01The abstract can be defined as a kind of thought experiment that cannot be grasped with our direct senses (to touch, listen, smell, see and taste). One could imagine the experience as if it were felt with our senses, but there is a space between the thought and the physical that persists.

02Whereas the abstract is intangible, the concrete is something that you can grasp with your senses. It goes beyond a thought experiment because I can let other people see what I mean directly and physically.

For example, the concrete would be adding 1 apple + 1 apple placed in front of you. The abstract would not have the two apples present, but you would sum these numbers inside your head as a form of abstraction. It is very easy to confuse the abstract from the concrete because you might think that you are actually adding two forms of the apple inside your head. However, concretely there are no physical apples in front of you.

Therefore, we have identified two different forms of knowing: what I know abstractly and what I know concretely. Now, what does this have to do with perspective? Well, perspective is needed whenever dealing to understand the truth. We could assume that the truth is invariable. It is definite and even concrete, but is it?

To answer I would have to know if your notion of truth as invariable is concrete or abstract. Why? If it is abstract, then are assuming the existence of the truth of ideas as real? If it is concrete, then would you negate the truth of an abstract such as it is done in mathematics?

Do you see the problem with an invariable truth? Now, let’s suppose a variable truth. Then, I would ask: Is there a truth at all? If it is variable, then how can we ever be certain there is truth? Certainty would make truth invariable. So, in order to solve this problem let’s find a balance between these two possibilities: Variable truth and invariable truth.

Let’s say that the truth can be both variable and invariable, but how? The invariable becomes fluid (such as a process) by transforming itself between abstracts and concretes. Therefore, the invariable becomes variable and the variable becomes invariable in a flux. For example, math is in a flux between concretes and abstracts, consider the 1 + 1 apples example.

Here are two other examples:

01 The truth related to the concrete that becomes an abstract. For example, the notion of facts as used in science refers to the observation of something that becomes abstract as one extracts the results from the observation. The researcher might record his concrete observations, but in a certain moment there is an interpretation of the data. Such interpretation is an abstraction of the concrete data. Although the researcher might write in a notebook his interpretation, there is a moment where the concrete is made completely abstract.

02 The truth related to an abstract that becomes concrete. If I experience beauty, but then I create an artwork that expresses such experience. I am making a concrete from an abstract. The truth of a concrete experience that became an abstract (in the form of a thought/memory) becomes concrete again in an artwork.

Therefore, truth is in a constant flux between concretes and abstracts. Once something becomes an abstract, we reach something that affects our notion of truth: Our assumptions which define our perspective. ¹

So, how can I know what is the truth if the perspective affects the way I define my experience through my set of beliefs and assumptions?

The answer lies in being aware of your assumptions. In a way, it is almost impossible not to assume something. However, my assumptions do not define who I am. These assumptions do not define who you, the reader, are.

If you think you do not have assumptions, think again. They are implicit in the framework of your discourse. Other synonyms of assumptions are: methodology or conceptual framework.

I do not assume that one of these perspectives in the form of a methodology is the unique truth nor I am assuming that there are many truths. I am making us aware of the fact that assumptions lie behind any concept of truth. These assumptions are the ones that provide us with a particular perspective that can be contrasted to the truth. These arguments shape our concept of reality. That is the reason we need to focus more in the assumptions that underlie our experience.

For example, there is a battle between those who believe in a God (as written in the Bible) and those who believe in Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (as a scientific consensus). This battle will never end because there is no actual reasoning. The underlying assumptions are taken as face value.

The answer lies in seeing beyond their differences and go into the core of their arguments, i.e. their assumptions. One assumes the truth of the Scientific Method and the truth of logical arguments, and the other one assumes the truth of the Bible and the truth of faith. We can go on here forever into which has more credibility. ²

Both assumptions are trying to answer: What is the truth? The only way to end this battle is to stop assuming the truth of both the Bible/faith and the Scientific-Method/logic. There has to be a suspension of that assumption. If there were no Scientific Method nor Bible, then what would be the truth? You might say this suspension assumptions has no real value, but at least it will allow you to see things outside from your historical perspective. ³

Imagine that in a 100 years from now it can be proven that both “theories” are wrong. Then, why did all this fighting going on? If you are emotionally invested in this discussion, you will surely blame the other side. You are just being logical, that your theory will be always right, or that your theory has not been proven wrong, etc.

Stop it! Suspend your assumptions, and let it be. Better research about the philosophy of science and religion. Better research about theology. Better research about the historical context of the birth of science. Truly try to understand that which you most detest and assume is wrong. Make a stronger argument that really takes in consideration the underlying assumptions of the other person. Open your mind!

You might be surprised that once you understand the other’s person perspective fully, you might stop being emotionally invested in the quarrel. Also once you understand your assumptions, you will begin to see the limits of your argument. You could try to extend those limits, and make a better argument.

Ultimately you might not convince stubborn people, but you will have become more tolerant.

