Ha! Chalk me up - you got me.

ha, ha, ha....very funny Gotham! :D

What a great demeanor you have Gotham!

You've picked up those tiger-like reflexes of your Chopra heritage in your ability to land on your feet and come up smiling with this oh-so-needed gratitude-attitude that comes from true forgiveness, acceptance, and tolerance "Grasshopper."

Although I don't know how you learned it so young!

But yes, you are the only one, to the best of my knowledge, who is an "on-line voyeurist partaking of the some 400-million Internet porn sites"--or so our security spy agencies inform me regarding your personal Internet habits!

But "No Worries!"

These Federal agencies are going to wait 'till your worth "about a gazillion dollars" after you've sold 10-20 bestsellers about how to overcome "addictive Internet behavior," and then they'll squeeze you to have buy your way out of some Gates-like-anti-trust-publishing-monopoloy-scheme where you have to pay lawyers, accountants (former Enron CPA's out-of-work) and fines totalling about half-a-gazillion dollars.

In other words, you probably will still be able to leave the home and go to work with Al Gore, vs. having to stay at home with your yoga guru, like Martha Stewart was just complaining about!

A "creative leap of the imagination?" Now that could be scary--going into "uncertain territory" like that. How big and deep is the chasm "after the abyss" we leap across?

I'd like to be "certain" about it's dimensions before I fall into the dementia-of-fear that would result from a scientific miscalculation on this!

Good to see your humor--Mr. Gotham Sadhu-of-LA

Very funny. here's another site for those who like funny. www.incrediblehulk.blogspot.com

BTW, your dad IS a "big boy" with a big heart, a big intelligence and a big vocabulary..........but I've gotta hand it to him.....I don't think I could handle such belligerent ignorance with such class and dignity as he does......nope.....don't think I could.
Ignorance by itself is one thing......belligerence by itself another thing.......combine them and you've got something pretty nasty going on.....

Well Gotham you are doing good, soon you will be programming our collective reality, capturing attention and infusing intelligence.

Actually in the beginning of my Spontaneous Documentry "The Dream Cruise"

http://www.infiniteplay.org/gateway.htm

It starts out.... "It was a warm day and some were driving topless"

We go to Detroit where they dream the cruise and cruise the dream. They journey in bliss with no destination. We allow the Grand Architect of the Universe to makes it's play and the camera captures it all.

Well I have had my share of "people coming at me". A psychic friend of mine told me he just takes energy like that and uses it to his benefit. Blessing in disguise? All extreme opposites are equal. Sooooooooo that means you can take that powerful force and turn into whatever you want. The focus is on you and and that's great. It's actually flattering in a way...:) They obviously care so much and it's the love inside them that reacts that way anyways to even use up energy on something they feel they are up against or whatever. Anger is passion, passion is love and love is God.

Not that you need any help...:)

Gotham you know you will probably not get 350 comments, because then people would be admiting that they clicked a link to see nude girls. Fearing non-acceptance and ridicule they would out of fear not post a comment.

But we could change that....

Anyone that would post here would have to be a fearless Demi-God with no regard for petty human Illusions.

But I really think your catching on, just imagine if word gets around that your posting a link to nude pictures, then they come to see and what do they behold a revelation some great insight that triggers a massive expansion of awareness.

Next thing you know you have altered our collective reality with a single post.

Okay how about this for a revelation.

Many cultures (exceptions noted) teach a young child to identify themselves with their body.

Then they teach them to cover their body and hide it because it is shameful.

We have now wrecked this child mentally and perverted him with shame. Which serves a purpose to some.

Anything that promotes this teaching of shame about the body is of the Anti-Christ.

Who else would want to cover up Gods Art?

I don't know, Gotham... to me, the combative answers to your father's post were a surprize only because to me, what he writes is so obvious. But I truly welcome them. Why? They don't disturb me, I actually understand the posters and I know where their reaction comes from. Their ignorance doesn't make them less worth of my acceptance and love.

How can wisdom and a higher perspective change the world if it doesn't come in contact with ignorance? Your father has changed the perspective of so many people just because he has dared to stand up and speak in the middle of ignorance, and I applaud him for continuing to do so. It is true, one of the main characteristics of ignorance is that it doesn't listen to other points of view :) But we've got to give it a chance. A seed may be sown when we least expect it. People who express their anger here do it because they're afraid of something new, and when my children are afraid, I don't send them away. And I don't feel threatened by their anger.

If there are enough peaceful people on this blog, they will be able to keep it an open and peaceful place and even open new hearts and minds. That can only happen if we don't let ourselves get carried away by aggression, if we stay well anchored in ourselves and respond from a place of peace and compassion, just like your father does. To me, this is a perfect situation to find out if I can live what I preach :)

I am in charge of a skateboarding forum. There we experience problems with fiery and combative dialogues, bad language, intense debates, and even personal attacks.

