The Afternoon of Life

Recently I found myself watching (for the 2nd time) a movie called The Shift. It’s a film that intertwines a narrative story along side a quazi-documentary. You can’t really call it a documentary, although Wayne Dyer plays himself in the film and much of his philosophy is handed to you in a traditional documentarian style.  It works because the characters are a film crew making a documentary on Wayne Dyer. It’s a very convenient way to tell this particular kind of story as it weaves nicely with narrative.

However, it’s not the film style that has my inspiration bubbling… It’s the content. The Shift refers to something that happens within us as we reach a certain point in our lives. As if something within shifts and we begin to perceive our world in a new way.  The things we find important changes. In turn, we change. We shift our ideas, our attitudes, our desires, our principles and embark in a new direction. However, what the film also points out is that often we are not prepared for this shift. Often, we don’t even expect it. All the tools we have learned to use in the beginning of our life seem inappropriate for this new part of our life. It’s an entirely new game and we need to learn a new way to play.

The film starts with a quote from Carl Jung.

“Wholly unprepared, we embark upon the second half of life…we take the step into the afternoon of life; worst still, we take this step with the false assumptions that our truths and ideals will serve us as before. But we cannot live the afternoons of life according to the programme of life’s morning – for what was great in the morning will be little in the evening, and what in the morning was true will in the evening have become a lie.”

In essence as we grow older and have perspective, we replace what we thought was important. I know this to be true in my own life. I see it also happening to friends and family. The shift comes when you no longer identify with the things you thought were important. I believe these things are specific for each individual, yet there are some universal truths. As a entire human consciousness there are things we share. Family, friends, loved ones. These things are universally important.  We might know from a young age that these things are important, but we might not do anything about it until we reach the ‘afternoon of our life’.  And as Carl Jung points out, we are not always prepared to do anything about it.

I feel that way these days. As if I’m teetering between an old way of life and a new one. I’m building new tools and learning to use them. But still have several more to go before I’m able to navigate successfully. The process is like marking points along a path or map. And in a way to chart your journey and understand your growth. These points provide the energy we need to move away from ego and into a life of meaning and purpose.

Wayne Dyer says this:
“The Shift doesn’t mean that we lose our drive and ambition; it signifies that we become ambitious about something new. We make a commitment to living a life based on experiencing meaning and feeling purposeful, rather than a life based on never-ending demands and false promises that are the trademark of the ego’s agenda.”

I hope you get a chance to watch the movie. No matter where you are in your life’s journey, I’m sure you’ll find it entertaining and informative.

Finding Purpose

At some point in most people’s lives they make a switch and change direction in what they feel is most important in life. It might be associated with age or experience, but regardless, it does have to do with purpose. They become aware that their life has purpose. They also realize they have to make a choice to follow their purpose. And ‘following’ is different than ‘chasing’. It’s about allowing your purpose to come to you naturally rather than forcing what your ego thinks is your purpose. How do you know the difference? Good question considering most of us have years of conditioning already firmly embedded into our lives. The answer, I think, is simply do nothing.

I’m reminded of the farmer who inherits a piece of land. For the first year, he doesn’t plant anything. He just lets the land grow itself because he wants to see what naturally will come from the land.  I think about this story because we can treat life the same way. Just allow ourselves the time to see what grows.

Each of us has a purpose. Something we not only are good at but we also enjoy. Without the fears and pressures of society that might manipulate us into believing what we want. Be proactive and turn off the fetters of fear and commercialism that tell us who we need to be.  Just be still, quiet, and peaceful with yourself. Go outside. Plug in to nature.  Sit near a tree and breath some fresh air.  Finding your purpose is finding your calling, something pulling you in a particular direction. Some people call it God, other people call it the Universe or Gaia or the Source. Finding purpose is directly related to happiness and the way you feel. To know your calling, you must be in touch with your feelings. To be in touch with your feelings you must be still with the Universe. Quiet your mind and re-connect with the Source and simply listen.

