Opportunity knocks yet again…

On January 12, 2010, the island nation of Haiti was hit with a major 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The capital city of Port-au-Prince as well as other areas, were utterly destroyed. The results, catastrophic, the devastation, total.  As horrific as was the destruction, the aftermath is equally or more so.  Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  There is widespread unemployment and the  greater percentage of the population live on about two dollars a day.  As a result of this major event, those who had very little to begin with, now have even less. Video and images coming out of Haiti depict scenes that rival war zones. Much of Haiti has been left in ruble. The streets are lined with the deceased, the injured and the displaced.  Most structures have collapsed, the few that are left standing, are uninhabitable for fear of eventual collapse, due to many aftershocks, some of which, are earthquakes in and of themselves.  Sanitary conditions are non existent, no electricity, no food, no clean water, no facilities at all with which to treat the injured or house and bury the dead. The concern over the ensuing days will turn to disease, dehydration and starvation.  Many of those who died, both in the initial quake and in the devastating circumstances that followed, will never be counted or identified.  Many have been laid to rest in unmarked, mass graves due to the simply overwhelming amount of corpses lining the streets.   The eventual death toll will be in the hundreds of thousands. Haitian born musician, Wyclef Jean, refereed to the current conditions in his home country as an apocalypse, I would tend to agree.

Thankfully, the international community is swiftly responding, relief efforts are underway.  Several countries have sent and are sending rescue teams, food, water, medical personnel and mobile hospital facilities. However,  due to the limited airport facilities, damaged roads and infrastructure, facilitating set up and distribution will take some time. Time is a luxury many can not afford, aid delayed, will undoubtedly translate to lives lost. This is not to place blame or make wrong any rescue attempt, it is merely a statement of fact. This current tragedy is eerily reminiscent of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which, on August, 29 2005,  devastated the gulf coast states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The costly lessons learned then,  due to delayed rescue efforts, seem to have served America and the world well in responding swiftly to this disaster. Still, from what I can see, the challenges here are far greater than the ones posed by Hurricane Katrina.

The above is merely a statement of what is so,  purely observation.  The question that now begs to be answered is, what significance do we now wish to give this event? I have heard it said, that everything happens for a reason. It is my humble opinion, that there is no particular reason for anything, save the reason you give it. So what is the meaning we can give to the event of this catastrophic earthquake? What can possibly make sense of so much hardship and death? It is a times such as this, that we are reminded of what is truly important.  EACH OTHER!! I believe every death, no matter what the cause, is to remind us of how very precious life is and to do all we can to mitigate all manners of the experience we call death. How can we now mitigate the hardships now faced by our sisters and brothers in Haiti?

Opportunity yet again knocks on humanities door, the opportunity to provide comfort, compassion and relief. The opportunity to strip away the petty differences that previously divided us and acknowledge our shared humanity, our shared hopes, dreams, desires, joys and sorrows .  I am of the firm belief, that the international community can rebuild Haiti. I am certain an all out effort to do so, would result in Haiti being restored to well beyond its former state. We do not lack the ability, the technology or the resources. What we may lack however, is the desire. Money should be of no concern here, (see my previous post on the economy, poverty, disease and needless suffering, posted 1-10-10, for my thoughts on this subject) what is of utmost importance, is human life. Could money ever be a valid reason for not providing for the comfort, well being and future of another human being?  Humanity’s potential is unlimited, if we would only allow it to unfold. Our only limitations are the ones we place on ourselves.

