tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186992842024-03-06T20:57:17.590-10:00Just Un-Do ItFor the material world, Nike has coined the phrase "Just Do It". For the spiritual world, I believe the opposite is needed.
<br><br>
We are products of our upbringing, our culture, our society, our religion, and our media. If you want to find your authentic self, that is, who you really are, then you need to "Just Un-Do It".
<br><br>
Help us help each other Just Un-Do It by participating in this Blog. And welcome!Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-33514843428466518642021-03-03T05:48:00.001-10:002021-03-03T05:48:12.760-10:00You Only Think You Know<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZP8csP0LBkib8eomlY4IDKZAvs0-4Rl7_FziL8omnX1kxlQ7pXAtssLFpnNrmToBSdv2kfxXptowAB9KzSM135zqDNeX0q9JTDPrjar9WywjiPQt1N0_ibMRoQAAQaIkZZoA/s2048/It%2527s+all+in+how+you+see+things.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZP8csP0LBkib8eomlY4IDKZAvs0-4Rl7_FziL8omnX1kxlQ7pXAtssLFpnNrmToBSdv2kfxXptowAB9KzSM135zqDNeX0q9JTDPrjar9WywjiPQt1N0_ibMRoQAAQaIkZZoA/w504-h640/It%2527s+all+in+how+you+see+things.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>It's All In How You See It</u>, Portsmouth, NH, July 2018, </span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: grey;">Nikon D600 with FX 28-300mm VR lens,</span></i><br /><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: grey;">122mm, 1/30 sec @ f5.6, ISO 500, -1.33 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></span></i></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">You Only Think You Know</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Think of all of our human concepts, </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Helpful to us in our work-a-day world, </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">But perhaps taking us farther away</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">From the wholeness of Life and Reality.</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Time is one example, where in fact</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">There is only continuous change</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Moment by inter-dependent moment</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Nothing everlasting, always flowing</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Matter is another, seen first as fundamental, </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Even axiomatic — the building blocks of Life</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">But it too fails the permanence test</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Not to mention, the divisibility test</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">We can't even explain if an atom</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Is a particle or a wave or something else </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">This reductionism is fundamentally flawed </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Life and Reality contain the Whole</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Does sufficiently advanced "matter"</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">(aka our brains) produce consciousness?</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Or 'tis it the other way 'round</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Are we but ripples of consciousness?</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Really, we know nothing and our castles are built on sand</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Some spend their days like they spend their money</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Both banked upon the felt belief that</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">"Tomorrow" or $$$ are the real currency</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">For now, what can we do, but keep chipping away </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">At the hard shell of our self-serving ego; </span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Creating some cracks to let the light in and the love out</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;">Opening, more and more, to simply revel in the mystery</span></p></span></i></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Helvetica;"><span>
<div style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div></span></i></div><p></p>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-45138807450913220992021-02-28T16:26:00.003-10:002021-02-28T16:33:20.122-10:00This is It ... Just This<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLWZ1tZQ2Vc" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>This is ... Just a Bird Bath</u>, Kailua, HI, February 2021, iPhone 11 Pro</span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"> © Steven Crisp</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; text-align: left;">This Is It … Just This</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">This is it ...</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">What else could it be?</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">What else could there be?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Everything that’s ever happened </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Has brought us to just this moment</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">This instant in the unfolding</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">This timeless, spaceless, </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Wholly impersonal moment</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><span>Sorry, it’s nothing personal </span><span style="font-family: ".Apple Color Emoji UI"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">😎</span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: ".Apple Color Emoji UI"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">No you or me, separate from it</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">You know that to be fundamentally true</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">And yet we have such confusion</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">We think this is our unique, individual experience</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Reading these words</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Trying, perhaps in vain, to make sense of it</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">But that’s just an illusion, for us, for everyone</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">Who sees, anything more than</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: medium;">... Just This</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-49511794001673956082020-09-27T08:23:00.007-10:002020-09-27T10:35:49.769-10:00Not Normal<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM4SCWkdS0WosZeLVFFzhcAkmqNJtRaWjzItEaX3KDh0qHEN1hhSZBn-L2JXfo2Vti6cqubXxzhOs5etlv9rfbLY7MuuetDOuowXLR-oITaKU44mFhwpE2FENlA8lk8HZm7nf/s2048/Not+Normal+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM4SCWkdS0WosZeLVFFzhcAkmqNJtRaWjzItEaX3KDh0qHEN1hhSZBn-L2JXfo2Vti6cqubXxzhOs5etlv9rfbLY7MuuetDOuowXLR-oITaKU44mFhwpE2FENlA8lk8HZm7nf/w266-h400/Not+Normal+%25282%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>Two-faced</u>, Chinatown, Honolulu, HI, March 2015, </span></i><br /><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;">Nikon D600</span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;"> © Steven Crisp </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally I understand</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">those who could not breathe</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As I feel the tightness</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">growing in my own chest</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What is happening now</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">is not normal</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The threats that we face</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">are simply unheard of</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How can the behavior</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">of one man, place at risk</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a beacon of light to the world</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and its great experiment</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Until now, I’ve kept</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">my head down</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">knowing I would</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">do my part and vote</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But now I understand</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">what the disenfranchised </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">experience daily, and worry</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">right along side them</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The head of our nation is</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">telling us what he will do:</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Say our ballot won’t count</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Refuse to transition power</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dear God, how did</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">it come to this?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Where are the checks</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and balances to stop this?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’ve heard the hypocrisy, the lies</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Their words during the past 4 years</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No principle, except win, whatever the cost</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And I too cannot breathe</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-3834226371920772432020-09-22T16:13:00.012-10:002020-09-22T16:24:30.518-10:00Knock-Knock Koan<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMJYXPIn3J3Dt1KH2SLxnQ9Kum0d6LlVCIRWqqHY34v0IaFdv1cotNaxyayhXc1BPaw3fYAwdCx2Apl2Sr2P_729IOjKKBkD8-qvx-qAYGGm4PUZ59kB-cirumJa6taRrPCQn/s2531/The+Gate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2531" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMJYXPIn3J3Dt1KH2SLxnQ9Kum0d6LlVCIRWqqHY34v0IaFdv1cotNaxyayhXc1BPaw3fYAwdCx2Apl2Sr2P_729IOjKKBkD8-qvx-qAYGGm4PUZ59kB-cirumJa6taRrPCQn/w314-h640/The+Gate.