Doc Talks Copyright © 2001 by Libby Smith Ed.D., Ph.D.
This book may not be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in any other form. It may not be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use, without the written permission of the publisher. For more information contact Two Feathers Publishing, 445 N. Clifton, Wichita, Kansas, 67208.
ISBN 0-9713793-0-0
Printed in the United States of America First Printing 2001
FOR THE STUDENT IN ALL OF US
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments……………………..…….…...6 Preface……………………………………………...8 Chapter One/Introduction…………………….. 19 Chapter Two/Culture of Victimization………..26 Chapter Three/Perpetuating Myth……….……34 Chapter Four/Consciously Conscious………....46 Chapter Five/Thought Consciousness………...55 Chapter Six/Thoughts Create…………………..62 Chapter Seven/Leaving Space…………….…....89 Chapter Eight/Newtonian Nuances…………...99 Chapter Nine/Quantum Stuff………………....112 Chapter Ten/Crimsics……………………….....122 Chapter Eleven/Love 101……………………...145 Chapter Twelve/”What If?”…………………...153 Chapter Thirteen/Cleansing Breath………..168 Chapter Fourteen/So What’s The Point?.…….172 Chapter Fifteen/Endings……………………....175 About the Feathers……………………………...182 Bibliography……………………………………..183
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people I wish to thank for their guidance, assistance, and encouragement in the process of completing this book. It has been a long journey, taking five years to travel until the final destination was reached. Thanks to Aggie Barry who read and offered suggestions to a manuscript that was then known as Spirituality 101. I wish to thank my dear friend Dr. Samantha St. Julian to whom I owe much of who I am today. Many of the thoughts and ideas contained in this book come from her and from the information she so freely gives. I want to thank my daughter Stacey who helped create the “space” for me to write. She is my inspiration and my greatest love. With loving memories and heartfelt thanks, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to my friends at MindCenter Corporation, particularly Foster Gamble. To Rick Smith who continues to be a constant source of encouragement and is perhaps my biggest fan, my heartfelt thanks. Few authors simply write without the support and encouragement from many. I wish to thank Dave Flynn for teaching me how to write. Thank you Dave for your patience and for your own abilities which you lovingly 6
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passed on to me. I appreciate very much the love and encouragement of my family. They continually believe in me and their profound faith gives me a great deal of strength. I deeply wish to thank each and every student who stretched the limits of their minds. You are all instrumental in helping to fuel the passion and the fire behind these written words. It is because of you that this book exists. Thank you all for giving to me a sense and purpose to my presence on this planet. Finally, it is my best friend Terry Delos Black, to whom I offer the most thanks. He has gently (although sometimes not so gently) nudged me toward the books completion. He has hung on every word as we attempted to write and rewrite and write again. His creativity is displayed on the cover and it is Terry that most encouraged, coached, and assisted me in the birth of Doc Talks.
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PREFACE Teaching in traditional academic institutions of higher education has been very satisfying and rewarding. I have felt a sense of security and little risk has been involved. However, lately I am feeling that something very significant is missing in education. I am feeling compelled to talk to my students about topics that I believe can serve to enhance their overall education. These discussions take us on journeys toward self-responsibility and personal choice. I am experiencing a shift in my teaching and feel a need to represent and encompass the bigger picture of life. Perhaps it is defined more adequately as the discovery of “Self.” A stage in the development of students where upon entry, they are given a chance to discover who they are and not who and what our social structure has dictated they become. I have discovered that students are starving for this kind of academic freedom and instruction. They may in fact, demand it of teachers. Often students linger after class as we explore various pathways that are leading them to discover something new—themselves. The more I discuss thoughts, concepts, ideas and issues with these young questioning minds, the more I realize
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that teaching inside the academic arena is inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient. As teachers, we spend time teaching students what to become and what to be when they grow up. We teach our students about technology and give them the same tools to succeed as our teachers gave us. However, what we are not giving them is a sense of all humanity, a sense of being human and what it means to be interconnected with everyone and everything. Perhaps we as teachers have left out the most important element to being human—the ability to love and live in this world while being responsible for our own choices and actions. When realizing the importance of this type of instruction, I was determined to find a way to discuss topics of a higher consciousness without crossing the conservatism espoused within the structure of higher academic curricula. Education is changing and evolving, but there are still unspoken restraints about teaching too far outside the boundaries of the curriculum. Thus the idea for this book was born— A kaleidoscope of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about the future of our planet. Hence, a new wave of educational instruction that is quickly approaching the shores of traditional institutions. There are many reasons for writing this book. First and foremost is my love for students. By the end of each 9
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and every semester I feel as if I am saying goodbye to good friends. Any teacher who identifies with these feelings understands the need to reach students, not just teach students. And it is not only students to which I refer. Most of us want and need information we can really sink our teeth into, coupled with experiences that help us become the best we can be. Perhaps what is most needed now in the 21 st century, is information that empowers and elevates us to higher levels of consciousness. People seem to be questioning and seeking answers to life’s perplexing problems. Many of us are searching for something and may be asking the question, “Is that all there is?” However, now the question is asked less as an observer and more as a participant, as we travel the pathways that lead toward self-discovery and personal truth. Our antiquated methods of instruction are no longer effective in today’s classroom. And thank goodness they aren’t, because if they were, it would prevent the exploration for more meaningful and significant instruction and learning. Finally, the time has come in higher education, as in life, when we are demanding information that addresses the more important issues of life. Issues that are helping to move us in the direction of becoming more human, 10
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more real, and ultimately more aware of what it means to really live life. I have structured and written this book in somewhat of an academic format. Perhaps it is the teacher in me who wishes to give information simply, truthfully, and with clarity. It is not the style that differs from other texts, but rather the information itself. Doc Talks will take you on a journey of self-discovery, while you traverse the worlds of what is seen and unseen. You may discover that your current belief systems are rattled and shaken as each step may require a stretching of your mind, as old thoughts are uprooted and new ones planted in their place. Each sentence, each paragraph, each page may bring more questions than answers and more doubts than certainties. Yet, one thing will be certain. Your significance and meaning on this planet will be solidified as you are brought closer to your own humanness and the power of the global connection we share. Chapter One provides a brief introduction to the book and attempts to shake the foot holds on traditional paradigms of education. Within the new paradigm, Educators will lay down their notes and students their pens. Education will move beyond the basics of Mathematics, English and Biology as students return to wholeness, empowering themselves to become thinking, 11
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feeling, and acting human beings. Students may begin taking responsibility for their own learning and create constructs of ideology which best fit them. In the new paradigm, the word “enlightened” may replace “educated,” as students become individually and collectively whole. Chapter Two discusses the “Culture of Victimization” and the meaning of responsibility. I address these issues from a micro- and macro- sociological perspective and apply their meanings to our personal, communal, and global issues. Perpetuating myths is often the role of educators—I have been no exception to this rule. I have given my share of information to students, which only serves to foster pessimism, hopelessness, and separation in a world that is badly in need of optimism, hope, and unity. In Chapter Three “Perpetuating Myth,” I discuss the role of educators and the media in dispensing information devoid of wisdom, and without the encouragement of critical thinking. Based much on the written work of Richard Brodie (1996) Virus of the Mind, the power of memes and the new science of memetics are defined and explored. Knowledge, wisdom, and consciousness are joined in an effort to bring awareness of personal truth.
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“Consciously Conscious,” is designed to assist the reader in bringing to light one’s thoughts and the realm of conscious choice. Moving from a position of victim to one of personal empowerment is the main message in Chapter Four, while leading the reader back to Self and awareness of one’s thoughts and beliefs. Chapter Five “Thought Consciousness” explores the processes of thought, awareness, intention and the results that are manifested from our thinking. In Chapter Six “Thoughts Create,” I present personal stories about the powerful concept that what we think about, we ultimately create and manifest in our lives. Although this concept is embedded throughout the book, this chapter focuses sharply on thoughts, intentions, and manifestations. I explain the concept of “Leaving Space” in Chapter Seven. So in keeping true to the idea I’ll do just that, and let you find your own space in which to come to terms with this concept. Chapter Eight “Newtonian Nuances,” begins the exploration of the invisible world. Newtonian physics are defined and we see a paradigm paralysis evolve which prepared the world for separation, limitation, and a rigidly scientific and theoretical mindset. In this chapter, I urge us all to break the “thought” paralysis that has prevented the recognition that all things are united. In my view, 13
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Newtonian thought has been instrumental in creating separation and fragmentation. The concepts of division, competition, and narrow-minded thinking, continue to be taught and reflected through the educational and socialization patterns of our culture. Thus, “Newtonian Nuances” addresses the “us vs. them” mentality and speaks of unity and the connection of all life. Chapter Nine “Quantum Stuff,” gives a view of the subatomic world as the theories of various physicists are explored. It is here that the worlds of the invisible and visible are shown to be one and the same, simply mirrors of each other acting interdependently. Although not a physicist by any means, I intended to present the material in a way that is understandable to those of us not possessing a “scientific mentality.” Chapter Ten is titled “Crimsics” and presents the idea that Criminological theory and Quantum Physics make good bed partners. The information is the result of hardworking and dedicated students who believed that they were a part of the solution, not the problem. It weds criminal theory with sociological theory and interfaces with quantum physics theory, in a way that offers hope and answers to the issues of crime and violence in our culture.
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When it is all said and done, love may be the only thing that matters. “Love 101” is Chapter Eleven and presents the belief that when love is in attendance, fear vacates. Love may very well be the catalyst to unity and spiritual awareness. Both fear and love are mirrored outwardly, expressed, and conveyed through our actions and behaviors. As teachers, perhaps the best gift we can give our students is to teach them the power of love and the destruction of fear. We have a responsibility to understand that we model one or the other to our students. I hope we are choosing to model love. It is often difficult for me to hold back from discussing many of the things that I so strongly believe to be true. This is especially true regarding karma, reincarnation, and life after death. I definitely believe that these things exist and in fact, know that I have lived many, many past lives. Therefore, in Chapter Twelve, “What If?” I briefly discuss the idea of karma and how all things truly do balance. Our lives are meant to bring growth as the lessons we carry from life to life serve to bring us to the highest place of consciousness. Thus, we continue our journeys toward becoming all that we are meant to become. In Chapter Thirteen “Cleansing Breath,” the profound concept of “Pay It Forward” is introduced. Based on a movie that was released in the spring of 2001, it is an idea 15
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that is revolutionary at best. To get the full effect of this chapter and to experience a true “cleansing breath,” try watching the movie and you will understand what it truly means to “Pay it forward.” Remember, a journey begins with one small step… Chapter Fourteen is a brief summary and overview of the previous chapters. Bringing all of the diverse concepts together is the central theme in “So what’s The Point?” And finally, as with every class and every semester there comes the moment when a teacher says, ‘The end of our time together has arrived.’ Thus, the conclusion to the book comes in Chapter Fifteen as I try leaving you with that one profound idea or thought that hopefully, you will always remember. I find myself not wanting to say ‘goodbye’ as I know that our journey has come to an end. I read over these written words and desperately hope that I have been able to convey the meaning in which they were intended. I can only reflect back on what I have said and although I may never know, I do hope that perhaps just one of you had that incredible “Aha” experience— that intuitive moment when all things come together and knowledge is more than heard, it is felt. Yet this is only the beginning, so now as you begin your journey into Doc Talks, please open your hearts and your minds and let the winds of truth carry you into a 16
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world where the words speak of a different educational experience. Yours...
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION Welcome to class. It is a pleasure to have you here and I hope that you will enjoy the information you will receive. The following information has taken years and years to compile and transcribe and I hope that you find all of it, or at least some, to be of use. I believe the time has come to wed science and consciousness. At long last they are beginning the walk toward the altar and when their union is complete, the world of traditional education will be changed. However, science and consciousness are not easily wed. It is not readily thinkable that the two together may foster and cultivate the humanness in humans. For the last 20 years I have considered myself to be a sociologist...a die-hard, bleeding-heart liberal, fighting for the underdog and believing in all human rights. As a sociologist and behavioral scientist, I bought the package which goes with the wrapping the belief that we are who we are because of the process of socialization; end of story. This belief creates the idea that we are molded from parents, family members, teachers, and all other significant 18
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people in our lives. Sadly enough, this idea suggests that we are nothing more than robots acting out the behaviors and actions of our parents and their parents before them. And so the cycle continues... Over the past several years my beliefs regarding sociological theory have changed drastically. Although I do not accept the idea that we are products of our socialization, I also do not subscribe to the biological concept that we are simply driven by our genes. This theory appears much too fatalistic and retreatist, much like the theory of socialization. Both the gene-driven theory and the socialization theory of human behavior give license for us to neglect taking responsibility for our actions. After all, if our genes and our social environments serve to dictate and control our behaviors, then we must somehow be justified and pardoned when we are mean, evil, and harmful to others. We are exonerated from all responsibility. Nice little package, is it not? The problem is that with the perpetuation of these theories nothing has improved. We are a society of humans who are angry, frightened, and more violent than ever. And the worst part is that few of us are taking responsibility. These thoughts may sound idealistic and certainly foreign to many which hold the idea that humans must be driven by something other than their conscious 19
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thoughts. This is what we have always been told, so why would we bother to question this belief? The days of asking why may leave us during our early childhood, as mathematics and science become a part of our learning curriculum. After all, 1 + 1 is still 2, is it not? Yes, and 1 + 1 will always be 2. But human behavior cannot and should not fit into a mathematical formula. Perhaps this is where we created chaos in the first place. The gene theory and the theory of socialization both subscribe to the ideology that something over which we have no control drives human behavior. If we are socialized to act in certain ways then we need therapists, law enforcement agencies, and years of counseling to help us become resocialized to “fit in.” If our genes drive us, then of course the medical profession will save us from ourselves by developing gene-altering drugs to manage our unacceptable behaviors. Heaven forbid we tell people that we are who we are because we alone choose to act and behave in certain ways. Not a popular idea and certainly not one easily accepted among the masses. After all, it has become too easy to blame others for our genetic flaws and our personality shortcomings. This has become the easy way out. Yet as we are witnessing, the easy way is really the hard way.
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These ideas that we have been advocating to human beings for thousands of years may be antiquated and useless. Perhaps the time has come to talk about responsibility...the responsibility to think, act, and behave in ways that serve a higher purpose. I think the time has come to create a new paradigm in society, specifically in education. Sociology and biology still have their places in academia, this goes without saying. Yet, when teaching on subjects of human behavior, perhaps both education and human beings may best be served by placing the responsibility for human behavior back where it belongs, on the individual? Perhaps one of the arguments against teaching humans to become responsible for ourselves is espoused in the belief that we need institutional social controls. Good argument, but we don’t need to be rocket scientists to see that social controls on human behavior are ineffectual. People are going berserk and the social controls that supposedly rein human behavior have not been successful in halting the heinous crimes, which continually plague this country. Still, we continue to believe that human beings can be controlled if the punishment is severe enough.
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A system that advocates punishment is, in fact, the one in which we live. It employs thousands of people and serves a small group of individuals who wish to control the planet at large. Teaching people to become responsible is not good business. I believe that many groups and institutions are designed to help keep us under control and these groups receive financial rewards for doing so. Just consider what would happen to the judicial systems, the police forces, the laws, the mores, the sanctions, the counselors, the psychologists, the psychiatrists, and even the religious institutions, if humans no longer needed forms of social control. If we ever learn to become responsible for ourselves and control our own behaviors, thousands of people may be unemployed. Perhaps social control was effective at one time when people feared punishment (the idea of going to hell has been a powerful deterrent to bad behavior and has been used successfully for many years), but people no longer fear punishment. Isn’t it time we admitted that something new is needed, something that gives people a sense of empowerment and satisfaction, a feeling of being in control of themselves, their lives, and their choices? We have bought the package, promoted the external theories of behavior, and have witnessed the lack of efficacy in their existence. Hasn’t the time come to change the 22
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paradigm and create a model of human behavior that works? I would like to think that time has come and, in fact, believe it has. So let us create a new model in education that teaches empowerment, responsibility, and love. Let us give students new information that takes them on a spiritual journey into themselves. Think of the excitement and joy that comes when students learn it is okay to think and act on their own. Imagine the smiles and laughter that come when self-discovery is realized and recognized. I, for one, wish to be a part of this era—this time when the very souls of our students are touched and lives are forever changed. Espoused in my passion to help make the world a better place is my challenge and invitation to explore and connect the arenas of social science, physics, and consciousness. In the spring of 1999, sixteen graduate students at Wichita State University enrolled in “Criminology 540.” Because the course was offered through the sociology department, I was fortunate to be the instructor for the course. Stepping outside the traditional boundaries of criminological theory, this class of risk-taking pioneers developed a new paradigm that encompassed the disciplines of science, sociology, criminology, and consciousness. 23
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Much of what is written in Chapters Nine and Ten would not be included, if it were not for the dedication, attention, and risk-taking attitude every student displayed. Disgruntled and disillusioned with the current and antiquated criminological and sociological theories for promoting effective change in the reduction of violence and crime in America, these sixteen students broadened their minds and created a model that offers hope and a potential for change. Throughout the semester we studied the worlds of quantum physics, criminological and sociological theories, memetics, and thoughts. Our journey introduced us to the works of Sutherland, Becker, Bohm, Einstein, Heisenberg, and others. Slowly our views of the world began to change as we realized that what happens in the world of the visible is simply a reflection of the invisible and the invisible, a reflection of the visible. Our own consciousness was expanded as we tore down the walls of separation and understood the interconnection of EVERYTHING. Perhaps most importantly was the knowledge that for anything to improve or change, we must first THINK it differently. Thus, our journey led us back to ourselves, an internal sense of Self where we realized that it all begins and ends.
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Our research showed the importance of examining our thoughts and perceptions of people and places. We began to understand that if we perceive someone or something as “bad” or “dangerous,” others probably do as well. The gestalt came as we “saw” the need to concentrate on how to change our own perceptions if we were to create an overall effectual change.
