large hurricane and flood destroying everything. We saw the denial during Katrina and every subsequent natural disaster.
The reality is things are ordered and do go right in our lives the majority of the time. It is the human mind which tends to focus on, create and label the disorder and negativity. Every moment of your existence the Second Law of Thermodynamics has operated perfectly to keep your human form alive by processing oxygen and fuel to live. Yet, how many people really feel all that grateful about it? I didn't for a long time, and most days I'm not overly joyful to be creating energy through a digestive process. My mind wants to grasp much larger desires than the Krebs Cycle.
Another subject which must be discussed in the SLT is that it requires psychological time. Something dispersing energy does it... over time. I can't disperse something in our physical world in "zero-time", that's an imaginary quantum mechanics theory. I have to do it in "space-time" or in the 4 dimensions (3-D + Time). I feel it is better to enter our lives through this theory of psychological Time, which as discussed last week, it basically a delusion of the human mind.
We live in a 4-D world. Remember in grade school learning how to draw a 3-D box instead of the flat 2-D one. It was a huge leap in ability and intellect to experience creating 3-D. As children we struggled mightily to draw that first perfect 3-D box. Then we looked at a circle and our mind goes "ERROR". (Try drawing a 3-D circle w/o shading) I'll expound my theory of zero and circles in another blog.
Well we really live in 4-D, the fourth dimension being Time. In regards to the SLT, there is a concept called the Arrow of Time, which basically points to the future. It could point in any direction, but we live and experience time toward the "future". Go back to grade school and drawing time lines. They all go left-to-right to signify the movement of history forward. If you drew your timeline right-to-left you got a big fat F. If you drew it up and down you were sent to a psychiatrist. Although, if you did draw it up and down you'd be closer to the Truth than any of us back then.
Imagine living in a world in which time could move in any direction, it's just plain weird to us. Try undropping a cup, not possible in our world, but maybe it is in others not constrained by our Laws of Physics. You can undrop a cup or move in any direction of time using a concept called Imaginary Time, which really exists as a mathematical concept (so all 4 year-olds may be correct). When using Imaginary Time, the distinction between space-time as we experience it on Earth disappear. In my opinion this can be experienced, although explaining it to someone else will be impossible. Imaginary Time is essential in developing theories about what was before the Big Bang. Our greatest questions in life, what was before what first was ~ The Theory of Everything.
Who cares? Well, as I discussed last week, I feel time as we understand it is an illusion. We perceive we are moving forward and that the past is behind us. Neither actually exist, only Now does. In a few minutes it won't be the future it will be Now still. The peacefulness of Nature lies in the inherent lack of the knowledge of space-time. Just as humans were peaceful until Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the 'knowledge' of good and evil. The notion of duality is humans' biggest mental problem. The mind and false-self must cling to this duality to exist as a separate entity. The reality is though, that we are all One and all duality is false.
There is no anxiety in Nature because there is no concept of space-time. My dog is not worried about surviving tomorrow because he has no concept of space-time, he just Is. He walks, poops, eats, sleeps and does it again without any concerns. The tree does not worry about not being tall enough, or having enough leaves, it just Is. Only human animals experience psychological time and psychological worry. Should we live in the woods as heathens or do whatever we want, no... we have a thing called wisdom, which comes from experience.
So, the idea is to be able to transcend the limited confines of space-time as we know it. And in my experience the only way to do it is in the Now. You can't do anything not in the Now anyhow, just try. Transcendence can be accomplished many ways once in the Now and all major religions have sought this transcendence into the Essence of Being. If you're not in the Now you have no chance. Meditation is one way to enter through this gateless gate of Now, but if you sit and meditate on the past and future the whole time it's going to be rather frustrating and exhausting, I can affirm this whole heartily.
Unfortunately knowledge is not a way to enter the Essence of Being, and it is actually a hindrance. Which means if you learned something from what I wrote then I may have screwed you up more than helped you. I'm now debating not posting this, ah, the mind at work. Just as understanding what an orange is won't help you describe it's taste to someone; knowing about these concepts will not help you transcend. You must experience it for yourself, and then in an act of selflessness help others.
The Way I See It... Inner Peace lies in returning to the True Self within. Not relying on disordered systems of the mind or of mankind's making. No religious, political, economic or societal/familial system will help you transcend the confines of space-time, only living in the Now can. It is futile to waste the limited amount 4-D time we have dispersing energy to change and fight systems when we can return to the Essence of our Being at any time we choose. Just go sit and meditate in a quite wooded area for even 5 minutes and you may be returned to your True Nature. I wish you great peace.
With Metta,
doug
I speak of the nature of humans, but had I ever heard anyone speak about the nature of Nature? Of course not, that's why it's called Nature. It is exactly the way it is supposed to be. That's also why It's peaceful, because It is a system that is completely in order and functioning exactly the way It is supposed too.
Humans deem things in nature as chaotic (tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, black holes, death, pain) but those are necessities in the system of the earth and the universe. Only our perception of them labels them good and bad. Or the question of Why me God? Why me? Why would Nature or God or a Higher Power allow suffering and death? Well, that's the way It Is. Resistance is futile, yet insanity prevails.
The opposite of Natures' nature is every other system that mankind has developed - economic, social, religious, political, familial, etc... These are all inherently in a constant state of disorder. They are set up to counter-act the effects of Nature, and this is subsequently why they all miss the mark and fail. I probably don't need to cite examples as anyone can readily see this is and has always been the state of the majority of humans on this planet.
