If ever there were a New Year's resolution to stand by, it would be for those of us in the U.S. to stop vilifying other countries and people. Of course I wish the same for other people in other countries to do the same, especially in regards to us, but since this is my home, I'll speak to you directly.

What is vilification? Vilification is when you take a being or collective of beings and turn them into an enemy icon. This is easy to do when the other party is vilifying you also. However, I grew up believing, and now being old enough to know for certain, that this country is the most dominant on this planet. Now, dominance is not necessarily a positive, but dominance does imply a certain responsibility. If we as a nation are to take the leadership role then we must be true leaders. Let us lead into the New Year by understanding those who hate or detest us. This will not only give us the advantage, but also reduce our level of stress. If you look at someone or some event as not being personal it will be easier to move on when it passes, and easier to deal with the situation as there will be no lingering emotion towards it.

There ya go. Make the resolution to look at those who anger and upset you as a gust of wind. Do what you must to protect yourself but let it pass by when it stops.

Do you get mad at a gust of wind?

As the New Year draws near many of you out there will pledge your yearly resolution. Some may plan to lose weight, others to quit smoking or cut back on their drinking. However, I wonder how many of you have made these pledges before, how many of you have given your goals a shot for a month only to revert back to your old habits?
Why is this common trait among us? Why do we reenact the same patterns over and over? Is it simply because our habits are too strong? Or, could it be that you want to continue your habits because you are addicted to them? If this is the case, if your subconscious desire is to continue the habit but mentally you wish to stop, than I have some advice for you. Allow whatever feelings you have to exist. Do not fight them. This is not to say act out the desire, as many of them may be harmful, but don't fight yourself. Allow the feeling to be. Then, when you are aware of the difference between an old habit and the being behind it, discover if you have the option to make the choice.
If you act out of habit you are being controlled, if you make a choice, you are in control.

So, instead of making a bundle of pledges for change, make one true change. Start making choices in your life instead of allowing the outside world (which formed your habits) to choose for you.

It has occurred to me that the future generations of leaders, teachers and operators of this country will have a serious lack of education. This is not due to the lack enrollment in school. This year alone there were record enrollments.
Since my days as a wee youth I have noticed a few things about our education system, something troubling. The first is a lack of support for creative endeavors. Rarely can a student be taken seriously when he or she states that they wish to be an artist, that being a painter, musician, writer, photographer and so on. Never mind the people in these fields can make some of the highest incomes on the planet. Sure, one must work hard to attain such a position, but should one avoid a goal because of its difficulty?
Secondly, students are more or less trained than educated. I find there to be a big difference. Training is a step by step process that allow little to no creative input. Education is the usurpation of knowledge and the relation of it to one's life. This is the reason I find that teachers allow little input from their students. Instead, the system is designed for teachers to throw factoids at their students and hope they remember.

How will the world change if children are not promoted to question the imposed beliefs and knowledge of their elders?

While walking through the local department store I happened to nudge a cart that was in front of me. Taking this gesture the wrong way, the temporary owner of this object snarled at me and said "Merry Christmas to you too!" Now, easy as it is to react to such a response I took a breath while walking away and thought about this individual. Perhaps she was having a rough day; I know I would if I were forced to work in such a crowded, high-stress location. Also, perhaps she is used to others storming through in a brazen fashion caring little about the lowly employees.

I understand now that this world improves not by falling in line and reacting in the typical fashion, but by taking a leap forward and correcting the imbalance. The world as I see it has a serious leadership deficiency and I find that it is those of us out here with eyes to see and the will to act to fill in this void. Leadership is not control over others. Leadership is your ability to control you. Other people are likely to then follow and learn from your wisdom.

So, if you find yourself in such a predicament and are about to react, take a step back and be the one to make Christmas Merry!

Feeling overwhelmed by the masses at the malls? Run down with the "can't find that d@mn gift" blues? That can only mean one thing. The holidays are right around the corner and you've waited till the last minute to shop. But, no worries, it's the essence of this magical time that counts, right? The holidays, whether it be Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or whatever your religion of choice may be, is about something deeper than rushing through the malls and dealing with disgruntled employees and miserly patrons. Personally, I do not celebrate Christmas or any other holiday in the manner it was intended. However, I do recognize that there is a joining principle about this season. If during the rest of the year people are hard edged and cut throat and this one day or several can loosen them up than I feel that is cause for celebration.

