tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60647804758081827712024-02-02T06:39:21.132-08:00Absolute VeracityDreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-79405467311033273062011-06-06T21:34:00.000-07:002011-06-06T21:34:57.081-07:00On the matter of Ruthless TruthThere are some things that I would like to elaborate on. I've had a lot of contact from people about my last post on Ruthless Truth. Their responses have run the gambit from contempt to agreement. There've been a lot of questions. First, let me be clear: I am not enlightened--I don't for a second believe that I am. I am on their list because they believe knowing an insight makes you enlightened. The knowing is not the important part. They're lost in their fixation, cannot even see how it consumes their thoughts. It is a very nice insight. But there are more powerful insights, there is more to explore.<br />
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The idea of no self can be downright damaging. Some may be fine with damaging others for some unattainable goal of world enlightenment, but their view on humanity is rather skewed. It is not a dangerous insight. But when the idea is clung to, it can become dangerous. RT may wish to deny it, but just look at how many people have left (they consider anyone who leaves to be abandoning humanity--rather than embracing humanity), the "endarkenment" so many have described, destructive and dangerous behaviors, the loss of motivation, etc. <br />
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This single insight does not untangle the webs of human suffering. It is not liberation; it is not utter freedom. You are not handing people some prize long sought-after. You are not enlightening them. You are passing a flashlight over the webs, perhaps. But without further searching and finding and then everything that comes after that (accepting?), the insight will sink a person into despair. The illusion of self is still right there. You know it's not real, but how easy to buy into everything again! A person is still trapped--they just know it now.<br />
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I have connected no you to lack of separation--you and I being the same, since the beginning. I'm still not sure on this, not positive. I try to pinpoint where I end and you begin, and I cannot. I feel the connection, I sense it. We are expressions of the same thing.<br />
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Something that someone early on said to me that struck me was: <br />
<b>Now you know what you are not; what are you?</b><br />
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It confused the hell out of me and as my ego was still running rampant when I was asked, I responded as any intellectual would: I scoffed at it and ignored it. I didn't understand, so I shoved it aside. It was obviously so wrong. What a question! Pfft.<br />
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But it wouldn't leave me alone. It crept into my thoughts, and I'd find myself puzzling over it. And the same egoic reasoning which squelched discovery and deemed the inquiry an unworthy endeavor--that same ego rose up again and demanded the question be puzzled out. In some capacity, I had long been trying to make sense of it--before the question had ever been asked of me.<br />
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I know there is no separation. This was the first clue to the path I journeyed down. That I still continue exploring.<br />
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I think I have the first inkling of what I am-and I am somewhat shamed in that I was derisive of people who had already pointed me in that direction. I am an expression of the Divine. Manifestation of awareness. One teacher I spoke with told me, "You became the World to enter Experience so you could meet yourself."<br />
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I'm not clear on any of this. Wading through the bullshit to get to the substance. Ruthless Truth sought to be the ending of a path people had long been on. But I had never been on any such path at all, had indeed no knowledge or really interest in any of this stuff. Yet RT started my journey. All things begin somewhere. I am just saddened so many think it is the end, or that it is so powerful. It is not. It is just an insight, amid a plethora of much deeper and much more beneficial insights.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-47598173833936451832011-06-01T18:14:00.000-07:002011-06-01T18:14:00.991-07:00Soul PurgingI did have a lot of very personal things on here, but I deleted them months and months ago, mostly out of fear of who might read it. I didn't pull punches with what happened to me--I just laid it out bare. I still don't know if it was the right decision to pull it from wandering about on the internet. I may post it back up. Why not be honest? My past is a mess, but I shouldn't let it haunt me so. Admitting to it, facing it . . .<br />
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I also went on a trip down memory lane and glanced through my livejournals. I must say I am proud to be where I am, even if I know "I" didn't make that journey. :) It's been a helluva ride, and I am glad to still be here.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-82692460771358704032011-06-01T14:48:00.000-07:002011-06-01T14:52:09.230-07:00What do I want?I wrote this in November. It was my attempt to make a list of what I want in a relationship, under the suggestion of my marriage counselor. I think more attention might be beneficial, and I would like input on what you think you need in a relationship to be happy.<br />
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<br />
Love<br />
Want best for each other<br />
Place importance on relationship-demonstrate by making choices to show its priority<br />
That excitement when about to see each other<br />
Butterflies and all<br />
Happiness in each others presence<br />
Hugs and kisses regularly<br />
Holding hands<br />
Cuddling<br />
Willingness to make sacrifices<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Companionship / Friendship<br />
Talk freely<br />
Interest in same things<br />
Think the same things are important/ interesting—share them<br />
Walking path together<br />
Share<br />
Explore<br />
Shared sense of humor<br />
Enjoy spending time together doing things<br />
Pursue common interests together yet still have individual activities<br />
Support each other in pursuing things<br />
Ability to talk candidly<br />
Can say things without the other person pouting about it or acting negatively<br />
Go out and have fun<br />
Have dates together<br />
Have common friends—enjoy the same people together<br />
Do things on own and not feel guilt about it<br />
Listen with interest-not just listening for a pause to speak in<br />
<br />
<br />
Trust<br />
Believe in what the other says<br />
Know that the other will follow through<br />
No empty promises<br />
Faith<br />
Security in own person<br />
Not needing the other person to define or complete you<br />
<br />
<br />
Common Goals<br />
Going in same direction<br />
Want same things: children, lifestyle, job<br />
Open to new experiences<br />
Want to live life—experience for sake of experience<br />