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>The Gate</u>, Kailua, HI, April 2019, Nikon D600</span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"> © Steven Crisp</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knock-knock</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Who’s there?”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s me”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">(Silence)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knock-knock</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Who’s there?”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s Steven”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">(Silence)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knock-knock</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Who’s there?”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Please let me in”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">(Silence)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knock-knock</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Who’s there?”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Nobody”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">(Silence)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knock-knock</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Who’s there?”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(Silence)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: large;">“Ahh, welcome, please come in”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>No words are needed here</i></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>None are even possible</i></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Awareness is the channel</i></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Silence is the medium</i></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><i>Your mind won't help you</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thoughts will sabotage your visit</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Opinions will clog the gears</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Beliefs will bind you up</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Can you be open to simply what is?</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Leave preferences and judgments behind?</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Acceptance is helpful as feelings arise</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span>Surrendering to this moment</span><span> </span><span>is sublime</span><span> </span></i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-4084950449214498972020-09-03T10:51:00.000-10:002020-09-03T10:51:13.634-10:00That Mask You Wear<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm5ouoS8cIYfT-33jy8TOO-d7W7KlpywPRX2NxTisDx-TX2jk_xXzteK1o4SGeZCY-xgYhxRp8DR-f52uH-RW1dnI1-sryoS8BDvKTnB2o20ZIkJyrAOLRuinwnpVNz95dMuY/s2048/IMG_2731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm5ouoS8cIYfT-33jy8TOO-d7W7KlpywPRX2NxTisDx-TX2jk_xXzteK1o4SGeZCY-xgYhxRp8DR-f52uH-RW1dnI1-sryoS8BDvKTnB2o20ZIkJyrAOLRuinwnpVNz95dMuY/w625-h469/IMG_2731.JPG" width="625" /></a></div><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: grey;"><u>Eyes in the Clouds</u>, Lanikai Beach, Lanikai, HI, May 2020, iPhone 11 Pro</span></i><i><span style="color: grey;"> © Steven Crisp</span></i></div></i> <p></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Can you see that mask you wear?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">What is its purpose,</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">and is it really needed?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Surely the world expects it, </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">or so you believe ...</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Parent ... Child ... Adult</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Boss ... Employee ... Unemployed</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Artist ... Druggie ... Prim & Proper</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Landlord ... Renter ... Homeless</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Well take a look a that cloud, with holes for your eyes </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">It's just like those masks you wear,</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">trying to solidify your identity, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(111, 168, 220); color: #6fa8dc;">your role,</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(111, 168, 220); color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">your ego</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">But they are mere gossamer, </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">flimsy and transient, </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">impossible to grasp and hold onto</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> when Life’s winds blow</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Those masks you wear </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">won’t protect you, and worse</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">They'll cause you to confuse </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">the role with the actor</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Would you like to remove your mask</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> on your terms and not the whims of the winds?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Then look deeply inside, for your true Self </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">behind the masks of your ego </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">And find the solid ground </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">of Choiceless Awareness</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> on which to take your stand</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Firmly, confidently, equanimously</span></p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-996211090268896152020-08-30T11:51:00.003-10:002020-12-21T15:00:57.030-10:00To Do or Just Un-Do It?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdcWQHL9jH8LSNZL2ssTgUpIBYVBMCQ1dFB-EAtHDhw1S3WfvGC8PR788sTkmXhO6U3DR6IhMAEIUiYMWmqT02SES7mNdZHGPcUcQywKH0NOkrtbghhue-sJwaQLtlyaRT2e9/s2048/IMG_9234.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdcWQHL9jH8LSNZL2ssTgUpIBYVBMCQ1dFB-EAtHDhw1S3WfvGC8PR788sTkmXhO6U3DR6IhMAEIUiYMWmqT02SES7mNdZHGPcUcQywKH0NOkrtbghhue-sJwaQLtlyaRT2e9/s640/IMG_9234.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>Eye in the Sky of my Inner-Being</u>, Lanikai Beach, Lanikai, HI, August 2020, iPhone 11 Pro</span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;"><span style="color: grey;"> © Steven Crisp</span></i></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I mentioned to a good friend that I was spending my time and mental energies once again investigating spirituality, drawing mostly from non-dual traditions, since those are most resonating within me now.</p><p>I wondered, off-handedly, if such attention might bring my creative muse out of early retirement ;-)</p><p>She offered that you can't just sit around waiting for your muse, you have to "work" for it. Put in the time, effort, and energy, and when the time is right, your muse will take over. Almost a fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy.</p><p>As I thought back to when my muse was most present in my life, it was back in the days when these blogs were started. At that time as well, I was deeply investigating spirituality, and asking many questions of myself, and no doubt, my beleaguered family and friends. And indeed, the muse did arrive as I was sitting at my desk, writing, or deeply contemplating some topic of interest, or reflecting on a book I was reading. So there did seem to be a push-pull relationship with her (my muse is definitely part of my feminine side).</p><p>Yet, the non-dual traditions make the point that whatever we may be seeking (liberation, enlightenment, wisdom, or even God) is actually already a part of who we already are, just as we are. It can't be any other way. So rather than "seeking" outside for something we lack, we need to quiet our mind/ego and look deeply within. Peel away, or simply drop, the habitual reactions, past conditioning, subject-object duality, and all that conceals your true self. It's definitely a process of "un-do"ing rather than a doing, creating, forcing, or even finding.</p><p>Hence the name of this blog. That said, there is no doubt that this does take effort, time, concentration, and some education (either with specific techniques, or insight into the states or feelings one might expect to have along the path). Unless one is blessed to have some <a href="https://reflectionsofbeauty.blogspot.com/2006/06/epiphany-2.html" target="_blank">unexpected</a> <a href="https://justun-doit.blogspot.com/2006/06/missing-my-flight_08.html">glimpses</a> along the way.</p><p>And so, it is with that acknowledgement of effort, or "work" that my friend said might be instrumental in bringing my muse out of hiding, that today I'm starting up more regular contributions to this <a href="www.justun-doit.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Just Un-Do It</a> blog and its companion, my <a href="www.reflectionsofbeauty.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Reflections of Beauty</a> blog. </p><p>We shall see what the effect will be. It will be another experiment of sorts. Calling on my inner-scientist to see if we (my muse and I) can discern the subjective realities of our inner being. And I plan to follow that path to wherever it may lead and Just Un-Do It.</p><p><br /></p>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-17800273705329671282020-06-25T11:10:00.005-10:002020-06-25T11:21:01.282-10:00The Life You Save May Not Be Your Own<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ct5yrAfSJmy-9QeGQYPszeoyc6rXS0M-hoUx15jv4HBdjI-WwHLzWcHE-40UAoETaEwaJuzmHdcYLmvRFMGpUdmyk977LxEdnkFANHoNmTOYaFq-55lkkvNkxZAJWfvSKk4x/s1600/KarmaTube.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ct5yrAfSJmy-9QeGQYPszeoyc6rXS0M-hoUx15jv4HBdjI-WwHLzWcHE-40UAoETaEwaJuzmHdcYLmvRFMGpUdmyk977LxEdnkFANHoNmTOYaFq-55lkkvNkxZAJWfvSKk4x/s640/KarmaTube.jpg" width="576" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A nice short 3-minute audio interview. Listen (below) after reading the intro above.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
