Deepak,

This is the time and this is the language that our country needs right now. Slow to get traction for this new way of thinking - not combative and
"critical" enough and does not gain political points. So, administrations come and administrations go, and we do not progress, because 4 and in some cases 8 years are spent on bringing the opposition down. I believe in strong debates, differing opinions, diverse options to accomplish shared goals - but if we are not able to look at ourselves as a whole, for the benefit of the whole, at critical points in history, we cannot progress.

Aradhana

Thank you Deepak. I wish we could vote for you as US President. Anyway, this reminds me of the Stanford prison program that you talk about on some of your CDs.

For me personally, I have experienced these types of situations at my work place, as well as in my personal life, and it surprises me each time what people will do when allowed complete control over another individual, as I had been a party to in the past as well. The degrading of human rights is a crime and very cruel and all of us do take part in it, whether we are an active participant or a silent observer. However, it's very hard to clean up a mess of this type, but I suppose not impossible, if one can remain focused.

Love,
Char

Why does the patriarchy stay in place? Is it b/c we are all dumbed down by television? This may sound improbable but I wonder if it is true. Why does someone like Bill Clinton get elected when there was someone like his wife Hillary available who is so obviously more competant, dignified and in possession of far more leadership capacity? Why does America tune into nightly sitcoms that are not funny and that degrade women? Why is America so mindless? Why don't more white men start standing up against the patriarchy by challenging its messages?

I think America enjoys degrading women. And there are not enough men or women who are willing to speak out against it. People are mindless--that is the problem. Otherwise--I cannot understand--on the few occassions I have turned on my television at night--why is there invariably something not funny
on the screen that I am supposed to laugh at? And always there is an undercurrent of anti-women humor? Why do people watch TV? Why isn't Laura Bush President? She is far more diplomatic, graceful, insightful and well-spoken than George.

What can I say? When Americans start thinking things will change. Until then we are stuck with the patriarchy and all its crap on television.

My thoughts exactly. I don't think we can hope for improvement unless the cultural emphasis shifts from the individual to society. The best lawyers are considered to be those that get their clients off the hook, not those that cherish justice. The best accountants are those who can maneuver their way around all the loopholes for the benefit of their clients rather than those who show a concern for the greater good. The best stockbrokers are those who make a killing, irrespective of the fact that somewhere down the line somebody else is paying the price. The system is such that each of us has become complicit in this type of practice whether we agree with it in principle or not.

Deepak,

What are you saying?

- we're all responsible?
- you reap what you sow?
- Capitalism is a poor social system?
- American culture is in decline?
- America is in decline?

Whenever I read things like this it always reminds me of something I read that Krishnamurti said (I hesitate to quote Krishnamurti since I probably don't understand most of what he said. But to paraphrase Steve Martin, I've read enough of him to screw me up for the rest of my life.)

I'm paraphrasing heavily, but if I remember right, someone asked Krishnamurti what one should do if one lives in a corrupt society. His reply was something like, "Don't you understand you are society? You MUST understand this!"

Actually I don't completely understand (and I'm glad I wasn't the questioner :)) but I always remember this interaction, and Deepak's article reminded me of it once again.

Dear Deepak,

I am a second year law student and agree with your statement:

"I think it's vitally necessary to turn all these corruptions of justice around, but it won't happen until we begin to say "al of us" instead of "them."

But how exactly???

I want to do my part, but I want to know how. I want to use my law degree to help "us" instead of perpetuating the corruption. Does anyone have any suggestions for me for how to use my law degree to help. I am aware that there are an abundance of social justice issues and causes to get involved in, but if anyone has any specific suggestions, I would be open to hearing them.

Sincerely,
Matt Welsh

I think that although many of us have all the best of intentions that individually and certainly as a society there is an awful lot of "what's in it for me" and a willingness to look the other way when a perceived injustice does not directly impact us. Why is this so?

Fear. Selfishness. Being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the corruption. Feeling powerless.

Those aren't excuses, but they are things that need to be overcome (within ourselves) if we want to change what we are reflecting in the world.

Love, Kristin

Matt,
IMO it's very important to know (and to heal) ourselves as deeply as possible and to make that a priority. So we have to remember that it's not just 'that group' or 'those people' who are corrupt. Where is there corruption or the potential for corruption within myself? When am I vulnerable to my greed, lust, and other forms of selfishness and fear? It's too easy to get caught up in a crusade for justice only to find out that we've become what we fought so hard to eliminate. And that's just the thing - we can't seek to eliminate and destroy the injustice. We need to find out where the misperception is and seek to heal it - within and without.

Please do good things and strive to serve. Action is important. Be couragous and strong. But try to have humility and truly live the knowing that there is no "us vs them". It's only "us." That way you will serve with compassion and just your presence will make a difference.

Love, Kristin

To Matt and Frank,
Yep, do too, think the whole law thing is one big
hypocrisy, but on the other hand, perfection with an human touch is rarely achieved, nevertheless for the intrests for the poor law subjects or patients an worthy goal,

Suggestions? sure!
1. See it as it is! Get real! (what we have on this Blog)
not better than it is, and not worse than it is,
2. See it better than it is,
divide the problem into workable area´s of constant and neverending improvement,
progression, every small step is one, evolution instead of revolution,
3. Who do you need to work with? Make a list of the people and organisations, common intrests, rapport,
4. goal(s) setting, plan(s), implementing
and so on, basics, that´s not difficult,

The hard thing are the beliefs of the mass,
changing perception,
people in power,
social conditioning,

`Elected officials come from a rich elite of white males who more often than not are lawyers`

- the Law is beautifull,
on paper...
the only problem are..humans..;)
It´s an Ego thing..Deepak,

Love, and Spirit!

Deepak and All,

Our government and its officials are indeed reflections of us. Our government is BY the people and OF the people, but most government officials, especially those whom we elect, are self serving and therefore not FOR the people. Quite the contrary. They are FOR themselves. And, WE THE PEOPLE have let that happen by giving away our power to others.

It goes beyond voting. I heard once, "If voting made a difference, it would be against the law." Well, I believe we should vote, but we must be cognizant of whom and what we are voting for. That is a tough challenge since we rely on the media for information. The media is the supreme spin machine.