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CHAPTER TWO
THE CULTURE OF VICTIMIZATION As we begin our review of the visible world and the recognition of various social problems engulfing our culture, we may wish to consider that for a social problem to exist, it must first be defined as such. A social problem is only an abstract THOUGHT, until someone THINKS it into a concrete problem. Those who often define and label something or someone as a “problem” are those we call “victims.” I often refer to the growing number of “victims” in our culture and how we are creating a new culture of victimization. The phrase indicates a large group of people who for one reason or another believe themselves to be victims. The term victimization refers to blaming someone else for one’s mishaps or misfortunes, and the idea behind it is embedded in the belief that we all have the right to
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happiness, success, and prosperity (Taylor & Etzioni, 1991). It becomes clear that regardless of whether we suffer from misfortune or loss, or whether the relinquishment of our rights to happiness, success, and prosperity are threatened, we tend to lash out and blame someone or something outside of ourselves. It is the blaming that is at the heart of victimization. The definition for the word “victim” generally refers to a person or animal that is killed, destroyed, injured, harmed, or suffers a loss. As a teacher, I hear students speak of their lives as if they are often the ultimate victims. Some appear to live their lives without any understanding of the word “responsibility.” The reason seems obvious. If we can play the role of a victim then we avert taking responsibility for our lives. Responsibility means to be accountable or obligated, dependable, and answerable for one’s actions and behaviors. The words “victim” and “responsibility” appear to be antithetical in meaning. This may account for the reason why we often behave as one or the other. We are either victims or responsible and the belief may be that we cannot be both at the same time. Here we see a dichotomy of terms. If there is blame there is no responsibility and if there is no responsibility there is victimization. What results from an attitude of victimization is an arrogance 27
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and egocentrism that says, “The world owes me, you owe me, and I will take what is mine at all costs.” It is a defensive stance and one that negates us from really looking at our own attitudes, behaviors, and actions. Worse yet, it gives us a sense that everyone and everything has more power than we do in controlling what happens to us in our lives. This idea returns us to the idea of accountability- the idea that we are responsible for everything that happens to us in our lives. Therefore, the role of “victim” becomes obsolete and eliminated. Try digesting this for a moment. I admit it is a hard pill to swallow and when I first realized the ramifications and responsibilities of such a concept, I tried very hard to dismiss the whole idea. After all, where will we be in this society if we can’t blame someone or something for our misfortunes? No more psychotherapy for childhood traumas that we thought others responsible. No more blaming parents, teachers, the police (and of course the list goes on and on), for our troubles. It is only you and me and the choices we make for which our fortunes and misfortunes fall. In our culture it has become common and acceptable to blame someone or something outside of us for our behavior and actions. The truth of the matter is that no one is to blame and everyone is responsible. Just the 28
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word victim implies a sense of powerlessness and fear. On the contrary, making choices and taking responsibility is very empowering. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can diminish one, but oneself.” What a powerful statement. It puts us in control of our lives and holds each and every one of us accountable for the decisions we make. One of the most profound things I have ever read regarding responsibility is from Psychic Dreaming written by Lloyd Auerbach (1991). Auerbach interviews Beth Hedva, a skilled hypnotherapist and clinician whom commented to Dr. Hedva that he believes, “We may have to take an even greater responsibility for our actions and thoughts than previously thought.” Hedva responds by saying: I think you’re bringing up a really good point because the whole concept of taking responsibility is a notion that’s been around in the human potential movement for some time and it’s filtering over to the psychic world. The psychic and spiritual world, clearly, is about taking responsibility for our thinking as well as our actions. The whole concept of taking personal responsibility is another piece in the spiritual puzzle, a very important piece. As we each take more personal responsibility for 29
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our actions, and for our thoughts, then we are more aware of our impact and our effect on each other and on our environment. She concludes this thought with: The main thing is, if we accept that we are responsible, then we don’t have to be afraid of people controlling us anymore, because after all, we’re responsible for that as well. But if we are responsible, then we have to take responsibility for the idea that what we say, do, think, or feel matters not only to us, but to other people, our environment, to our system as a whole. Hedva reflects the idea that responsibility is first felt then acted on, with the outcome impacting our entire social system. On a personal level, she addresses the idea that we are responsible for our feelings, our thoughts, and the actions that follow. This is an idea that Carolyn Miller, Ph.D., also believes. In Miller’s book Creating Miracles (1995), she presents the ideology of “victimhood” and explains why it is popular in our culture. Miller says that by playing the role of the victim, several advantages are gained. First, the individual acting as victim can be superior to others and can justify 30
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being “good” while others are “bad.” Being the victim also gives license to anger and revenge, as well as, some type of compensation given to the victim. In regard to taking responsibility, Miller says: Most of us consider that we have some degree of responsibility for the things that happen to us. In fact, many psychotherapists would agree that a good rough index of mental health is the amount of personal responsibility a person accepts. The psychologically immature and maladjusted generally imagine the deck is stacked against them. They blame others for their difficulties and feel helpless. Such people often portray themselves as mentally and emotionally disabled, and they do not experience themselves as responsible in the sense of being able to respond adaptively. The concept behind Miller’s book is the idea that we must first begin to take responsibility for our thoughts, and that our thoughts, in effect, will project and shape our realities. Miller says that if we accept responsibility for dreaming things the way they are, then perhaps we are free to dream them in a different way (Miller, 1995). This simple and clear statement is very profound. To think that
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we are all responsible for our lives and for what happens to us because of our thoughts is empowering. Miller describes how victims use their victimhood as a tool of defensiveness and excuse. If we choose to be victims then we can justify being exonerated from responsibility. What we fail to understand about playing the role of a victim is the residual effects. Victims are most often defensive, angry, and powerless. Conversely, those choosing to take responsibility are most often proactive, happy, and empowered. Perhaps one of the reasons for our reluctance to take responsibility for our lives is that it can be somewhat frightening. It is often more comfortable to blame something or someone else for what happens to us, and to believe that certain events lie outside our control (Strauch, 1983). In effect, it is how we have been socialized to think, feel, and behave. Until we become consciously aware of our choices, we may continue to avoid taking responsibility for our lives. When we make the decision to take responsibility the world opens to us and becomes a universal classroom. Where once we placed blame for the adversity and misfortune in our lives, we now can become grateful for the lessons we have learned. We are able to realize that every so-called bad thing that happens to us allows for 32
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further growth and freedom. We are released from thoughts such as, “That’s just the way things are,” and words like “Can’t.” We replace the paradigm that has kept us stuck in our roles as victims by choosing new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Our new thoughts reflect attitudes such as, “It is any way I choose it to be,” and we use words such as “won’t” instead of “can’t” to imply a choice is being made. As an example, imagine sitting down and watching something on television that we don’t like. Our comments may be something like, “Oh, I can’t stand this. This is awful. Oh, what a horrible show.” Now what if we didn’t change the channel and we just sat there complaining about what we were watching while all the time the remote is in our hands? Sounds silly, yet everyday we do this in our lives. We forget that life is full of choices and options and it is in our hands to choose what we want. We don’t need to be a victim; we only need to become consciously aware that we are the ones holding the controls.
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CHAPTER THREE
PERPETUATING MYTH Our divorce rate is now at 50% and although remarriage rates are high, 50% of remarriages also end in divorce. Domestic violence plagues this country and is now believed to be the number one killer of women. Furthermore, “Statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that crime rates have generally risen in recent decades, despite increases in government spending on anticrime programs” (Macionis, 1995, page 226). Hate crimes are especially high and often involve people of color, people of various religious backgrounds, ancestries, sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities (Macionis, 1995). Our prisons are overcrowded, our judicial systems backlogged, and our police departments overworked, underpaid, and overstressed. Gang violence continues to threaten our safety and the violence is often justified by kids who say they are simply bored or restless. 34
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Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and AIDS continue to take lives at unprecedented rates. Globally, approximately 11 to fourteen million people would be reported HIV-infected by the year 2000 (Byer, Shainberg, & Galliamo, 1999). In the United States, about 750,000 people are HIV-infected. AIDS is the leading cause of death among males between the ages of 25-44 (CDC, 1996f). From a teacher’s perspective, I am continually in a position to dispense information. Thus the above paragraphs as well researched and informative as the statements and statistics seem to be, they may in fact not be the ABSOLUTE TRUTH. As educators, we are called upon to pass information to students based on research and the compilation of statistical data. More and more I am becoming aware of the potential this information has to segregate, fragment, and disjoint humanity. However, I must clarify that it is not the information itself that may be harmful; rather, it is the unquestioning belief of the information that PROVES damaging. Giving knowledge without wisdom, preventing critical thought, and believing the truths of others with disregard to one’s personal truths diminishes our humanness while we become void of original thought, authentic feelings and responsible choices. 35
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Giving information to students without teaching them to question its relevancy and validity is almost criminal. We have reduced students to rats in a cage, conditioning them to work their way through the maze that ultimately allows them to graduate. They become very adept at knowing the various twists and turns that will give them this reward. The understanding is that by attending class, taking notes, and performing all tasks as required, students will eventually find their way out of the “educational maze” to enter the maze we call “employment.” By doing what we think is the highest good (dispensing information), we are in fact, withholding one of life’s most valuable gifts, the right to think critically, creativity, and consciously. Almost daily I hear comments by students that reflect a laissez-faire attitude. Their comments echo their passivity in statements such as, “Things will never change,” and “Things are the way they’ve always been, everyone knows that.” And with this attitude they are absolutely right, nothing will or can ever change. Perhaps worst of all is the doom and gloom that spreads (re-read the first two paragraphs of this chapter for a big dose) through the passing of information, which may or may not be true. A typical classroom devotes approximately ten percent of class time to discussion. This means that ninety percent 36
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is lecture. In my experience, a lot of depressing and possibly erroneous information may be passed along during this time, leaving us with a sense of separation, hopelessness, and in some cases, callousness toward others, the planet, and ourselves. Perhaps the irony lies in the fact that we trouble over the ills of society while ignoring our role in perpetuating the myths that actually serve to exacerbate societal problems. In the spring of 1999, I was teaching a class called “Social Problems.” One of the students made reference to a book, which is in my view, one of the best at describing this process of perpetuating myths. The book is written by Richard Brodie (1996) and is aptly entitled, Virus of the Mind. I must say, that it is one of those rare finds that held me captive right to the end. From my perspective, Brodie has done an exceptional job in explaining a new branch of science called, “Memetics,” which is based on the concept of “Memes.” The word “meme” was coined by Richard Dawkins, a biologist from Oxford, in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene (Brodie, 1996). Memes are the basic building blocks of our mind and culture in the same way that genes are the building blocks of human life. Good ideas are thought to spread from
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person to person not because they are good ideas, but because they contain “good memes” (Brodie, 1996). Memes are to the mind as viruses are to the body. Unlike a virus that is encoded in DNA molecules, a meme is nothing more than a pattern of information, one that happens to have evolved a form that induces people to repeat that pattern. It is a contagious information pattern that replicates by parasitically infecting the human mind, altering one’s behavior and causing one to propagate the pattern. Information passes from one person to the next by communicating thoughts. The passing of memes is the same thing as passing information from one source to the next (Brodie, 1996). Memes are in a sense, regarded as living structures, not just metaphorically but technically. When you plant a fertile meme in a mind, you literally parasitize the brain turning it into a vehicle for the meme’s propagation, in just the way that a virus may parasitize the genetic mechanism of a host cell. The mind is more the host or the environment and it is there that memes mutate and spread. Furthermore, they can be destructive or beneficial to their host. Myths and memes are somewhat synonymous and can best be described as beliefs that are held without question. Examples of memes are ideas, mental models, catch 38
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phrases, clothing fashions, and the way we do things. The idea of language and writing is also considered a meme. Additional examples of memes/myths include: “If we cross our eyes, we will become permanently cross-eyed,” “If we masturbate, we will become blind,” and “Men who wear baseball caps lose their hair.” Therefore, a meme is any belief, thought, or attitude in one’s mind that spreads to and from the minds of others. Interestingly, memes that involve sex, food, and danger are perpetuated more quickly than other types of memes because we tend to pay closer attention to these issues in our lives. There are hundreds of memes that can be found in our culture and many of them target racial groups, women, the lower class, and homosexuals. Many evolve from stereotypes (beliefs we hold about people, places, and things), as we weave stories around certain thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes we hold to be true. Often memes and myths become stories that are presented as truths and are passed from generation to generation. Seldom are these stories questioned, and as a result, are often judgmental and damaging to others and ourselves. Therefore, it is not the story itself that is potentially damaging, rather the unquestioning of the story and the meaning we give it in our lives. Labeling a meme “true” places it in our belief systems, eliminating 39
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our conscious ability to choose our own memes and truths (Brodie, 1996). So how do memes get perpetuated? By everyone and everywhere. Families, peers, clergy, teachers, and of course, one of the most profound perpetuator of memes is the media. It should come as no surprise that the mass media has a powerful effect on our behaviors and attitudes, and is one of the greatest sources of perpetuating myths and memes in our society. The media seems to have much of our attention as research shows that the average American household has a television set on for approximately seven hours a day (Macionis, 1995). No wonder the media helps shape how we think and ultimately behave. Brodie suggests that we begin to understand our memetic programming so that we can reprogram our thoughts, when mind virus infections interfere with our lives (Brodie, 1996). However, memes very often enter our minds without our knowing they have arrived. They then become a part of us without our being consciously aware of their presence. “Understanding memetics gives you a chance to look inside at the internal programs you are running and if you choose, to reprogram yourself powerfully and consciously to point your life in whatever direction you desire” (Brodie, 1996, page 96). 40
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Perhaps one of the biggest questions in our society is what effect violence in the media has on our behavior. Is the amount of violence portrayed by the media a true reflection of our society, or is the media, in fact, generating their own myth about violence? Whichever belief is true, the evidence seems to be growing and overwhelmingly supporting the position that violence portrayed through the mass media is associated with aggressive attitudes and actions. Many Americans are directly exposed to some sort of violence. A national study involving the connection between violence and the media resulted in the findings that television is thoroughly saturated with violent content. Particularly, the violence observed in children’s cartoons. “A 1990 report noted that Saturday morning cartoons average a violent act every other minute, which is almost fifty percent more violence than was shown before 1980. The same report noted that violent acts during prime time television averaged between five and six each hour, with half of all major characters involved in violence and ten percent involved in killing. A study commissioned by a television magazine found 1,846 individual acts of violence on television in one single day. Cartoons were the most violent with 471 violent scenes during the day” (Lauer, 1995, page 166). In addition, the average child in America between the ages 41
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of 5 and 14 views approximately 13,000 television killings. Perhaps the most profound finding of all is that young people engage in television viewing more than the time they spend in school, or in any other activity except sleep (Zastrow, 1992). What we watch on television are stories that someone has created. These stories are meant to entertain us while taking us outside our own realities into the reality of fiction and make-believe. However, many times these stories are damaging as we see how the media portrays certain groups and perpetuates negative stereotypes. From these stereotypes memes are born and thus become embedded in our culture and ultimately projected as “truth.” The media is not alone in the role of meme perpetuator. If we listen carefully we will begin to hear the drumbeats of others as our own beats are slowly quieted. We become anesthetized to what we see and hear as we are bombarded with pictures of a world largely created by others. If we belief and accept the ideologies and dogmas without conscious thought, we may become infected with a mind virus. “The beliefs (memes) you happen to hold at any given time program your mind to work in certain ways, much the way loading a program into a computer causes it to perform certain tasks. If you program yourself with 42
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the belief that life is meaningless and random, you are likely to live a meaningless and random life. If, on the other hand, you program yourself with the belief that there is a purpose to your life, you will tend to accomplish that purpose” (Brodie, 1996, page 197). It is my belief that nowhere is the responsibility greater than the one held by teachers. As educators, it is important that we are consciously aware of the information we provide. Every year, semester-by-semester, month-bymonth, and day-by-day, we give information to students that may be outdated, fictitious, and totally irrelevant to their lives. I include myself in this lot and take full responsibility for being a perpetuator of memes. However, I now say, ‘Enough is enough.’ Brodie asks, “Is copying ideas and facts really the primary purpose of education, or should it be? Remember, without conscious effort on our part, we tend to fall into the role of mind slaves of memes, living our lives to perpetuate and spread whatever memes are the most powerful” (Brodie, 1996, page 224). Perhaps the time has come to take charge of the situation and use it for the overall good of people and our society in general. Yes, I am a perpetuator of myth and memes. I accept this position and responsibility as a
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teacher as I carefully consider the memes that I think are relevant to students and to their lives. I now ask, ‘What stories can I tell which will help solve the problems we face in our culture?’ The answer is, there are many. In the educational arena it begins with teachers who are willing to begin listening once again to the heartbeat of their purpose, passion, and love for teaching and for students. We must begin to question our own texts, materials, and information. “Can we consciously choose a better purpose for education than simply pumping our children’s minds full of memes” (Brodie, 1996, page 224)? Let us now throw away the lecture notes we have been using for the past ten, fifteen, even twenty years and create new materials from resources that teach hope instead of dread, love instead of hate, and gentleness instead of violence. Is this approach idealistic, unrealistic, or out-of-thequestion altogether? No, I don’t think it is. In fact, my belief is that it is necessary and inevitable as we navigate through the twenty-first century. Look around. Has the perpetuation of memes as we have been telling them brought us closer to growth and positivism? Has it in any way helped to solve the problems we face? I can’t believe that it has. “There is incredible value in freeing yourself
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from the prison of thoughts and mind programs any time you want” (Brodie, 1996, page 218). Perhaps now the time has come to write a different story and tell a different tale. Let’s take a clean canvas and paint a new picture, one that reflects a loving, nonviolent, and unified culture. Perhaps the worst that can happen is that our pictures will become fuller, brighter, and more colorful. After all, we’ve been drawing inside the lines for generation after generation. So let’s change the rules and learn how to color outside the lines. I think we will be amazed at what we will discover.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONSCIOUSLY CONSCIOUS The process of becoming conscious is continual. It often lives as the collection of opinions, beliefs, and thoughts of others and unfortunately, too often at the exclusion of our own. Consciousness is about self-discovery and change. It is finding out what does and doesn’t work in our lives. It is the process of elimination; a sorting through of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes retaining what fits and discarding what does not. Being conscious means that we are aware. Carl Jung once said, “The greatest sin is to be unconscious.” Being unconscious in this context implies living a mindless journey, taken without thought and perhaps without feeling. Living consciously means delving into life with gusto, riding the waves of experience with an understanding that the experience is truly our own. So how do we become consciously conscious? Actually, I believe it is a very simple process; we begin questioning. On the first day of class I write these two words on the
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board, ‘Question everything.’ I do this because many of my students have been indoctrinated into our social structure that teaches them to do just the opposite, question nothing. In fact, many of them have never been taught to think for themselves in any way, shape, or form. They are automatons of our culture; robots acting and behaving in exactly the ways they have been directed. Remember the old (emphasis on old) adage, “Because I said so?” And Bruce Hornsby and The Range singing, “That’s just the way it is, some things will never change...” Some may be total conformists, never questioning anything and disbelieving things will ever change. However many do not know their feelings and beliefs because they have not stretched the boundaries of conformity to discover their conscious thoughts and beliefs. For many students, that first day of class can be quite uncomfortable. After all, to come from a restrictive background and then be told that it is okay to think for yourself and to have original thoughts about life and the cosmos, may be somewhat unsettling. Becoming conscious is somewhat of a challenge because it means that we are aware of what we are thinking. This process begins as we question our thoughts and feelings as they occur. It begins as we ask ourselves 47
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‘How are we?’ It is a shift from the external to the internal as we explore our inner truths and beliefs. Perhaps the journey toward consciousness can be likened to that of the act of peeling an onion. We peel away the outer layers to reach the inner core, the best of the whole and the heart of consciousness. This process takes time as we get to know ourselves by asking if thoughts and feelings are truly our own, or do they belong to someone or something else? The process of discovering consciousness by honoring our truth is not guaranteed to be without discomfort. In fact, it is almost sure to be uncomfortable, threatening to us and to others, and very often unpleasant. However, the alternatives are worse, as they do not allow us to take off our masks, become fully human, and know our true selves. With consciousness we become empowered to make conscious choices, fully accepting all consequences without a sense of victimization. Alan Cohen makes this point nicely in his book Dare to Be Yourself (1991, page 29) when he says, “The power to change your life and the world is in your hands. You have the strength and the opportunity to choose what you want to be, and then become it. We can scratch in the dirt of chicken consciousness or we can raise ourselves above the barnyard and see a vast new world from the mountaintop.” 48
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Consciousness springs forth as we begin to really pay attention to OURSELVES. As we move from a place of outer direction toward inner direction, we are enabled with a sense of responsibility and choice. Feelings are highlighted and strengthened and our actions manifest in our abilities to control our lives without harming others, our world, and ourselves. Personal power and control do not come from institutions, prisons, and external forms of punishment; they come from freedom, truth, and knowledge. And at the heart and soul of these things is consciousness and a reclaiming of who we are that may ultimately lead us to the path of personal empowerment. As an educator I invite and encourage my students to be exactly who they are and to feel exactly what they feel. I urge them to look inside themselves to find the answers to life’s perplexing issues. When they do, they become more alive, more fully human. This is what the new paradigm is all about— consciousness. Maybe it is time to recognize and then put to rest, the ideology that what we have been doing is working. Something new is definitely needed in today’s world. It is imperative that we begin taking responsibility, begin to listen and learn from our essence, and discern our individual truths.