If one is not aware of the foundational assumptions, then such truth is contingent to the historical context. But if you become aware and explicit of your assumptions, you are making it easier for your concepts to be stronger arguments because others could change the methodology for a better argument.

If I define clearly my assumptions, then I appear to have a strong argument. However if one of my assumptions is false then my whole reasoning could be void. ⁴

The less I assume = the more broad is my argument and the easier it is to debunk it or narrow it by applying different methodologies, that is different perspectives.

However, being so explicit also allows the argument to be destroyed faster if its underlying assumptions are not true. Do not be discouraged. If you really know your assumptions, then your argument can be rectified at ease.

The + I assume = The more narrow is my argument and the more convincing my facts because the methodology withstands your argument

Wouldn’t it be nice to know faster what is wrong with your ideas in order to create new and better ones rather than spending your time defending something that will not ultimately survive the test of time?

That said, you do not have to prove that what you say is true insofar you acknowledge your weaknesses and are willing to rectify as new evidence (such as a different perspective that you had not previously thought of) is put forward.

Remember: Do not let your pride get in the way. The truth is beyond your pride.

If we had to prove everything, then a lot of scientific theories would not exist such as quantum theory. This theory in broad terms approximates to truth through probability or induction. As you can see, the truth is a concept very difficult to define. In our historical context, we can only approximate to truth.

The more you approximate to the truth, the more transparent your underlying assumptions are.

This occurs because once you believe you have trapped the truth in a concrete setting, it escapes to the abstract. Once you believe you have truth in a very clean and abstract setting (e.g. math), it escapes and reaches the limits of logic through an artwork (e.g. Escher).

Therefore, do your best. Stand strong if you feel it is the right thing to do. Some ideas are too advanced for a particular historical context, and as a consequence, these ideas will be rejected no matter what.

Sometimes it is not about the truth, but about being right in a particular time that does not want to hear the truth. Stay still. Wait, be patient, keep working, but try not to be foolish trying to impose yourself and your ideas on others. Let it be. Once it is time for your idea to flourish, no historical context will stop it.

So, how does perspective define truth? It does and it does not.

It does not, if you decide to become more and more aware of your set of assumptions and your belief system. It does, if you let truth be defined through a perspective that does not acknowledge that assumptions sustain its foundation. How far do assumptions go? I would guess that a very long way…

The more assumptions we expose, the better off humanity will be because we will actually be moving forward rather than running in circles.

Further reading:
Another form of truth in philosophy that is not based in formal logic but an unconcealing, a revealing.
An introduction to the Scientific Method
Definition of three different types of reasoning: deductive, inductive and abductive

1. These assumptions form our biases. Furthermore, these biases can become emotionally charged and thus one might defend these assumptions with violence (not only physical but psychological).
2. I will not lean to either side because the point is to realize that both assumptions are contingent to their historical context.
3. Why? Logic has its limits, e.g. a paradox. Faith has its limits, e.g. evidence that proves against your point.
4. Some examples of types of reasoning: deductive, inductive, and abductive. See here to read about each type of reasoning.

For example, you may believe that you are being just if you follow the law. Is this so? What about the truth? The truth is prior to the law, but why do structures of power control the truth through propaganda machines?

Well, they know that if they control who you believe you are then you will be submissive to their wills. They want to control your will because they also do not understand who they are. They have been fooled by the same system that they thought would make them feel secure and free. For example, an individual that thought that money would give him all the power needed to do whatever he wanted might be surprised to know that:

The more money, the less freedom I have.
The less power, the more freedom I have.

This might sound counterintuitive in the current culture, but if you analyze deeply these factors you will be surprised. Let’s breakdown these two cases:

01 If I have a lot of money, then I have more responsibility toward the structures that provide me such money. First, I create a lifestyle that depends on such amount of money. Then, I might have to obey my boss because he might threaten me. As a result, I cannot stop doing what is giving me such flow of cash.

02If I have a lot of power, then other people who want that same power will constantly trying to overpower me. Firstly, I strive toward power. Once I get there, I have no freedom to be who I really want to be because my only goal becomes protecting the power that I believe have. As a result, my freedom depends on the same structure I think I control but actually controls me.

In fact, the illusion of external power is like a drug high. It provides the illusion of having control, whereas in reality, power exists only over oneself. Power within a social context is temporal and illusory because the fact is that deep within the human spirit shines a passion toward liberty.

That inner light is the voice that the propaganda machine cannot silence.

It has tried for many decades to brainwash your morality and ethics. The laws that have been passed do not represent who you really are, and if they do, then why are we still living wars and suffering? Why is people dying of hunger while others are dying of overweight?

For example, the rightfulness of copyright laws and the lack of morality of shared-files are issues that have been put inside your head during this century. You might think that these laws are made to protect you. Why would people who want power and live through greed care about you?

Do you really think people who create fear and label you as a criminal merely by sharing are interested in your well-being and fulfillment? Have you ever really thought that perhaps these copyright laws are meant to create cultural guilt? Those who are in power can amend the law to fit their purposes, but those who have none are guilty from the get go. Why?