Share same values<br />
Willingness to stand up for values; conviction<br />
Have same ideas about raising children<br />
Value hard work<br />
Share and build up dreams<br />
<br />
Passion<br />
Excitement<br />
Joy, direction<br />
Lust for life<br />
Sex<br />
Physical attraction<br />
Not using sex manipulatively<br />
Emotional needs met, not just sexual<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
~Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-62501539010056610612011-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:002011-05-31T19:14:14.833-07:00Where Am I Going?It's been a while since I had a blog/online journal. I remember the days of livejournal and how cathartic that was. How enjoyable. The introspection was good, I think. <br />
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And now I stand upon a great divide: Do I go this way or do I go that way? I'm not sure; I wish someone else could make a foolproof decision for me. But only I can decide which way to go is the right way. I am so tired of being in this limbo. <br />
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But I see nothing to gain from making a decision right now. I will be on vacation in a week, spending almost a month away. A chance to clear my mind, to dream again, to not feel encumbered or pressured. This previous schoolyear has been especially trying; my intention is to indulge in my vacation--have a lot of fun, relax. The time away will tell me what I need to know. I know I shall return with an answer about my marriage, but I also hope to have answers for other things as well.<br />
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Toward this end, I think I will use this website for my thoughts while on vacation.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-73590203042322438782011-05-29T01:08:00.000-07:002011-05-29T01:08:47.187-07:00The PathWow, I have had so many people pop out of the woodwork! I am glad to hear from you, and I make this post in an attempt to hear more from you good people.<br />
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I'm reminded of "It's a Small World." How true. <br />
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Where are you on your journey? Where have you gone? What have you found? Please share any words or links that show where your thoughts and emotions have wandered--even if something proved to be a dead-end for you.<br />
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My email for private messages: dreamerawakened1 at gmail dot com . Ah, hubris. :)Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-16122612715088443062011-05-26T21:01:00.000-07:002011-05-26T21:07:28.351-07:00Hi, Atheists!!Wow, not posted in here in a long time. But seeing as how there are some new readers:<br />
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Hello, (semi-fellow) atheists! I'm not truly an atheist, as I do believe in God--but God is not some deity to me. God is me, you, my dog, the grass, the air, love, peace, hate, everything. I usually don't wanna get into all that, and since most people don't regard God as such--I just tend to say I'm an atheist. But the truth is, I fit into no-man's land.<br />
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I could "defend" myself here, but I truly have nothing to defend. Did I come with less-than-stellar reasons? Sure. But I was not the first--nope, I followed the path. I stayed because I enjoyed the people there, and I found many to be knowledgeable. I wasn't looking for targets or any such--and I certain wasn't some sleeper cell, but I did get a really big laugh out of that. I never requested to be banned; not sure where that came from. <br />
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So, just thought I would say hello since you're looking. And this wasn't a secret. I had it as a link in my signature for a long time.<br />
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Also: The only post where I was anything less than honest or myself was the one about ghosts, but that was because a member told me their idea which sounded fun at the time. Turned out not to be. Oh, well. But everything else? The truth. I've embraced the necessity to be honest, and I wasn't feeding "personal" stories to gain trust or whatever. I was just being honest. Probably too honest. But that is me now, who I have chosen to be. So I am messy and dramatic and sometimes annoying. I am honest, and I don't care for posturing. So I just wanted to let whoever reads this know: I never lied.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-29180955877366941562011-01-22T16:26:00.000-08:002011-01-22T16:26:27.975-08:00Compassion<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Compassion is my weapon. Compassion is connecting to another person's plight, so that it leads to helping. Compassion is often lumped with pity. And this is not an unfair lumping because compassion can often be twisted into a person just pitying another. Compassion's Latin root means "<b><u><i>suffer with</i></u></b>."<br />
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Pity meanwhile means sorrow for another's suffering. Pity requires no involvement. It is a layering added to what is seen.<br />
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Pity makes a person think, "Poor dear," and feel bad when they see a homeless man sleeping under newspaper on a park bench. Compassion makes a person give that man a blanket, offer him food--compassion leads to action. It is massively different from pity, which relies on a self concept.<br />
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Compassion is not an easy weapon to wield. It is easy to fall to pity-the thought process to travel between compassion and pity is not long or convoluted-it's a hop, skip, and a jump. There is a great difference between suffering with another and suffering because you see another suffering. One (pity) makes it all about you; compassion obliterates the distinction between me and you. Compassion is actually knowing the experience-having it, too.<br />
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</span>There are many pitfalls surrounding compassion.<span> </span>It is not a tool that many can properly use.<span> </span>Compassion can trap the other person in it—you feel for them, you share with them, and they become enmeshed with you.<span> </span>They come to rely on you.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Compassion is not the same thing as forgiveness.<span> </span>From compassion, there may be forgiveness—but withholding forgiveness does not make a person uncompassionate.<span> </span>In fact, not forgiving a person when they have not changed anything may be the <b>most</b> compassionate thing to be done.<span> </span>Accountability is important, and most people snake away from any responsibility these days.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is easy to look at compassion and lump it along with kindness.<span> </span>But that is to miss what compassion is-to overlook the power there.<span> </span>Kindness is just doing things to make the other person feel good.<span> </span>Compassion doesn’t have an end goal of how the person should feel.<span> </span>Compassion may manifest itself as kindness or harshness or anything inbetween.<span> </span>Compassion seeks to help-in whatever way it may.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Sympathy is also a trap near to compassion It is sharing and understanding sorrow. There is some overlap here. Compassion encompasses more than just sorrow, though--it applies to the totality of emotions, the whole range. It is connecting to the person-not just in sorrow, but in joy and terror as well.<br />
