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Back in the 80’s I saw some graffiti that read “Eat the Rich!”

The words were very clearly written and everything was spelled correctly – not like today’s graffiti which is legible only to some strange, disenfranchised elite that requires no knowledge of spelling, grammar or penmanship to exist. To me, modern graffiti is more like the territorial markings of dogs rather than an attempt at communication. I could be wrong. I suppose dog pee is a form of communication.

Anyway, the phrase “eat the rich” is probably derived from a statement made by French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He said something like – “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.”

The sentiment was popular during many uprisings including the Russian “October Revolution,” and the Chinese “Cultural Revolution.” In these cases, the statement might have been acted upon:  Something for rich people to remember in our troubled times.

I can’t recall for sure if I saw the graffiti before or after the 1987 British movie by that name came out. The phrase might just have been a cool trope back then – I have not researched it.

I do recall that I disagreed with the statement. My response was – “we should eat the poor, there are so many more of them.” At the time I still thought I might be rich one day and I didn’t want the masses getting any ideas about putting me on the menu. I don’t know when I actually came to the realization that I would never actually be rich – not like Carlos Slim Helu or Bill Gates – not rich in any material sense – but one day I figured it out.

There’s a wonderful book by Kurt Vonnegut called God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater in which some concepts of riches are spelled out. In the story a son argues with his father about wealth and responsibility. The son begins:

I think it’s terrible the way people don’t share things in this country. The least a government could do, it seems to me, is to divide things up fairly among the babies. There’s plenty for everybody in this country, if we’d only share more.

“And just what do you think that would do to incentive?”

You mean fright about not getting enough to eat, about not being able to pay the doctor, about not being able to give your family nice clothes, a safe, cheerful, comfortable place to live, a decent education, and a few good times? You mean shame about not knowing where the Money River is?

“The what?”

The Money River, where the wealth of the nation flows. We were born on the banks of it. We can slurp from that mighty river to our hearts’ content. And we even take slurping lessons, so we can slurp more efficiently.

“Slurping lessons?”

From lawyers! From tax consultants! We’re born close enough to the river to drown ourselves and the next ten generations in wealth, simply using dippers and buckets. But we still hire the experts to teach us the use of aqueducts, dams, reservoirs, siphons, bucket brigades, and the Archimedes’ screw. And our teachers in turn become rich, and their children become buyers of lessons in slurping.

“It’s still possible for an American to make a fortune on his own.”

Sure—provided somebody tells him when he’s young enough that there is a Money River, that there’s nothing fair about it, that he had damn well better forget about hard work and the merit system and honesty and all that crap, and get to where the river is. ‘Go where the rich and powerful are,’ I’d tell him, ‘and learn their ways. They can be flattered and they can be scared. Please them enormously or scare them enormously, and one moonless night they will put their fingers to their lips, warning you not to make a sound. And they will lead you through the dark to the widest, deepest river of wealth ever known to man. You’ll be shown your place on the riverbank, and handed a bucket all your own. Slurp as much as you want, but try to keep the racket of your slurping down. A poor man might hear.’

When I first read this I thought – “Vonnegut’s a hippy.”

Later I came to realize he was probably correct. Only a few people in the world have access to the Money River. Most of us will never see it. And some rich people are closer to the river than others.

There are three classes of rich people: first there are the truly rich, the generational wealthy, people who have been adding to and accumulating their money over hundreds of years. These people keep their names off the Forbes lists of wealthy folk – the common people don’t need to know about them. They are above all governments and law and pay no attention to the billions of humans they habitually exploit.

Next, there are the mid-level rich. These are the people that like to see their names on the Forbes Lists. They are the ones we hear about most often. For the most part they are greedy, unscrupulous, money grubbing, self-serving pricks – but they also fund art exhibits, hospitals, schools, orphanages and other charities so they have some usefulness.

Finally there are the upstart nouveau riche class that everyone despises – rich and poor alike. They are ambitious, overreaching and desperate to be accepted – but their vulgarity keeps them out of real society. These are the loud slurpers of which Vonnegut speaks. This class ruthlessly plays the game of “Hog at the Trough.” They force their way to the food trough and cram their faces and bellies full of everything they can until someone stronger and more ruthless pushes them out of the way. They cause all the public financial problems in the world because they are stupid enough to want attention. But when the poor rise up, these are the people who will be eaten.