I find this noteworthy, both reflecting on systemic racism and bigotry, especially from my parent’s generation (I too was in high school during school desegregation), and sadly still prevalent in many parts of our country.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
But it's also noteworthy, for how many people help us along our journeys. We may think we are independent, self-reliant individuals, but that is just our ego taking credit where it is likely not deserved. We are much more inter-dependent than we think. Again, our ego hopes we don't come to that realization. "Lalalala, I can't hear you", it says.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
Here's the link to the StoryCorps interview: <a href="http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7788">http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7788</a></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
I am so grateful for all of the help and good fortune I received along my life’s trajectory. And I've had it much easier that most people (e.g., white, male, loving family, privileged upbringing, etc, etc.).</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Anyways, just thought you might find this interesting. </span>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-42443322779870585052020-06-22T17:56:00.004-10:002020-09-05T20:15:41.477-10:00Do You Have ... Enough?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGyxWIo_u4FZs6Kl-PNaimTepdCsU7IU3vQYAXBv9zsm0NJzdswc3GPKo4x3xDoAP-PW34q_ri2QvS_BcG2a6UEKZZSlVmn8vtJ3c0Q8yvnvILc7_IIKTDTuP8q6nj2ev_O5q/s1600/Mercedes+Bumper+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGyxWIo_u4FZs6Kl-PNaimTepdCsU7IU3vQYAXBv9zsm0NJzdswc3GPKo4x3xDoAP-PW34q_ri2QvS_BcG2a6UEKZZSlVmn8vtJ3c0Q8yvnvILc7_IIKTDTuP8q6nj2ev_O5q/s640/Mercedes+Bumper+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Mercedes Grill</i></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><i>Lanikai, Hawaii, January 2019,, </i></span></span></span><i style="color: #999999;">Nikon D600 w/FX 16-35mm lens, Focal length 32mm, </i></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i style="color: #999999;">Exposure 1/40 sec @ f4, ISO 500, Exposure bias +1.67 ev, no flash </i><i style="color: #999999;">© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]</i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><div>
Really, do you have enough?<br />
<br />
Please take stock. Make an inventory. Tally up the books, check the coffers, how's your cash flow?<br />
<br />
Please check and see what it is you need/want/desire/are working for/trading your Life for right now.<br />
<br />
Maybe what you have is all you really need? Wanting what you already have is surely the easiest path through Life. It's a way of living. A way of Being in the world. <br />
<br />
And are you grateful? Really, deeply grateful?<br />
<br />
And are you generous? What are you willing to give to those less fortunate than you? Do you?<br />
<br />
Some are conditioned by parents, friends, media (social and otherwise), business and advertisers to see the world from a perspective of scarcity/competition/get all you can while you can.<br />
<br />
Indeed, it is more remarkable when we find someone who lives from a perspective of plenty, of "having enough".<br />
<br />
This is an area that I continually struggle with, and need to learn and practice with new perspectives. <br />
<br />
And I came upon this short 10 minute video which touches on this topic and so many others. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/24795417?color=ff0179&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/24795417">Amo La Vida</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user961855">ServiceSpace</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>(Love Life)</div>
<br />
I hope you will watch this, with undivided attention, with openness, curiosity, and awareness, when you have 10 minutes to give just to yourself, for yourself. <br />
<br />
And if you find it at all interesting, I encourage you to sign up for <a href="https://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001J5FmpZZOGmHDXlmBGebBA-Sd1b7oLk3y73ohVlCe1hlmjP-UcmIV6sZh2wT_tfUbNuogux7-Rgu9M1Na9bkK3NnIE1tiUHyD" target="_blank">Nic Askew's mailing list</a> of short, weekly films.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: yellow;">"The mystery's so huge, so big, so infinite"</span></div>
</div>
<br /></div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-23826130315739020032020-05-11T15:40:00.005-10:002020-09-05T19:53:06.971-10:00The Expiration Date<span style="color: orange;">Yeah, that's right. This primary purpose of this is post -- to show you a 6 minute movie I just watched --- and it will only be available for one week. </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">The good news? You know what the expiration date is, and if you find it interesting, you can sign up for more of Nic Askew's very interesting movies and inquisitiveness.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">And guess what, each of us has an expiration date too. As much as our ego's do their level best to ignore that stark reality, it's true. </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">The good news? You DON'T know what the expiration date is. Why is that good news? Because if you recognize both realities (that each of us will "expire" and we don't know exactly when), then maybe, just maybe, it can get us thinking about our unbelievable good fortune to find ourselves in this predicament.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Think about it. You can use the certainty of death, and the mystery of your time remaining, to really rearrange your priorities, if you so choose. Or just to be grateful for each new sunrise, and each new breath.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">So without further ado, since this one has a known expiration date of 18 May, have a look, when you are free of distractions:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: cyan;"><a href="https://nicaskew.com/collection/the-absurd-notion-of-one/">https://nicaskew.com/collection/the-absurd-notion-of-one/</a></span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Nic is also the one playing the guitar soundtrack in the background. I'll be curious to hear your feedback.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">OK, this is the cheat code -- I just found a not-quite-as-good version of this video if you are late to this blog:</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/129447153" width="640"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/129447153">The absurd notion of one</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/timfreke">Tim Freke</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div>
Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-22317163394144653732020-04-27T11:23:00.001-10:002020-04-27T12:28:42.729-10:00So Who's Really In Control?Listen, I know your family is well above average, just like everyone at Lake Wobegon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwOmZtgE9ICDApc90303d50jvkpmc0Uq-KQS3xc0An7ehSbmA7inXcm82OXFGf6WW4IXJw-vvKNuS0c6QhSo9ySS4qDCueuVHe7q4vBiD03tdk8tiRm9R8NMtIvceKHoHYFS/s1600/Lake+Wobegon+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="672" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwOmZtgE9ICDApc90303d50jvkpmc0Uq-KQS3xc0An7ehSbmA7inXcm82OXFGf6WW4IXJw-vvKNuS0c6QhSo9ySS4qDCueuVHe7q4vBiD03tdk8tiRm9R8NMtIvceKHoHYFS/s640/Lake+Wobegon+quote.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But in case your statistics class does not cause you to question that, consider instead these insights from an unlikely source ... Dr. Greger talking about marketing and its role in the obesity epidemic:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-nvu7hMnkZ8" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
So please watch this short (< 6 min) video. Not only to understand how the state of your mind, and your mindfulness (or lack thereof), can leave your unconscious mind open to manipulation by marketing, and hence, over-eating unhealthy food. <br />
<br />
But more critically, to make you aware of the science behind your unconscious reactivity to habits, cues, and triggers. Surely we can relate to the examples in the video, even if we are positive that each of us is well-above average 😬<br />
<div>
<br />
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>As I listened to this video, I was amazed at the connections between these marketing efforts, and what insights were needed to counter them. It is directly related to the Vipassana Meditation techniques and objectives as taught by S.N. Goenka during my recent 10-day meditation retreat. <br />
<br />
Really fascinating when you realize this is a 2500-year old technique, discovered by the Buddha through direct observation of his own mind and body.</div>
<div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To become truly free ... in this case from outside manipulation ... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But more broadly from being controlled by our craving and aversion ... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We must dig deeply into our so-called unconscious mind-body ... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And through awareness, wisdom, and equanimity ...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Break the bondage of our habitual, compulsive reactivity.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
So many connections ... all pointing in the same direction ... I love it!</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-27232286893981747272020-04-26T06:29:00.000-10:002020-04-27T12:15:49.507-10:00In The Beginning ...The internet served up something juicy today.<br />
<br />
A scandal? Injustice? Another presidential gaffe? <br />
<br />