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Sympathy is certainly human-and it is a step above pity. But sympathy still has the fault of separation: you are separate from the one who's in sorrow.<br />
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But, ah, <u><b>compassion</b></u>! Compassion is commiserating-it is not just observing; it is knowing and experiencing. Compassion without action is useless. In fact, compassion does not exist without action--compassion without action is perhaps sympathy, pity. Compassion is action. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Compassion is the embodiment that there is no separation between you or I. </b></span></span></div>Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-53159912068711874732011-01-12T06:26:00.000-08:002011-01-12T06:26:48.253-08:00Precious Little Dumplings<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, it’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only one F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it doesn’t mean you’re stupid or dumb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just need to work harder; that’s all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can do it; you’re so *smart*!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is a serious problem with the approach taken with children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tell them that they are inherently beyond value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not matter what they think, say, or do—it has no bearing on that untouchable, immeasurable value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tell them that they are brilliant and wonderful-not because of anything they do but just because we don’t want them to feel *BAD* about themselves!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A little background:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a natural teacher; everywhere I go, I teach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a lot of experience with special needs students—those people who have mental, physical, emotional difficulties. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother ran a special needs daycare when I was four, so I grew up with a sense of comfort around people that most young children stared at in disgust or confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My entire life I have been sought out to teach—I cannot tell you how many times I have been told “You *have* to be a teacher; you just have to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am drawn to teaching; I’m not a teacher now-rather, I work to integrate special education students (from very mild needs to more complex and demanding issues) into mainstream classrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I will pull them out and have a completely independent class, but most of the time I aim to keep them within the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These kids don’t like to be singled out, and I do my best to respect that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, the point is I have a lot of experience with teaching, and what I see is so very disheartening. The American education system is a complete joke, but the problems begin at home long before we get 'em.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are students who will openly declare their brilliance, right after receiving multiple graded papers—all Fs –and being told they’re failing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they think that they are wonderful little monkeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They think they are smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I am not supposed to tell them otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The workplace culture is that we must nurture the students by bolstering their self-esteem; we must tell them how wonderful they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder how many of my coworkers realize the utter absurdity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would I tell a student he or she is smart when he or she is lazy, incompetent, and willfully stupid?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It has become so bad that we no longer even challenge the students to FIND the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, finding the answers—learning how to discover the answer on your own—this is a skill wholly beyond my students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, the challenge is to copy down the right answer—we give it to them now; we say it aloud, we write it on the board, sometimes we even give them a handout with the answers RIGHT THERE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You would be AMAZED how many can’t even copy down the right answer when it’s given to them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Life doesn’t hand you the answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to work for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to search for it, often—or at the very least pay enough attention that you get it when it’s handed to you on a silver platter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there are so many students who are so lazy and indolent that they can’t even copy down the right answer when it’s given to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we’re cheating the intelligent students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should be making everyone search for the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think that the students are so stupid that they are unable to find the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they’ve been told they’re brilliant so often that they have no clue what that word even means—they have no idea what excellence is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t even aim for mediocrity anymore—they are happy enough just to scrape by the day and return home to indulge in Jersey Shore and dream of how that’s the life they truly want and deserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Until we start telling children, “Wow, that was really stupid.” or “You’re lazy.” or “You can do better and so you must,” things will continue on as they have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be surrounded by a sea of stupidity, with no chance of breaking free of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because if you’re stupid but think yourself brilliant, then you will never move beyond your stupidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, you will bask in it, thinking it something worthwhile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is what happens with my students:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They think their thoughts and actions worthwhile, and they drown in ignorance.