Clearly, if you look at the state of world, it is not the poor who create financial insecurity and social unrest – the poor have no such power. It is the rich that create conflict for the furtherance of their plutocratic agenda. The rich control the governments and own the military – it is not possible to blame any other class for the troubles of the world. The blame rests squarely at the feet of the rich and the corrupt politicians that worship at the shrine of their backsides.

Why do the masses tolerate this situation? It’s simple – most of the population is sleepwalkers just waiting to become zombies. They are sluggish, desensitized and delirious. When on those rare occasions the people are stirred to action what do they do? They ask the rich to help them fight the rich. This is craziness. This is why whenever a reigning plutocracy is deposed it just gets replaced by another one.

The solution is to give up fighting using weapons and tactics donated to us by our enemy. We need new weapons – weapons the enemy cannot overcome.

How do we develop such weapons? First we have to WAKE UP. Wake up using any means available. We must wake ourselves up and then wake up everyone else. This is the only way to save the world from the zombie slave state those ambitious few dream of ruling.   

In the forests of the world, the humble ant plays a significant role in the ecosystem. Ants clean the forest floor of dead and dying insects and even larger animals; they clear away the debris of fallen leaves and brush; they help circulate the nutrients in the soil by tunneling under and building up their ant hills; they allow for better soil irrigation and basically act as recyclers and pollinators helping the earth stay fertile and preparing the ground for new growth. Ants have a very specific and important purpose in the life cycle of the planet.

Squirrels also have a special purpose on Earth. They bury a variety of seeds and nuts in the ground to be eaten later. But they tend to bury more then they eventually eat. This means the seeds stay planted in the fertile ground prepared by the ants and, thus, are allowed to grow into plants and trees.

The trees that grow in this way have their own special purpose. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and purify the air while releasing oxygen back into the world. Since ants, squirrels and other animals – including humans – need oxygen to live, we see that trees serve a vital function in the maintenance of life.

Everything in nature seems to have a special purpose – perhaps even a mission in life.

But is this really the case?

It is highly unlikely that ants, squirrels and trees have any idea of how they interact. They don’t choose their actions, nor are they concerned with the consequences of their behavior. They just do what they do with no concept of a mission or purpose and no regard for how they might benefit others.

The only thing that makes their actions seem meaningful or relevant is human perception. Only humans are inclined to interpret some occurrence as having a function or purpose in the greater scheme of things. It is only humans that even have a concept of “the greater scheme of things.”

But in this, it seems we can find the specific purpose of humanity: humans give meaning to everything else. Humans strive to make sense of the world and in doing so fill it with meaning and purpose. Humans are basically meaning making machines. They look out at the world with all its intricacies and beauty and insist on finding patterns, structures, plans and systems. As author James Gleick observed humans have a need and potential to “create islands of meaning in a sea of information.”

The Universe and all it contains is completely meaningless without us – at least from our own perspective. And this perception and valuation of existence might be all we bring to the table of life. After all, we seem to destroy more of the land than we cultivate; we consume more than we produce; and we often suck the very life force out of nature itself. But at the same time we fill the world with stories and connections that explain, define and rationalize everything. This central facet of human nature has always been acknowledged if not actually understood by spiritual philosophers and mystics. In the Book of Genesis, after God created Adam, He paraded all the other living things in the world before Adam so that he could name and classify them. This is our uniqueness – the thing that links us to divinity.

Look up at the night sky. See the billions of points of light. They are just random stars. They just exist. But humans have given them all names and connected them with patterns that form pictures called constellations and each star and constellation is given a colorful story and history. This is what humans do. If humans have a purpose it is to bring meaning to the world. Someday we will travel out to those stars and when we do we will bring meaning and purpose to the entire universe. If the ant’s purpose is to till the soil, the squirrel’s is to plant the tree and the tree’s is to fill the world with life sustaining oxygen then the purpose of humanity is to link all these actions, explain them, define them, give them value and significance and bring meaning to all creation. This purpose might make us as physically close to divinity as it is possible to get. 

OK.

Even I get the blues sometimes. It’s hard to keep on working through all the slings and arrows life aims at you without occasionally feeling discouraged. I mean, here I am, generating superhuman, paranormal efforts, almost single handed trying to stave off a zombie apocalypse and what does it get me? Does anyone even care? Despite my actions the zombie population is clearly on the rise. I see them everywhere – on the streets, the subways, in offices and work sites, in the schools and especially in government – so what’s the point? Why should I keep working?

