A Panda's Journey
“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time.
But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be.
To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.”
— Thich Nhat Hahn
To be or to do? I say both.
Let us always “be”, even as we do.
Meditation is a wonderful place to cultivate “being”.
“The discovery that the experiencer is the experience, is meditation.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti
Two people can be sitting next to each other in the same room of a hundred people, watching a sports game & may experience completely different things.
They are in the same environment. Surrounded by the same people.
Watching the same game.
Yet they have a different experience than the people around them.
Same thing if you’re watching a play, or reading a meditation book, listening to music, or walking in nature.
You may hear & read & see the same exact things that others are hearing, reading, & seeing, yet you have your own interpretations of the experience.
It’s good to have your own interpretation.
All children are living from their individual perspective until they reach a certain age & the world sort of takes away their individuality & tells the person what to think, how to feel, and how to interpret things…
So as we age we sort of lose ourselves as we conform to our surroundings, but what if we didn’t?
What if we kept our individuality?
What if we understood the power of conformity, & then we understood the power of our individual self?
What if we stepped away from the crowds, & decided what we actually thought about things?
Your perception is your reality.
And how we feel about it?
Do not disempower yourself by adopting other people’s perspective.
You are it!
“Reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half baked moron consuming all this trash that’s being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world.”
— Terence McKenna
There are several “powers that be” that operate to control peoples minds…
Mind control. It happens more than you can imagine.
You lose your mind & your inner power when you believe that people outside of you are more powerful than you.
But you are much more powerful than you can imagine.
Meditation is one way to realize your potential and you power.
You must discover your inner self. And you can do this through the practice of meditation.
“Who wants to live to be a hundred? What’s the point of it? A short life and a merry one is far better than a long life sustained by fear, caution, and perpetual medical surveillance.”
— Henry Miller
Maybe it’s human instinct to want to live as long as possible, but is it worth it to live long if you are miserable?
The answer will differ for everyone.
But it is possible to live a disciplined & strong life, while also having joy in it.
To each their own.
“That government, society, or religion is useless where people are not allowed to ask questions.”
— Galileo
Chomsky said, “A citizen who questions nothing is the governments favorite creation.”
The government is good at persuading its citizens to blindly & fearfully obey the government.
They are even better at putting fear into people so that people are afraid to think for themselves.
The majority of people become indoctrinated to believe that there is no other way. So they don’t question the government or church or society.
And the citizens learn to outcast the individual who questions things; The individual who uses their brain to ask itself questions & ask others questions; The philosopher. The lone wolf.
Hundreds of years ago communities labeled those people “witches” and “demons” – the people who questioned the government or church.
The power to conform blindly to authority has always been stronger than taking a stand.
Throughout human history, authority figures have always used violence to silence anyone who questioned them.
It’s sad but it’s true.
But we are entering a new earth. A new phase in human existence (if AI doesn’t destroy humanity.)
This new phase will use scientific evidence & intelligent & facts instead of blindly obeying political organizations or the church (politics).
No one should fear their government whom is supposedly here to “protect and serve,” (& not just protect and serve the wealthiest people in its country…)
When everyone around you seems to be conforming, don’t be afraid to lead.
Following is conformity. Leading is courage.
“Things have no hold on your soul. They have no access to it, cannot move or direct it. It is moved and directed by you alone. It takes the things before it and interprets them as it sees fit.”
— Marcus Aurelius
The only true & lasting power in this life you will have is within yourself.
Politicians & governments seek to control people, but they can’t control you if you don’t let them.
It’s easy to give up your mind and spirit – almost everyone is doing it.
What is difficult yet empowering is to take control of yourself. To dream your life & live it.
To not be distracted by the people & things outside of yourself; To not be pushed and pulled by the world.
And to not try to push or pull others or the world. But to simply lead & live your life – with your own beliefs & perspective, and NOT the perspective of your government or schemers outside of you.
Real power comes from within.
“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.”
— Ludwig Van Beethoven
To the athletes & artists, this is for you.
If you are passionate about what you do, you will become great.
You will fail over and over again, but if you are passionate, you will never give up.
Let the apathetic ones give up.
Let them laugh at you for being so passionate & obsessive with what you do.
Ignore those losers – they’ve already lost so they try bringing others down into their misery.
Ignore the haters. Stay far from them!!
Do your art or your sport with passion. You will make mistakes, but never let mistakes define you or put you down.
Get back in the game. Get back in the art.
Play with passion.
Live with passion.
Never give up.
Always keep going.
“Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the best way that is in you.”
— Carl Jung
Comparison is a form of following.
And we all follow someone, or some idea.
And then usually we compare ourselves with the idea we follow – & the other followers of the idea – whether it’s a religious idea, a scientific idea, an athletic idea, an educational idea, a government idea, an artists idea, etc.
We find ourselves comparing ourselves to those we want to fit in with.
We mostly follow, and that’s ok.
So what does it mean to lead?
The answer differs for all people.
To lead is to find your own style; to find what works for you.
Research and learn about the subjects and ideas and people and organizations you are interested in.
Don’t try to imitate them completely – but think about what it is you admire about them, and try applying it to your life.
Choose multiple role models, multiple organizations, multiple ideas, and choose from a place that comes from within you – & not a place of just trying to appear a certain way.
Keep learning & keep changing if you discover more things you are interested in.
It’s ok to change.
It’s ok to not conform.
And it’s ok to lead.
“No great thing is created suddenly.”
— Epictetus
Nature is in no rush, but humans are.
Rome was not built in one day.
The library of Alexandria contained ages of knowledge that took years and years to compile and organize, and was burned and destroyed quickly.
Anything great takes time to create – & it’s always worth creating, even if it can be destroyed in an instant.
It’s worth the risk.
Even if we live in times where technology is so advanced that when you take years to create something beautiful, it can be stolen from you by Babylonian type thieves in an instant.
It’s worth it to create it since you will have made something of value that may have a perennial impact on humanity.
Take your time.
Ignore the thieves; the true devils.
And create.
“Real religion is the transformation of anxiety into laughter.”
— Alan Watts
There are a numerous amount of religions, and that’s ok. To each their own.
I study multiple religious books but I don’t identify with any one religion. I am open to many religions, and I enjoy learning.
Anyway, most of these religions are very serious – so serious that if you don’t believe in it, you’re going to be tormented in hell forever!!!!
Now that’s a real trick those religions pulled on people to control people & scare people into obedience.
I can’t say if there is a heaven or hell, but I can say that real laughter can be a spiritual experience. (& not laughter at another person pain, but laughter to laugh. Laughter at something funny. Laughing because we feel so much joy in our life.)
To ease the anxieties of people & add some joyful laughter. That sounds like a spiritual experience to me.
With Ken Thompson 