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So the question now becomes one of how do we know our truth? What methods do we use to measure truth? The answer is almost too obvious. We drop into our souls and ask the most basic of questions, soliciting only honest responses. Dropping into our own soul space requires only that we become fully aware of our personal truths, have the courage to accept what we feel and see, and invite the information to become real in our lives. When we are face-to-face with our own souls, staring truth in the eyes, we will know that something powerfully real and significant has occurred. Within the awareness and consciousness of soul we feel wonderfully alive, and outside it we feel utterly empty. Perhaps this sacred space of soul dropping is the ultimate connection to consciousness, the cosmos, the All That Is, or God if you will, expressing through us. When we drop into soul space it is nothing more than a quintessential form of love, made real through the experiences that speak to us and touch us on a soul level. In this space we may feel completely loved and loving. As we drop into soul with others and ourselves through eye contact and conversation we become acutely conscious of our surroundings. Life becomes bigger, more lifelike. For example, scores of Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach do more than simply give us a pleasurable listening 50
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experience; they reach our souls as we become one with each resounding note. Likewise, Jimi Hendrix (for those of you fortunate enough to know his music) filled our hearts with awe as he dramatically and powerfully became one with his guitar, giving a profound performance which dropped his listeners into complete soulful consciousness. When Michelangelo chiseled the Pieta; when Mother Teresa gently touched and held those inflicted with leprosy; and, when the eyes of a child twinkle at the playful action of a kitten, we experience life with indescribable meaning and significance. Another relevant question may be, ‘When do we begin to experience consciousness on a soul level?’ Perhaps the first notable expression of soul dropping occurs during the years of adolescence, between the ages of 14 and 18. During this time we move beyond our childhood fantasies and dreams, and often find that we begin questioning the lifestyles, values, and choices of ourselves and of those around us. It is a place of limbo where we try to make sense of a world that clearly seems insane. We identify with the music of our generation, as the lyrics express the attitudes of the ages. The expression “I am trying to find myself,” is echoed through our voices. It is during this time that we wish to deviate from the path chosen for us by our parents, teachers, and society 51
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in general. We probably desire to chart our own course, journey alone, and discover the thrill of unknown territories. Adolescence seems to be a time when we feel deadened to a world which parts in the middle-mother culture tells us to play it safe, and we fear father culture will eliminate us altogether if we dare question the existing societal structures. Still we struggle to discover the essence of our own souls as we fight against the cultural current that serves to institutionalize, educationalize, religiousize, and socialize. Yet in the end, we eventually resign, conform, and stop questioning the consensual humming of the masses. We crawl into the box and seal the lid. Then we reach middle age. Suddenly the box becomes too confining, too suffocating, and we once again search for something soulful that will bring us out of the box into a life filled with more meaning, more consciousness. We begin to ask the same questions as those of our youth. Having chosen the life of our parents and their parents before them, we begin reviewing our own choices and probably realize that we are still searching for something real and significant. This search for consciousness appears to be relentless in that it continues to gently nudge us until it is recognized and given honor in our lives. Which brings us to a final 52
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question. ‘Why is consciousness important? Why is droppping into soul a thing to strive for in our everyday lives?’ In a nutshell, perhaps it is because the search will lead us toward our ultimate connection to others and ourselves. Statistics reveal that the level of intimacy and connection we have to others, is to say the least, lacking. All types of violence and acts of violence are all too common, and the statistics reflecting harm against others, are staggering. I think many would agree that we have lost our connection to others and certainly many agree that we need to connect with others on a soulfully conscious level. We spend thousands of dollars paying people who will listen to us, people with whom we share our deepest darkest secrets, fears, joys, sorrows, and dreams. We visit therapists, frequent bars and talk to bartenders, seek medical attention for the simple pleasure of touch and attention, and according to my hair stylist, we even make hair appointments that are not necessarily needed, so that we can share our most intimate thoughts. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter that most of these people are mere acquaintances. Perhaps it is because they are strangers that we find it easy to tell them things we wouldn’t tell our partners or family members, or even our dearest friends. 53
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The search for consciousness is truly a lifelong quest. It is a need as basic as the physical needs of food, shelter, and safety. Maybe even more basic. We need it to feel alive—to feel complete and to feel connected to others and ourselves. It is the way to living fully, honestly, and freely.
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CHAPTER FIVE
THOUGHT CONSCIOUSNESS So what exactly does all this mean—victimization, memes, and consciousness? Placed together and all stirred up, it means awareness of thoughts and actions of responsibility. It is about moving from a position of powerlessness to one of power; a wake-up call from conscious amnesia; complete state of enlightenment emerging from the veil of darkness. In this chapter a new thought will be introduced. The new thought is that “thought” is a living thing. It has a life of its own. In his book, Thought As A System (1992), David Bohm believes that thought is like a system. He says that thought is very active, produces outward effects, which in essence affects everything. It is actually very simple. What we think about affects how we feel and how we react to everything. The good news is that if we can find a way to become consciously AWARE of our thoughts, we can change our behaviors and our lives.
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Bohm says that one of the reasons we are unaware of thought is because we are not taught in American culture to think about thought. He says, “What we need is a correct description of the way you are actually thinking. Usually we don’t put in words the way we really think. We won’t admit to ourselves the real nature of our thoughts” (Bohm, 1992, page 85). According to Bohm, we think something and in our thinking we may create a problem and then try to fix it, when it is really only the thought that produced the problem in the first place. “Thought creates a problem and then tries to do something about it while continuing to make the problem, because it doesn’t know what it is doing. It is all a bunch of reflexes working” (Bohm, 1992, page 97). The idea of victimization is simply a thought. It is one thinking victim thoughts and then coming from a defensive position. Memes are also nothing more than thoughts, some conscious, some subconscious. Often thought is like a knee-jerk reaction. We simply behave in a reactive manner because our thoughts have set up a patterned response. Bohm says this process occurs because thought is registered in our memories in the form of a reflex (Bohm, 1992). “In such a way thought produces something which seems to be outside, and it doesn’t
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notice that it is doing so. That’s one of the basic mistakes” (Bohm, 1992, page 25). The way to become aware of the effects of thought is to simply be aware of what it is we are thinking. We need to pay attention to thoughts, particularly to the idea that thoughts can become memes that spread. As thoughts spread they are caught like viruses as other people catch them, embrace them as their own, and ultimately create patterned responses that may or may not be in their best interests. When considering the myriad of social ills that plague this country, it is easy to see that many of our problems are espoused in thought. Therefore, the answers could lie in our thoughts and the possibilities for change are astounding. The powers of how we think and perceive our reality could change the future for us all. In other words, if we change our thoughts, eventually our behavior will also change. Bohm believes that if just a few people would think cohesively, changes of paramount importance would occur in the society and in our culture (Bohm, 1992). Thought consciousness is not simply an individual process. Looking at the big picture includes the collective and how thought affects us on a larger scale. Bohm comments, “People seem to have all sorts of hatreds, such 57
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as religious hatred or racial hatred and so on. Everything is interdependent; and yet the more interdependent we get, the more we seem to split up into little groups that don’t like each other and are inclined to fight each other and kill each other, or at least not to cooperate” (Bohm, 1992, page 1). Furthermore, Bohm believes that one of the things wrong with thought is fragmentation. He says, “Thought is breaking things up into bits which should not be broken up” (Bohm, 1992, page 3). Fragmentation is most profoundly experienced in the world of groups and the separation of groups based on thought. One group thinks itself to be more influential than another does. Thus, separation may occur and possibly violence, even war. Did the behavior of one group toward another begin with action or with thought? All begins with thought and according to Bohm it is thought which guides behavior. “Thought, however, gives the false information that you are running it, that you are the one who controls thought, whereas actually thought is the one which controls each one of us” (Bohm, 1992, page 5). Moving from a state of conscious amnesia to one of full consciousness is the best defense against thought and 58
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its unwanted responses. As long as we fully know our deepest thoughts and understand that we are responsible for our problems, we may continue to create problems simply from what we are thinking (Bohm, 1992). To begin the process of thinking consciously one must only intend to do so. This begins with an awareness of thought and an understanding of the power thoughts have in our lives to create and manifest. Once thoughts are brought into a conscious state, we can then begin to embrace or discard these thoughts based on our acceptance or rejection of them. For example, if there is something we desire to manifest in our physical world, we simply focus on the desire, discard any beliefs that may not support the thought regarding the desire, and then set our intentions for manifestation to occur. As simplistic as this process sounds, it holds a caveat that must be discussed. I believe the key to manifesting thought is through “Intention without attachment.” This means that we hold a thought, set our intention, and then leave the thought unattached to need, want, and outcome. Simply put, this means that we have no emotional attachment to the outcome. Remember that all thought has energy and emotions also carry energy. Therefore, when we place attachments on our thoughts, such as fear, apprehension, 59
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anxiety, expectations, and impatience, we actually interfere with the outcome and create the very thing we wish to avoid. It is the law of “What we resist persists.” It is therefore of extreme importance to keep the original thought of what we wish, free from all emotional attachment. Likewise, it is of utmost importance to have a state of clarity regarding what we are thinking, and what we wish to manifest. This requires only that we become fully aware of our thoughts and filter out the ones that do not best serve us. We become aware of our words, understanding that our verbiage carries our thoughts outwardly where they more rapidly manifest. An example of this is illustrated in a story concerning a friend I have who wished to stop working. He often voiced his discontent about his work and his desire for free time. Eventually, my friend received what he wished; he had a heart attack and was rushed to surgery for a triple bypass. He began working part-time and did create more free time. However, the story does not stop here. He continued working part-time, still disgruntled with his job, and continued to give voice to his unhappiness. Several months after his surgery, he injured his back, had back surgery, and was bed-ridden for months. Did he get
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exactly what he asked for? Absolutely! Did it come in the form he expected? Absolutely not! This story shows how important it is for us to know our thoughts, be clear about our thoughts, and set our intentions about how, why, what, where, and even who, we want our thoughts to create. Our challenge then is to live consciously. To think thoughts which serve the highest good for us and for others. To become thinking, speaking, and acting human beings who understand that we are continuously creating the world in which we live. Is this an awesome challenge? Yes, indeed. Yet think of what our lives and our world would look like if we accept this challenge. I suspect it would look vastly different than it does now. I believe that a different reality, a different picture, a different world is within reach. It only takes a thought...
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CHAPTER SIX
THOUGHTS CREATE The mere suggestion that we create from our thoughts is enough to make one shudder. The whole idea is antithetical to what we have always been told. Mostly, we have heard that we are victims, vulnerable to life’s events, experiences, and tragedies. However, I believe that our lives are sculpted and formed based on our thoughts. We are the creators of our own experiences and are responsible for the events we encounter minute-byminute and day- by day. Taking responsibility for our thoughts means that we first become aware of our thoughts. For example, ask yourself what you spend your time thinking about. Are your thoughts positive or negative? Do you critically analyze yourselves and others? Do you just simply let your thoughts flow in and out without any conscious awareness of what you are thinking? If you answered “yes” to one
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or more of these questions you are not alone. Most of us do not take responsibility for our thoughts. And why should we? The idea of thought is not a part of our cultural, social, and/or educational systems. How ironic though, that the concept of higher education is supposedly built on the foundation of critical thinking, or in other words, the ability to THINK for oneself. It has been said that our minds contain approximately 100,000 thoughts every day. How many of these thoughts are we aware? Are these conscious or unconscious? Are they negative or positive? Are they loving or hateful, happy or sad? Do we even know what we are thinking or are we just randomly selecting the memes of our culture and believing them to be our own thoughts? Perhaps it is time to put some thinking into THOUGHT. Just as we exercise our bodies, it is important to tone our thoughts as well. Think of it as mental training. Whenever a negative, judgmental, or critical thought enters our minds we can replace it with a positive, neutral, or accepting one. Not only will this help us realize how we spend our time thinking; it will also help us to understand the power we have in controlling our thoughts. Once we feel comfortable with the idea that thoughts create, we will begin to recognize that our actions and 63
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behaviors truly reflect our thoughts. If our behaviors really are the manifestations of our thoughts then it is important that we think good things. We think and manifest continually, every day, every minute, and every second. “Events, occurrences, happenings, conditions, circumstances—all are created out of consciousness” (Walsch, 1995, page 35). This statement helps to remove all blame and leaves us with an awesome sense of responsibility. It speaks to us strongly that we are the result of our thoughts, and in thought, experience is created. The process of creating is somewhat synonymous with change. Perhaps creating is best described as energy that is in motion, beginning with a thought, moving toward action, to be finalized in manifestation. Our minds are broadcasting energy outwardly and shaping our experiences of the world and what we create. Thoughts are likened to a magnet in that as they project outwardly and when they return, they bring back to us what it is we are thinking. Therefore, what we focus on and think about is what we give energy to and ultimately create (Roman, 1986). Shakti Gawain discusses the idea of thought and energy in the book, Creative Visualization (1978). On pages 18 and 19, Gawain says: 64
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Thoughts and feelings have their own magnetic energy that attracts energy of a similar nature. We can see this principle at work, for instance, when we accidentally run into someone we’ve just been thinking of, or happen to pick up a book, which contains exactly the perfect information we need at the moment. Thought is a quick, light, mobile form of energy. It manifests instantaneously, unlike the denser forms such as matter. When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. A thought or idea always precedes manifestation. Simply having an idea or thought, holding it in your mind, is an energy that will tend to attract and create that form on the material plane. If you constantly think of illness, you eventually become ill; if you believe yourself to be beautiful, you become so. Authors Marciniak (1995) and Choquette (1997), believe that the idea of “thought creates” is a universal law and that this law works in a very organized way. As we think, so our experiences manifest. In Your Heart’s Desire (1997), pages 197 & 198, Choquette explains, “The Universe delivers according to what you order. It can just as easily create big as it can create small. It can just as lovingly create strife as it can create harmony. Remember that your thoughts are not just abstractions. They are actual realities 65
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that design the very fabric, texture, and dimension of your experience.” Creating what we think about almost appears to be a linear process, although what we think about often manifests simultaneously with the thought. The research seems to support that manifesting thought consciously is preceded by desire, focus, and intention. Desire is simply the thought brought into consciousness and given energy. Intention is assertion based on desire. “When you have total intention to create something, that is you deeply desire it, you completely believe that you can do it, and you are totally willing to have it, it seemingly cannot fail to manifest, and usually within a very short time. The clearer and stronger your intention, the more quickly and easily your creative visualization will work” (Gawain, 1978, page 54). What we think about may not be as abstract as we believe and perhaps the saying, “What we can see, can be” holds the key to conceptualizing thought. But what are thoughts and how do they ultimately find their way toward manifesting our beliefs? One thing is for certain. We are constantly thinking about something. The key perhaps is to become aware of our thoughts and live consciously. This idea is best described in the words of Neale Donald Walsch in Conversations With God Book Two 66
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(1997, page 13), when he says,” A life lived by choice is a life of conscious action. A life lived by chance is a life of unconscious reaction.” It thus becomes clear that thoughts create, but what about thoughts that linger in the unconscious mind? It has been said, “What we don’t know can’t hurt us,” but is this really true? What if we manifest thoughts of which we are unaware, thoughts that are very much alive in our unconscious mind? Of course, if we accept this idea, then where does the concept of victimization go? Who can we blame if we accept responsibility for the manifestation of our unconscious thoughts? “A sense of victimhood is dangerous because our unconscious mind is subtly programming the things that seem to just happen to us in such a way that our expectations are always fulfilled. Each of us finds in our world whatever our thoughts proclaim is there. If we declare that we are victims, the situation will conform to our expectations, and we will discover that we are indeed suffering through the carelessness or cruelty of other people” (Marciniak, 1992, page 270). Regardless of whether we are wide awake or sound asleep we are all creating our realities by our thoughts. Far too often it is only after we experience the result of our thoughts, that it comes to consciousness how we 67
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brought about certain situations in our lives. However, even if we do become aware of our thoughts, it is still possible that we may deny that we had anything to do with creating our experiences. Therefore, perhaps one of the challenges is to move from unconscious thought to conscious thought, to stop living unconsciously (Walsch, 1995, page 92). According to Sonia Choquette in Your Heart’s Desire, (1997) what is needed is union between the conscious and unconscious minds. This means that we must become aware of the beliefs we hold and ensure that our conscious and unconscious thoughts are on the same page, the same sentence. “If you hold your attention on a conscious desire, but subconsciously harbor beliefs that are in conflict with your goal, you are going to come to a creative impasse” (Choquette, 1997, page 37). Perhaps our first thought should be that of thoughtconsciousness. We bring into awareness all thoughts. The power to recognize that we bring into our lives what we think about, both unconsciously and consciously, begins with consciousness thinking. Being in a state of consciousness is nothing more than being aware. It is a state of mindfulness, being aware of everything, at every moment, of every day. Given the vast amount of thoughts 68
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we have every day, it is easy to understand why most would go unnoticed. They simply pass through our minds with no conscious thought, no awareness of their presence. However, when brought into a state of awareness or consciousness, we can either choose to release the thought, or give the thought energy and life through the action of conscious intention. Once conscious thought is established and intentions are set, the energy moves toward bringing manifestation of the thought into the physical world. “You can change your reality in a moment precisely because your world is nothing more than a projection of your present conscious and unconscious thoughts about it. What you say goes. If you say you are the victim of a cruel world, you will be a victim. If you say your problems can be solved, you will find a way out of difficulty” (Miller, 1995, page, 257). Shakti Gawain in Creative Visualization, (1978) likens intention and creative visualization as similar processes. “Creative visualization is not just a technique, but ultimately it is a state of consciousness. It is a consciousness in which we deeply realize that we are the continuous creators of our universe and we take responsibility for that at all moments” (page 149). A precursor to intention appears to be belief; a conscious belief about the way we see things in our 69
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worlds. It is in this belief that our thoughts are creating potential outcomes. By setting an intention, a thought comes into focus consciously, and the desired result is made manifest (Marciniak, 1992). To bring thoughts into the light of consciousness may require great physical and mental energy. It will necessitate continuous awareness and monitoring of every thought, every word, and every action. “You will get your life to take off by first becoming very clear in your thinking about it. Think about what you want to be, do, and have. Think about it often until you are very clear about this. Then, when you are very clear, think about nothing else. Imagine no other possibilities” (Walsch, 1995, page 92). Giving life to our thoughts is expressed through the manifestation of those thoughts. We do this both unconsciously and consciously. Through awareness we recognize that what we believe is often what we think, and this is important in the overall manifestation of thought. “The number of thoughts you put into something and the belief or intensity of emotional energy you have about something determines how quickly you create it. The emotional belief you have in getting something is very important. The emotions propel thoughts into reality by the intensity of your belief. The less doubt you have about getting something the more 70
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rapidly it will come. When 1,000 to 2,000 of those daily thoughts are directed to a goal, it will come rapidly” (Roman, 1986, page 189). Thinking the thought, becoming aware of our belief about the thought, focusing on the thought, and finally intending the thought to become manifest, is the process of creating what we purposefully choose. Barbara Marciniak in Bringers of the Dawn (1992) describes one of the best examples of this. Barbara illustrates the process of “thought creates” and manifestation in her example of going into a restaurant and trusting that what we order, we will receive. Barbara says, “When you go to a restaurant and order something you want, the chef prepares it and the waiters bring it to you. You order it; however, you don’t make it. It will not be put before you unless you go into the restaurant to order it in the first place. So you are responsible for it and you pay for it. Life is the same way; life is like a restaurant. Learn how to order what you want from life like you do in a restaurant and then trust that, because you ordered it, it will be put before you” (page 120). Let us examine this process of ordering what we want and then receiving or manifesting that order in our physical world. Our original thought was one of hunger that caused us to frequent the restaurant in the first place. 71