Who to believe! What to do! Let's see, it is Wednesday in Massillon, Ohio. This day calls for The Law of Least Effort where nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease... carefreeness, harmony and love. When we harness these forces, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease. ACCEPTANCE. RESPONSIBILITY. DEFENSELESSNESS. - so sez Deepak

And, it is so.

To heap all that corruption on everyone is a bit unfair and I don't think it's helpful or realistic. We are, to be sure, all in the Karmic soup that created the impulses to perpetuate that corruption, but those who are perpetuating it are in fact "them." I think we have to see them as "them" only in the sense that we must point to the particulars that are perpetuating this corruption. The underlying causes of course (depending on how deep you go) are far beyond the grasp of most individuals to clear up and transform. We are "us" outside of "them" simply because "they" are doing vile things, taking part in the corrupt system, and "we," one supposes, are not. There is indeed a duality to this experience, and to pretend or to language it as if there isn't is really just game playing (or misguided mysticism). What can be done? Find your own Voice and follow it and see what that Voice compels you to do (if anything) to overtly speak out or to act against the corruption. Sometimes allowing Karma to take care of things (despite the fact that it feels as if you've given up and let the corruption win) is the best thing for some people. After all, Karma has a habit of allowing corruption to boil up to the point at which it can't be ignored and must be taklen care of and then sends in a team of heroes to transform the corruption when the time is right. Sometimes, too, Karma chips away at the corruption without our seeing how it's being done. The best way to take care of it is to actually see "them" as "them" and to see yourself as an open channel to the Divine Voice of the Soul and then let the Soul guide you to your part in the solution.

I only recently learned that so many of the members of the Senate were millionaires. And really, even if well intentioned, how can they truly relate to the majority of the people they are representing? It would take a lot of work and I don't think most of them are able to do it. Besides the money and the power is such a temptation - and we're abviously more than willing to look the other way unless it overtly involves the sin of sex.

Yet nothing will change until we change our expectations of those in public office. We need to value and expect - humility, honesty, and sincere desire to serve (the public, not a private and personal agenda). So the bottom line question is, how strongly do I value those things in my personal life? Where am I willing to make exuses for myself and lose integrity?

Love, Kristin

I agree with Doug. There is a "them". In the abstract it is fine to say there is no "us and them". But as a woman in the 21st century, it has become tiresome to watch as white men continue to make decisions for everyone as well as impose their double standards onto everyone. It seems to be accepted in the public consciousness that two white men should run for President. And that they should control everything else. If it is not "they" who are corrupting everything, then who is? If it is not "they" who are making war, then who is?
Keep in mind--white men control the media. They control the "mind" of America. They keep it dumbed down with mindless garbage. White men are not going to give up their power. I firmly believe that the ONLY way to shift the balance of power is to stop buying the crap--stop watching the TV shows, stop buying all the crap--you name it--it is mostly all crap--the magazines, the movies, the music. People should get up and walk out of the movies when it is just more patriarchal crap--instead we all sit there obediently swallowing our dose of crap. People are talking in these abstractions, but as long as the money keeps coming in, the patriarchy keeps churning out these mindless double standards and degradation, and the cycle continues. We must change society so that all people are respected, but to do so we must first reclaim our minds.

dulcie,your comments are great.I agree with you.Do you by any chance believe in Divine Feminine?God bless you.

We as human beings are confused and so we always love anyone who doesnot appear to be confused.Politicians are very adept at appearing confident and clear.

So when there is so much conflict and confusion around we look for people who can guide and lead us out of this confusion.

The challenge is whether you the individual can clear your confusion and resolve your conflicts without depending on someone to resolve it for you.If you want to depend on leaders, they will exploit you as we can all see now.

Also, I admit that I am venting a bit. Although I rarely watch TV, I can tell you that the random occassion when I turn it on to a random station, I begin watching it and within seconds my immediate thought is "Wait....this means that ENOUGH people find this material to be A) funny (which it is not) B) nonoffensive towards women (which it usually is) C) entertaining (which it is not). Enough people actually enjoy (I am assuming unless they actually feel tortured by viewing what is not funny and insulting) this program so that it continues being created. I may sound overzealous, but I am honestly befuddled. I think it is a major problem that ENOUGH people do not respect their minds enough to not just sit their and passively receive idiotic TV messages on what life is about, how it should be lived, what is funny and not funny, etc. Anyway, I'm done with my rant.

DEEPAK:

At first I am reminded of the comment you made in "Good Enough For God?".

"Or "good" can be left to a person's own moral values, in which case relativism prevails: terrorists in Iraq, for example, feel that they are doing good for God and expect heaven for actions that horrify people outside their sequestered belief system."

~DEEPAK

For it seems that no one that qualifies as a "human being" can possibly act without having first decided (convinced their self) that what they are doing is somehow the right thing. As with your quote some even think it is "good" or "godly".

So our elected officials see themselves as doing the work of "god" or "good" works. And "we" that rail against "them", labeling "them" with language of disdain, are somehow blameless and righteous in our "good" and "godly" intent. "We" are after all victims of _______? (Here one can insert media, economic divide, and and and)

The reality as you have pointed out is that we must stop the divide within ourself. We must see where we are not only culpable but where we ourselves with honest introspection can find the same roots to these qualities we so loudly condemn in the light of day. And then we should work to heal ourselves. Individually and collectively.

Deepak. You write, "Aren't we good people to whom these bad things are happening? Yes, on one level we are, but the larger crisis is our fault, too. We have allowed the following things to happen:".

~DEEPAK

To this I would go one step further in my own experience. Although I very much want to see "a world that works for everyone" and I do participate where I can to this end, I to am a "good person that does bad things."

Thanks for the opportunity to express myself.

This is heavy stuff. We need some poetry Dr. Chopra.
salaam

`..corruption..`

If I may, give an example, of Poland,
the Polish way, drunk, just came back from happy hour, nice exchange students this semester, but that´s besides the point,
nevermind, anyway,

You have an `old garde` in charge, in Poland,
brought up under the communistical regime,
one scandel after the other,
corruption? is there an other way, than?
and even with the best intentions of the public,
it will take a generation shift of educated, internationaly oriented young people to realy make change happen, who are acustomed to the notion of transparancy, and the need for emancipation,
The only thing that works right now is Brussels, European Union, with his almost economical blackmail, wich offcourse benfits the public most,
anyway,

The stick and the carrot,
the pain and the pleasure principle,
gain if you do and lose if ya don´t,

How can this be applied in your case?

