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What’s Your Metaphor?

March 28, 2011 //
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There are two kinds of people – those who divide people into two groups and those who don’t.  Ah, but are there really?  We’ll return to that.

But first let’s look at metaphors –a metaphor is a way to attempt to understand something that you don’t currently comprehend by way of seeing it like something you do understand.  It’s taking two things which we know are very different but emphasizing some similarity between the two to gain insight.

Here’s a couple of examples courtesy of Stephen Colbert – speaking at a commencement address in 2006 – “Today is about you–you who have worked so hard to pack your heads with learning until your skulls are all plump like–sausages of knowledge. It’s an apt metaphor, don’t question it.”  – Or another – “An accountant is a manila envelope yellowed with age that fell between the filing cabinet and the wall. Trapped, alone, parched.”

Obviously, those students’ skulls were not sausages nor are accountants manila envelopes, but playing with the metaphor can often offer us a new way of looking at something.  My experience of college certainly seems like a lot of disjointed information was being crammed into my brain in some kind of mashing operation.  Accountants can seem like the organized holders of our financial records while the rest of our life is filled with chaotic playfulness. If we continued playing with these humorous metaphors, we might get some deeper insights…..but we at least get to see college and accountants in a slightly different light!

So where is there something that we have a difficult time wrapping our mind around that maybe a metaphor might help us understand it?  How about the meaning of existance?  That has to be one of the deepest questions that just doesn’t offer us a straightforward approach for answering.  Have we somehow quietly adopted a metaphor for understanding life that is driving our worldview?   I think many of us have.

So what’s your metaphor for life, for consciousness, for why you’re here?  What do you take from your experience that you believe you understand well and try to relate it to the mystery of existence so as to know it better?  It seems to me that many of us either view life as like a “school” or like a “game”.  Go with me on this for a moment…

 Those who believe life is like a school think that we got plopped here on earth to learn lessons.  We are each in our individual desks (our bodies, our minds, our souls), the truth is being spoon fed to us, there is only one right answer or truth and we better learn it because we’re going to be tested on it.  Each of us has our individual soul that we came here with it if we can learn the truth as it is presented to us, then on our judgment/graduation day we can move on to a better place.

Those who believe life is like a game think that we came here to compete with each other.  We are the highest levels of evolving animals seeking to survive in a harsh world.  To succeed, we need to accumulate wealth and power.  Consciousness is just a byproduct of a physically evolved brain.  Any deeper meaning sought by using religion or God is just an irrational belief in the mind of the weaker individual.  The one who dies with the most toys is the winner.

We probably all know a lot of people that we could put into either of these two categories.  These two groups really have more in common than either would be willing to admit.  At the core of both is the belief that each of us is separate and apart from one another.  One says that each of us is here to live that life of separation so we can learn “the way”, be judged, and then move on to an eternal life of heaven or hell.  The other says each of us is here to live that life of separation so we can compete against one another and hopefully come out a winner.  Either way – we’re on our own.

The problem with both of these metaphors is that as long as we see ourselves as separate from the whole, we all too often end up caring only about ourselves or our group – disregarding the needs of the whole.  We tend to favor those who think like us, belong to the same political party, live in the same country, have the same skin color, belong to the same religion, have the same sexual orientation, etc.  As long as we are separate, it’s all too easy for us to judge others negatively, to be accepting of poverty and violence towards them, to turn our backs on their misfortune – after all, they are “different”.  So maybe these two kinds of people are really the same kind?  They’re both stuck in the metaphor of separation. 

As we look out upon the problems facing our planet – how many of them are caused or exacerbated by our belief that we are separate?  If we saw ourselves as interconnected and all one people, would we have war?  Would we have selfish corporations maximizing profits while destroying the planet?  Would we put the wealth of the planet in the hands of a small minority?  Would greedy Wall Street banks have provided unstable loans, sold derivatives and set in place a chain of events leading to a recession?  Would we entertain ourselves by watching violence towards humans?  If we knew all our unity, then none of this would occur.

Maybe what we need is a new metaphor – one that removes the separation?

Next time – a new metaphor!

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Categories Featured Article, Politics

Celebrity Obsession

March 15, 2011 //
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Why is America obsessing over Charlie Sheen?  Seems like everywhere I look there’s some news about the latest rants from Charlie.  I even caught myself spending time watching him being interviewed the other night when I was channel surfing.  Why?

We all know America loves its celebrities.  Our media and by extension each of us seems fascinated by the rise to fame.  A person that we could care less about one day gets thrust into the spotlight, and all of a sudden we want to know every detail about their lives.