Well yes, of course, but that's not what I'm referring to right now.<br />
<br />
How about something as simple as the Singularity! Do you know what that is? Does anyone really know?<br />
<br />
So how enjoyable then, to skip the science, and go straight into poetry. In three formats:<br />
<br />
The first is the author Marie Howe, reading her poem Singularity, at the 2018 Universe in Verse gathering, overlaid upon an animation with background music:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/411239105" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
Followed by the text of her poem (slightly edited since that inaugural reading):<br />
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>SINGULARITY</b></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>by Marie Howe</b></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (after Stephen Hawking)</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i></i>Do you sometimes want to wake up to the singularity</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">we once were? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">so compact nobody</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">needed a bed, or food or money — </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">nobody hiding in the school bathroom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">or home alone </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">pulling open the drawer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">where the pills are kept. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>For every atom belonging to me as good </i><i>Belongs to you.</i> Remember?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Belongs to you.</i> Remember? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There was no <i>Nature</i>. No</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <i>them</i>. No tests </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">to determine if the elephant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">grieves her calf or if </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">the coral reef feels pain. Trashed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">oceans don’t speak English or Farsi or French; </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">would that we could wake up to what we were</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">— when we <i>were</i> ocean and before that </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">to when sky was earth, and animal was energy, and rock was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">liquid and stars were space and space was not </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">at all — nothing </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">before we came to believe humans were so important</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">before this awful loneliness. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Can molecules recall it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">what once was? before anything happened? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No I, no We, no one. No was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No verb no noun</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">only a tiny tiny dot brimming with </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>is is is is is</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i></i>All everything home</span></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
And finally, since I really needed to hear it one more time, Marie Howe just reading the initial version (with a little more background introduction) at the 2018 Universe in Verse:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/271161318?color=ffdb00" width="640"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://vimeo.com/271161318">The Universe in Verse: Marie Howe reads "Singularity" (after Stephen Hawking)</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/brainpicker">Maria Popova</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Enjoy! Who knew we could learn so much from poets ;-)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-64155102232157397042020-04-21T17:50:00.000-10:002020-04-21T20:31:38.134-10:00We Are All Prisoners<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="512" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/159382748" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
I just came upon this documentary about the teaching of Vipassana inside a New Delhi prison. It's an excellent movie, and I strongly recommend you find 53 minutes to watch it. It might just change your life.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, as I was watching this, I was wondering how this might relate to a recent meditation retreat I had participated in. Both of them teach Vipassana. Well imagine my surprise when I found out they were not related at all ... instead, the were exactly the same course!<br />
<br />
So I guess that's what you get when a course is given for free, eh? Just the same stuff used to try and reform hardened criminals 😳 In retrospect, I am not a bit surprised.<br />
<br />
I choose not to talk about the specifics of my experience in the retreat -- in case others find an opportunity to take the same course, I'd rather let them experience it as I did, without any expectations or presumptions about what will occur. This movie gives you a little taste of what it will be like, and that's just enough.<br />
<br />
I will say I found the course had a profound impact on me, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have taken it. (BTW, my course began on 5 March 2020, just as we were learning about COVID-19; it ended one day early, because of plans to close national borders. The class scheduled for a week later was canceled entirely. I consider myself very lucky to have had this experience).<br />
<br />
I'll write more about some of my retreat experiences in the future, on this or another one of my blogs. Until then, just consider that we are all prisoners, but only some of us are "doing time" 😬<br />
<br />
What do I mean? Mainly, that we don't see reality as it truly is. Some examples:<br />
<br />
We have a comparative mind, that sees things as good and bad, right or wrong, easy or difficult, beautiful or ugly, or gradations in-between. That comparative mind is part of what keeps us behind bars. In reality, things are simply as they are, without any judgments applied to them. That's just Life! It is we that apply the labels, perform discrimination, and jump to conclusions.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=18699284" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>We also -- by our nature, and as part of society's conditioning -- create a "self" (including the ego) to navigate in our world. By trick of nature, we think this self is constant and enduring, even though we can see frequent dramatic changes in ourselves as we navigate through life. There is no permanent, unchanging self.<br />
<br />
Finally, we inherent and are conditioned over time with traits and habits that become seemingly "hard-wired" into our being. These habits can govern our responses to situations, even without any mediation by our rational mind. These "reactions" are there for evolutionary reasons, but when they are not saving our life to pass along our genes, they can bring us suffering and misery. Because we think and say and do things in the heat of the moment that we wish we hadn't, and bring harm to others and/or to ourselves. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
That's how some of the prisoners in the movie came to be behind bars, and luckily, we have avoided that fate. But the important point is that these "reactions" can be lessened or eliminated over time, or as Victor Frankl wrote:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=18699284" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>“Between stimulus and response there is a space. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>In that space is our power to choose our response. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”</i></b></span><br />
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; transition-duration: 0s; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;">
<div style="color: #6f6f6f; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Viktor Frankl, Auschwitz Survivor </i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">And all of that can help us to become </span>equanimous to all that Life brings to us, moment by moment. This equanimity gives us the opportunity to apply wisdom and discernment when making decisions, setting intentions, or dealing with challenging situations. And with that insight, we can liberate ourselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-22071062740104958472020-04-21T08:08:00.000-10:002020-04-21T08:15:32.019-10:00Did you know you were subsidizing that?<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40Qitvl2DA8" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
Well this was an eye opener. Please watch this 5 minute video above.<br />
<br />
And this is much more than just an explanation of Government largess and its role in obesity. It illustrates, to me, a fundamental flaw in this country's perverse economic incentives and anything-BUT-free-market capitalism.<br />
<br />
Just imagine if instead of corporate lobbying and corporate profits as the levers of Government, we included things such overall health (not health system profits) of our population. That would put primacy on the food that we were subsidizing to be health-promoting, which would mean a whole-food, plant-based diet. <br />
<br />
Traditionally, this food is among the cheapest ... that's why it's often called peasant food. Yet now we have tax payer subsidies -- your money -- going to pay for food that is actually causing the majority of our major causes of death! Which of course, in a perverse way, is also a subsidy to our broken health care system.<br />
<br />
