REQUIRED READING
Up until recently, I'd failed to pick up any of the books written by one of the greatest minds of our generation. I'd heard the name, know he was a free thinker and even seen him interviewed by Ali G (AKA Sasha Baron Cohen) and yet I've never read any of his books. I've always believed I was fairly well read and especially knowledgable about the more left-field authors like Noam.
I've been through a bit of a catch up these last couple of days - listening to, watching and reading some of Noam's books. These books are required readings for everyone if they are to truly understand how and why we as human beings have arrived at a situation that has to change for the better if we are to survive as a species. Understanding Power is is an easy to digest book - covering a very complicated, yet very revealing topic on how supreme power in the USA has culminated in us arriving at the current status Quo.
Some will say he's a bit of a conspiracy theorist and discredit his writings - but it always pays to keep an open mind. Be prepared to feel a bit uncomfortable when the pennies start to drop. It completely makes sense that powerful families, corporations, governments and ruling classes would want to keep their power. They'll stop at nothing to stay at the top. Knowing a bit more about how the world goes round, will open our eyes to some of the dealings that are going on amongst these power-hungry elite. I suggest we all have a catch up with Noam Chomsky to get a better understanding about what the powerful are doing right now and see how we can all collectively make a change for the better.
Fear is a very powerful emotion. When fear rises up in us it can take over all other thoughts and render us helpless. Overcoming these fears can be very tough to face up to, but simply 'removing ourselves' from the thoughts, by using a breathing meditation technique, where we can observe the thoughts as they happen, we can then see them for what they are - just thoughts.
While driving down to the South of France this weekend, I became very fearful. I was about to compete in the Megavalanche race which is a crazy downhill mountain bike event full of multiple hazards and potential for injury or death. I have been in many situations before on mountains where there is potential for such injury - but I've been younger, fitter, stronger physically and more experienced. Mountain biking is something I understand the physics of, know what the equipment is capable of but something I have only a small experience of doing and certainly not in a competitive arena before. I was beating myself up. Why am I doing this at 43, what am I trying to prove, do I want to risk being out of work or paralysed, will my girlfriend leave me, where will I get the money to pay the bills, how will I look to my friends when I can't do the race or if I'm airlifted off the mountain?
Nobody knew I was having these thoughts. I was entertaining them coming and going as I engaged in other conversations with my friends. And when I got a quiet moment, I switched over to being the observer in my head and just witnessed all the fear, paranoia and misery fight for attention. I actually found it quite amusing seeing these multiple facets of my mind being so blindly assured of their states of being, yet here I was, completely calm hearing them out until they exhausted themselves and went quiet. How refreshing to see these thoughts for what they are. They aren't who I truly am and by rising above them, they don't define me but merely fire off for a bit and then disappear.
When it came to the day to qualify and race - I was completely calm and ready. My self confidence and trust in my abilities were restored to the point where I managed to gain a lot of ground on the others in my race. And had I not gotten a puncture, would have put in a really good time, I'm sure. It's likely I'll compete again in the future but even if I don't, I know I have what it takes and this mindset and the technique for tackling fear can be applied to anything we do in life.
Observation
There are many techniques for facing up to our fears. Understanding where they come from through getting to know ourselves better will really help. To really fight them takes a lot of courage. Practicing the technique of removing oneself from fearful thoughts by observing as a third person as Geoff explains in this video, was something I'd heard spoken to me before, but suddenly appeared as a revelation this time I heard it. Once again I'm amazed at the timing that Geoff's wisdom comes through to me.
This video arrived in my inbox the day after my races and confirmed what I already learned to be true. Hearing these wise words from Geoff, who has been spending many years training and learning these observation plus other self mastery techniques, made me feel really pleased at my progress over the last 6-7 months. I've grown as a person in such a short period of time. And this is something we are all capable of achieving if we desire and allow it to happen.
Fear should not be given the power to take a hold of us. But by being courageous and harnessing this powerful emotion correctly, we can use this force to make us stronger and elevate us towards further greatness.
Fast going are the days when the power elite could sway the masses through spin pushed out in the newspapers and in TV.
Now, through the Internet and social media, we have the opportunity to have our voices heard. We can make our own videos, connect and share information with the world and through our own research, educate ourselves to make our minds up what is right and wrong.
A recent political initiative that has been opposed by communities in the north of England, has today been stopped. The stand against fracking. This is a significant move for the people of this country and marks what I believe to be a move towards true democracy. A place where the people can see that their opinions matter.
