Open-Secrets

Category: Observations

  • Crazy Guidance Spiritual

    Spiritual Guidance Works for Crazy People

    What a day last Thursday was. With two big projects about to launch and the normal work load to attend to the day was like a walk in the Gobi desert – long, hard and brutal. crazy-spiritual-guidanceI found myself going south on a street to get to the freeway to go north.

    I was talking to my friend, Holly, and commented, “I must be crazy. I’m going south to get on the freeway, when I should be going north to do so.”

    No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I came upon the accident – a white Honda and a pedestrian in the road. It just happened.

    The older couple from the car were jabbering in Spanish and very upset. Obviously English was not their native language, they were distraught  and having trouble dealing with the situation.

    I checked with the woman lying on the pavement to determine her condition. She was conscious and did not seem seriously hurt. I got a coat to cover her, reassured the couple that things would be fine and called 911.

    After giving the details to the dispatcher, I noticed the struck pedestrian was sitting up, so I took a foam mat from the back of my Jeep and offered it to her so she could get up off the cold pavement. She could not remember her husband’s cell number, so we left a message on the home phone and I then asked her for the name of a friend that might have her husband’s cell number.

    By this time the paramedics had arrived. They ascertained that her condition did not seem serious and loaded her into the ambulance for transport. I managed to contact the family friend and got a message relayed to the husband.

    As I continued south to get on the freeway going north I was pondering – am I crazy or am I guided? I suppose I’m a little of each.

    Links of Interest

    [ad#post468]

    Items of Interest

  • Culturally Constructed Ignorance

    Agnotology – Study of Culturally Constructed Ignorance

    wiredIn the February issue of Wired magazine, I came across Clive Thompson’s article – Manufacturing Confusion.

    The last sentence in the article is a doozy:

    Because the most important thing these days might just be knowing what we know.

    What is cultural ignorance and how is it constructed. Cuturally constructed ignorance is achieved when information is taken to be knowledge with no investment in critical thinking, questioning or or risking the sacred cows of one’s conditioning. Information overload and organized disinformation campaigns contribute to culturally constructed ignorance.

    Robert Proctor, a historian of science, at Stanford coined the term agnotology.

    When society doesn’t know something, it’s often because special interests work hard to create confusion.

    As Thompson points out – people, via the Internet, graze on information all day tailored to their worldview.

    Mystics have been teaching and studying agnotology throughout the ages – mankind is asleep to reality, we live in a world conditioned by collective thought and mental processes. The ignorance mystics address is perhaps deeper than that addressed by Proctor since one’s very sense of self and being a separate entity are included in the mix of conditioned ignorance.

    camus_the_strangerI do appreciate the insight agnotology brings to the effects of too much easy information. When we combine that access with laziness, we see a dramatic rise in “Cliff Notes Minds.” Subscribing to 25 RSS feeds in one’s field of interests is fine, but when we rely on others to do our thinking fof us, we may wind up as mindless clones with nothing more to offer in a conversation than latest quote from People magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Maher, or some other “valued” source that supports our acceptable worldview.

    Perhaps I missed the latest jump in sales figures for Dostoevsky, Somerset Maugham, Herman Hesse, Camus and the like.

    Let’s morph Capital One’s koan to assist us in our efforts to break free from culturally constructed ignorance –

    What’s in Your Mind?

    Links of Interest

    [ad#post468]

    Items of Interest

  • Hero of the Times

    hero_sullenberger_sullyToday’s Heroes Enjoy Media Spotlight

    The word hero seems to be showing up more and more these days. With instant global news, we have more awareness of heroic deeds. We see the word hero a great deal in the media and with the media’s predilection for milking a story for all it’s worth, perhaps the word is starting to feel a little jaded. In the U.S., we see the word hero associated with every soldier serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m sure there are local reports in both countries of heroes on both sides of the conflict. The same is probably true in Israel, the Gaza strip and everywhere else humans are in conflict. Heroes are often portrayed as having God on their side. I suppose that is true, since God is on both sides of any given conflict.

    A hero, in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, the offspring of a mortal and a deity, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.

    Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters (fictional or historical) that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice – that is, heroism – for some greater good, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence. – Wikipedia

    This week we have a couple of heroes eating up the headlines in the U.S. President-Elect Obama is certainly being seen & treated as a demigod by a great many. Certainly this historic event is worth a some idealization and idolization. The man himself, seems dedicated to trying to keep things balanced and in the realm of a practical perspective. I like my heroes to have both – the radiance of the gods and the humility of the simple man.