Love,

dulcie,
`I think it is a major problem that ENOUGH people do not respect their minds enough to not just sit their and passively receive idiotic TV messages on what life is about, how it should be lived, what is funny and not funny, etc.`

Yeah,
when I start talking about spirituality, Chopra,
Dyer, Robbins, louise hay, and so on,
people look at me as if I am from an other planet, social conditiong, indoctrination..
The Law of Least effort, but than the other way
reverds, anyway,
the Vedanta would say, a selfullfilling phropecy,

and mind?
oh, yeah, thats that lean mean consumption unit,
where all the ego-centric ideas come from, the average person..

anyway,
that was my little social critical rave,

Love,

Great thoughts, I agree.

gjayaram,
`Do you by any chance believe in Divine Feminine?
I´m a big fan, feminine leadership, the feminine quality, ability for social coherence, keeping the peace, though when it comes to a power struggle, and a ego match, the testosteron thing..mhhmnn..
Love,

Don´t get me wrong girls, love ya all,
and I´m single by the way, and left happy hour
because those kids don`t amuse me, haha,
tickle my fancy, so to speak euuh spamm,
but, as Louise L. Hay very nicely putted, and john gray too, very in general, and to the extreem, but,
it´s safety and security as from a mother´s point of view to convictions to a father´s, (gee, and guess where wars start..;)

love,

Brain Sex : The Real Difference Between Men and Women (Paperback)
by Anne Phd Moir, David Jessel
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385311834/103-4520868-8007820?v=glance

I am of the mind that, what is happening in the U.S. right now is a battle of Consciousness. Conservative fundamentalist, who see God as angry and judgmental and war like V.S. Everybody else. However, when these people are gone, and they will be, it is important to make sure that we reform, what we have left of a democracy in this country. Otherwise we will end up with the same type of people in power.

Well Deepak we are certainly on the same wavelength, there must be a shared mind somewhere, I have thinking about this all day today and off and on for some time of course, and writing about it.

Being that I have seen much of what goes on from the inside, and knowing the games I can most share holders and average citizens would be furious.

The largest criminal enterprise on the planet operates using the infrastructure of the US government and it is without a doubt 100% bipartisan.

Let me share a perspectives held at the top.

1. THE AVERGAGE CITIZEN IS IGNORANT AND THEY NEED TO BE LEAD LIKE SHEEP AND HERDED LIKE CATTLE.

2. It is our job to maintain a Peaceful Kingdom by whatever means is necessary.

3. We should be rich for maintaining a Peaceful Kingdom.

Now amazingly there is some truth to this perspective. If we were not the ignorant lot they claim us to be, we would not allow the current system to operate like it is. True many people say we should be able to trust them yet when asked the majority do not.

Sometimes I think gee why, should I bother when so many choose ignorance? Well because it has an effect on me and my environment is reason enough.

The people are played, using the ego as the puppet strings.

They do not have a good leader to help direct their energies.

They fail to question everything and often follow the easiest and most comfortable route.

I don’t really blame those that doing what could be called wrong, I would assign responsibility to those that allow it to happen and fall prey to game of polarization, labels, division, Illusion, and disinformation.

Marek,
Yes I do believe in the Divine Feminine.

"I'm a big fan, feminine leadership, feminine quality, ability for social coherence, keeping the peace, though when it comes to a power struggle, and an ego match...hhmmmmnnnn"

Women do not always have to be sweet and nice. We are sick of that role. There is no ego match, only standing up and saying we have had enough of male superiority. True, women are superior...but that is a whole other subject. If men worshiped the feminine, then the feminine would be restored to its rightful place. Why did God make woman more beautiful and more intelligent? Because we are divine obviously--created in the image of God. Women are just sick of the whole "we were created from Adam's rib" story. Women are by definition the creators. Let us restore this divine truth.

Marek,

I checked out that link on Brain Differences. It is wrong. Of course men and women have different brains, that does not account for the subordination of women--what I was able to read of this book was extremely sexist. Women should not be subordinated--brain difference does not account for this--rather men who have not gotten in touch with their "divine self". Subordinating a woman (or women) proves that a man (or men) are not respecting the masculine or the feminine. As any woman will tell you, any brain differences we possess are positive. Women can juggle more tasks, have better memories, are more in touch with other's feelings, etc. We also make good lawyers, doctors, scientists, etc. It is men who like to dominate others. That is social conditioning, not brain chemistry.

I don't know if you have all noticed but there is a battle (as someone here alluded to) going on and it is not a land battle.

It is a battle that occurs in our minds. It is battle of perception and control of reality. Reality in the conventional sense.

I was watching the accusations that New Orleans was punished by God because it was a sin city. There was all this talk about God on MSNBC.

Well it was punished for it's sins, but not by some God, cause and effect decisions that lead to the levy's being inadequate, the money to fix them went into someone’s pocket.

There are those that wish to maintain an illusion that benefits them. It is becoming apparent to many that there is a great deal of fabrication and commonly held beliefs are not valid or beneficial.

The status quo is threatened by awareness and "new" perspectives; they resist but no longer have complete control over thought streams.

People that have attached their identity to their beliefs feel personally threatened when the foundations for their beliefs appear ready to collapse. Quite often they strike out in fear not having anything to cling to for security.

ACT GREAT

What is the key
To untie the knot of your mind’s suffering?

What
Is the esoteric secret
To slay the crazed one whom each of us
Did wed

And who can ruin
Our heart’s and eye’s exquisite tender
Landscape?

Hafiz has found
Two emerald words that
Restored
Me

That I now cling to as I would sacred
Tresses of my Beloved’s
Hair:

Act great.
My dear, always act great.

What is the key
To untie the knot of the mind’s suffering?

Benevolent thought, sound
And movement.