Some want to ban all those who do not follow the rules. But most do not want the forum to be totally controlled.

Suggestions?

Stefan

I am sooo sooo disappointed

Hey Aurora and Stefan: I liked reading both of your responses back-to-back.

Aurora--you remember of that poem that Wayne Dyer quotes--it may be one of Robert Frost's or William Blake's, and I already know I am misquoting it--but the essence goes something like this: We all sit in a circle and suppose, while the truth sits in the center, and knows!
You are like that center--Aurora.

Thanks for giving the circle a center!

Stefan: Your post is so real in the application of what we all got knocked slightly, or severly, out of our perceived center by.

It makes no difference, according to "A Course in Miracles," whether we are experiencing mild irritation or insane and out-of-control rage. "The Course" claims that any level of that energy clouds our perception enough to cause our respective lens'-of-perception to be unable to transmit a clear picture of the perceived energy.

We see this principle illustrated in the reflection given by an ab-soul-utely still lake surface--as opposed to image relfected by even a slightly rippling surface from even the mildest wind or ripples from a tiny fish jumping in a far off location.

It seems with that because the nature of the forum would include a more diversified array of very physically and aggressively oriented attitudes--to that of the carefree and easygoing surfer attitude at the other end of the spectrum--that you would still need to set a minimum standard of respect and you moderate the group to censor those who fall below the minimum.

If the group just degrades to the level of the lowest individual's derogatory behavior--then censor the group publically as a whole, rather than humiliating the seeming source of the lowest common denominator---that one may be having a horrible time at home--type of thing!

In the same way I felt it, and have watched others come aboard as "newcomers" here--which we all are relative to where this Intentblog will evolve to over time--each is trying to establish an identity and find a comfort zone in "the pecking order."

In other words, initially we were all trying to prove ourselves and find our place here--those who didn't fit or find any use in "agreeing to disagree" just seemed to drift away for the most part.

With sooo...many more voices suddently hitting the blog with very polarized views---well, it is like our planet's rapid population explosion--all of a sudden--in just the last 50-100 years we've watched the planet go from apx. 1 billion worldwide in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, to 3 billion by 1962-70, to 6.5 billion in just the last 40+- years!!

Same phenomenon we just felt hit the shores of the Intentblog. Sooo...many of the more extreme religious or scientific postions where suddenly the new guy on the block and were jockeying for a position--like trying to fit in with a clique at a new school! Remember that!!!

In that way I felt pangs of being embarrassed at my own shame in response to my sense of being crowded by some new, but seemingly obnoxious and opinionated "students."

And...I think we all felt unneccesarily attacked at witnessing the intentionally rude and cowardly attacks on Deepak, in particular--with no real constructive energy being put forth.

Sooo....in our own way, we have been establishing a kind of minimum level of required etiquette regarding who the "posters and respondents," a growing family that clearly prizes and values respect for each other--whether we agree or not-- something along the lines of practicing and applying Deepak's principles as given in his book, "Peace Is the Way."

When somebody comes on that "crashes the party" with a great deal of disrespect--it is the Intentblog's central intention that we learn how to react to the wild cards that do anything but follow Deepak's evolved guidelines--which is why we have so much war in this world--because most people are not experiencing lives that have none of these higher principles anywhere in sight of their local domains!

Most of those 75-90% of the world's peoples living close to the reality of what Shekhar's post reflects would see Deepak's book only a source of fuel for the evenings fire--and the Upanishads I believe teach to use "the pages of the book" to burn and heat oneself if you are cold!

At another level of development--those same pages teach to do the opposite--how to become immune to the cold from inside!

A Catch-22, N'est Pas! Dave

Might be growing pains :) Joanie

I feel your father is safe:o) Be gentle and love Self for we are all untangling the hierarchy. We only see and respond to realization of Self. Life is delightful uncertainty rising out of the boxes and traps of our linear thought. It always takes two to go to Heaven. love patty knowing you’re the peace we desire

David, I agree with you and Gotham that there should be some guidelines, rules or requirements regarding language and comportament, because the anonimity on such a medium can encourage immature behaviour. This place can be educational through a set of rules as much as through the attitude of the bloggers and other posters. People who have not yet matured to adulthood require a clear set of rules, just like children do, so they can feel safe enough to grow. But the eventual rules of this blog should, in my opinion, not come out of fear of "those people", because they are not in the least dangerous and they are not different from anyone else other than as far as their understanding is concerned. The rules should be educational, they should do the embarrassing job of teaching grown ups to behave :)

Aurora, Dave, Stefan, Joanie and everyone . . .glad to know I am not the only one feeling and thinking the thoughts expressed. Aurora - I your post help bring peace to my inner being.