Consuming vs. Producing

“Stop consuming and start producing” is a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot recently because, for the most part, our culture has turned from producers to consumers. The United States used to be a dominate producer and money lender, but, times have changed and now we borrow more and ship our manufacturing overseas. On an individual level, we consume to the point of excess. We’d rather pay to have things made and done for us. We want to be served and entertained instead of do for ourselves or entertain ourselves.  We pay monthly dues and membership fees for services we don’t really need.  And if taken to an extreme, it becomes a wasting away of our soul, spirit and finances.  Ironically, ‘consumption’ is a nasty disease…. a wasting away of the body!

The thing is, we live in a world of consumers. It’s all around us. We are plagued by advertisers telling us what the next new thing is that will make our life complete. We like to think we’re immune to them, but it’s impossible to escape. And for the most part, we don’t want to escape, so we make little agreements with ourselves. “I can have this because I said no to that”. We navigate the road of compromise with our inner morality Nazi, dictating what we can and can’t do to live out a healthy life.

By hiring people to do things for you, takes away power from yourself.  Every bill you receive indicates what you pay someone else to do.  Anything that has a monthly bill is really just another rope around your neck.  Closely examine what bills you have and prioritize by asking ‘does this add to my creativity and production, or is this just another way for me to consume?’  An easy way to answer that question is to also ask, ‘is this another form of entertainment?’  Things that aren’t a necessity, like gas or electricity, are probably entertainment or another form of control. These things should work for you to expand your creativity, not distract you from it.

Often many of us have been so busy consuming what others have produced, we haven’t taken time to be productive ourselves. However, we all know consumers are an important part of the process. We can’t eliminate our consumer tendencies altogether. However, a problem does exist when we’re consuming more than we produce.

I don’t think it takes a genius to see that consuming is directly tied to anxiety, stress and fear. When we consume we acquire bills and debt. And what does debt do but cause stress?

Ironically, the first thing you can do to start producing is start downsizing. Start looking towards living simple. Reducing your possessions and increasing self sufficiency. Start thinking creatively when it comes to gift giving. Make your own holiday gifts instead of buying them. Trade in your Gym membership for a bike ride to work. Walk to the grocery store. Grow a vegetable garden. What skills do you have? How can you teach others? How can you give to your community?

Simple living is a choice that reflects spirituality, health, quality time for family and friends, personal taste, frugality and deducing personal ecological footprint and reducing stress and anxiety.  Our society often seeks to buy happiness but materialism very frequently fails to satisfy. However, increasing self sufficiency reduces dependency on money and the economy. Simply living is a way of life that takes sustainability into consideration. It’s not only financially friendly but environmentally friendly. It’s a way of life that not only considers the now but also the future.

I believe in self reliance. I believe it’s important to take control of your life by taking responsibility. I know there are things I can’t do on my own. And I know the difference between hiring someone to do something that I need rather than something I want. Reducing your dependency on external services provides time and money. Simply stop using products and you wont have to pay for them.

“The making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of the society”

David Shi – The Simple Life 

Good Night and Good Luck

Last night I decided to watch Good Night and Good Luck, the 2005 film which George Clooney directed. In short, the film follows the real life conflict when Edward R. Murrow and his staff in the CBS newsroom choose to go up against Joseph McCarthy during his crusade against possible communists in the US.  On the DVD ‘making of’ Clooney says the film is about ‘responsibility’.  Or more specific, the responsibility television and it’s broadcast journalists have to represent opposition even if it flies in the face of corporate and sponsorship pressure.  This being one of the through lines, the film ends with Murrow’s show being cancelled in light of an audience wanting more ‘entertaining’ shows, rather than ‘news’.  It’s not clear if it’s the audience or the sponsors who want less challenging subject matter, but it’s clear that Murrow predicts a future

Joseph McCarthy

television that is stripped of serious subject matter and relies solely on entertainment. Just watch the major networks deliver the news today and it’s obvious there is much more sensationalizing than actual news. In the final scene, we see his speech given at the RTNDA convention in 1958where he suggests that we have a choice of how to use

television.  ”This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”

In todays world, the internet faces the same question. Will it ultimately be a tool for teaching? Can it illuminate our minds? Will it eventually be controlled by sponsorship? Will those of us who choose to use the internet to create art be controlled by those with deep pockets? Or will the government use it to pry into our daily lives? Is there freedom on the internet or is it just another form of control?

