I luv you man (I need beer)

“I luv you man (I need beer)” said the man's cardboard sign which he held at the edge of an off-ramp.

I didn't judge him or try to fit him into a society-created stereotype of “homeless”; I simply saw a person, another aspect of the same part of the whole, who just like me is one his own journey. What caught my attention was not his appearance, not the fact that he was on that corner, or not even any assumptions of who he may be; but rather what struck me was his honesty. There are people, homeless or not, rich or not, healthy or not, all income ranges, all occupations, all religions, all paths, anywhere and everywhere, who are not honest. Here, now, on this corner, was a simple truth of honesty. I rolled down my window, told the man I appreciated his honesty, and gave him $10 for his beer. It's my hope that Dino (the name he gave me) used it for food, shelter, or whatever else he needs. How many people drove by him, never even giving neither him or that simple truth a single thought? How many people who drove by him may have observed the man; but not the simple truth?

Life is simple. Truth is simple. Many times we look for things only to not find them even when they are right in front of our face. We look for the big things, missing the little things. We look for the tidal waves, ignoring the fact that even such a large thing is made up of little droplets of water. Even those drops of water are made up of atoms, molecules, and like everything else, share the same foundation of etheric energy in All That Is. All things big are made of all things small. While this energy is the smallest of things; it is also the largest. We miss both things because we have vision with blinders on that we do not see the entire spectrum. It is the same with the man on the off-ramp. Often times people have blinders on because of their egoic mind, beliefs, perceptions, and so on. When we remove the egoic mind, when we remove these filters, these blinders, we begin to see what has been before us all along. We notice things like this simple truth of honesty, of the simple truth of our connectedness to All. What things were in motion in order to that man to be there, for me to be there, and what things came from that brief meeting? One thing that comes to mind is this article, as this came from that meeting. Your reading of it also came from that meeting. Did he tell others? Did it make him smile? Was he nicer to someone else because of what transpired between us? I don't know.

You may change someone's entire life with a word, a smile, an opening of the door for someone, the smallest of things is the biggest of things. It's the inner-woven web of the inter-connectedness of everything and everyone. It's challenging to try and comprehend such a vastness as this, but even if we catch a glimpse of it, perhaps that's enough to open doors within ourselves, to begin to take off the blinders and see the simple things, the simple truths, the simple complexity of the spiral dance. Dino's honesty inspired me to write this article, which I turn hope inspires you. We may never know who we touch and how; or even how far our influence reaches other people and in what ways; but I know this simple truth that all are one and all are connected.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Fear and Letting Go

The title-track from the same-named 1969 John Denver album "Rhymes and Reasons"; with its simple yet elegant message is as poignant and relevant today as it is when it was written all of those years ago.

These lines from the first stanza seem to eloquently summarize the very state of being for many in the World today… “Fear that is within you now; It seems to never end; And the dreams that have escaped you; And the hope that you’ve forgotten.”

Fear is the antithesis of Love; for it is the nemesis of the soul’s freedom and that which binds the holder of that fear, turning them into both prison and prison guard of their own self-created prison to which they are bound. The holder of Fear holds the key to their own freedom; and that key is to just let go.

Let go of the egoic mind, of judgments, of perceived realities and personal vestments in such things. Live in the present moment of now. When you realize that you can live in such presence in the present moment of now; that is inserting the key in the lock. When you turn that key and actually live in the present moment of now, you release yourself from the egoic mind and personal vestments, accepting what is by letting go and living in true freedom.

Just as the song and its message are simple, do not confuse this with to mean that either is simplistic. This message, albeit very old, is so simple that it all-too-often appears to be very complex when in fact when the very nature of it is the exact opposite. We can see evidence of this all around you where people have all sorts of systems (usually in the form of some religion) where they try and find a path to freedom, to enlightenment, to connection and communion with the Source of All That Is. People often times look to these complex external systems with their Exoteric design versus Esoteric. While Exoteric is external, Esoteric is internal. (For further details on the two different positions, see the link at the bottom of this article)

Rhymes and Reasons (3:17)

So you speak to me of sadness
And the coming of the winter
Fear that is within you now
It seems to never end
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the hope that you’ve forgotten
You tell me that you need me now
You want to be my friend

And you wonder where we’re going
Where’s the rhyme and where’s the reason
And it’s you who cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day

Like the music of the mountains
And the colours of the rainbow
They’re a promise of the future
And a blessing for today
Though the cities start to crumble
And the towers fall around us
The sun is slowly fading
And it’s colder than the sea

It is written from the desert
To the mountains they shall lead us
By the hand and by the heart
They will comfort you and me
In their innocence and trusting
They will teach us to be free

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day

And the song that I am singing
Is a prayer to non believers
Come and stand beside us
We can find a better way

Words and music by John Denver
“Rhymes and Reasons” are © Cherry Lane Music Pubg Co Inc

For further information on the meanings of Exoteric versus Esoteric, please visit: http://www.kheper.net/topics/esotericism/esoteric_and_exoteric.htm

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Naked with a knife

If you were naked with a knife and dropped off a deserted island that had every natural resource you needed for survival, would you survive?

Would you know how to even begin?

Chances are you start out foraging for the basic necessities of survival such as clothes, food, potable water and shelter. You may start with a very simple shelter, like inside a cave or other natural covering; maybe build a lean-to out of branches, leaves and grass, but what about the next level? What about creating containers for items, a sturdier shelter, a steady supply of various foods and water for all seasons (including food preservation and storage), or dealing with basic hygienic care, sanitation and the like? Would you know how to do that as well?

There’s also basic medical concerns to consider as well.

What are the natural anti-virals and antibiotics?

Would you know which vegetation, seeds, plants, flowers, etc are poisonous to eat, touch, mix with other things? Would you know how to prepare food, like meat from the hunt? (or even how to hunt, trap and prepare the meat?) Even if you do know all that you need to survive on the mundane level in this incarnated life; is that all there is to life? I don’t believe so. Life is much deeper than that. While incarnated life is part of life, it is not life itself. It is the blade of grass not knowing is it part of the lawn, which is attached to the Earth, which spins around the Sun, which revolves around the solar system, around the galaxy, and so on to larger and larger… but at its core, it is energy, the smallest and largest of All. This is the ultimate paradox because the largest is the smallest; and the smallest is the largest, one in the same.