 The only thing we love better than our celebrities is watching them fall.  It’s like we collectively lift them up onto a pedestal and then silently wait for them to fall off of it.  Then like a pack of vultures we gather around to pick up the carcass of their fame with our own mixed feelings ranging from sadness and disappointment to some sort of secret sense of glee that they got what they deserved.  It’s like slowing down driving by a car wreck – we really hope no one’s hurt while we gaze at the wreckage with morbid curiosity.

Personally, my heart goes out to Charlie.  I don’t know him and I don’t know what he’s gone through – I only know what I project upon him based upon what the media presents.  My projection shows me a person who has struggled with the trappings of fame.  Born into a famous family, he’s lived under the media microscope all his life.  Movies and television have allowed him to accumulate a lot of money.

All too often we witness people in these circumstances succumbing to temptations that arise around them.  Celebrity forays into drugs and sex are a moneymaker for the media.  We have been inundated with the details of Charlie’s escapades.  Now we’re being saturated with every word Charlie speaks.  Why is this?  Aren’t there more important things going on in the world?

The other night I had a series of strange dreams – I was showing up at stores that were closing and being turned away.  I was going places and forgetting why I was there.  I was reminded that I was supposed to give a talk and I hadn’t prepared for it.  It was one frustration after another – and then I heard the word “surrender”.  Suddenly the dreams made sense – my ego wants to control everything “out there” in life, but that sense of control is really an illusion.  When he gets down to it, you really can’t “control” anything.

Yes, you can set intentions and take actions towards manifesting those intentions.  I highly recommend doing this.  It’s good to have an internal sense of where your life’s calling is and then to be moving in that direction.  But it’s also good to live life with a degree of flexibility that allows you to bob and weave with grace and ease around the speed bumps that come up in life.

Trying to force your way through obstacles is a recipe for frustration.  Surrendering is not giving up your goals and intentions.  Surrendering is really knowing deeply your overall direction but releasing control over the exact route and details of the path.  Surrendering is letting go of trying to force a specific outcome and instead enjoying the ride knowing your intention will carry you where you need to go.  I believe my dreams were reminding me of this truth.

So back to Charlie and our celebrity obsession – what’s the connection?  Well, this could be my projection and I’m just taking you along for the ride, but it seems to me that our celebrity obsessions generally hold a lesson for all of us.  Something inside us forces us to look at a situation for our own growth.

We are here in this material physical world to enjoy it and to learn lessons for our own growth. Yet this world sets up traps for us. We can become so attached to money, fame, relationships, what we perceive as the “good life” and so on that it consumes us. Instead of moving through life with effortless ease  and flowing with its gifts and lessons, we try to force things – try to control outcomes – continuously focusing our consciousness on what “we need” and what “we want”.

When we focus on what we need and what we want what we tend to get is “more of the need”. You can’t get what you want while you’re focused on “what you want”. I know that sounds like a paradox. But the more we focus on what “we have”, the more we tend to receive of it. Feeling appreciation and gratitude for what we have grows more of that in our lives.

Yet there is this human part of us that “wants” for even more. And that part of us that is focused on the “want” looks to celebrities with fame and fortune as models for us to learn from. How did they get their fame and fortune? And, how are they dealing with it?

We love to see other people get successful. We love it when they handle it well. However, we are fascinated when they don’t. The question is how to turn our fascination into an opportunity to learn in these situations.

So what can we learn from Charlie? We can see that fame and fortune doesn’t always bring happiness. We can realize that the trappings of celebrity and money can also bring the problems of drugs and emotional issues.  And we can realize realize that maybe we don’t need the lifestyle of the rich and famous to truly enjoy our lives.  We can look at the lives we currently have and realize they are already blessed. We can let go of out need to control life “out there” and instead focus on our life’s intentions with a relaxed nature.  We can “surrender” and enjoy the ride.

 Mark Gilbert

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Categories Culture, Entertainment, Featured Article

Japan-Our Hearts are with you!

March 13, 2011 //
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Our thoughts and prayers go out this day to all those impacted by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I also want to say thanks to  everyone who has contacted us to inquire about the safety of Mary’s relatives. Mary and I had dinner last night with her mother who has been in contact with their relatives and luckily all are well.

A year ago I wrote about how the earthquake in Haiti served to open our hearts and bring us closer together as humans. As much as tragedies such as this one in Japan, Haiti, New Orleans and Katrina, last month in New Zealand and others sadden us, we can also take heart in how humanity reaches out and senses its connection to its brethren around the planet in their  moment of need.