It’s not like anyone is even reading these blog posts or anything. Well, OK, maybe a few people read them – maybe a few people scattered across the World Wide Web are getting some benefit. But are those few reason enough for me to keep up the fight?

I think so – after all is said and done – yes it is worth it.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the Starfish and the idea that if even one person gets the point of all this stuff and finds a way out of the darkness – then a difference has been made.

It’s not really the best motivation but it is something. And sometimes all we need is a tiny impulse to push us into action again.

So, OK, I’ve accepted it. Thoughts of the futility of my actions might slow me down from time to time -but I think I won’t let those thoughts stop me. I’ll keep sending my tiny beams of light out into the void and hope for the best.

With that said, here is my new post:

Ten Reasons to Get out of Bed

(and get into action)

1/  Whatever problems or difficulties you’re having can be better solved by taking action rather than giving up. Whatever hopes or aspirations you have can be better achieved by taking action rather than lying dormant.

2/  It’s just as easy to feel hope as it is to feel despair – but hope leads to better results. Taking on the challenges of life at least gives you the chance for success.

3/  The nature of the universe is possibility and potential. Anything can happen. The problems of the world could all be solved today. You never know. There are more scientists alive and working right now then in all of past human history combined. The big breakthroughs can come at any moment and you can be a part of it.

4/  Even if the big breakthroughs don’t come today, they could come very soon; certainly within our lifetimes. Life expectancy right now is longer than it has ever been. And there is an excellent chance we will double the human lifespan in the next 20 years. And old age is not what it once was. People are healthier and fitter now well into their 90’s than they have ever been. With all those scientists at work, disease and all manner of human illness and disabilities can soon be eliminated. Today can be just the start of a long and productive life for you if you make the effort to be in the game.

5/  Not only will old age and disease be eliminated in the near future, but it is possible for humans to be modified – evolved- to be more intelligent, aware and spiritually motivated. Think of the possibilities that will generate. We could be on the verge of eliminating poverty, war, violence, social inequality, and all the other plagues of mankind. We could solve the problems of energy and economic tension and open up access to space migration and galactic exploration. Imagine if the world of Star Trek were real – but it actually can be-and sooner than the pessimists of the world can imagine.

6/  With increased intelligence, longer lifetimes, and the elimination of social issues – we could put an end to all the drudgery and monotony of labor and work struggles. Imagine the real freedom of being employed only in the tasks you want to perform. Technology could take over all the thankless jobs and humans could be free to create, explore and basically enjoy their lives. This is becoming ever more possible with each passing day.

7/  And how about a more off the wall reason to get out of bed and get into the game of life: what if space aliens are out there just waiting for enough of us to wake up and get involved with the greater adventures of life so they can contact us and welcome us into the galactic community? This isn’t so off the wall as it sounds. Scientists are finding new planets every day: more and more all the time. It is very possible that there are hundreds of billions of planets out in space right now. Not all are earth-like or capable of supporting life as we know it – but certainly there are a few hundred or even a few thousand. All we need is to encounter one friendly alien race to change everything about our lives for the better.

8/  If nothing else, we can agree that there is a lot of tension in the world right now. Tension leads to crises, which leads to change. World tensions will eventually force a change in the human condition and I believe that it will be a change for the better, a change in a positive direction that will make all the other items on this list a reality.

9/  Our attitudes and opinions make a huge difference in how the world appears to us. If we believe crappy things will happen, then they probably will. But what if we believe that good things are possible for us and we take action to encourage those things to happen? Surely they will happen. If we just believe in something positive, get out of bed and get working on that belief, there is a great chance we will actually experience that positive world.

10/  Finally, even if you continue to believe the world is crap and life’s problems are just too powerful for you to overcome – think about this: we need you. The world needs you and other people to keep it going. The world needs you to sustain the future.  Get out of bed and get into action – if not for yourself then for the rest of the world.  Get out of bed for all the people who have ever lived and hoped for a brighter future; all the people that kept up the dream until they died. And get out of bed for all the people that will live after you. We need you on the side of hope and action if any of the dreams of the past, or of the future are ever going to come true. You don’t have to do anything great or particularly important; you don’t have to do anything terribly brave or difficult. All you need to do is get up and be yourself and move in whatever direction life calls you. Just doing that will make all the difference.   