As noble as are all the relief efforts, as admirable are are all the donations pouring in to aid agencies, charities and foundations of all kinds, no matter what their mission statement or their purpose, they will consistently fall short of their goals without constant infusions of capitol. This is not to say they are not worthy of our time, energy, efforts and donations. I myself am involved with charitable organization and have donated to the relief efforts in Haiti. I simply observe that, to me, it seems all these endeavors  merely  place a small bandage on a gaping wound. The gaping wound that has humanity in its grip, is the illusion of separation. The idea that some of us are more worthy than others, more deserving, more entitled, somehow better.  The illusion manifests itself in the way conduct our daily lives and is starkly demonstrated by what we are now witnessing in Haiti, and have witnessed previously, in the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and so on. We will not ease any of these experiences to a considerable degree with the same thinking that created them in the first place. NONE of the difficulties humanity faces are economic, political or military in nature. ALL of humanity’s challenges are spiritually based and that is the only level on which they will be solved. We must shift our society from being profit driven, to being humanitarian driven.  Actually, we can remain profit driven, we simply need to redefine what we view as profit. Is it more important to amass possessions and currency, or can we somehow shift our priorities to derive satisfaction, contentment and profit from the well being of our fellow humans? I am of the firm belief that we can. We need not grow our economy, we need not grow our military, the only thing we need to grow, is our spirituality. We are all interdependent. We are all connected, we are all One. Anytime we disregard any individual, group or nation, we lose out on their potential contributions to our lives. When someone’s daily existence is in question. When thoughts are consumed by where the next meal is coming from, or whether or not the rent will be made, how can we expect that individual to rise to their fullest potential? Multiply this by the oppression of a people, a race or a nation and you begin to understand how we as a species are cheating ourselves.

I have also heard devastating natural occurrences such as the Haiti earthquake referred to as “acts of God”. I respectfully disagree. I look at them as acts of man. We have, over and over again been informed by the scientific community, that our disregard for the planet is threatening our very existence. Yet, we choose to ignore the information. All this destruction of our environment is done in the name of profit and progress. Yet, where is the profit or progress in the destruction of the planet for future generations? Are we truly that short sighted? In addition, think not that the violent way in which we conduct ourselves on this planet does not reflect itself in nature. I am sure that you have had the experience of walking into a room and sensing the tension contained within. I have often heard the expression that the air or tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Now, imagine the tension that war and violence on this planet create in the atmosphere of our beloved earth. I am certain that reduction and elimination of war and violence would be reflected in nature. Events such as hurricanes and earthquakes would be less intense. Mother Earth would make her adjustments in a much gentler fashion. A meteorologist on CNN recently mentioned, that along any given fault line in the earth’s crust, that there are usually either numerous, less intense, deep quakes over a period of time or shallower, more violent ones. Haiti sits atop one such fault line. Perhaps, just perhaps, a kinder, gentler humanity, would result in a kinder, gentler, planet.

I stand convicted that there is hope for humanity. Our planet can heal itself. The only thing we need to do, is heal ourselves of the illusion of separation. We can all make a long list of what is wrong, of reasons why something will not work. Go ahead, make that list. Look at it, acknowledge it, take responsibility for it, but don’t live there. To quote author and lecturer Marianne Williamson, ” I see you war, I see you violence, I see you poverty, I see you disease, I see you needless suffering, I see the ways in which we and our own government participate in the systems that keep these things in place, BUT I DENY THEIR POWER OVER US”! Yes, I know it seems like an overwhelming task, to quote author Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversation with God series, “By what would you like to be overwhelmed? Something coming at you, or something coming from you”? I invite you to be part of the solution. It all starts with you! In your heart, in your home, in your community. The fact that you have come to this commentary and read this far speaks volumes as to your intention and desire to be the change you wish to see in the world. There are a million different ways to become a catalyst for change. Get involved in something that is bigger than you. Want more peace in your life? Cause another to have it. Want more love in your life? Cause another to have it. Is it enlightenment you seek? Cause another to know they are enlightened. In giving these things to another, you give them to yourself. The very act of giving love, peace, enlightenment or whatever it is in life you desire to another, will cause you to know you had it to give all along. Once again, I invite you to be the change.

Thanks for stopping by. Be well. Join the conversation.

Today my day began as many others have, I woke up in my comfortable bed, in my comfortable home. I had breakfast, showered, brushed my teeth, put on clean clothes and headed out the door to work. During the coarse of my day, I ordered lunch from a local restaurant, did some shopping for food and various household items, went to the gym, came home, showered and prepared dinner. My day also involved in varying increments, television, email and several trips to a clean, sanitary restroom. I am sure that, more or less, your day was about the same. Nothing overly remarkable, relatively routine.  To our sisters and brothers in Haiti, what I just described as routine, would be considered nothing short of miraculous. Even before the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the capitol city of Port-au-Prince, the greater percentage of the population there would have given a body part to live a life many of us consider routine.

