"Enhance Enhance Enhance"--Ramathorn

The Power of Exploration

Power is not control. Power is not skill. Power is limitless, and it comes from ability. It comes from the ability to step forward, both figuratively and literally. To be able to move with time and encounter the next step with grace, wonder, and curiosity. That ability is power. Time moves forward and no matter how hard a person tries to control what will happen in the next moment it is always a bit different than they expect. Even perfect skill is powerless in passing moments, because before a person can prefect a moment, it has passed as the next arrives. To step forward and explore the next moment is the most powerful tool in the human arsenal.

The unknown is a fleeting instance that is always present. Albert Einstein once said, “Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one.” However, Mr. Einstein was not correct. Reality is not an illusion, although an illusion is reality. Illusion is nothing more or less than a structured perception of reality. Reality is chaotic because there is not a power to control it, predict it, or skillfully manage it. The only way that sense is placed upon reality is in a hurried reflection where complete understanding never occurs. This quantitative and qualitative reflection could be equated to a man whose task is to study and count the eggs in his basket as innumerable chickens continue to lay, constantly adding to his task. While reality is not the illusion that creates a structured view of the universe, it is persistent. Such an illusion is created by the past in which the human mind consistently exists. The persistent reality continues to bombard the mind with new moments to be structured in the past.

The mind may be doomed to the task of dwelling on the past, yet this is when power comes into play. The power of ability to face the unknown without worry of understanding it is the power of love and equality and freedom, all rolled into one. This is exploration. Discovery is not exploration, and thus the way exploration is most commonly viewed has missed-the-mark. Exploration is purely an acceptance of loss without gain. Discovery is gain. This is the point where western world view divides so sharply with that of the east. Westerners are often obsessed with gain as results of productivity, competition, achievement. This division is especially prevalent with the yogis and gurus of India. Baba Ram Dass, formerly known as Dr. Richard Alpert, traveled to India and wrote a book about his literal and spiritual journey called, Remember Be Here Now. The book is filled with pages of phrases and guidewords that constantly confront the reader with huge ideas that stand quite contrary to western world view. Often when ideas of power and enlightenment are presented to westerners words such as gain are used. However when the meanings are really penetrated they appear simply as existence and acceptance. This type of thinking is often a lifelong struggle and more often in the Hindu religion a struggle of many lifetimes.

Maybe the power of exploration is beyond mastery for most individuals. Yet, even without mastering such a power and always implementing it in every moment, by working towards such a goal the present can be experienced as the wonderful, curious, and beautiful place it is. The illusion can be broken and reality can exist in its bewildering state of love, freedom, equality, and power. To realize the power of such ability is only a step away. Choose the unknown. Choose to explore. Choose to be, today.

Making A Thanksgiving For The Ages

Life is suffering because there is no elsewhere. When you are in death the beyond becomes the present, but while alive, life is the only presence. Our fate is to sit before a continuous coin toss. One side of the coin is the Light and the other side is the Abyss. Life's one constant duty is to continue and be filled with experience. Spiritual seekers often attempt the struggle of turning the current coin to the Light side. While this can be rewarding, one must turn away the Light that is readily available to do so.

There is no action of wasting time only using it. Shall we be spiritually productive with our time, constantly struggling to dawn Light from the Abyss, or shall we be spiritually content with our time and recognize that there is Light, here and now.

If we are for this life, we seek to dawn light from the abyss. If we are for eternity, we may sit with grace throughout our suffering. In this season of thanksgiving try being eternal by turning away from the struggle.

Relax with the effort of knowing that one side of the coin is always consumed by the Abyss. That is the side facing away from us. We are given suffering so that we may feel grace. We often have the hardest time seeing what is right in front of us, and what is in front of us is the Light; if we accept our suffering we can let in the Light and recognize grace.

Lonesome Whispers On A Busy Black Friday

The sound of the city kept the sidewalks buzzing with a nearly indiscernible buzz. However, exclamations would ring out every so often. There would be the directions of a mother herding children, requests from beggars, and an assortment of other apparently mundane statements that can be overheard by the passerby populace. Most snippets of conversation lack context for the eavesdropper, but are plain enough that basic inference skills would suffice in filling in the lacking areas. Of all of the audible comments one stuck out to me as a particularly interesting case. It occurred when a woman walking by, within earshot, said, “I always have been an outcast and I always will be.” Upon hearing this my first reaction was an empathetic frown, and I think most people’s first reaction would be to attribute the statement as applying to the woman, which was my follow up reaction. This secondary reaction led me to question my primary reaction forcing myself to take a step back from the situation and consider other possibilities. Maybe this woman was talking about some other person who had been telling her this, or she had read it, or it was on a t.v. show. I also thought about how someone may assume that she was referring to herself because of the fact that she is mildly overweight (not obese). I remember many programs that focused on the anxiety and isolation that often accompanies and perpetuates being noticeably overweight. I thought about other reasons why someone would feel this way. Maybe she has some other oddity unobservable in my momentary evaluation. But really… do we have to be noticeably different to be an outcast? Can’t people be amongst other people, function day to day, and interact like a normal person but feel separated? I’m not a psychologist but I would imagine that this would be a symptom of depression. Many people are plagued by depression and it is addressed in a variety of manners. Most commercials I’ve seen have said that depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are many anti-anxiety/anti-depression drugs on the market today, but in every case that I have observed of people on these drugs a zombie-like apathy or seemingly, faux excitement seemed to be the result. I feel like depression should be given more attention in our society because of its pervasive and often unknown presence. Many times people are around and possibly enabling persons with depression without even knowing it. Because of the nature of depression the afflicted are unlikely to discuss their struggle with other people when such interaction may be an important component of the condition’s improvement. Returning to the woman on the side walk, it is important to keep in mind that this woman was not talking to herself but walking with another woman, and obviously, if she was referring to herself, talking about feeling isolated. I know she said outcast and not isolated, but if to be an outcast is not to be isolated than one may find community with other outcasts similar to themselves. Hopefully everyone can find someone to connect with in such a large and often apparently ‘small small world.