Imagine this dystopian scenario:

You cannot use their own words against them because they own those words, but when their words become your thoughts, then you become criminal. You cannot share what they create, but they create what you think. What you think then creates your identity and your sense of self becomes oppressed due to who owns the information. The final step: They own you.

Do you see the point here? Information is within you, so if they own the information then you can be a criminal for merely thinking about their stuff without their permission. They might allow you to think about their products, but they will make you feel guilty for doing so in order to control you more and more. This scenario seems far from our reality, but Orwell’s 1984 could have seemed farfetched when it was written…

Conversely, what would happen if you choose not to drink their Kool-Aid? Would you be free to be who you really want to be? Can you describe yourself, and as a result begin to feel free as you wander into the true you?

So, why are these propaganda machines working so hard into making you feel like a bad person? You are meant to feel guilty. Guilt makes you feel fear. If you fear, then they can control you. So, wake up from the slumber! I will point out some questions that could guide you into knowing if you are brainwashed, but be critical! Rethink again and again until you have an inner certainty of truth!

Do I act out of fear?
Do I fear consequences of those who have power?
Am I deprived of intuiting truth?
Do I feel oppressed and anxious?
Am I deprived of what makes me be fulfilled?
Am I depressed?

If the answer is yes to these most of these questions, then you really need to rethink all the thoughts that have shaped who you are. You know the truth deep within you, and no one else does.

Remember that if you act out of love rather than fear, then no propaganda machine or structure of power can control you. Is this true?

Photo Credit: By alex roberts | bovinity

What is Pity-Compassion?

You actually are gaining something from your “good actions”. Your state of mind is not of pure attention toward the other and yourself. For example instead of listening deeply to the others’ real needs, you do what you deem is compassionate without actually observing the what is happening to your surroundings.

This is the type of compassion that makes you feel good if you do “good”, a type of goodness that represents an actual projection of your own beliefs.

For example, you will only give to those who you believe are in need because your perception of what is in need is limited within your concept of “who should or should not need”. I believe that a poor person should need something I “have”, so I give him money or “something”. I believe that sad person should need happiness, so I make a joke.

Can you see that pattern here? It is not actually about who is needing and their understandings of life, but about what you believe they should need based on your own biased experiences that does not attend others’ reality.

We are taught that this type of compassion is actually good, but what is the use of compassion if you are not really understanding its depth?

Of course, there is some sort of benefit. If a person is crying, and your actions do provoke an actual visible change that might actually benefit, but not because of your intentions but because of your passionate attention toward others.

It is this true devotion and attention to the other where love-compassion lies.

What is Love-Compassion?

You cannot gain anything because it is not about your “beliefs”, but about actually observing and listening deeply to the other. It is in this state of pure awareness where one actually listens or pays attention that true compassion can occur.

Your state of mind is in the present. It is not worried about the past or the future, but about doing what is possible now. You actions are full of love because your perception is open to the other.

This might sound radical, but in fact it is a process to learn how to become compassionate. You might start trying to be compassionate due to your own beliefs of who might need your help, but as you become more aware of the facts that surround you… Your approach to other’s pain is much more conscious.

Let’s give an example:

You see a man in the street, and at first it might seem that if you give money to him you are being love-compassionate. Well, if you do believe that to give money is love-compassionate you are wrong.
Why? If you had paid closer attention to him you would have seen that he had a bottle of vodka peeking under his jacket. You could have smelt his alcoholic breath, and you would have understood that a man who is drunk might as well be an alcoholic.
The money you could have given him would have promoted a state of deeper depression within that man asking for your “compassion”.

However what would have happened if instead of giving him money, you asked him if why was he living in the street? Could that act be of love-compassion? What if by asking sincerely for the well being of this person, he realizes there is something worth living for?

Can you distinguish the difference between pity-compassion and love-compassion?

Pity-compassion is about imposing yourself on others. It is about your beliefs and thoughts being imposed in the other one who might be asking for “compassion” through any mode of expression: sadness, explicit, anger, etc.

Love-compassion is about caring so much that you actually pay attention, listen, and observe the other person deeply.

Sometimes the most compassionate act of love is actually not saying or doing anything, but actually caring deeply and waiting for the precise moment to act. You do not act when you are ready, but when the other person is actually paying attention as well. Sometimes to be an example is far more compassionate than to just say a few words…

Each person must find their own balance, and their own ways to reach a state of constant love-compassion.

Sometimes, an act of pity-compassion is in fact the antechamber of love-compassion. Do not follow these ideas as a rule book, instead be flexible and use it as a guide. I might be wrong. My intention is to expand your awareness to the fact that our beliefs of what is compassion might not be in the right track.

Sometimes it is better become aware and devote your attention to others, than to give money to the ones who seem to be “poor”. It is in attention where radical change lies, not in a mere economic “enhancement”.

Sometimes our beliefs are the ones who prevent us to actually listening to the other’s desperate but simple plea that might be shattered by our own self-contained thoughts.