So, what I aim to say is this: Relax, take a look around you and see that you have something in common with those next to you. You are all are celebrating, in essence, the same tradition. All of you want a moment of peace to share.

What is the game of life? No, I am not talking about the board-game nor am I speaking of the daily grinds of living in a rat race, the race of trying to make it to the pinnacle of your profession or status. Yes, these are aspects of life. Yes, we must all deal with this in one way or another. But, this is not the entirety of life. I poignantly express this fact often because many of us humans forget this obvious truth. Many of us get so lost in the perpetual cycles that society so forcefully brazes upon us that we forget to take note to the true essence of our purpose.
What is that purpose? What is the game of life?
The Game of Life is the game of awakening from sleep. Often do we fall under the slumber of the 9-5 schedule or even the "I must maintain my fortune" attitude that we forget that this world is a part of us and not an obstacle in the way of success.
Why is this fact important? Why must we rise beyond inundation?
The answer is simple. Like your flesh and bones body, if you neglect it or treat it like extra weight that is only means to an end, you are likely to grow sick, and sickness is only a prelude to death… that is, if you do not wake up to the game of life…

No, this is not about the theory of chaos made so popular by movie like Jurassic Park and The Butterfly Effect. This blog is about letting go of the old shells of our lives, in general: The Past. It can apply to any condition, a job, a relationship (family, friend or lover), or any condition. The Old Shell represents our stage as a caterpillar. It was a beginning stage in our life and, for a while, it was who we were or what we were consumed by. We lived as if there was no reality. And, for a while, it was amazing or, perhaps, merely a security blanket. But, then, you hit a point in your life where the Old Shell seemed to detach a little from your identity. Soon, you felt as if it was getting heavy and, even sooner, you secretly began to wish it away. But, the time came for the Old Shell to fall off and, strangely, after so many nights of wanting off your back, you find yourself fighting to hold on to it. "Who am I without this shell?" you think. However, circumstances force it away and soon you are naked and cold.

But, within time, short time that is, you find that you have transitioned into something new. You have become a butterfly: a far superior being to what you once were.

Now, you could never imagine wearing that shell again.

"Change We Can Believe In"
This is a slogan. But, what does it mean? More importantly, how can we bring about this change?
First, we need a catalyst. We need something to light the fire of change. Often this comes about through an undesirable condition in our lives. For me, one of the great catalysts was a previous relationship. This is something most of us can relate to. However, it seems that most do not see the torture of a past or current relationship as a beneficial situation. Instead, we often become consumed by the pain or pleasure and lose insight. And, yes, pleasure can lead to torture, especially in a relationship. If all you do is seek pleasure from a relationship you will invariably be tortured. Remember that relationships can be pleasurable but are not the root of pleasure. The root is within and inside and in order to allow for change to happen we must see that our pain does not come from any external situation or person, but from ourselves.

We are the source of pleasure and pain.

The catalyst is what helps us see that.

At first thought, in response to the latest Tiger Woods debacle, my inner outburst was "Who gives a s#!T?". But, like the Clinton "scandal" of the Nineties, celebrity's sex lives are one of the most important issues we can pay attention to. I mean, let's be honest, we watch these people smack around balls for hours on end so why not be concerned with what he does with his… personal time that is (what did you think I was going to say?)

 

If you think about it, what would we Americans do if we didn't have other people to judge and complain about? I find it especially frustrating when I am looking someone who should be portraying a perfect image at all times in their life, I'm sorry, let me repeat that, THEIR life, and they are not portraying perfection. I mean, come on, he is perfect. Isn't he? Every time I see a Gillette commercial or some other mind-numbing, reality-reducing, slave-driving television add I think to myself "Wow, those celebrities are perfect in every way shape and form. Why else would they be given the position of public property?"

 

Strangely, my friends told me I was living a lie. What do you think?