~ Hafiz ~

As I see It, the battleground needs to change in this Country of ours; not only as to issues, but in its nature. As a confrontation, with people challenging one another for ideas as to how best to progress, debate is essential, with its own rules; but a “battleground”- “war”, with an objective to defeat others, proved obsolete centuries ago. To this moment, we choose to ignore that obvious and so important a truth. So- IF the coming adventures of the Alliance for a New Humanity excite both spirit and motion within enough capable and compassionate people; then, perhaps- just perhaps- a New Day will have arrived.
Our World’s focus will shift away from “Me”, and toward that change into the New Humanity we’d love to see as “Us”.

You should all check this out so you understand the game at hand.

AOL Time-Warner Censors Alex Jones Websites
Nationwide blackout a clear attempt to shut down free speech

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/october2005/051005timewarnercensors.htm

These sites also have perspectives that should be taken into perspective, although extreme and questionable in some areas, they can give you insight and are fun to read. Perhaps they reveal more about reality than the establishment news.

http://www.infowars.com/

http://www.propagandamatrix.com/

http://www.prisonplanet.com/index.html

“They” are those who benefit from the current system of things.

They succeed in what they do by keeping “you” those who do not benefit from the current system of things, divided and arguing amongst yourselves. When they create division between left/right, conservative/ liberal, class warfare, and ethnicity, black / white you all have your attention pulled away from the culprits. They limit your ability to change the system.

It is all about magic. The magician directs your attention away from the activity that is actually producing the effect of the trick, so your left ignorant about what actually happened. If you want to see how a trick is done, or the Illusion is created don’t follow the magicians lead watch where he is leading you from.

This is why spirituality and the nature of what Deepak writes are so important. It helps us to see through the separation and what divides us. This is also why fundamentalist religions are so valuable to those who want to maintain the current system; they divide and create conflict, a diversion that supports the Illusion.

One simply needs to walk out onto the playing field say to the common people in the Jewish / Palestinian conflict. Do you guys know you are being played against each other? Do you know who is really killing your children? This creates a common enemy and leads to unity among the people that were in conflict, who then turn their attention to the group that has been perpetuating the ignorance and stimulating conflict.

I have one more insight. It is not actually the wealthy elite that are a cause of the world’s problems. Many are quite benevolent and have a lot of wealth already. It is the 35% below them struggling to get to the top (become the wealthy elite) that I think are the ones causing the most damage to the systems. They are the ones that might force the taxpayer to pay $50.00 for a $10.00 hammer putting the $40.00 in their “special groups” pocket.

Now I have an insight which is going to totally alter the system.

All the people with accumulated wealth only have pieces of paper, or rather bits and bytes, an entry in the general ledger.

It is an Illusion that they have this wealth, they really don’t. Much of it was stolen and extracted through manipulation of the symbol. There are those that did earn it and we will take care of them because they will know something the others do not.

The people with the real wealth are the producers that are actually going to go out tomorrow and provide a product or service.

I have devised a way without need of legislation or government action to destroy the Illusion of this incumbent wealth and balance the system.

What I am going to do is create a new symbol to represent the energy expended by the producers.

This new symbol is provided by a new system. This new symbol will represent two things, tangible assets and energy.

The truth is the money in the world currently only has value because of perception.

We can change this perception with words in an instant. When people understand the system for what it is. You know that 401k and IRA? Well in short you cannot know your money has been stolen if you cannot access it. For example if everyone went and spent all the money they have, or even took it out of the bank and put it under their pillow the economic system would collapse.

Therefore we are going to erase all the worlds’ incumbent monetary wealth with words.

So if you are wealthy and happened to have been connected to the source you will know to buy real estate.

Anybody figure out why the real estate bubble is not going to burst?

Hey it’s just a game, and a dance all part of the Infinite Play.

Somebody mentioned the White men in power and women.

If the women of this country and the world would like to remove the "men" from power it will take 30 miuntes of your collective time, over the course of seven days.

We create a financial instrument backed by tangible assets say real estate or gold.

Then all the women take all their currency and convert it to this new tangible finacial instrument.

Thats it, the men left holding the fiat currency are left powerless there money is worthless because of the system they designed which allowed them to abuse economics and get rich in the first place.

History is made.

Now the nice guys that happen to be reading this will know what is going on an they will be able to play as well.

By the time the power elite know what is going on they will be out of business.

It is a fair game to play.

When conflict situations come up in my day to day life, I ask myself the question "Who am I being in relation to who the other person is being" and go from there. Then I find that if I change my behaviour, they change theirs. However when we are talking about righting the wrongs that are taking place on our planet right now, it all seems too much. So much is happening that I am beginning to doubt that we can turn things around. When I hear that another 50000 miles of the arctic ocean melted this year and see the destruction caused by the hurricaines and (even though I am not an american) see President Bush playing guitar while Rome burns and see the Canadian Government do nothing while Rome burns frankly, I want to slap somebody. I know that all of this is a mirror for me and I can change my behaviour and hope that it spreads out from me but what if it doesn't. I must admit that it empowers me when I say that "their way" is wrong and my way is right but "they" are feeling the same way so they continue to do things their way and I continue to do things mine. "The new way of Thinking" is spreading, there is no doubt about that but is it spreading fast enough to save us and our world. It seems to me that we are at the point where we need to get on the rooftops and yell. I am really trying to do things the peaceful way. I do what I can in my immediate environment and I know that it works because I see it in action but is that enough? I attended a lecture given by Dr. Chopra last weekend and I was telling my friend at work about it on Monday. She asked me how many people attended. I said it was between 1500 and 2000 people and I proceeded to tell her how he had used the analogy of the caterpillar turning into the butterfly to depict what is happening on the earth right now, that we are clusters of cells that are dividing and increasing and will one day become the butterfly. Then she responded that we were approximately 1500 people but she ask me have you noticed how me people the big television evangelicals bring in, they are in the hundreds of thousands. She is right. It seems to me that the butterfly is a long way off. I would appreciate any help anyone can offer to steer me in a positive direction where I can be a beacon of light and not contribute to the darkness.

Love Faye

Hi Faye--With regard to the "numbers" you mentioned about how the "TV evangelicals" are "outnumbering "us?"