Eighty percent of the population of Haiti live below the poverty live, as a result of the earthquake, those who had little to begin with, have little more than the clothes on their back. Homes are destroyed, infrastructure decimated, there is no food, clean water, no sanitation whatsoever, no formal hospitals to treat the injured and no where to house or bury the dead. Relief efforts are underway but are slow in coming due to the logistical nightmare created by the earthquake. Time is certainly a luxury Haiti does not have. The death toll will undoubtedly rise as time slips by without basic necessities. This is just a brief description of the nightmare that Haiti is now living. The images and video presented by the media is nothing short of heart wrenching.

In the coming days, I will post a more in depth piece on the earthquake in Haiti, but for now, I wanted to post this small plea. Please, please, please, do whatever is in your power to assist. You can find a list of legitimate charities listed on CNN’s website at www.cnn.com/impact. In addition, you can use your cell phone to text “Haiti” to 90999 and a $10 donation to the Red Cross, will be added to your cell phone bill. I am certain most of us could manage $10. Whatever your situation, whatever life circumstance you are dealing with in this moment, it is most likely not as devastating  as what is now being experienced in Haiti. I will explore, in my next post, how within this tragedy, lies the opportunity to not only transform Haiti, but our planet.

Thanks for stopping by, be well, be peace. Join the conversation.

and the agreements we hold about them

For over a year now, we have witnessed the havoc the recent economic downturn has wreaked,  both locally and globally.  Property values have plummeted, investments have dwindled and unemployment has risen dramatically.  Retirement plans have been scrapped, many have and still are, loosing their homes, lives have been irreparably altered, and in some cases, even lost. Crime, homelessness, stress, stress related disease, and blood pressure rates have all risen. Prescription medication use for depression, stress and pain has risen. We have all felt the effects in some way. I have seen endless stories of people who have done everything right and through no fault of their own, are now experiencing devastating circumstances.

I consider all of the above , to be needless suffering. They are all due to the agreements that we hold. We agree that we are separate from each other, we agree that some of us are better than others, we agree that some of us are superior to others,  more deserving, more entitled  and the list goes on and on, but I think you get the idea. We actually agree that how much money one has, or lack there of can, determine whether a person lives or dies, how insane is this? Think about this, take a moment right here, right now and think about that last statement. I personally would find it impossible,  to look into the eyes of another human being, and refuse them food, clothing , shelter, education, health care or any other basic necessity, simply because they lack funds. Every person on the planet deserves access to all the basics of life, simply by virtue of being alive. Every life is significant, each human being is as special as any who have lived, are living now, or will live in the future.

You may think this to be quite the statement, how can this come to be, how can we ever meet everyone’s daily needs? How can we afford to? Easily, by agreeing that we can.  We do this already, on a daily basis, though on a much smaller scale. We meet the daily needs of our spouses, children, parents, beloved family members and close friends without even a thought of reward, reciprocity or compensation. We do this because we want for all of these fine people to be happy, healthy and able to follow their dreams and fulfill their potential. All we need to do, with respect to the rest of the planet, is expand our view of family. Another reason we care so well for our families and friends, is the contributions they make to our lives, they care for us, validate us, love us and bring their own special, individualized gifts to our lives.  By not allowing every person on the planet access to their daily needs, we as a society, all lose. We are cheated of the potential contributions to our lives, that another, halfway across the globe, in poverty’s grip, can not make. How can we expect someone to rise to fulfill their potential, if their every thought is consumed with matters of daily existence?

I come to this line of thinking from the perspective that we are all connected, we are all truly One. We are one species, on one blue planet, in the vastness of space. To quote Dr. Carl Sagan, “An organism at war with itself, is doomed”. As you can imagine, when explaining this perspective to some people, I am met with rolling eyes and comments like airy fairy, Utopian type thinking. And that is OK, you can still come to the agreement,  to meet everyone’s needs  from the perspective of whats in it for me, my only concerns are for myself and my family. How you ask? Simple. What if someone, halfway across the globe, previously denied the opportunity to follow their dreams, suddenly obtained it? What song might that person sing, what screenplay might they write, what might they invent, that would enrich your life or the life of your family? And if that is not good enough, what if such a person were to find the cure for a disease that has taken or will take members of ones family? I have not found anyone who would argue with that last statement.