Enlightenment isn’t about being super good or kind all the time. It doesn’t mean you have to be all brooding and silent like some golden statue of the Buddha. It certainly doesn’t mean you have to suffer in any way. In fact, Enlightened people never suffer – they might experience great pain from time to time – but they never suffer. Enlightened people are simply free of the pressing need for material satisfaction. And Enlightened people are among the happiest most joyful people in the world.

There are also many paths to Enlightenment and no one group, religion or school has a monopoly on the process. The path to Enlightenment exists within each of us. Our task is to look within ourselves and awaken to our true and natural identity. Enlightenment makes us born in the Spirit. It reveals our authentic self.

With Enlightenment we are free of the burdens of the material desires. We are free of fear and free of the imagined limitations to achieving are greatest self. With Enlightenment we come to know and understand reality and the nature of the universe – we come to know and understand ourselves.

So how does one find Enlightenment?

1/ First we must accept that the past, and any mistakes we feel we’ve made in the past, or any hurts we feel we have experienced in the past, should remain in the past. What has happened has happened. All we can change about it is our attitude towards it. Living in the present – in the here and now – is the first great freedom we can claim.

2/ Associate, as much as possible, with others who are also seeking Enlightenment. Read books, watch movies, listen to music, participate in society all with the aim of experiencing the Enlightened state. The various lists found on this website can be helpful in this practice. Begin to immerse yourself – gently- in a world of enlightened ideas and images.

3/ Give yourself the space and opportunity, on a regular basis, and as often as possible, to open yourself up to living a fully conscious, wakeful life.

4/ Learn to relax, cleanse yourself of stress and worry and simply notice how good it feels to be calm and at peace.

5/ Allow yourself the simple pleasure of experiencing different scents, colors, sounds, tastes and feelings. Start to become more and more aware of your surroundings and expand your awareness beyond the mundane world into the cosmic world that is the true basis of authentic living.

6/ Meditate. There is no getting around this. In the entire history of enlightenment no one has achieved the favored state without meditating.  How they meditate and what they call the practice differs from culture to culture, century to century. But all who are Enlightened meditate. Find a simple method first and let the practice grow with you over time.

7/ Make every day and every action you take, however simple, a part of the Enlightenment process. Act as though everything around you is a special message that urges you to experience your full capacity for living – your full capacity for life. The Master Jesus said that with Enlightenment, with full wakefulness, you will have Life, LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.

Enlightenment is a natural part of the Human experience – we are meant to be AWAKE, if we are meant to be anything at all. There is really nothing to ATTAIN; it’s just a matter of rediscovering our authentic way of being. But getting caught up in the mundane, material world is so easy we tend to forget that there is another way of being. The world of material existence encourages us to remain asleep and content with our condition. Most of us learn at an early age that the systems of Government, Religion, Education, Industry and even family life prefer us to stay asleep and unconcerned with the greater world outside our tiny sphere of activity. You rarely hear of a fully conscious person who frets about the price of sugar, oil or gold. Enlightened people have other things on their minds and tend to define power, glory and riches in ways the so-called “masters of the universe” fear.

To find Enlightenment you should be aware of it and go looking for it. Look within yourself, for, if it is anywhere to be found it is there. Open yourself to the possibility of wakefulness and embrace your authentic life to the fullest.

This is only a story – but some stories can be true.

I moved into the Great Hall and noticed the millions of other souls who, like me, were preparing for another incarnation. We moved to the edge of the precipice that separates the Earth plane from the rest of the universe and waited. A Celestial Voice summarized for us all the things we learned about taking on a new material form.

“Most of you will get a name. But there is no guarantee of this. What you are called may not be to your liking and it may not reflect your true nature in any way. Fret not – you are free to call yourself anything you choose.

“You will get a body. You probably won’t like it. Aside from the multitude of physical ailments and disabilities that might go along with it, you will probably also suffer from the anxiety of comparing your body to that of others. This is not a good idea. It might make you vain and bitter. There will always be someone with a better form or better abilities than your own. The same is true of material goods you might choose to acquire and cling to – someone else will always have something better. Life is not necessarily fair when it comes to these things. Better not to think about it. Learn to be happy with what you have and what you create for yourself. Strive to be the best you can be.

