Today’s Chaos

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

People are bewildered by the chaos building in all corners of the world today however there is a reason stitching all such phenomena together. The seeds of today’s sorrows was sown in the collective mindset of the last 35 years of hyper-bull market mentality. How?

Mass moods swing between positive and negative periods on scales of decades just like daily, weekly, and monthly mood swings (see the http://www.socionomics.net for more details).

What most don’t realize is that during positive mood era, inequalities grow larger-and-larger; as people bury there head in the sands as the increasingly self-congratulatory feedback system takes hold (“hey my 401k account and housing price keep rising, I must be the master of the universe. What do I have to worry about?”) and destructive behaviors begin to become commonplace. We sweep everything under the rug without a care but as we sleep, kindling keeps building on the forest floor until one day, a spark ignites a wildfire. 

And because the last several decades have seen increasingly destructive behavior (entrenched greediness,  extreme overbuilding and expansion, blind consumption of the planet, banks irresponsibly using depositors money to enrich themselves, the rich getting richer, people being blind to fairness and justice as long as there mutual fund accounts keep growing, etc.); the inequalities have mushroomed, expectations have become ridiculous, and everything (including our vanity) is in oversupply.

In this condition there is only one way to go–down. What goes up must come down–and in this event likely crashing down. Commodity markets are declining, housing prices are softening, employment is rising, radicalism is rising in all corners of the world (including in government leaders). It is the 1970’s and 1930’s all over again.

We hope for the best but are preparing for the worse as the next 1-2 decades could prove to be a wild roller coaster ride of financial, social, and political chaos. The good news–the seeds of its reversal will be sown during its reign as people once again get rooted in reality and begin planning to make the world truly a better place.

Circumstances

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment
Circumstances are indeed important.
 
Parents, environment, disposition, siblings, nation/region/state/local, influences, the paths you choose, the paths you declined, the paths you ignored, what you felt was embarrassing, what you thought was cool, what you watched, how you spent your time, how much you listened versus how much you talked. How many great ideas and art crossed your path. The things your unique trajectory through time and space exposed you to.
 
Staggeringly random yet delightfully one’s own.

What is Philosophy?

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

Today a subscriber asked me to define philosophy. A great but very tough question. I was stumped at first.

But after a several dumbfounded moments it became clear—at least to me–philosophy is the art/practice of asking “why” (i.e. trying to understand why things are the way they are).

Checking the Oxford Dictionary Definition (which is “the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence”) I knew my interpretation was largely on the right track.

Long live the art of philosophy—the wondering, awe, and questioning of all things.

The Speed of Scent

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

Sitting on back packers street in Ho Chi Minh city taking in the sites, sounds, and smells; the strong scent of dried squid of a passing hawker inspired me to come up with a poem of sorts. It goes something like this;

Like sound and light to hearing and sight, at the speed of air so scent makes its mighty flight.

A Single Solution to Life

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

A million opinions on how to live life but none are full or complete.

One can spend their whole life investigating the various ideas which, while always providing some insights, all miss the essential point—-there is in fact a single, reliable roadmap to life.

What is this pathway? What is the secret? It’s simple—-follow your heart!

Why I Wrote Awaken

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

I wrote Awaken because I wanted to share the experience of becoming aware with a wider, more general audience.

Following my spiritual transformation in 1998, I was intrigued with the experience as well as why and how it occurred. In the following years I studied neurology and Buddhism to gain insights however neither provided a full explanation of the experience. I sensed there was a lot to learn and explore on the subject.

However answers weren’t coming quickly so like many other of my projects, I shelved it (i.e. I didn’t focus on the idea only letting further experiences and insights grow organically into larger bodies of ideas).

But that changed in early 2015 upon the confluence of two events which occurred over the course of a few weeks.

The first is when I picked up a book entitled “Steal Like an Artist”. The other was when I saw my first Oprah show.

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Seize the Day – Seize the Now

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

The true meaning of the phrase “Seize the Day” has unfortunately been hijacked by wild eyed capitalist as their rallying cry to signify gaining more and more, winning and never losing, eating another before being eaten, being a bigger boss, and beating others.

However that is a desecration of its intended meaning. Indeed far from trying to convey beating others down; the term ‘carpe diem’ (i.e. seize the day) is intended to emphasize the importance of living in the here and now, and making the most out of the magical experience of being.

To give all you can to life, to today, to being, to pursuing your dreams, to working toward making something truly extraordinary out of this experience of being.

To grow, give, love, help others, try your best, be courageous, find the divine in the mundane, and witness the magic of being. To pay homage to the blessed ability to reflect, share, know, wonder, and experience this truly miraculous state of being–conscious life and being,

Indeed–seize the day–not through short minded/narrow mindsets but through being sensible, mindful, and focused on life, love, others, nature, and being.

Amplified – Want to Feel Elevated?

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

I’ve stood upon my mountaintop
and shouted at the sky
walked above the pavement
with my sense amplified
– I get this feeling

-Neil Peart (“Scars” from Presto)

What does it feel like to “walk above the pavement with one’s senses amplified”—i.e. to be keenly aware of the moment? Jin’s following passage goes a long way in describing this experience.

The frozen intensity. Nature’s inescapable beauty radiates a warmth to my face. A wave of wonder engulfs me and the moment.

 

The volume is sky high. Did I just melt into the surroundings? Losing sight of the horizontal surface below, like slotting effortlessly through a canyon.

 

The whites and yellows are too intense to view directly. The purples so deep; like a void, a passageway to another world. Does anyone see?

 

The glistening mosaics of a billion shades of green, gray, and mauve. Where do they start? Where do they end?

 

Is anybody watching? Am I too absorbed in these works of art and beauty? Some might think I’ve lost it?

 

I turn up the music. Passages open and the moment balloons out over the surrounding area, then the park, and then the whole city.

 

I stop to watch raindrops on the pond. In the light rain, drops transform into circles across the surface. They each look like little antennae; each a transmitter, forming and fading.

 

Under the tree, drops fall from the branches in irregular sizes. Like thoughts in my mind, many are small, some bigger, some combine; is my thought somewhere on the surface of the pond?

 

Walking back to the city, through a pink-purple-yellow tapestry; the rain off the car tires sounds like passing waves. Static, climatic buzzes. I suddenly lose my footing, am I still on the ground? In a trance, mesmerized, I pause then continue.

 

Back in the city, I feel like a stranger. Sounds, haze, reflective lights fascinate me like a child. I can’t help but see everything I can.

 

Every moment waxing; intense, new, the first; I go to the next moment. Time seems expansive. I feel expansive. Everything expands.

Why Are We Here?

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

“Why are we here? Because we’re here…Roll the Bones”–Neil Peart

Some one asked me “Is there any purpose to our lives? Is there a reason we’re here? ”

I could only reply, “nobody knows for sure but even without knowing, simply having the opportunity to experience this miraculous state of being removes any worries or doubts as to if its worth it.

Life, nature, beauty, food, pleasure, wonder, music, love, children, memories, knowing, sweet emotion, etc. etc.–makes it all exceedingly worthwhile and meaningful.

Roll the bones indeed!

Giant Step

Published on: by Jin Nua Comment

A sure sign humanity is on the right track (toward enlightened being) will be the day men gladly share sidewalk space with one another.

Indeed—instead of men believing it advantageous to make the approaching stranger give way, they will willingly share the space because they respect others–and know its the right, balanced, and graceful way to interact with others.

Self-assurance finally overcoming insecurity, logic trumping emotion, and enlightened being caging the monkey within.

A small, yet giant step forward for mankind!