From Resilience to Transcendence

What do we live for?

We arrive screaming pulled from the comfort of our mother’s womb. Whether we leave this world with someone at our side, or alone, we all hope someone remembers us—at least for a while. In the years between our beginning and end, we forge a life we call our own. Failures and victories mark our path which, full of transgressions and glory, defines who we are, then once were.

Soon, we are forgotten. Which is as it should be. But the contribution we’ve made to the soul that offered us its eternal wisdom upon our first inhalation has been made even wiser at its departure upon our last exhalation. Our primary job is to be the vessel and steward of our soul. Although we give our ego much more playing time during our lives, we should revere our soul with a sense of respectful awe—especially in the last quarter of life. Upon our death, our soul moves on to possess another being in their first breath as an older and wiser soul. That is our everlasting contribution—the one true legacy that is ours, alone.

That’s it. That is why we are/were here. That’s all there is. And, it’s grand.

In August, I wrote about how to achieve resilience in your life that included three steps: Know Thyself, Honor Thyself, and Steel Thyself. That if you successfully pursued these steps it would result in a “constitution that is unassailable.” That you might even become “that person that in the face of adversity has a curious grin on their face.” If you missed that essay, or want to review it, go here.

I need to admit now that I was holding out on you; that there is a fourth step that takes you beyond resilience to transcendence. In order to move from resilience to transcendence (what others may call enlightenment), there is another step that is important to enjoy a thriving last quarter of life and to leave this world in peace: Liberate Thyself.

In some cultures, folks in their last quarter of life are revered. They are cared for, respected and, moreover, listened to. I suspect these people have an easier time finding peace, equanimity, and transcendence before they pass as compared to those of us who are more often ignored and discarded in American culture.

Our culture is fast: fast food, fast fashion, fast cars, fast relationships, and fast opinions. We dismiss the rule, “speed kills,” with cheerful ignorance. The wisdom of living more slowly is borderline unpatriotic. As a consequence, liberating thyself is arguably more difficult in America, and also more important to those of us who want to make our exit in peace rather than in a state of suffering.

We can, however, achieve a state of transcendence that assures sweet peace. In America, we may just have to work a bit harder to get there. Among other things, we have to recognize the delicate and often contentious relationship between our ego and our soul.

If you are a long-time reader of these essays, I actually haven’t been holding out on you about liberating thyself as I have written about this before. However, in the face of disturbing unknowns that seem to increase dramatically as our country faces national elections today, and since many more readers have recently joined ameritecture.com, I thought it might be time to pull things together again in one essay with links for you to conduct a deeper dive to suit your own particular needs or concerns. To give you all the steps to understand the path to transcendence.

In “The Identity Trap: Suffering or Transcendence” (click here), I argue that while we arrive in the world as a clean slate—egoless—we should also leave the world as a clean, or relatively clean, slate. That in the first three phases of life, preparation (0-25 years); achievement (26-45 years); and actualization (46-65 years), during which we are creating and refining our egos, our identity serves to both differentiate us as uniquely valuable as well as provide a basis for belonging to places, organizations, and groups. Our egos and attendant identities act to locate us within society. But then there is a fork in the road.

In the fourth quarter of life (65+ years), if we cling to that ego that has defined us, we may spend our final days suffering. That the key to achieving sweet peace and transcendence is to let go of our ego. It is a very challenging process, but like anything else you have accomplished in life, with diligence and discipline it can be achieved. Fair warning: your ego will fight like hell to preserve itself. It has been the alpha actor in your life since a few days after birth. But it is time for the other actor—your soul—to become the touchstone to govern the balance of your life. The desires and aversions and delusions that occupy that ego-driven voice in your head must be expelled to take the path to transcendence—to avoid suffering. This is what some spiritual teachers refer to as living in the seat of the soul.

As I summarized in this essay,

The disturbances and discontents that inflicted others no longer afflict me. FOMO (fear of missing out) has been replaced by the equanimity of missing out. Let the rabble roar. If you have triggers, they are yours, not mine. My awareness is elsewhere. My mind is sucking up knowledge like a kindergartner. It is a very different me than the one I left behind. No burdensome expectations or obligations, no doubts, or fears, or anger. Moreover, no hurry. Death will come when it will and I will welcome it in the same manner I welcomed life: with a sense of optimistic curiosity. Whether it is a door or a wall doesn’t matter, because I have my sweet peace in this world and it is simply magnificent.

In a later essay, I hung ornaments on the tree; I offered “Twelve Contemplations for a Better Tomorrow” (click here) that included practical tools and steps to free yourself from your ego based on my learnings from Buddhism and Stoicism. In this essay, I cover fun things like getting naked, dying to live, discarding regrets and desires, and leaving things better than you found them, as well as eight other contemplations. I’ll add Christ to the mix today including his teaching in John 17: 14-15 which (in my interpretation) suggests that being in the world, but not of the world is what happens when you forsake your ego for your soul. You transcend the world in favor of sweet peace. You live in a spiritual realm that enables what I have been pursuing for the last several years now: heaven on earth, which I suggest is the true Holy Grail of life. (My poem, “Heaven on Earth,” is included at this post.)

Finally, in “Curating Sweet Peace” (click here), which I published in the transition month of November—between autumn and winter—I wrote about “coming to terms with one’s life and inevitable death” and offered the mental gymnastics exercise of considering that “if we knew we would live forever—a deathless existence—what meaning would our lives have?” to embrace, rather than resist, death’s inevitability. Further, I suggested that we recognize the challenges the world keeps throwing in our face and the role of good practices:

Dastardly dissonances come and go with high frequency. This is why we must find a rhythm of practices that support our desire for sweet peace. This is where the process of curation comes in. In your constellation of practices that involve different tools (principal among them meditation) you will, over time, land on elements that prove effective in producing that sense of harmony that literally resonates in a manner to shield your sweet peace from a world that seems determined to disrupt, if not destroy, it. This is what is meant by ‘doing the work.’ There are many so-called spiritual teachers out there. And, as with your formal education, you will experience ones that work for you and ones that don’t. In my experience, it is a highly idiosyncratic process. Sometimes, just an irritating voice can eliminate a teacher, at others you will find more substantive points of attraction or dismissal. The point is (as with any regimen aimed at improving your life) to get started and stick with it.

