Tao of life, politics style.

Property rights, free markets, capitalism, profit; All of these things are just tools for life (like biology and chemistry are). They are the right ways for humans to relate to one another in the realm of material. They are not the whole story to a full life though. There is also the integration of community, relationships, tradition, love; They are the ways humans relate to one another in spirit (like poetry, art, and music are). Observation, logic, rhetoric, judgment are the bridge between the material and spiritual side.


All are important.
None require force in order to function.
Force actually halts all function.
The only place for force is in defense.
in defense, function is halted as attention is turned to stopping then reversing the corruption.
Mercy is the transition from defensive force to non force
Once the corruption is gone the force stops, mercy is expressed.

The only time force does not corrupt is in the defense of one of the above.

Judgment is being exact in the application of force...or love for that matter. That is why observation, logic, rhetoric are the bridge. They sit between material and spirit. This bridge is reality, it just is.

as much as its tempting for me to pick one color above as the most important part of being human...I really shouldn't. I've learned that when I try to focus on one thing as being THE MOST important I really do lose sight of my true goal. During certain times, one is more important than the other, but none is more important than all, all of the time.


I really think that the truth of life is being shown to us at all times (its got to be right? If not we're fucked), and should be applied to our philosophy and how we choose to govern ourselves. "the truth of life" is like how math was...its hard to discover...but once the rules are gotten, it can be expanded upon. The "truth of life" its even harder than math because its not so simple to prove like 1+1=2. 1+1=2 was only half of it.

why?

because the truth of life is the integration of the two things that seem impossible via a process that is seemingly cold.

like... facts + feelings about those facts via a non contradictory understanding of how they relate to each other equals a human experience.

I've always been so interested how republicans and democrats can argue and never get anywhere...yet both sides really think the other side is dumb or ignorant. In some ways they're right. I've always wanted and hoped that everyone could come together.

I think the coming together is starting in the green above then looking at the red and the blue at the same time and removing ideas that don't fit. This takes courage, honesty, and acceptance. none of which require force. All of which are honors in the life of a human whether everyone knows or no one knows. In that way its true.

-R

Attitude Management

Attitude management is the third pillar of health.  You have objective sciency things like nutrition and excercise.  Its easy to not appreciate the real and valid part of health called attitude management.

AM is subjective because it is purely your experience.  There is no evidence of it outside of your mind.  It is truly all up to you and only true if you think its true.  It is good to appreciate that it is subjective in nature so that you can really be aware of what power you have.  In subjective things you are like a god.  You can instantly create, destroy, sort, compare, pay attention to, ignore, cultuvate, or ruin your attitude.  Because our 5 sense's are so objective and obvious and evidence based they are what they are regardless of what you think about them.  Its easy to think that your attitude is like that too.  Its easy to think your attitude is just what it is and you have to deal with it.  Its easy to think that your attitude is THE RESULT of outside objective REAL things like, Cars, people, situations, financial resources, circumstance, relationships.  However...attitude is NOT the result of those things.  In my opinion this is wonderful news.  This is news though that is critical to understand and appreciate much like we strive to understand and appreciate the other pilars of health like excercise, nutrition, sleep.

In our world we are taught that its often either, or.  This mentality makes is hard to appreciate objective rational things like our five sense's while recognizing and appreciating purely subjective things like our attitudes. 

For me its important to establish that both are real, but real in differnt ways, and a relationship to both is vital to a happy healthy life.

So what is AM, and what does it look like?  I don't have this perfectly hashed out...this is only a rough draft of ideas.

Simply put, attitude, is how you feel.
Attitude Management is recognizing that you feel what you think about and therefore YOU need to manage what you think about.
Attitude management is the central point of integration between what you think and what you feel.  It is a crutial power/responsibiliy of a concious being that desires to be alive.

There seems to be many books about either objective reality OR subjective reality, but not ones (I havn't searched, just havn't come across) that recognize and define out both and then explain that the human expereince is the integration of the two.