As much as the world seems to focus on its differences and works to foster its continued divisiveness,  tragedies buck this trend and move us closer together. Our differences become less important. Our similarities become foremost in our minds. Our hearts open to others who are suffering needlessly. We are pained by their pain.

So on this day, let us in our minds eye reach out and send love to those in Japan and all around the earth who are suffering. May we know that the devastation in Japan is repaired swiftly and their lives are brought back to peace and prosperity quickly. May we sense this day our interconnectedness to everyone on the planet. May we move  a little closer to living continuously in the state of knowing that we are all one.

May we live this day and every day immersed in the energetic field of love.

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Consciousness, Culture, Featured Article, Uniting Nations

Being Pushed and Pulled to Grow

February 19, 2011 //
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Today: Bill Maher, Civil War reenactments, Winter’s Bone, cognitive dissonance and the forces creating your personal evolution. Are you ready?

Consider this – to some degree, opposing forces are always moving through our consciousness creating a tension that ensures we move forward in our personal development. I’m reminded of the quote by F Scott Fitzgerald – “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” All of us have access to a first-rate intelligence.

Cognitive Dissonance

In psychology, the uncomfortable experience of holding two conflicting opinions or thoughts is referred to as cognitive dissonance. Psychologists have done extensive research and come up with numerous theories about how we seek to deal with this discomfort. No matter what the theory, ultimately how we respond to the uncomfortable feeling can lead to either a healthy positive outcome (such as letting go of an old belief that we now see is no longer true) or an unhealthy negative one (such as denying the validity of one of the conflicting ideas).

Think of the tension created in some Christians minds between biblical passages seeming to condemn homosexuality and their loving positive experience of friends and family members who are gay and desire to marry. Most have dealt with this dichotomy by letting go of the idea that every word put in the Bible over 2000 years ago must have relevance today. Others who cannot accept that fact go to great lengths to deny gays their rights as humans.

But sometimes our growth comes not from resolving the differences to relieve the discomfort but rather staying with the tension so we may move to a new place in our awareness where both ideas can exist and be valid simultaneously. Here lies the space for great leaps in our development. Two different programs I watched on TV last night reminded me of this fact.

Bill Maher and the Civil War

I love watching Bill Maher’s TV show. He’s funny, smart and generally makes me think. I frequently agree with his opinions – but not always. Sometimes I imagine telling him where and why he’s wrong on an issue – my desire to enlighten him, I believe, is motivated by a sense that he “should know better” given his other beliefs. There are some TV show hosts that I judge to be so far off the mark in their values that I can’t even imagine trying to get them to see things “my way”. Yeah, I know, that’s my issue!

In any case, last night Bill Maher closed his program with a rant on Civil War reenactments by Southerners. His funny point – we all know that the Confederacy was fighting to uphold slavery and they lost – why would you want to celebrate the memory of fighting for a negative cause on which you didn’t even succeed? He equated it humorously at one point to reenacting an unsuccessful sexual experience – why go celebrate something you’d rather forget? Funny stuff.

Of course, Bill only sees one side of this issue – slavery is wrong and it deserved to be defeated. No argument on that. What Bill can’t see because he didn’t grow up in the South is how these people may be using Civil War reenactments for something other than celebrating a losing war fought for an inhumane purpose.

I grew up in the South and had to face in my feelings the dissonance created by two opposing forces. I experienced firsthand in my white youth the impact of segregation – separate restrooms, separate water fountains, separate seating areas, separate movie theaters, separate areas of town in which to live. Something in me knew this was wrong and questioned it every chance I got. People should be treated equally and have the same rights and opportunities. Beyond this, the slavery I read about in history books was definitely a bad thing! The Confederacy losing was definitely a good thing!

Yet on the other hand, there was this internal sense of identity with my neighborhood, my town, my county, my state. And, as an extension of that, an identification with “the land I grew up in” being a part of the Confederacy. I never could really put my finger on that feeling until as an adult I viewed Ken Burns PBS series “The Civil War”. At one point in the show a historian comments that one outcome for the South after the war was that those growing up there would always feel the sense of coming from a country that lost a war. Hearing that statement, I knew exactly what he meant. I’ve spoken with others who grew up in the South and had the same feeling.

So here’s the tension – all people should be valued and treated equally, slavery as well as discrimination based on race is simply wrong, it was a good thing that the South lost the Civil War – yet, because the South lost the Civil War, if you grew up there then you may have a sense of identifying the country of your youth (at least in part) as being one that lost a war and having another country impose itself upon you. Believe me – I recognize that unless you grew up in the South and experienced this feeling, it may be hard to understand.