As we face the coming chaos of our elections while we search for handholds of sanity, take comfort in your capacity to achieve your own sense of peace, regardless of your current age and station in life. The Stoics used the practice of negative visualization to steel themselves in advance of undesirable outcomes. It may be time to deploy this practice before what may be disturbing events over the next few months. I will conclude here with the same ending to “Curating Sweet Peace.”

Be patient with and attentive to others, but be selfish, too. Our country and world have many challenges, but I am a big believer in the power of one, which is to say making the world a better place starts with making a better, more peaceful, you. If your practice only yields glimpses of sweet peace, as mine has, trust me when I say it is well worth the effort. Tranquility is its own reward.

Once you pursue your own liberation, you may add a calm sense of knowing to your “curious grin” of resilience. No more navigating, or calculating, or striving, or becoming. Just thriving in the flow of whatever is in the moment. Whomever inhales your soul next will be a very fortunate being.

My blessing for you (and me) is always: “May you wake in glory, enjoy your day with grace, and spend your night in peace. Glory, grace, and peace.”

By |2024-11-03T13:11:03+00:00October 20th, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Reverence for Me

As a writer, I am always searching my mind for what I think, know, and believe. Moreover, trying to find patterns between them to explain myself, the world, and the relationship between the two. Then, to write it all out coherently enough to maintain my bearings—my sanity. Finally, to share it if I think it might benefit others.

Painters paint with the stroke of colors, chefs paint with food and spices, and writers paint with words. Writers don’t make a mess in a studio or a kitchen, they make a mess in their mind then try to sort it out to make it informative or even inspiring for a reader. I wish that my favorite Lyle Lovett lyric, “I live in my own mind, ain’t nothin’ but a good time” was always true. Alas, life does present difficult challenges that, if properly considered, allow us to grow into ourselves.

Each of the painter, the chef, and the writer are trying to create a connection with others out of the messes they make. If it only pleases themselves, that is okay too. In my case, I write for myself first and always, but share it to affect connection with others. It is always interesting and informative for me to see what resonates with whom. It is sometimes even humorous to experience criticism from both sides of an issue, which I guess makes me the occasional equal opportunity offender. In any event, helping people think—to understand—is its own reward.

In my process, I have become very fond of both analytical narrative and poetry. I was well trained in analytical narrative, especially in the pursuit of my PhD, which was at its essence a deep dive into learning to write well. An undergraduate degree teaches us to think well; graduate school teaches us how to properly express what we are thinking for the benefit of others regardless of the medium like paint, food, or words.

However, analytical narrative—writing persuasively with high regard for facts and reason—is not as engaging for the reader as is poetry. By its nature, analytical narrative is not designed for interpretation; rather, it is designed to be both clear and persuasive with limited opportunity for the reader to weigh in. On the other hand, poetry is abstract and invites rather than prohibits interpretation, which is its superpower inasmuch as interpretation invites engagement which creates a relationship between writer and reader that can produce a more meaningful experience for both. The reader has the opportunity to make a poem their own. In effect, the poet is saying, “I release this to you to do with it as you wish.”

I have found that toggling between the two—analytical narrative and poetry—while sticking to the same subject/content is challenging and often produces new illuminations as the renderings, while different in form, become intriguing complements to one another. To take verse and turn it into analytical narrative or vice versa, take analytical narrative and turn it into verse. It’s like jazz: synchronicity thriving in asymmetry. Today’s poem, “Reverence for Me” is my last analytical narrative post, “Three Steps to Resilience” expressed in verse. If you missed the last post, you can find it here: https://ameritecture.com/three-steps-to-resilience/. “Reverence for Me” is like a pocket version of the essay on resilience. 221 words instead of 2,483 words.

Now, go ahead: interpret, engage, and most importantly, make it your own.

Reverence for Me

It’s a daunting world

With lurking unknowns

Every day unpredictable

The noise is deafening

 

As well as I know me

There are always distractions

The world wants me

To indulge its seductions

 

Enslaved by desires

And high expectations

Leaving me to suffer

The cost: dissatisfaction

 

Me, I have for certain

If I am certain of me

The best of, the worst of

The honest me

 

The fashionable changes

But doesn’t change me

Soulless influencers

Don’t have a hold on me

 

The high priests offer shame

Trying to heal & heel me

But my heart is full

And my soul is mine

 

Still others have opinions

To suit their needs

To capture me in their web

To suck what they can

 

But my home is here

Wherever I may be

Choosing virtue over vice

With authenticity

 

The world keeps turning

And the treadmill churns

Learning to honor me

My essence, core, and soul

 

That beautiful me

One in billions of yous

Me just for me

Worthy just as I am

 

Body, mind, and soul

Fortitude becomes me

Upright, clear, and calm

Leaning into the moment

 

I stand before peril

With a wink and a grin

I’ll leave when I wish

My home travels with me

 

Wherever I go

There I am again

Finding grace in suffering

I rest in divinity

Living in the moment is not an argument for instant gratification. TikTok is not life. Using your moments to be reflective and contemplative is meant to build your future one moment at a time. We live in a world of seduction and provocation. Succumbing to these petty ploys must be treated as noise—as empty distractions—if we want our lives to be meaningful and fulfilling. Living as a pinball by bouncing around without agency is a waste of the gift you were given the moment you took your first breath when you inhaled your soul. Tending to yourself is not selfish, it is redemptive, and makes you a much more valuable member of society.  Your physical, mental, and spiritual self needs care and compassion. It is the one job we must not ignore. There is always time for you. Use it wisely. You are worth it.

By |2024-09-22T13:12:49+00:00September 8th, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Three Steps to Resilience

Every so often in America we experience unsettling times. In my lifetime, I recall the late 1960s, late 1970s, and early 2000s as being spans of two to three years when there was decidedly more uncertainty in America than certainty. When political, economic, social, and/or security concerns left my head and heart troubled. Every day had an edge to it and, at times, it was unclear we would come through it. Occasionally existential dread, but mostly just a persistent low-level agitation that is both impossible to ignore and impossible to expel. It leaves your mind troubled and your stomach churning just enough to cause us to take a step back and place life on pause. Relief eventually arrives with little fanfare as, more often than not, life simply moves on thanks to the rule of impermanence: “this too shall pass.”