Speaking of power over others, it just occurred to me that handing away my personal power. There was a funeral that I was likely to attend, yet circumstances prevented me from going. I learned, however, that my ex-girlfriend was there and immediately that thirty pound anxiety weight was dropped into the pit of my stomach. The break-up wasn't harsh but the relationship was (it was also a great catalyst for change but that is for another blog). This was a serious awakening for me. Even still, after quite some time of being apart, that pit returned and without the aid of my thoughts. It was as if all the old patterns begin to slip back in to my life, even if only for a few seconds. I realized, however, that all of this was me feeling powerless to the situation. This was a pattern I followed throughout that entire relationship. I felt frustrated because "she" wouldn't do what I felt was the "right" thing, but really, in truth, I had expectations and those expectations were not met.

What I have learned, thus far in my life, is that to expect anything to go the way you think it should is to set yourself up for major disappointment.

Moral of this story: if you feel angry or anxious, sad or scared by another person's presence, remember that your pain is not their fault. You are viewing the situation as if you are powerless to change it and that is the furthest fact from the truth.

Have you started dating someone whom you felt was on par with your desired attraction? Was this person the potential "one"? Did you find your first date full of magic and ecstasy? Did you then discover that this person wasn't really your type? Are they now more of a nuisance than a pleasure to be around? Do you find yourself avoiding their calls or cringing your scheduled date?
If this is the case, than not only are you asking for drama in your life, but you are feeding off of the sensation of power. By power I mean power over another being. To turn away someone who is throwing themselves at you is to dominate that person. Perhaps you feel weak in other areas of your life or perhaps this is the sort of pattern you've been acting out for decades. Either way it is an unhealthy and detrimental aspect to your growth as an independent and strong individual.
The real question is: Are you just into feeling powerful over others?

What does it mean to live a colorful life? In my mind, upon asking the question, there is an image conjured of a man or woman who has experienced many ups and downs. And, generally, we tend to view such a life with honor and admiration.

Why? Why do we appreciate someone who's been through hell and lived to talk about it?

Perhaps, a reasonable explanation is that we want all the bad as much as we want the good. I drive this point home so poignantly because much of our time (especially in America) is spent complaining about what we are doing. And right now, during this time in history, we are evolving into something magnificent. Within my own being I feel compelled to search within my own psyche as well as my soul and find an explanation as to why I and my fellow humans do the things we do. Furthermore, I feel compelled to express my opinion observation that we are not only here to experience the fullness of our lives but also become the masters of them.

"It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." - William Ernest Henley

Imagine a world where you were given everything you wanted. Imagine having everything go the way you think it should. What would that be like? Picture what it would be like if every person who questioned your opinion or authority suddenly stopped, apologized and took up your view point.

To take it a step further, imagine what if you knew everything there was to know or could answer every question there was to ask? Would life continue be enjoyable? Would there be a drive or motivation to create or act on an inner impulse? Would there even be a purpose to your life?

Is not the purpose of life to explore all it has to offer? And isn't that exploration what makes our lives enjoyable?

Not that there is anything wrong with having what you want but there is a certain pleasure in perfecting the way you go after such things. There seems to be a pleasure in our failures and misfortunes. Perhaps this is the reason we love drama so much.

Think about that the next time you get into an argument.

Why do we carry on as if knowledge makes us superior beings? Why do we feel that the size of our muscles make us the kings of others? Are not all beings equal? What power do you have when you triumph through thought or might? Is this not a display of weakness? Could it be that you were the weaker to begin with? Could it be that you were the inadequate one who needed to prove? Does not aggression imply, by its own nature, weakness? If not weak or afraid why aggress onto another's space? If you do not feel less intelligent why impress with the knowledge you learned from others?

For thousands of years humans have endeavored to find the source of creation. And in some form we have all felt a connection to that source within ourselves. This feeling begs the question: who are we or what are we? The answer to these questions is simple and in the title of this article. The answer is consciousness, or rather, its degree. We, as a species, are an ever evolving form of conscious energy. We are singular points of awareness that focus the source of all life into a "virtual" reality we call existence. In other words, the answer to "who are we" is simple. We are the creators of reality.
Yet, for some reason, we feel powerless, and thus seek to control, destroy, and gain power over others. This, of course, feeble attempt to rule the world always ends in an inevitable blunder, simply because that is our unconscious intention.
The key factor to our reality is that we are one. So the question is not "who are we", but who am I. And, no, "We are one" is not just some new age term. It is the simplistic representation of the most basic truth of our reality.