Dave . . .once again - you have so well articulated my thoughts and feelings so I won't repeat. I like the word 'etiquette' and respect - I think for me that is the bottom line - sometimes the posts make me feel a level of disrespect for one's opinions . . . something I am going to have to work through.

Peace, kindness, love and bliss to all . . .Laila

predictable.. haha... u people are too geeky to be bothered with nude girls...

Dear Gotham,
I was turned on to this blog a couple of weeks ago, and although I read no other blogs (honestly!), this one interested me enough to check in every day or so. Until now, I've merely been an observer. Obviously you and your dear 'ol dad have been the superstars, but each day, I check in with a name I've not read before. (something I highly reccommend)
Let me start by giving you props for starting the blog, I feel the intention is all good. However, I have become exhausted by many of the post-ers who take the forum to chat with each other, become preachy and recite song lyric after song lyric. Perhaps these people could chat independently outside the blog and just post a link to their sermons and song lyrics ...
Am I complaining? Perhaps a bit, but I see where the intent blog is going - to a place of 1500 comments within 1 hour of each post - and a majority of interested viewers (like me) never taking the time to sift through them.
As I said, I am new to all this and I don't know what kind of rules or filtering can be done, but in the interest of not censoring and fairness while respecting the integrity of the blog, perhaps 2 streams of comments can be created - the ones deemed relevant to the topic and the questionable ones. Readers can access all the responses, but more relevant ones are given priority. If this were created, this comment would not (happily) make it to the "relevant" section.
Just an idea.
Other than that, I love that you're posting so regularly and on such diverse topics - but this must take up a lot of your time - do you actually read all the responses? I anticipate that the freight train will slow down soon (to avoid manic blog addiction), so I'm enjoying it while I can. The day I see dictated blogs and responses from assistants, I will truly laugh!
Keep it real as long as you can!
Most sincerely,
Laura

Hi Gotham,You are not rambling.you are so funny,you are hilarious.You are so creative,so imaginative.You sure brought a grin to my wrinkled face.May the universe be kind to you.

It must be difficult to be the son of some one so famous,so well respected.But you are young,articulate,intelligent,sensitive,crazy,and at the same time sooo cool.You are very creative,and unique.So don't evev be a incy wincy bit envious.

As far as the negative comments do not give them any power.Treat the comments like trash.That is all they are.Wipe the dust off your feet and walk away.Do not cast pearls in front of the swine,and expect themto appreciate them.

God bless you. Take care.

Gotham - just finished reading the "intent" of the intent blog. It's great! There's a modern day thinker by the name of Nye (I think) who writes about this thing called "soft power". If the U.S. wanted, it could easily conquer the world on the strength of coca-cola, hamburgers and Britney Spears belly button alone. If humanity hadn't become so ideology-oriented we wouldn't have to resort to hard power at all. In fact, this was exactly how, in the ancient times, Indian culture spread all the way to Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Burma and beyond. There was not a drop of blood shed in this process, but rather our culture spread solely on the strength of its innate appeal. Hopefully, a new era will dawn where we will see a resurgence of soft power over hard power.

Two things: Although I do see a space to email this entry which I should have done in the "intent" page, there is no way to reach the admin without knowing the email address, which is why I've posted this comment here.

Also, there's one small typo in the writeup- the term is "bated breath" not "baited breath".

Hello everyone. I love your writing Gotham! I first learned what it feels like to be part of an on-line community from signing up at peaceisthewayglobalcommunity.org. Discussion on that board has greatly reduced so I'm thankful for learning of this site! I love the feeling of community that is generated here, sharing personal stories, supporting one another, welcoming newcomers on board - the overall feeling of compassion, and not being afraid to admit that we are all still learning and growing. I felt distressed at first when the flood of negative posters began to appear, but then I realized like Aurora said, that if we respond from a place of compassion and peace within ourselves, we can make a positive impact on their lives. Even if they don't recognize it at the time, they will be touched by it in some small way and see that there is an alternative way of being.

Hi Gotham,

I can see your frustration. You know this same thing happen on Deepak's 'chopra.com' site and it would come and go in waves. At first it upset me, then I pulled away, and surely enough when control was increased, I lost some interest in posting but never tired of reading Deepak’s Q&A posting (his comments) … don’t figure. Maybe it’s just me as I value the freedom of speech and I suppose we have to have some guidelines. Or maybe I got tired of hearing myself blow air. So asking folks to cool it before the monitoring starts, it probably a good start. I like this website right now because it is so very raw and innocent. But as with everything when something grows, it loses it’s freshness … like a flower … and then we have to start all over again. It's a difficult decision (or balancing act) ... freedom vs. control. The minute control is applied, a little creatively disappears, but if chaos is allowed, it’s a mess, but eventually creativity forms out of chaos and then there’s order … and on and on. I guess it’s all about balance as I circle around and around on this question/thought/suggestion you have raised.