Going back to societal survival in our incarnated life; contrary to popular belief, many things that we consider for “survival” are really luxuries, or at least allow us to “survive” in our current society. Getting along without the Internet, computer skills and a computer, a cell phone, email or other technologies is possible even in this society; but to do so is very limiting if you are trying to get (or stay) employed. Maybe people think they must be on every social network 24/7/365 and that everyone must know exactly what they are doing at all times (and they must know what everyone else is doing too!!); but this is simply not the case. We have so many things are we “want” (and some we only really “need”) to survive in our society; but at a much deeper level; they do not contribute to our basic human incarnation’s survival overall. In fact, many things these very same things detract from it rather than add to it. We lose quality for quantity. The things we need for basic human survival haven’t changed in thousands of years. They are still food, water, shelter, clothing, companionship, and so forth. We perceive things, such as we need this or that thing, or we create something like “time”; which even though it’s a creation of the egoic mind, there still never seems to be enough of it. We create both the perception of time as well as the lack of it. This is insanity. We create the perception of scarcity vs. one of abundance because like “time”, this too is a tool used by the egoic mind to control us and help facilitate its own survival.

We often unknowingly and unconsciously live in the past or one of many perceived-probable futures; but ignore the present moment of the Now. Our technology lets us tweet around the globe in an instant, yet these connections which lack depth and substance are like many things we create in this modern world that do not last, like buildings, cars, electronics, etc; because they’re superficial at best; detrimental to ourselves, society and All That Is, at worst.

As we create a more fractured life, seeking to connect with what we perceive as “lost” (peace, love, serenity, happiness), we’re like the dog chasing it’s own tail and wondering where it went at the same time while spinning faster and faster. This too is a self-created perception of insanity from the egoic mind. If the mind spins, we cannot think. There is an incessant rambling within us from the egoic mind of all-too-often repetitive thoughts which are nothing more than incessant lists, worries, things to do, and so forth. This is the tyrant of the egoic mind playing another one of its tricks to keep us from our own true nature. The egoic mind is insanity; and to be sane, is to be free from it. When we are free from it, we will “find” what we thought was “lost”. It is not lost. WE are lost. We are too busy looking externally verses internally. If you know the key to the lock is within you, why do you seek it elsewhere/? This is insanity. You are both your own prisoner and guard; and this too is insane. True mental health is to be free from the insanity, the incessant inner-chatter, the repetitive controlling nature of the egoic mind. To live otherwise, is sickness. This is true insanity. If you know you are sick, and you realize you can be healthy be taking a pill, would you not do it? To not cure yourself is insane. In this example, the pill is choice, the symptom is unconsciousness, and the sickness is insanity, and the cause is the egoic mind. The egoic mind is the virus of the being. It is poison to your essence and it limits your realization of your connectedness to All and One.

On the island, you may have all you need to survive in this realm, this incarnated life, and you play the game of Monopoly (aka incarnated life) very well; but do you realize that your egoic mind is playing it’s own game within that game of Monopoly; and that you’re a pawn in it?

Mankind is said to have evolved, but I often think that in so many ways it has devolved. As paraphrase Einstein; “Clearly, our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Many technological things have been created, yet many things of thousands of years ago, we cannot re-create. While technological knowledge and skills matter; they do so only within the context of the Monopoly game. These things of which we concern ourselves are the by-products, the distractions, the comforts and curses of incarnate existence; and while they are part of what we perceive as incarnate life, they are not life itself. We are life. Possessions are creations of the egoic mind; as all is energy.

We cannot truly obtain anything because we are already everything.

We cannot obtain what we are, only let go of the egoic mind so we may remember and realize our own natural state of being One. Let go of what you are and remember who you are. When we knowingly observe ourselves playing the game and become divested in identification with it through our egoic mind; we lose our false sense of identity and realize our natural state of being because the false self dies. This is true Death, Life, and rebirth. When the egoic mind dies, suffering dies because what is left is acceptance of what is, the present moment of Now. To be born again is to be free of the egoic mind and its insanity. Consciousness and choice is the crucifixion and death of the egoic mind; while freedom from this mind state is rebirth. This is what it means to be born again. This is true freedom. Free to be.

We are life; and life is about to transition. When our focus in the present moment of Now, when we let go and surrender to simply being; when we strip ourselves of “things”, and when we lose the egoic mind, what is left is our true self.

Unburden yourself of society, walk in it, but do not carry its weight within you.

Unburden yourself of the egoic mind, stripping away the clothing and masks which the egoic mind wears to cover your natural being. While you may wear clothing on your body to cover it, do not wear the coverings of the egoic mind on your soul. Your soul should be naked and free of such bondage; regardless of what your body is wearing or not.

Be blessed and be free.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

7 Years and Thousands of Tears

Today is Feb 20th, 2010. 7 years and thousands of tears later, we are 100 lifetimes ago from Feb 20th, 2003 when The Station nightclub in West Warwick RI burned down, injuring and killing many.... I ask this: Have we learned?

Have laws changed for the better? Fire codes updates? To be honest, I don't know if they have or haven't; and laws can really only do so much. Laws cannot stop fires, murder, or any other crime be it intentional or otherwise; but these things are not what I'm asking about if we have learned. There are many scenarios, many situations in life, and indeed many tragedies, but have we learned?

I do not mean to offend anyone or by any means minimize this tragedy, the victims of it be they survivors or not; nor do I mean any disrespect to the families, the memories, or the extended victims of this tragic event; but I must still ask: Have we learned yet? Have we learned about the greatest tragedy of all: The loss of our humanity. Have we learned yet?

Have we? Have you?

Do we remember?

Are we more kind?

Have we changed as individuals? As a society? In what way?