Back to diminishing the "us vs. them" principal first, ie. 'they' are not 'our' enemies, maybe, to be "outnumbered?"

And....think of it Faye, 1,500-2,000 at Deepak's seminar--and how many of those books and tapes will be passed around--and how many like you were talking about his principles at work?

Have you seen how Wayne Dyer is reaching hundreds-of-thousands through PBS?

And how many others like Deepak and Wayne were giving seminars during the same timeframe? It is only fair to you to total those numbers if comparing them to the composites of the TV evangelists combined.

Also, consider that about 8-10 years ago, the founder of Crown Books claimed that metaphysical/spiritual/self-help books were the number selling area of books in the country---and....this composite was outselling the number two category four-fold (or four times as much).

Something to think about as we watch the mainstream media being unable "not to confront" the political and financial shennanigans going on with the powerfully viisble influences of the "conservative Christian right" within our governmental structures.

Watch how "the machine" throws Tom Delay to the shark frenzy--ie. his own base will/is do(ing) this--at least for now.

How powerful are such bases, over time, and when the "shit really hits the fan"--as is inevitable in these radically changing times of human history--and if you will, earthly and cosmic history?

There is no doubt that the earth's physical body is also changing, for better or for us, with or without us--regardless of how instrumental we were/are responsible for inducing such changes, wittingly or unwittingly regarding our acknowledgement of this cause/effect paradigms.

Wayne on PBS nowadays? now I really got to get my satelite dish! will be a court case soon, if I put one up, damn laws in the Netherlands!
Prostitution is legal, as long if tax is paid,
You may grow 5 marihuana plants (or Christmastrees..) at home, and posses up to 30 grams, but to trade or sell is illigal,
XTC and braindamage are ´liberally tolerated´, but if I put a satellite dish up,
Me be explaining myself en sentenced to..

You got to love the hypocrisy...
Love,

"When good people do bad things" is an oxymoron!
The moment he does a bad thing, he ceases to be good (even though for the naive outer world he is perceived as good!)

HELLO FROM PARADISE SRILANKA:-

The way I look at it life allows us the freedom to choose who/what we want to be every moment. Lets give everyone that freedom to choose their state of being,hence good, bad ,ugly ect. Rest assured by the fact that we are what we choose to be, no-thing can stop us from doing that. So can we all enjoy these roles(state of beings) without taking them too seriously.

Life is beautiful,
murali

where we need to get on the rooftops and yell. ~Faye

That would be good to catch on video people yelling from their roofs.

What would they yell?

I think most effective would be to buy full page adds in newspapers and air time on CNN.

Provide and infusion of intelligence, insight, wisdom, and positive "executable" steps.

Time is the shop
where everyone
works hard to
build enough love
to break the shackle.

Yet again God
will have to drop
you back at the shop
where you still have
work with love.

--- Hafiz

Dear Deepak and Everyone,

Absolutely true....Peace

Dulcie –

I can hear how angry and frustrated you are with your current perception of world culture. It sounds like you have a need for respect from others for you personally and for the contributions of women.

I find your comments on this particular thread interesting and a bit of an example of what Deepak was writing about:

“Women are superior…”

“Why did God make woman more beautiful and more intelligent? Because we are divine obviously--created in the image of God. Women are just sick of the whole "we were created from Adam's rib" story. Women are by definition the creators. Let us restore this divine truth.”

“People are mindless…”

Where is your thinking different than the “Patriarchal Elite” that you suggest run the country and the media? What is the difference between thinking women are superior or men are superior? Both ideas are the belief in separation. Both create conflict. If you believe that the “masses” are stupid and sheep, than you believe the same things that the leaders of many countries believe. You believe the same things that countries use to justify wars of aggression. Can you see how you believe that it is your job to “make” others more “intelligent”? After all, “people” are too stupid to know what’s funny…after all no one can find something entertaining that you do not, right? Isn’t it possible that the humor that they see is simply a different perspective?

You can see where I’m going with this. The beliefs that you and I may hold are no different than the beliefs that many others that you appose support. I think it’s important to discipline ourselves to continually question whether the beliefs we hold are REALLY true, or are they feeding those things in the world that are destructive.

Generalizing people on any level is violence and it is the heart of war (Even generalizing them as ‘good’ things: Women are Creators (Last time I checked women could not asexually reproduce), Men are war mongers (Gandhi, Jesus Martin Luther King…. War mongers all).

Peace,
Scott.

Prashant:
"When good people do bad things" is an oxymoron!
The moment he does a bad thing, he ceases to be good (even though for the naive outer world he is perceived as good!)

In spirit you are pure and unconditional love,
ego...well..can play tricks on you! before you know you have conditioned or habit-ed yourself,
for the best of intent, doing not so nice things,
to yourself or your fellow spiritual being(s) having an human experience, and it could well be, your karma will have your ass in court, (or worse, hospital) but thats only in movies, in real life the biggest criminals...are in politics? `businessmen`? live in Thailand? Russia? I hear Laos is the place to be nowadays,

Love, and spirit!
Passion!

"I think it's vitally necessary to turn all these corruptions of justice around, but it won't happen until we begin to say "al of us" instead of "them." The vilification of the other side is a too-easy tactic for avoiding our own responsibility.
Love,
Deepak"

How true...that no matter where we stand there is the inclination to judge here am I/'good' versus others who are /'bad'

Isn't the desire to judge with justification or guilt and punishment merely an attempt to hold the experience out there rather than looking within and allowing the feeling of the action that is happening to flow fully through our Being...perhaps even breaking our own Heart wide open...?

When we recognize the places within our human being experiences where we too can be judged as what we 'see' in others ..perhaps then we may 'recognize' that really we are not separate at all...

As action is then taken to bring peace and love to our world...we may recognize that those 'others' are really not separate at all, but our own Essence looking through the illusion of separation...