The simple plea might be:

Please, accept me.
Please, don’t judge me.
Please, only love me.
Are you actually attentive?

Photo Credits: Hartwig HKD

Our tradition urges us to convince, but to convince means to settle to the other’s conditioning.

Instead, Challenge!

Challenge your own thought until there seems to be no answer! After doing so, then challenge others.

They might give you an answer or you might leave them thinking, but at least you have dared to go into your limits. The only way to progress when it seems a dead end is to put forth things that are not commonly combined.

For example, why does a person who loves to measure and believes in the reality of science ignore the reality of the present moment? Get the contradiction?

This is the point:

Measurement is in the present moment, and although some might want to argue that measurement requires the past in order to create a present. At the end, the measurements have to be written down and recorded in a way that is not simply inside the mind. Therefore, measurement has to be touched in a certain point only in the present moment as a collective experience in order to state it is true.

However, if the present moment is so fundamental for the process of measurement. Why are those who believe in measurement lost in the past? Why does a philosopher of science use the mind as a source of truth ignoring the fact that science is not based in mental abstractions at the end of the process?

I know there are many “possibilities” that might fire back at me such as the reality of math, but let us remember that math can be a theory unless proved real by physics, computation, etc. Although, I am crossing fine lines of perspective here…

My main point is:

Why does the measure-lover type of person use the past as a devotional source of truth? What about the present moment? Why ignore it so categorically? Why do they so blatantly reject the notion of the “sublime” if it is an actual experience in the present moment which could be measured through science?

A counter example, what happens with a person that does not care about the reality of our collective truths such as science? How can you ignore the reality that can be measured and bring actual results? Is it because it is easier to escape, and say it is all a weird dream? What about the pain and suffering of those who cannot ignore this “reality”?

Why ignore the reality of science and the fact that one can actually measure in the brain the way the so called “sublime” modifies a physical aspect of ourselves? Why can they become so self-absorbed, but still use any device that exists due to such measurable reality?

In my perspective, both, the non-measurement person believer and the measurement person believer, are right and wrong. Instead of working together, they keep fighting over particulars that might serve a purpose.

Yet, that is not enough to reach a better understanding of the truth:

We need to work together, not against each other, through a challenge type of approach.

What do I mean?

01 Learn to use the other’s own words against him/her. This requires a certain type of knowledge in order to twist him own belief against him, and a little bit of mental agility. If you actually challenge a person through their own beliefs, then one might actually see our own limits and move on to something more challenging.

02 Use the exact opposite argument that the other person is expecting to have. If you are debating with a measurement type, argue in favor of non-measurement and vise-versa. Do it with intelligence, not as a childish debate.

Be careful! If a person is stubborn because they base in their beliefs a certain type of inner security stop doing it. You will get nowhere and it will wear you down.

03Be flexible, and learn to observe how the flux of ideas are not a static build but a fluid notion that constantly changes. The idea of a static truth is so pervasive that we end up again always fighting for a never-agreement. I am not being absolute here, but if the debate is stuck in a walked path called “the truth” by a traditional current of thought that bases their inner security in a belief, then were are we walking toward?

Now, how do you bridge these two? How can you convince them that there acutally is a double position (measurement and non-measurement) or even broader position we might not be aware of?

An empirical multidisciplinary person can do such a gigantic task, but it requires self discipline. Just as one learns to play an instrument although one could have the paradigm of being inept in music, and at the end ends up mastering it. If one hates math, then by trying to understand something, not to marry to it, but to understand it, then an inner paradigm is released, and so forth.

With empirical I mean a person who does not base his inner security in a belief, that changes his belief when he sees that he is wrong, and is capable of recognizing openly their mistake.

Then, one can actually begin to learn how to explain to others something that might seem totally counter-wise as something coherent and with a certain truth. Truths are tricky, but if they are tricky then how can one convince others?

Ha! Not convincing! Of course… Is it? Maybe not?

For example, if I know that brain science can measure the sublime in Zen, why reject the notion of such reality? What if the the unmeasurable can be measured, not by the observer, but by the observing?

Note: Not the observed, but the observing. The observer within the sublime will not feel measurement, but the observing will. A single shift in perspective can cause a new way to challenge our tradition, and thus create a better society that actually cares about ourselves, not only solving the problem of truth.

Is in the present moment the only “place” to find out the “truth”? Do you see the point? There is a lot of depth here, but I will not spill the beans! Think by yourself, and find it out!

Yes, of course, if we have a common truth we might believe peace shall arrive, but why wait for that moment? Why not find peace within ourselves first? What if what we have been taught is “the truth” is actually a belief?

Photo Credits: Howard Dickins

The image of self needs a sense of security in order to function. There are different types of security: Physical and Psychological. If there is a threat, then the process of fear begins to be self evident.

Psychological security cannot be found in our exterior, but we are taught that it can be found through money, goals, and power. The only thing that can be gained through these “objects” is physical security. However, one must be aware that physical is never really possible. You can have an accident or have “bad” luck.