To be extremely clear – I am not one that overly romanticizes the Confederacy or believes they should have won– the right outcome occurred. Slavery, then and now, is purely wrong. Nor am I saying that every person who may reenact aspects of the Civil War or memorializes things about the Confederacy may not be misguided in their intentions. I have no doubt that some who espouse continued southern sympathies may have racist underpinnings. Yet I can also understand why many Southerners can condemn racism in one moment while remembering and honoring the Confederacy in the next. On a certain level, these aren’t opposites.

The point I’m attempting to show is that one can hold what seem to be opposing viewpoints – and the holding of those viewpoints may serve you see things from a higher level. It’s okay to know that slavery is wrong and to be pleased that the Confederacy lost the Civil War while also feeling an identification with the South and it being a “country who lost a war”. I can honor my relatives who fought for an unworthy cause and be glad they lost.

By my holding these apparently conflicting feelings, I now get to grow above them to a greater awareness – one that allows me to both rightfully condemn slavery around the world and have a better understanding for individuals in other countries who have felt defeat. Holding both feelings has opened my heart to higher levels. I can identify and empathize with more people – expanding my circle of care and concern-evolving my awareness.

Winter’s Bone

The other program I saw last night was the movie “Winter’s Bone”. This was for the most part a depressing film about a 17-year-old girl named Ree in rural Arkansas raising her two younger siblings while also taking care of her emotionally incapacitated mother. She relies on the goodness of neighbors and relatives for food and money to get by. Ree pushes her brother and sister to do well in school recognizing that it’s key to moving beyond their life’s confines. All she has to fall back on is her house and land which are being threatened unless her missing father shows up for his court date – he used the property for his bail.

The movie follows Ree’s attempt to locate her father, dead or alive, so as to keep her house and family together. You can see something pushing her from within to outgrow this limited backwoods existence – maybe if she could join the Army, get an income and see the world? You can also see her family pulling her to stay and help take care of everyone.

As she navigates around this rural world where everyone appears to be a relative, close or distant, you see her rising up and wanting something more out of life then we can sense in those around her. Again, I understood personally her dilemma. My upbringing as a youth in the South certainly was more affluent than Ree and her relatives, but the movie did bring back memories of visits to rural relatives who had a similar subsistence lifestyle. I felt a push to move beyond the limits of my southern youth while wondering how some friends and family seemed content with a life that to me appeared constricting.

Why is it that some people such as Ree and myself desire growth and expansion beyond the lifestyle of our youth while others appear content? Sometimes it appears that certain people seek vertical growth while others desire to experience life horizontally – that is, fully immersing themselves in their current positions in life and not pushing to grow beyond them.

Our Evolution

I used to believe that there were exactly these two kinds of people when it came to personal growth – the vertical growth oriented and the horizontal “assimilators”. That’s not to say that everybody at some point in their life doesn’t experience both vertical upward movement or horizontal assimilation of life’s lessons. My thought was that each of us tended to favor one direction or the other – people were different and my choice for expansive upward growth was obviously better.

Yet now I see that there is a perfection in the fact that some people seek upward momentum while others prefer treading life’s water. It’s not an “either-or” situation – it’s an “and”. If everyone were either moving vertically or horizontally, there would be no contrast by which to gauge growth. The perception of Ree and myself of those who appear stuck in their limiting lives provide a backdrop for us to view and say to ourselves “I want better”. My growth is served by those who take a different approach. Similarly, I have heard from some people who can’t seem to comprehend the push for greater personal development and a life of broader experiences – seeing those lives motivates them to anchor into one place. Again, one approach serves the other.

There are forces playing out in your life and mine serving our growth. One of those factors that moves us to higher levels of awareness is the ability to see how opposing ideas and ways of being can both be seen as valid.

Where in your life are you experiencing contrasting ideas or desires that need to be assimilated into a combined worldview? Where are you feeling dissonance?

Are you unhappy at your job but believe you can’t afford to change careers?

Do you love your significant partner while feeling stifled in the relationship?

Are you called to make a major change (where you live, your religion, letting go of long-held possessions, etc.) while feeling bound by tradition?

Do you believe you’re a positive person while still feeling concern about events on the planet?

Where is your healthy tension in life?

Maybe you can identify it immediately – maybe you’ll have to reflect upon it and be observant over the next week – but what I’m asking you to locate is that aspect of your experience where you are called to realize where two things that at first blush appear to be incompatible are really not – both are valid, both are true, both can coexist. When you identify the opposites, I encourage you to let go of any emotional attachment you have to one side or the other. Then ask yourself – “how does honoring both viewpoints serve my growth?” When you can resonate and live with the answer to that question, not only are you exhibiting a “first-rate intelligence”, you are evolving on your journey.