Do we live in the moment of Now, fully conscious, awake and aware that all is temporal?

There is nothing we may say or do to bring our loved ones back; and again, I do not mean to minimize or offend anyone or anything with my words; but we can honor the victims, their families, honor ourselves, and honor life itself by living in the present moment of Now. We can live in fear, in pain, in bitterness, in sorrow, or we can choose to live in joy, in happiness, and in love, in honor of these these things. I mourn the tragedy of the fire, the loss of human life; but I rejoice in life itself and the undying nature of it. I know that life itself and all within it go on; and so do we because we do not HAVE life, we ARE life.

While our loves ones are merely just beyond the veil of our perception of this realm, they are not lost to us unless we become lost in our loss and no longer live life, but merely exist. For that is the loss of our humanity, the tragedy of our soul, and the one true death.

7 years and thousands of tears, still I remember and I cry. Humanity reborn.

Author's Note: I was Jack Russell's Tour Manager on his solo tour right before the Great White reunion; so I knew the band and Dan the TM on the fateful tour. Part of me died that night, and it took me a few years after that night, but I eventually left the music business forever. A part of my soul, my heart, died that night. For a long time, I held blame and judgment on parties involved, but no more. Blame serves no one and harms All.

May you find peace within.

Ron

Earth Day 2010 - A Day 40 years In The Making

April 22, 2010 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Chance is constant in life; but we create and direct change by doing so in our own lives. If we choose to live greener, if we choose to use fewer resources; then we will change our world within and our world without. The more individuals choose to walk this path, the greater the effect will be from the collective effort of energy spent in conservation of ourselves, the world within and the world without.

The first step is to choose to live as part of nature instead of thinking ourselves above it and above any responsibility for our thoughts and actions; from there we will think and act accordingly, knowingly, and willingly. The World is all around us and within us; we’re as much a part of it as it is a part of us, inter-connected part and whole. Since the industrial revolution, we have shifted down a path that has increased ever-present destruction and chaos, even though we have had many “improvements” and “advances” in life, at what cost are these obtained? We are killing the Mother on which we all live our incarnated life; and we’ve let this go on for far too long. If humankind continues on this path of destruction, we’ll become more of a parasite to the Eath than we already are. Humankind used to live in harmony with nature and understand our part of the greater whole, but this has long been forgotten. While it’s not lost to us, as there are those people who do have concern for the welfare of All, who do act accordingly in nature and as part of it, many no longer do, or never have. The minority of people who share this insight on the welfare of the Earth and All; they must become the majority if we are to survive ourselves. We hold the keys to our own imprisonment or our own freedom. The keys to our own salvation or our own destruction.

The world as we know is one in great peril; but it needn’t be that way. We each have the power within ourselves to make a real difference to create and manifest change. We are on the precipice of our existence. The last 100 years have wrought much damage and ravaged the Earth. She, Gaia the Earth, Mother, she will survive without us; but we will not survive without the Earth, the place which we call home. Let this day, and every day, be a place from which we may grow, like a child in the womb. Let us give life to the Earth and each other; no death, not destruction. As Gandhi said, “you must be the change that you wish to see in the world. “ Be that change.

Earth Day 2010 is to remind us; but every day we can see all that is around us if we just open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes. Let your eyes, allow your soul to see, your heart to feel, your ears to hear; and may all of these things inspire you to change.

http://www.earthday.net/

Some things we can do...

Consumption

    * Avoid buying newly manufactured things, instead buy second hand or make our own.

    * Avoid large chain stores and supermarkets.

    * Buy things from small and local businesses.

    * Favour worker cooperatives over corporations.

    * Wherever possible buy direct from producers.

    * Support local currencies.

    * Trade or give gifts in preference to using money.

Communities

    * Smile at people and meet their eyes.

    * Give open-minded/hearted time to those people around us.

    * Organize rotating work parties and skill-sharing events.

    * Organize parties and celebrations (eg. a dinner party where everyone brings a  
       homemade dish or a children's party where each parent organizes a game)

    * Vision together the future of our communities and make it happen by a combination of
       negotiations with local councils and direct action. (If you think that unused roadside
       could make a good veg garden then get some friends together and just go ahead and
       do it)

Food And Land

    * Propagate and plant edible perennial plants wherever possible on any available land.

    * Learn how to grow food and save seeds.

    * Set up personal and community food growing.

    * Stick to seasonal, local and organic foods.

    * Eat meat in moderation.

    * Have a go at making bread, preserving food, making cheese, brewing etc.

    * Enjoy cooking and eating good food. Treat our food with reverence.

    * Learn what wild plants grow in our areas and learn how to use them for food and
       medicine.

    * Protect and encourage biodiversity and wild areas (eg. a small wild patch at the bottom
       of your garden could be a haven for birds and small animals).

    * Make a pond.

Energy

    * Use wood (biomass) for heating. Install wood burners. Take firewood from the waste
       stream and plant local or personal firewood supplies. In a climate like Britain's, short
       rotation coppice crops such as willow can be fully productive in 3 years and a 30 x 50m
       area can heat an efficient family house.

    * Heat water with wood and solar energy. (A solar water heater can easily be made from
       scrap materials in a day or two.)

    * Use renewable electricity. Switch mains connections to suppliers who only deal in
       renewable energy.

    * Set up and use local or personal energy production systems. Small scale hydroelectric
       systems in particular offer simply maintained systems with high and reliable returns for
       the amount of invested energy.

    * Practice basic woodwork, metalwork etc to make and repair basic items and tools.

    * Compost food and human waste to build soil fertility and reduce energy demands of
       waste disposal.

Lifestyle

    * Withdraw investment from houses. Move to a cheaper home or make our own (most
       cheaply done without permission).

    * Work less.

    * This will free up time and energy to develop sustainable ways of living as well as
       removing support from destructive systems.

    * Do not take employment from organizations which are unsustainable or who's actions
       are not benefiting the world.

    * Maximise our autonomy from state and corporate control structures.

    * Move from urban to rural areas and start working some land.