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Once there, we consciously thought about the various items on the menu and then consciously choose what we desired. This is important in the realization that thought precedes experience. Thought is primary and experience is secondary. The experience is the direct and often immediate reflection of what we are thinking (Marciniak, 1992, page 177). The energy behind thought and experience is set in motion by intention, and intention in this case, was given voice and expressed verbally as a request. The act of manifesting what we think about is given energy through our words. Putting it succinctly, energy flows behind every word. “Words create everything, because words are the embodiment of thought. They announce all that you focus on, all that you believe. They define your inner landscape and reveal your degree of commitment. Words reveal your beliefs and express your enthusiasm. They are the summary of your creative efforts in motion, the energetic substance that channel Universal spirit and give form to your physical experience. The words you choose are programmed to release power and life force into whatever they express. As you speak, so you experience, whether you want to or not. They are indeed the magic wands of creativity” (Choquette, 1997, page 172). 72
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Unfortunately, many times we are as unaware of what we say, as we are of what we are thinking. Thus, we have an even greater responsibility to not only think thoughts that are for our highest good, but also to become aware of the power of our spoken words and the ways in which what we think, and say, manifest in our lives. What roadblocks stand in our way to manifesting what we want in our lives? The truth is, many. Perhaps the most important challenge we face is in the wedding of our conscious and unconscious thoughts. We need to become aware of what we think. Our thoughts may be unconscious, but they are still thoughts that are manifested whether we are aware of them or not. “Your subconscious mind produces best what you dwell on” (Choquette, 1997, page 43). Of course dwelling on something may be likened to worrying about something. In this way, it is true that perhaps what we fear we bring to us. “In your fear of not getting what you want, you may actually be energizing the idea of not getting it as much or more as you are energizing the goal itself ” (Gawain, 1978, page 60). Another roadblock to manifestation is emotional attachment. Being emotionally attached to a thought about something may actually push it away. The key appears to lie in “intention without attachment.” Furthermore, we 73
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must examine our beliefs. Do we believe we can manifest what we are thinking about? Do we even know what we want? Are we focused on the outcome and aware of all unconscious thoughts that may hold emotional attachments? Do we change our thoughts about something, thus altering the energy given to the manifestation process (Walsch, 1997)? It is also important that we openly view our perspective of the world. Do we see the world as a safe and inviting place, or are we floating in a sea of negativity? Negative thinking is counterproductive to manifestation. Walsch was given clear instructions concerning this matter in Conversations With God Book One (1995, page 92): Throw all negative thoughts out of your mental constructions. Lose all pessimism. Release all doubts. Reject all fears. Discipline your mind to hold fast to the original creative thought. When your thoughts are clear and steadfast, begin to speak them as truths. Say them our loud. Use the great command that calls forth creative power: I Am… Although it may sound like a continual reiteration of one single idea, it is nonetheless important to say it again; the first and final step to creating through thought, is to begin to be aware of and to concentrate on, what we are thinking. Personal and spiritual growth result when we 74
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are willing to take responsibility for our lives and realize the power we have to shape our realities. However, the importance lies in becoming aware of our thoughts. “Thought is. Thought creates. If your thought is that you wish to move into acceleration with the greatest growth and ability, that is what you will do. When you doubt, that doubt is a thought too, and it will also create itself. When doubt occurs, it stops the expansion process because you deny the subtlety of what is coming to you” (Marciniak, 1992, page 75). Mind chatter is something most of us experience. It is the internal dialogue we hold with ourselves that consists of both words and ideas. Much of the time we may not even be aware of this dialogue and yet it still holds the thoughts that create our experiences. It is these thoughts that create and shape our realities (Gawain, 1978). By embracing the idea that thought creates, we are able to move from a place of victimhood to one of embellishing oneself, as well as, a sense of global responsibility. Not only can we change our thoughts and thus change our lives; we can also change our thoughts and change the world (Miller, 1995). Illustrating the power of our thoughts is a story told by Sonia Choquette in her book, Your Heart’s Desire (1997). Sonia recounts a time when her mother (a sixteen year 75
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old Romanian) came to America. Sonia said her mother was young and somewhat inexperienced in the ways of the world. She was offered a cocktail at a party that she and her husband (Sonia’s father) attended. Sonia says her mother was somewhat surprised that her father would bring her an alcoholic drink, but said that her mother liked the taste, drank it quickly, and asked for another. Soon, her mother began to feel the effects of the drink and began having a very good time, although she said she was beginning to feel woozy and light-headed. “After a few moments, she was so dizzy that she fell over. My dad caught her and dragged her to a chair” (page 40). At this point, Sonia said her dad asked her mother what was wrong and her mother, believing she was drunk, said as much. Her father then burst out laughing, telling Sonia’s mother that the drinks did not contain any alcohol. Sonia’s mother said she instantly became “sober” and they both laughed about the incident. This story shows that a thought is powerful enough to affect the body in a way that manifests behavior based on a thought espoused in belief. Similarly, David Spangler recounts a personal story concerning the manifestation of his own thoughts. In Everyday Miracles (1996), David tells his story:
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One time I wanted to write and produce some booklets for my students to use. At the time, all I had was an old portable typewriter that I had used in college. It was sufficient for most of my everyday work but not for producing manuscripts good enough for printing. Nor did I have the money to pay for a big printing job. While I was pondering just how to deal with this problem, I received a phone call from the husband of one of my students. He said that he appreciated how I had helped his wife, and he wanted to do something for me. Since he owned an office supply shop, how would I feel if he outfitted an office for me, including a new typewriter, a new mimeograph machine, a desk, a chair, and anything else I needed? Becoming aware that thoughts have power in shaping our realities brings careful consideration and a sense of responsibility to not only what we think, but to what we believe, as well. This is illustrated in the following story which tells of physical disfigurement and the power to change what appears to be “impossible.” Carolyn Miller tells yet another story about a woman who appeared on the Merv Griffin Show in the 1980s. This woman was unique in that she believed she would someday become Miss America despite her physical 77
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handicap. She suffered two major car accidents, necessitating long hospital stays and numerous surgeries. In one of her many injuries, she had the flesh torn off her face as she crashed through the windshield of her car. In addition, one of her legs was severely crushed and several inches of bone were surgically removed. The woman said she recovered from the accidents beautifully, with the exception that one leg was several inches shorter than the other leg. She walked with a limp and required the use of a prosthetic shoe. Throughout the ordeal she continued to believe that someday she would become Miss America. She explained to Merv Griffen that when communicating with a spiritual advisor, she was told, and believed, that there was no reason for one leg to be shorter than the other. “When she realized that this must be true, her short leg instantly grew out to the same length as the other one. Despite the surgical, radiological, and photographic evidence that the bone had been removed, and that her injured leg had been significantly shorter, it was now obviously the same length as the other. If I am remembering correctly, she went on to win Miss Congeniality in her first Miss America Pageant and the title on her second attempt” (page 230). Sonia Choquette tells many stories involving the concept of “thought creates.” Many reflect the power 78
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behind conscious thought and intention. She tells of a personal story where her belief and intention created her own heart’s desire. Sonia said that during one Christmas season she was watching television, and a local station announced that they were searching the streets to see if anyone had a sign in their windows that said, “KWGN Merry Christmas Santa.” The announcers said that if the TV Santa saw this sign, the family would be given a large color television. Sonia said that she was thirteen at the time and the thought of having a color TV was very exciting to her. She wrote the sign as requested, signed it with “Love, Sonia,” and taped it to the window of her house. As she did this, Sonia “said out loud, with my full energy, ‘Santa, come to my house now’” (page 173). Sonia said that there was no doubt in her mind that she would receive the color television. Therefore it was no surprise when within twenty-four hours; personnel arrived from the station to award Sonia’s family with the TV. Thought, belief, and intention... When it comes to health and related matters we are beginning to understand the connection between mind and body. The will to live for some is what actually keeps them alive, even when doctors have all but signed their death certificates. Almost daily we hear of miraculous stories of tumors disappearing, chronic illnesses vanishing, 79
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and paralyzed bodies restored to full use. Carolyn Miller (1995) tells yet another poignant story of belief, faith, and the power of healing. Heidi was paralyzed from the waist down in a tragic car accident. It was believed that Heidi would not recover, and her doctors said the odds of her walking again were “O to 1.” They based this belief on the fact that they had never seen anyone recover from such a devastating injury. What the doctors did not know was that Heidi believed in miracles and held to the belief that she would walk again. “Whenever her doctors and nurses commented on her poor prognosis, Heidi’s response was always, “Never tell me that” (Miller, 1995, page 180). To everyone’s shock and pleasant surprise, Heidi did, in fact, leave the hospital one-month after she was injured. She walked out of the hospital! Heidi did believe that her recovery involved divine intervention, and believed that she was the co-creator of her healing. This story serves to illustrate an example of consciously choosing to believe in the outcome, no matter how bleak or impossible a situation appears. Most of us have heard “parking space” stories. Those powerful experiences when we have a wish to find a 80
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parking space, set our intentions to have a space, and then surprisingly the space appears. The next story by David Spangler in Everyday Miracles (1996) shows that belief is not contained, and so-called miraculous occurrences are not limited. Jim began to finalize his personal affairs after he received his diagnosis of lung cancer and was told he had five months to live. One day Jim was conversing with a friend and this friend told Jim about how to find parking spaces by visualizing them. Although Jim doubted the validity of this idea, he decided to try it for himself. He discovered that it did work, not just once but whenever, wherever, and however he imagined. “This experience opened him to the possibilities inherent in the creative power of his imagination, mind, and spirit. He thought that if he could manifest parking spaces why not something more important, like good health? So he set about to manifest healthy lungs. He did. That was twenty years ago, and he is alive and well today, his cancer fully in remission” (Spangler, 1996, page 57). What these stories show is a pattern. A sequence of thoughts enveloped in consciousness. Thoughts and 81
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beliefs followed by conscious intention, resulting in manifestation. In the arena of manifestation our thoughts and beliefs truly become our friends or our foes. They reach out and transmit messages to the world, reflecting back to us what we are sending. These thoughts and beliefs are powerful manifestors whether they are conscious or unconscious. Again I draw on the stories of Sonia Choquette. Here, Sonia tells a story of her husband and his belief about drivers. She says her husband, Patrick, holds the belief that there are many drivers who are rude, bad drivers, and who act like “jerks.” Sonia says Patrick attaches this belief most particularly to those people who drive luxury cars. She said that every time she is with Patrick and he is driving, they inevitably encounter someone who fits Patrick’s picture of a driver, often someone with a luxury car. In contrast, Sonia says that she sees drivers in a different light than Patrick. She says her experiences with drivers is pleasant, and believes it is because she has constructed this reality around what she thinks of other drivers. Thoughts create... The power to manifest on an unconscious level is often the result of an unawareness of what we believe and what we say. Sonia tells a story of one of her clients who came to visit her because she was disgruntled with her school principal. Lois was an art teacher who felt her work was 82
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not being recognized or supported by her principal. During a conversation, Sonia became aware that no less than ten times Lois would tell Sonia how much she disliked the principal and said, “He is such a pain in the neck” (Choquette, page 176). Sonia was not surprised when later in the conversation she discovered that Lois was on disability leave because of chronic neck and shoulder pain. These stories show that thoughts are real and that perhaps by simply becoming aware of and altering them, we can bring profound effects upon our bodies. “There is now scientific evidence that some individuals can use the power of their minds to make things happen the way they want them to” (Miller, 1995, pages 69 & 70). And often they happen because we are not consciously aware of the beliefs that are nonetheless manifesting our realities. Carolyn Miller recounts another story of a graduate student she once knew. Carolyn said that one day Linda crouched over in pain, telling her friend Patricia of her unbearable menstrual cramps. Patricia took Linda to a private room and began to send Linda energy to her abdomen, through her hands. Patricia was pleased when she saw Linda’s face relax as the pain subsided. As Patricia removed her hands, Linda immediately felt the pain once
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again and announced to her friend that indeed the pain had returned. This surprised Patricia because usually when she worked with energy, the patient did not experience the return of pain. Once again, Patricia placed her hands on Linda’s abdomen, only to recognize the return of Linda’s pain once Patricia removed her hands. Patricia decided to explore this problem more deeply by visualizing Linda’s uterus. Patricia said she felt as though it was knotlike, hard, and contracted. She visually “held” Linda’s uterus and sent energy to it, feeling it soften. “But suddenly she felt a shift in Linda’s energy so powerful that it brought a hot rush of tears streaming down Patricia’s face. At the same time, Linda began sobbing uncontrollably and babbling incoherent phrases: ‘Men give you brain tumors! Being a woman you get brain tumors! Sex gives you brain tumors!’” (Miller, 1995, page 283) Soon Linda became calm and told Patricia that her own mother had had a brain tumor while she was pregnant with Linda. Her mother had believed that pregnancy and the tumor were associated and somehow Linda had embraced this belief. This thought embedded a deep and continual fear in Linda that pain and suffering were a result of being a woman. “Patricia’s treatment appeared to have raised this troubling and deeply buried memory 84
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to consciousness where it could be released once and for all” (Miller, 1995, page 283). The final two stories are more excerpts taken from David Spangler’s Everyday Miracles (1996). The first story again illustrates the power of thoughts and words and the effects they have on our lives. The second story tells of belief, intention, and the power of manifestation to bring about the desires of our hearts. David tells a story of his experience while driving. He said he experienced irritation that persisted throughout the day, gathering strength as his mood attracted anger and rage to the irritation. He said that as he crossed the bridge that led toward his home, he said out loud that he was so angry he thought he could smash glass. Accompanying these words, he said he pictured himself breaking up glass panes with a hammer. At the exact same moment David had thought about the glass breaking and without warning, David’s front windshield shattered. A truck had passed him and in its wake, had thrown a large rock at David’s window. He said he laughed as he viewed the web-like cracks in his window and realized the literal manifestation of his thoughts and words. One of David’s students (Peggy) told her story as she searched for the perfect East Coast summer home. Peggy 85
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said that due to the hot and muggy climate of Boston during the summer, she decided that she would travel north of Boston in search of a summer home right on the water. Peggy said that she had this idea in mind since winter, but for some reason did not act on it until May. She said that her husband was somewhat displeased by the fact that she had waited until May to make this decision. Nonetheless, Peggy, her husband, and her son and his two friends left in search of the home Peggy never expected to find. Peggy said they drove around the shore aimlessly, unable to contact one particular Realtor. As they drove along the shore one final time, Peggy said she told her husband to turn right. At the end of the road, sitting on a hill and looking out over the Atlantic Ocean was a home that Peggy wondered how she could go about renting. As Peggy and her family left for home, she said she spotted a phone booth and felt compelled to try the Realtor one last time. This time Peggy said the Realtor answered the phone. She told the Realtor that she and her husband were looking to rent a large house on the water. The Realtor responded to Peggy’s request by telling her that a house matching this description had just become available because the person scheduled to rent the house had
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declined. “Guess which house it was; right, the very one I had been gazing at” (Spangler, 1996, page 225). The most profound message in this chapter is that our thoughts are powerful in creating what we wish for and want. Becoming aware of our thoughts and understanding the dynamics of the process behind thought manifestation is the central theme. Imagine what the world would be like if we all became empowered by this idea and began taking full responsibility for our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. We might become consciously empowered people living together in a world where no one and nothing are to blame, but all are responsible. Perhaps the time has come for a major paradigm shift in our present way of thinking about our lives. I believe it can be done. After all, change is nothing more than changing the scene, choosing a different picture. Change will occur as we begin to think, and then rethink what we are thinking. The entire premise of creation is thought. A thought may come in the form of an idea, visualization, or a sense of something. As we view our worlds, we realize that everything we see was born from thought, because thought is the first stage of creation. Words follow thought and what we say is only a reflection of what we think. Words are creative and they go outward into the universe 87
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fueled by creative energy. Action then follows words and action becomes words in motion (Walsch, 1995). The outcome is the manifestation of thought. Then the cycle begins again. This is the theory behind “Thoughts create.” And yes, it is very powerful in its truth and application. It replaces blame with responsibility and explores the idea that we are all responsible for what happens in our lives. It quintessentially states that regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in, it is through the power of our own thoughts that we are brought there. This principle applies to us individually and collectively. In other words, as individuals we are responsible for creating our personal realities, and collectively we are responsible for creating the society in which we live. If we believe that thoughts do affect our lives in powerful ways, then just how do we go about manifesting thought? Is there a magic formula? Do we simply think about something and find it lying before us? The following chapter will help with these questions so make sure to “leave space” for the answers.
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LEAVING SPACE Of all the teachings my dear friend Samantha has imparted to me, it is the idea of “leaving space” which has had the most profound impact on my life. When Sami first used this term, it was like hearing a Zen saying—I knew it was important; I just didn’t have a clue what it meant. As usually happens to most of us sooner or later, experience comes along like a swift breeze and ruffles our feathers until we finally “get it.” Hopefully it doesn’t take too long. In my case, it took about seven years, but I did finally experience and ultimately learn the powerful and lifechanging meaning behind “leaving space.” Learning the meaning was my first challenge—my second comes as I try to describe its meaning in a way that makes sense to you. Let me first try to explain what it means to leave space. I am going to ask you to visualize a vase. Try to hold the picture of a large vase and see it as plain and empty. Now think a thought—just any thought and see yourself placing the thought in the vase. For now, let’s think a thought
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about manifesting money. Now state an affirmation concerning this desire. How about something like, “I am manifesting money today.” A simple thought and one, which probably does not come with any emotional attachment, unless you are in dire need of money because the bill collectors are nipping at your heels. Regardless of the thought, try to think about manifesting something to which you have no emotional attachment, and then metaphorically place it in the vase. See the thought surrounded by space. Visualize the thought as simply free-floating, and one which can either manifest (you will have money) or will not manifest (you will not have money). When we think about things and allow them to be singular and free-floating thoughts (as if it is the only thought in our vase), we allow them space to simply become anything they choose to become. When a thought enters our minds we immediately give it energy just by virtue of the fact that we have thought it in the first place. Liken it to giving something birth and life—it has direction and strength and much of what happens to the thought is the result of what we place around it in the vase. I knew this wouldn’t be easy to explain. Aha! What a perfect example I have just created in explaining this concept. You see, I just thought, ‘This is not going to be easy explaining the idea of leaving space 90
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to you.’ There is my thought and it is the one that will be placed in my own personal vase. Now, this thought has a life force all its own. What happens to the thought as I leave it in the vase? The answer lies in the emotional attachment I have placed on my thought. For example, the above statement implies difficulty and a sense of blockage in communicating an idea. Therefore, in my vase I am placing an emotional tag on the thought so that it becomes, ‘I cannot adequately and clearly explain this whole idea of “leaving space.”’ Therefore, I am setting obstacles and limits on my abilities to communicate this idea, simply by giving birth and life to the thought of difficulty. Likewise, if I believe I can explain “leaving space” easily and clearly, I am also giving this thought energy. One may believe this is a more positive thought, but the truth is that I am still placing limitations on the original idea. By placing fear or by placing expectation on the original thought of explaining “leaving space,” I have limited and set obstacles which will in fact, not leave space. Whether I believe the task to be easy or hard, I am still placing an emotional attachment to the idea and therefore the outcome will not be what it is meant to be—neither easy nor hard, just what it is meant to be.
