• ‘Occupy’ your mind • Games we play • Thank you, firefighters ‘Occupy’ your mind These Occupy political movements or protests are world wide and are aimed primarily at centralized forms of government, military, corporate and religious organizations which control
• ‘Occupy’ your mind • Games we
play • Thank you, firefighters
‘Occupy’ your mind
These Occupy political movements or protests are world wide and are aimed primarily at centralized forms of government, military, corporate and religious organizations which control people with their power and money or wealth.
They are all inherently inefficient. The only genuinely efficient political activity is to recognize the true nature of one’s mind. This is the most valuable thing we can do.
This non-dual, non-conceptual meditative awareness is now, has always been, and will always be, the basic inspiration and wellspring of human evolution.
The sooner great numbers of us attain it, the sooner we eliminate the dark negative forces of these ineffective and inefficient centralized social structures of our societies.
Then we can spread vast peace, happiness and goodness over this fragile planet. With war, protest and strife gone, we can be busy with the dance of joy, the dance of pleasure and the dance of lasting happiness.
This is something we definitely can do, now, in this life time. May all beings be happy and free, and have insight and emotional stability.
Lama Tashi Dundrup, Kapa‘a
Games we play
The games we play while here on “Spaceship Earth” include:
1. Predator/Prey (an animal-like game)
2. Allies/Enemies (a child-like game);
3. Insiders/Outsiders (a teen-like game);
4. Superiors/Inferiors/Equals (another teen-like game);
5. Potential/Mutual Partners (a grown-up game);
6. Contemplative Comprehensivity (seeing/responding to the “bigger picture);
7. Mutual Participants in a Timeless Reality (no more pretending).
Regardless of which of the above any of us chooses to play, there are always others willing to play it with us. Throughout the course of human history most of us, for most of our lives, have played the first few games; and many continue to play them, especially when it comes to politics and religion. We seem to love dividing the world of people into “good guys” and “bad guys!”
In addition, however, it is possible to upgrade our intentions (upgrading and updating our application software), choosing to apply ourselves to participating with others in progressively less self-centered games.
We can move through an ascending scale of inclusiveness, increasingly inviting others into our private worlds, expanding the scope of our interests and intentions, all of this leading to investing our resources in projects that embrace progressively more of our shared world to the benefit of all.
As a by-product of this upgrading, the bubble of the self (ego) progressively fades into the background of attention, eventually to disappear from view. The more attention we pay to any of the seven ways of thinking noted above, the more the attention of others is drawn to it, and the more we encourage others to participate with us in it.
In the first games, we hide in a private bubble, stuck in our own corner of the world (as we “see” it), content to snarl, growl and occasionally bark, encountering others only at the prospect of taking something from them for our self. It is a basic and primitive struggle for survival—“every man for himself”.
All family, clan, tribal, national and world wars are examples of these games. Current terrorist threats, as well as banking and other forms of economic exploitation are further examples. Current affairs in the “virtual” worlds of finance and politics especially reveal these immature games.
With apologies to Shakespeare, “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, nor in us, but in our software.”
Robert P. Merkle, Koloa
Thank you, firefighters
Earlier this month a large fire broke out at the Up To Date Cleaners down the block from my house.
This is an older neighborhood with lovely wooden homes so the potential for collateral damage was huge.
From my front lanai, I could see a fast moving wall of flames coming from the roof of the cleaners. It was frightening how quickly it all escalated. It was even more amazing to see the speed and force with which the firefighters responded.
Because of the nearby propane tanks and the cleaning chemicals it could have been a disaster. I feel fortunate to live where protection is so expertly and swiftly provided. Thank you so much to all of Kaua‘i’s Fire Department for their actions!
Beverly Gianelli, Koloa