Consideration

    * Consider what elements of our world and society are of greatest value to us (air, water,
       food supplies, medicines...?)

    * Consider what elements /service / products we could happily do without (war, this
       year's fashion, more DVDs, a bigger car...?)

    * Be aware that the more we have of the latter, the more we threaten the former.

    * Whenever we spend money or play an active role in society, take time to consider the
       consequences of our actions. (Buying a tank of fuel supports the violent occupation of
       the middle east, buying cheap clothes supports sweatshops and child labor, buying
       from transnational corporations funds the extraction of capital from poorer countries
       and the erosion of human rights)

    * Consider our modern world from the point of view of our ancesters.

    * Count our blessings.

    * Appreciate the beauty and fragility of life, human and otherwise.

    * Make time to appreciate and congratulate ourselves - we are all amazing and powerful
       beings.

    * Smile, laugh, love and dream. Be present and don't worry.

Pay It Backwards: An Act Of Coffee Kindness - by Arthur Rosenfeld

We need more people like this in the World and more stories like this being told by the media.

Pay It Backwards: An Act Of Coffee Kindness
by Arthur Rosenfeld

Just before Christmas of 2007, almost exactly a year ago, I steered into a Starbucks drive-thru line for a cup of tea on my way to teach a morning tai chi lesson. There were a few cars in line, and I got in behind them. When my turn came I gave my order at the billboard menu and moved up as far as I could while waiting patiently for the cars in front of me to get through the cashier line. While the South Florida weather would probably would have felt tropical to much of the rest of the country, I was a bit chilled and was looking forward to my hot drink.

The fellow in the SUV behind me reached the menu. Dissatisfied with the alignment between his mouth and the microphone, he laid on his horn, leaned out his window, yelled an insult and exhorted me to move up. There was nowhere to go. I was in a line, and mere inches separated my car from the one in front of me. Indignant at rudeness, I felt my temper come up, and because I am a pure and enlightened being who entertains nothing but positive thoughts, I reached for the door handle with the intention popping out of the car, taking a few steps, reaching into his open window, and sending him to the dentist for a holiday visit.

I'll show you what happens to rude and impatient people, I thought. I'll teach you that a martial artist is waiting in every car around you with the express mission of settling the world down into just the fair, quiet, and patient place they think it should be. Running that tape in my head, my ire grew even further. Testosterone and adrenaline flooded my body and in a few seconds I had transformed from the peaceful, content, slightly thirsty writer/teacher to a raving lunatic. My heartbeat was up, my hands were clammy, my muscles were tense, and the whole world had constricted down to the tiny business of completing my hostile mission.

Then I glanced in the mirror. The face of the impatient driver behind me was florid and twisted with anger and hate. I refocused my eyes and noticed that my own face didn't look much different. Whatever plague had taken him had penetrated the steel and glass of my car to infect me too, robbing me of my much-vaunted equilibrium, my peace, my balance, my equanimity--precisely that thing that my beloved tai chi training, and the Chinese philosophy behind it prizes most highly.

I teach my students that it is best not to lose that balance--wuji in Chinese--through meditation, breathing, and tai chi training, but when you do, you can use any of three "doors" to get it back. Door number one is meeting force with force: I could go ahead and start a fight. Door number two is yielding: I could kowtow on the concrete, admit to being an idiot, and beg the other driver's forgiveness. The best option, however, is door number three. That door is different every time. The trick is to figure out what that is.
The car in front of me moved off and I pulled up to pay. "I'd like to buy the coffee for the guy behind me," I said.

The barista looked at me in surprise. "But he's a jerk!"
"Just having a bad day, " I said. "Happens to the best of us."
"A random act of kindness, eh?"

I shook my head, thinking how I could explain door number three to her before the guy rammed my bumper with his. "Not really. I'm not doing it for him; I'm doing it for me. I was mad right back at him, but now that I'm doing this I feel much better."

I had only a $10 bill in my wallet, and I handed it over. She checked her order screen. "He has ordered breakfast for five people. It's a lot more than ten dollars."

That gave me pause. I'd already regain my wuji. Did I really need to go through with more? I took out my credit card and handed it over.
She searched my face. "You're sure?"
"Do it," I said.

After I'd signed the charge slip, I drove away without a backward glance. I had found my door number three, was finished with the act, and indeed was already forgetting about it. I didn't want to meet the guy on the road, either to hear thanks or more yelling, so I took a circuitous root to my lesson, avoiding the main highway.

Six hours later, I returned home to find my answering machine full of messages from the Starbucks manager, and from a reporter for NBC news. They had me using my credit card information. Apparently the guy behind me had continued my act of giving and the person behind him had done the same, and on and on. No doubt encouraged by the store manager, the chain was intact well into the afternoon. NBC covered the story. You can see view it here:



Consciousness

The news spread around the world. Within 24 hours I had received calls and e-mails from as far away as Australia. The key point, of course, is that I had performed a random act of consciousness rather than a random act of kindness. I'd nearly lost my cool, had retrieved it, and done something good for myself and someone else in the process.

In a sense, you can think of this as self-centered, but in a good way. Keeping your cool, maintaining your wuji is just like putting your own oxygen mask on in a damaged airplane before helping those around you. If you pass out, you can't help anyone. If you lose your temper, you are of no good to the world. Cool, calm and collected you are ready and willing to participate in the world.
Violent crimes and burglaries are up this holiday season. The financial crisis is creating anxiety, depression, desperation and anger. Spread the word about wuji. Do your best to control your own feelings before acting rashly. Think twice before doing or saying something you'll regret. Random acts of consciousness are perhaps even more contagious than random acts of kindness. Raise your level of view, dig deep for perspective, and help make this a more peaceful holiday season for everyone.

Why I switched from Windows to Linux as my operating system of choice

For those of you who know me, I’m hybrid person, being very analytical and technical via the left-brain and very creative, intuitive via the right-brain; so this article probably won’t come as any surprise to you. This blog is about spirituality, connectedness to all, esoteric and metaphysical subjects; but for this article, some of those things still apply even though I’m writing about a technical subject for once: Why I switched from Windows to Linux as my operating system of choice on my home computers.