The first step in order to gain awareness is to realize that the concept of security as we have been taught is a total lie. We struggle into finding someplace, sometime, and somehow. It is always a tomorrow to be gained, a past to be overcome, but what happens with the present moment? It gets lost in the midst of the concept we call time.

Why have we created a shrine out of time? Why is the concept of time so deeply ingrained in our system of beliefs?

This psychological security will never be found outside of yourself. Psychological security depends solely on your ability to understand yourself and be aware of yourself.

However as one gets deeper into the process of fear, it might be more difficult to become aware of our involvement in it; unless we are constantly informing our consciousness of this process through mindfulness.

Is this true? How Find out by observing your self as you act within violence, fear or sadness. Maybe I am wrong at this, so become an empiricist of your own mind!

I am only a guide, not the rule!

If I ask you, are you afraid of death? Will you take some time to consider this? Or will you instantly say: Naaa… I do not care about dying. Bring it on!

If you instantly answer that you are not afraid, could it be that you are so deep into the process of fear that you cannot recognize it? If you answer again with a simple no, then I ask you: Have you been angry recently?

If you answer no, then stop reading! You might not ready to understand this or you might already be pure peace. Your call. No hard feelings!

Let’s move on with those who can actually accept that fear is present in their lives most of the time in a very subtle mode or are not actually living inner peace.

You might be aware of the fact that you do not live a profound inner peace, but maybe you have never experienced a moment of fulfillment that is not directly related to an achievement.

Are you ready so tired of suffering that you cannot bear it anymore? Are you tired of trying to achieve the impossible because there is always more to crawl into? Are you in a state of depression that cannot be ignored any longer?

Well, if you are in that state of complete surrender to the reality that is being presented day by day. You feel there is no way out… I have good news for you!

The greatness of becoming more aware is always waiting for you!

Your suffering is directly proportional to your violence and fear. You might ask: Where does suffering come from? How does suffering relate to fear?

It is all related in a very subtle way. You can become aware of it through direct observation of your thoughts and feelings as they begin to creep in and try to control you.

You might say, “Well, that is too difficult. I cannot do it. I have never done it.”

Well if you think you can’t, then you are not sick tired to your bones of suffering. Believe me! Once you say, enough is enough from your most inner core…

You CAN do it! Nothing but yourself is stopping you!

Tired of suffering?

Choose awareness over control.
Choose fulfillment over power.
Choose inner liberty over goals.
Choose love over fear.
Choose peace.

I have given you a simple guide with a hypothesis of the process of fear. My theory might not apply to you, but it is a walked path that can help you understand yourself faster.

Anonymous is any person that is raising awareness toward the need of a new society that actually questions authority in an intelligible and respectful manner.

Anonymous is here to stay, and therefore is everywhere because it is a state of consciousness being communicated through the Internet that strives toward:

Freedom and Truth

For example, Creative Commons or Open Source is part of this awakening of consciounessnes that is now being labeled as Anonymous.

Anonymous is about raising awareness through their own and unique ways. Here are some ideas:

01If you are a creator, use an open licence with everything you create. You choose how free, what type of licence, but make it free as in freedom to distribute.

02 Allow people to donate although you might also sell your work. Some might offer a smaller amount to demonstrate their support because they might not be able to afford your established price tag.

03 If you are a person working in a factory or corporation, be creative. Express your individuality in places they seek to have a mono-system of being.

04 Be loving, calm, kind, and assertive toward those who are rude and even aggressive toward you. Never return aggression with your anger, instead walk away with peace of mind. Ask: Does violence come from fear?

05Ask and expect accountability toward those who are currently in the structures of power.

06Challenge the traditional ways of doing things. Do not fall into the peer pressure of doing things. If you feel it is not right, say NO!

07 Keep asking questions. Never accept a shallow answer. Keep digging until you realize what is the truth, and what is an interpretation or a method of propaganda to make you believe in something that is not real.

08 Study and change the laws through political activism. Laws are a living entity, not a static book to follow. Be stronger that lobbyists. Protest! Insist with your voice that one is not surrendering to those who seem to believe have power. Remember: They are powerless without you.

Ask deeply: What is fear? Where does fear lie within you? What is the role of fear? Why do people use fear to control? Are there good types of fear? How far does fear go? What is the function of fear? Can we completely remove fear from our inner self? How?

Activism occurs by becoming aware of our condition as sheep, and at the instant when one chooses not to be part of the herd anymore:

One is Anonymous.

Anonymous is evolving because as each person that realizes he or she is part of Anonymous, it changes. Each person uses their own knowledge and perception of the truth to change the currents of thought within reality. Therefore, Anonymous is something that cannot be imprisioned.

Photo Credit by sklathill

This goes way into the way we process information through a possible prediction system (Hawkins, Blakeslee) or an interpreter (Gazzaniga) in the brain that creates justifications to sustain beliefs.

The studies about how the brain works are in process, but in between…

We have an urgent thing to answer: What is violence? Where does violence come from? Where does violence lie within us?