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Perhaps an example may be helpful. In 1987, when battling with recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I attended a lecture in San Francisco by Dr. Carol Jessop, recognized as one of the top specialists in the treatment of this disorder. She was addressing a large auditorium of people at Mount Zion Hospital with well over one hundred in attendance. Her speech was very informative and she discussed her involvement and treatment of this enigma called CFS. Of the many things she said, I was most stunned and surprised by Dr. Jessop’s final comment. As she completed her lecture, she said that the patients who have recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and now lead a normal life are those who are able to “let go.” With those words she walked off the stage and I found myself wanting to stand up and yell, ‘Wait a minute, Dr. Jessop, what do you mean “let go?’” I struggled with the idea for a long time, and am only now able to say that “letting go” and “leaving space” are exactly the same thing. You see, “leaving space” is really very simple. It simply means having no emotional attachment to the outcome. Does this mean then that we have no desires, no wishes, and no direction? No, it does not. These things are important in helping us to grow and ultimately reach that state of “becoming more human.” We are in no way 92
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meant to sit like bumps on logs waiting for life to dish out whatever is on the menu for that day. The whole idea of leaving space helps us to realize that we can be passively active in our wishes and desires. We place in our metaphoric vase the things we wish to happen, or the things we desire, or perhaps just our dreams, and then we go about our business creating the result without any emotional attachment to the outcome. It means that we take a “No hurry, no worry” approach to life as we realize that our thoughts can manifest without us having to force, push, and shove our way into making things happen. You see, when we place fear, expectation, or anxiousness into our vases and surround our wishes and desires with any or all of these emotional attachments, we expend enormous amounts of energy that ultimately interfere with the manifestation of our dreams and desires. Remembering that all thought has energy means that when we place limitations through fear and apprehension, or with expectations and impatience, we actually interfere with the outcome and create the very thing we wish to avoid. I am sure you have experienced it—trying so hard to do something and finding that the harder you try, the more you attain the opposite result. Take crying or laughing as an example. Have you ever tried to stop laughing or tried to stop crying, only to discover that the 93
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harder you try the more you laugh or cry? So concerning thought, the message seems to be that the harder we think something into being, the more likely we are to get the opposite effect. Take a moment to consider this principle and how it works. I am a relentless teacher in that I will not quit explaining an idea until I see at least one student reach that euphoric state of “Aha.” And since I cannot see any of your faces, I have to assume that no one has yet reached that moment of completion when a teacher can satisfactorily say, “Class dismissed.” Now think back to what happened on the way to class or to the store or bank or to anyplace that necessitated a parking spot. Now, to add drama, let’s say that it is pouring rain or hailing or gushing wind to 75 miles per hour (Ah, then you must be in Kansas!). Any miserable outside environmental situation that would make you beg for a parking space fairly close to a door. Okay, so here we go. As we drive in we think about finding that one parking space that will allow us easy and dry access to the door. We have thus given the thought birth and we place it in our thinking vase with NO OTHER THOUGHT AND WITH NO EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT. In fact, we think it and then forget about it all together. Herein lies the magic. 94
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We forget about the parking space and therefore it gives it space to manifest. Alas, it appears—there right in front of the door where the big red Cadillac is exiting. Coincidence? No, it was thought being brought to life and given the opportunity to breathe on its own. No stress, no anxiety nor additional thoughts being thrown into the vase that confuse and diminish the original thought. It is a perfect example of the law of manifestation—creating, leaving space, and receiving. Interestingly enough, in addition to manifesting a parking space we may also create anxiety, worry, and stress in the process. We find a space, park the car, and then realize that we are highly stressed. I don’t know about you, but I would rather just have the parking space. Again it bears repeating that whatever we place in our “wish vase” we can manifest. This doesn’t necessarily mean we will find the desired space, it only means we will be free from the negative emotions that leave us drained of energy, anxiety-ridden, and stressed-out. Furthermore, remember the choice is ours, a parking space with stress or without? Okay, one more time just for clarification. This example shows our passively active approach to one of life’s little wishes. We are actively giving birth to our need for a parking space through our passive thought regarding 95
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a convenient spot. Then actively we set about searching for this perfect place to park as we passively and gently leave space for it to manifest. The outcome is not necessarily the most important thing here. Perhaps what is most important is that we left space for a place to park without thinking a hundred other thoughts that would have only served to tarnish and deluge the original wish, taking much of our energy in the process. David Spangler once again illustrates the idea of manifestation: Manifestation seems to work in unpredictable, unanticipated, and maybe even miraculous ways. It could range from finding just the right parking place on a busy downtown street, to being given a gift of money sufficient to pay your bills when you otherwise have no income; it could mean coincidentally finding just the right job or meeting the right person with whom to fall in love. The flavor of a manifestation is that it seems coincidental, an event that happens synchronistically beyond the apparent power of our own efforts or resources yet that brings to us just what we need or want. It has the flavor of luck or magic about it. It appears miraculous.
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Now that I have beaten you over the head with the idea of “leaving space,” I wish to digress as I touch on a very important precursor in manifesting an original thought. It is of paramount importance that we are very clear about what it is we want. No emotional attachment, just clarity. Throughout my life I have met many wonderful people whom I shall always remember. One such person was named Ray. His name seemed fitting because he was like a ray of sunshine or moonshine, or of anything light and bright. I asked Ray how one goes about getting what one wants. His answer reflected his inner wisdom as he said, “Libby, first you need to know what it is you want. Then you put it out to the Universe and simply believe that it is yours.” I responded, ‘Ray that sounds great, but shouldn’t we leave our options open, ask for a lot of different things and just trust that the thing that is meant to happen, will?’ Ray thought a moment and said, “Why confuse the issue? What we need to do is know what we want, believe that we are deserving of what we want, and then believe that it is ours.” Although Ray never used the term “leaving space,” his words hang in the air with nothing attached but space. Perhaps in summary we can conclude that “thoughts create,” and it applies an active rather than passive 97
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approach in taking responsibility for what happens in our lives. It requires focus, perseverance, and flexibility. It is important that we first know with total clarity what it is we want or need and secondly, that we take an active position in obtaining our goal. Finally, we “leave space” for the results to appear while maintaining a sense of perseverance and patience. Speaking of results—it is important to realize that sometimes the thing we want to manifest may not look like, act like, or even be closely related to the thing we thought we were creating. This does not necessarily mean that we were not being clear about our intentions, it may only mean that what we are seeking to manifest is not good for us. I often think of children and how inviting an electric stovetop appears when it is on—orange, red and very colorful. To a child, there appears no danger; to a parent it signals pain and tragedy. The child may wish with all his or her heart to touch a burner and the parent continually says “no” and tries to explain the dangers in doing so. Such is life. Some of the things we wish for, may not be good for us. We may not understand the reasoning, but it is important to accept that we may not always get what we want. However, we may never know unless we leave space… 98
CHAPTER EIGHT
NEWTONIAN NUANCES Sir Issac Newton discovered Newtonian Physics, the Old Physics, or Classical Physics about 300 years ago. It was based on the laws of motion, the concepts of reductionism, and cause and effect (Zukav, 1979). “In the seventeeth century Galileo, Newton and other natural philosophers discovered that an enormous body of physical facts could be encompassed in a few mathematical formulas. For instance with only three mathematical laws Newton could explain all motion in heaven and on Earth” (Herbert, 1985, page 2). Although extremely profound information for the times, science has moved well beyond the Classical view of Physics and is now more interested in the world at the subatomic level. However, before we jump too far ahead and get lost somewhere in never-never land, it is important to understand what Newton created in terms of a worldview of how things work in the universe.
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Newtonian Physics fragmented the world, dividing everything into parts and pieces so that we could better understand the rules of cause and effect. Unfortunately, with this mindset we were left more separated than unified, ultimately creating chaos and destruction as a result. Without delving into Physics and mathematical formulas, the outcome of Newtonian-age thinking was perhaps the beginning of the “us vs. them” mentality. A way of thinking that served to divide and destroy inside the belief that things are either “this way or that.” No inbetween, no gray, and totally void of probability or possibility for anything other than “this or that.” Or in other words...Black/white, good/bad, this/that, up/down, and so on and so forth. “We superficially divide our consciousness into compartments, such as subject vs. object, life vs. death, mind vs. body, inside vs. outside, reason vs. instinct...” (Wilber, 1979, page i). Most of us know this story well because it is the way in which we define ourselves and give meaning to our world. It is through the conscious and unconscious attitudes of judging, categorizing, and/or labeling, that we learn ways of interacting with people, places, and things. Sociologists refer to this as a process by which we define our realities in everyday settings (Macionis, 1995). For example, 100
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learning the names and uses of material objects is paramount to our survival. If we were in the desert and did not know rattlesnakes are poisonous and that their bite can be fatal, we may not be cautious when finding ourselves in the presence of one. Likewise, we can think of thousands of examples where the knowledge of potentially harmful animals and objects (and people) can be extremely useful in avoiding danger. Therefore, the labeling and acquiring of information about our environment is necessary. Unfortunately, this outdated attitude of needing to classify and categorize allows us to separate, discriminate, and construct barriers between the people and ourselves and things we deem bad, wrong, and generally different from ourselves. Worse yet, we often form an invisible hierarchy in which we place ourselves above others and then we build barriers that keep others out, or ourselves in. This is most often illustrated in our “us vs. them” mentality where wars are being fought both in our physical and emotional worlds. Everywhere we look the struggle for power and control is being waged. To conquer and destroy often requires identifying our “enemy” before complete annihilation can occur. This means that we must first judge our opponent based on nothing more than a subjective evaluation. 101
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Sometimes our evaluations are based on personal experiences as expressed by Wilber in his book No Boundary (1979, page i), “But all of the battles in our experience, our conflicts, anxieties, sufferings, and despairs, are created by the boundaries we misguidedly throw around our experience.” Other times we form opinions based on the beliefs of others. I recently witnessed an example of how thought is personalized through subjective meaning when I requested information from a graduate assistant regarding higher educational institutions offering courses in consciousness. His reply to my request was, “Well, I imagine most of the schools are on the West Coast since that’s where all the weirdoes live.” He has never been to California, yet his subjective evaluation was based on what I have come to discover is an “anti-California” feeling among many midwesterners. Why do we continue to be separated from each other and from our environment, and how can we get away from the thought that everything and everyone is separate and disconnected? In Richard M. Bucke’s Cosmic Consciousness (1961), he speaks of humankind being “self conscious” rather than having a “cosmic consciousness.” Or simply
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said another way; it is the I rather than the we. It is the Self rather than the not Self, the part rather than the whole. So where does this separation of Self begin? It begins with the need to define who and what we are. Separation gives an illusion of power and control; a way to place ourselves above and beyond the “average” person. Many times I hear students complete “I am...” statements. “I am” this or “I am” that and interestingly enough, once a name, label, or definition is “owned” by us, we eventually find ourselves becoming that very thing. Eventually we build an entire maze with boxes of various shapes and sizes, each one marked with a label we give ourselves while owning the associated behaviors. How we define ourselves is reflected in our behavior. What we may sense initially as power, may bring only a personal prison whereby we are weakened by the constraints of acting out our chosen roles. Metaphorically, this process is similar to crawling into a box, closing the lid, and slowly suffocating. Sociologists refer to the labels we attach to ourselves as roles, and with each role an attached role expectation (Macionis, 1995); that which is expected from us within the acting out of our chosen roles. For example, a person in the role of student is expected to be in class on time, be attentive in class, and engage in a certain amount of 103
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participation. He or she is not expected to come to class under the influence of drugs or alcohol, conduct business of any kind in class, and/or bring children to class. Yet if one were enacting a different role, such as “addict,” “business professional,” or “parent” it would be acceptable to play the part expected by each consequent role. Thus, one must know which role to enact at what time, under what circumstances, and in what socially acceptable situation. Is it any wonder we also have terms like “role strain” and “role conflict” to explain the confusion we experience from the incompatibility of various roles (Macionis, 1995)? Is it any wonder that so many of us are in psychotherapy for stress relief? As one defines oneself as mother, daughter, sister, student, employee, friend, lover, husband, nephew, parishioner, socialite, feminist, liberal, democrat, etc., it is understandable why confusion is the current prevailing mental state. It is easy to see how one’s list could almost be inconclusive, exponential, and continuously changing based on the adding and subtracting of various roles, much like post-its that we apply and remove at whim. It is not surprising that so many of us are asking the question, “Who in the hell am I?” We are human beings seeking approval from others, moving from box to box based on the expected response 104
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of others at specific times and given certain circumstances. And separation continues to be the order of the day... When I first began teaching, I stood behind the podium and read from prepared notes. I thought this was how teachers taught students because my perception of teachers and my experiences with them led me to believe this was the best way. In wanting to be accepted and liked, I thought (albeit somewhat unconsciously, perhaps even obliviously to some extent), that to be in the role of “teacher” required being an information dispenser. I was externally driven rather than internally motivated, and so I continued with this behavior for a grueling and painfully long semester. It took a few more semesters before I realized that I was miserable and so were the students. I was ineffective and boring, and although I was playing the role of a teacher quite succinctly, I lacked creativity, spontaneity, and fun. I am quite relieved to say that my style is now a no-style approach and my role as a teacher is not to be in a role at all. I now try to be fully present by listening to the students and by responding to their learning needs and wants on any given day. No more borders and separations for me, my desire is to be out amongst them. So here it is the twenty-first century and we are still separating ourselves from each other and from every living 105
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thing. The American presidential election has passed and as usual, it had its share of political rhetoric. Perhaps the idea of separation is best witnessed in the political arena of the United States Government. Yes...it is the separation of the Republicans and the Democrats. Both parties have political platforms that they believe are best for the American people, and both are holding true to their beliefs. Spend a moment considering how many boxes politicians juggle and the role conflict and role strain they endure. Here, we see most profoundly how each political party attempts to outdo the other by telling the public what they perceive they want to hear, and therefore, attempt to acquire the most votes for election purposes. For just one moment, imagine both parties opening the tops of their boxes and dissolving the boundaries between them. Consider the unity and cooperation that could come from an atmosphere of openness and a willingness to work together for the good of all human kind. The point is that we would all be united for the good of all. Sound idealistic? Well, perhaps it is, but unless we begin to teach unification we will forever be left dazed and confused by the barrage of separationist beliefs and attitudes. Think about the ways humans separate themselves from their environments. When I was younger I used to 106
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have the typical fear of spiders that many seem to have. (Imagine the lack of self-esteem a spider must have knowing that it is so feared and unwanted.) Whenever I would see a spider I would do what most of us think of doing, without much real thought, I might add. We gather a handful of tissue and crush the poor thing, keeping it at arms length until we reach the toilet and then flush it away making sure it hasn’t escaped somewhere enroute. It isn’t just spiders that we feel a need to kill; it may be any type of bug or insect, animal, plant or any living thing, for that matter. Now why do we do this? Again, I believe it is because of our “us vs. them” mentality. We dominate and destroy simply by virtue of the fact that we can. We are obviously much larger and much more powerful than a spider and so why not obliterate it from the planet? What good is a spider anyway? Well, here is something that once grasped, will hopefully change one’s perspective on harming any living thing, even spiders! Perhaps Newton wasn’t totally right. What if everything is interconnected? What if we lived as if we were all one, giving everything an equal right to live and exist on this planet? Dr. Wayne W. Dyer in his book Sacred Self (1995, page 351), says this about the interconnectedness of life: 107
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We all share the same oxygen, drink from the same water, walk and reside on the same soil. And whether we like to admit it or not, we are all intimately sharing each other’s continually changing atoms and molecules. The only constant in the physical world is change. Everything that is manifested in a material form is changing at all moments. This continuous shift of atoms means that there is no separateness in the quantum scientific sense or in any other sense. Once one grasps the concept that all is one, it creates a bond whereby a nurturing and reverence for all life is felt. It becomes painful to harm anything or anyone as we begin to understand that to do so, we are harming ourselves. We have tried the separationist approach. Perhaps the time has come for a new approach to living on a planet that is in dire need of dramatic changes. Perhaps those changes can begin by simply re-thinking our treatment of spiders. My friend and mentor, Foster Gamble (the creator of MindCenter Corporation) spoke to me of three valuable household items he believes everyone should have. The first two are a glass and a thin piece of cardboard, the third, is a butterfly net. He said that the glass and 108
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cardboard are for capturing and containing spiders and other small insects until they can safely be released outside. The butterfly net, according to Foster, is useful in catching flies and other flying insects for releasing them outside. It may appear to be an insignificantly small step in discovering unity, but to the spider or fly, it is paramount and monumental. Try this “save the spiders” approach and you may discover that at the point of releasing a spider to its natural environment, you feel a deep sense of connection with all living things, possibly even Mother Earth Herself. Speaking of the planet, Earth is reaching a population of over 6 billion people. As previously stated, a plethora of social problems plagues the people of this planet. We desperately need to learn how to get along with others and to live peacefully with each other. We must learn how to nurture the earth and respect her resources and wonders before nothing is left but barrenness. It is time to break down the boundaries, borders, and barriers that we have so carefully constructed around ourselves. It is time to stop defining, labeling, and judging others and ourselves as it only serves to separate us from each other and from our environment. Perhaps the time has come for us to truly become one planet, one people. If we begin to dissolve the boundaries that divide us “...the opposites 109
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are realized to be one, discord melts into concord, battles become dances, and old enemies become lovers. We are then in a position to make friends with all of our universe, and not just one half of it” (Wilber, 1979, page 29). So what perpetuates this belief that we are all separate and apart from each other? Is it fear? Is it our egocentristic view that because we have large brains we must rule the planet, maintain power, and conquer and destroy? I choose to think that we are simply doing what we are taught to do. It is the Newtonian way; the socially accepted attitude and the teachings that have been passed from generation to generation-the memes of our culture. The walls of education have been part of the problem in the teaching of separation, not only physically but also intellectually, emotionally, and soulfully as well. Perhaps it is time for us to break the cycle and burst the existing paradigm. I believe the time has come to tear down walls, dissolve boundaries and begin to replace the separationist paradigm with unification theory. If the Berlin Wall can fall, so can the walls that divide and destroy us all from ourselves, from each other, and from our planet. Often, it is the first step which is the most difficult to take. The challenge for us all is to begin to break down the barriers that serve to divide and isolate us from each other. It becomes 110
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imperative that we be free from prejudices and truly believe that we are all one with the universe. There are countless theories of prejudice and discrimination and yet none cover the most important theme; love is what tears down walls. It is the guiding force in life and offers the best solution to life’s problems. Best yet, I believe it is a learned behavior not an innate one, which means that we can all learn how to love. We can learn the powerful love of Self, the far-reaching love of others, and the unified love of the environment and the universe itself. Newton’s theories served a purpose for the day and age in which they thrived. Perhaps now the time has come to find another way; to travel another road; to choose unity over separation. To help us establish a New World view, it is important to understand the invisible order of a visible universe. It is necessary that we learn about the inner world so that we can gain a better understanding of our outer world. Therefore, the following chapter will delve into the world of the subatomic to show that we are truly connected in both worlds of what is seen and what is unseen. In other words, we are ONE.