“The world is full of challenges and opportunities. How you choose to respond to them will teach you much about yourself – if you are willing to learn the lessons. If you aren’t willing to learn, then all you will experience is suffering. The people of the world are mostly concerned about themselves. Your self-esteem is your own affair. Work on building your sense of self-worth on what you ARE rather than on what you DO or what you HAVE.

“Most of you will not come into the world possessing much more than a body and a name. That’s OK.  You have the ability to experience happiness if you choose to see the world as a place of wonder where you can learn and grow. However humble your circumstances, there are always opportunities available if you will only seek them out and accept them. You are, after all, a spirit experiencing a material existence – you are far more than just a body and a collection of bric-a-brac. However, if you choose to believe that the material world you find yourself in is all that there is – you are likely to suffer. If you are one of those who are born into material wealth – be very careful.  You will be expected to do a great deal more with your earthly experience than those who are born with nothing.

“However you choose to view the world and your life, you will be presented with lessons and opportunities to learn. Growth is a process and you will continue to face the same lessons in various forms until you understand them. Then you can move on to new lessons. You will probably make mistakes. Get used to it. Do not blame others for your errors. Your parents, your teachers, your employers, your friends – everyone is there for their own development. You must take responsibility for your own success or failures. The lessons of life do not end. As long as you are on Earth you will be tested and expected to learn.

“Wherever you should find yourself is the best place for you to be – it is the best starting point for your journey in life. Don’t get stuck. Take action and get moving. Wherever you are is just the beginning of a journey; it is not the end.

“Everyone you meet can teach you something, even those that might appear dull or ignorant. Learn from them. Look past first impressions. Accept people as the teachers you need right now.

“Life is about choices. Choose to be happy, choose to grow, and choose to find your destiny.

“The important things that you will need to achieve your greatest self are all within you. Don’t look outside for happiness or contentment. Don’t seek success in things or other people. You contain all the answers to all the mysteries within you.  As the poet said, ‘You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.’

“And finally, you will forget all of this before you take your first breath. Nevertheless, work on finding your true self, be careful and strive to be happy.”

After hearing all this, we flew off the precipice and dived into the world.

In this time of almost constant tensions between people of various faiths and beliefs, it is important to remember that we actually can find common spiritual ground if we choose to.  Those of us on the path, seeking the Light, should especially bear this in mind and be careful not to disparage others because of their spiritual views.

There are many religions in the world. It may be true that not all of them have been inspired by Divine Spirit – but those that have been are part of a primal human tradition, they are emanations of a universal impulse to harmony and joy. The truly inspired religions are an expression of Divine Wisdom; however, that doesn’t mean they contain Absolute Truth. Also, most of them have become distorted over the centuries, and have moved far from their original mission and purpose. Still, they serve as a spiritual guide for billions of people around the world and are, therefore, deserving of respect.

Now, we might think that many of these religions just do not represent the current needs of humanity anymore and are possibly even detrimental to social evolution. Nevertheless, as followers of the path, we should not outright condemn them. Instead we should try to find within them that certain something that continues to help people rise up toward a higher plane of awareness.

Mystically speaking, all the inspired religions of the past and present are destined to eventually manifest a Universal Religion that will be a synthesis of their most beautiful principles. As seekers of Light, we can play a primary role in making this happen by serving as examples of harmony and tolerance when we speak of our own spirituality.

A useful exercise for all of us is to learn as much as possible about the messages proclaimed by spiritual masters such as Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Krishna and Muhammad, and be aware of their legacy to the world. The light these people and others like them have brought to humanity must be preserved in its purer state and conveyed to future generations. Their lives and works are examples for all of us who seek knowledge and enlightenment. Their words and actions are a great source of true wisdom.

One of the greatest causes of conflict among people has always been religious intolerance. Consider world history: How many wars have been fought for the glory of the Divine? And, how many crimes and atrocities have been committed in the name of one God or another? These wars and crimes generally originate in fanaticism – that is, a conviction that one’s own religion is the only True religion, the only path to salvation, and is superior to all others. Of course, this is nonsense – no religion represents Absolute Truth, and such a conviction, whether acted upon or not, generates particularly negative karma for those who teach or defend it. As seekers of Light, we must release ourselves from such beliefs and strive to be tolerant in your mystical quest.  That doesn’t mean we have to embrace, accept or support all the various beliefs and religions, but we should remember that in the eyes of the Divine Spirit all people are brothers and sisters and all are evolving toward the same goal: the perfection of their soul.

