If you are reading this blog with the intention of coming to some conclusion about Joseph Duncan, then let me make it real easy for you: He is a sick, perverted, child-rapist/murderer, coward, selfish, pety, small minded, ignorant, queer, weakling who doesn't deserve to live.
There, that should make you happy.
Now, GO AWAY! Your wasting your time here.
But, if you are reading this blog in order to understand yourself (i.e. the world you live in, which is the same thing), then please don't let my insanity deter you and read on...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Death Is Not A Failure
When we fail to see beyond death, then death appears to us as a failure. But death is no more than another transformation of being essentially no different than the transformation that already occures from one moment to the next.
Who you were before you read the above paragraph is dead. And, who you are now as you read these words is a new creature. Yes, you have much in common with your former self, and yet for all the characteristics that you share with that other manifestation of yourself you can never ever be that person again. Your minute-old self is as dead as your now-self will be a thousand years from now.
So, you died. But is this then failure? Of course not. It is only transformation. And when the transformation from one moment to the next becomes so drastic that we no longer are able to psychologically make the connection between the two selves, such as when the body dies, that does not mean that the connection is lost either.
Who we are, the “I am” at the core of our being, is what connects all life, and all things together. When we realize this we become immune to the illusion of death. When we can see the stream of consciousness that runs continuously through all life, then death becomes a respected servant, and no longer a source of fear or apprehension.
This is what it means to put death beneath our feet. We see that death is a necessary part of eternal life, not our enemy at all. To defeat death is not to destroy it, it is only to see it for what it is; a necessary part of our journey through eternity; another transformation, nothing more. And certainly not a failure.
In fact, death, like defeat, will only make what dies stronger. This is why killing a killer makes no sense. It only makes the killer – that is, the reason the killer became a killer – stronger. No person exists without a cause. And killing a person without understanding their cause only strengthens it. To understand the cause is to gain power over it. And the only way to understanding is to seek its reflection inside of ourselves. Killing the killer is like smashing the mirror because you do not like what you see there. It is the failure to recognize yourself, the only real failure that can ever happen.
Who you were before you read the above paragraph is dead. And, who you are now as you read these words is a new creature. Yes, you have much in common with your former self, and yet for all the characteristics that you share with that other manifestation of yourself you can never ever be that person again. Your minute-old self is as dead as your now-self will be a thousand years from now.
So, you died. But is this then failure? Of course not. It is only transformation. And when the transformation from one moment to the next becomes so drastic that we no longer are able to psychologically make the connection between the two selves, such as when the body dies, that does not mean that the connection is lost either.
Who we are, the “I am” at the core of our being, is what connects all life, and all things together. When we realize this we become immune to the illusion of death. When we can see the stream of consciousness that runs continuously through all life, then death becomes a respected servant, and no longer a source of fear or apprehension.
This is what it means to put death beneath our feet. We see that death is a necessary part of eternal life, not our enemy at all. To defeat death is not to destroy it, it is only to see it for what it is; a necessary part of our journey through eternity; another transformation, nothing more. And certainly not a failure.
In fact, death, like defeat, will only make what dies stronger. This is why killing a killer makes no sense. It only makes the killer – that is, the reason the killer became a killer – stronger. No person exists without a cause. And killing a person without understanding their cause only strengthens it. To understand the cause is to gain power over it. And the only way to understanding is to seek its reflection inside of ourselves. Killing the killer is like smashing the mirror because you do not like what you see there. It is the failure to recognize yourself, the only real failure that can ever happen.
Monday, March 14, 2011
What The *BLEEP* Do I Know?
I am careful to frequently assert my ignorance throughout this blog. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm just talking out of my ass like so many people do.
Everything I write is what I believe to be the honest truth, usually with careful consideration of the possibility that I may be unconsciously blowing smoke. I am always acutely aware that I have been frequently and gravely mistaken in the past about what I honestly believed to be true.
So my ignorance disclaimer is a way for me to protect my pride, I suppose. It allows me to speak freely and honestly without trapping myself in my own ignorance. If I learn tomorrow that I was mistaken about something I wrote today, or last week, or even ten years ago, I can just point to my disclaimer and unabashedly correct myself.
It gives me the freedom to grow and to learn to be even more honest. And it gives you the best assurance you can get that I'm not just bull*BLEEP*ing you! :)
As I have said before, if a person is not contradicting themselves then they are not learning and growing. And, if they are not learning and growing then they cannot possibly be being honest.
The most honest and wisest men in history have always contradicted themselves, frequently even in the same sentence. And the most dishonest and manipulative men have always stuck doggedly to their guns, defending their “truths” even to their dying breaths.
(It is interesting then that in our culture we quickly condemn the person who contradicts himself, even if it is only to correct a mistake, while at the same time we revere and reward the person who never changes their mind and hense never learns anything. We even teach our children to “not tell lies”, but what we are really teaching them is to not contradict themselves, and hense to not be honest by admitting their mistakes. Is it any wonder then that there is so much strife and dishonesty in this world when we so unwittingly worship deception?)
Everything I write is what I believe to be the honest truth, usually with careful consideration of the possibility that I may be unconsciously blowing smoke. I am always acutely aware that I have been frequently and gravely mistaken in the past about what I honestly believed to be true.
So my ignorance disclaimer is a way for me to protect my pride, I suppose. It allows me to speak freely and honestly without trapping myself in my own ignorance. If I learn tomorrow that I was mistaken about something I wrote today, or last week, or even ten years ago, I can just point to my disclaimer and unabashedly correct myself.
It gives me the freedom to grow and to learn to be even more honest. And it gives you the best assurance you can get that I'm not just bull*BLEEP*ing you! :)
As I have said before, if a person is not contradicting themselves then they are not learning and growing. And, if they are not learning and growing then they cannot possibly be being honest.
