Sunday, April 01, 2007
The Spectre of the Secret
Oops, I neglected to get a blog entry in for March. I’ve been busy, sometimes overwhelmed, mostly good stuff. A few problems, best if just dealt with and not made too much of. You know how it is.
So now for the first of April 2007, I would like to overview and look forward, in a great expectations kind of way. I saw The Secret, that big new phenom of pop spirituality and empowerment that says you create your own reality. Just think about what you want in your life and you’ll attract it. Watching the movie was actually the first thing I did for 2007. My wife went to bed after we kissed happy new year, and I watched the secret. Now I watch the society ripple around it.
I’ve seen criticisms of The Secret, and I have my own. I liked how one journalist summed up her problem: her sister saw the Secret, and visualized an expensive purse that she realized she deserved enough to put on credit. Then there’s the comedian Swami Beyondananda who is a genius with wordplay and corny jokes. He and others can boil the secret to manifesting riches down to one thing: write a book about the secret to manifesting riches.
Then I saw a blog that talked about the pre/trans fallacy of Ken Wilbur. Ken is a jargony pseudo-intellectual (pseudo can be a compliment in context, you know) who likes to make theories that invite discussion if not fealty. As I understand, the fallacy basically refers to my own observations that the reality before (pre) and after (trans) enlightenment can look enough the same that people can do shallow self-destructive things trying to get there fast. Remember the saying: before enlightenment chop wood, carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. I like that, it encapsulates the idea that what matters is how and when you do things, not so much what you do. But children mimic what you do to an incredible extent (I'm appreciating this as a parent), and so do the grown ups who are not true adults but just extended adolescents and children (sorry, that would be most of them). For example, an empowered actualized adult can talk about manifestation and enjoy whatever successes they imagine. It's a point they reached in their spiritual growth, prosperity is a fruit of great wisdom and love. True prosperity is global and real for everyone. You can’t just go to a workshop that says “you are God!” and be God. Or if you do become God, you need to act like God, which is probably not like addicted consumers, religio-politicians, and product manufacturers. God doesn't fiddle while Rome burns.
Have I got that right Ken? (I'll link here if he ever answers)
Well, these thoughts (which may not be Ken's) are in line with the problem I had with The Secret and all the surrounding pop-culture hype. Yeah, I can enjoy this New Age infomercial and understand its basic concepts, once I get past the get rich pitch. I may even get pretty pumped and optimistic about fixing life. You know, all the stuff that needs fixing. But this is, like, heavy machinery. People could hurt themselves on this “create your own reality” stuff. I know because I have. You can slip off the center, forget to keep head and heart in sync, and the next thing you know you’re blaming the victim, or being blamed, or getting into fights about who’s a victim and who’s to blame. You can also spend your resources on fantasy, living the high life to look good and attract more success. Only it’s hollow, it’s fake, it’s dangerous and you crash.
Oh well, some may say with compassion and affection and patience for humanity. They’re just making mistakes in the right direction. We’re just going out on limbs, overextending ourselves for positive visions. That’s a good thing, people will work it out. Well, I hope they work it out soon (you have my permission to work it out everybody!) because people are consuming the planet at an alarming rate to support their veneers of prosperity and power. Here’s the latest incident of Koyaanisqatsi for you (that hopi word that means world out of balance, and the title of that 1983 art film with the speed-up slow-down views of cities to Philip Glass music).
This unfolding news story is very sad. We don’t know how many hundreds or thousands of pets may die in the next month from kidney failure after eating pet food poisoned by polluted wheat gluten shipments from China. Money-saving pet food ingredients, imported on the global (lowest bidder!) market from a helter-skelter industrializing country that is polluting and killing its people, its environment, other people, and now our pets. Did you know that China is supporting the genocide in Darfur for business connections? Businessmen and investors are tripping over themselves to get in on the money machine that is China, and the circus of greed is killing the planet faster. Now they're killing the next generation of human souls. What? Yes, you see pets are the next souls transitioning to the human realm, that’s why they live so closely with humans. The spiritual children of tomorrow are dying, and the concept is just laughably esoteric for a culture addicted to the consumption of industrial products. But pets are real, and people and families are devestated and crying, victims of global economy. This is a huge disaster, reaching right into homes of rich and poor, a tragedy quite separate from the wars going on where people of competing ideologies are deliberately trying to kill the enemy ideology by killing the people who believe it.