The Covid-19 pandemic glazed with the chaos of the Trump presidency qualifies, at least for me, as the fourth unsettling period during my lifetime. In my case, divorce and cancer added to the challenge. Yes, there was dread, but mostly just a daily grind that made both mornings and nights—which in the human experience should be joyful and reflective—marked by the stress of unknowns. It was during this recent period that I created my daily prayer: “May you wake in glory, enjoy your day with grace, and spend your night in peace.” Glory, grace, and peace. It makes a nice mantra, too. Not an excited state of joy, success, or happiness; rather, just a stable level of calm contentment. Calm as the new joy. That is enough for me.

Getting to the other side of these unsettled periods requires a level of grit and fortitude that are generally available to all humans, at least for a short period of time like two to three years. However, these periods offer a larger opportunity if we care to pay attention and do the work of building the deeper and wider capacity of durable resilience. A capacity that will serve us under any circumstances we face from unsettled periods to outright catastrophes. It may be because of my particular challenges that I have spent a great deal of time on this subject, but the truth is my challenges are not more profound than what you or your loved ones will endure—maybe even less. Frankly, it’s just life, and as the meme suggests: shit happens.

I have become convinced that the power of resilience is the most important capacity we can develop and maintain in our lives, but probably also the most difficult to understand, which makes its nurturing a lifelong challenge. It requires a mix of what to do as well as what not to do to succeed. Our resilience must be both strong and subtle in its deployment. Like a steel glove covered in soft velvet, it must do its job while not crossing the line into coercion—into doing further harm. We must learn to restore our equilibrium without creating any new disequilibria—for ourselves or others. Resilience requires an extraordinary sense of balance to keep us physically, mentally, and spiritually on an even keel. It is critical to our sense of tranquility that supports our capacity for equanimity. Without resilience, our suffering can cause permanent damage to ourselves and perhaps to others—often to the ones we love the most.

In Stephen Flynn’s book, The Edge of Disaster (2007), wherein he outlines all the threats facing the United States (at the time, mostly external), he offers us a definition of resilience based on Yossi Sheffi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s rendering as: “the ability of a material to recover its original shape following a deformation.” Flynn goes on to suggest that the United States must be able to “match its strength to deliver a punch [coercive power] with the means to take one [resilient power]” which will make it “an unattractive target.”[1] His focus, and our national obsession at the time when the events of 9/11 remained a fresh source of fear, was on outside terrorists. Flynn provided a worthy analysis of how we might refocus our national resilience, but what about resilience at the level of the individual? This has become especially important as the threats in our lives have become more internal like domestic terrorists, the pandemic, and the many threats we perceive and experience from a deeply divided America.

There is actually quite a bit of scholarship out there on the subject of resilience. It tends to accelerate as a research interest during periods of crisis. Of the material I reviewed, I suggest Rick Hanson’s Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakeable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness (2018).[2] Hanson’s approach is to remain at all times thoughtfully aware; develop grit and confidence while practicing gratitude; know how to self-regulate your disposition depending on the circumstances; and, be courageous and generous while also being humbly aspirational. Hanson argues all of these factors will assure your safety, satisfaction, and connection to others, which are foundational for resilience. Makes sense, but it seemed to be missing some things that were less abstract and more practical. What follows here is more of a how-to approach.

In my view, developing and maintaining a deep and wide reservoir of resilience is possible in three steps of contemplative and practical work: know thyself, honor thyself, and steel thyself.

Know Thyself

Answering the question, “Who are you?”, is a fundamental requirement to determine the nature and identity of just who it is resilience is supposed to serve. Its importance is similar to the old requirement of strategic planning prompted by the axiom, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” In this case, if you don’t know who you are, serendipity may be your only shot at resilience. Aristotle viewed knowing thyself as a necessary foundation of life. “Know thyself” was, according to legend, also inscribed above the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece.

Knowing thyself is largely a contemplative exercise that should be repeated and refreshed from time to time throughout your life. The ancient Greeks had a word for what Jesus would often do to refresh himself: eremos (air-ee-mose). He would disappear into the forest for contemplative solitude where followers believed he conferred with God. Who you are will and should change. Knowing thyself requires you to examine all the elements that define your identity—the descriptors in your unique and personal profile. How would you-describe-you in an honest, the many ways I am me, manner? You should identify your core beliefs (particularly as to values and virtues) and areas of knowledge that you have acquired through your experiences, education, indoctrinations, and socializations. Also, pay attention to what you inherited through your particular cultural and familial heritage. Don’t judge, just capture. This exercise is for you, alone. Avoid including the opinions/contributions of others. They tend to be generated through the lens of their own identity and, therefore, suffer from innocent corruption.

Next, perform a self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses (which are important to have for step three: steel thyself).  It is very important to know what you can leverage to your advantage and what you need to work on, or at least be aware of—like blindspots. One way to prompt yourself here is to simply list those things others rely upon you for (strengths) and what areas do you require help from others (weaknesses). Be kind to yourself here. Most of us (who are not afflicted by narcissism) are much more self-critical than is appropriate.  Also, strengths and weaknesses are, by definition, things that are within our control—what an economist would call endogenous variables. Things out of our control are exogenous variables; more commonly called opportunities and threats. Deal with that which you can affect and accept the rest as it is.

Honor Thyself

You are a unique and glorious human being. You are so special there is actually not another person exactly like you in the entire 8.2 billion people in the world. Honor yourself as such. This second step, honor thyself, is probably the most often missed step in the process of building resilience. It can feel like a selfish exercise. But notwithstanding the spike in narcissism in the contemporary era, humans generally think of others as much as themselves; cooperation and service to others has been—throughout the history of humankind—key to our survival as a species and as individuals. To build personal resilience, you’ve got to allow yourself to be important, too. Grant yourself this permission. (This was my most difficult challenge in building my own resilience.) No, honoring yourself is not selfish. Get over that.

Honoring the self that you defined in step one includes respecting the values and the virtues you deem important. Consider these values and virtues as the vertebrae in your spine of character. Be true to them as best you can with the humble understanding you are still human and subject to irregular fealty. “The pursuit of happiness” found in our Declaration of Independence was intended by our founders to mean “happiness” as based in moral goodness. Further, it was intentionally described as a “pursuit” as in an ongoing journey and, therefore, in need of dutiful care, rather than a destination. Without integrity of virtues, Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson all argued, there could be no happiness. One might speculate this is why Trump is always angry. Pythagoras (born 580 BC in Greece), whom the founders often referenced, offered us the injunction to “reverence thyself” which included both self-awareness (knowing) and self-discipline (honoring), which brings us to step three: steeling thyself.[3]

Steel Thyself

That steel glove covered in soft velvet is achieved by tending to your body, mind, and spirit. Steeling requires the balance of hard, soft, and flexible. As you steel yourself, be mindful of the strengths and weaknesses you identified in step one.