From time to time we’ve all probably thought about the idea of changing the world. Typically, we want to change it so that it conforms more to our own way of thinking. This is not a new wish. The following words are said to have been found on the tomb of a 12^th century Anglo-Saxon Bishop in the crypt of Westminster Abbey:

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

But, it too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.

As Tolstoy observed, “We all think of changing the world, and none of us thinks of changing ourselves.”

The world is on a path and evolves as it will. Most things are beyond our manipulation. But we can change how we see the world and what our role in it can be. We can become more active in the world’s evolution.

If you really want the world to change, start by making changes within yourself. Change the way you see the world and the way you behave within it.  Specifically, work on waking yourself up. Wake up by whatever means you can discover. Wake yourself up and then wake up everyone else. In this way the world can become the truly wondrous place we all want it to be.

Today is my birthday – and although I would prefer to take the whole day off, I promised myself I would do a new blog post every week. This seemed like a good topic.

Most people, including mystics, like the idea of living life in cycles. There are daily cycles, weekly cycles, monthly cycles and yearly cycles. We eat at the same time every day, take the weekends off work, observe regular holidays and celebrate the New Year and anniversaries all at the same time. Some people also observe 7-year cycles; they consider certain years auspicious – eg. 21^st birthdays; they celebrate 100-year and even 1000-year events like the dates really mean something.

Maybe it’s because we evolved on a planet that orbits a star in a fairly regular pattern; and because the seasons appear to occur in a fixed pattern. This is only appearance. To paraphrase the great philosopher Heraclitus, “you can’t pass through the same section of space twice.” Things change all the time.

I prefer a more linear (or lateral) path. The past is gone, the present is the only thing we can be confident in and the future doesn’t exist until we create it. But I admit I do like to celebrate a couple of annual occurrences. I like the Spring Equinox, the Winter Solstice and my own birthday.

If you like observing the world as a cycle, you might consider the following special dates upon which just about every religious and civic holiday is based.

First, one of my favorites – the Spring Equinox. It occurs between the 19^th and 21^st of March. It is the time of year when the hours of night and day are equal and, more importantly, the days begin to get longer – the Light is growing stronger.

Six weeks after this, there is a celebration of the fruition of Spring. Known by various names the time between April 30^th and May 1^st is has been revered since ancient times throughout the world.

Six weeks after that comes the Summer Solstice – very important as it is the longest day of the year – the Light in its most powerful state. This occurs around June 21^st and 22^nd.

About six weeks after that – around August 2^nd – is another date commemorating the fruition of the Solstice.

Next, comes the Fall Equinox between the 20^th and 22^nd of September. This is the time when the day and night is again equal but the Light is now in decline.

About six weeks after that is the fruition of the Equinox – October 31^st and November 1^st.

This is followed by my other favorite day the Winter Solstice – around the 21^st of December. Although it is the shortest day of the year, the Light is about to be reborn and all the days will now get longer and longer.

Six weeks after this around February 2^nd is the fruition of the Solstice.

If you look at a calendar you will notice that just about every religious and secular holiday or commemoration of a special event occurs within a week or two of these 8 days. Consider St. Patrick’s Day, Passover and Easter, Yom HaShoah; Earth Day, Arbor Day, Walpurgisnacht, May Day, Cinco De Mayo; Pentecost, Isra and Mi’raj, National Aboriginal Day, St. Jean Baptiste Day, Lailat ul Barat; Canada Day, Independence Day, Ramadan, Bastile Day; August Bank Holiday, Simco Day, End of Ramadan; Labor Day, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot; Thanksgiving (Canada),Halloween, Diwali, Islamic New Year; Remembrance Day, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving (U.S.); Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, Epiphany, Orthodox Christmas; Prophet’s Birthday, Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day.

But if we’re being honest, everyone’s favorite day is their own birthday. Some of us may not have been wanted or planned and we may be living in humble circumstances or even worse – yet, if we think about it we should be glad to be here, even if no one else is. I like to treat myself especially nice on my birthday, I reflect on the things I’ve done and look forward to the future I will be creating.

So, Happy Birthday to me.

And Happy Birthday to all of you, whenever you have your special day.

Celebrate and be glad you have the chance to be you.

Can we really make a difference in the world? Do the things we do matter?

When I think about the work I’ve taken on and the actions I perform to carry it out, I wonder if anyone is even aware of it – let alone concerned with it. I wonder if there’s any point to my efforts.