I’m sure you may (or may not) have heard or read about Linux and all of it’s good and bad points from someone you know or from an article somewhere; and while many of those points are valid in whole or in part; I’m not going to go into a technical breakdown and analysis of them here. I’ll lightly touch on them, bringing out the basics for anyone not aware of them, and I invite you to research Linux further and make up your own mind about it. Realize that not everything you read about any given subject is the absolute truth or even accurate for anyone but the writer, so take everything written or said, with a grain of salt. This includes what I say and write as well. Everything is opinion, and this is mine. So let’s get on with it already, shall we?

As the title of this article states: “Why I switched from Windows to Linux as my operating system of choice on my home computers”, so why did I switch?

Well, the sort description is simply this: I got tried of always having to maintain, troubleshoot and fix my Windows operating system on my computer. There is also nothing that I want or need to do on my computer that requires me to use Windows. I can create, print, edit and save all sorts of documents and images on my computer just fine in Linux. I can email, surf the web, and even play games, all just fine in safer and more secure environment over which I have both the ability and the capability of total control over my PC’s software and hardware. Those are the primary technical reasons for my switch over from Windows to Linux; but there are also some philosophical reasons as well.

Trusted Computing, Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Free Software

I strongly disagree with Trusted Computing, which is where PC manufactures instruct your PC’s hardware to operate in certain ways vs. how you want it to operate. Without getting overly technical, that’s the crux of it. Again, I suggest you research anything that strikes your interest in this article.

Another area of contention for me is DRM, or Digital Rights Management. If I legally purchased a CD or DVD of music or video, I should be able to use that on any computer I own as well as make one backup of it in case the original gets damaged or lost. I do not condone software and/or video piracy, but this is yet another reason why I choose Linux over Windows because while there are some commercial software programs for Linux, the vast majority of them are 100% free…just like Linux itself is free. For any program offered for Windows, there is a free alternative that is available in Linux. You may like a certain Windows program (or need it), and it may run just fine in WINE (a Linux-based program that lets you run some Windows programs in Linux)

Vendor-Lock-In

There also isn’t the vendor-lock-in like with Microsoft/Windows and Apple, Inc/Mac OS X. Take for example music which I previously mentioned… if you are using iTunes with an iPod, you’re locked into that system by Apple, Inc because you can’t just transfer your music to any mp3 player and your music catalog is locked-in to iTunes and Apple, Inc, be it with our without an iPod. This is merely but one small example of vendor-lock-in, and something I encourage everyone to avoid at all costs. There are other portable music players out there, some of which will even play other file types other than mp3, wma, etc. These file types, mp3, wma, avi, mpeg, and many others, are what is known as “proprietary” file types. This means that the creators of those file types can determine what, where, and how those file types are used. Maybe one day you won’t be able to play mp3s on a certain brand of portable music player because the creators of it want you to only use THEIR file type, thus making it so your music files will only play on THEIR portable music player. I prefer to use open file types, meaning, files that will work anywhere, on any system, any music player, computer, etc. When things are open and free like this, they offer not only a way to avoid vendor-lock-in, but extreme portability so you can use your files, be in documents, images, music, wherever and whenever you want to, how you want to, and when you want to. It’s your data, so should you control it and say how it’s used? The same is true for your music player or computer… you own it, so why shouldn’t you have the final say on things when it comes to using it? If you have vendor-lock-in and proprietary systems, it controls you instead of you controlling it. If you have free and open systems, then you are without those (and other) limitations as well.

While a regular PC running Windows will give you more options as far as what to which software and hardware you can use with it verses a Macintosh, (which is even more restive than a Windows-based PC because it uses very proprietary software and hardware), a Windows-based PC is nowhere near as free as a PC running an free and open system like Linux. If you want to use a Mac for doing high-end video, audio or graphics creation and editing, I recommend Macs for that; just as I recommend a Windows-based for heavy duty gaming because of Windows’ excellence in that area.

(Yes, Linux can do gaming in some ways better than Windows: but Windows-based PCs doing more gaming in general than Linux-based PCs do, but this isn’t because Linux *CAN’T* do gaming, but rather that Windows-based systems are what the vast majority of game manufacturers write games for.)

In Conclusion

It’s all a matter of choice; but the choices you make should always be informed ones. I encourage you to do the proper research and look at not just both sides of the coin, but the edge, the 3rd side of it as well. Look at all of the good and the bad, the positive and the negative, the pluses and the minuses of using any particular system be it a car, TV or a computer operating system like Windows, Mac OS X or Linux; and then choose what best suites your needs.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Avatar

This past weekend I went out to see the movie “Avatar”; and while the movie is well-written, performed, and popular at the moment; it is my hope that people will recognize this movie for what it is: a vehicle for a very old message. This message not only needs to be heard, understood, and adhered to; but the viewer should also realize that the message is implemented everywhere in life; even if it is a message that many people all too-often fail to see, acknowledge, and live by.

There have been many voices of many messengers who have all said this same message, albeit by using different wording; the message does not change even if the wording of it does. Humankind needs to not only hear this message, but abide by it as well.

The message is clear and simple. It is this:

We are One.

We are inter-connected to the whole, yet not the whole itself.

We are not separate from The Source and All That Is, but part of it.

Every thing every where, and every one, is connected. Everything we think, say and do affects all within the All That Is and The Source from which it came.

Until we not only acknowledge this and live by it, humankind will not evolve in ways that benefit not only humankind, but All That Is and The Source.

In the movie “Avatar”, there were human being scientists called “drivers” who controlled created bodies made in the likeness of the Na’vi people so that the scientists better understand and communicate with the Na’vi (the native people of the planet, Pandora). Sadly, this goal was not a humanitarian one, but instead was merely a tool of corporate greed as a way to fulfill their ultimate goal to relocate the Na’vi off of the land so the scientists (and military) could mine some precious materials, the bulk deposit of which was under a sacred tree of the Na’vi people.