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CHAPTER NINE
QUANTUM STUFF I enjoy integrating Quantum Physics into the courses I teach, AND I do not claim to be a Physicist or an expert by any means. I love the theories and embrace them with passion and excitement. I am often asked by students what physics has to do with sociology and my response is emphatically, ‘EVERYTHING.’ In my thirst to know and understand the subatomic world I have self-taught myself the theories of physics, and therefore, will present them in the way that I learned them and best understand them. I will correlate them with sociological theory, thus uniting the worlds of the inner/invisible with the outer/visible. In quantum theory there is an irreducible link between observer and the observed. Quantum physics in a nutshell says that there is no such thing as objectivity. “We cannot eliminate ourselves from the picture. We are a part of nature, and when we study nature there is no way around the fact that nature is studying itself ” (Zukav, 1979, page 29). If we consider this as a possibility, that our thoughts 112
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may in fact affect outcome, then we must consider that strict objectivity is impossible (Harman, 1998). What is perhaps most profound in the world of quantum physics is the evidence that particles appear to be making decisions and doing so continuously. Furthermore, these decisions are based on decisions made in other places and at other times. The kicker is that these decisions are made instantaneously. The best visible example of this phenomenon is one most of us have experienced. We find ourselves thinking of someone and suddenly the phone rings or the doorbell rings and somehow, somewhere, or in some form, the person becomes present. Is it possible that the observer and the observed are one in the same and that perhaps our thoughts do create our realities? Let us read what the experts have to say shall we? Max Planck Considered to be the Father of Quantum Physics, Max Planck introduced the world to quantum physics in the early 1900’s. He discovered that energy could be emitted or absorbed only in discrete energy packets he called “quanta.” This idea was so new at the time, that it met resistance from the traditionalists or classical framework of physicists. However, it was the young Albert Einstein that helped to explain Planck’s observations. Einstein 113
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interpreted Planck’s hypothesis by saying that light consists of quanta of energy traveling through space. What is perhaps most interesting about quanta, is that these energy packets can be ignited by our internal thoughts and then reflected in our external realities. Yet, we don’t often connect our inner feelings with our outer worlds. It is just not something we have been taught to do. We are still stuck in the Newtonian way of thinking which says that things happen to us—outside of us, apart from us. However, if and when we integrate this theory of quanta to our visible or outer world, it becomes clear that the two are inseparable. For example, road rage is prevalent in our society and yet I know many people who have never experienced it. Why some and not others? What is going on in the minds and lives of those projecting and being affected by road rage? If Planck was right, and we do carry packets of energy, then what do we do with our own anger and frustration? Remember David Spangler’s story in the chapter “Thoughts Create,” when he experienced the manifestation of his own anger as his car’s windshield shattered? Was this perhaps the creation and the projection of his personal quanta, projecting outwardly? Be consciously aware of what you are thinking about the next time someone cuts you off in traffic, sends an obscene 114
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gesture your way, or drives in a way that is anything but considerate. You may be surprised to find that what you are getting is nothing more than what you are giving, and everything is relative! Albert Einstein In the Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein hypothesized that relativity is not so much about what is relative as much as what is not. He described the way that relative aspects of physical reality appear to vary, depending upon the point of view of different observers, or their state of motion relative to each other. Einstein theorized that when your mind chooses a reality, from that point on no matter how rational it might be your mind would fulfill that reality. In other words, “Reality is what we take to be true. What we take to be true is what we believe. What we believe is based upon our perceptions. What we think depends upon what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. What we take to be true is our reality. The central focus of this process, initially at any rate, is what we think”(Zukav, 1979, page 310). In other words, there is no separation between the observer and the observed. An example may be seen in what police refer to as “bystander bias.” When an accident occurs and bystanders
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are questioned, each person details the accident based on their perceptions of themselves and others, relative to their physical positioning and proximity to the accident. Basically this suggests and supports the idea that perception is EVERYTHING, and everything is relative! Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle Heisenberg was known as the Christopher Columbus of quantum theory. According to Heisenberg, we cannot observe something without affecting it in some way. Heisenberg states that the unmeasured world is actually what quantum theory represents it to be, a superposition of light possibilities. Heisenberg called these possibilities potentia, which were unrealized tendencies forming, awaiting the magic moment of measurement that will grant one of these tendencies a more concrete style of being, which humans experience in actuality. In Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle we learn the extent to which an observer intervenes in the system he observes. We are not independent observers standing on the sidelines watching events unfold apart from ourselves. We see what we expect to see. To illustrate this theory and apply it to the visible world, visualize two groups of young boys. One group consists of white boys, the other boys of-color. They all enter a
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department store with the intention of shop-lifting. A security guard is viewing the boys from a hidden video camera. Let’s assume that the security guard holds the belief AND meme that people of-color are more prone to commit criminal acts than are white people. Guess which group of boys the guard is going to observe? According to Heisenberg, the observer will typically not separate his beliefs from truth and will in fact make every attempt to support his reality by seeing only what will support his/ her beliefs. Therefore, the guard observing will only be watching the boys of-color. Now suppose that both groups of boys shop lift. Since the guard is only observing what he/she expects to see, then the boy’s of-color are the ones that will be caught. The white boys are unnoticed, the boys of-color are arrested, and the observer continues to hold the meme that people of-color are criminals. The guards perceived truth about people of–color is supported and perpetuated by virtue of the fact that there is no separation between the observer and what is observed. John Bell and Bell’s Theorem John Bell, a physicist in Switzerland said that reality is non-local. This means that one event can affect the other,
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even before the other event decides to happen. Thought can travel faster than light but the speed of light is what wedges the future and the past apart. Bell found that not only is it possible for effects to happen faster-than-light, but they must in fact occur. Exceeding the speed of light means that things affecting events in the past, also affect things in the future. (Sukav,1979). Some of us may have heard the unbelievable stories that support Bell’s Theorem of non-local thought. These stories tell of events that happen in a particular time and place, and are somehow “known” by someone in another place. For example, a mother somehow senses tragedy at the exact moment that her daughter or son suffers a misfortune, an accident, and/or even death. In addition and in repetition, how many of us just seem to know the identity of a caller when the phone or doorbell rings? Often we respond with “I was just thinking about you…” Furthermore, we hear stories regarding dreams and/ or premonitions. Nostradamis and Edgar Cayce were two men who long ago stated predictions, many which have come true. So what does this mean? It means that thought travels outside the past, the present, and the future. It means that thought cannot be confined by limitations of time nor space. Perhaps it even says that thought is a living thing; a system in and of itself. 118
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David Bohm/Thought As A System David Bohm produced yet another theory. He believed that quantum physics was based upon a perception of a new order or a new way of thinking. In his model, each electron is sensitive to or aware of everything that is taking place in its environment. Bohm explains how people overlook the active interconnection of all things and this fault is the cause for a series of problems in science, society, and in our everyday lives. In his book Thought As A System Bohm (1992), said, “That everything is interdependent; and yet, the more interdependent we get, the more we seem to split up into little groups that don’t like each other and are inclined to fight each other and kill each other, or at least not to cooperate,” (page 1). For the last few decades we have found ourselves looking for the source of all this trouble. Bohm says that the source is basically our own thoughts and that sometimes the thing we use to solve our problems is the source of our problem (Bohm, 1992). Bohm continued to say that, ”Thought is always doing a great deal, but it tends to say that it hasn’t done anything, that it is just telling you the way things are” (Bohm, 1992, page 5). But thought affects everything. Thought has produced tremendous effects outwardly (Nichol, 1999). How do we take this concept of thought as a system and make it real to us? Well, think about what your 119
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thoughts are upon wakening. Do you think you will have a good day, or do you hide beneath the bed covers thinking that nothing good could possibly happen? Based on those first thoughts of the morning, project on the planned events of the day. If a good day is expected, then most likely it will be a wonderful day. However, if your first thoughts are of doom and gloom, then watch out for the monster under the bed because it may really exist. The point here is to give careful consideration to our thoughts and recognize their potential to create and manifest whatever it is we are thinking. Wolfgang Pauli and The Pauli Effect The Pauli Effect was brought to attention or theorized due to Wolfgang Pauli. It was said that he possessed so much energy that he would cause objects such as glass vessels and gauges to implode or break. This reaction would occur when he would walk into a room or even enter into a particular area. Is it possible that our energy can be projected in such a way so as to affect our surroundings? To illustrate this quantum physics theory my best friend told me his story regarding the power of electrical fields. In fact, it is one I have heard from students many times before. He said he would often mentally revisit events that occurred at his place of business while driving home. On nights when 120
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he experienced a rather frustrating evening, he said he could almost feel the frustration level grow in intensity. As if creating his own “Pauli Effect,” he said that on these particular nights he would witness streetlights burning out as he journeyed home. He described it as more of a “pop.” He commented that when it first began happening he thought it just coincidental, but as it reoccurred time and time again, he realized that his energy was having an effect on the lights. From these theories it is learned that quanta and our thoughts contain energy that is projected and absorbed either positively or negatively. This energy makes it possible for things to occur that some believe to be unexplainable. So what do these quantum physics theories have to do with anything? Please read on and the profound impact and connection will be explored.
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CHAPTER TEN
CRIMSICS Chapters Nine and Ten exist solely because of the sixteen students mentioned in the “Preface.” Although questioning the correlation between Quantum Physics and Criminology, this class of “mind pioneers” took the challenge I placed before them. This challenge was to create a new theory in academia that would offer a different perspective and an alternative solution to the problems of crime and violence. Therefore, I dedicate these chapters to each and every student and I thank them for their willingness to “color outside the lines.” Research shows that the rates of crime and violence in America continue to increase. Traditional approaches have not been successful in decreasing crime and violence to a significant degree. It was our thought that by incorporating sociological and criminological theory, quantum physics, memetics, and case studies of indigenous cultures, a new solution to this continual problem could be developed. By reviewing the works of various physicists we concluded that conscious thoughts work as a system. We 122
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began to see the ways thought impacts behavior. Seldom do we recognize that it is our own deep, hidden thoughts that create problems. Therefore, we may continue thinking that the answers lie somewhere outside of ourselves. Perhaps what is needed is nothing more than an awareness that we are in control of our own thoughts. Therefore, it is through our thoughts that we may be capable of creating a world free from violence and crime. If what we think does affect how we feel and how we react to everything, is it possible to harness our thoughts, make effectual behavioral changes, and decrease crime and violence in the process? If so, it is important to explore and understand the basics of crime and criminology and our thoughts about them. Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making and breaking laws, and the reaction toward the breaking of laws. The objective of criminology is the development of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding the process of law, crime, and treatment. The three most important areas of interest to a criminologist are; the development of criminology and its use to define crime, the cause of law violations and, the methods used to control criminal behavior. 123
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Although the ways of analyzing, capturing and punishing criminals have changed overtime, there has not been any real change in crime statistics. Law enforcement and criminologists agree that the substantial increasing numbers of inmates has helped to reduce crime, at least by keeping more violent criminals off the street. The increase in the number of inmates has been produced by the increase of those who are arrested serving jail or prison terms. The United States initiative to get tough on crime has yes, decreased crime in various areas, yet it has also created an enormous inmate population. In addition, the recidivism rate in this country is nearly 90% and the majority of crimes that are committed are committed by a small group of people. We know where we are now in regard to crime in America, but how did we get here and where does it end? Or will it ever end? When considering reducing the crime rate in American culture, it is important to examine those cultures that lie removed from the violence we have grown accustomed to in our society. When we attempt to analyze and study those cultures (especially from the past) that facilitated the notion of non-aggression, we can identify several similar characteristics that seem to influence the way those 124
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isolated societies were able to function in everyday life. In most cases, many of these so-called passive cultural groups of the past were very primitive in nature. Their approach to life and survival was very different from what we now call modern society. The lifestyle of such primitive groups is considered now by most to be very simple and direct—the overall level of confusion and frustration appears to be limited among the group’s tribal members. A person’s role and position in the group perimeter is clearly defined by the social structure that generally has been established and maintained over many years (if not centuries). Such things as greed, envy, ambition, etc., are virtually unknown or non-existent in relation to this type of culture or society. The people of such groups worked together for the common good. They are more apt to share most of the things they have with other members of their social group and individual possessions for the most part, are kept to a minimum. The Semai of Malaysia The Semai are aboriginal people of Malaysia, who number about 13,000 (Moss, 1997). They live in isolated politically autonomous settlements with fewer than 100 people, and they have managed to live lives completely absent of violent crime. Until recently, only anthropological studies 125
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had been conducted on this primitive people. In 1997, Geoffrey Moss wrote his article, Explaining the Absence of Violent Crime Among the Semai of Malaysia: Is Criminological Theory Up to the Task? This article specifically details the Semai’s ability to prevent violent crime from entering their society. This criminological study revealed that whenever a Semai is faced with a potentially violent situation, he or she reacts with a fear response that prevents them from becoming violent, and thus committing violent acts. The Semai, as a society, are universally socialized to react in this manner (Moss, 1997). The supreme moral values of the Semai are nurturance and avoiding danger and these values show how they see themselves as helpless beings living in a dangerous world. Since they believe they are helpless beings, they must depend on each other for aid and comfort, in order to remain safe from danger, illness, and even death. Sharing food and avoiding violence are the most important priorities of the Semai. By sharing food, the Semai are able to avoid the danger of violence, which in turn reinforces the supreme moral values. The Semai condemns violence because it is physically dangerous and because they feel that violence will split their nurturing communities into rival groups (Moss, 1997). 126
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During this study, many criminological theories were used to explain the absence of violent crime among the Semai. For example, the strain theory says that people commit violent acts because they face conditions that pressure them to do so. According to Agnew and Cullen (1999), the general underlying theme for all strain theories is that people can be pressured into committing crimes by the negative states that occur as a result ofnegative social relationships. Agnew said that there are three types of negative social relationships that can cause a person to experience strain. They are: 1. Blocking a person from acquiring economic or noneconomic goals that are valued highly by them. 2. Threaten to or actually remove something that is of great importance to a person (a mate, money, loss of a job, loss of a car, etc.). 3. Make idle threats to a person (threatening experiences at school, home, or work). While the Semai may experience certain types of strain, they do not experience strain grounded in economic competition. Furthermore, it is believed that perhaps the 127
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Semai are able to prevent violent crime because they provide children and adults with a learning environment that is non-violent. The Semai promote anti-violent attitudes, refrain from modeling violent behavior, and do not provide social reinforcement for such behavior (Moss, 1997). The Bushmen of South Africa In the culture of the Bushmen of South Africa, there is no position of authority, such as a formal chief, but rather they are governed by consensus in which everyone gets a fair voice to be heard. This takes a good deal of time, but they are committed to this idea. There is no working class, therefore everyone feels like they belong to the tribe and no one feels exploited. In addition, there are few tensions and uncertainties. When things need to be decided upon, community census is reached as everyone’s opinion is considered. The Bushmen’s survival depends on his or her thorough knowledge of his environment and his or her relationship with his or her community. Perhaps part of the reason the Bushmen community is so peaceful is because they rely on each other for survival. Perhaps violence and crime cannot be found in these primitive cultures, because life is very structured. These passive groups are held together by consistent rituals, 128
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traditions, and ceremonies, which have been handed down from one generation to the next. Also, social conditions that strengthen social bonds decrease violence in both groups. They live in small enough groups that everyone thinks they are a strong part of the fabric of their community, which in turn, helps to reduce frustration and aggression. The Bushmen and the Semai do not seem to hold anger toward one another. They either work through their anger or avoid it altogether. Violence is not an inherent part of their thought processes and therefore, it does not exist. When comparing these non-violent cultures with more modern and aggressive societies we notice a sharp difference, in terms of overall social relationships. The technological gap between these two types of communities tends to be enormous. In almost all cases, the more contact made between these two different social groups, the more difficult it becomes for the primitive culture to survive (emotionally, physically, and socially). It could be argued that highly advanced technological societies have perverted and in most cases, totally destroyed not only the vulnerable and fragile social fabric, but also the much-prized non-violent characteristics. Rather than learning from these primitive communities, industrial countries and organizations usually ended up 129
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exploiting, converting, and in most situations, annihilating these harmless groups of people. Most individuals living in large technologically superior nations have lost the ability to function in a nonassertive manner. Modern society has taught people that in order to be successful and get what they want, they as individuals must be assertive and aggressive toward others in their surrounding environment. This kind of behavior is considered a desirable characteristic, which has continually been reinforced by such social components as family, school, community, etc. With this thought system in process, people who fall out of the social fabric of our communities will tend to try to achieve power and fulfill their needs in any way they see fit, which may include violence and crime. If crime and violence are simply a part of our culture, then can we make a choice to live without them? We have explored the cultures that are virtually crime-free, and introduced the idea that thoughts are a living system. Taking a huge step outside traditional theory (and perhaps sanity) we will now look at the correlation between quantum physics and criminology. In this section we are going to bridge the gap between some common criminological and quantum physics theories. Each criminological theory will be directly linked 130
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with a quantum physics theory to show that the two are similar. The first criminological theories to be discussed are Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association (1940) and Marvin Wolfgang’s Subcultural Theory (1958). Sutherland states that criminal behavior is a result of a learning process that occurs chiefly within small intimate groups—family, friends, neighborhood peer groups, etc. More simply, if a person associates with criminals, then that person is more likely to engage in criminal activity. If people associate with people who break the law, they are more likely to learn to break the law than those who associate with people who do not (Agnew & Cullen, 1999). People who associate with such groups, learn violence as a suitable response to many of the problems of life. In essence, what Sutherland is saying is that people internalize the values of the surrounding culture and when their environment includes frequent contact with criminal elements and relative isolation from noncriminal elements, they are likely to become delinquent or criminal. Marvin Wolfgang’s Subcultural Theory is closely related to Sutherland’s in that he believes that violent behavior is learned. However, Wolfgang blames the 131
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society as a whole and says that violent behavior is simply more accepted in some cultures. Wolfgang states that people who grow up in a subculture that approves violent behavior have a high chance of learning to be violent. According to the subcultural theory, violence is more acceptable to some groups than to others. These two criminological theories correlate directly with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, a quantum physics theory. Remember, in Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle we learn the extent to which an observer intervenes in the system he observes. WE SEE WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE. Label theorists question existing reality and ask why certain behaviors are labeled as criminal and why others are not. They also were curious as to why certain behavioral definitions could change over time (Agnew & Cullen, 1999). Additionally, label theorists focus on the consequences of being labeled and treated as a criminal. They argue that reacting to people as criminals initiates processes that have the self-fulfilling prophecy of making the person become a criminal. Being a criminal is thus the focal point of every interaction the person makes. Ross Matsudda (1992) believes that a key cause of delinquent behavior is a youth’s perception that other people view him or her as delinquent. This labeling creates a 132
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delinquent self and prompts illegal conduct (Agnew & Cullen, 1999). Finally, Howard Becker (1983) argues that social groups create deviance in our society. They make rules specifying actions as right and wrong. Persons who commit wrong actions are labeled as outsiders and are considered deviant. In essence, deviance is caused by the reaction to society’s norms (Agnew & Cullen, 1999). So, perhaps everything truly is relative… In the Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein hypothesized that relativity is not so much about what is relative as much as what is not. He described the way that relative aspects of physical reality appear to vary, depending upon the point of view of different observers, or more so their state of motion relative to each other. The general theory of relativity shows that our minds follow different rules than the real world does. A rational mind based on the impressions that it receives from its limited perspective, forms structures that thereafter determine what it further will and will not accept. From that point on, regardless of how the real world actually operates, this rational mind, following its self-imposed rules, tries to superimpose on the real world its own version of what must be.
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Einstein theorized that when your mind chooses a reality, from that point on no matter how rational it might be your mind would fulfill that reality. Your reality is to achieve monetary success, so you have chosen that reality and will attain you goal even if it is through criminal means. Frustration-Aggression Theory developed by John Dollard (1930) purports that violence is due to conflict and frustrations from class exploitation. Dollard argues that frustration often provokes an aggressive response in order to relieve tension or anxieties. Furthermore, Dollard (1939) stressed that violence is built into our nature. He proposed the frustration-aggression theory of violence. This sociological conflict theory would suggest that violence is an inherent part of human society (McShane & Williams, 1998). According to Dollard, people become frustrated when they are unable to reach their goals. When frustrated, they tend to strike out at others through tongue-lashing and/ or physical violence. Another definition of the frustrationaggression theory is that under certain circumstances people who are frustrated in their goals turn their anger away from the proper, powerful target and turn it toward another less powerful target that is safer to attack (McShane & Williams, 1998). 134
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Aggressive crimes are a product of the offender’s inability to deal with frustrations. Low frustration tolerance contributes to behavioral problems. There appears to be significant support for the idea that frustration alone “causes” aggressive crime. Frustration may serve as an intermediate contributor in some instances of crime. The real question is what are the thoughts underlying the frustration that triggers the aggression? To bridge this sociological theory to one of quantum physics theory, we could apply Max Planck’s theory of quanta. Remember that Planck’s theory describes that energy is emitted and absorbed. Our internal thoughts and external conflicts can ignite “quanta” or energy pockets. If we believe that criminal behavior starts with a thought and thought precedes behavior, then we can see how these energy pockets can explode and cause a form of behavior similar to the frustration-aggression theory. Let us also revisit the works of Wolfgang Pauli (1925), a German physicist best known for his Nobel Prize winning “Pauli Exclusion Principle.” It was said that Pauli could walk into a laboratory and a vacuum vessel would explode or a sensitive gauge would fracture. The “Pauli Effect” illustrates that energy is derived by thought and the frustration-aggression theory and the theory of quanta explain the intensity of the energy (Zukav, 1979). 135
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The study of energy in motion whether we look at it from a sociological viewpoint or from one of quantum physics would suggest that our thoughts generate intense passion and energy from within us that can cause destruction and chaos. Thought and energy move matter and provoke actions whether it is from a sociological point of view or one of quantum physics. These two schools of thought expand our minds as we overlay and analyze the theories of each academic arena of study. Both social and quantum theories would illustrate that our thoughts may generate our realities and ultimately help to create our destiny. Perhaps what this is all saying to us is that it is important to examine our thoughts and perceptions of people and places. If we perceive (label) someone or something as bad or dangerous, others may as well. Remember that fear is a meme that is quickly spread throughout the population. We may need to concentrate on how to change our perceptions in order to change the overall outcome into a desirable one. These theories serve to present one basic thought. Fundamentally, people are what they believe themselves to be. If someone expects to be a criminal then he or she will be a criminal. Likewise, if someone expects to be successful then he or she will be successful. Each person has the potential to be what he or she wants. 136
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Unfortunately, negative surroundings often lead to criminal activity. In order to help people, we must first show them the possibilities they may have excluded from their goals. If we show people that they can be successful, then we will produce a successful community. It bears repeating—we see what we expect to see. Okay, where do we go from here? We know that crime and violence exist in our society and the problem is growing. Something needs to be done to end the increasing number of criminals on our streets and in our jails. Not every society has the level of violence we do here in the United States. We know some of the reasons for crime and violence include our lack of social organization and our sensationalism of crime and violence through the media. The inequality of our economic situations plays a large part in the prevalence of crime and violence. People who do not have the means to make it through life legitimately resort to illegitimate means of trying to accomplish their goals. Currently we are being faced with a problem of finding solutions for the violence in the United States. Hundreds of different approaches have been created to help or rehabilitate those guilty of violence. Perhaps new ideas are ripe for implementation, no matter how difficult their development and initiation. Although crime has slightly 137
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decreased in recent years, our jails are bursting at the seams. Many theories have been developed to help solve this perplexing problem. Mimi Silbert is a good example of a person who has made a difference in the lives of the “down and out.” She is the co-founder of the Delancey Street Project that is a “successful center for drug and alcohol treatment, criminal rehabilitation, and vocational training—one that is run by its residents” (About, 1999, page 1). It is a program that combines strict discipline, compassion, vision, responsibility, valuable skills, personal accountability, and human kindness to help rehabilitate drug addicts and criminals. “The average resident who enters the program has been jailed four times, drug addicted for 12 years, and can’t read or write” (About, 1999, page 1). That sounds like a recipe for failure. “Despite daunting national statistics on recidivism among ex-convicts, Silbert starts with the assumption that people can change. We say if you walk around saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ you will become a person who talks that way naturally. And if you act as if you believe in yourself, you will” (Giraffe, 1999, page 1). The Delancey Street Project looks like a modern-day United States version of the Bushmen of South Africa, and The Semai of Malaysia. Everyone is important and 138
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feels as though he or she belongs. They all know that they depend on each other for survival and everyone plays an important role. If society labels a person as a failure, there is not much for that person to live up to. What do we expect that person to accomplish? That is the way our society treats criminals today. We expect them to continue a life of crime and we do not do anything to change them. We tell them their way of life is bad and wrong, but no one believes in them so that they might believe in themselves. One of the things that made the Street Project so successful was that the ex-convicts had to find their own transportation to San Francisco. This could imply that the people really wanted to change, but at the same time no one was going to do the changing for them. This attitude is necessary when dealing with crime. There is a tendency to believe that crime has and always will be a part of the American way of life. It is embedded in our every thought and every belief. As we have discussed throughout this paper, there are many different connections between both criminology and quantum physics. The idea of thought as a system found in quantum physics could be the solution. The answers could lie in our thoughts and the possibilities are astounding. The powers of how we think and perceive 139
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our reality could change the future for us all—in other words, if we change our thoughts, eventually our behavior will also change. Therefore, the first recommendation is to begin with ourselves and to change how we view criminals. We may need to stop viewing criminals as headed down a one-way street the wrong way. Instead, perhaps we need to see them as making the wrong rest stop on the highway of life. If we change how we perceive those who break the law, they may not feel trapped by a life of crime. Perhaps too often we spread the thought that by the act of one criminal indiscretion, a person is labeled a criminal and thus believed to be as such. Secondly, we may need to change how we sensationalize crime and violence. The media could help by changing their motto that “if it bleeds, it leads,” because that only puts more attention on the problems. If we somehow change the ways in which the media perpetuates violence, we might not regard ourselves as such a violent nation. Although the media does not cause the problems of crime and violence, it does play a significant role in creating sensationalism and memes regarding violence. It is certainly obvious that Americans are fascinated with crime. It is reflected daily through television, radio, news, and the arts, and of course, the world of entertainment.
