John McCain
Sarah Palin, McCain, Iran, nukes
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The evolution of the awakening of consciousness floats in a cloud of vanity.
We are all soaked in vanity – it permeates our lives.
People talk about God above. There is no "above" in absolute terms. Are there absolute terms?
If you want to refer to existence as God, fine, it doesn’t matter. But don’t talk about it like there is some void within existence, separating us and God. The fabric of life is ONE fabric. There is the appearance of here and there, but really there is only here.
We think we are everything. We are not. We have evolved enough to become aware of ourselves and our surroundings, but in doing so we have lost the path we came on. We are now destroying our home and ourselves.
Think about the universe, and its size. The universe is infinite, the earth is finite. By definition of these terms, the earth barely exists on a universal scale.
Now look around outer space, where else can such an abundance of life be found? Life is incredible. In an infinite space of gas and dust, this is what is growing, and we don’t have a fucking clue how rare and beautiful it is? Look at the joy of relationships, the diversity of living creatures and plants, the sensory offerings, the ability to learn about and do things you love to do.
How much richer could we possibly be? Imagine a richer planet.
Sadly, our consciousness cannot hold the vastness of the universe but for fleeting moments. How our self-perception would change if we could sustain this awareness, I don't know.
Why are we here? There is no adequate answer to this question other than ‘why not’. This leaves us in the middle… eternally. We exist as measurable entities between big infinity (looking at space) and small infinity (looking into space). The universe is infinite, I guess. If you put on your jet pack and shot into space in a straight line from earth, and never ran out of fuel, you would never stop!? If you created a microscope that could magnify anything without limit (human cells, for example), you would never stop seeing what it's made of.
This is one example of balance, a fundamental principle of existence.
Yet none of this matters, except in one area: appreciation. We are blind with vanity. We are so wrapped up in our own worlds, we can’t see the world. And I’m not blaming anyone. This is the natural course. Go through the bad, experience the shit, to discover the good.
Wage war. Do as the U.S. says, not as it does. Let the companies in or we'll cut off the aid, we'll make your people starve. They'll starve anyway, you say? Oh well.
Tax the poor. Privatize social security. Privatize the water, and the air. Privatize my thoughts - make me pay to think.
Once everyone owns everything, everything will be fine. Too bad this planet is not ours, we don't really own anything. But we play the game, and we take it very seriously.
We are all soaked in vanity – it permeates our lives.
People talk about God above. There is no "above" in absolute terms. Are there absolute terms?
If you want to refer to existence as God, fine, it doesn’t matter. But don’t talk about it like there is some void within existence, separating us and God. The fabric of life is ONE fabric. There is the appearance of here and there, but really there is only here.
We think we are everything. We are not. We have evolved enough to become aware of ourselves and our surroundings, but in doing so we have lost the path we came on. We are now destroying our home and ourselves.
Think about the universe, and its size. The universe is infinite, the earth is finite. By definition of these terms, the earth barely exists on a universal scale.
Now look around outer space, where else can such an abundance of life be found? Life is incredible. In an infinite space of gas and dust, this is what is growing, and we don’t have a fucking clue how rare and beautiful it is? Look at the joy of relationships, the diversity of living creatures and plants, the sensory offerings, the ability to learn about and do things you love to do.
How much richer could we possibly be? Imagine a richer planet.
Sadly, our consciousness cannot hold the vastness of the universe but for fleeting moments. How our self-perception would change if we could sustain this awareness, I don't know.
Why are we here? There is no adequate answer to this question other than ‘why not’. This leaves us in the middle… eternally. We exist as measurable entities between big infinity (looking at space) and small infinity (looking into space). The universe is infinite, I guess. If you put on your jet pack and shot into space in a straight line from earth, and never ran out of fuel, you would never stop!? If you created a microscope that could magnify anything without limit (human cells, for example), you would never stop seeing what it's made of.
This is one example of balance, a fundamental principle of existence.
Yet none of this matters, except in one area: appreciation. We are blind with vanity. We are so wrapped up in our own worlds, we can’t see the world. And I’m not blaming anyone. This is the natural course. Go through the bad, experience the shit, to discover the good.