Chant with me now: Koyaanisqatsi… Koyaanisqatsi…
The secret is that there are too many tragedies happening in the world today for people to fixate on manifesting a new car or house. AND, ironically, there are too many tragedies happening in the world today for people to get stuck on wanting a new car or house. In short, if you really feel that you need a new car or house to be the human being that you need to be, the one who helps fix the world in your own special way, then by all means study the secrets of manifestation (on sale in Walmart finally) and satisfy yourself. But don’t forget the goal was to make yourself and your world really deeply work together, in harmony, health, peace, and joy. We all have a place in the world, great gifts to offer, and they all connect and add up to a heavenly effect. Human beings are not meant to pursue luxuries at the expense of other lives and beyond spiritual growth applications.
I mean, I cannot believe that people aren’t exploring the last great frontier of wealth and genius and love that’s right here at home: humanity. Humanity! And humanity has rights! All humans have a right to live well enough to realize the gifts that give back to the rest of us. There’s a whole economy of heaven to be discovered, and all it takes is feeding and housing and loving everyone on the planet. But noooo… can’t do that. Got to kill all the bad guys first, right Mr. Bush for brains? Oh, never mind if that killing makes us the bad guys too, we’ll kill ourselves eventually on your policies. Who put this shit for brains in charge anyway? Not the majority of American voters, at the start or the finish of his shameful career. Sorry, am I being harsh? Check the polls, this administration is well on its way to going down in history as the most dangerously incompetent, righteous, and deceptive government ever in the United States – which WAS an importantly good place and will be again.
So every night, you know what I pray? I pray, please God, fix me so that I don’t think whatever I was thinking when I let George Bush become president. I mean seriously folks, we have a lot to forgive ourselves! Is that a secret of manifestation? I think so.
Ok, what happened to my blog entry. I didn't think I was going to say this. I went on a tangent, let’s try another. There’s more to life, see? That’s the answer to my prayers.
I was going to talk more about personal hopes and dreams, but they’re still kind of private and tender, I guess. I am writing stories, the kind of stories that no one can write but me, my stories. That’s what everyone can do, do the thing that no one else but they can do. I am trying to be the best father and husband and employee and author I can be. It’s all one package of my potential. Not competitive, not comparing to anyone else. My version of being those things, and figuring out life as I go. That’s all I can say right now, but at least I got a blog entry in for April 1. Thanks for giving me a place to vent, hope it helped to express things you needed to hear too. And if anything I said offended or confused, then just take it for April Fool’s.
Peace out,
Carl
So now for the first of April 2007, I would like to overview and look forward, in a great expectations kind of way. I saw The Secret, that big new phenom of pop spirituality and empowerment that says you create your own reality. Just think about what you want in your life and you’ll attract it. Watching the movie was actually the first thing I did for 2007. My wife went to bed after we kissed happy new year, and I watched the secret. Now I watch the society ripple around it.
I’ve seen criticisms of The Secret, and I have my own. I liked how one journalist summed up her problem: her sister saw the Secret, and visualized an expensive purse that she realized she deserved enough to put on credit. Then there’s the comedian Swami Beyondananda who is a genius with wordplay and corny jokes. He and others can boil the secret to manifesting riches down to one thing: write a book about the secret to manifesting riches.
Then I saw a blog that talked about the pre/trans fallacy of Ken Wilbur. Ken is a jargony pseudo-intellectual (pseudo can be a compliment in context, you know) who likes to make theories that invite discussion if not fealty. As I understand, the fallacy basically refers to my own observations that the reality before (pre) and after (trans) enlightenment can look enough the same that people can do shallow self-destructive things trying to get there fast. Remember the saying: before enlightenment chop wood, carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. I like that, it encapsulates the idea that what matters is how and when you do things, not so much what you do. But children mimic what you do to an incredible extent (I'm appreciating this as a parent), and so do the grown ups who are not true adults but just extended adolescents and children (sorry, that would be most of them). For example, an empowered actualized adult can talk about manifestation and enjoy whatever successes they imagine. It's a point they reached in their spiritual growth, prosperity is a fruit of great wisdom and love. True prosperity is global and real for everyone. You can’t just go to a workshop that says “you are God!” and be God. Or if you do become God, you need to act like God, which is probably not like addicted consumers, religio-politicians, and product manufacturers. God doesn't fiddle while Rome burns.