Finally, this leads us to the ultimate opposing tensions playing out on our evolutionary journey – we are simultaneously physically evolving human beings with worldly needs and spiritually evolving divine beings with higher callings. Living with and understanding that tension is answering that higher call. Ultimately, the push of our humanness and the pull of our spiritual nature unites us in our oneness- the ultimate destination of our growth

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Culture, Entertainment, Featured Article

Good News in the “News” Department?

February 4, 2011 //
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Maybe there’s a trend away from negative confrontational sources for our news.  Wouldn’t that be great? 

Here some interesting facts I came across recently – first, TV commentator Keith Olbermann recently parted ways with MSNBC.  I personally have nothing against Keith, but the reports surrounding the end of his TV program reference the potential that the network was moving towards a “new civility” in political discourse.  Additionally, there were reports of a 20% decline in his ratings.  Maybe its a ratings/money decision—but then, if less of us are watching what we think is potentially polarizing…..

On the other end of the political spectrum, on Fox news, Glenn Beck has seen an even more dramatic decline in his ratings, losing close to two thirds of his viewers in the last 12 months.  Furthermore, Public Policy Polling recently announced that Fox news has seen a decline in the percentage of Americans who trust them as a news source – from 49% down to 42% in the past year.  This year’s most trusted TV news source?  PBS.  Interesting.

Could all of this be indicative that Americans are getting tired of news that is slanted in one political direction which appears to foster divisiveness?  One can hope.

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Categories Conscious Bridge Website, Culture, Entertainment, Featured Article

Time to Be Kind!

January 21, 2011 //
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Okay, it’s time!  It’s time to let go of your need to be right.  It’s time to release your need to feel superior.  It’s time to stop being judgmental towards those who think differently from you.  It’s time to notice when someone upsets you so you can allow your negative emotion to evaporate away.  It’s time to be kind.

The Dalai Lama has it right – he says his religion is kindness – period.  That ubiquitous commercial asks us “what’s in your wallet?”  I’m asking you “what’s in your consciousness?”  Is it kindness?  If not, time to get some religion Dalai Lama style!

By the way – whether you realize it or not – you do have some kind of “religion”.  By that, I mean you hold a set of beliefs about the world and how it works.  You have a worldview that drives your decisions and actions whether you are a member of an “organized religion” or not and whether you believe in God or not.  That worldview is your “religion”.

Does your religion allow you to “be kind” to those who believe differently from you?  Folks, we are talking the “Golden Rule” here – do onto others as you would have them do onto you.  Treat others like you want to be treated.  Sounds good until someone pushes our buttons.

Okay – who pushes your buttons?  From my observations, depending upon your particular beliefs, here some known button pushers:

  • Anyone on Fox news
  • Anyone on MSNBC
  • Anyone who says Sarah Palin was responsible for the Arizona tragedy
  • Anyone who protests at funerals
  • Sarah Palin
  • President Obama
  • Anyone who has to describe healthcare reform as “Obamacare”
  • Fundamentalist Christians
  • Fundamentalist Muslims
  • Scientists who mock religion
  • Militant atheists
  • Fanatic NRA supporters
  • Those who want to take “our guns” away
  • Palestinians
  • Israelites
  • Anyone making too much money
  • People asking me for money on the street
  • “The powers to be”
  • Republicans
  • Democrats
  • Male chauvinists who objectify women
  • People with tattoos
  • Kids riding skateboards on the sidewalk
  • People who are “in our country” illegally
  • People who want to build a wall between the US and Mexico
  • People who cut you off in traffic
  • Loud people in restaurants
  • People talking on cell phones in elevators
  • People who brag
  • … I could keep going but you get the picture…

 

Did you find someone in this list that pushes your buttons?  I know I did.  How can you move to kindness in regards to these people?  How can you have your buttons pushed and still live by the Golden Rule?

First, let me be very clear, I am neither condoning nor asking you to condone any inappropriate behavior.  Nor am I asking you to be any kind of doormat that allows people to walk all over you.  You can be kind while maintaining healthy boundaries towards people who act differently or are unkind.

Here are some simple steps (which I admit are not necessarily easy) to move you into greater levels of kindness:

Be aware:  Notice who upsets you.  Recognize the situations and people who take you away from your inclination to be kind.

Pause before acting: Don’t jump to any normal negative reaction.  Consciously create a small gap in time between the upsetting situation and your reaction.  This small gap is like hitting the pause button giving you time to choose.