    Sully Sullenberger, the pilot of  U.S. Airways flight 1549, is also getting a lot of heroic press these days. Sullenberger certainly kept his cool in the face of danger and it hasn’t gone without notice that he made certain that everyone was safely off the plane before he left the cabin. I like that in my heroes, too.

    Most children, at times, see their father as a hero – or hope to. Fathers are bigger than life. They’re supposed to be our protectors and champions – the hero.

    These days, heroes don’t necessarily go on long heroic quests. Most seem to come into being through a confluence of unusual or extraordinary events in a moment of time. Most of the passengers on Sullenberger’s flight might think they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sullenberger, though, seems to have been at the right place at the right time. A moment in time for a destiny to arise – it seems. Could there have been a more perfect moment for all of Sully’s training and strength of character to arise?

    The country seems full of the same hope and question for the new President.

    Links of Interest

    [ad#post468]

    Items of Interest

  • Naked Courage

    Transparency is the Rage

    We need more transparency in government, financial institutions, blogs, underwear and everything else – depending on who you talk to and the nature of their obsession.

    geneen_roth_eating_disordersGeneen Roth suffered from eating disorders for much of her life. She has helped tens of thousands of others suffering with emotional eating disorders, food bingeing, diet swinging, depression – and a whole lot of other systemic symptoms. Geneen has written many books, led many workshops, been on Oprah and more. She is intelligent, loving and compassionate. But those are not her greatest assets in my opinion.

    Getting Naked with the Truth

    Geneen knows how to get naked with others in a way that serves the soul’s longing for freedom. Being naked, or transparent, is not an easy thing. There is a depth of courage, integrity and commitmment needed to be naked in a real way – a way that serves others as well as one’s self.

    Reading this article today brought tears to my eyes as I once again witnessed my friend, Geneen, getting naked for the truth.

    Links of Interest

    [ad#post468]

    Items of Interest

  • Best Reads of 2008

    Amazon and Barnes & Noble Love Me

    I read about 50 books in 2008, most nonfiction as I have been very busy with real estate and Internet marketing consulting, Here are my top 4 recommendations.

    My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

    This is the only book I have ever read that I feel everyone should read. Medical professionals can gain extraordianry insight into a patient’s experience. Chances are each of us will either have a stroke or know someone who does. This book  provides invaluable insight into what happens and how we can improve our chances of full recovery. Those with an interest in spiritual development or metaphysics will find her experiences enthralling.

    The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

    This book opened my eyes to possibilities I had never thought of. If you are looking to change direction in your career or lifestyle, this book is a must read.

    The Unfolding Now by A.H. Almaas

    I’m a little biased, being in the Ridhwan School, but this book provides great practical insight into the barriers and challenges of developing the capacity to live in the Now.

    Upgrade Your Life by Gina Trapani

    Invaluable for anyone who owns a computer. Simple and valuable tips for improving your knowledge, functioning and capacity. Easy to read and understand. Get over technophobia and increase productivity.

    From 2007

    The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott

    I’ve given at least 6 copies of this book to friends and clients. If you have any interest in how to leverage the Internet to promote your business, career or product – this should be the first book on your list.

    Click on an Image for More Information

  • Vanity Fair Hair

    A Vain Experience Many Would Love to Have

    vanity_fair_hairThe other day, as I was brushing my hair, I noticed my hair is getting darker. It appears the gray is receding and the brown returning. I thought – can that be? I’ve been keeping an eye on it ever since and I think it’s true – my hair is getting darker.

    It’s funny because it seems this is more challenging to me than the larger forehead over the years, or the thinning spot at the back, or the gray itself. I’ve never been very concerned with my hair since I was twenty and it was down to my shoulders and bleached blonde by the Caribbean sun.

    But here it is getting darker. I think it must be the result of one of the new supplements I’m taking or that little dab of Paul Mitchell’s Round Trip which I started using a few weeks ago to keep things a little bit under control.

    As I explored my concerns about my hair’s returning youth, I discovered an interesting spin on vanity – kind of a vain negative vanity. I’m concerned that others will think I’m coloring my hair and thus vain. I’ve always wondered about men that color their hair or do those elaborate comb-overs. To me, those guys are waving a big flag of insecurity and most of them look a little funny if not ridiculous – in my humble vain opinion.

    What a weird feeling to be concerned about people thinking I’m vain, when I’m not. But, then again, this experience seems to be revealing that I am.

    What a way to start a new year – my vanity fair with hair!

    Links of Interest

    [ad#post468]

    Items of Interest

Open-Secrets