There are people who talk about freedom of the mind, and its emptiness. It is my concern that their beliefs and their concepts about all these theories fill the same void religion fills. The only difference is that their ideology changes to their new adopted behaviors of meditation or whatever ‘fashion’ is available to them that makes them feel good or safe.

The problem of ideology and belief is the lack of questioning the fundamental reasons: Who are we? What is a concept? What is to think? How do we think? What is love? What is to observe? Etc. These questions may seem obvious, but it is in that trap that we have been living, a trap that can no longer be contained. It is ready to explode.

There are philosophers, religious figures, and others who have attempted to give answers to these questions. However, it can no longer be a state of complete denial where deep thought is left for some, it is our responsibility to ask questions, and try to answer them, not for the sake of knowledge, but your own fulfillment.

Now, it seems easier and more tempting to just read a ‘guru’, and believe everything he says, instead of challenging him and giving him your own level, you as ‘he’ as the same capacities, the only difference is that he made a living by being ‘a guru’. You haven’t chosen that path.

Most of us have to work or do things to survive and being a guru is not an option, unless you are one of those writers who say to know everything about the world, but in fact are a bunch of copy pasters from different traditions of thought.

Therefore, this post today will be to challenge you…

I dare you to think! To ask questions. To forget about the ‘guru’, to face life with all you’ve got, painful or not, it is all we actually have, our experience, and if we continue to rely on those ‘mythical figures’ (academic, political, or religious) we will fail to see our mistakes, and will be keep doing them for centuries to come.

So, how to ask questions? With more questions, without “definite answers”, however you will gain new perspectives about life. You will be able to see how there is no actual “true” or “false” (in a deep sense), but perspectives that have different ways of seeing and experiencing life. As I said before, these questions are not about finding perfect answers or new beliefs… It is about experiencing life in a new way… BEWARE the guru, the knower, the whatever… better know thyself!

Let’s confront the gurus, prophets, philosophers, etc, and realize in yourself the correct perspective of what they are saying. Got a belief? Challenge it. Challenge your own belief. Don’t fall into the your own guru bias. You have to be very careful, very aware of your thoughts, and how they arise, and how they dissolve. Why? You use your thoughts to understand life. It is a source of your ‘experience’, you cannot simply trust your senses because it is ‘obvious’ to do so, you need not only to challenge others, but to challenge yourself to the extreme. This might sound difficult or extraordinary, and it might be… Until you realize how relevant, and transcendent for your experience it is to see beyond concepts, to observe beyond beliefs, to actually LIVE, and instead of being in a ‘virtual reality’ of yourself.

Ask questions: Use one question, and answer it with another until you have a bag of questions you are constantly trying to answer day and night. You will reach answers, doubt those, and start again. Why do we want to feel security of knowing? Is there something else beside knowledge? What about experience? Is experience knowledge? How can live an experience if I am always thinking about nonsense? Or is the experience a thought? If experience is a thought, then… Is all reality a product of thought? Is there something beyond thoughts?

How can you assure that the mind is never empty? How can you assure everybody lives a mind without emptiness? Why is emptiness so important if you have never had your mind empty? Isn’t that same “idea” of emptiness the same thing that “prevents” you from being empty? And if you reach emptiness how can you be sure that there is this divine? And if it is divine, how can you be sure that divine is not obtained through untraditional non explored ways that only you can reach through self-contemplation with or without thoughts? Why do mediators want to empty the mind? Isn’t the mind already empty, but we strive to “live” the illusions due to the security felt by what we know? Why would you want to achieve one-mindedness if one-mindedness already is? Why try to achieve something that is not achievable because it already has been achieved?

Why is there a classical sense of traditional meditation? Is meditation total awareness (Including your thoughts whenever they arise and non-thoughts)? What happens when there are no thoughts? Is this possible? How can you assure that there is no possible existence without thoughts just because you haven’t experienced a life without ‘constant thoughts’?

For example, I am observing the conflict inside my head without judging, but just listening to it and trying to understand it. Could this be meditation? Why should you follow a tradition about what is a ‘meditative state’? What is justice? What is freedom? Do you really have free will? If so, could the idea of having free will a belief that you want to nurture to feel security and feel you have control over something?

Ask about contemplation, how does contemplation relate with thought? How could awareness of these conflicts change things? What is contemplation? Could there be a state of constant awareness?

These questions are not easy, some may find them too difficult to answer because that means to change your entire way to observe and experience the world. You will change, and in this change if there is no peace, but more conflict, your answers are creating more and more beliefs that do not have a foundation of truth.

Keep asking! How? Why? Yes… Keep going!

What is truth? What is peace? What is violence? How does violence work within the mind? Is our nature violent? Why? Why could you accept a concept like that seeing the implication of such violence in the world? Could concepts and beliefs be the source of violence? Could our identification of ourselves with these beliefs create violence to defend these beliefs that create us security? Where does true security lie? Could security be related with violence? What would happen if we understood security? Would fear disappear? What is fear? How is fear felt? What are the consequences of fear? How does frustration relate with fear and anger? Can you live without anger? How is fear helpful? What are the limits of fear? Are we really free? What is freedom?