Consciously choose kindness: Ask yourself no matter what the situation, if I were the other person, how what I want to be treated?  What is the most loving, honoring response in this situation?  You can still give your opinion, you can still disagree – but your response even in such cases can be kind.  Wayne Dyer says that when he’s given a choice between being right and being kind, he finds the best choice is always to be kind.  I agree.

If each of us could practice these simple steps and be kind towards one another, then we could move away from this angry political rhetoric and violent behavior that has risen in our country in the recent past.  Some of you may be thinking “well, it sounds good, but I’m not going to be kind while the other person is being mean”.  If you’re waiting on the other person to go first, kindness might not happen.  They might be waiting on you!  But whether they are or not, it takes someone to be brave enough to go first.

Be brave!  Be kind!  The time is now!  The choice is yours…

Blessings.

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Bridge Building, Featured Article, Politics

I Got Your Resources Right Here!

January 10, 2011 //
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As a sort of capstone on 2010, the other day I gave you some of my favorite books I discovered during the year.  Today, I want to follow-up with some other resources I discovered this past year which I found helpful, interesting, insightful or just in general contributed to my personal evolution these past 12 months.  So here we go in no particular order…

IPhone 4

I keep getting blown away on how extremely useful this device is!  Quick example – recently  Mary and I were headed into bed when the phone rang with a reverse 911 call.  I can’t say that I’ve ever gotten one of these before.  The message said that police were attempting to apprehend a “shooter” in our neighborhood and that we should go down into our basement for safety until we received another call.  As you can imagine, this freaked us out a bit but we did as instructed.  As we sat in one room away from any windows waiting for the all clear call, we wondered how far this “shooter” was from our house.  Then it occurred to me that I had downloaded a police scanner app on my iPhone.  Running this app we were able to discover that the police had the shooter surrounded and the address.  While continuing to listen to their progress in capturing the man, we were able to pull up a map of the address on our phone and determine that we were far from harm’s way.  (Fortunately, early this morning the police apprehended this man and all involved in the incident were okay.)  I could go on and on with examples of how this phone assists me but I think you get the picture.  I’ve heard from friends who are big fans of the other smart phones – I don’t really have any experience with them – but whether it’s the iPhone or one of these others, I highly recommend you checking into them if you haven’t already.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Software

I started with version 10 and recently upgraded to version 11.  This program is great!  You talk – it types!  The more you use it, the better it gets at understanding your voice.  Start up your word processing program and Dragon, put on your microphone and begin dictating.  There is a small percentage of misunderstood words when you begin, but over time that small percentage shrinks and shrinks.  You can do punctuation and formatting with specialized commands.  I do most of my writing now with Dragon.

Film: What in the World Are They Spraying?

I mention this movie as I suspect many of you have never heard of it.  Although I certainly would not consider myself some type of “conspiracy nut”, Mary and I do like to challenge ourselves by reviewing media outside the mainstream with alternate viewpoints on what’s going on in the world.  There is a whole genre of films we call “movies that p*** you off” – films like “the Corporation”, “Food Inc.”, “The Future of Food” and so on that you can watch and feel called to investigate further and if appropriate take personal action.  This film is in that category.  The topic is chemtrails, chemical discharges from airplanes which leave long vapor trails in the sky that dissipate slowly.  Most jet vapor trails (called contrails) disappear within a minute or two.  This film has made me more aware of the high number of jet trails that linger in the sky crisscrossing one another.  The film suggests (and offers some evidence) that these trails are part of a surreptitious geo-engineering effort.  It’s easy to dismiss such theories and the people who offer them as part of some “lunatic fringe” aspect of society.  Before you do that, I simply invite you to watch this film.

EnlightenNext Magazine

I’ve been reading Andrew Cohen’s excellent magazine for a number of years – from back when it was called “What Is Enlightenment?”  Recently they changed their name to EnlightenNext to reflect their emphasis upon evolutionary spirituality.  It’s as if as they explored the concept of spirituality and enlightenment, they realized that our spirituality is part of our personal and collective evolution, so much so that evolution became a critical aspect of its content.  Their tagline is now “the magazine for evolutionaries”.  This change took a really good magazine and made it outstanding in my opinion.  If you’re focus is on where humanity is evolving, especially in consciousness and spirituality, then this magazine is must reading.

Rick Steves

Mary and I went to Europe this past year and Rick was our guide.  Funny how I had never really paid attention to him before but then as we focused on our trip planning, everywhere I looked was stuff by Rick.  Videos, guidebooks, web site, a PBS show, and a whole slew of things to support your travel experience.  After looking at a number of travel sources, I decided that Rick’s approach met my intentions.  I followed a bunch of Rick’s advice and our trip was fantastic!  I even jokingly point out that I traveled to Europe with a Rick Steve’s travel bag! 