Thankfully, we all still have the power to force the government and the agencies motivated by greed, to divulge the information we need to see before political decisions are made. It's thanks to Greanpeace and other defenders of the people who fight to protect our environment that we will now know the original content of the research document on fracking before it was edited to make fracking seem more appealing.
There's many instances where this kind of underhand behaviour has been used before and this will be the last time it will happen so easily, I'm sure. I feel that maybe the people of the USA have a bigger battle on their hands as the corporations really do have so much power but it is still possible if they can see what has happened in this country today - they'll know that it's possible.
By donating a small amount of money and time, we can all help save the environment, empower local communities, see an end to corruption and put the power back into the rightful hands of the worlds citizens - away from corporations and puppet politicians.
We're on the very edges of a new world order. The sun will set and either this new dawn will rise on a bleak and broken world or a revolution in how the masses take back control, will see a brighter future. How long can we continue to ignore the facts? The power of the corporations motivated by greed are motivating our politicians to sell us out.
The few people that are standing against these forces have thankfully been working so hard to inform the masses, that finally, the message is reaching a wider audience and people like me, who have shunned politics (I have never voted) are now listening and wanting to take action.
It's not that I don't care what is happening in the world, it's just that I haven't really been conscious to what's going on, it's just I've felt powerless to change it. Distracted and dis-associated are what the majority are no more. How easy it's been to just switch off to corruption going on in the USA. The UK has it's share of bumbling politicians but surely there's a rule of law to stop any underhand goings on, right? Evidently not. This is all inter-connected on a global scale as the TTIP - a trade agreement with America and Europe, will allow corporations to take over our basic necessities like healthcare by taking control away from the people and even less control for our failing government. The NHS has already been broken up and sold. Everyone needs to watch this film, Sell Off to better understand/learn where this is all going wrong.
Getting Political
It's difficult for me or anyone else who is feeling helpless at changing the status quo, to want to get involved. This TTIP agreement and NHS sell-off is all going ahead and there's no way to stop it. Wrong. We all need to get politically involved and signing petitions is one good way to start off. Communities are finally pulling together like never before, to protect their families and their way of life. They are getting more organised through using the internet to spread the message to the masses and holding peaceful protests against some of the government's initiatives - some of which it is very clear to observe and understand from just watching, reading and learning a little bit on the issues we absolutely have to make a stand on - that these politicians, pressured by the corporations, are not acting in our best interests (but seemingly for self benefit) and neither do they even understand what these interests are. Corporations have no soul and it's share prices that motivate these faceless monsters to potentially ruin our planet. There has to be a better way.
The very real concerns centred around the use of fracking, has helped to convince thousands of apathetic non-objectors, to come out in their droves and stand up for humanity. This serious issue, which has ruined Australian and American communities, has in turn, been a conduit for those now aware, to make further investigations into and around TTIP, the irresponsible management of toxic waste and opened the doors of perception for many of the country's population to realise the negative impacts.
This state of affairs isn't just for the swampy's of the world. I can see that Swampy (real name Daniel Hooper) has kinda got it right by moving to a hippy community in Wales - where there's a real shift towards permaculture. Even Happy Monday's Bez has been a real force in promoting a self-sustaining way of life in our inner cities too. It's a shame that Daniel, originally from a middle class family in Newbury, isn't prepared to be more active in the current political arena as I believe he still has a responsibility to show support for the communities that are fighting against the drilling corporations being backed by our government today. These people making a stand, are just like you and me - not a fringe alternative group that the majority jeered at for holding up the 8 mile extension to the A30 in Devon back in 1996.
What I believe so many people have missed out on since past elections, is having a party that represents the people and the people's interests. Unfortunately, we only have the parties to choose from that receive the most backing - and the motives for backing these parties is largely for financial gain. We have those with money wanting more which are affecting those without money getting less.
Making What's Important Normal
What needs to happen first are changes in people's priorities about what's important. Once these are established, the changes will start to happen. Moving away from selfish gains of financial wealth to buy useless commodities towards 'Dragon Dreaming' projects for using sustainable energy, living and home-grown pollutant-free foods. Self reliant communities are cropping up more as permaculture is seen to be the answer to the current problems facing the world. We need to get this power into the hands of the people. It is not just the question of if - it's when - we just need to create the political motivation to make it happen one by one.