The most honest and wisest men in history have always contradicted themselves, frequently even in the same sentence. And the most dishonest and manipulative men have always stuck doggedly to their guns, defending their “truths” even to their dying breaths.
(It is interesting then that in our culture we quickly condemn the person who contradicts himself, even if it is only to correct a mistake, while at the same time we revere and reward the person who never changes their mind and hense never learns anything. We even teach our children to “not tell lies”, but what we are really teaching them is to not contradict themselves, and hense to not be honest by admitting their mistakes. Is it any wonder then that there is so much strife and dishonesty in this world when we so unwittingly worship deception?)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Judge Not...
We can, and do, only judge ourselves. It is not possible, under any circumstance, to judge another person. We can pretend to judge someone else all we want, and others can even pretend along with us. But, regardless of what we convince ourselves, in the final analysis, it will be only ourselves we have judged.
To realize this truth is to realize the futility of jurisprudence and the source of true justice at the same time.
To realize this truth is to realize the futility of jurisprudence and the source of true justice at the same time.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Most Important Thing You Will Ever Know, Period.
Since I am about to convey you the absolute most important thing that you will ever know in your lifetime, I suggest that you take the time now to find a comfortable place to sit in a quiet location to give yourself plenty of time to reflect on what you are about to learn. I'll wait...
Now, before I tell you this most important thing of all, I should warn you that once it has been conveyed to you everything else in your life that you thought was important will of course be drastically affected. Thus, I further suggest that you take a moment to reflect on the things that are important to you and then decide if you really want to let them become less important by hearing what it is that I have to tell you. Do this now...
Also, having the most important knowledge in the entire universe just suddenly dumped into your mind can cause severe shock, or worse, even physical damage to your brain, if you are not prepared to contain the information. So you should make sure you are mentally braced for the impact and willing to accept all risks as well. I'll wait while you do this also...
Okay, there is just one more thing that you need to do before learning this life altering information. This is necessary for my own peace of mind, so that if anything bad happens as a result of my letting you in on the ultimate truth then at least there will have been some contingency. Please at this time make sure that your last will and testiment is up to date...
Alright, I'm sorry about all the delays. But you realize of course that this is no ordinary piece of information that I am about to relay to you. So a little preparation is certainly warranted. And now, at last, I can tell you. But first, I must give you one final chance to make sure you are ready, or to change your mind. Please only continue when you are ready...
Are you ready? Are you sure? Okay, here is the most important thing you will ever know: You are...
(Due to unspecified technical limitations to human faculties of reason, this blog post has been inter rupted and suspended. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to your higher brain functions. In the event of complete psychological collapse, call your mother (or some other loved one). Thank you for your patience and understanding.)
Now, before I tell you this most important thing of all, I should warn you that once it has been conveyed to you everything else in your life that you thought was important will of course be drastically affected. Thus, I further suggest that you take a moment to reflect on the things that are important to you and then decide if you really want to let them become less important by hearing what it is that I have to tell you. Do this now...
Also, having the most important knowledge in the entire universe just suddenly dumped into your mind can cause severe shock, or worse, even physical damage to your brain, if you are not prepared to contain the information. So you should make sure you are mentally braced for the impact and willing to accept all risks as well. I'll wait while you do this also...
Okay, there is just one more thing that you need to do before learning this life altering information. This is necessary for my own peace of mind, so that if anything bad happens as a result of my letting you in on the ultimate truth then at least there will have been some contingency. Please at this time make sure that your last will and testiment is up to date...
Alright, I'm sorry about all the delays. But you realize of course that this is no ordinary piece of information that I am about to relay to you. So a little preparation is certainly warranted. And now, at last, I can tell you. But first, I must give you one final chance to make sure you are ready, or to change your mind. Please only continue when you are ready...
Are you ready? Are you sure? Okay, here is the most important thing you will ever know: You are...
(Due to unspecified technical limitations to human faculties of reason, this blog post has been inter rupted and suspended. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to your higher brain functions. In the event of complete psychological collapse, call your mother (or some other loved one). Thank you for your patience and understanding.)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Natural Compassion
I have written in this blog that compassion is not an emotion. This may be a confusing misuse of words on my part. Compassion is not an emotion, but it requires us to be able to feel emotion. You could say that compassion is the ability to listen to our emotions, but it is not in itself an emotion.
To have true compassion it is necessary to be able to let our emotions guide our behavior and thoughts without interference from our ego. When the ego gets in the way we end up letting our thoughts rule our emotions instead of the other way around. This always results in suffering of one form or another, either pain or pleasure. Regardless of the result, our egos can never be compassionate, though it frequently tries to convince us we are being compassionate when we have thoughts that invoke feelings of sympathy for another person. By raising your consciousness you become aware of these thoughts and begin to be able to distinguish between the false emotions they generate (false compassion) and the genuine emotions that come directly and unhindered (innocently) from your heart (“heart” is just a convenient term for the complex inner-workings of your unconscious mind). Only by learning to listen to these emotions do you begin to naturally have compassion.
To have true compassion it is necessary to be able to let our emotions guide our behavior and thoughts without interference from our ego. When the ego gets in the way we end up letting our thoughts rule our emotions instead of the other way around. This always results in suffering of one form or another, either pain or pleasure. Regardless of the result, our egos can never be compassionate, though it frequently tries to convince us we are being compassionate when we have thoughts that invoke feelings of sympathy for another person. By raising your consciousness you become aware of these thoughts and begin to be able to distinguish between the false emotions they generate (false compassion) and the genuine emotions that come directly and unhindered (innocently) from your heart (“heart” is just a convenient term for the complex inner-workings of your unconscious mind). Only by learning to listen to these emotions do you begin to naturally have compassion.
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