Americans know a great deal about tending to the body, but not as much the mind and spirit. We all understand the value of diet, exercise, and sleep. There are many—way too many—products and services available in America to affect caring for our bodies. The challenge here is to make your way through that jungle to determine what works for you. Then, stick with your program. The general rule is that if you stand naked in front of a mirror and like what you see you are probably okay (setting aside the psychological distortions some people suffer as they interpret the image in the mirror). It is also recommended you tune into your body so you don’t miss messages it is trying to send to you. A consistent exercise regime is one way to develop this feedback loop inasmuch as the body under stress will behave differently when something is wrong (as long as you listen). Also, body-scan meditations are useful here.

I have found that the mind is best stimulated and maintained by a commitment to lifelong learning. Another mantra of mine (besides Glory, Grace & Peace) is to “Stay curious. Always curious.” Make the question mark (?) your icon worthy of veneration. To constantly challenge yourself to learn more in order to avoid what I call intellectual sclerosis, or a hardening of the mind. Remain open to new ideas and discoveries and embrace another rule of mine: every person I meet knows something I don’t know and can do something better than I can do it. Shut up and listen. Constantly challenge yourself to know more. Every day should include at least one new learning. Stick with it and you will become a very wise person. One more thing for the mind: live within your means in every sense of that word. Avoid burdensome obligations, troublesome dependencies, and unnecessary conflicts. When in doubt, discard.

Tending to the spirit, or what I call the soul, begins with affecting a healthy balance between the ego (largely defined in step one) and the soul. Left alone, the ego will dominate and often suffocate the soul. Mindfulness training achieved through contemplative and meditative practices is the best way I have found to nurture the soul. To remain in a state of open awareness, project a sense of calm authenticity, and enjoy a comfortable level of tranquility. I will further suggest that the ego is more important—should be granted more playing time—in early stages of life, but that balance should be flipped in the last quarter of one’s life. The ego that served you so well in the first three quarters can become your enemy in the last. There is a fork in the road around your mid-60s. Holding on tight to your ego puts you on a path of suffering while elevating the soul sends you on a path of transcendence. It is difficult to let go, but the big benefit is a state of peace and calm that—trust me—you will wonder why you waited so long to discover.

Knowing, honoring, and steeling is the best way to develop and maintain resilience. Pursued with diligence and discipline it will produce a resolute constitution that is unassailable. You will be that person that in the face of adversity has a curious grin on their face. You will know that you will always be okay and you will be much more valuable to those you care about. Yes, there is and will be suffering, but at the center of suffering the resilient find grace. In a world of unknowns and certain peril, you will not only survive, you will prosper. The “pursuit of happiness” will always be in your grasp. You will achieve a sense of dynamic enlightenment and pleasant liberation. You will rest in the hands of divinity.

What more could one want?

 

Finally, a note on the presidential election: The scene is now set. The light versus darkness. Inclusion versus exclusion. Elevation versus humiliation. Persuasion versus manipulation. As a presidential historian, I can predict how this ends. The optimism of F.D.R., Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama all prevailed. Only once in the contemporary era, in 2016, did darkness win when Trump’s “American carnage” won. Frankly, because the Clinton light was dimmed by her dismissive arrogance. In 2024, we need optimism more than ever. While many things could intervene to change the current course, Harris has captured the high ground of optimism, something Trump could never do. Because the only light he supports is the one shining on him.

 

[1] Stephen Flynn, The Edge of Disaster (New York: Random House, 2007), p. xxi.

[2] Rick Hanson, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakeable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness (New York: Harmony Books, 2018).

[3] Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2024), pp. 28-30.

By |2024-09-08T12:46:46+00:00August 25th, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Our Secret Superpower: Intuition

Freeing oneself from the chaos of disinformation in our world today is imminently possible once we learn to nurture and honor our intuition.

One of the great challenges of the modern era is discerning truth from falsehood. In what I have characterized as the Age of Deceit that has been with us now for twenty years, assessing the firehose of inputs we receive each day in our digital era can be overwhelming.[i] This condition has given rise to, among other things, the strategy espoused by Trump advisor Steve Bannon to simply “flood the zone with shit” to disorient and deceive people to affect their manipulation. Overwhelming people with “shit” as opposed to informing them with facts that serve their best interest has become a prevalent modality of many politicians and has, unfortunately, been adopted in other sectors of our society from business, to education, to religion, and even the gaslighting that has crept into opinions rendered by justices of our Supreme Court.[ii]

Manipulation, which is designed to serve the interests of the advocate has displaced persuasion, which intends to serve the interests of the citizen. We can, however, nurture and honor intuitive skills that focus on the energy that accompanies the messages that bombard our lives to quickly and reliably determine what to consider and what to discard. All without having to indulge in comprehensive and time-consuming fact checking that can be extremely challenging in the slick algorithmic-driven messaging we endure today that is often designed to manipulate us.

I won’t get too wonky with you about quantum field theory and energy flows in our universe but, briefly, our world (and universe) is essentially an unbounded arena of energy flows that carry all of the elements that effect our lives.  Intuitive discernment, which is based in these energy flows, is readily available to every human being regardless of intelligence, education, age, gender, or any other of the many ways we attempt to differentiate ourselves. If we nurture our capacity to feel the energy that accompanies the information we encounter and, further, if we pay attention to what that energy is conveying, we can avoid disorientation, deceptions, and our own manipulation. We can recover a sense of stability and calm; perhaps even optimism about the future.

“It just doesn’t feel right” is an example of our intuitive energy receptors flashing a red warning light. Disturbed energy that “doesn’t feel right” escorts information that is deceitful, angry, fearful, envious, etc. Our job is to recognize it for what it is and move on. As fully formed rational adults, however, we often ignore what to our intuition is obvious. We pay for our indiscretion with pain: emotional, psychological, financial, or even physical pain. Correcting this imbalance in our decision making and judgments begins with expanding our awareness and increasing the weight we assign to what we commonly call feelings. It also requires reducing the speed with which we discard these feelings in favor of our rational minds. Not much time is needed—just a few seconds—to honor what our intuition is trying to tell us before it is overruled by our rational mind.