Wage war. Do as the U.S. says, not as it does. Let the companies in or we'll cut off the aid, we'll make your people starve. They'll starve anyway, you say? Oh well.
Tax the poor. Privatize social security. Privatize the water, and the air. Privatize my thoughts - make me pay to think.
Once everyone owns everything, everything will be fine. Too bad this planet is not ours, we don't really own anything. But we play the game, and we take it very seriously.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Big Bang Machine?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7627631.stm
It's just human nature to take shit too far. These people are so obsessed with finding an explanation for existence, and they never will. What kind of scientific explanation could possibly prove adequate? Stop wasting money on this stuff.
It's just human nature to take shit too far. These people are so obsessed with finding an explanation for existence, and they never will. What kind of scientific explanation could possibly prove adequate? Stop wasting money on this stuff.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Spirit
Goldsmith talks about spirit as the underlying, fundamental realm of existence. The 'material' world as we know it sits upon the spiritual world. We are spirit, but we think we are material. We think we (are) matter.
Adyashanti talks about how we identify so strongly with our material manifestations - body, mind, thoughts, emotions. But if you search for an 'I' that these are all attached to, you can't find it. This is because our essential being is simply consciousness or awareness. Awareness is the underlying spirit, and this is the fundamental nature of everything that exists.
Unfortunately, most people measure their lives according to the manifestations. They identify themselves as those things. I think about it like this. There is a truck with a trailer attached to it. Wherever the truck goes, the trailer goes with it. Many people get dragged through life - often feeling dragged - because they are whipped around by their attachment to a self that does not exist.
When you stop this identifying with everything you thought you were, you can appreciate that everything is the same. Everything is awareness. What could this mean to how we live our lives?
So much hatred, violence, and suffering is caused by the divisions we draw between ourselves. Conservatives and Liberals. Democrats and Republicans. Blue and Red.states. Believers and Atheists. Muslim and Christian. India and Pakistan. The US vs. the world. Beautiful and Ugly. The list could go on forever...
And although these differences seem to exist on the surface, I think they lose their power when you realize there is something more fundamental that ties us all together. Awareness never changes. It's manifestations constantly change, but it never does. And the beauty of it is that you can sit in that awareness, you can be there all the time if you want. And this is such a peaceful, yet active and vital state of being, that it would turn the world on it's head.
Adyashanti talks about how we identify so strongly with our material manifestations - body, mind, thoughts, emotions. But if you search for an 'I' that these are all attached to, you can't find it. This is because our essential being is simply consciousness or awareness. Awareness is the underlying spirit, and this is the fundamental nature of everything that exists.
Unfortunately, most people measure their lives according to the manifestations. They identify themselves as those things. I think about it like this. There is a truck with a trailer attached to it. Wherever the truck goes, the trailer goes with it. Many people get dragged through life - often feeling dragged - because they are whipped around by their attachment to a self that does not exist.
When you stop this identifying with everything you thought you were, you can appreciate that everything is the same. Everything is awareness. What could this mean to how we live our lives?
So much hatred, violence, and suffering is caused by the divisions we draw between ourselves. Conservatives and Liberals. Democrats and Republicans. Blue and Red.states. Believers and Atheists. Muslim and Christian. India and Pakistan. The US vs. the world. Beautiful and Ugly. The list could go on forever...
And although these differences seem to exist on the surface, I think they lose their power when you realize there is something more fundamental that ties us all together. Awareness never changes. It's manifestations constantly change, but it never does. And the beauty of it is that you can sit in that awareness, you can be there all the time if you want. And this is such a peaceful, yet active and vital state of being, that it would turn the world on it's head.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thoughts
We think we are entitled to as much of anything as we want. In the animal kingdom this type of behavior is counter-balanced. We are too powerful for our own good, so our only option (until it’s too late) – if we want to avoid major suffering and devastation – is to be our own counter-weight. Nature is fighting back right now, and the next few decades are critical.
Standard of living – it would help things if we could make luxury unnecessary: if people feel good about themselves they don’t need possessions to feel good, and naturally a sustainable standard of living is achieved.
Viewing people outside their country as humans too wouldn’t hurt either.
On that note, aren’t people like Sarah Palin hypocritical? They supposedly believe in the sacred value of human life, forcing raped women who get pregnant to have a child because the zygote or whatever it’s called is life….yet have no problem with their American army killing innocent civilians.