</span></div>Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-21611051973633363062010-12-05T22:15:00.000-08:002010-12-05T22:15:03.821-08:00First They Came . . . for Julian Assange<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>"The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops."</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> The world is drowning in vast amounts of misinformation. The very people who we rely on to give us the facts are skewing them. <i><span style="font-style: normal;">What *is* going on? Who can we trust? What information is available? </span></i>We cannot trust the government any longer (not that anyone could…); we cannot trust big business. We cannot trust CNN, Fox, Wall Street Journal, New York Post . . . We cannot even trust publishing companies and distributors-who have attempted to silence the truth, information for the sake of good pr-- appearances merely.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Then there is WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is a revolution in journalism; a class separate from what most news mediums are busy doing. It goes to the heart of journalism, showing the truth of what is going on. It is a radical method of accountability: bringing to light suppressed and censored injustices. No matter who the truth may damage along the way. Yes, sometimes the truth is painful. Rise up. Truth or bust. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Look at the things WikiLeaks has shared with the world. These things would have in all likelihood remained unnoticed, never to be exposed. Yet, they should be seen. We should know, and there should be accountability.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This if from Ciaran’s blog-Ruthless Truth on the Blog List:</div><div class="MsoNormal">“<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Wikileaks is basically a kind of anonymous drop box. If you see something corrupt happening, you can post documents here anonymously.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">WikiLeaks has been involved in the publication of material documenting extrajudicial killings in </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Kenya</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">A report of toxic waste dumping on the African coast by the British company Transfigura that killed hundreds of people (a report they had successfully blocked publication of in the British media). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Church</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Scientology</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> manuals detailing their 'advanced techniques' of 'personal growth'. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp"><span style="color: #0645ad; font-family: inherit;">Guantanamo Bay</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> procedures detailing savage and inhumane treatment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">And the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_12,_2007_Baghdad_airstrike"><span style="color: #0645ad; font-family: inherit;">July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> video, where American helicopter pilots laughed and crowed as they murdered a group of innocent people - including two Reuters journalists - because they had decided that the cameras the journalists carried were rocket launchers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">WikiLeaks is an incredible force for transparency and good. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Julian Assange, the founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, has been accused of rape. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">These accusations surfaced one week after a previous release of 90 000 documents on Wikileaks which demonstrated multiple instances of the military cover-ups of murders and torture in </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Iraq</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Afghanistan</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">He has no criminal history of violence of which anyone is aware, or indeed any criminal history at all, apart from some childhood charges for computer hacking in his homeland of Australia, of which the Australian prosecutors themselves said "there is just no evidence that there was anything other than sort of intelligent inquisitiveness and the pleasure of being able to—what's the expression—surf through these various computers"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This is a quote from </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Britain</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">'s Guardian newspaper <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-assange-sweden">in an article that is, frankly, chillingly sensationalist and as clear as fucking mud</a>:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.6pt;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">One of two women involved [involved as in she's one of Assange's alleged rape victims] told Aftonbladet in an interview published today that she had never intended Assange to be charged with rape. She was quoted as saying: "It is quite wrong that we were afraid of him. He is not violent and I do not feel threatened by him."</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Now get this.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Last week Wikileaks released 250,000 diplomatic cables from the US State Department's diplomatic office.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">A quarter of a million.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Among the delightful pieces of information was proof that </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Britain</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> has conspired to hide illegal weapons, banned by international law, on its own soil for </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">America</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I'll say that again. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Britain</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">'s politicians agreed to hide weapons banned by international law on British soil.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">In the wake of the release of these documents, Interpol - the international police agency, released a Red Notice for Assange's arrest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This is the highest possible level of alert that Interpol can put out on a person.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Let's just read that quote from one of his 'victims' again: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.6pt;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">One of two women involved [involved as in she's one of Assange's alleged rape victims] told Aftonbladet in an interview published today that she had never intended Assange to be charged with rape. She was quoted as saying: "It is quite wrong that we were afraid of him. He is not violent and I do not feel threatened by him."</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This is the crime for which INTERPOL has released a RED NOTICE on this man.