So now comes the question, how do we get there? I have a small suggestion. Rethink, revisit, reevaluate and revise our system of economics. We may even want to eliminate all together,  this thing we call money. I am of the firm belief, that we do not need cash to run this planet, we would be better off without it. As I have previously mentioned, I do not have all the answers, but I am sure that better minds than mine can find some. Perhaps the concept of money can kick in at some point beyond the basic necessities of life, after the needs of all are met and everyone has the opportunity to bring to fruition, the gifts they have to give.  Think about it, almost every societal ill is tied to money. In a world without money, crime rates would plummet. What reason would there be to steal, embezzle or commit fraud of any kind? For the most part, whenever anything illegal, shady or questionable happens, it has been said, follow the money and you will find the answers. Money can do nothing for you, it is just a piece of paper, it can not feed you, care for you, shelter you, clothe you, or keep you healthy, We only agree that it can. Actually, there is nothing at all wrong with money, it is our thought /agreement about it.

I would like at this time, to give a brief vision of what a world without money would look like. A broader, more detailed version can be found in my yet unpublished book, A Profane Road to a Profound Life, which I am sure Oprah will choose shortly, for a book club selection. Well, lets put it this way, if Oprah were to hold up my book and say, its worthless, don’t buy it, I would still be grateful, for that alone would make it a must read. Ahhh, but I digress, on to my vision, this post is getting quite long and I don’t want to lose you. There is virtually no facet of life that would not benefit from a cashless world. No one would be unemployed, if I came to you tomorrow and said, the money you have in the bank, your investments and retirement plan are now worth nothing, you would, most likely, not be too pleased. But, if I also told you, you would never have to worry about food, clothing, shelter education or health care, you might want be interested in hearing more. If I again told you, that what would be required of you would be about 10-15 hours of service a week, to perform the daily functions necessary in your community, you may be further intrigued. Beyond those 10-15 hours, you are free to follow your passion. Learn, teach, write, heal, research, sing, dance, whatever you wish. You may even find that service to your community is your passion and you may elect to do more than the 10-15 hours. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you want to be great, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. But recognize, that the greatest among you, will be your servant”. In a world without money, those who serve, will be held in high regard. The great among us indeed.  Were you to give the above scenario to every person on our planet, the greater percentage would sign up for it in a fraction of a heartbeat.

Were we to make this shift tomorrow, I am of the firm belief that in less than 10 years we will cure most or all diseases, reverse global warming, eliminate from the human experience homelessness, poverty, hunger and improve the quality of our lives far beyond anything we have dreamed of. Instead of simply making a living, we will all begin to make a life. Instead of seeing money and power as our god, we will see each other, as the most valuable resource on the planet. Of course, our current state of consciousness requires a little tweaking before we can make this shift. But remember, you can still do all of this from a whats in it for me consciousness, you just need to be aware of all your missing out on when others are oppressed. It is really not that big of a jump to make.

the mechanics of the shift

To explain in depth how the logistics of all this would come to be, would lengthen this post considerably. So I will attempt a brief idea of the vision. Keep in mind, this is just one mans vision, I am in no way, shape or form attached to this as the only way. There are many roads to the same destination, it matters not what road we take. OK, Here goes. Since we no longer use cash, all of the structures  we now use for financial purposes, will no longer be needed. This will immediately solve homelessness, we will have more than enough room to house those that need homes, with room to spare. Walk through any shopping mall, walk down any commercial strip , and you will see store after store, that sell the same products. We will no longer need all of these stores, as we will now only be interested in providing the best product possible. This will result in just a few different manufacturers for any given product, strictly for the sake of variety, not quality.  Additionally, there are a myriad of stores that we will be able to discard entirely, I call them stores full of stuff that nobody needs. They usually offer things such as souvenirs, figurines, novelty items and the like. All of these products are manufactured for the simple goal of making money, they add nothing to anyone’s life or their decor, they usually wind up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere until people  tire of them, ultimately, they take up space in a landfill. The elimination of all the duplication of stores, as well as the stores full of stuff that no one needs, will lessen the burden we place on our planet by not requiring the raw material for all the extra products as well as the waste products caused by the factories manufacturing said products.