American life is sacred, all others are secondary.
We are each responsible for our own impact on the planet. As populations grow finite resources get consumed and become scarce. If consumption is not controlled, the planet begins to die and then we do.
We have institutions that govern our society that tell us we don’t have to be responsible – courts of law, schools(?), even governments that allow private interests to go too far (prime housing debacle). Only when the shit hits the fan do we realize that our actions and choices actually matter.
Vision for future: people living sustainably, doing what they can to alleviate their burden on the earth. Ties in to what Obama was saying at Harvard about active citizenship, where citizens live and work not only for themselves but each other.
We need government to create a fair playing field for markets. Legislation that allows anyone and everyone a chance, not giving special considerations to those already with power and money. Like Robert Kennedy Jr. says, if the true costs of products were borne out in the market, we would be well on our way to lightening our footprints on earth. Animals tread lightly on this planet. Humans do not. We are only beginning to realize this and that it has really serious repercussions. We call human life the most valuable of blessings, yet we cannot see that we are indirectly killing ourselves. They don’t have a loud enough voice, those who talk about the future of the planet. Maybe once nature has had its say we will start to listen to ourselves (if we are still around).
The main obstacle is likely people bent on maintaining or raising their profits, no matter the cost to their countrymen/women, families, children, or the planet. By naming them we evoke emotion but the truth is that every stakeholder is the same.
Saving the planet = ourselves = our future generations, and this is true no matter the order you put the stakeholders in.
So what will it take? It’s going to take real education. People must learn about the real impact of their actions.
They must think about the future in terms of how their actions will affect future generations. But they must also think about their actions now, because the present time is where real change occurs.
Drop the mentality that it takes time to effect change. It does on a broad scale, but only because it takes people time to accept that it doesn’t take time! A paradox?
Regardless, individual change simply takes willingness and observation of self. If a person has a goal in mind and is working towards it, and wants to know how they are doing, all they need to do is observe. Observe themselves and their interactions with the people and things surrounding them.
Feeling like a part of a collective effort is satisfying for most humans. It gives their lives meaning and motivates them to act according to their own beliefs.
Right now, this is having an undesirable effect. People are not believing in the power of choice, and because no one does, everyone feels ok about it. The problem is that today, people do not think there is an alternative to feeling helpless.
Humans cannot think very far outside their own world for very long, but that is ok. They don’t need to, all they have to do is make choices according to their own beliefs and values, and know that it matters. The water and wine story applies here.
To do this, people must be educated about how the commercial options available to them today – products, services – are made and delivered to them. Make the "abstract" real. In other words, teach them how their day to day lives, the everyday choices, affect the world on a broad scale. Ultimately, what effect that is having on the planet or their fellow humans. The survival of the species is what is at stake when we are talking about the planet health.
The questions the people on earth should ask themselves when making any choice: am I doing harm, am I causing damage by making this choice? Do I have to make this choice? If the answer is yes and no respectively, don’t do it. The hard part is teaching people that yes is the answer to the first question, when asked about many products and services available in today’s markets.
A type of journalism could be to travel the world, telling the stories of the people who work at Coke factories, etc. It might make the consumers who need those ‘slave labourers’ think twice about buying. It’s too bad that many are addicted to many products, an attachment that will be hard to break. It starts when you are a child, and we all know habits are hard to break. This is why early education and proper conditioning is necessary. There's also addiction as a symptom of mental illness, caused -partially, let's say- by improper nutrition.
Now that's fucked up. We start eating crappy foods because it's cheap and tasty, which makes us mentally ill because our bodies aren't supposed to be fed so much sugar and synthetic shit etc., and that mental illness that the food caused, takes us right back to the very same food.
People must not grow up into money earning and spending adults who think that where they choose to spend their money does not matter. When you look at money, where it goes is one of the only things that matter because it is has the power to create or ease suffering.
Standard of living – it would help things if we could make luxury unnecessary: if people feel good about themselves they don’t need possessions to feel good, and naturally a sustainable standard of living is achieved.
Viewing people outside their country as humans too wouldn’t hurt either.