Knowledge is power so they say. Taking on learned information and processing it in a way to be understood and used - ie. applied knowledge - takes time and effort. Learning is tough to do when there's so many other distractions, let alone when it's trying to read a 500+ page book on a subject that demands focussed study - so this one may take a while. Ten pages a day should see it finished in a few months though. The current book I'm looking at is on psychology called Social Cognition: Making Sense of Peopleby Ziva Kunda.
Reading and absorbing
My teacher from primary school taught us how to read a book properly. First to read the front, taking in the title and author's name, then flicking to the back for a synopsis and reviews. Afterwards, taking in the sleeve note (hardback) and learning a little about the author. Finally looking at the contents, section headers and after, reading the preface or introduction along with any of the author's dedications to family, friends and loved ones. This should all be carefully considered before starting to read the actual book.
In the modern age, it's become increasingly difficult to stay focussed on one thing at a time and to truly immerse oneself in the task at hand, like reading a book. I usually find myself stopping to check emails, take calls, send texts, look up stuff on google and hop from one topic to the next. There never seems enough time to live in the moment with reminders, either digital or mental, taking us away from enjoying the moment. We need to isolate ourselves from these distractions if we're going to take on any new information from a book.
I now have a 'do not disturb' digital rule in place while doing a focussed task like reading. All phones, online access and emails etc. are off limits. Consequently, this is the first time in a long while that I can remember in recent memory that I've dedicated my full attention to fully absorb a book - carefully taking the time to look at the book in it's entirety and appreciating it in the quality old-world form of the printed page.
Long live the book with the knowledge and detachment from the digital realms that it gives us!
BEAT THE BULLIES
Bullying is ugly and it happens more than you realise. You'll probably think back to that bigger kid at school as the last time you felt it but it comes in many forms. It can be from groups of people, your boss, government agencies, even people closest to you like your parents/children or husband/wife. It's really not nice when you are on the receiving end and if left un-challenged, can really wear you down and destroy your self-esteem/confidence to the point of no return. Bullies favour the weaker push-over, so to win - you have to stand up to them. My First Time
I was quite popular at junior school. It was a decent school and I got on with pretty much everyone that I can remember. There were the odd occasions where I'd had to stand up to a bit of abuse but it was usually handled by a teacher and never amounted to much. It was only when I attended senior (secondary) school that the real bullying took place. It was evident that the differences in backgrounds from the many kids - some of them from tough areas of London, were able to handle a lot more abuse than the soft-skinned types like myself. When you're a 13 year old boy, you're going through a lot of changes physically, mentally & emotionally. One minute you're playing on your BMX bike - then suddenly, you're faced with making decisions for making the switch from boy to man.
My switch happened almost overnight. I'd been a studious kid and my grades were good, so I sat with the other kids that were willing to learn. This put me on the receiving end of some unwanted attention from the back of the class, from some of the kids that were known to be bullies. Suddenly, I was in the cross fire of one particular boy, aptly named Damien. He used to punch, trip, kick, spit on and generally hassle myself and the other bookie/studious types. Coming from a family of five older brothers and being about six months older, meant he was a lot tougher and bigger. One day, he'd been particularly savage with his antics and the 'camel back-breaking' moment came after a cowardly punch in my kidneys. I'll never forget the feeling as I turned, grabbed him by the throat, pushed him over a desk and punched him in the eye in front of the whole class. While I don't condone violence - this was likely the only retort to work with this abusive kid. He was so shocked that I'd retaliated with such force, that he took ages to register what had happened. Once he'd come back to his senses and witnessed everyone looking on, he regained some composure and threatened to 'kill' me. But as I stared back at him, looking squarely in his newly blackened eye, I could already see, his power over me had gone.
Standing Tall
If we do nothing to stand up to our bullies, they will take over our lives. They will drain your power and erase your self-confidence. From the day after facing my fear of standing up to the bully, my stature changed. I grew. I became respected. I became powerful and the bully shrank away. He lost his influence to stike fear in others and ended up being one of the bullied himself. I hope he finally addressed his insecurities and grew strong again, learning from his experience and using his new powers to help rather than hinder others going forward.
Career Off Track
I now find I'm in a similar situation with a career change looming. I'm fearful of the future but excited for what it may bring. I'm holding in my core that feeling I had when I turned to face my demon and will relish the power I'll have after tackling it face-on.