This capacity of intuitive discernment begins with clearing and cleaning our own psychic house. Children generally have higher intuitive capacity than adults for two basic reasons. First, because they have yet to develop much else cognitively, and second because they are filter-free. They neither block nor accelerate inputs based on knowledge or beliefs. Their principal operating system is intuitive based on how the accompanying energy makes them feel. They cry or laugh out of feeling rather than knowing. So, to improve our own intuitive discernment in later life, one way to look at the task is to channel the innocence of being a child, which means shedding much of what we have naturally accumulated throughout our lives. Further, where this stuff that impedes our intuition resides is in the ego, which is where we need to start clearing and cleaning.

Mindfulness gained through contemplative and meditative practices are powerful tools to begin the enlightenment we need to become aware of the role our egos play in our lives—for better and worse. Our egos contain what I have called our cognetic profiles that embody all of our knowledge and beliefs acquired through education, experience, socialization, and indoctrination (the four vectors of cognetics). Our cognetics are what we call upon to conduct what we believe is rational decision making. I designed the system originally in my PhD research to understand and predict the decisions of our presidents and, subsequently, foreign leaders. But it can be applied to any human being. It is also a great tool for personal assessment: to know thyself (as Aristotle suggested) which, when considered in a contemplative/meditative mode, can help each of us understand how our cognetics (in the ego) are both beneficial and detrimental to the decisions and judgments we make.

As we age, I have become convinced that the path to transcendence requires that we routinely challenge our cognetics that become cluttered with many elements of knowledge and beliefs that may no longer be relevant or, in many cases, are just wrong. To get on the path to transcendence and avoid the path of suffering, we must humbly learn to carefully discard many of the ideas and practices we have utilized in the past. To relax and release to rise. Further, this is why some of us are characterized as wise as we age, and others become insufferable curmudgeons. This clearing and cleaning process will affect a rebalancing that allows intuition to regain its footing vis-à-vis our rational mechanisms as we consider the world before us. Embrace the psychic cleanse for your mental health in the same manner you may have cleansed your microbiome for your gut health.

The goal is integrative or holistic decision making. Holism in judgment means blending inputs to decision making in a balanced manner where intuitive feelings are considered first as an initial screen rather than after the rational processes (or not at all). In other words, if the initial intuitive sense is negative, discard the consideration altogether before wasting time on the rational. How the energy that accompanies information feels is often the only thing we should consider. “Trust your gut” is another common dictum that applies here.

As many have adopted Bannon’s “flood the zone with shit” approach to making us do what they want, we need to improve our holistic decision making. Intuition, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning,” needs to get much more playing time. The great news is that it is available to all of us—from children to elders—and can allow us a sense of tranquility we could all use much more of today. We really shouldn’t be enduring the agitation that we do, but we should recognize what the energy in the agitation is trying to tell us. All we must do is embrace a little clearing and cleaning—psychic cleansing—and calm our monkey-minds with meditative awareness. To liberate us from the shit-vendors and put a smile back into our lives.

 

[i] See William Steding, Saving America in the Age of Deceit (2020).

[ii] See Jesse Wegman, “The Supreme Court is Gaslighting Us All,” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/opinion/supreme-court-psychological-manipulation.html.

By |2024-08-25T12:48:13+00:00August 11th, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Big Sky Gratitude

Staring up into a canopy of twinkling darkness

a universe of unknowns that teases and taunts.

 

Hey you, out there, are you even there?

 

I lay back to widen my scope

in the soft delicate grass of summer.

Trying to take it all in—a futile endeavor.

From one end of the horizon to the other,

vastness is too small of a word.

What might be is incomprehensible

to my speck of perspective.

Insufficient in its relativity.

 

The miracle of earth

in an otherwise inhospitable galaxy.

And on this earth a continent we call America.

Safety in its borders protected by oceans,

divided by the ruggedness of mountains tall and pure.

Diversity and vitality in its composition of hidden wonders.

 

If you are out there, dude, you missed out.

My patch of grass is the best seat in the galaxy.

Save your envy, I will spare you my gloat,

and just pour out my heart in gratitude.

By |2024-07-14T12:20:28+00:00July 4th, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Extending Our Minds: the Path to Full Knowing. Plus: A Personal Note

Wanna be a genius?

The things we know and believe have origins beyond our brainpower as measured by natural intelligence (IQ), or those things we have learned through education, experience, indoctrination, and socialization. Alternative vectors of knowledge include sources beyond our brains—beyond what is between our ears and within our skulls. Our bodies below the neck are constantly assessing the world too; their sensory receptors never shut off and have knowledge to offer (if we listen). Objects, both alive like flora and fauna and inanimate like books and computers and art— collectively our surroundings—are significant actors in the stimulation and acquisition of knowledge. And, of course, other humans we choose to associate with are reservoirs of knowledge to draw upon; often referred to as a “brain trust.” Then, we have knowledge built into our DNA—inherited knowledge (also known as ancestral memory) that is believed to be coded into our genes. Finally, our divine knowledge that resides in our soul where eternal wisdom has been carried for millennia (tapping into this vector requires diligent ego suppression).

Humans have an extraordinary capacity to know. It is a key differentiator between ourselves and other mammals. How we know what we know—epistemology—continues to explore these frontiers that may be as vast as the universe itself. Metaphysics suggests all we must do is to be open-minded, open-spirited, and consider the possibilities beyond what scientific method allows. We must drop the filters and guardrails that limit our knowledge to expand our awareness and, therefore, extend our minds.

It has happened to each of us throughout our lives. We have all had unexplained knowings. We often describe these events as the result of a hunch, or our intuition, or simply a lucky choice. But, was it? New research suggests those things ascribed to intuition are actually knowledge sourced from heretofore unrecognized vectors like those described above.[1] It turns out, we are all geniuses, or can be once we unlock ourselves and tune into our world in a much more open, loving, and grateful manner. Like the humans our ancestors hoped we would be.

Eastern philosophy calls this practice open awareness, or mindfulness, where our receivers are on full-power reception unencumbered by what has been or might be; where the only moment that matters is this one—the present. Once we realize this is the path to genius (full knowing), and ultimately transcendence that assures both inner peace and tranquility throughout the world, we might actually decide to change the manner in which we pursue life. (Note: you have just been handed the Holy Grail to assure the survival of Homo Sapiens.)