Yes, to Be for world Peace may be entirely closer than we may think or believe...love, Carolyn

Scott,

I understand what you are saying--in terms of saying that I am placing women above men in my argument thereby "being just as bad as the other side". You sighted a few examples of my doing that. However, I do not believe that what I am saying is as "bad as the other side". My belief "women are superior..." in the context of what I have written merely implies that they have shown a great deal of strength and perservance (moreso than men) within the context of subordination by men. I do not mean they should dominate men. Am I supposed to pretend that men and women are/have been on an equal playing field presently and throughout history?
The "Adam's rib" story is one of the most sexist, absurd renditions of creation which makes woman a secondary player--also implying that we were put here FOR men (Adam was lonely--poof, here is a woman). Am I supposed to pretend that women are not the lifegivers, that we do not give birth? Sperm is necessary, yes, I cannot argue against that, but as far as giving life goes would you not agree, Scott, that women are the more "powerful" (excuse my terminology) player in this creation process? All I was saying is that this fact should be respected.

"People are mindless"--I am not trying to dictate what others should watch or find funny. I am not trying to force people to "become more intelligent". I am only saying that it is easy to succumb to "mindlessness" and that I do believe it is the goal of the "patriarchy" (if you will) to encourage this mindlessness. Noone need agree with me. These are merely my impressions of a societal phenomenon.

I do not dislike men. I dislike the power structure. I dislike popular culture. I dislike absurd patriarchal comments on why women exist--that although women give birth it is rather Adam who has given birth to Eve to "keep him company". I had not even mentioned the part where she "tempts" him to eat of the "forbidden fruit" creating the Fall of man from paradise, and I will not even bother mentioning all of the extremely destructive misogyny that came out of making Eve into the temptress who destroys man.

If I sound upset, I am. It is easy to see how men throughout the ages have twisted reality to suit their purposes, to villify and subordinate women. If my argument seems polarized, I apologize. If I saw a better way to make my point I would.

Also, what is wrong with saying that men make wars? Yes, Jesus and Ghandi and MLK did not make wars....and....do these 3 exceptions (one of whom was also the son of God--not exactly your average MAN) change the fact that it is mostly if not entirely men who make the wars? It is just not rational to site THREE examples of exceptional men--one of whom has God as his Dad--to dispel my statement.

Also, saying that my statement "women are creators" is the "heart of war" is, well, wrong. Again, I am not making things up here. It is men who go to war. It is women who give birth. I am not trying to embrace the "heart of war". I am trying to be honest.

how exactly???

I want to do my part, but I want to know how. I want to use my law degree to help "us" instead of

perpetuating the corruption. Does anyone have any suggestions for me for how to use my law degree to

help. I am aware that there are an abundance of social justice issues and causes to get involved in,

but if anyone has any specific suggestions, I would be open to hearing them.

Sincerely,
Matt Welsh

Well matt welsh, you can start off by letting people see what contributes to the numbing effect on our

higher senses. food, tv,(ingredients you would never understand((and lots of them)ingridient labels

that do not have to be labelled on food, the food which is thrown away instead of given to the poor,

harmful electromagnetic fields from computers, tvs, electric posts, fastfood, luxerious indulgence and

content with no spiritual progression. money is a big thing, pharmaceutical corps were Bush's main

sponser for many things for him(i heard Kevin Trudeau say), and likewise favors are given.. but when giving a favor at the

expense of peoples health and natural inheritance of our beautiful earth mother, and instead traded

for protecting the profits of big corporations who are doing what they must believe we feel as right and good for us, in actuality we are living as beings who are so self centered and habitual indulgence has made us spirutally lazy-So where are our teachers?(YEAHH DEEPAK!!!I would vote for you definately!)

Has anyone heard of the companies who are thinking of placing instead of crystal chips, water droplets for storing information? because water can store nearly an infinite amount of information..think about it.. aren't we ourselves and ocean of energies? are we all being taught about our actual bodies in school, how our earth mother loves us and protects us? somewhere along the timecycle we got disconnected, and our Hearts are the only possible hub we can use to ground ourselves and sink our roots deeply so that are spiritual progression can soar.

In China they are hurting people practicing Falun Gong, these people try to cultivate their mind nature, qualities of truthfulness compassion and forbearance. these are like steps leading to higher vibrations for your body to purify. Our Egos helpful work is like mountains of karma that allow us to transform unknowningess to knowing, dark to light, giving us the chance to go against the grain of mountains of karmas...becoming multi dimensional and living in integrity with our love. With love we will have a far more beautiful planet*

Dulcie,

I think you misunderstood my statement about the heart of war...the heart of war is generalizing. Generalizing is what allows one to kill another because when people are made into some amorphous thing we can disconnect from them. One of the reasons that the military uses terms that dehumanize (in Viet Nam it was 'Gook') is because the soldier begins to see that other kid hiding behind the tree with a different uniform on as a thing. The term generalizes and generalizing creates disconnection and disconnection allows for the possibility of violence. So to me, generalizing is violence. I used MLK, Gandhi and Jesus because they are well known. But the world is FILLED with gentle guys...regular simple guys that go to work every day, read stories to their kids, love their wives and are afraid that some politician will want to send their babies off to war. So implying that females good males bad is violence to half the worlds population.

I completely agree with you about the biblical creation story too. that has been so terribly interpreted that it has become meaningless.

Interestingly, in the original Aramaic the "rib" was not taken...the side was. Which means something completely different. It means that this human (or energy on a deeper level) was split into two parts, each helping the other to complete their purpose. The story of the apple too IMHO is about humans becoming conscious of the little self and beginning to identify with ego rather than with God (hence the reason that suddenly they felt naked and exposed). The problems with the story came when men (meaning males) decided to interpret a story as literal rather than metaphorically.

Also, I didn't use the statement "just as bad as the other side", I said it was the same...there is a difference there. I can see what you want to accomplish: You want to a world that respects the feminine, where feminine strength and feminine wisdom go hand in hand with the masculine. You seek balance. That is ultimately the key to peace and wholeness and you are right...right now we as a species are out of balance and there is a need to embrace the feminine. I believe that when you allow yourself to believe the idea that women are superior you are simply feeding that very patriarchy that you don't want.

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with your viewpoint, only that I don't think you will get the outcome that you want be embracing it.

Peace,
Scott.