Grab a book if you need inspiration. Yes, keep reading until you are tired to death, but do not fall into the trap of the tradition you are reading. Build a safe zone if necessary in order to rest, but then… Keep going!

Changing the way you experience life, love!

Forgiveness makes you a better human being, and it gives you peace of mind and makes you a compassionate, loving heart.

We have been programmed to think that we need forgiveness by those who we have hurt, so things may remain the same. Yes, we have been taught that if the one you offended forgives you, then nothing happened. However, things did happen, so consequences never remain the same.

If you hurt someone, consequences will always arrive. There is a famous saying,” Do to others what you would like others do to you.”  What is the reason behind this? To remove the blindfold we have been living for some many centuries and realize that we are all one. This might sound outrageous or be even felt as another “belief” that has no true foundation.

However, I invite you to read to see the “philosophy” behind this concept: Your body does not end where your skin does. Your mind thinks this way because your body has a senses that defines itself through them producing the experience of life…. That “external” experience that seems to be “independent” from your conscious self.

Yet, ask your lungs; they need oxygen provided by trees’ leaves.  Ask your liver; it needs nutrients food provides. Ask the apple going down your esophagus; Are you already me or are you still an apple? In fact, your consequences do not end where your skin does, why should we then believe we are just “the name given to us at birth”? Why do we believe that our skin and senses define who we are? Could there be something else, but we are blinded by what we “believe”? Before the world “seemed” flat, and now we know it is round…. Tell that to people who lived that period of time, and believed that.

If we really take sometime each day from our lives to understand this, we will eventually give new perspective to the meaning of forgiveness. Let’s break this down a little bit more:

To give forgiveness means you have the power to forgive. Do you really have such? In a way, it could seem you do. However, think about it a little more. Ask again, do you really have the power to forgive someone in such a way the consequences of the act the person seeking forgiveness will not eventually appear in his/her life? …..

If you want to learn to forgive, do not give forgiveness as it is only a word. Instead, act with compassion and love.

The answer is no. You do not have the power. You may be friends/husband/any relationship of that person as if nothing had happened, but the consequences are way beyond our control.

This means that when you forgive, you can release yourself from the dreadful feelings associated with anger, frustration, despair, and the internal pain caused by suffering. As I stated in the beginning of this text, you are the one who will be most be benefited from forgiveness by becoming free from the act of selfishness done by that person who caused you pain.

Although, you don’t have the power to remove the consequence of a determined act, you can wish for the person who harmed you to be forgiven beyond yourself and really be compassionate for him because he/she does not know the consequences of his deeds and how these will hurt him back. You can wish that he/she realized that each time you harm, you are also harming yourself.

Nothing is independent; existence is an entwined ball of actions that always bounce back. However, we want to believe otherwise, so each time you do something selfish, it is justified inside your mind. Never the less, if you observe carefully the ones who do most harm, are most miserable. It is a fact that is hidden behind the glare of popularity, fame, or power.

It is then when you will really forgive and you will become free from suffering. Are we ready to be free? Or will be something too tough to assimilate? Give it a try, and comment!

Photo Credit: by OliBac

To be self confident you need to believe in yourself. You must be aware you may make mistakes. However, you must also be aware that those errors will make you become a better person. After each mistake, you must embrace change with happiness because you have been given the opportunity to overcome something and grow internally.

We cannot continue this path of thought where libertinism means to be free. It is a path of self destruction. You can only be free within yourself, and in fact the less your freedom depends on others, the freer you will actually be. Why? It does not depend on your ability to perceive, but in the actual freedom, the truth behind your conceptions.

Yet, you’ve got to understand why by yourself. Although it may sound contradictory, we cannot force others comply with our points of view because that means there is no freedom, but we cannot live as if freedom means to do whatever you want with no consequences.

We cannot leave everything in hands of our government and its policies because as stated above… It will all depend on points of view that will only lead you into a ‘political’ trap: communism, marxism, socialism, capitalism or whatever ‘ism’ is not the ‘ideal way’. There is no such thing as an ideal or perfect way. We can only learn and try to find your ‘middle way’: the path of love or at least your happiness and peace.

How to do it? It is really difficult to deal with short thinking, blinded, and stubborn people who think their ‘truth’ is the only one. Yet, we must be aware of something: Nothing is forever. No one lives forever. They can live all their lives like that, let them be…

Our job is not to make them understand what is “right” for them because if you try to impose them what you think is “right” for them, then there will be no difference between them and you.

However, we can open the minds of our new generations, so they may walk the ‘unforeseen’ path and reach that world of progress, respect, love, and peace we all should linger for until it becomes our reality.

We should be out there working for a better ourselves, not for a better political system because at the end those systems are a reflection of ourselves. Although, it may be important to give a sense of reality to those who ‘have the power’ we must not be completely focused in that. Politics is a game where there is no loser or winner. It is a game where there is a positive aftermath or a negative aftermath, and we all will receive the consequences, not only the ‘winner or loser’.  Some people love the game, let them. Don’t fight true battles by confronting and killing the opponent directly.