This seems relatively straightforward to fix; we have precedences. We basically need to flip the current model on its head. We need to DIS-incentivise unhealthy eating (and therefore unhealthy food production). We can do that the same way this country successfully took on the tobacco industry and the alcohol industry -- through increased taxes, not subsidies, through controls on advertising, and ultimately through health insurance pricing that recognizes diet as an explicit risk factor.<br />
<br />
But there is even a larger framework here. Our system, as it stands, values GDP and corporate profit over everything else. What about flipping that model on its head as well. Why not look for the levers that would instead promote citizen health, happiness, education, reduced income inequality, safety, diversity, civility, and equal justice.<br />
<br />
Again, we know this can be done; there are many models in the industrialized world that promote most of these objectives. This just requires Americans to wake up to what is really going on in our country. And, for me, this video was a surprising wake-up call.<br />
<br />
Here's to us making changes that help the current generation, and even more importantly, future generations of our citizens to prosper, in health, in happiness, and financial security.<br />
<br />Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-70182879669750739402020-03-27T18:27:00.001-10:002020-07-11T20:53:38.301-10:00This is Gonna Be a Disaster!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkD3UJ0sfBpIjMH5Mkk18XhJLAsm0voHCV7KGfsqaOau1B6dCu7nO4-3w5tQ49-mgQPrLNRGJSp-M_Te-V-k9Z35u62AQIa9aDs5uljU3nJsfOKwy1TWUgUMUcjNSfAVg9sEc/s1600/Tsunami%253F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1600" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkD3UJ0sfBpIjMH5Mkk18XhJLAsm0voHCV7KGfsqaOau1B6dCu7nO4-3w5tQ49-mgQPrLNRGJSp-M_Te-V-k9Z35u62AQIa9aDs5uljU3nJsfOKwy1TWUgUMUcjNSfAVg9sEc/s640/Tsunami%253F.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;"><u>Tsunami? No, but not "The Eddie" either</u>, North Shore, Oahu, HI, February 2016, </span></i><br />
<i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;">Nikon D600 with FX 28-300mm VR lens,</span></i><i style="caret-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: grey;">122mm, 1/640 sec @ f13, ISO 320, -0.67 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
There is an instinctual tendency of your mind to do “disaster planning”. Have you noticed it? It doesn’t matter if you are in a stressful or emergency situation — it will happen anytime. </div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
For example, I might be on vacation, sitting on a patio overlooking the ocean. Waves breaking the reef, sun glistening on the water, clouds floating by quietly overhead. A more tranquil setting would be hard to find. </div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
And then *boom*, I notice my mind (on its own) has gone into disaster planning mode. What if a giant tsunami followed one of those waves. I’d see the water rush away from the coast back into the sea. Would I recognize it is an impending tsunami? If so, how fast could I react? Where are my escape routes? Would I climb on the roof of this building, or seek higher ground?</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
And in those moments, I am no longer “aware” of the tranquil setting that is my current reality, and instead have defaulted to disaster planning. I can feel my chest tighten, my heartbeat increase, my skin start to tingle. </div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
Now if I decided, consciously, that this was a good time to rehearse such a scenario — fine. That would be a deliberate and conscious plan to become prepared. But that’s not what is going on. It is operating in the background, taking me out of the present moment, and disturbing my inner peace and tranquility.</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
Evolution “thinks” this is fine — “it” only cares about my survival and the ability to pass on my genes …. my “raison d’etre.” But personally, I’m more interested in my peace and tranquility at this point in my life — my two children now take over the role of gene transporters. </div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
So what is my point? Only this: you can and should gain control over your mind. This is what "Mindfulness” is all about. Use your thinking, rationale mind, as a tool, but keep it under your control. If you stop and settle your mind for a few minutes every morning, you will notice you do not have that control as default. That capability must be developed and strengthened just like any muscle exercise. But it can be done.</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
And if you want to be Mindful, in each moment, with full awareness and acceptance of whatever situation you are in, this is something you should pursue.</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
Oh yeah, and speaking of being Mindful:</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHarPhvGGhvRpmgbkPQd0TW0A-78Sbkeg6Y1zot9W_z60AWmVVn8fSWZ7IvRIAeCjvz8mIXmGycKm5NkrrXf-9dEut5DOGePVN_OEY4IAdKiu-oal4GZ-TRtcEqlVUEZrGlei/s1600/Mind+Full%252C+or+Mindful.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="986" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHarPhvGGhvRpmgbkPQd0TW0A-78Sbkeg6Y1zot9W_z60AWmVVn8fSWZ7IvRIAeCjvz8mIXmGycKm5NkrrXf-9dEut5DOGePVN_OEY4IAdKiu-oal4GZ-TRtcEqlVUEZrGlei/s640/Mind+Full%252C+or+Mindful.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
How are you walking through life? Time to "no-think" like your dog, and just be aware.</div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
Namaste.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-47368971239323909302017-04-16T19:29:00.001-10:002017-04-16T19:29:49.687-10:00Can We Solve For Happy?Oh my gosh, it has been so long since I've posted here. What the heck have I been doing?<br />
<br />
Well now I really have no excuse, since I recently retired, but somehow time keeps on keeping on.<br />
<br />
So anyways, I've been a seeker in the past, had an interest in spiritual books, understand the concept of equanimity and see why it is valuable, but still ... moments of satori have been very few and very far between.<br />
<br />
Then I stumbled (somehow, I can't even piece the path together), on this guy and his book (which I have yet to read, or even order yet ;-) But instead, I found this video podcast, and one can glean a lot from the authors sincerity, his really challenging "graduate exam", and sense that he has distilled some truths here that will likely be beneficial for many of us.<br />
<br />
So while this is almost an hour long, I highly recommend the video podcast to you. See what you think.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WX74m5_84IA" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
I may write more later after I read his book.<br />
<br />
Namaste.Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-27073760387970023902011-11-12T22:19:00.004-10:002011-11-12T22:39:02.847-10:00The Distortion Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc-TTj6kLKJPc60z8wQnTCaHUeE5OXvRx5eUYi9PX5pp6Lxi3PNVWPp1IWzFHtwCl34yEvuux0XsXpkb5-yiHR_bAOjQg0aBEBvLhIMY1jtIqOXQrby6ZRHZbmEWJmhipwNE8/s1600/20111113-The+distortion+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc-TTj6kLKJPc60z8wQnTCaHUeE5OXvRx5eUYi9PX5pp6Lxi3PNVWPp1IWzFHtwCl34yEvuux0XsXpkb5-yiHR_bAOjQg0aBEBvLhIMY1jtIqOXQrby6ZRHZbmEWJmhipwNE8/s640/20111113-The+distortion+field.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
OK folks,<br />
<br />
There is something you know in your head, or your heart, or maybe just your gut.<br />
<br />
Well, here, let me shed a little light on that gut feeling you have.<br />
<br />
Just watch this clip from the movie <a href="http://www.thecorporation.com/" target="_blank">The Corporation</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eZkDikRLQrw" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's 11 minutes long (less if you skip the ad at the end). <br />
<br />
I think you will find it fascinating. Every bit of it.</div><br />
See what you think. And feel free to share your thoughts.</div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-85371215043418803832011-10-05T18:16:00.005-10:002020-03-27T20:07:05.416-10:00To hell with grammar (and other conventions)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJ9Gir8N6n0voOW3f_pDPvRTlm7EBUkomxnSj0c7i5jtV300qCXHosLc_uEcBsildk53gTtNsJQ_kQ4Gxo5uq-1CG_8jognCawM7caGd4zGY0ztw4ZRqZVPldL0yUFZ1Bm8Ow/s1600/Steve+Jobs+%25281955-2011%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJ9Gir8N6n0voOW3f_pDPvRTlm7EBUkomxnSj0c7i5jtV300qCXHosLc_uEcBsildk53gTtNsJQ_kQ4Gxo5uq-1CG_8jognCawM7caGd4zGY0ztw4ZRqZVPldL0yUFZ1Bm8Ow/s640/Steve+Jobs+%25281955-2011%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
World's shortest obituary: "Think Different" <br />
<br />
'Nuff said. <br />
<br />
And here is an iconic Apple ad, which when aired was narrated by Richard Dreyfus. However, this one is narrated by the Man himself. Thank you Steve, for being our generation's "crazy one".<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZ4xCiDebIM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
"And just one more thing" ;-) <br />
<br />
Many times I've thought about what it must have been like to live during the time of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Mozart or Beethoven. Pure genius right before your eyes. <br />
<br />
And only now, as I stop to reflect about Steve Jobs, do I realize we've been having breakfast together all these years. MacBook Pro, Apple Cinema display, iPod, iPhone, iPad are all before me along with my hot tea and toast. <br />
<br />
I sit in the presence of his genius. Every day.<br />
<br />
Can you even imagine what world we might be inhabiting had he not graced our planet for 56 insane years? <br />
<br />
Well, he helped us understand that alternative universe as well, on just one day, long ago:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2zfqw8nhUwA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zfqw8nhUwA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Rest in peace Steve. You deserve it.<br />
<br />