Then I remember a story I learned a long time ago.  It goes something like this:

A young man was on vacation on a tropical island. After a night of partying, he found himself walking along the beach at dawn. He noticed, up ahead, an old man slowly moving along the shore. The old man would stop, pick something up and throw it into the sea, and then move on. The young man watched him do this over and over and was curious about the action. He caught up with the old man and asked him what he was doing.

The old man looked up along the beach and said, “You see all these starfish?”

The young man noticed thousands of starfish lying on the sand.

The old man said, “If I don’t throw them back into the ocean they’ll die.”

The young man said, “But there are thousands of them, and miles of beach. You can’t save them all. What difference does it make if you toss a few back?”

The old man picked up a starfish, looked at it and then threw it into the ocean. He turned to the young man and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

The old man moved on. The young man stared at the starfish on the beach and then gazed out over the water. After a few moments, he picked up a starfish and tossed it into the sea.

Is it wrong to have negative impressions of the world?

Let’s be realistic and honest – we do not live in paradise. The world is a troubled place full of troubled people. And, sad and unbelievable as it may be, there are dark forces at work leading humanity toward self-destruction. I’m not insisting that these forces are in any way intelligent or intentional – it just appears to be so; and appearances, although often deceiving, are usually symptoms of actual conditions. Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Many people have accused me in the past of being too reserved and uncommunicative – despite the fact that I appear to constantly broadcast my opinions in person, through books, on my website, over social media and in other ways. So, I now offer a few opinions I hold to be true that might make it clear just what I am saying in life. I am going to use absolute statements – even though, as a philosopher, I am aware that not to use them is often better form. I do this for emphasis.

1. All governments of the world – including Canada, the U.S., Britain and the rest – are corrupt. Outright, criminally based, enemies of humanity. There is at present no good government. Granted, some are far worse than others and I would much rather live under the criminal regime in Canada than just about any place else in the world. Nevertheless, they are all corrupt. They daily demonstrate their complete disregard for the people they claim to represent. In fact, this is the big problem – there simply is no true form of representative government any more. Perhaps nations of the world have become too large or too complicated to administer properly – whatever – all governments are corrupt.
2. All poverty, crime, social injustice, famine, war, economic disparity, illiteracy, disease and social unrest are the direct result of government interference. It is the wrongful action of government that leads to all the problems of the world. I do not say that leadership or good government is not beneficial – certainly it is. We desperately need true leadership and effective administrative control in the world today. However, we simply do not have it. The governments of the world are hopelessly flawed. Professional politicians and administrators have lost their way – the system itself – the system of a select group of qualified individuals determining the fate of a people – fell into darkness centuries ago and has never stumbled back into the light. Certainly the current swarm of overfed politicians is not doing anything to illuminate the world.
3. It is absolutely possible to have good government, sound leadership, social equality, justice for all and true freedom. It is just not manifest in the world today. There is no individual force, no matter how strong or righteous in may be, that can counteract the negative effects of current government. Resistance to the darkness is futile. The only way individuals can thrive as positive, self-determining forces is to completely dissociate ourselves from all the ruling bodies. We cannot participate in the madness. It is certainly possible to survive and financially prosper by going with the flow and collaborating with the ruling powers. However, to truly thrive as authentic human beings requires separation of mind and spirit from the body of government. As the Master Jesus said, “be IN the world, but not OF the world.”
4. Certain celebrities in the world clearly appear to be in league with the forces of darkness and preach a message of corruption to their followers. Oprah Winfrey comes to mind. There is nothing she has said or done publicly indicates to me that she is anything other than a child of darkness. She preaches “the Secret” – ask and you will get. This sounds vaguely Biblical and thus people are encouraged to believe it. But in the Bible, Jesus advises us to ask for the Holy Spirit and to become enlightened – celebrities such as Oprah tell us to ask for money, jobs, power, fame and other material goods. The only force or being that actively grants this type of request is a force of Darkness. God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, is not a wish granting genie and should not be treated as one.
5. Demons, devils, angels and spiritual, non-corporeal beings of all kinds are real – they are just not what ordinary people think they are. Ordinary people are stupid.

I hope these few brief statements make my position somewhat clearer. It is possible to avoid falling victim to the negativity and deceptions currently active in the world. To do so you must determine to get yourself awake. Wake up using any methods available to you. Wake yourself up and then wake up others.