Contemplative practice combined with routine meditation are the fundamentals of the pursuit of full knowing. A quiet mind, warm heart, and a carefully balanced ego and soul are principal characteristics of the full knowing. Curiosity is their best friend. They don’t speak as much as they listen (with all of their senses) because speaking is a form of projection that requires the suspension of awareness that might compromise their knowing. They share their knowledge with appropriate discernment.  They are neither stingy nor generous; balance is wisdom. Neither are they conspicuous, they prefer anonymity to spectacle. You won’t find them on any red carpet. Often described by others as loners, ironically, they actually hold the keys to human flourishing. They are neither beautiful nor ugly, rich nor poor, powerful nor marginalized. They possess the curious capability to exhibit both solemnity and cheerfulness. They embody grace.

Now, please indulge me as I get personal. Or, if you prefer, click delete now.

In January 2022, in a meditative-ritual state, my “rite of passage cards” (pictured above) were revealed to me. The following October, I was diagnosed with very aggressive cancer, what is called a “high grade tumor”; cells that were likely triggered by the excruciating stress of the prior two years due to my now ex-wife destroying our twenty-year marriage and combined family. Please don’t feel sorry for me. Eventually, I came to embrace the challenge as one of moving from devastation to liberation. In hindsight, it has been a blessing. There is no way I would be where I am today without these events. There is no way I would have learned about full knowing or had come to terms with my own path to what I call “sweet peace.”

In February 2023, I went through a complicated six-hour surgery to rid me of cancer. They thought they “got it all,” but today, my cancer has achieved what they clinically call “biological recurrence” (unfortunate but not unexpected). Tomorrow, I begin seven weeks of daily radiation treatment. And while the doctors have suggested I also receive months/years more of various chemical treatments that carry significant and debilitating effects, I have decided to forego them in favor of retaining my life as it is for as long as it lasts. As I have shared with my doctors, I can handle the dying part, it’s the suffering I want to avoid. Besides, I have had one hell of a good life. Hopefully, with many more years to come.

My seven rite of passage cards describe my life’s journey. Although I was the fourth of four children in a lively and supportive home growing up, as the only boy I learned to embrace being alone. With three older sisters in the house, I spent most of my time outdoors in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.  I withdrew into the woods out of necessity; I had yet to read Thoreau’s Walden to realize it was a soul-building experience. Nature became both my teacher and my source of comfort. My mother would stand on the deck of our house and ring a cowbell when it was time for me to come home for dinner. Yes, I was often wet and cold, but I don’t recall suffering from that. The canopy of trees—mostly bigleaf maples and Douglas firs—engulfed and swaddled me.

Allow me to explain the cards. I love learning and continue to intellectualize everything (card #1). The relationship between myself and Nature, represented here by fly fishing, is depicted in card #2. I love mountains, always have. Being in the mountain—as one of them—living in stability, perseverance, and strength is card #3. Then, transcending the mountain with truth and serenity (the orb). I am above it, rising (card #4). Soaring from my younger self to old age—the journey of ascension—is card #5.  Card #6 is where everything begins to come together, what my spiritual guide described as “the gathering.” Finally, card #7, totally at peace. I made it: sweet peace.

My spiritual guide’s assessment in January 2022 was that I was already there. That my only remaining challenge was to give myself permission to be the person I already was—to surrender to it. (Remember, this was pre-diagnosis.) “Surrender” is a challenging word and concept for me. I was not raised to surrender to anything, but I am beginning to accept the wisdom of it. Both Stoicism and Buddhism support surrender. Stoics advocate accepting things as they are and focusing on our response to them—the only thing we can actually control. The Buddhist tradition suggests, what you resist persists. So, I am embracing surrender in as healthy and as positive a manner as I can. Who knows, perhaps surrender will be the key to my longevity. In any event, peace.

I also recognize there is an exquisite symmetry to my life. Largely alone as a kid, and now similarly alone as my fourth quarter of life is upon me. To be clear, I have many supporters who are cheering for me and are a phone call away from pitching in. I hope I am worthy of their support.

Now, go extend your minds! The future of humanity hangs in the balance.

 

[1] Annie Murphy Paul, The Extended Mind: the Power of Thinking Outside the Brain (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021).

By |2024-06-16T12:59:44+00:00June 2nd, 2024|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Decency

Walking alone, but seldom lonely

Five senses guiding my sixth

To know the world on its own terms

Accepting what is while yearning for better

 

Seeing value in every being

Decency binds humanity to yearning

In the face of fear, anger, and war

Glory, grace, and peace beckon

 

We must recalibrate our course

Climbing the steps of decency

One true and noble act at a time

To right our world, steady its axis

 

It’s about more than knowing, it’s about doing

Practicing decency at every opportunity

Small gestures to herculean efforts

Putting the human back in humanity

 

Humbly we must tread over the rubble

Left by wayward souls trapped in toxic egos

But for divine grace we are them

As we thrive and flourish in the light of truth

 

Rough and perilous the road remains

Cormac asks, who will carry the fire?[1]

The path is paved by acts of decency

Dispensed with kindness and compassion

 

The work is never done, arrival a mirage

The journey is its own reward

Virtues bloom in decency’s radiance

Where good is nurtured to gallantry

 

Humanity can prosper on the back of decency

One doesn’t have to look hard to act

Our chances to be decent are everywhere

We must simply ignore the scoundrels

 

Summon eternal wisdom from our souls

Heads up, shoulders back, eyes focused

It’s our world to save and the time has come

Decency is our beacon and our hope

 

[1] Referring to the late Cormac McCarthy’s The Road wherein at the end of the dystopic journey the dying father instructs his son that “You have to carry the fire” now—the hope of humanity—which the father further explains to his son that the fire is “Inside of you. It was always there. I can see it.”

By |2024-05-12T13:07:56+00:00May 5th, 2024|General, Spiritual|0 Comments
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For MLK, Jr: “Fierce Resilience”

Big mountains

Big snow

Big wind

 

Scoured stone

Frozen in time

Stasis preserved

Unscarred

 

Millennia speak

Through perseverance

Change swirls

Permanence unrivaled

 

If the peaks spoke

No trivia

Just just wisdom

Low resonance

 

Fierce resilience

Their message

As the world churns

Forever present

By |2024-03-29T14:37:17+00:00January 15th, 2024|Leadership, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Seeking Higher Ground

I attempt to welcome each new year with more hope than trepidation. Admittedly, I have failed in the last few years. The abandonment of civility in our nation and world, and the unprecedented rejection of rational discourse founded in truth to find agreement about basic realities in order to solve fundamental challenges has proven—to say the least—disorienting. What we have collectively witnessed and endured has tested the fortitude of our character to unnatural levels.