I didn't fully realize this yesterday, but had a set of experineces that really helped to further define this concept into what you are reading right now.

The process of AM needs to be explained with examples given..this is outside the scope of this entry.  The concept that you feel what you think about is the core of the truth.

You feel nothing for things you do not think about.

The purpose of this email was to give AM its rightful place as a fully valid and crutial part of life that like nutrition and excercise must be dony daily.  In fact AM is successful in so far as it is practiced.

AM will get at suffering, anxiety, depression.
Things are still what they are, bad things are still bad, like pain, but suffering and depression in my opinion don't come from pain, but from our attitude about it.  During times of pain it is even MORE necessary to practice AM.  You could say that normal life is AM practice for the very painful times.

If ones lives their life with zero AM they will most likely have an emotional outlook and attitude that is very weak, susseptable, chaotic, sometimes good or bad whenever.  I'd like to add that a greater and deeper practice of AM is even more important to those of us who try to expereince the world through our feelings.  OR for people who's AM has gotten corrupted and out of control.

A practical method for living.

Seek form, expression, truth.  Let this point you in a direction, move in that direction, and as you leave what you understand and drift into the great mystery stay on the path you put yourself on and the mystery will clarify into form, expression, and truth if you seek it.  Continue this until you find a balance of what you know compared to your natural curiosity of that which you don't know.  When you get to this point you will feel content in your spiritual life.  This might not last, and thats ok.  The conscious effort of seeking balance is a theme that is crucial to a peaceful, wise, and grateful life.

A light side reward.

The reward for acting in a light way is peace, not instant and guaranteed body peace, but light side or subjective/mental/psychological peace.

There is light and dark, there are gradients in between.  This can be shown visually to illustrate the point, but is only a concept I'm beginning to understand.  It is a goal I have to do.

I'm writing this because I need to start getting this stuff out of my head so that I can start to sort and structure it. 

Yes, there will always be a part that is better in the mind, and not describable by words.  There is also a part that needs to be put down in the physical and described.  Its ok, let there be both.

success stories

I love dramatic success stories.  I have a success story...letting it brew as it becomes more dramatic :)

Marks Daily apple has a nice collection.  Our triumph to sculpt the type of physical body we want is such an amazing thing.  I become aware of things as I express my self.  For example I'm becoming aware of something very important.

Human physical triumph is post mental triumph.  The journey began within.

Getting a lean healthy strong flexible body is one heck a journey.

There are many steps and stages in a journey.  Here is a step I'm thinking about...that perhaps is not a step but a belief system that one carries with them along the journey. 

I think of what I want to be.
I realize, to be different, I have to think, then do, different things.
I understand what I want to be.
I work to express that.
I work to enjoy each step because victory is now, not later.
I realize I'm responsible for my thoughts, feelings, and physical output.
repeat. 

morn

I have not posted in awhile, glad to be back.

I enjoy capturing my ideas, so I'll keep the spirit of this blog coming from that place.  I think I'll enjoy it more then, meaning it will primarily be about me and my enjoyment.  This must mean that I can write no wrong, and comparisons are not rational.


I did (i think I just let details slip often...hmm) 10 ashtanga sun salutations this morning...first thing..before I left my room.  my thoughts on that.

This was the first time ive done that..body really stiff.  When I did yoga this morning I became aware of how asleep, tight, wrapped up, slow every system in my body was.  I am naturally  very unflexible but became painfully aware of how much more unflexible I am first thing.  Every joint was way tighter...my lungs would burn from deep breath (reminded me of being a smoker).

Here is what is cool.  I experienced tremendous benefit...or profit :) from these 10 moves.  It took prolly 15 minutes...but I felt very awake after and warmed up and ready.  I can infer a lot of wisdom from this...why it would be good to start the day like this ETC ETC.  I'm going to do this again.  Tomorrow in fact.