Update -- I came across this interesting graphic while reading many of the tributes to this special man. With credit to Jonathan Mak ... somehow, like the Apple products we love, it "just works":<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDn9jugQArQ5f049e-nX5dLX5YU_AWaX94j16YCGDiWbrzhU5vPWi0_yq_8YahITp79jmd1JHviHtd3Loiws_oLYgR2_IU1l2oXzH3WL7TxNsENPI6rj4yCPu_P9hxSlJrv8E/s1600/Apple+logo+with+Steve+Jobs+profile+as+bite.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDn9jugQArQ5f049e-nX5dLX5YU_AWaX94j16YCGDiWbrzhU5vPWi0_yq_8YahITp79jmd1JHviHtd3Loiws_oLYgR2_IU1l2oXzH3WL7TxNsENPI6rj4yCPu_P9hxSlJrv8E/s320/Apple+logo+with+Steve+Jobs+profile+as+bite.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-56446342133276426632010-12-22T19:45:00.001-10:002010-12-22T19:47:52.793-10:00Thinking Big<object height="390" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GHKBVDKGBek&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GHKBVDKGBek&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object><br />
<br />
This seems like a pretty logical "big thought". <br />
<br />
First, the best way to help someone is to enable them to help themselves. That was also discussed in the <a href="http://reflectionsofbeauty.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-do-you-believe.html">TED talk at the bottom of this post</a>.<br />
<br />
Second, recognize that information is the great enabler. People with access to information can educate themselves and think independently (and recognize when they are being fed propaganda).<br />
<br />
And third, conclude the best way to make this happen is to provide access to the internet for those that currently don't have it. Some would even call it a human right.<br />
<br />
I like the bold thought and initiative you can sense in this young man and his team of idealists.<br />
<br />
And I think they created a good short web video to explain their idea. Check it out (above), and then follow the link to their website, where you can see a longer TEDx video that gives some more background (and a few interesting statistics).<br />
<br />
Bravo for thinking big.Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-41974775861631529962010-12-21T19:47:00.005-10:002010-12-22T20:17:34.335-10:00Boys with rulers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgIHBsetdGqFufxEAhHHJ0n94C6Snr2-fplQdKeDlx5BRYfo3shaDAYoBBFZSCnT5KB18nX2eLW3Lh1-6_Dxsv6lNoqNcoFIRtnPzYYtE7oyIxzVnig1fcT4X2WaEngTl7EVn/s1600/20101222-Mark+Spitz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgIHBsetdGqFufxEAhHHJ0n94C6Snr2-fplQdKeDlx5BRYfo3shaDAYoBBFZSCnT5KB18nX2eLW3Lh1-6_Dxsv6lNoqNcoFIRtnPzYYtE7oyIxzVnig1fcT4X2WaEngTl7EVn/s640/20101222-Mark+Spitz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font: 16.0px Times; line-height: 18.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><u><i>Racing Mark Spitz</i></u></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">, Outdoor photo exhibition, Madrid, Spain, May 2002,</span></i></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; line-height: 18.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Sony Cybershot, Focal length 10.4mm, Exposure 1/250 sec @ f6.3, ISO 100, no flash</span></i></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; line-height: 18.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, how long is your telomere? Would you like to see how it compares to the next guy? I kinda thought so ;-)<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Well, I just came across this interesting <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/phys-ed-how-exercising-keeps-your-cells-young/">article</a> on how exercising keeps your cells young. And by extension, will keep you feeling and looking quite a bit younger than your sedentary counterpart.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Of course we pretty much assumed that to be true, but this study actually measured the length of four groups' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere">telomeres</a> (young/sedentary, young/active, old/sedentary, old/active). </div><div><br />
</div><div>As they say, "youth is wasted on the young", and that was reinforced here where there was no real difference in cell age (i.e., telomere length) between the younger groups. But for the older groups, the sedentary folks saw their poor telomeres shrivel up by 40%, while those active seniors had only lost about 10% length. That's a 75% difference based on your level of activity.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So go ahead, jump in the pool like Mark Spitz (does anyone remember his "gold medal" poster? Yeah, yeah, I heard something about a kid named Phelps, but look, Spitz kept his mustache ;-)<br />
<br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsA1yPKfFILIqsLW_o1ORGZ3bl-Lt5My5FevNdJIEAOwxzeo7Oi9n1ZgpVjFRkBeNUNM58mLC2XBa38xdnKO3A8yF9hz4PdmJOUOxr0vb1w_kGLE7uoZJpK707k3uaVllUii-/s1600/20101222a-Mark+Spitz+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsA1yPKfFILIqsLW_o1ORGZ3bl-Lt5My5FevNdJIEAOwxzeo7Oi9n1ZgpVjFRkBeNUNM58mLC2XBa38xdnKO3A8yF9hz4PdmJOUOxr0vb1w_kGLE7uoZJpK707k3uaVllUii-/s200/20101222a-Mark+Spitz+poster.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><br />
Or maybe take up running. Or biking. Or nordic skiing (great exercise when its cold and snowy outside). Just get out there on a regular basis and exercise vigorously. It may be the closest thing there is to the fountain of youth.<br />
<br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-33231990744111210992010-12-12T20:01:00.002-10:002010-12-12T20:09:10.099-10:00Remember Your Mortality<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXELOdWqcNiY2VsmHvwjkdkdOhEzch45M6TkS8gsQr7_mWV16qqj2KEITa01IQsws4YwWgYxalzxAJLywD1lAutwsaDRsQdzGo_S2M6RtB4WBnayimBHIv42Yb0KiVGcSJe2q/s1600/20101213-Remember+your+mortality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXELOdWqcNiY2VsmHvwjkdkdOhEzch45M6TkS8gsQr7_mWV16qqj2KEITa01IQsws4YwWgYxalzxAJLywD1lAutwsaDRsQdzGo_S2M6RtB4WBnayimBHIv42Yb0KiVGcSJe2q/s640/20101213-Remember+your+mortality.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Remember Your Mortality</i></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><i>Schönenberg Church, Ellwangen, Germany, February 2010,</i></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Focal length 12.85mm, Exposure 1/20 sec @ f3.5, ISO 1600, no flash,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">"Life is tough ... What do you get at the end of it? A death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backward. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">"You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old-age home. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">"You get kicked out when you are too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">"You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">"You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating -- and you finish off as an orgasm."</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">-- George Carlin</span></blockquote>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-45294444658782436462010-12-12T07:36:00.006-10:002010-12-28T18:54:37.567-10:00Blind Faith<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGgQWGAyGF3Yfv-G-x1kQB9NhRg3yxvfJEYzFvk0Z48I6BND41mWUlg7nG1OA-1Up0-PBWXeXsK4yJgya6INgXfsX2OcPoDau05QLAF5DQ2mrKvREAPoeU_eTGK60YK6TgJRa/s1600/20101211-Blind+Faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGgQWGAyGF3Yfv-G-x1kQB9NhRg3yxvfJEYzFvk0Z48I6BND41mWUlg7nG1OA-1Up0-PBWXeXsK4yJgya6INgXfsX2OcPoDau05QLAF5DQ2mrKvREAPoeU_eTGK60YK6TgJRa/s640/20101211-Blind+Faith.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Blind Faith</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Portion of the Old Bridge statue of Minerva, Heidelberg Germany, October 2010,<br />
Panasonic DMC-ZS7, Focal length 10.3mm, Exposure 1/400 sec @ f4.5, ISO 80, no flash<br />
© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]</span></span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica;"><i> </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>A funny thing happened during a get together with some friends/colleagues of mine. We started talking about religion (we are a spirited group). All were Christians; one was born again, another seemed to be asking new questions, and the third accepted those parts of the faith that felt right, and did not worry about the rest. And if you were to ask, I am a-religious (against organized religion), but if anything, my leanings are toward Eastern and Buddhist teachings.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I asked if anyone had read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/End-Faith-Religion-Terror-Future/dp/0393035158/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Sam Harris' book, "The End of Faith."</a> No one had. So I explained my recollection of his thesis that any religion that relies upon "blind faith" is problematic, and needs to be challenged. The popular example, of course, are fundamentalist muslims, which some would say take their interpretation of the Holy Koran to an extreme, and the result is jihad against the infidels. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But what makes Sam Harris' book so provocative is that he equally challenges the fundamentalist Christians. And he does not stop there. He goes on to challenge even moderate Christians, because they implicitly endorse a belief system (based solely on faith) that can lead to these extreme and fundamentalist views.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Well, this really upset a good friend of mine. The view was basically, "Hey, just because you lack faith, that's no reason to challenge mine." A fair accusation, I suppose, although my intent was only to have each of us examine that premise. It seems credible to me that problems may result out of what some might choose to call "blind faith". And since we have different religions, with different holy scriptures, and each teaches they are the one and only true religion and path to God ... well, we clearly are in for some conflict, now aren't we?</div><div><br />