If you read the first blog, thank you. In it I spoke about the First Law of Thermodynamics, which basically states that you cannot create or destroy energy, just transform it. The Second Law Of Thermodynamics deals with the entropy or dispersion of energy in systems. This is very useful in science, but no one besides maybe Schaake is a physicist. (He probably crawls with wanting to correct my limited knowledge of science) Instead of showing my lack of physics training, I'm going to attempt to relate my limited knowledge to my and your daily life.
The SLT involves a term call entropy, which was classically and erroneously defined as "disorder" and more recently as the "dispersal of energy". In essence all energy has a tendency to flow outwards from it's concentrated source. Heat disperses, light travels, sounds waves move, etc... energy is not static. I'm being overly simplistic, but if I don't, I'll spend all my life researching and none writing.
The term disorder is a human classification of the result of the dispersion of concentrated energy. So, in our world, who is dispersing the energy creating disorder? We are. What's labeling it disordered? We are. What is disordered? Human society is. Why don't we see this?.. Denial maybe, or we're busy watching American Idol, who knows. If I sampled 100 people, I'm sure most would say they want order (harmony) in their lives. Yet, we construct society in a most inharmonious way. In most cases actually pitting ourselves as a foe against Nature. Think building your home below sea level on an ocean and being surprised by a large hurricane and flood destroying everything. We saw the denial during Katrina and every subsequent natural disaster.
The reality is things are ordered and do go right in our lives the majority of the time. It is the human mind which tends to focus on, create and label the disorder and negativity. Every moment of your existence the Second Law of Thermodynamics has operated perfectly to keep your human form alive by processing oxygen and fuel to live. Yet, how many people really feel all that grateful about it? I didn't for a long time, and most days I'm not overly joyful to be creating energy through a digestive process. My mind wants to grasp much larger desires than the Krebs Cycle.
Another subject which must be discussed in the SLT is that it requires psychological time. Something dispersing energy does it... over time. I can't disperse something in our physical world in "zero-time", that's an imaginary quantum mechanics theory. I have to do it in "space-time" or in the 4 dimensions (3-D + Time). I feel it is better to enter our lives through this theory of psychological Time, which as discussed last week, it basically a delusion of the human mind.
We live in a 4-D world. Remember in grade school learning how to draw a 3-D box instead of the flat 2-D one. It was a huge leap in ability and intellect to experience creating 3-D. As children we struggled mightily to draw that first perfect 3-D box. Then we looked at a circle and our mind goes "ERROR". (Try drawing a 3-D circle w/o shading) I'll expound my theory of zero and circles in another blog.
Well we really live in 4-D, the fourth dimension being Time. In regards to the SLT, there is a concept called the Arrow of Time, which basically points to the future. It could point in any direction, but we live and experience time toward the "future". Go back to grade school and drawing time lines. They all go left-to-right to signify the movement of history forward. If you drew your timeline right-to-left you got a big fat F. If you drew it up and down you were sent to a psychiatrist. Although, if you did draw it up and down you'd be closer to the Truth than any of us back then.
Imagine living in a world in which time could move in any direction, it's just plain weird to us. Try undropping a cup, not possible in our world, but maybe it is in others not constrained by our Laws of Physics. You can undrop a cup or move in any direction of time using a concept called Imaginary Time, which really exists as a mathematical concept (so all 4 year-olds may be correct). When using Imaginary Time, the distinction between space-time as we experience it on Earth disappear. In my opinion this can be experienced, although explaining it to someone else will be impossible. Imaginary Time is essential in developing theories about what was before the Big Bang. Our greatest questions in life, what was before what first was ~ The Theory of Everything.
Who cares? Well, as I discussed last week, I feel time as we understand it is an illusion. We perceive we are moving forward and that the past is behind us. Neither actually exist, only Now does. In a few minutes it won't be the future it will be Now still. The peacefulness of Nature lies in the inherent lack of the knowledge of space-time. Just as humans were peaceful until Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the 'knowledge' of good and evil. The notion of duality is humans' biggest mental problem. The mind and false-self must cling to this duality to exist as a separate entity. The reality is though, that we are all One and all duality is false.
There is no anxiety in Nature because there is no concept of space-time. My dog is not worried about surviving tomorrow because he has no concept of space-time, he just Is. He walks, poops, eats, sleeps and does it again without any concerns. The tree does not worry about not being tall enough, or having enough leaves, it just Is. Only human animals experience psychological time and psychological worry. Should we live in the woods as heathens or do whatever we want, no... we have a thing called wisdom, which comes from experience.
So, the idea is to be able to transcend the limited confines of space-time as we know it. And in my experience the only way to do it is in the Now. You can't do anything not in the Now anyhow, just try. Transcendence can be accomplished many ways once in the Now and all major religions have sought this transcendence into the Essence of Being. If you're not in the Now you have no chance. Meditation is one way to enter through this gateless gate of Now, but if you sit and meditate on the past and future the whole time it's going to be rather frustrating and exhausting, I can affirm this whole heartily.
Unfortunately knowledge is not a way to enter the Essence of Being, and it is actually a hindrance. Which means if you learned something from what I wrote then I may have screwed you up more than helped you. I'm now debating not posting this, ah, the mind at work. Just as understanding what an orange is won't help you describe it's taste to someone; knowing about these concepts will not help you transcend. You must experience it for yourself, and then in an act of selflessness help others.
The Way I See It... Inner Peace lies in returning to the True Self within. Not relying on disordered systems of the mind or of mankind's making. No religious, political, economic or societal/familial system will help you transcend the confines of space-time, only living in the Now can. It is futile to waste the limited amount 4-D time we have dispersing energy to change and fight systems when we can return to the Essence of our Being at any time we choose. Just go sit and meditate in a quite wooded area for even 5 minutes and you may be returned to your True Nature. I wish you great peace.
With Metta,
doug
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