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The final recommendation is that if we do not give such attention to criminal activities then perhaps our focus will shift to a more peaceful and crime-free environment. Giving less attention to violence is simply removing the thought from our minds. The answers may not be in rehabilitation but rather in prevention. What we are suggesting is very simple. So simple, in fact, that it is overlooked and when it is mentioned, it seems as though it is the most foreign concept ever known to mankind. As we begin to understand the ways in which thoughts affect behavior, we begin to gain an understanding of thoughts as a separate system. Thoughts begin for whatever reason, spread exponentially, and often wreck havoc along their way. By studying the phenomenon of the 100th monkey, we can gain insight into the power of thought from both quantum physics and sociological theory. Ken Keyes has written a book about the anthropological study of the Japanese Monkey’s, Macaca Fuscata. In Keyes book The Hundredth Monkey (1982), he details the 30-year study that was conducted on the island of Koshima. To observe the feeding patterns of the monkeys, sweet potatoes were left in the sand for the monkeys to eat. Although they enjoyed the flavor, they apparently found the sand to be 141
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unpleasant. One of the female monkeys named “Imo” began washing her potato in a nearby stream. Although, only 18 months old, Imo was able to teach her mother and many of her playmates to wash their potatoes in the water. The scientists began to observe that the younger monkeys were teaching the older monkeys and within a six-year span of time, all the young monkeys had learned how to wash the sand from their sweet potatoes. An amazing thing happened in the fall of the sixth year. Many of the monkeys were washing their sweet potatoes in the water and although the number is unknown, the figure is thought to be somewhere around 99. For some mysterious reason, when just one more monkey learned how to wash his or her potato, all the monkeys began washing their sweet potatoes. For example, the 100th Monkey theory proposes that when a certain critical number achieves awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. An idea permeated the whole colony of monkeys and built enough critical mass to affect behavior change among the entire colony of monkeys. As if this weren’t profound enough, the same scientists observed an even stranger phenomenon. The habit of washing their food seemingly leaped across bodies of
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water, as colonies of monkeys on other islands followed suit. Although an anthropological study, again the world of quantum physics is integrated through the concept of critical mass. Critical mass is achieved when energy is added until it reaches a certain limit. When that limit is reached, the energy releases in some way. Critical mass can be used to describe any situation that builds to the point where it becomes energy in movement. The following is an example of how critical mass is found in large corporations and how it enhances their ability to be successful. In the late seventies and early eighties, Chrysler Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy. Enough people believed in the company (including U.S. Senators) and the products they were building that Chrysler began one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of industry. Today, they are one of the leading car manufacturers in the world. They began with thoughts of success and financial rebound and reached critical mass when enough people began thinking and believing that Chrysler was a successful corporation. This example can be seen in every corporation, institution, as well as, in relationships. We believe that this shift in thinking can also affect the criminal justice system and the world of 143
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crime and violence. If enough people think we can live in a world without crime and violence, then it could happen. Perhaps the people at Apple computers understand perfectly— “THINK DIFFERENT.”
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LOVE 101 Okay, it’s time to move on to the good stuff—enough about memes, consciousness, and quanta. Let’s talk about the thing that makes our hearts pitter-patter and race wildly in the presense of our beloved. Love may be, in fact, the very reason for our existence. Love may be witnessed in millions of ways, every day. With it we feel whole, complete, and fulfilled; without it we may feel lost, incomplete, and empty. Throughout the ages and in countless ways, men and women have tried to define love through poetry, art, theater, and myriad of ways. Yet love is not definable through words because to try to do so, only confines and limits it to our personal experiences and the meanings we give them. In our discovery of “what love is” perhaps it will be helpful to discuss “what love isn’t,” and the main thing love isn’t, is fear. Love and fear do not peacefully coexist. In fact, they are diametrically opposed to one another. Fear is the part of us which judges, condemns, criticizes, competes, and forms continuous boundaries of separation. On the other 145
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hand, love is, simply put—freedom. It knows no boundaries and is not capable of judgment or criticism. Love is the very essence of the cosmos and is the energy force that unites us all to each other and to every living thing. Love means total acceptance of others and ourselves. Love is the part of our higher selves, which does not occupy the same living space as fear. If love and fear lived in the same house (they do in fact—they live in us) then love would occupy the attic while fear would live in the basement. Perhaps living in the basement and knowing the foundation of our house is what gives it strength. It understands our weaknesses and knows how to shake things up! It attacks our infrastructure by setting off electrical shortages (anger and rage), plumbing leaks (sadness and depression), and of course by welcoming the termites (guilt and fear), which ultimately consume our very essence, little by little. Meanwhile, love is simply enjoying the sunshine and the gently blowing breezes that filter through the windows. Love is content to simply be, while fear is determined to disrupt the peaceful and quiet state of love. Love focuses on nurturing and supporting the essence of Self. Meanwhile, fear is disconnected from the loving presence inside of ourselves because fears area of concern 146
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has become focused on the outer world (Dyer, 1995). Thus we see that love is willing to just “be,” while fear continually keeps things stirred up in an effort to distract love and keep the attention. After all, if a house is in constant need of repair, who has time to enjoy it in peace and quiet? Fear is an obstacle to love and cannot coexist peacefully. It keeps us in a constant state of imbalance and judgment. It sends us messages about our house (body), our external surroundings, and our relationships. It is most prominently found in our thoughts about ourselves. “Virtually all fears can be traced directly back to selfesteem” (Dyer, 1995, page 244), and self-esteem is nothing more than self-love. Love is the subtle and still voice that gently nudges us toward our dreams while encouraging us to take risks and live our lives with wild abandon. Another weapon of fear and one that is very effective in blocking love of self as well as love of others is guilt. Guilt is a very effective tool that keeps us slaves to our illusions by presenting a constant barrage of accusations concerning our unworthiness. When guilt is the foremost expression of thought, love is not present. Americans seem to have more than our share of guilt and fear thrives on guilt. Guilt is the inner fear that you should pay a price for any and all mistakes you have committed in your life. 147
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Thus fear convinces you that you must feel guilty and it keeps you removed from your true spirit (Dyer, 1995). Compassion is love’s triumph over fear and guilt, and assists us in releasing ourselves from any undesirable and often uncomfortable feelings. Therefore, allowing compassion toward self and others is a move toward living in a loving state. Fear also uses an unforgiving nature in its arsenal against love. When we hold onto anger and bitterness toward our selves or others, we block the presence of love in our lives. Unforgiveness takes an incredible amount of energy to foster and the outcome is one that leaves us feeling weak and drained. Unforgiveness is like a leaky roof—once we’ve located one leak, ten more appear. It is a continual struggle to plug the holes and is simply another trick of illusion to keep us weak, unfocused, and separated. It keeps us closed off to each other and to Self. It chokes out the fresh air and darkens the spaces where we reside. I have discovered that fear and love manifest very well in the academic classroom. Fear is not satisfied to be still and observe. It seems only happy when it is insisting that it is truth and that all must believe, as it believes. I encourage and invite students to share their opinions and feelings openly and honestly in my classroom. Many come from a place of love, compassion, and strength. Others 148
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present their opinions as the only true and right way, wanting others to see the truth and rightness of their positions. From the position of an educator it is my observation that love is “open.” It is not closed to any points of view and welcomes all thoughts, feelings, and opinions because love does not defend, offend, or depend. Fear is a constant voice needing to be heard, while love is silent and listens intently. Fear is constant motion; love is stillness. This is not to say that love is passive, it is not. Love is action. The power of love can shatter fear in one fell swoop and I have witnessed this many times in a classroom. For example, in “Race and Ethnic Relations” class, it was not uncommon for students to argue about racial issues. Fear would spread among several students as opinions varied and often grew controversial. Then very quietly and swiftly, a student would raise his or her hand and would say something to the effect of, “All we need is to love each other.” Suddenly, the classroom would become voiceless and still and I sensed that each person in the room seemingly felt the power of love. Fear retreated to its corner. Love 1—Fear 0. In our day-to-day experiences it is clear (at least to those who choose to see) when we are operating from a fearbased perspective. For one thing, when fear believes it to 149
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be the victor (actually no one wins when it is involved), there is little or no satisfaction from the victory. Perhaps this is because there is no time to enjoy the spoils of battle because fear is quickly off to fight yet another war. Again, we might ask, “What is love?” To teach a class on love and about love would be challenging at best. I could give examples, give previous definitions and descriptions of love, could ask students to give their own personal experiences and examples of love, yet somewhere the wholeness and the essence of love would never be adequately described. In defining “love,” the meanings would vary from person to person and from situation to situation. If I were to ask my students in “Human Sexuality,” perhaps they would respond with “Well, love is sex.” My students in “Marriage and the Family” might say, “Love is family.” Each one of us could most likely say we know love, has felt love, and experienced love, but may not be able to define love fully nor should we. To define love would only be to limit it to the experiences in our own lives. Perhaps most of us would agree that love is much, much bigger. Of all the classes, subjects, and topics that I have taught, presented, and discussed over the years, love is the one that I would most desire to teach students. Yet discussions 150
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regarding love of self, often bring blank looks to students’ faces followed by verbal comparisons of narcissism to selflove. I realize that it is not easy to love ourselves, at least not while fear is lurking about, planning for our mental self-destruction. An illusion may be the belief that love is not teachable to students (or to anyone for that matter) because love is not able to be defined. Although this may appear to be somewhat true, love is action—not necessarily just definition. I see love everyday in the behaviors of my students. I see them reaching out to others and to themselves in ways which can only be called “loving.” I hear fear roar and then love come in to apologize softly for any outbursts and criticisms. I see students hug, hold hands, cry, laugh, and celebrate each other in an atmosphere that certainly feels like love. Still we may ask and hopefully do, “How do I teach my students about love in a world which is so filled with hate, fear, guilt, and depression?” There is only one way that I know and this requires the resignation of our own fear. As teachers, perhaps we best model “love” by being loving to our students. We show them the attributes of love and assist them in their own discoveries through our examples and mentoring. After all, it is our responsibility to teach them myriad of subjects—many of which will 151
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never be applied and too soon forgotten, so why not teach “Love 101” as well? It is my belief that effective, positive, and good teachers are not the one’s who simply teach a subject or present notes from a lesson plan to their students. Rather, they are the ones who show their students love, compassion, forgiveness, and openness on a daily basis, allowing for the students to discover the meaning of love and the truth it holds for them. It has been my experience that when students feel loved, safe, and trusting of the academic environment, real learning occurs. Academic learning is one component of the student’s experience and is quantitatively measured. However, the mystery of a more personal education is vast and almost as undefinable as love itself. It is growth, diversity, openness, and acceptance of self and others. For me, it is the most rewarding and exciting part of teaching—watching students transform and find the true education that begins and ends with the heart. Thus, one more step in the journey of “becoming more human.”
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CHAPTER TWELVE
“WHAT IF?” One of my teaching methods includes using “What if?” questions. ‘What if UFO’s do exist?’ ‘What if our thoughts do affect the ills of society?’ ‘What if we could think away gang wars and violence?’ This questioning opens up avenues for critical thinking and discussion without necessarily disturbing the belief systems of students. It is a way to break out of the ordinary and enter the world of the extraordinary. Students will often engage in conversations because they feel a safety net is always present—a return to their everyday realities. Three of the subjects I have gently (and hesitantly!) introduced into my classes are the eastern concepts (although gaining popularity in western thought) of life after death, reincarnation, and karma. Hardly an expert in these areas, I am nonetheless fascinated and curious about the “what ifs” regarding these topics. Karma is of special interest to me because I have often witnessed its workings in my everyday life. The word “Karma” is a word meaning “deed” or “act” (Sparrow, 1988, page 27), and it basically defines the laws 153
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of cause and effect. Many believe it encompasses the rights and wrongs of past lives, as well as, the everyday actions of the present. Some view karma as a cloud hanging over our heads, producing lightning bolts if and when we do something “bad.” Although undesirable things may happen to us as a result of our wrong doings (in thought and deed), I have come to think of karma as more a state of harmony and balance. It is a state of equilibrium and centering; a place of love and peace. Liken the natural state of balance and harmony to a center point on a continuum. If we move off center to the left we may need to experience an event on the right to help us return to center. Likewise, if we move to the right, we will experience an event to the left moving us back to center. Always, the laws of karma are in effect, returning us to center—that place of peace, harmony, and ultimate balance. Karma appears as a very simple yet powerful concept, packaged under many names and presented in a variety of forms. I have heard it called, “The Law of Reciprocity,” and/or, “Reaping what we sow.” Regardless of what we call this idea, I think it really boils down to a kind of spiritual balancing act which, simply put, means “we get what we give.”
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Perhaps the most important thing to consider about karma is that it is believed to be something we choose through thought and action. Some say that we alone make choices that affect our lives on a small and large scale. Lynn Sparrow, in her book Reincarnation—Claiming Your Past, Creating Your Future (1988) describes karma and choice as: A corollary is the realization that nothing happens to us that is not the product of our choices. This is another perspective on the principle we considered earlier, which tells us that we create our own reality. Through the patterns of thinking and action that we build, we set real forces in motion in our lives. These forces will, under the undeniable law of cause and effect, bring us conditions that are consistent with what we ourselves have built. Yet, if we are not taking responsibility for our actions and understanding the ways of karma, we may go through an entire lifetime missing the opportunity to learn and grow. Using the metaphor of “missing the boat” which takes us to the safety of the center on the karmic continuum, we may be tossed to and fro on each side of the center, never fully realizing the stillness of anchoring or grounding to the center. As I understand them, the laws of karma are really very basic. For every action there is a reaction. An example of this is illustrated when we throw a rock in a pool of water. 155
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Though the rock sinks due to the force of gravity, the initial impact of the rock hitting the water (the action) will cause ripples in the water (the reaction) that are continuous. The action of throwing the rock results in an immediate consequence—the rippling of the water. Our own karma is often very similar in that we may experience the consequences of our actions very quickly. There are hundreds of examples I could use to illustrate this point—kindness returned, rudeness returned, every action followed by a reaction. The important thing here is to remember that every type of behavior and action portrayed is likely to be returned to us in pleasant or notso-pleasant ways, depending on our actions and the motives behind them. One of the most dramatic ways this concept reveals itself is in relationships. I have experienced the truth of “you get what you give” more often than I care to admit. I have learned to take responsibility and to look at my emotions and behaviors very carefully because it is in this realm that I most clearly see the true reflection of who I am. Recently this “karmic law” became painfully noticeable to me in my own relationships. My daughter was becoming a bit sarcastic in much of our communication and as many of us do in our relationships, I looked outside myself for a place to lay 156
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the blame. Her sarcasm continued and I, of course, continued to match it with my own. I was totally unaware of my own sarcastic behavior until I suddenly began to listen to myself as I was speaking. Talk about an epiphany (psychic pop or intuitive hit as they are often referred). I thought, ‘Oh my, listen to the sarcasm in my own voice.’ I am happy to say that once I became aware of my own actions and eliminated the sarcasm in my communication the sarcasm expressed by my daughter was also eliminated. I was simply receiving what I was giving. This is an example of almost immediate cause and effect. In fact, it is a kind of “conflictual dance” which goes on between couples and in families where emotions and behaviors are frequently matched one-for-one. Love meets love, anger meets anger, sarcasm meets sarcasm, and on and on. However, what about the person who is truly a “saint” in a relationship and has a partner who is continually unkind and unloving? And what if we are being physically or emotionally abused? Do we stay because it is our “karmic debt” which needs to be repaid? Absolutely not! In these particular situations there may be a need to balance out injustices or injuries we caused others, but in no way, shape, or form does this mean that we are to stay in unhealthy, abusive, or unpleasant situations. What lies 157
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constant in karma is that always the choice is ours to make! There is no one to blame—only a choice to grow with and through the experience with the idea that we are returning to center. Finding this place is not always easy and the journey is not always desirable, but it may not be as difficult as we think. I have often heard people say that when facing a problem or a difficult situation it was the awareness, the release of blame and the assuming of responsibility, that many times brought answers to their problems and returned them to a place of joy and peace. Again, I feel it is worth repeating that finding harmony and balance does not mean we play the martyr or self-destruct in harmful situations. Punishment is not the operable word here and is not the reason for karma. The events in our lives are experienced so that we develop feelings of love, kindness, and forgiveness if necessary, for others and ourselves. However, as many of us know, this may be the seemingly ultimate karmic challenge. Perhaps in no other way is the idea of karma harder to understand than when we experience suffering and torture or witness it with our loved ones. It is very difficult to believe that it is “karma” when we watch someone we love die a painful death, or an accidental death, or when we are “victimized” in a way that is seemingly cruel and 158
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unnecessary. It is my wish, that the following stories will help bring an understanding of the true nature of karma and a knowledge of the depth of responsibility that comes with our every thought, action, and deed. Keep in mind that this chapter is very simply, “What If?” A friend who is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met told the first story to me. He is loved by many and is very kind and considerate of those around him. He has a disease that is incurable and one that is slowly diminishing his freedom of movement. He is a relatively young man and knows that as he ages, his condition will only continue to worsen. He understands the reasons for this affliction and has a very profound insight as to its cause. He told me that through a past life regression* he was able to “see” himself in a previous life as he learned of many terrible things he had done to others. He said he was apparently responsible for the torture and murder of many, many people. He said he believes he was not a nice person in the past life and also believes that in this life, a karmic debt must be settled. He does not claim to be a victim—he does not wallow in self-pity and does not blame others, God, or something or someone outside of himself for his affliction. There is *While in a hypnotic or trance-like state, one views places, people, and events with a feeling and belief that they occurred in a previous life. Past life viewing also comes in dreams and in “deja-vu” experiences.