On that note, aren’t people like Sarah Palin hypocritical? They supposedly believe in the sacred value of human life, forcing raped women who get pregnant to have a child because the zygote or whatever it’s called is life….yet have no problem with their American army killing innocent civilians.
American life is sacred, all others are secondary.
We are each responsible for our own impact on the planet. As populations grow finite resources get consumed and become scarce. If consumption is not controlled, the planet begins to die and then we do.
We have institutions that govern our society that tell us we don’t have to be responsible – courts of law, schools(?), even governments that allow private interests to go too far (prime housing debacle). Only when the shit hits the fan do we realize that our actions and choices actually matter.
Vision for future: people living sustainably, doing what they can to alleviate their burden on the earth. Ties in to what Obama was saying at Harvard about active citizenship, where citizens live and work not only for themselves but each other.
We need government to create a fair playing field for markets. Legislation that allows anyone and everyone a chance, not giving special considerations to those already with power and money. Like Robert Kennedy Jr. says, if the true costs of products were borne out in the market, we would be well on our way to lightening our footprints on earth. Animals tread lightly on this planet. Humans do not. We are only beginning to realize this and that it has really serious repercussions. We call human life the most valuable of blessings, yet we cannot see that we are indirectly killing ourselves. They don’t have a loud enough voice, those who talk about the future of the planet. Maybe once nature has had its say we will start to listen to ourselves (if we are still around).
The main obstacle is likely people bent on maintaining or raising their profits, no matter the cost to their countrymen/women, families, children, or the planet. By naming them we evoke emotion but the truth is that every stakeholder is the same.
Saving the planet = ourselves = our future generations, and this is true no matter the order you put the stakeholders in.
So what will it take? It’s going to take real education. People must learn about the real impact of their actions.
They must think about the future in terms of how their actions will affect future generations. But they must also think about their actions now, because the present time is where real change occurs.
Drop the mentality that it takes time to effect change. It does on a broad scale, but only because it takes people time to accept that it doesn’t take time! A paradox?
Regardless, individual change simply takes willingness and observation of self. If a person has a goal in mind and is working towards it, and wants to know how they are doing, all they need to do is observe. Observe themselves and their interactions with the people and things surrounding them.
Feeling like a part of a collective effort is satisfying for most humans. It gives their lives meaning and motivates them to act according to their own beliefs.
Right now, this is having an undesirable effect. People are not believing in the power of choice, and because no one does, everyone feels ok about it. The problem is that today, people do not think there is an alternative to feeling helpless.
Humans cannot think very far outside their own world for very long, but that is ok. They don’t need to, all they have to do is make choices according to their own beliefs and values, and know that it matters. The water and wine story applies here.
To do this, people must be educated about how the commercial options available to them today – products, services – are made and delivered to them. Make the "abstract" real. In other words, teach them how their day to day lives, the everyday choices, affect the world on a broad scale. Ultimately, what effect that is having on the planet or their fellow humans. The survival of the species is what is at stake when we are talking about the planet health.
The questions the people on earth should ask themselves when making any choice: am I doing harm, am I causing damage by making this choice? Do I have to make this choice? If the answer is yes and no respectively, don’t do it. The hard part is teaching people that yes is the answer to the first question, when asked about many products and services available in today’s markets.
A type of journalism could be to travel the world, telling the stories of the people who work at Coke factories, etc. It might make the consumers who need those ‘slave labourers’ think twice about buying. It’s too bad that many are addicted to many products, an attachment that will be hard to break. It starts when you are a child, and we all know habits are hard to break. This is why early education and proper conditioning is necessary. There's also addiction as a symptom of mental illness, caused -partially, let's say- by improper nutrition.
Now that's fucked up. We start eating crappy foods because it's cheap and tasty, which makes us mentally ill because our bodies aren't supposed to be fed so much sugar and synthetic shit etc., and that mental illness that the food caused, takes us right back to the very same food.
People must not grow up into money earning and spending adults who think that where they choose to spend their money does not matter. When you look at money, where it goes is one of the only things that matter because it is has the power to create or ease suffering.
Video
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=null&brand=null&videoId=3553404&n8pe6c=2
Video of Obama interview/playing 1 on 1 with Stuart Scott
Video of Obama interview/playing 1 on 1 with Stuart Scott
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