The look of the Na’vi was a lot like the Native Americans of this land, and just as familiar was what was done to them in the name of a mineral. Here on Earth, we did it for gold. The parallels between this fictional story and American history was quite obvious; but what isn’t so obvious, is the fact that just as the Na’vi bodies (or “Avatars”) were used to infiltrate the native people of Pandora to communicate with them, this movie is also an “avatar” because the writer(s) of it are trying to communicate with us...the people of Earth, to infiltrate our consciousness via this movie/tool to help wake us up. Be it in the movie’s world or on this Earth; the message is the same, and it applies both places. The Na’vi knew and felt their connection to everything, everyone, and everywhere, but do we? Do you? It is not only knowledge and awareness of this simple message of Oneness and inter-connectivity that matters; but more importantly it is the conscious feeling and living of it that matters. If we know this only in our hearts and not in our hearts, then we are certainly lost to ourself.

We as a whole need to wake up and not only hear the message, but abide by it in how humankind lives life. We need to let go our the ego and the false illusion of individuality, know and feel our inter connectedness to The Source and All That Is. The human persona (which contains Ego,) is the filter through which we exist in and perceive this realm, including our incarnate existence. When we are consciously aware of these things, we can choose to lessen their influence in our life. It’s all choice.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

5 Steps of Insanity

True power comes from and is within, not over. Anything else that is part of the Maya illusion can be easily stripped away because it is "power-over" vs "power-within", but that doesn't mean that it is often removed. All too often in this realm, we choose to be ego-driven and believe in our individuality vs as part of the collective whole.

When we operate from such a viewpoint, (which often times we do,) it causes suffering, and it often times (but not always and in every case) operates something like this:

First, we want to achieve a goal.

- This is a start. We want to accomplish something. Good.

Second, we think that we discovered that we're all different instead of all being the same.


- We are all different aspects of the same whole. Ego is the the belief in the illusion that we are all individuals, separate, not merely aspects of the whole collective of One. Yes, this is on a metaphysical level, but this World, this Realm, is all part of the Grand Illusion of the Maya, so while we may be "individuals" within the context of this Realm, this is our own projection and perception that we are choosing to believe in.

...and that we need some rules to organize our work.

- We need a common method of operating. We don't need "rules", per se, but we do need to all agree on some basic common things to achieve the task, which may be achieved in many different ways... So what is really needed isn't "rules", but rather a common agreement on the tools and the methodology to be used to complete the tasks at hand and achieve the common goal of the whole. The problem is that the human ego has it's own agenda and a perception of individuality, thus "I" want it done "my" way and it really becomes more about power-over vs power-within once again.

In a way, it's fundamentalism at it's core. regardless of what someone is being fundamental about, their fundamentalism transcends what they are supposedly being fundamental about. Instead, fundamentalism takes on a life of it's own for the sake of itself. Fundamentalism becomes a tool of the ego, the lower-self, vs. the higher-true-self of the soul, the being of light that we are.

Third, we make the rules really complicated to fit every corner case.

-- That's the ego, the human person, power-over vs power-within, etc. It's really just more of the same where humankind chooses to be its' own worst enemy instead of being it's own best friend; which is something that I will never understand. This really also ties into the whole human need to file, organize, compartmentalize, label and structure everything and everyone into a neat little boxed description as we see and understand it through our projected perception of individuality. It is yet another tool of the ego, fulfilling it's own selfish desire to not only survive, but to thrive, and all at our soul's expense.

Fourth, we completely forget the goal of those rules and we apply them blindly for the sake of it

-- This is more of the same ego, power-over vs. power-within combined with more of the fundamentalism. It's not really about the subject of "X", it's about the fact that you didn't follow "The Rules". YOU didn't stay within the lines, YOU didn't do as you were told and YOU didn't toe the line, etc. It's never ME, no, it's YOU - it's all YOU. Again, all of this is more ego, more power-over vs. power-within, more of the same things that plague humankind because it chooses to create them. It's all the same thing really.

Fifth, we punish or kill those who don't follow the rules, "OUR Rules", as strictly as we do. Even if "WE" do not follow them, that doesn't matter. The point is that "YOU" did not follow them - and now you must pay for the treacherous dog that you are.


-- Of course!! "They" didn't follow "Our" rules. Again, ego, power-over vs. power-within, more of the same I've mentioned before here. this is where radicalism, fundamentalism, and many other "-isms" come into play here.

So, we have described the problem, so now what is the solution?

Let go.

That's it.

Just let go and be in the present moment of the now. Focus your attention on yourself from the observational point-of-view. Look at yourself from outside of yourself. When (not if) you choose to do this, you will experience clarity and understanding. Right now you may be thinking "How do I step outside of myself and observe myself? Astrally project or something? I don't get it. What the heck is he talking about?" The anwser is: Something like that. It's not so much about leaving the physical body behind, so much as it is about leaving the ego behind. Having the true self, your soul, your body of light, the true YOU, step outside of your human persona, the ego, and observe from that pure soul viewpoint.

Don't just intellectually know something in your head, instead, know it in your heart. Human mundane logic does not apply to metaphysical / esoteric matters because the human mind is too limited and the ego is too self-centered on it's own selfish survival mechanisms. To have the ego die is to be born again. Do this, and your life in this realm will never be the same again.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Success is a Failed Failure

Our legacy isn’t how much money we had, or how nice of house we had, or any other materialistic item or goal. Certainly these things make life comfortable and we all want to attain them, but they should not be the reason for or the center of our life.

If we want to be truly successful in life, then we must look beyond just dollars and material things. Too many people treat success as a destination rather than how and why we journey in life.

Success is not attainable through one action or goal, but rather through a series of them that make up our life. It is how and why we live life using our time, experience, lessons, trials, errors, gains, losses, people, places, everything else we experience in life long the way.