The internet is the most liberating of all mass media developed to date.  It’s something that takes effort and you must participate. It’s also like swapping stories around a campfire or attending a renaissance fair.  It is not meant solely to captivate an audience, the way movies or television does, but it provides an array of entertainment and information, on any subject, with any degree of formality, any time you want it. This is a reason why advertising might just fail on the internet. It’s because we, as individuals, can dictate our experience with it.  However, if our internet experience ever changes from this distinguishing fact… if we allow ourselves to be more complacent, to have less control, to give over our ability to engage with it, that will be a turning point.

It’s our responsibility, as users of the internet, to dictate it’s potential.  In Good Night and Good Luck, Edward Murrow quotes the play Julius Ceasar  in an attempt to show that McCarthy’s rise to power was not his fault. McCarthy simply exploited the fear that already existed in America. And although we are a country who prefers to place blame rather than take responsibility, Murrow bravely points out that “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves…”

Pure Soap

My dad was a pilot for United Airlines for 26 years and during that time he flew to many cities around the world and stayed in hundreds of hotel rooms. As most of us know, one of the small, but significant, luxuries of sleeping in hotel rooms are the little bars of complimentary soap that patiently await our arrival. We all expect the soap to be there and if we ever arrived and there not be soap, I’m 48% certain we would be miffed at the tragic inconvenience. (I’m exaggerating a point)

One of my father’s questionable character traits was that he could never pass up something free. For example, he loved to go into the bank rather than us an ATM because  they provided free cups of coffee. He loved to go grocery shopping at Albertson’s rather than Ralph’s because Albertson’s always had free samples. And as a constant sleeper in hotel rooms across this planet, he couldn’t resist helping himself to the complimentary bars of soap.  So much so that we had a huge ‘big box’ collection of hotel soaps at home, all of them patiently waiting to be used. However, as the years carried on and the family grew up and moved out, the ratio of soaps coming in and the speed at which they were used did not match up. So, as a result, the ‘big box’ of collected soaps grew. And grew. And grew.  Finally it became apparent that the next 12 generations would never have to buy a bar of soap again.

To add another layer to the ridiculous, around 1990 my parents decided on a new soft water system for our house. As a bonus the company threw in a 5 year supply of free ‘pure soap’. The one thing my family would never need again was the one thing this soft water company was giving away complementary. Of course my dad took it… it was free after all.

My parents have both passed away and when my sisters and I did the painstaking process of cleaning out the house, I found some sentimental value in keeping all those bars of soap. I’ve thought, on occasion, a romantic notion would be to visit all of the hotels my father stayed in and secretly replace the soap right where it started. Perhaps a personal homage to my father or an idea that the soap is a treasure map, or a trail of bread crumbs to all the places my father had traveled.  It’s a story waiting to be written. A movie waiting to be made.

In reality, I figured it’s best not to subject the hotel guests to soap that is well over 20 years old!  Did I mention that? Yes, all of this soap was collected during the years of 1966 to 1992. And I’ve discovered, in a rather unfortunate way, that some soap actually has an expiration date.  It doesn’t always look yellow or grow bacteria but it can still give you a pretty itchy rash.

The only soap that hasn’t caused any problem is the ‘pure soap’ given to us by the soft water company. I know it sounds crazy… That soap is too old to use… However, it still does the job and it’s not irritating, so why not!?  But just to be sure, I did Google some articles to find out about soap that expires. The answer is, ‘it depends on what it made out of’.