</div><div>So anyways, my friend and I made amends, and we took a walk the next day, up along Philosopher's Way and back into Heidelberg, Germany across the Neckar River via the Old Bridge. That's where we noticed the base of a statue pictured above. And immediately, we interpreted it as depicting "Blind Faith." We both got a good laugh and perhaps a little insight out of that.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Fast forward to another friend whom I've only met on-line. I was reading a <a href="http://patdenino.blogspot.com/2010/11/voice-of-soothe.html">blog</a> of hers last night, and came across a video of John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey. Boy, what an interesting perspective this gentleman has. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So I offer you two options. You can watch the video at the end of this post (which is about 45 minutes long, followed by some 30 minutes of Q&A (and I do recommend it). I've also added another rather long lecture before that one, which is also very good. But I realize those require a large chunk of time.<br />
<br />
But after watching that video, I "Googled" John Shelby Spong and found some short YouTube videos. They will give you a feeling for the messages and beliefs that Bishop Spong espouses (and the running time is shown in the title). </div><div><br />
</div><div>Either way, I encourage you to dig in a little deeper, and mull these ideas over in your head. I can tell you that they make a lot of sense to me, and resonate deeply. And if really embraced, seem to put Love and God (or The Divine, if you prefer) at center stage, emanating from within each of us, if we will only wake up.<br />
<br />
Namaste, my friends. I hope you enjoy the perspectives below.</div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9XL8LvaJ9Rc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9XL8LvaJ9Rc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Beyond Theism -- John Shelby Spong (2:41)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SF6I5VSZVqc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SF6I5VSZVqc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">Does Hell Exist? -- Interview segment with John Shelby Spong (3:17)<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KlRrY4bBlV0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KlRrY4bBlV0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
Honest Prayer, Part 1 -- John Shelby Spong (5:39)<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgFKbbXyUtc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgFKbbXyUtc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
Honest Prayer, Part 2 -- John Shelby Spong (6:21)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">And here are the long ones if you have such interest (each more than an hour). First is a lecture by Spong, that discusses rather graphically, problems caused by the some texts of the Holy Bible. At time, it is as hard to listen to as it is to argue with. It illustrates our tribal mentality, but also tries to show a path forward by rejecting these cultural, human, fallacies. And, I think, it is quite lucid and insightful (and interspersed with humor and poignancy).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yZM3FXlLMug?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yZM3FXlLMug?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">Burke Lecture: John Shelby Spong (1:23:26)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">And this is the one that got me digging in the first place. Thanks Pat. I always appreciate your insights and your pointers.</div><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="webhost=fora.tv&clipid=12157&cliptype=clip" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://fora.tv/embedded_player" /><embed flashvars="webhost=fora.tv&clipid=12157&cliptype=clip" src="http://fora.tv/embedded_player" width="400" height="264" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object><br />
Exploring the Mystery of Life: John Shelby Spong (1:16:41)<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div></div></div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-48845884460689053362010-11-27T18:22:00.001-10:002010-11-27T18:22:00.432-10:00What to do about those "Talking Heads"?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCgbaVzwxK2lY5zwmIk3jXoskmYk4wWuEwx7lt0YclrjZY1CY3ch-jHtOaiVyFziFj-1xNGq8nhPrLrF7ZJIjg6LWE8Tqjo5-xfG1aWjh02ZfvygvH5i34Ivc3vsj56piNI1pYg/s1600/20101129-Talking+heads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCgbaVzwxK2lY5zwmIk3jXoskmYk4wWuEwx7lt0YclrjZY1CY3ch-jHtOaiVyFziFj-1xNGq8nhPrLrF7ZJIjg6LWE8Tqjo5-xfG1aWjh02ZfvygvH5i34Ivc3vsj56piNI1pYg/s640/20101129-Talking+heads.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><u>Silencing the Talking Heads</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">, Mönchehaus Museum, Goslar, Germany, August 2010,<br />
Panasonic DMC-ZS7, Focal length 10.3mm, Exposure 1/40 sec @ f4, ISO 200, no flash<br />
© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]<br />
</span></span></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes indeed, what to do about those "Talking Heads". You know the ones I mean ... it doesn't matter if you sit to my right or my left. Both sides have them. Has it always been this way? I think not.<br />
<br />
Before the advent of the 24-hour Cable News Network (thanks Ted ;-), things seemed, well, so much newsier. Interesting how with only a limited time to learn about the days and weeks events, journalists and anchormen had to prepare well-edited, news stories. <br />
<br />
Now it seems to me like some strange combination of entertainment, infomercial, and biased-opinion masked as news, stuck on a treadmill of repetition, interspersed with some BREAKING NEWS story that as often as not turns out to be TV's equivalent of tabloid journalism (anyone remember "Balloon Boy"?)<br />
<br />
It really doesn't matter if the Talking Head knows what he's talking about ... just so long as he keeps on talking. And frankly, the more outlandish and provocative his uninformed pronouncements, the better. Makes for really good sound bites in the next 24-hour news cycle.<br />
<br />
There is good news in all of this, however. A lot of folks realize these "news" channels provide nothing that benefit them directly. And they are starting to turn off the TV. Some are going so far as to get rid of the TV. What a life-affirming step that would be. Worried about your lack of time? How would you like to have all those hours laid before you each and every day to do with as you see fit? That's pretty empowering.<br />
<br />
And what of the "real news"? Once again, the internet has come to your rescue and offers it up to you in whatever size, shape, and bias you want. You are in charge. And you can scan the headlines and only read about (or watch and listen in video clips and podcasts) those stories which really do matter to you. Or maybe those that will motivate you. Or inspire you.<br />
<br />
You know this is true, deep down. You are fully, entirely, empowered. The next step is up to you. What steps will you take to silence the talking heads?Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-3754781707853077962010-11-27T00:47:00.004-10:002010-12-11T12:23:20.657-10:00Do you think it's a Mad World?<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4N3N1MlvVc4&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4N3N1MlvVc4&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object></div><br />
My wife heard this song on the TV, and asked me if I knew what it was. She said it was beautiful. I found this noteworthy, as she generally is not someone that listens to music. So I wanted to track it down.<br />
<br />
I found it in just seconds after a quick Google search of just a couple of words from the middle of the lyrics. Ya gotta love having our collective consciousness literally and instantly at our fingertips! How often do we take that for granted?<br />
<br />
Anywho -- I also found the above video on-line, and I think it provides a interesting visual to go with the song (not to mention you get to hear the song for free ;-). I recommend you also read the lyrics below. And if you are so moved, please let me know what you think of the message.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Mad World by Gary Jules</b></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;">Songwriters: Orzabal, Roland</div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">All around me are familiar faces</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Worn out places, worn out faces</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Bright and early for the daily races</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Going nowhere, going nowhere</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Their tears are filling up their glasses</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">No expression, no expression</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">No tomorrow, no tomorrow</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">When people run in circles its a very, very</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mad world, mad world</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Children waiting for the day they feel good</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Happy birthday, happy birthday</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And I feel the way that every child should</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Sit and listen, sit and listen</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Went to school and I was very nervous</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">No one knew me, no one knew me</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Look right through me, look right through me</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">When people run in circles its a very, very</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mad world</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-30417385862985426332010-11-09T12:10:00.024-10:002020-09-12T05:45:08.148-10:00A Life Connected ... with your values<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BzOJnIEjeGk" width="560"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Do you have time for a cup of tea? If so, please go pour yourself one, sit back, and take in this video. I think you will find it eye opening.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Don't worry. I'll wait. ... Great, welcome back. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Did you watch the movie yet? Go ahead. Really, I'll wait ;-)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So I want to tell you a little story about my own adventure in this direction. It came to me in different stages, and I find it interesting as I look back on it now, how I came to these realizations.