Love,
Char

Aurora - what you wrote echos my thoughts exactly. There's a wonderful quote from Albert Einstein that reads "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." I don't put this here to imply that anyone who disagrees with Deepak or any of you has a "mediocre" mind but that "violent opposition" comes whenever new, challenging ideas are put forward. This is natural.

I think the "violent opposition" seen here, is natural to the process of creating peace. We humans are afraid of change... of the unknown and this is just an expression of fear. Hopefully people will hang around long enough to fill their hearts with peace.

*Personally* I'm pretty much against censoring on forum boards or blogs but the few suggestions I would give are 1) find a way to prevent the multiple postings (I'm finding it really difficult to find my way through the 50+ comment posts because of them.) and 2) to ask people, as Laura said above, to provide links to song lyrics, long quotes and articles instead of posting them in the body of the comments... it would also be helpful if they could compile those thoughts into ONE post, instead of multiple ones. Just my 2 cents.

ack! Sorry Gotham, I started writing my post before yours popped up. Great minds think alike, I guess ;-)

Gotham,

It is a good thing, it means you all are having an effect, many times this is the response to defabrication, which is disolution of a fabricated reality.

Hi David,

Interestingly familiar writing style of a word craft wizard.

R

Hi Gotham and everyone! Yeah, I have to agree with a lot of you. I am glad that I'm not the only one who was concerned about where this blog might be going--after the LK show. I'm sure most of the negativity will wear off, (I hope??)

I like the suggestions of sorting out two streams of comments--one for debating, and one for not. And maybe another for people who want to chat back and forth--I don't know. Sometimes I just want to read the COMMENTS, not the back and forth discussions between two people (No harm intended.)

Overall, I really love this blog and I don't want all the positiveness to be taken out of it.

Keep up the good work Gotham and Mallika!:)

I think we need to have and respect "boundaries" in life, just because "that's life". People that have a hard time with boundaries in life run into difficulties. Boundaries are different in each situation.

To me, on this blog...boundaries are the respect we show, even though we may not agree with a person. When we were taught (at least I was)freedom of speech in life, we were also taught with respect in mind.

Truth,
I am not sure we can get away from the chat back and forth. We are communicating with eachother. There are some of us that have gotten to really know eachother "blogstyle" and it is only human to say hello or respond....maybe a chat room would be helpful at some point, if people are into that. I guess each of us has a choice to read the posts we want....thats the beauty of this all.

Joanie

Hey you guys: It is Friday night now and Larry King just finished with Hurricane Katrina!

Like that storm then-the Intentblog is "righting itself" like the ship that "She Is!"

What a magnificent heart this living being--the Intentblog--is showing itself to have!

Like Joanie said--"teenage growing pains maybe--where all those hormones are raging like 'Katrina.'"

I've heard the word harmony is associated with "hormone-y,or finding the bio-chemical balance of those 'most powerful' of governing biological agents, but then again--others could extend that too.....someone???- moaning!"

Soooo...this is like watching George Clooney's ship "righting itself" in the "Perfect Storm" of humanity's age-old struggles coming to the surface of our collective awareness!

For all the growing pains the process brings then--it is a very very good thing, a "sign-of-the-times," so to speak. Dave

Blog is not the solution, solution is the engagement of humans in real settings. Any blog, however well intentioned, is destined to be doomed no matter what, because there is no judge, no jury, no order, no decorum. Ever heard of human beings living without a leader in a group settings? I digress.

Deepak & Co should be the last people on the earth to go with this hype, they are making their fans miserable by having them read and sift through the nonsense. It is a strain on their minds. So what if it is well intentioned? So what if they are trying to make a difference? The technology is not at par with human psyche. It is absolutely incompatible.

So curious exactly how many "fans" have you spoken with? How can one put a strain on something intangible? How is communicating, ideas, insight and intelligence not compatible?

This blog can engage thousands sitting in their homes anywhere on the planet. Isn't a home a real setting?

To stretch Richard's point a bit further then--from distance, wouldn't all of our individual homes then appear to be cells of one bigger home with a view of seeing all the communication going on being like watching neurons fire as consciousness moves energy through the brain to create thoughts in the mind created by all three working as one! Just "Curious," also! Dave

I think being human or homo sapien , and part of the animal kingdom highlights our weakness. The fact that we must do the things Gotham mentioned in my opinion shows us that we are just mere mortals.

Man is capable of good and evil and it seems the evil outweighs any good we can possibly do. As far as procreation I truthfully do not see the point of bringing new life into this world. I'm not sure the human race should continue to exist. Not to mention all the pain and suffering here. But I am only one person and I don't control those things, nor would I really aim to. I do care about the people who are already here though. And I believe in fighting for their rights, freedom, liberty and justice for all.

Man is weak, and these vessels we occupy are like constraints that limit us.

Nice work! -order ambien