All of the people that were previously involved in the financial arena, manufacturing and retailing of the products I just spoke of, will now be free to pursue their passion and significantly add to society, instead of consuming their time with their previous pursuits. Many of which brought no joy to them at all, they can now begin to make a life, instead of making a living. All of these people will also now be able to put in the 10-15 hours of service I spoke of previously, which is why the amount of time required is so small. Most doctors, nurses, researchers and all those involved in the medical fields will most likely remain there. Most entered the field in hopes of being able to help others and that will not change, I would imagine, these fields would grow exponentially with financial concerns out of the way. This would provide the benefit of many more talented minds, working on cures for diseases and physical ailments, making great strides in eliminating them from the human experience. Most people would now be able to “work” in their communities rather than commute to where they can make money. This would just about eliminate traffic and significantly cut down on the pollution caused by the consumption of fossil fuels. I am of the firm belief, that our beautiful planet would begin to heal itself if we just give it the chance. Besides this, we will have many more researchers working on correcting climate change. We will quickly begin to wonder why we previously showered our entertainers and athletes with dollars, yet left our researchers and teacher begging for pennies.

This shift will also benefit us greatly in he reduction of stress and stress related disease, most of which are all brought on by the anxiety, concern and worry of making a living. I have a close family member, who suffers from depression, a good deal of which is brought on by the stress of daily existence. Were this to be removed from their experience, I am certain the condition would greatly improve. I recently witnessed two co-workers retire, as a result of having more time to themselves, they began pay more attention to their health. They both lost a significant amount of weight, feel better, look better, are happier, and are off their blood pressure and diabetes medication. Not to mention the improved quality of their lives from spending more time with their families. This is just a small example of the benefits of this new agreement. There is no facet of life I can think of, or that has been presented to me, that would not be improved. Feel free to question me on this, I welcome the dialog and the possibilities it may provide.

So finally, in closing, let me say once again, I am not attached to this vision exactly as it is presented here. There are many smarter, brighter, wiser minds than mine, that can take this idea, mold and shape it  many different ways. What I am attached to is the results, the improvement of the quality of the human experience and the healing of our beloved planet. Would you care to join me, in the thought and hold the space in your heart for a new way forward?  A new experience for our species? A new agreement!!

Thanks so very much for stopping by. Be well, Be peace. Join the conversation!

From his book, The Audacity of Hope, President Barack Obama states, and I paraphrase, “Large scale social change can only come about as a result of a local awakening, not as a result of outside interference”.  It would seem that our sisters and brothers in Iran are now going through such an inner awakening. I am saddened to see the ferocity and viciousness of  their governments response, violence and bloodshed, on the part of the government and the protesters, seem to now be a daily occurrence. The government has pledged a swift and crushing response to future protests. I am of the firm belief that the reforms  sought, can be attained non violently on the part of the protesters, though their will indeed be violence on the part of the government.  Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have already demonstrated the efficacy of non violet protest.

Whether or not this is possible, the people of Iran may, at some point, require outside assistance in their quest.  Some days ago,  Republican Senator John McCain, issued a statement calling on the Obama administration for a stronger response to Iran’s current difficulties, despite the administration’s previous statements in support of the protesters and calling on the government of Iran to cease their crackdown. Whether Senator McCain was just posturing politically or spoke in earnest,  I am unsure. How much of a stronger response is the Senator calling for ? I for one, would would be unable to support any military response at this time. Our women and men in uniform are currently stretched way too thin and are extremely overused.

In the event, the inner awakening happening in Iran, requires outside assistance at some point. I believe such assistance needs to be in the form of a coalition, one that is comprised of largely by middle eastern nations. The United States and its allies alone, can not bear the full responsibility of policing the globe. We can not simply waltz into another country without the full support, in all aspects, of the Arab World. In closing, my thoughts and prayers go out to our sisters and brothers in Iran. May their quest for reform be swift, productive, safe and peaceful.

Thanks for stopping by, be well, be peace. Join the conversation!