Have I got that right Ken? (I'll link here if he ever answers)
Well, these thoughts (which may not be Ken's) are in line with the problem I had with The Secret and all the surrounding pop-culture hype. Yeah, I can enjoy this New Age infomercial and understand its basic concepts, once I get past the get rich pitch. I may even get pretty pumped and optimistic about fixing life. You know, all the stuff that needs fixing. But this is, like, heavy machinery. People could hurt themselves on this “create your own reality” stuff. I know because I have. You can slip off the center, forget to keep head and heart in sync, and the next thing you know you’re blaming the victim, or being blamed, or getting into fights about who’s a victim and who’s to blame. You can also spend your resources on fantasy, living the high life to look good and attract more success. Only it’s hollow, it’s fake, it’s dangerous and you crash.
Oh well, some may say with compassion and affection and patience for humanity. They’re just making mistakes in the right direction. We’re just going out on limbs, overextending ourselves for positive visions. That’s a good thing, people will work it out. Well, I hope they work it out soon (you have my permission to work it out everybody!) because people are consuming the planet at an alarming rate to support their veneers of prosperity and power. Here’s the latest incident of Koyaanisqatsi for you (that hopi word that means world out of balance, and the title of that 1983 art film with the speed-up slow-down views of cities to Philip Glass music).
This unfolding news story is very sad. We don’t know how many hundreds or thousands of pets may die in the next month from kidney failure after eating pet food poisoned by polluted wheat gluten shipments from China. Money-saving pet food ingredients, imported on the global (lowest bidder!) market from a helter-skelter industrializing country that is polluting and killing its people, its environment, other people, and now our pets. Did you know that China is supporting the genocide in Darfur for business connections? Businessmen and investors are tripping over themselves to get in on the money machine that is China, and the circus of greed is killing the planet faster. Now they're killing the next generation of human souls. What? Yes, you see pets are the next souls transitioning to the human realm, that’s why they live so closely with humans. The spiritual children of tomorrow are dying, and the concept is just laughably esoteric for a culture addicted to the consumption of industrial products. But pets are real, and people and families are devestated and crying, victims of global economy. This is a huge disaster, reaching right into homes of rich and poor, a tragedy quite separate from the wars going on where people of competing ideologies are deliberately trying to kill the enemy ideology by killing the people who believe it.
Chant with me now: Koyaanisqatsi… Koyaanisqatsi…
The secret is that there are too many tragedies happening in the world today for people to fixate on manifesting a new car or house. AND, ironically, there are too many tragedies happening in the world today for people to get stuck on wanting a new car or house. In short, if you really feel that you need a new car or house to be the human being that you need to be, the one who helps fix the world in your own special way, then by all means study the secrets of manifestation (on sale in Walmart finally) and satisfy yourself. But don’t forget the goal was to make yourself and your world really deeply work together, in harmony, health, peace, and joy. We all have a place in the world, great gifts to offer, and they all connect and add up to a heavenly effect. Human beings are not meant to pursue luxuries at the expense of other lives and beyond spiritual growth applications.
I mean, I cannot believe that people aren’t exploring the last great frontier of wealth and genius and love that’s right here at home: humanity. Humanity! And humanity has rights! All humans have a right to live well enough to realize the gifts that give back to the rest of us. There’s a whole economy of heaven to be discovered, and all it takes is feeding and housing and loving everyone on the planet. But noooo… can’t do that. Got to kill all the bad guys first, right Mr. Bush for brains? Oh, never mind if that killing makes us the bad guys too, we’ll kill ourselves eventually on your policies. Who put this shit for brains in charge anyway? Not the majority of American voters, at the start or the finish of his shameful career. Sorry, am I being harsh? Check the polls, this administration is well on its way to going down in history as the most dangerously incompetent, righteous, and deceptive government ever in the United States – which WAS an importantly good place and will be again.
So every night, you know what I pray? I pray, please God, fix me so that I don’t think whatever I was thinking when I let George Bush become president. I mean seriously folks, we have a lot to forgive ourselves! Is that a secret of manifestation? I think so.
Ok, what happened to my blog entry. I didn't think I was going to say this. I went on a tangent, let’s try another. There’s more to life, see? That’s the answer to my prayers.
I was going to talk more about personal hopes and dreams, but they’re still kind of private and tender, I guess. I am writing stories, the kind of stories that no one can write but me, my stories. That’s what everyone can do, do the thing that no one else but they can do. I am trying to be the best father and husband and employee and author I can be. It’s all one package of my potential. Not competitive, not comparing to anyone else. My version of being those things, and figuring out life as I go. That’s all I can say right now, but at least I got a blog entry in for April 1. Thanks for giving me a place to vent, hope it helped to express things you needed to hear too. And if anything I said offended or confused, then just take it for April Fool’s.
Peace out,
Carl