Success is a failed failure. It is trying until you get it right, never giving up, but learning from your mistakes and applying that knowledge wisely to the present. It is a life of learning and growing, changing, ever persevering onward and attaining smaller goals along the way of your journey. These smaller goals are important stepping-stones along the way to larger goals. The funny thing is, once you reach a larger goal, you will look back at all the smaller goals you have achieved and see how they all fit together and allowed you to attain the “bigger” goal you are at. You will also learn to appreciate and cherish those smaller goal stepping-stones much more fondness than you think.

Nothing is guaranteed in life, except the only way to truly fail, is to not try at all.

Copyright © 2010 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Playing Monopoly

“So what are you up to?” he asked

“Just playing Monopoly.” I replied

“What? I don’t see a board game going on. It’s just you and I having coffee. Are you ok?” my friend said to me.

“Sure I am. I’m just fine, and so are you.” Observing his reaction, I followed my statement by saying; “That was an interesting move you just made. Good play.”

He said to me, “but I’m not playing any game. There’s no cards in my hand, no playing board on the table, no dice in my hands. So please. Enlighten me; and what do you mean exactly by “good play” in this supposed game of Monopoly?”

“I meant “good play” for Questioning me like that. I mean it’s a very common reaction to something you don’t understand; and I’m sure that at first, it does seem crazy;, but let me explain myself further. It’s my move now, ok?”

“uhhh ok. I’ll humor the crazy man.” He said with a slightly puzzled look on his face while smiling wryly at me; all with the anticipation of a good laugh. “Go ahead” he continued, while sipping his coffee. “I could use the entertainment anyway.”

“Well I said; it’s like this as I see it…

We can choose to roll the dice to take our turn in the game of being incarnated in this realm, in this existence. It’s a choice we make, just as everything is ultimately a choice.

When we’re here, we’re here with a purpose and a plan with lessons to learn for ourselves, and lessons to teach others. It’s a game, it’s life, but it’s also a school; a place of learning; and just like any game, incarnated life has rules of things we must follow (breathing, eating, sleeping, etc) if we are to be incarnated here and play the game. Some people play the game very well by materialistic standards. They become very rich in the material sense; (but that doesn’t mean they are wealthy; which is another matter entirely); but that doesn’t mean that they have taught or learned everything they should during this game, this incarnation. Lessons not taught and lessons not learned will be repeated until completed. In this material world, the game can be all about the ego, obtaining material riches, and the clichéd “Keeping up with the Jones” and listening the anonymous “They” that permeates so much of our society; or you can rise above it and play the game on a different level entirely. This doesn’t mean that you can avoid certain rules of the realm, like not eating, sleeping, or breathing, and you’ll still require money to live in our society, shelter in which to sleep, etc; however, you can transcend the ego and it’s self-centered need for survival. You can choose to not only do that, but you can also choose to transcend the need, want and desire for material things beyond your own self-interest. This is not to suggest that you live in destitution or go broke to live in poverty, giving away everything you own; instead I am saying look at the reasons why you own things and how you may better utilize them as tools for the benefit of mankind. When you do these things, you are still playing the game, but on another level entirely.

While one person may choose to acquire material goods for their own perceived status and personal reasons; another may choose to acquire the very same things, but for entirely different reasons – to help others. This is not to say that one is “better” or “worse” than the other, only merely different methods of playing the game on different levels. Be not of this world, but be in it. Be not of the past nor the future; but instead be of the now, in full focus of the present moment, in perfect clarity of mind, thought, action and deed. Be. Just be.

So now my questions to you are:

If you realize that you are now in this game, how are you playing it?

If you realize you are now in this school, how are you learning from it?

If you realize you are now in this school, how are you teaching it?

If you realize you know all of these things already, yet you live life thinking that you are somehow outside of it all, or that you only do these things at certain times instead of all of the time, I ask you this: Why?”

So now as I stop here and look at my friend across the table from me, a twinkle forms in my own eye and with a knowing wink I say, “Your move.”

…and the game rolls on.

Copyright © 2009 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

Monopoly is owned by Parker Brothers®/Hasbro® – All Rights Reserved

Enlightenment

Enlightenment is like the monkey with a hand on the apple in the jar, frustrated, the monkey tries everything it can think of to get the apple out, including trying to bust the jar, but all to no avail. Finally, the monkey gives up and lets go of the apple as the monkey lays the jar down; the apple rolls out and the monkey receives what it wanted all along. That's the key, "letting go.” It's not the same as "giving up", no, it's letting go, and there’s a huge difference between the two. Letting go is just being the I am. All you need to obtain enlightenment is within you, just as you are within the All, the All is within you. Ego is the belief in the illusion of individuality; and out of this illusion comes fear which is the basis of all strife and suffering. Scarcity is fear-based, while abundance is love-based, but these are only two such examples out of many countless of which we may compare. So what is the answer to enlightenment then? The closest I can compare it in words is this: A Knowing and feeling at the soul level of your inter-connectedness to and as part of the whole of the All That Is and The Source from which it is, resulting in an inner peace and comfortable beyond intellectual knowledge.

A good saying I read was “Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. Enlightenment is a subtle process, whereas the process of becoming Awake can be rather jarring for some people. It can be very sudden, or such as it was in my own case, very subtle. Being Awake and being Enlightened are two entirely different things as well. One may be Awake, but not Enlightened; but all who are Enlightened, are Awake. Comparatively for example, All who have knowledge are not wise; but all who are wise have knowledge. Even when one is Enlightened, one does not say “That is it. I have achieved it. I am Enlightened.” No. If one does that, then one must question if they are indeed Enlightened or just merely Awake. When one is Enlightened, one asks “This is what I know, but what do I know not?” Enlightenment is often perceived as something to achieve, a destination, linear, but it isn’t that at all. Yes, it’s a milestone of sorts, but really it’s just a stepping stone on the journey. I’d like to use the concept of the before Enlightenment/After Enlightenment quote from above, and say: Before Enlightenment, seeking; After Enlightenment, still seeking. This is not to say that when you become enlightened that you won’t find answers to some of your questions; but you’ll also find that you’ll have many more questions than answers.

So what’s the difference between being an unenlightened and an enlightened then?