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First, the power of intention became clear to me. I realized that if we wish to change our behavior, especially if these might be deep-seated habits or cultural biases (aka, indoctrination), we need to tap into the power of intention. In fact, I posted a short <a href="http://reflectionsofbeauty.blogspot.com/2005/11/who-is-that-on-my-finger.html">blog entry</a> on just this topic. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I applied this idea to myself. I made the decision, and then explicitly considered it my <u>intention</u> not to personally kill any sentient being (animal, insect, etc). I did this when I observed myself indiscriminately killing a house fly once because it was "bothering me", and wondered, "what gives me the (moral) right to do so?" What I found was not that I immediately stopped killing (for habits and conditioning die hard), but at least I now noticed it when I did it. And slowly, but surely, there became a small gap between the stimulus (a buzzing fly) and the response (slapping my hand). Eventually, this enabled my brain to be rewired (yes, neuroplasticity is real, and an awesome tool).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now somewhere in this process I came to realize that by eating meat, I was indirectly causing animals to be killed. But wow, by the time I grilled up that hamburger, or swallowed that sushi, the animal was already dead, and my decision to forego that food was not going to bring it back, right? (Isn't it amazing how we can deceive ourselves?) Of course I was directly contributing to the demand for these animals to be killed. And finally, I read something that pushed me over the edge. It was about a woman named <a href="http://justun-doit.blogspot.com/2008/07/walk-mile-in-her-shoes.html">Peace Pilgrim</a> and that aspect of her life story just resonated with me. I just <u>knew</u> it was time to give up eating meat of any kind (beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I told one of my intellectual friends about my change, her first rejoinder was something like "you know, the only logical conclusion of such a step is to become Vegan." I politely told her I was not ready to go that far, and that I believed this partial step was better than no step at all. Such arguments (you are not going all the way) become the excuse to make no change at all, and thankfully, I wasn't falling for that trap.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I found it very easy to go Vegetarian. And thankfully, without any pushiness on my part, my wife (who is the cook in our family) decided to cook Vegetarian at home. For a while, she would still eat meat when we ate out, since Vegetarian choices can be rather limited, depending on the restaurant. I encouraged her to order whatever she wanted, so she didn't feel "trapped" by my decision. But then one day, after getting her hair done and having a chat with her hairdresser (who was also Vegetarian), she had her own epiphany and made the (moral) choice to not be responsible for unnecessarily ending the life of an animal.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Somewhere over the last two years, I had mentioned the idea of "going Vegan". And she said to me ... that is just too far to go. We regularly ate eggs and cheese, and drank milk, and frankly thought being Vegan was just too impractical.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, my wife was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), which for those who don't know, is generally accepted to be an autoimmune disease, which is incurable, and will get progressively worse, eventually resulting in severely impaired functionality (with a corresponding reduction in quality of life). To make matters worse, doctors do not know what causes RA, and therefore, how to prevent or cure the disease. At best, they can only treat the symptoms, and generally speaking, use powerful drugs that can have serious side affects. In short, my wife was pretty worried after conducting her on-line research about her recent diagnosis.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My first reaction was ... let's look for an alternative treatment. Either something from Eastern medicine, or perhaps something based upon diet. So I started researching as well. I came across a very interesting book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660">The China Study</a>, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. I commend it to your reading list. I think it is a great wake-up call on the standard Western diet. It also raised the alarm on the possible negative consequences of consuming animal protein (including dairy). And also postulated a theory of how animal proteins might cause auto-immune diseases by a process of molecular mimicry and gut leakage. I was pretty hungry for a potential cause and effect, and this seemed plausible. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And exactly what would be the downside? Carol was planning to continue her doctor's prescribed medication so we weren't risking unnecessary disease progression. Furthermore, based on continued research, I also came across the website and videos of <a href="http://www.drmcdougall.com/">Dr. John McDougall</a>. It looked likely that a Vegan diet might well contribute to weight loss and improved health in general, and may well reduce the need for certain pharmaceuticals.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So Carol and I gave this some serious thought and read quite a few books (and many more on-line resources). We had already started to make changes in our diet -- specifically eliminating processed foods and buying organic products whenever possible. But what about all the dairy and eggs that we were eating? On one of our shopping trips, we picked up a liter of soy milk, rice milk, and soy yogurt, and put them in the refrigerator. After a week or two, I decided to give them a taste. I really expected them to be rather undesirable -- and I was very pleasantly surprised. So was Carol. We realized we could easily substitute these into our diet, and eliminate cow's milk products.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It took us longer (over here in Germany) to find soy or rice alternatives for cheese, but we are now finding some <strike>(and they are also quite tasty)</strike>. <i>Update [11/19/2010]: Funny story -- we found something called Reissen Käse. And boy was it yummy! We thought that was "Rice Cheese" (oops); really that translates to "Shredded Cheese", Ha! No wonder it was so tasty. We finally found some Soy Cheese, but it was truly unedible. We are still on the lookout. </i>We have yet to find an egg replacement, but have enough alternatives for breakfast, that we are not finding that to be a big problem. <i>Update [9/12/2020]: thankfully the world has caught onto Whole-Food, Plant-Based (WFPB) eating, and now there are many tasty "cheese" options, and even egg replacements if you find that you cannot live without your omelet ;-).</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So now, after about 3 weeks, I am happy to report ... we are Vegans. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And here's a very interesting, unexpected, and as yet, unexplained benefit. Both Carol and I have noticed our sugar cravings have significantly dropped off. This is big news for me. I have been a candy addict for probably 45 years. We're talking rot-your-teeth addiction in my case. I have tried and failed to will myself to give up sugar and candy before, many times, and failed miserably. The eventual craving makes me cave in and usually gorge myself on an entire (big) bag of candy.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But now, it is virtually gone. Still a little craving after dinner (habitual), but easily an order-of-magnitude less than it was just 3 weeks ago. Wow. What an unexpected blessing.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I've rambled on and on. I guess I just wanted to show how the decision to become Vegan can evolve over time, is not really that radical an idea, and can be rooted by many motivations (animal welfare, social justice, resource management, physical health and longevity), or in our case the final push came in a desire to search for a cure for a complex disease process. The results of Carol's personal trial will surely take time to observe; but in the meantime, we are gaining first-hand experience with what it means to be a Vegan.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh, and one more really important point. There are thousands of Vegan recipes out there, and the food tastes wonderful. In all seriousness, the food we are eating now is more varied, interesting, and better tasting that our previous diet. And <u>much</u> better for our health. I can heartily recommend two books for great recipes and to help cover some of the important aspects about a Vegan lifestyle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/000-Vegan-Recipes-Robin-Robertson/dp/0470085029">1000 Vegan Recipes</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kind-Diet-Simple-Feeling-Losing/dp/1605296449">The Kind Diet</a>. If you are considering becoming Vegan, they are well worth the money. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Enjoy the food! Love the lifestyle! Live your values! And get healthy!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(p.s., just to be clear, I receive nothing from any of these links or recommendations -- I just highly recommend them each.)</div></div>Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18699284.post-82981509735774396292010-08-27T22:30:00.003-10:002010-12-11T12:24:17.134-10:00Whoda Thunk It -- Spiritual Rap<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Qd-fAnHjPg&border=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Qd-fAnHjPg&border=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I think this is just great. Please take the time to watch and listen.<br />
<br />
Gandhi really was an amazing soul. And now we have a rapper telling his story.<br />
<br />
Wow. Whoda Thunk It?Steven Crisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12133103376050989480noreply@blogger.com0