And yet, I don’t think I have learned more about life and how to live it than during these extraordinarily disturbing times. The lessons of my bucolic Boomer childhood notwithstanding, I enter 2024 with great gratitude for these more recent learnings born from the necessity of sanity. Dark times force one to dig much deeper into their knowledge, beliefs, and fundamental consciousness that—if we commit ourselves to a practice of mindfulness—reveals magnitudes of higher-order thinking. The American country singer-songwriter, Lyle Lovett, sang, “I live in my own mind, ain’t nothin’ but a good time.” That worked for me too until my mind wasn’t such a good time. Then, I had to either reconfigure and recalibrate my mental modalities, or accept a descent into the depths of depression. Fortunately, my Celtic heritage allowed no room for despair. I do come from stubborn and sturdy stock.

Recently, I have been digging through my archive of notes, mostly taken from books I have read. Thirty years ago, I read the book A World Waiting to be Born by M. Scott Peck (1993). After several moves, it remains in my library today so it must be a good one. In it he describes a world of rebirth and renewed civility in that early post-Cold War era (two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union) that we now know was, sadly, stillborn. The period that followed—that included our transformation from ages-long scarcity to newly realized abundance—illustrated that while humans are good, we are also weak. The period of high idealism that began in the early 1980s crashed (as periods of high idealism always do) into a period of crisis from which we are now—hopefully and finally—emerging.

Shortly after Peck’s book was published, Microsoft launched the Windows operating system (1995). Since then, I kept a file simply called “Ideas” that has since evolved into many more files that provide a reservoir of knowledge and inspirations that now—three decades later—prove that new ideas may or may not exist, but the great ones come and go and come again. In this file was a quote from Peck’s book that made enough sense to be jotted down at the time, but makes even more sense to me today—after these last few years of tumult and terror.

Peck wrote,

… the point is to plunge ahead as pilgrims, through thorns and sharp stones of the desert into deeper and ever-deeper levels of consciousness, becoming ever more able to distinguish between those varieties of self-consciousness that are ultimately destructive and those that are life-enhancing, even godly.

Today, Peck’s advice leaves me both dumbstruck and awestruck. Dumbstruck because I feel stupid having written it down and then largely ignored it for thirty years, and awestruck because it absolutely nails the value of the rigorous interrogation of my consciousness that has proven so beneficial in eluding despair’s tendril-grip grasp thus enabling my liberation—even if only for a moment here and there. This is what some mindfulness teachers call glimpses of enlightenment: when the spiritual-self—the soul—overcomes the ego-self.

Socrates taught his students the importance of “to know thyself” as a prerequisite to a meaningful and fulfilling life. Indeed, having an honest and humble sense of self is an essential element of maturity. However, as I have learned from those rooted in Eastern philosophy, there is another step. Knowing thyself then enables one to create space between the self and negative thoughts and emotions through the practice of mindfulness. As the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle recommends, do not say “I am angry,” simply recognize that “anger is in you.” That space created through recognition of anger’s existence, rather than it being an integral part of you, is the space necessary to isolate toxic effects before they penetrate your psyche to cause harm. It enables what Peck is suggesting where he writes about building the capacity to distinguish between things that are destructive and those that are life-enhancing. It is a subtle yet powerful practice. The ultimate benefit of this approach is the manifestation of a balanced and centered life that supports peace and tranquility; what the Greek stoics called eudaimonia.

May I suggest that in 2024 we take Peck’s advice and “plunge ahead as pilgrims” to seek a “life-enhancing, even godly” new year. May we do this from the core of moral goodness that resides in each and every one of us. May we together establish a new road paved by integrity with courage on the accelerator and humility on the brakes.

As we leave 2023 behind, I offer you some lines of verse titled, “Revelation,” that describes the arc of life from its terrifying beginning to its transcendent finale.

Revelation

We arrive alone

Terrified, crying

Strangers smiling

Happy in our terror

We’ll call them family

 

We craft a self

That makes us special

We strive and fail

And craft some more

Climbing, falling, climbing

 

Styles like lovers

come and go

Unmet expectations

Deceive and disturb

Carrots and sticks

 

Surfing rainbows

Beauty without bliss

Until we stop, sit

The stillness of shade

Hearts finally open

 

Light in the darkness

Shedding our armor

Liberation beckons

Solemn calm

Sudden transcendence

In the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the church of Corinth, he makes the case for the necessity of a life denominated in love while also recognizing the value of faith and hope. While love envelops both, hope is our greatest natural source of strength. It is the spine of our character. Further, it is available to each of us and can only be taken away by a loss of faith—principally in ourselves. It is, therefore, our duty to nurture hope and to protect it from those who wish to strip us of our humanity; from those whose own selfish depravity knows no limits. It is time, once again, to reach for hope and show each other and the world that the future belongs to those who honor its strength.

Cheers and Happy New Year.

By |2024-01-07T13:37:50+00:00December 31st, 2023|General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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Taking Stock of the Stones We Carry

Yes, we are living the Chinese curse of “interesting times” in real time.

From the pandemic and our continuing recovery including all of its collateral damage, to wars in Europe and the Middle East and not-so-veiled threats from China and North Korea, to extraordinary political dysfunction and social strife at home, there are many heavy stones to carry. And yet, upon each new dawn we rise up and stride forward, again.

For all this darkness let us please stop for a moment and, as this year draws to a close, take stock of our resilience and perseverance that, with each new stone, seems to increase rather than wane. Bowed though our backs may be, unbroken we stand.

In the midst of our challenges, I see our goodness rising rather than falling. I see our character being chiseled into new forms of lean fortitude. Our virtues that, like fenceposts, stubbornly steady the integrity of our character as the wind-driven snows of infamy attempt to topple the fence altogether. We are, slowly but surely, shedding our excess pounds of dishonor gathered during a period of narcissism, entitlement, and hubris—now more than two decades running—to regain our most fundamental American values: 1) Individualism, or the notion that Americans are possessed of free will and take responsibility for its expression thereof (which was displaced by narcissism); 2) Perfectibility, or the idea that Americans always strive to make things better than the way they were found (which was exchanged for an adolescent sense of entitlement) and finally; 3) Exceptionalism—the exemplar kind—where Americans attempt to set the example for others to follow (which was compromised by hubris).