Netflix

I was already a member of the DVD by mail program.  I got tired of Blockbuster never having the esoteric movies I wanted to see—Netflix has almost every film I want to view!  Yet, in the past year their whole effort to move to streaming video has been in tune with my desires.  Funny how I can have 500 channels on cable, 3 DVDs from Netflix, on demand—-and still “nothing is on” you want to watch.  Now, Netflix has opened up this vast library of TV programs and movies that you can stream on demand to your TV (through our Wii no less!) or on to my Iphone!  Way cool.   Now I can usually find something to watch when I am in the mood.

Some Favorite Mainstream Movies

OK, here without commentary are some movies from this past year that if you haven’t seen are worth your time….all are  “thumbs up! in my humble opinion! Go check them out and if they sound interesting, give them a view!  Most are fairly mainstream….a few are a bit off the beaten path.

  • The Ghost Writer
  • The Kids are All Right
  • The Kings Speech
  • Toy Story 3
  • Inception
  • When You’re Strange
  • The Botany of Desire
  • Shutter Island
  • One Peace at a Time
  • Leap Year
  • Morning Glory

Now….Your Favorites!

I would love to hear about any books, web sites, movies, technology or anything in general that you have found made life more interesting, exciting or inspiring!  Leave a post or drop me a note.

I did ask folks on several social media sites I frequent for the books that inspired them this past year.  As of this writing, here is what I have received….I am going to check out the ones I’m not familiar with  myself!–

  • The Bhagavad Gita
  • The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion by Leonard Sweet
  • The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews
  • The Tao of Pooh
  • ‎Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
  • The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
  • A Course in Miracles

Ok….give me your thoughts on these and others!

Happy 2011.

Mark

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Categories Conscious Bridge Website, Culture, Entertainment, Featured Article

Humanity’s Inhumanities

January 8, 2011 //
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I was saddened to hear about Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, a US federal judge and others being shot in Tucson today. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone touched by this tragedy.

As of this writing, the motives for the gunman are unknown. Early reports tend to point to a confused individual who was upset at the government over perceived issues in our society. At the point you read this you may know more details. I hesitate to speculate on why someone came to Congressperson’s open town forum with a gun and opened fire on people.

Unfortunately, the representative and her staff have been the victim of threats in recent months over her support for the healthcare legislation. Tea party members have camped outside her office shouting angry rhetoric, there have been other threats made against her office and at one point the glass door to her headquarters was shattered by unknown individuals. I hope there is no connection between those events which were sad enough and today’s events which are simply tragic.

Over the past year I’ve written several times about my concerns on the rising tendency within our society to be unable to agree to disagree on things without resorting to verbal or physical abuse and violence. Our system of government was created by wise individuals who frequently did not agree on all the details of life, but agreed adamantly about the need to create a society that protected the freedom to disagree. They realized that creating a government that provided freedom of speech, press and religion was way more important than their individual disagreements upon life’s details or political issues.

Our founding fathers saw the humanity in each other and valued that humanity above our petty differences of belief. They realized that we were all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. Their attention to our humanity and the rights that came with our humanness were given precedent over anything else. I believe that divine insight is one of the reasons for America’s success.

Unfortunately, we have seen a tendency in recent years for more and more individuals to place more attention on our differences of opinion than on our underlying commonality in our humanity. The result is that the more energy we give to our differences, the less we see our similarities. When taken too far, one loses the ability to see the other person’s humanness, the “other” becomes an object, something less than human in which we are justified in our verbal and physical attacks. When you are no longer human, I can rationalize my inhumane behavior.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to continue down this path of humanity’s inhumanities to itself. We can reverse the trend. How? By each of us focusing first and foremost on that which unites us – our humanness. We must see one another as a valuable and unique expression of humanity – every person we encounter no matter what they believe we must see as being endowed with that same special something that we are – that essence, that consciousness which makes us all human beings.

May the tragedies of today’s event’s serve as a wake-up call to what Abraham Lincoln called the Angels of our better nature. There is something within us that knows there is a higher path, a better way. May that something in each of us be shaken out of its doldrums and be inspired to seek change for our highest future. We must learn to agree to disagree on the details of life and all come together in agreeing on that which is most important – our humanity.

And may we also come together in this moment, each in our own way, and hold thoughts and prayers for every person impacted by today’s tragedy. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, the opening of our hearts in this moment is what it means to be human.

