.. just happened upon a video series by Christiana Amanpour (I don’t like Yahoo’s title for this video as the term “epidemic” carries with it the concept of disease; making a living is not a disease, as long as nobody is coerced or hurt!) who reports on a global black market which, to our surprise, is not focused on illegal contraband products and services, but instead is focused on a way of life that allows ‘everyone’ to make a living.
What would it take to live a life of pristine beauty and freedom and joy?
The flaws of status quo of our so-called modern society are quite obvious. To understand what I mean, take a look at my previous post which, although a little vulgar in its humorous illustrations, nonetheless conveys our state of affairs very well.
Many are looking for better ways to live meaningful and healthier lives while others aim to improve and fix the current systems (political, economic, …). Yet there’s one piece missing—
My experience has been that sincerity and clarity are a (the way?) way of looking beyond theology and philosophy and learn the lessons of the Spirit behind the words and transcend religion. It’s all about the heart.
Coming from a place of heart and clarity and objectivity and honesty is very difficult while within a given system, while under the influence of all the arbitrary stresses induced by ways of life that are no longer about living but merely a means to an end. In order to find our way back to a profound and fulfilling state of being, a full STOP is required.
A couple of months after our move to a new apartment, I’m finding myself in that part of the cycle where I’m going back into meditation. To me that is a time for being still, as well as a time to work through events in life that need to be processed, understood and resolved, and it is a time to commune with the Source of my being. It is an inward journey to the core of my very soul which, when done properly, fills me with a peace, joy and connectedness that goes beyond reason.
It’s late Winter here in California and as I sat in my Papasan chair this morning to be still, my attention went to feeling the nice crisp air, brilliantly white cumulus clouds gliding below a bright blue firmament permeated with a heart-warming golden light from the sun. A hanging chime, gently ringing in the wind, is almost as the sacred sound of a gong in a temple. When in this place I’m brought back to my true inner being of who I am, reconnecting, healing, regaining a sense of my true self, finding my place in this universe.
From a place such as what I’ve described, we can solve what ails us, as individuals as well as communities. With tools such as love, patience, understanding and wisdom we can come together to solve anything! In spirit, there are no boundaries, geographic, cultural, economic or otherwise. There is only being and the furtherance of life.
Renewal starts with the individual (believe me, I need plenty), as individuals form communities, even the world over, regardless of culture, with agreement on common values of love, appreciation, clarity, wisdom, we can renew and reshape our societies into vibrant, inspiring and renewable sanctuaries of life, real life.
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from R Smittenaar on Vimeo.
.. as these are are written in ambiguous legal language, would have the power to circumvent due process and hence are just waiting to be abused and will in the end also hurt the innocent because the defendant may not even know about having been charged even if only for the smallest infraction. We don’t need more government control especially when big, corporate business is behind it.
This Forbes article shows 10 reasons why talented people leave esp. large companies.
Open Mindedness: What a surprise to find that I’m not the only one annoyed by corporate policies, in particular specific business processes esp. when these are anything but fluid. That was one of my first observations upon entering a new company yet any attempt at making improvments merely hit a wall as I just got the run-around. The person making policies is either not taking responsibility or simply not interested in updating status quo. WOW – REALLY!!?
This may only be a viable energy source, once perfected, for those who have ample space available…
Some of my own thoughts will follow, but for now, these videos I’d like to share … (Small note: please remember that spirituality is a matter of your own meditation and your own seeking, it’s not about following others, it … Continue reading
This gallery contains 8 photos.
I have not had the chance yet to pick up his biography —one of the few I’d consider reading. Continue reading
In line with keeping things simple yet profound, I’d like to share with you the following tidbit in grand perspective on appreciation:
Step 1: go sit on a rock and meditate, talk to God, commune with Nature, listen and reflect. Then take your insights, revelations and learning and apply them to your life, interactions with others, endeavors and so on. —Cultivate a lifestyle of practicing presence, appreciation and mindfulness.
Step 2: build communities in your diverse geographic areas around the world that sustain an agrarian and altruistic life. —No matter of individual cultural philosophies and beliefs, we all need to eat, we all want to raise our families and we all want to live productive and meaningful lives.
Step 3: [research] progress, spiritually and technologically and do so harmoniously, in partnership with the ecosystem in which we live and of which we are merely a small part. —Enjoy responsible evolution.
Warren Buffett, “I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971… before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land… all because of public pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.
Feedback
7. @darthmax
Ich bezweifel nicht, dass die Ideen Hodgkinsons gut sind. Ich akzeptiere sogar, dass sie selbst Hodgkinson nicht zu 100% umsetzen kann, weil auch er in gewissen gesellschaftlichen Zwängen verhaftet ist. Oft sind es ja Denkanstöße und jeder muss für sich sehen, wie er sie in seinem Leben umsetzen kann. Manchmal sind 10% schon ein Ansatz, auf dem man aufbauen kann. So manche große Idee scheitert ja erst dann, wenn man sagt, kann ich nicht zu 100% umsetzen, also lasse ich es gleich ganz. Als Beispiel sei hier das Auto genannt. Es würde oft schon reichen, wenn man den Weg zum Briefkasten oder Brötchenholen zu Fuß statt mit dem Auto erledigt. Macht aufs Jahr gerechnet auch ein paar Kilometer Einsparung.