So, let it be a game without forgetting that there are a lot of things more important beyond the ‘game’ like changing humanity by being an example of love and positive self-esteem, and as a consequence there will be a change in politics. You do not need to confront someone to make a change; you can do it quietly through a simple and definite way: BY YOUR EXAMPLE!

For example, Gandhi showed another way, by which he changed indirectly the politicians though the way of non-resistance. This way hides a deeper aspect of letting things go without moving your finger from the point/truth.  Why? The truth cannot be hidden. It is a matter of time for it to shine so bright it will make everyone who is not prepared blind. This way does not mean to go a let yourself be beaten to make your point be understood, actually, it states: Forget about direct confrontation through violence! Use your imagination to make your point be heard.

Gandhi used several techniques though his life, one of those implied beating, another starving to death, yet these times require not to repeat what has been done in the past…

Instead, it is time to use the deep truth beyond those ideas to provoke change and make them shine. How?  Challenge yourself!

• Challenge yourself by questioning your own arguments if you love writing,
• Create a civil society if you are very good with your social skills,
• Write songs or paint to bring consciousness if you are great at the arts,
• Use copy-left licenses, so more people can be affected by your skills,
• Use any other kind of skill you have…
• Challenge the ordinary and make a change!

Feel confident about yourself and what you do. Surely you will make mistakes, we all do, but if there is an honest and unselfish intention behind everything you do, then you will feel great about yourself! Give it a try!  Do it! The sky is not the limit! There is so much more, so unknown to humankind! Remember, this is a very long trip, but the most satisfactory. There will be moments of total despair, but at the end although, I may always be wrong…

The truth will always prevail!

Just take a look at your “country”, and ask: Does the government work for you or for themselves? It is very easy to blind the population, most of us are sheep believing what others say without questioning. Why? We are afraid.

1. Afraid we could be wrong, instead of accepting your perfect human nature of imperfection.
2. Afraid we have to take responsibility for our actions, instead of blaming others for our failures.
3. Afraid to confront the truth, instead of being constantly drunk with excuses and lies.

People who work for themselves, and never taking in account the others are corrupt.

Why? Corruption means dishonesty.

You are not honest if you believe working at the government is so you can live better, public service means to serve the public… Let’s make it clear: Not to serve yourself by pretending you are working for others. 
Of course, if you honestly work with great devotion to others, you should be rewarded… However, the reward comes after you have given to others:

Remember: The more you give, the more you get.  Give, and you shall have.

Getting that clear, we must then think a little more about liberty… Is freedom given by a country or can you live trapped although living in a “free” country? There will always be a “trap” where you live, people may be selfish, and therefore influence their surroundings, so you may not be able to do what you should. Is there a lack of freedom there? Where does your liberty end, and where does mine start? Well…

Let’s give it another focus. Freedom as we have stated it for so long, does depend on our exterior world. However, the reality of freedom is that it does not depend on “the outer world” but deeply inside you. People may steal your whole, they may degrade your voice, and even try to rape your spirit, but they cannot touch your inner self if you don’t let them.
Yes, I know, this sounds too idealist but think about it. At the end, death will only knock on your door, leaving your body behind…
Let’s assume freedom only depends on your inner self…

Show your arguments against me… Make this world a better place, and think about it thoroughly. Don’t be just “like the herd”! THINK! ONCE AND AGAIN! Make a difference! Please!

Then, ask yourself:

• Where does your freedom start and mine end?
• Can freedom be gained?
• Can you develop freedom from your own attachments and obsessive behaviors?
• If you are constantly tormented by your conscience are you free from yourself?
• Can you be free from yourself?
• If you act according to your greatest sense of humanity and love, can you be free from your own judgments?
• If you judge others, can you later judge yourself for the same issues when acting as you had previously judged?
• If I treat you with respect, are you giving and providing freedom?
• Is freedom only external or also internal?
• How does freedom from yourself mean?
• Does it mean to be selfish or giving?
• What is freedom?
• Can you really live freedom?
• How does freedom relate to the truth and love?

Can you see it? It does not matter if you live in a free country, you are not free from your selfishness and suffering.

How can you be free, truly free? Is living in a free country enough? Is that country really free? NO! It is not free because each person living in that country is not free from itself.

Let’s think about freedom with new eyes, and let’s realize that you are not free. You are trapped in the routine established by those who gain from it, in the illusion of happiness while you are surrounding of so much suffering, in the lies of the media and advertising so you may happily be asleep while your life slips away from you, and in so many other killing doses of “freedom” that actually in time makes it harder to take that terrible sleeping pill that convert us into drunken/drugged sheep who do not have/want the time to think.

WAKE UP!

Can’t you see there is a fire in your garden? Can’t you see… we are all burning in pain?

WAKE UP! Let’s make change possible by looking at the mirror….!!!