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Bridge Building, Culture, Featured Article, Politics

These are a Few of My Favorite 2010 Things (Books)

December 27, 2010 //
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It’s the end of the year and everyone is doing their lists of favorite things from this past year….no “top 10″ from me but I did want to take a moment and highlight some of my favorite books, films, web sites/blogs and anything else that comes up that I want to say “YES” to and why I see it being not only enjoyable but serving our collective growth….today a few books:

Walking Through Walls

This is the memoir of author, Philip Smith, and his account of growing up with a psychic father in the 1950s and 1960s.  Philip sent me a copy of his book after reading my blog and noting that I write about the Science of Mind, something his father studied many years ago.   His father, Lew Smith, who died in 1981, was way ahead of his time in his insights on alternative healing and diet…sort of a more modern Edgar Cayce in a way….consulting his pendulum and higher spirits for guidance..and that aspect of the book is interesting.  However,  it is the descriptions of the author and his youthful angst at wanting to have a normal life while living in a household with a mother who wants to be a member of high society and a father whose life shifts from being  an interior decorator to a psychic healer that makes this book special.  Imagine a father who knew everything that you did and gave you guidance from beyond… Mary and I read this book to each other at night and we frequently were laughing out loud…get ahold of a copy of this book, you won’t regret it!  

Millenium Trilogy

I don’t normally read a lot of fiction but on a long road trip from Denver to San Diego with my daughter, she plugged in the audio book of Stieg Larsson’s ”The Girl Who Played with Fire” (the second book in the three book series) to pass the time and I got hooked!  The only problem was we didn’t finish the book by the time we arrived and I had to go buy a copy!  So, I went back and read book one (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), reread and completed “Fire”, and then recently finished “The Girl Who Kicked up the Hornet’s Nest”.  All in all, a couple of months of great part time reading!  Great characters, great plots, mystery books you don’t want to put down.  The style reminded me a bit of Dan Brown’s work.  However, why I am mentioning the books here?  Because they have a  strong but odd female heroine in Lisbeth Salander who overcomes much in life to be her own person….a different hero in a journalist who seeks to ferret out misjustice and highlight it so we can all be better….and the backdrop of Swedish culture which for me served to shrink the world a little bit more.   The fact that Larsson wrote all 3 of these books and died before they were published….and now is one of the top selling authors of the past couple of years also adds a bit of human interest to the reads.  There is a reason these books are bestsellers….

The Power of How

A non-fiction work by Tom Stone who is teaching some simple techniques for healing issues of the ego, moving to a place of pure awareness and freeing yourself from the issues caused by self-sabotaging thoughts and habits.  The book is an easy read, the methods he teaches are simple…..and more importantly–they work!    Mary and I frequently reference his chart of 12 core dynamics which list the categories of all of our incorrect thinking and what the “flip side” of truth is behind them…..and I have taught his methods for touching pure awareness in a number of classes this past year with great success— people can do them so easily and get immediate benefits.  Check it out if you’re not familiar with the work.

UFOs–Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record

I wrote about this book when it came out earlier this year….but I feel compelled to mention it again….author Leslie Kean has written an unusual “UFO” book, one that does not venture into speculation.  She simply presents the facts and testimory of reputable witnesses and public records to show that there is something unusual going on here on planet Earth that is worth investigating.  If you are a person who cannot say the term “UFO” without snickering and holding negative judgment, I challenge you to read this book and not have that prejudice called into question.  Why is this phenomenon which has so much evidence in support that something is going on being dismissed as unworthly of scientific investigation?  Forget SETI, let’s put some resources into studying UFOs.

Discover a Richer Life

Disclaimer—yes, I am a Science of Mind minister and have a great fondness for the writings of mystic Ernest Holmes.  I have read and re-read many of his works and discover so many things that I didn’t catch the first time around.  I have grown from his books tremendously.  I have a lot of his out of print books, but this year one that I did not own was re-published, ”Discover a Richer Life” (original publication in 1961) and it quickly became my inspirational book for the year.  Although the book is fairly short and is comprised of a number of magazine articles Holmes wrote, each one is to be read and reflected upon….I took a lot of time reading and re-reading this book and have been recommending it left and right.  If you like Holmes, get a copy of this book.  If you are new to Holmes, although you would no doubt benefit from this book, you may want to read a more introductory book of his like  ”The Basic Ideas of Science of Mind” or “This Thing Called Life” first.

Ok, there’s a few of the books that I really enjoyed this year…..what were a few of yours?

Mark

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Categories Bridge Building, Entertainment, Featured Article
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