I can’t answer that for you with a blanket statement or answer; but I can answer it for myself and how I relate to it in my own experience in the hope that it will help you with your own experiences.

So what’s the point of becoming enlightened?

I think this question can be answered a multitude of different ways, just as the question “What is the meaning of life?” can also be answered in multiple ways; so I will answer it from my viewpoint as concisely as I can, lest I try and be all-inclusive and write a book about it vs. an article:

To grow, to change, to provide better service to others and to leave this World a better place for me having been in it.

…and so the journey continues.

Copyright © 2009 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved

The Holidays

Long ago I chose to opt out of the typical holiday season and its traditional trappings because I no longer wish to partake of many things that go along with it all. That’s not to say that there aren’t people out there who don’t strike their own path and do their own thing while still observing some sort of holiday tradition, but many people march to a very familiar drummer whose beat starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day in the US. (Although that beat seems to start earlier and earlier each year.)

Like so many things in life, people follow along or continue to do many things out of habit and expectations from family, friends, or society-at-large; and this includes the running of the holiday rate race where for the vast majority of people consumerism and consumption is king. The first of the “Big 3” is Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a traditional holiday where we celebrate and give gratitude; but I must ask this simple question: Why only one day out of the year? If we wish to schedule in a time to have gratitude, then let us schedule that time in every second that we live, how we live, and why we live, all in gratitude. Let this be your ritual, let this be your rite, a life of gratitude lived in gratitude.

For you, I am grateful.

For All, I am grateful.

Ask not what there is to be grateful for, but instead ask, what ISN’T there to be grateful for? Even in my trains and tribulations, I am grateful.

For all that I have, and for all that I have not, I am grateful.

For all that I am, I am grateful.

For all that I may become, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the now. For now is all we have. Time, past and future, is merely perception. Live in gratitude for the now; and now you will live in gratitude. Simple. Easy. It is.

So when someone says that I must celebrate on some special day to give thanks, I ask them if they celebrate the now and the moment that is special. I ask them if they live their moment, their life of now in the now, or do they live it looking to the past and to the future, neither of which exist? To not live in the now does a disservice to the life that you are, and to the now in which you exist. To not live in the now, is ungrateful because you are missing out on the most important thing you have to be grateful for: NOW.

What are you grateful for?

Focus on the now and you will find out.

I propose starting a gratitude journal, writing down everything and anything you can be grateful for, even if it seems like it is difficult to be grateful for it. Perhaps in doing so, you’ll look at things in a new light and gain new insight about yourself,….and for that, you can also be grateful. If you walk this path, you will find inner peace for which you may also be grateful.

Christmas

Here we have the tradition of Christmas, which I see as really two holidays. One is a religious-based celebration and the other is secularized, consumer-based holiday that overshadows the religious holiday. In regards to the secular consumerism of the holiday, I’ve found that people are often times not only spent financially, but emotionally as well. If one follows the tenets of the religious-based holiday and the related celebration; then one must conclude that this is counter to the message of the secular and consumer-based holiday. Both versions of this holiday have gift giving in them, however therein lies the difference between them because one is meant to honor a king, while the other only honors the corporate pocketbook which only sees cash as king.

If we wish to focus on the aspect of the giving of gifts, then what better gift to give then of yourself? Yes, I suppose it is nice to be able to give expensive or brand-name material things to your family and friends that you purchased online or from a brick and mortar store; and while this could be considered giving of yourself because of the thought and time that went into acquiring such things, what I’m talking about at is giving of yourself at a much deeper and meaningful level than that.

Give of your time.

Give of your love.

Give of your compassion.

Give of your empathy.

Give of your forgiveness.

Give these things and other intangible, non-material things every second, every moment of the now; not just certain days of the year (Christmas, Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc)

You’ll find the greatest gifts to give and receive are the ones that can’t be held in your hands, only in your heart. These are the treasured memories, the hearts of love that bring joy and peace to the soul, and affect the All.

Living a life in gratitude and abundance, living in the now, these are some of the greatest gifts you can have and share with others. By living in the now, you will show others a way which they may see. In living this gift, you share it. In sharing it, others may receive it, in receiving it, others may share it, and the cycle continues on. All that we do is out of love or fear; just as we can choose to perceive abundance or scarcity; all choices are ours to make under the banner of free will.

I love to spend time with my family and friends, regardless of any holiday, birthday or any other reason for doing so, because it is they that are special to me, not the day, the occasion, nor any given reason other than that.

New Year’s Eve

After we’ve given our gratitude the one day or year on Thanksgiving, shopped until we almost drop purchasing things until our credit cards and bank accounts have melted down; we end one year and begin another with a celebration at Midnight. We celebrate the death of one year transitioning into the birth of a new year at the strike of a moment at Midnight. One moment, the click ticks a second later and the moments’ gone and a new moment has begun; or so says the perception of time. We perceive that one moment has past; another has begun, just as we perceive another year has passed and another has begun, yet in both cases, we are always in a moment. One moment. That’s all we really have is just that one moment of the now; but the question is, how do we live it? We seem to place so much focus on a perceived future and a perceived past, yet it’s all the same moment. For some reason, we seem to place importance on these past and futures, certain dates, places and times, and yet we so often miss the very moment we are in of the now; and we end up missing out fully living and fully experiencing our existence in this realm in our incarnated state of being. We miss out.

If you ask me to explain it with logic, I cannot. I couldn’t explain it any more than you could explain the meaning of life or love; but you know it when you see it, when you feel it, when you live it, and yet you can’t describe it, but you know it ways that can’t be communicated in the verbal or written word, only experienced. It’s there just beyond our capacity and ability to reach it without intellectual minds, but our heart and soul can always know what our mind cannot.

I propose that you don’t celebrate a new year, but rather the moment. It’s ok that we perceive time with a linear past, present, and future. I suggest that we choose to perceive each moment as a new beginning and a new ending, its own autonomous cycle of life, death and rebirth anew where we cherish each moment in gratitude and receive abundance and joy for every moment of our lives.

Copyright © 2009 Ron Schreiner All Rights Reserved