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no blame—only a kind of justice, where the scales must always balance. I admire and respect his courage and sense that he has found a place of peace that has come to him through acceptance. A student told the second story to me. This student was very kind and loving and the thought of anyone hurting her brought me sadness. This lovely woman was sexually abused and battered for many, many years. As she grew older she said she began to understand the reasoning behind her pain. She said that all of her life she had wanted only two things—one was to be strong and the other was to be empowered. As we spoke, she said that she realized that when we ask for things, we may get what we want, but that these things often come in many forms—some very bizarre and strange. She said that she expected to become empowered and strong through only good experiences and that never did she think anything bad would happen to her. Yet in hindsight and through insight, she realized that the only way for her to become the strong and powerful woman she wished to be, was through adversity and pain. For her, she realized that she chose this path, and that in fact, the experience was exactly what she needed. Did she ask for the abuse? No, not exactly. Yet in the experience was the answer to her request and a way to bring to her 160
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life the two things she wished for the most. Would she have become the woman she is today without the pain and suffering she endured? She says no, that life gave her exactly what she needed to become who she is right now. Again, a story filled with truth and conviction coming from an experience that led to personal awareness and a sense of responsibility that would have left some of us feeling victimized and angry. Whatever weight we give to our choices in life, it seems that if the scales are tipped on one side of the continuum, then they may need to be (either immediately or ultimately) balanced by giving weight to the other side. Karmic law repeatedly seems to be saying, “There are no victims, there is only choice, and the key to having choice is in taking responsibility for the choices we make.” Once blame and punishment are laid aside, it is easier to see the value of responsibility. The fact that we are responsible for our pain can then be recognized as good news, since it means we have the power to change things. I think this is very good news. Yes, we may carry karma with us from past lives and from this life, but it does not mean we do not have a choice. We had a choice when we created the karma, and now we have a choice to change it in this moment of time.
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This does not necessarily mean that physical afflictions will disappear or that all our problems will dissolve as soon as we recognize the meaning in our lives. However, it may mean that we have a choice to take charge, adjust our attitudes, and begin to live our lives with joy and happiness, regardless of the circumstances around us. No more wallowing in our own self-pity—after all, we may be the ones who created the problems and we no longer have anyone or anything on which to place blame. A little scary, isn’t it? Perhaps. Yet consider the empowerment that comes from knowing that we alone may be responsible for what happens to us in our lives. As we begin to understand the laws of karma and realize the delicate balance that all life seeks, we may begin to notice our own behaviors being reflected back to us at a very speedy rate. Someone may treat us with unkindness and we may realize that recently we also were unkind; someone may lie to us and as we begin to feel victimized we may suddenly realize that we lied to someone earlier in the day; someone may shower us with unexpected kindness and generosity as the memory of someone we once helped rises to our consciousness; and, as we are loved and cared for by others, we see it is only a reflection of the ways in which we also love and care for those around us. We are reaping what we sow—we are getting what we are giving. 162
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This is a very simplistic and slight overview of karma (modified Smith version) and the laws of balance and harmony. I believe one of the key points to karma is that it is the center point in the space of life. It seems to exist to keep us in a place of peace, joy, and love. Furthermore, it does not reflect an attitude of judgment or punishment, although at times it may feel as if it is a very bad thing that is happening to us. Remember, karma is based on the premise that what happens to us is the result of choices we have made at one time or another, and not something which is being used against us. It is nice to think that the choices we make are for our own good, ultimate happiness, and spiritual growth. If we accept the idea of karma in our spiritual thought, then we may begin to understand why a single lifetime may not be enough. “What if ” it takes many, many lifetimes for us to discover our own place of center in the vast sea of karmic choice? Thus, it stands to reason that we may need lifetime after lifetime to find our own place of balance, a place where we know that we have learned the lessons that each incarnation brings. As the breath passes from us in one dimension, a new breath comes giving us yet another chance—a chance to paint the story of our lives on the great cosmic canvas spread before us in endless space and time. ~~~ 163
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Views on death and dying are as varied as are the stars in the sky. With the increasing stories about near death experiences, some are beginning to believe that life after death is possible. Although not scientifically proven, those who have had experiences with near death believe that it is “truth” and feel no need to “prove” it to others. Perhaps this is another “What if?” in the barrage of questions concerning spiritual matters. Or maybe we cannot even fathom the possibility of life after death because of our Judeo-Christian belief that says we only live once, and when we die we either go to heaven or hell. Possibly, we have witnessed visitations from “dead” friends or relatives and are concerned that we may be labeled “nuts.” It is here that I most admire children. Prior to becoming embedded with the “what it is” of our culture, some children have reported experiences of things we call paranormal.* Parents with small children often fear for their child’s sanity as he or she may report seeing a deceased family member or friend. Try telling a child that what he or she thinks they observed, does not exist. Be prepared to discover a very strong-willed child who believes without a doubt that what he or she saw, was very real. My own daughter claims to have seen her beloved great-grandmother many times after my * Beyond or outside the normal everyday experiences.
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grandmother’s “death,” and a childhood friend who died tragically would often visit Stacey and ask her to play. I never once doubted these things, as my own unique visitations were occurring as well. I personally do not believe that death is the end. I believe in a circle of life whereby we pass from one life to the next, or perhaps live each life simultaneously as some claim. Even logic whispers to me that it is not realistic to think that we can learn all we need to learn in just one short lifetime. Some of us may appear to have a doctorate in life 101, but I believe most of us are still struggling somewhere around high school, and a few people I know are still in preschool. If willing to admit, many people have a story to tell about a near death experience, communicating with the deceased, or perhaps even remembering past life experiences themselves. When all of the above occur, as has happened in my life, it becomes almost impossible to deny that life is not temporary at all—it is timeless, spaceless, and endless. Kevin Randle in To Touch The Light (1994) speaks openly and beautifully about the transition from one state of existence into another. Randle’s book is one I highly recommend, as it is filled with many stories of people
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experiencing near death and past lives. My own journeys into past lives have been very enlightening and very real. Two brave souls who have admitted their communications with the so-called “dead” are Eddie Burk, a well-known healer, clairvoyant, and medium who lives in England, and Rosemary Altea, a renowned psychic medium—also from England. Recently, Rosemary was featured as a guest on the popular TV show “20/20.” She spoke of her communications with the other side and talked about her reluctance to admit that she could communicate with those who had died. Also featured on the show was a skeptic whose wish it was to debunk anything of a paranormal nature. When Rosemary was questioned as to her authenticity, she simply replied that she knows what she knows and she has no need to prove it to anyone. This is how it is with the things we cannot touch, see, hear, smell, and taste—we have only a subtle knowing that tells us it is true. And so it is with death. Those who have seen the other side, remembered a past life, or who have in some way communicated with those no longer living in the physical world, do not question their experiences—we simply accept that life does not end with the mere passing of breath from our physical bodies. In fact, communicating with those who pass can often be a somewhat magical 166
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experience if we are open to looking for the signs, and sometimes even when we are not.
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CLEANSING BREATH I don’t watch much television, but on Monday nights I used to make it a habit to follow “Chicago Hope.” On the last show for the 1996-1997 season, Mandy Patikin made a return as one of the main actors in the show. He returned every once in awhile to keep things stirred up. As the show neared the end, Mandy made a comment to three of the actors in the drama, as to his view of the state of the world. He said that in his opinion, the world is simply taking “a cleansing breath.” What a wonderful expression. Say it to yourself—it has a very clean feel to it, and expresses movement all at the same time. So just what does it mean to take a “cleansing breath?” Again, I draw on the media and a more recent movie entitled, “Pay It Forward.” In my opinion, this highly recommended movie gives purpose to life, incredible joy, and reflects quintessential giving. The general theme of the movie focuses on the concept of doing a good deed with nothing in return, except that 168
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the receiver of the good deed, “Pay It Forward.” In other words, “One good deed deserves another.” A simple idea and yet in the movie the impact of its application is very much seen and realized. Unfortunately, I think that many of us would agree that the world is not necessarily a soft and gentle place. We observe road rage, rudeness, impatience, and myriad of bills, ills, and pills. For the most part, our lives are filled with uncertainty, fear, and an incredible amount of stress. Who has time for kindness? Are we simply a planet just trying to survive? Perhaps our expressed thoughts have become something like, “Hey buddy, how can I help you swim to shore when I am over here drowning?” The chasm between kindness and rudeness seems to be narrowing, as neither is distinguishable from the other. In our fast paced lives we hardly have the time or the energy to even talk to each other, much less show kindness to each another. Yet here we are in the new millennium facing more problems than we can ever hope to solve. So what can we do? Are we left with no hope for our selves and for our children? I don’t believe this is the case and in fact, believe that we can be a breath of fresh air—a “cleansing breath” for our friends, our families, and for the planet as a whole.
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How? I can almost hear the tones of sarcasm as many of you may be saying “Yeah right.” The answer is simple. It is so simple that it gets overlooked, overridden, and overthrown. It is so simple that it may be discarded without consideration. However, its simplicity is what makes it so profound. I am talking about the act of kindness; one small act or even a large one; a compliment; a kind gesture; a gift, given without expectation. Well, maybe one-that the person receiving returns the kindness by showing at least one other person an act of kindness. Paying it forward. Think about the numbers. Think about the impact. Remember “The Hundredth Monkey” and consider the critical mass and energy that would be generated. Now if you are tempted to disregard the power behind this concept, think back to the last time someone paid you a sincere compliment. I say ‘sincere’ because insincere compliments do not count. Okay, remember? Someone said you had beautiful eyes or hair. Perhaps you worked hard and long on a particular job, and were praised for a job well done when you did not even expect to be recognized for your efforts. Maybe a stranger took the time and made an effort to give you something you never expected—paid a bill, bought breakfast, lunch or dinner, or even gave away a car that they no longer needed. 170
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Again, it bears repeating that the amount given is not important. What matters, is that we simply give. A touch, a kind word, an act of effort to help those around us understand the importance of their presence on this planet. Isn’t this something we all desire? Isn’t this something we all deserve? I have a challenge for you. An assignment really. Try this idea for a week. Everyday, choose three people and show them kindness in whatever form you desire. Ask them to pay it forward if you want. It doesn’t matter really. What matters is that you will begin to feel lighter, happier, and more fulfilled. This is the magic of the whole idea. While we are helping others to feel worthwhile through our acts of kindness, it is really ourselves that will benefit most. And guess what? Through the process of giving, we will find our breath; a place of newness and restoration; a place of rest and peacefulness; a place of healing and purpose; a connection to others; and, a “cleansing breath.”
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SO WHAT’S THE POINT? At the completion of the final project in “Criminology 540,” one of my brightest students said, “Dr. Libby, I am tired of thinking about what I am thinking.” My response was ‘Good, now go back to thinking some more.’ So, just WHAT is the POINT to all of this THINKING? The whole purpose of the book is to create a pathway toward Self-discovery. The intent is to move outside the boundaries of academia and journey toward the process of becoming more human. This process includes the discovery, investigation, and possibly the alternation of our thoughts and behavioral patterns. The road may lead us to rest stops where blame is left behind and responsibility acquired. We explore the truths of others in an effort to discover our own. Awareness of our own thoughts is believed to be necessary on the pathway toward consciousness. As we realize the importance of thoughts as part of our
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everyday awareness, we also recognize the power of thoughts in the creation and manifestation of reality. Methods of manifestation of thought are also explored. Science is introduced as we further journey into the Newtonian concepts of cause and effect. Separation and a lack of unity are identified as major themes in creating division among people and all living things. Quantum Physics theories are discussed as the invisible and visible worlds are linked and shown to be one and the same. Perhaps this realization gives meaning to the Biblical verse, “ As Above, So Below.” The arenas of crime and violence are visited as is the idea that thought may be instrumental in saliently creating change. The power of love is unveiled as we journey through a world void of fear, and love is quintessentially defined as the absence of fear. In a detour from our much traveled path the possibilities of karma, reincarnation, and life-after-death, are examined. By questioning everything we did indeed do just that. And finally, when easily given with conscious intention, acts of kindness may spread outwardly, wrapping themselves around the recipients. Imagine a world where we consciously choose kindness and the exponential numbers of people that may be reached if each of us “Pay It Forward.” 173
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So what’s the point? The point is that EACH and EVERY ONE of us can CHOOSE because we ALL have a CHOICE.
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ENDINGS In my classroom teaching, I love to leave the best for last and, therefore thought it best to do the same in this book. The end of the semester is similar to the last chapter. I say goodbye to you and hope that I left you with something solid, something tangible that you can remember when all of the rhetoric has long since vacated and vanished. I have so many last minute thoughts that I would love to share with you, but for now I will limit them to only a few, woven throughout the fabric of my written words. Speaking of “written words,” I would like to return to academia once more as I mention the works of one of my favorite sociologists, George Herbert Mead (1863-1931). One of Mead’s greatest contributions (as far as I am concerned anyway) was his concept of “the self.” Mead believed that “the self ” was a product of one’s socialization and one’s personal experiences. He said that it is the meaning we give to our experiences that help to make us who we are, not just the experiences themselves. I agree with this and will elaborate on this sociological concept 175
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based on my own experiences and the meanings they have for me. I believe that the only true teacher is experience. Teachers, per se, only give information in hopes that someday, through personal experience students will remember the information they have received, and it will in some way be of use to them. That ultimate “Aha” for which teachers strive is the light bulb turning on when it appears no one is home. When it happens, we really cannot take credit for it, because it is often the student’s personal experience that has brought the information to light and to life. I will give you an example from something that happened in my life. One particular summer many years ago, I began teaching my daughter (Stacey) how to play racquetball. We would normally begin our workout schedule around 10:00 a.m. We would also do a little weightlifting, but for full effectiveness we waited until after our racquetball session to do so. One particular morning we lifted first and then played racquetball. Stacey did not eat any breakfast and ate a relatively light dinner the evening before, even though I had been telling her about the importance of eating breakfast soon after arising and certainly before any physical activity. During our first game (we normally played three games) she began to 176
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complain of feeling a little dizzy and weak, confessing that she had failed to eat breakfast. And of course in perfect parent style I replied, ‘I told you that if you did not eat breakfast, you would not feel well and that it is not good for you.’ She replied in perfect teenager fashion, “Well I didn’t believe you and thought you didn’t know what you were talking about. Now I believe you and I won’t skip breakfast again.” She apologized for cutting our time short and I answered by telling her that it was worth the awareness she gained from the experience. So yes, again I repeat that the only true teacher is experience. Our lives have meaning because of our experiences. I say this knowing that none of the information in this book may resonate with you. The words in this book are my words and may only make sense to you if you have experienced the same or similar things. Still, writers write to dispense information and very often to entertain you. Teachers teach for much the same reasons. Both hope that the reader/student will find the information interesting. I believe that for the most part, teachers and writers desire that it will help you now or sometime in the future. I know I desperately hope it will or I would not even attempt to publish this book. I would keep it hidden away on disk and pull it up from time to time just to think about what could have been. 177
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As our experiences become real through the meaning we give them, they help to create who and what we are. They create our realities and shape the way we see the world and those around us. There is another part to the process that I believe dovetails nicely with this idea of experience as teacher. It is awareness, for without awareness experience cannot live. Stacey could have been weak, tired, and hungry and still not realized the importance of eating prior to engaging in physical activity. She was able to become aware through receiving the information and through the experience. The information only became real to her because she experienced it and the ways it affected her personally. Information, experience, and awareness are all vital for us to grow, learn, and become. They do not necessarily fall in this order and any one of these things can occur first. It is not the order that is important, it is the fact that all three things coexist and come together to give us life— a life that has meaning, substance, and significance. Regarding experience, it is important to remember that information, experience, and awareness are subjective. They are real to us and may not be shared with or recognized by others. Some sociologists may use the word
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“deviant” to describe someone whose experiences create a reality not shared by the masses. I challenge you to embellish and embrace your own experiences and do not invalidate them if others do not share them. Much of the information in this book may be seen and even described as “deviant,” “weird,” or just plain “too far out there.” No matter what others think or believe, my question is—is it real to you? Does it strike a chord of truth somewhere inside of you? Whatever the information, experience, or awareness you have remember one thing, it is yours and it belongs to you. Whatever you choose to do with your experience is also up to you. Traditional sociologists say that we are who and what we are by the age of five or six. Are we really this confined, this narrowed by life? I can’t imagine that this is true. I, for one, am not even remotely close to being the same person now as I was when I was 6, or even when I was in my 30s. Life is a continuous flow of flux and change. Just recently one of my students said, “Why do we have to question everything? Why can’t we just accept things the way they are?” I responded that we don’t need to question anything and that we can just accept things the way that they are. All is choice, but for me I would rather question 179
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and remain open to all information, experience, and awareness. I told her that perhaps I was simply reverting back to my childhood when as children, our word of choice is “Why?” I believe that when we begin to question things, we also begin to find the answers within ourselves. We begin to become empowered with a realization of our wholeness as our importance on this big, beautiful planet comes to fruition. We begin to hear our own voice and the sound it makes as we answer to our own echoes, rather than to those of others. And in our voices we can hear the winds of change being stirred. As our questioning leads us to new answers we begin to live outside the paradigm of “Always has been, always will be.” As more and more of us begin to dance the dance of experience and self-truth we will form a new voice— one that offers hope to a troubled people and to a troubled planet. As we reach a point of critical mass we can change the old myths that no longer serve to educate and empower us. Perhaps in questioning and finding our own answers we will become more whole, fulfilled and ultimately, more alive. Class dismissed. 180
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ABOUT THE FEATHERS At some point in time, I learned that feathers are sacred. Actually, everything is sacred if we only “see” things this way. Someone, at some point in time and space told me that if you see a feather, it means you are on the right path. The meaning of course varies depending on one’s path at any given time. I have found and saved a variety of feathers over my lifetime and each holds a significant meaning. Once again, I offer thanks and praise to Terry Delos Black who created the design and company, now known as “Two Feathers Publishing.” He took two of the feathers he had found, scanned them into his computer, and placed them over the picture from Mirror Lake, Washington. If you are interested in printing a book or other publications, I highly recommend you contact Terry Black. His creativity is profound and his capabilities endless. For more information regarding his publishing company, his e-mail address is:
[email protected].
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BIBLIOGRAPHY About Mimi Silbert. CommonCause. http:// www.commoncause.org/about/psaa/msilbert.html (5 April 1999). About the !Kung San of Western Botswana (1996). Webpage: http//www.lawrence.edu/dept/anthropology/kingsan/ kung_food.html Agnew, R., & Cullen, F.T. (1999). Criminological Theory Past to Present. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company. Altea, R. (1995). The Eagle and The Rose. New York: Warner Books, Inc. Auerbach, L. A. ( 1991). Physic Dreaming. New York: Warner Books, Inc. Bohm, D. (1992). Thought as a System. London: Routledge. Brodie, R. M. (1996). Virus of the Mind. Seattle: Integral Press. Bucke, R. M., (1961). Cosmic Consciousness. Secaucus: The Citadel Press. 183
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Byer, C. O., Shainberg, L.W., & Galliamo, G. (1999). Dimensions of Human Sexuality. 5 th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996f). Update: Mortality attributable to HIV infection among persons aged 25-44 years. 45 (16 February): 121-125. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1995a). First 500,000 AIDS cases—United States. (1995). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 44 (24 November): 849853. Choquette, S. (1997). Your Heart’s Desire. New York: Three Rivers Press. Cohen, A. (1991). Dare to be Yourself. New York: Ballantine Books. CorrectionsStatistics www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/correct.htm (1999). Darling, D. (1995). Soul Search. New York: Random Books.
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