Scott, I hear what you are saying. I think I can agree with most of what you have said. But again, even if the world is full of gentle men, are we to believe that it is not the men who are making war? Also, you may very well be a gentle man, but I think the evidence lies to the contrary indicating the world is not full of gentle men. I believe men have the capacity to be wonderful, gentle people. I will not lie and say that I believe most of them have realized this potential.
My comments that "women are superior" were said only to turn the tables a bit. What harm would it do for men to realize that women are sacred and perhaps worship them a bit? Would I really be tilting things in favor of war?
I do not think that any of the generalizations that I have made are the equivalent of the US soldiers calling the Vietnamese "Gooks". I am not trying to "dehumanize" or "objectify" men--I cannot understand why you think that. I understand why you think that I am generalizing, but Scott, really, is it women that make war, is it women that control the government, etc. etc.?
It is all good--I do not hate men or want to make them into something amorphous. However, that being said, when I see the same insulting behavior from men and the same derogatory messages about women being glorified in the media over and over again, when am I allowed to make a "generalization" about it?
You are a man, so you feel no need to make generalizations about men. On the other hand, as a woman, it is easy to get fed up with society's statements about women. It is not a personal attack against any specific person, it is a generalization and one that I stand by.

I am speaking out of concern for future generations. What I am saying specifically is--turn on MTV. Look at the way women are being portrayed, look at the treatment of women. This is the mainstream portrayal of women--it is an abomination. Fathers need to say "Son, this is not right. This is not what relationships are about. Women should not be treated this way." It is amazing to me what is accepted in the mainstream. It is an insult to men and women alike. And I do not believe that most teenagers have the ability to see through this. This is what their society is teaching them is acceptable. If you say that there are many gentle men, I hope that they will speak up and tell their sons to questions what is being fed to them. I do not feel this is happening. If it is, I apologize. I feel that more men need to help their sons question these negative societal messages.

Amen everytime. But you know the we/us instead of them is tainted. There are people supporting the agenda and I know they know what agenda they are supporting. This ensures a nice house to live in and a nice car to drive. (with the exception of a few)
My dilemma right now is how can I find a job where I am not contributing to that in some way? Because believe me I have sat in a job and tried to "change things" and you get booted out fast no matter how good you are.
It's all intertwined! Authenticity is scarce in the labour market.

"When Good People do Bad Things". An interesting subject title, all the more so when the discussion is on US governance.

Perhaps http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1586978,00.html can throw some light into all the concern we bloggers seem to be having. (Cut and past the whole address onto your address bar if you wish to read the article)

What if TV could be used as a means to introduce alternatives to our patriarchial society?

I'm encouraged by the new TV show "Commander-In-Chief". It portrays a woman US president. The content directly addresses the fears people have around this idea. It also provides people a way to envision it, albeit via TV, and get comfortable with the idea. The show does not present a perfect model of a peaceful president but it's one more step towards revising our patriarchial model. The show is on ABC Tuesday nights 9pm Eastern Time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1586978,00.html

'God told me..
.. to end the tyranny in Iraq'
bush.. without a capital ..b..of. ...

well, from an legal/philosophical perspective,

Hitler would have said the same,
in court,
and so (is) always, the other side..

religion and war, death, mutilation and human suffering,
what a marvelous ... of ...god? history?
or..

Does that make the civil casualties ...?

(you may fill in the blank spots for yourselfs..)

International Law..
Law of warfare..
Geneva Convention..
Common sense..
Compassion..

Love, peace,

Deepak,

Words like ("sleazy," "vermin," and "toxic") are empty and show a lack of anything substantial to communicate.

They invoke emotion and not intelligence.

Bhadraksh

ALL OF YOU:

I have had to spend some two or three days waiting to access this site in regards to posting. I have had the pleasure of reading our ramblings but not able to add, input. An interesting education.

I felt as if I were the Spamer. The outsider. The reject. (What an ego I have.)

I was originally upset about implementation of protection. And then I welcomed it. And then I couldn't post. Horrific. My world began to melt.

The me. The "I". So important. So needed. I must get this out. How dare "me". How dare "you". How dare "they".

Anyway I'm here. I'm permitted to post. Much has been posted on this subject since I first tried to post (and was delayed). So let me copy and post my first impressions of this post.

"DEEPAK:

At first I am reminded of the comment you made in "Good Enough For God?".

"Or "good" can be left to a person's own moral values, in which case relativism prevails: terrorists in Iraq, for example, feel that they are doing good for God and expect heaven for actions that horrify people outside their sequestered belief system."

~DEEPAK

For it seems that no one that qualifies as a "human being" can possibly act without having first decided (convinced their self) that what they are doing is somehow the right thing. As per your quote some even think it is "good" or "godly".

So our elected officials see themselves as doing the work of "god" or "good" works. And "we" that rail against "them", labeling "them" with language of disdain, are somehow blameless and righteous in our "good" and "godly" intent. "We" are after all victims of _______? (Here one can insert "media", "economic divide", "partisanship", and and and)

The reality as you have pointed out is that we must stop the divide within ourself. We must see where we are not only culpable but where we ourselves with honest introspection can find the same roots to these qualities within ourselves we so loudly condemn others of in the light of day. And then we should work to heal ourselves. Individually and collectively.

Deepak. You write, "Aren't we good people to whom these bad things are happening? Yes, on one level we are, but the larger crisis is our fault, too. We have allowed the following things to happen:".

~DEEPAK

To this I would go one step further in my own experience. Although I very much want to see "a world that works for everyone" and I do participate where I can to this end, I to am a "good person that does bad things."

Thanks for the opportunity to express myself."

And now that I am back "in" I want to take this opportunity to say something.

But before I do I just want to say what a privilege it is to listen and be listened to by, Richard, Divya, Dulcie, Carolyme, Kristen, Scott, Faye, Matt, Marek, Krish Bo, Art, David, Doug, gjayaram, prabhakar, Azim, Pam. Andy F., K, Art, ted shrader, David, Prashant, muralidaran, Bob F., ruth, Char, carolyn_wind, Rita Raju and all and others that I may have missed. (I leave out the originators of this blog 'cause you know where you at. And if you don't you should know your in my prayers.)

Anyway.

What I want to say is that I have noticed a dialogue concerning "female" versus "male".

I'm not a feminist. I don't even really know what it means. What I do know is that it is time for women to rise up and take the helm. No more lip service.

