eThoughts : Holiday Thoughts: December 2006

(For more Holiday thoughts, go to: Holiday Thoughts for 2003, or 2004 Holiday Thoughts, and 2004 Holiday Thoughts Continued, or Holiday Thoughts for December 2005, and 2005 Holiday Thoughts Continued), or We Are and the Age of Clarity.)

It seems to be yet another year. Funny how the Holidays never came around fast enough when I was a kid, but now they whirl around like some astronaut-training centrifuge. I do like these December/January Holidays, the true spirit of the season seems so much more like the way it should be year round. But it isn’t and there’s a reason and feeling for that. The annoying part of living is the very same part of the joy of living—the next evolutionary step for humans is actually already here and available. We haven’t done it—that’s the annoying part, but we can do it and in a near instant—that’s the joyous part.

The human ability to create futures stretches beyond anything I’m aware about with any other living organism on the planet. The human ability to be stuck in the past also stretches beyond anything I’ve seen in other living beings. And perhaps our inability to be more present is worse than in any other species, but concerns of the past and thoughts about the future often cloud what’s presently transpiring outside of our heads and our feelings. One of the great things about time is that sooner or later events of one kind or another conspire to bring us to the immediate moment. That’s how I see it at present, the next important reality is already here and it is merely up to us to see and act upon it.

Since I am no guru, what I offer as the way it is, is merely how I see it—it’s just a start.

The consciousness of “I am” is no longer good enough. Consider that we might be in the midst of an Age of Clarity and the foundation of the new clarity is “we are.” Individuality is not usurped in the Age of Clarity, its role is simply clarified. Realizing that “we are” is a value added, it does not include a value lost.

Let’s be more aware of our social standing—our social self. Fear of public speaking is a predominate phobia because most of us know that public criticism can be like wrestling with a sticky net. Like many phobias, we can avoid what we fear. The problem in the case of our social self is that we have one whether we know it or not. There is no way that we can take the next evolutionary step if we are not clear about our social standing.

Being correctly aware of our individual identity and our social identity is not an anchor, it is simply where we presently are.

If our individual identity is not congruent with our social identity, consider that sometimes it may be others who are incorrect. Not everyone is a Galileo, but sometimes everyone can be wrong.

Be aware of who is the authority in the room. If you don’t see them in due time, the authority may be you—or you may be delusional. But in seeking clarity, it’s all good information.

Be aware of why someone is the authority—is it because of experience, hierarchy, default, the intimidation of power and force, or because of the ability to see things the way they are? When possible, choose alignments with those that know, rather than those that leverage.

Be aware of point of view—on the surface of the ocean we see things much differently looking into the waters than if we, or other beings, are in the waters looking up. Why are we fighting? Is it because we see another as a threat? Are they fighting because they’re just idiots and deranged? A fish on a hook fights for a good reason—do fisherman fish for good reason?

Let’s be aware that the fool/not fool dichotomy is an illusion. We are more likely to be fools than not fools. I think that’s called learning. In other words, let’s get comfortable with learning.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but does ongoing stress take away the art of wondering? Let’s make a rule that we have to wonder. Sometimes instead of greetings like “how are you?,” let’s ask “how’s your wonder?” or “what are you wondering about?” And let’s listen to the answers.

Let’s be aware about the difference between a simple life and an ignorant one. Stuff requires a lot of attention—the more stuff, the more attention. Attention to stuff is not like attention to wonder. Wonder is more empty, attention to stuff is actually more stuff.

Ignorance is ignoring. Ignoring can be useful for those things that solve themselves, it can be deadly for those things that don’t.

Stuff and ignorance can lead to unnecessary stress. If it’s unnecessary, we know it on some level or the other and we come to resent it. It’s hard to wonder when we are consumed with resenting.

Let’s make a rule that we have to pay more attention to managing space rather than to managing things. Space and things go together, but in a world of things, emptiness is nothing but a place to put more things.

Let’s realize that the grip we often have holds what cannot be ours. Is it an allopathic Savior that we worship? If we think that God is all powerful and the world is screwed up, then we might consider it interesting that God doesn’t fix it and apparently we haven’t.

And since it’s the season and we might need some guidance, let’s make a law that we have to care. Let’s make another law that not caring has to be temporary.

Will the manifestation of all these thoughts vanquish the struggle? Nope, but it may vanquish the unnecessary struggle, the one where humans keep adding to the problems. Let’s try giving the greatest gift of all to ourselves and each other—the end of unnecessary hardship. That’s a gift to unwrap.