Are we all the way back? Hell no, but I feel an awakening beginning to glimmer in the eyes of many among us of all ages and of every other American distinction—different races, religions, ethnicities, political loyalties, sexual preferences and gender identities.  Not yet among our leaders who remain deluded by a warped sense of grandeur; rather, among those of us who rise every day, hoist the bag of stones on our back, and attempt to make this day better than the last. Just folks.

The values I identify above—Individualism, Perfectibility, and Exceptionalism—are as old as our founding documents. Observers, like Alexis de Tocqueville in the early 19th century, were enthralled by this American character. Subsequently, countless adversaries have been both fooled and foiled by the strength these dispositional values can muster. The fundamental operating system that both activates and actualizes these values is our commitment to self-determination: to foster a world that meets our interests as we define them—on our own terms.

While it is true that many American politicians and even our own Supreme Court appear determined to restrict and even undermine our right of self-determination, that glimmer I see in people’s eyes suggest they will fail; that “We the People” will not cower, nor be put asunder. We know what freedom is and, as every despot in the history of the world also knows (often learning the hard way), once people taste freedom their appetite never diminishes. Indeed, as many prior American generations demonstrated, we believe it is worth dying for. The Samuel Alitos among us would be wise to take note.

We do, however, need to get smarter about the stones we carry.

Our current load of stones has frazzled our minds and inflamed and bruised our hearts. Anger and depression have reached epidemic levels among Americans today. As a result, our behaviors, both individually and collectively have, at times, been far less than exemplary. Like a kid on a hike in the mountains we have picked up too many stones to carry home. As adults, however, we know from the Pareto Principle that 80% of results come from 20% of causes—the vital few as they are called—suggest we should carry far fewer stones. Understanding these stones and learning which to carry is the most effective means to enhance our well-being and maintain that sturdy chiseled character.

There are three types of stones. Touchstones that guide and inspire, Duty Stones that represent those things we are responsible for, and Burden Stones that represent those things we cannot directly manage or affect. We need to curate our list of those that should be in our bag and discard the rest to achieve a new sense of balance—of equanimity.

Touchstones (TS) emanate from a constellation of knowledge and beliefs that comprise our cognetic profile (a methodology I developed in my doctoral research to predict the behavior of presidents and other world leaders). Each of us has our own unique cognetic profile—as unique as our highly-differentiated fingerprints or the strands of genes that form our DNA. Our TS come from our knowledge and beliefs. Knowledge is acquired rationally through two channels: empirical learnings and experience. Beliefs are acquired through faith via the channels of socialization and indoctrination. These TS collectively guide us and inspire us; they are critical elements of what make up our dispositional orientation, or personality.

Some people have cognetic profiles that favor one or the other, knowledge or beliefs. Understanding this balance and the most influential components of each are powerful predictors of our likely decisions and actions. As for wisdom, consider it the bed upon which these TS lie—the soul beneath your knowledge and beliefs (what the Greeks called sophia, or transcendental wisdom). These profiles are also not fixed. They shift and evolve over time as we encounter our world; they are dynamic. There are also lively discussions over what elements are acquired and which might be inherited, and how our souls (believed by many to be our reservoir of eternal wisdom) plays, but these issues are too deep of a dive for this post.

Duty Stones (DS) are just as you might expect. They include those stones we accept through our many obligations to ourselves, our families, our communities, country and world. As a general rule, we arrive in the world with zero DS then accept more and more as we age until a point around sixty years of age when—if we have done our job well—the list begins to decline. The problem for many, however, is that our self-image, protected by our powerful egos, often clings to these DS which, as I have discussed in prior posts, sets us on a path of decline and suffering rather than transcendence and sweet peace.

In effect, there is a fork in the road of life many miss and blindly continue without shedding their DS. The result is that at the time of our final liberation—our death—we are in an unsettled state of mind. In some, if not many cases, we have actually met the underlying obligation but cling to the DS to maintain a self-image from our earlier life. Like the parent who won’t acknowledge that their child is now an adult. This is when DS can become Burden Stones (BS). But that is not the only or largest source of BS.

I have to say I like that the abbreviation of Burden Stones (BS) is shared with bullshit. I think that is appropriate. BS are the stones we should never have in our bag, but which for many can comprise the majority of stones in their bag. By definition, BS are stones we have no direct ability to affect. They become the primary contributor to what I collectively call gut-fry: frustration, anxiety, anger, fear, and depression.

Some people accept BS out of a sense of shame or guilt, or often times out of a sense of overwrought duty. Sometimes even out of a sense of master-of-the-universe ego-maniacal self-perception as in, “What do you mean I can’t solve all the world’s problems?” (I am guilty of this one.) We cannot directly affect the plight of Israelis attacked on October 7th, Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank, Ukrainians, Rohingya in Myanmar, Uyghurs in China, or any other victims of distant atrocities. What we can do is vote, protest, contribute to the cause, etc., but we must not carry them as DS.

Another common form of BS is the heritage or legacy stone. These come from events of the past which, by their very nature as in the past cannot be affected. Placing any of these BS in your bag is unfair to you and to those who are the subjects of your DS, like your family and community. As a further note to late-life readers: do not fall into the trap of replacing DS with BS to bolster your self-image and sate your ego. (I have seen a lot of this.) Do not compromise your path to transcendence and sweet peace.

So, in your bag: TS and selective DS, but no BS.

I expect 2024 will be another year of “interesting times.” A year from now, we may come to appreciate how important it was to lighten our load of stones. As Jennifer Senior wrote recently in The Atlantic as she was contemplating the effects of a potential return of the Orange One to the Oval, regardless of the presidential election, in 2024 “we are once again facing a news cycle that will shove our attention—as well as our output, our nerves, our sanity—through a Cuisinart.” I encourage everyone to have a private conversation with themselves. The year’s turning is a convenient time of reckoning. Look in your bag and lighten your load.

If you do, 2024 may indeed be a Happy New Year.

By |2023-12-31T13:37:19+00:00December 10th, 2023|American Identity, General, Recent, Spiritual|0 Comments
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