It's not us against them.

Women. It's time.

You have sat back in your wisdom and let it come to this. Now is the time.

No more revolutions. No more movements. No more blood. It is your time.

Even on this blog I hear the male ego.

Let me clean your floors. Let me take care of your children. Tell me what to do.

Guide us in a silent revolution.

Deepak,

Its so very disturbing, but still helpless. We are at the best of our times, yet way behind. This is the irony we are going thru.

Dulcie -

I'm sorry that your experience with the nature of men in general has been bad. It makes me sad, because that has not been my experience. I have found most men to be pretty gentle in general and supportive of the women in their lives; both in relationships and in empowerment.

Good luck and much love to you.
Scott.

Hello, All..

Speaking as a woman, I too agree with Scott...

Although years ago growing up, I did not realize how wonderful, kind, gentle men were..
in fact, perhaps it was after my divorce and I recognized that I had the choice to surround myself with caring men that I discovered they were Here...

all around......

how blessed to have male friends that are as loyal, loving, kind and generous as my woman friends are....
love, Carolyn

Hello Beautiful Ones,

I wanted to share a couple of quotes from Nisargadatta Maharaj that I came across today:

"If you deal with society you must accept it's ways, for it's ways are your ways. Your needs and demands have created them. Your desires are so complex and contradictory - no wonder the society you create is also complex and contradictory."

and...

"Everybody does he same mistake: refusting the means, but wanting the ends. You want peace and harmony in the world, but refuse to have it in yourself"

Love, Kristin

Laurence said, "Women. It's time."

I certainly agree. It's time that we claim our feminine power, but not as reflections of the distorted, out of balance "masculine" energies that are creating so much suffering in our world. Those are the very energies that see and believe and continue the illusion of "us vs. them".

We need to stand FOR - not against. We need to stand for peace by being peace. We need to show that might does not make right and that love, gentleness, kindness and a sincere desire to understand - can heal and create change. We need to demonstrate that it takes a much braver soul to be defenseless and willing to face what is with an open heart than to build and use and hide behind weapons that kill and create endless suffering.

That kind of feminine strength comes from within. No one can take it from us and so we don't have to be against anyone at all. When we change at the deepest levels - others will change - and our world as a whole will change.

Love, Kristin

Dear Dulcie,

I feel blessed that my husband is gentle, loving and supportive of me in so many ways. It is interesting to look back over the almost 14 years of our marriage and see how we have changed together. I could certainly pick out instances and say - "See! You were not gentle. Or You didn't support me!" And yet, what is crystal clear to me is that as I have grown, Scott has grown. And as he has grown, I have grown. We are perfect reflections of each other and whatever struggles come up for us in our relationship only emerge because they are issues/feelings/unresolved pain that we are ready to heal. Sometimes I look at Scott and I am sure that something I am feeling in HIS FAULT. But experience has taught me that it is never about him. It is something within my own self that I need to see, embrace, love, and heal. There is a transformation that needs to occur and the place of change is within my own self. And as I allow the change... my perception shifts... and it appears as if he has changed. But who has changed? The reflection or the one being reflected?
It's really pretty fascinating - and very beautiful.

Love, Kristin

Felicia,
That is true! I had seen something in the paper about that new show, and thought, that is a great idea. I have always liked Geena Davis also. I'm sure she will be great in the role. Very good point--that TV can also make the way for positive changes in people's mentalities.

Kristin and Scott,
I did not realize you two were married. It sounds as if you have a wonderful relationship. That is good to know about. I am always happy to meet two people who respect each other and have built a meaningful relationship. I do not doubt for a minute that you two are able to be introspective and create change in your relationship. My posts were more intended to address global violations against women--I will not bother naming them all--we probably all have a good idea. I have also met gentle men in my lifetime but also some who were not. I do not generalize all men as "bad" although I admit I do not give them the benefit of the doubt that they are just peachy as I did when I was younger. Again, I know that there are wonderful men out there--I have met several men I enjoyed very much--but in the end they were not people I would commit too. And if I do commit to them, I end the commitment b/c it is just too much trouble to be in a relationship with the men that I know. I feel that to men (not all men only the ones I know) commitment=possession. And eventually they all want some
form of commitment. So, while I very much enjoy seeing and hearing about other couples who do love each other, I believe that that is a rare and wonderful thing. Perhaps I am attracted to the wrong kinds of men. Or perhaps I am simply incompatible with most men on this planet. I have reached the point in life where I am unwilling to change or compromise myself to be "compatible" with any man and accept that the price paid for this is having fun and staying single. Men are great to have fun with, but I am not willing to change myself--I am not compatible with men. I have accepted this, I no longer expect or seek any long-term commitment with any man, and it is quite separate from my anger towards social injustice.

Further The Guardian's report about Bush's conversation (or was it a monologue?) with God, the BBC have pulled the story: http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1587440,00.html

Deepak,
I really kind of suprised I have not heard you speak in such specific political terms before. By you stating your opinion & pointing out this columnists lack of tack (hey that rhimed) in a way isn't it just more finger pointing to a lesser degree? I do the same thing do not get me wrong. But what are you doing specifically in the Chopra world to even off the playing field? Why not make one of your seminars/classes/programs more affordable & available to a larger group of people? Deepak please do not become what we know is part of the problem. Speaking about something yet acting a different way. Good people can do good things, and should. I challenge you to make scholorships and access to your programs, so a wider amount of people like myself whom is very fond of you can participate.
Keep the peace!
Tom

Government seems to BE separate from the American people. This is not the "Government of the people by the people." Conspiracy theory set aside, it was the alleged supreme court of the USA that placed George Bush in office. It was the electoral college that helped in that process. As I recall, the number of votes were uncertain, for both candidates in the first Bush Jr.'s presidential race. The consciousness of America is shaky in its evolution. That is a good thing. We are going to see the light that exists in darkness. We are making great progress towards a sustainable peace. Unfortunately, christian doctrine, (the "fake" version of which dominates American ideology) as I understand it, describes an "end-of-time" apocolypse if world peace is ever achieved. I will no longer take responsibility for the way things were in this world according to my past perspective. I will take responsibility for the way things "will be" in the world-to-come. How about you?