I’m about to throw out all that hotel soap. However, it’s sentimental. It’s funny to me the things we decide have a history or a significance. The soap doesn’t work anymore as it’s intended function. But now it has a new meaning and a new reason to be. It definitely has a strong connection to my father. It binds my relationship with him in some weird way. I’m sure my entire family can’t see a bar of hotel soap and not think of my dad. I suppose that’s why I’m writing this blog entry… to somehow immortalize the soap. Long live the hotel soap!

 

 

 

Crush Anxiety… Kill Your Television!

Anxiety is all around us, but, it’s not  your fault. We live in an anxious age. We live in an anxious culture. Anxiety comes from our careers, bosses, banks, celebrities, television, newspapers, fears, regrets and so much more.  It even comes from our friends telling us what the new thing is and that we ‘absolutely must have it’.   Government and big business want us all to be anxious because anxiety makes good workers and good consumers. It feels good to blame the government and big business, but as some point, we have to be realistic and take responsibility for ourselves and our lives. Trust me, nobody else is going to do it for you. It seems monumental, I know. But you can do it. The system deliberately produces anxiety while simultaneously promising to take it away. And all the things that the system promises to take away your anxiety (a pill, a new car, a bigger TV, a smarter phone, etc…)  is the very thing that causes it. These things seem so important and necessary to live. But, in fact, they are slowly killing us. It’s a vicious circle.   So what are these little evils I’m talking about?  Here is the list:

Televisions, Cell Phones, Movies, Cars, Mortgages, Fast Food, Gyms, Shopping, Computers, News, Pharmacies, Gossip Magazines, Bills, Membership Clubs, Fashion, Debt, Credit Cards, Government, Work, Fear, Money, Clocks, Boredom and Waste.

Now you might not understand what I’m talking about here and that’s fine. It’s a work in progress. However, I’m pretty certain this list is the reason people are so stressed out and anxious about life.  That being said, I know it’s easy to make a list of things that are bad for you. So, I’m going to keep it positive and make lists of things that are good for you:

Cut up your Credit Cards, Throw Your Cell Phone in the Trash, Ride your bike, Smash you television set, Burn your computer, Bake Bread, Grow a Garden, Throw out Your Watch, Stop wanting so much crap, Shop at Thrift Stores, Learn to play an instrument, Read great authors, Build Something, Reject Career, Get out of the City, Cook dinner, Play with Friends and Don’t Listen to People Who Tell you how to live your life!

I know… I know… But I’m telling you… These things will make your life better. We think we need all this crap that Apple, Nike, Microsoft, Sony, Warner Bros, Paramount… and every billboard on the block is trying to sell us… We don’t. All we really need is each other, a guitar and some home cooked food. That’s it.

Be Merry!

Project Free TV

So I found a website called Project – Free TV. A friend mentioned it last night as a way to watch free movies and television. I was astonished to learn of all the movies available.  It’s basically Napster for film and television. They say ‘it’s a revolution’. They say it’ll change television.  It truly is awesome to be able to watch commercial free television. Unlike Hulu.  And it’s FREE! However, there are some pop up adds that might distract you at first. But you can easily circumvent those.  Of course, distribution companies, networks and cable stations are probably not to happy about it. But you can’t blame them. Although it’s expensive as hell to have cable TV, someone has to pay for the large scale productions of these shows. If all media were free there would be no production value, no entertainment jobs and shitty content. So although this kind of site it out there, I hope it doesn’t create a very big revolution. I hope it stays small. And it probably will. Because even if there is free content out there, people still want to pay for things. People feel special when they pay for expensive stuff. It feels like a premium service. It makes people feel like they are a part of a special club. And arguably, it’s a good thing.  So even if there is a site where you can watch cable TV shows for free, I don’t think the cable stations are in any real trouble. People will want to pay for television the same way that people will want to pay other people to wash their car, clean their house or mow their yards. People want to pay for shit. Not matter what. It makes them feel special. So Viva La Revolution! Tell your friends! Well… not all your friends.