[Mb-civic] A Sense Of Futerlessness

[Cheeseburger]

Re:  A Sense Of Futurelessness



Ian wrote:

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You speak of "re-creating" oneself in order to "keep sane in the midst of
madness."

When I studied yoga and Eastern philosophy with Swami Satchidananda, he had
a really great "homily" of sorts.  It went something like this:

"When we are born, we are "fine"; we are simply the "I am."  As we grow, we
begin to "de-fine" ourselves: "I am" alive, "I am" a boy, "I am" white, "I
am" small, etc.  As we get older, we continue this "de-fining" process: I am
a human being, I am an American, I am a New Yorker, I am a doctor, I am
smart, etc.  The process of "de-fining" creates constant stress.  At some
point, we find that we have so "de-fined" ourselves that we realize we need
to start to "re-fine" ourselves, by stepping back from all the ways in which
we have "de-fined" the "I am."  Psychology calls this "getting in touch with
the child within."  Whatever one calls it, it is the only way to regain
personal peace in our lives."

I heard this when I was 17 years old.  I never forgot it.
========



The only problem some people have with getting in touch with the child
inside is that they find it is a spoiled egocentric tryrannical brat.

Once they find it, it tears their hair out, and they quickly revert back to
the shelter of adulthood and all its unseemly trimmings.

Others, on the other hand, find the inner child, and it is already just one
step short of Englightenment.

The "Eastern" philosophies, yogas, practices, etc, are invaluable, you are
correct.

If only "The West" had been en massely privy to and practicing them long
ago, rather than raping the East as much as they could, many things would be
quite different now than they are.

Some people say Breathing is a key to all sorts of things, from the yang or
zen aspects of the martial arts, to simple yoga, to various meditation
techniques.

It also helps to calm down stress, whether one focuses on a mantra, mandela,
or whatever in the process, simple calm breathing often changes one's entire
outlook on just about everything, even in the middle of a battlefield
sometimes.

Let's just face it, however, The West is basically, as a whole, extremely
uneducated as far as Eastern "techniques", and by the time a majority even
discover the benefits of them, we will be overswamped with stress,
technology, and relatively irreversible tyranny, just as we are now.

However, it is said, that if a butterfly lands just perfectly on a branch
in, say, China, that somewhere in, say, Ohio, a flower is born as a result.

So, the actual Power of Positive Thinking, Faith if you will, just might
have something to it that is beneficial globally, as well as individually.

"All ya gotta do is believe, pal..."

I continue to agree, the Eastern "techniques" are invaluable as far as
"inner exploration" goes, and finding a balance between the world of
whirling buzzers and clanging bells we are obligated to answer each day, and
the peace we know is somewhere but have forgotten the path to its door, and
how to open it.

Such peace, also, remains invaluable to not only spiritual and mental
healing, but physical healing as well.

Someone once said that the body is relatively "a perfect machine", quite
capable of healing itself.  If one can find the correct valuations of
perfect symmetry to personally calm onself down, breathe, and coordinate
such healings, doctors would be obsolete.

If we could only do that with governments, militaries, and corporations,
we'd really have something.

A major problem with that, although it can be overcome by sheer will along
with the correct practices, techniques, is that just about every inch of
earth is now bombarded by so many microwaves, radars, experimental waves,
satellite waves, secret waves, transmissions of all kinds, who knows what,
that to find inner peace without intercepting a call from Ruthie to Don in
the fillings of one's teeth appears to be almost impossible, especially
since a majority of them are inaudible and unable to be seen as well (unless
yer a dog or a parrot).

These techniques, which continue to be beneficial not only personally but
globally as well (if one truly believes), can actually be mastered, even by
a Westerner, or at least brought to such a level that they are practically
applicable to health on all levels, one only has to find the time though.  A
few minutes a day at "practice" can change one's world.

But then again, who in The West has "time".  All our time appears to be
allocated to this that or them or those, it seems sometimes.

Sometimes one just has to say "STOP!!!!", shut the door, turn the lamp down
low, put on your favorite soft music, and just sit there, empty your mind,
completely (that within itself is an entire meditation), fill your body with
light, completely, and just breathe.

All the rest is pudding.

Oh well, I've typed too much on this one, suffice it to say that in a
question of balance between positive and negative, I once heard someone say
that that is what the war of Love is for.

To win back and restore that which was stolen and destroyed.

Hey, if I can see through walls, then someone somewhere should be able to
figure out how to accomplish that small task...

:)

All one has to do is educate Western people in the Eastern techniques of
being-centering, transcendence, breathing, and meditation, etc.

However, they can't even see far enough to not re-elect negatives like Bush,
Cheney, and Rumsfeld, so how they are going to find their inner childs
without a hundred lighthouses should be interesting to watch.





Cheeseburger

- I knew you would find some way to turn something simple like Breathing
into something political.  I knew it.  Didn't I tell you I knew it?  Yes,
yes you did.  Well, then, allright, next time I get to type.  Ok, ok, ok, I
agree, just calm down and breathe a little.   Ok............

.