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">An Interpol Red Notice, just after he releases 250 000 documents exposing illegal activity in the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">US</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">UK</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> governments.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Hmm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.2pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This is an absolute disgrace.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">But it gets worse. All of a sudden, major companies that all of us use start joining in the hunt for Assange. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">First - <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8181140/Paypal-cuts-off-donations-to-WikiLeaks.html">Paypal cuts donations to Wikileaks.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Who the fuck are Paypal? Who do they think they are? So if someone goes up against the government, they can just pull the funding plug?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Is this democracy?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Then <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9199258/With_WikiLeaks_Amazon_shows_its_power_over_customers">Amazon removes Wikileaks as a paying customer from its servers</a>, saying that it doesn't work with people "engaged in illegal activities."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">And yet it still lists Hillary Clinton's autobiography after the state department approved the hiding of illegal cluster munitions on British soil? With British complicity? No.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This has NOTHING to do with illegal activity. This is businesses doing favors for politicians.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Why?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">WHY?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Because they are corrupt. Corruption Wikileaks has the courage to expose.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Is this democracy?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">IS THIS DEMOCRACY?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">No.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">No it's not.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">It gets better.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Senior politicians, such as </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">America</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">'s Sarah Palin and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Canada</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">'s Tom Flanagan have openly called for his murder.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">They have been met by howls of support from their adoring admirers in the general public, and the right wing media who feed millions of people lies they greedily swallow down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Saturday Night Live, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">America</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">'s flagship comedy show, has decided to make <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/12/05/2010-12-05_saturday_night_live_mocks_julian_assange_with_wikileaks_tmz_parody.html?r=news">a big joke about how 'sleazy' Assange is</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Everyone's jumping on board.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I've started a Facebook group - I started it yesterday, we've already got over 700 members. Please help us publicize it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">It is called the <b>Julian Assange Couchsurf 2010</b>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_128056727255913&ap=1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the link.</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">It's anyone who'll lend a couch to a man on the run, being hounded by the authorities over spurious accusations, hounded for an act of incredible courage and principle. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This is a stunning and sickening assault by the political establishment on a man of incredible courage. It is imperative that people stand together and demonstrate that not all of us are so easily used by a system that cares only about the degree to which we consume.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I was wondering how to end this piece; I wanted to make it good. But I can't think of anything better to say than to share with you the words of Julian Assange. When asked why he does what he does, this is how he responded:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">"The whole universe or the structure that perceives it is a worthy opponent, but try as I may I can not escape the sound of suffering. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Perhaps as an old man I will take great comfort in pottering around in a lab and gently talking to students in the summer evening and will accept suffering with insouciance. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">But not now; men in their prime, if they have convictions are tasked to act on them."</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18pt;">JOIN THE GROUP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18pt;">ACT<i>.”</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Julian Assange cannot be sacrificed on the piers of corporate greed and government corruption. Do not be wishy-washy; do not bend with the wind. This man falls, WikiLeaks crumbles, who remains standing unscathed? Who will report corrupion and injustice? </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Do not be complicit--and yes if you sit back and watch this with calm removed interest, do nothing-you <b>are</b> being complicit. Wake up, pay attention. Have convictions and follow them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> First They Came . . . </span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Niem%C3%B6ller" title="Martin Niemöller">Martin Niemöller</a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
They came first for the Communists,<br />
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.<br />
<br />
Then they came for the trade unionists,<br />
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.<br />
<br />
Then they came for the Jews,<br />
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.<br />
<br />
Then they came for me<br />
and by that time no one was left to speak up.<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-72992038235872167182010-11-26T05:38:00.000-08:002011-05-26T22:05:38.229-07:00Puzzlingly<div class="MsoNormal"><b></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy (day late) Thanksgiving! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thinking of last year . . . </div> <i>I was still smashing mismatched pieces together and hoping they would form a lovely picture of me.</i><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdzda1t9gB-5XBf2OmPd2fJ3UDxEhYA84vdv-qqlEOpe1Mmqk44skoAXxPSXRYzpMcT_go01Ar1OWAcq4eCxUykNrcxZOdVyMOSBiH0ifxjrsnjdoQVanRF_Z04BO1aK4-rtMKGiNGXjY/s1600/puzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdzda1t9gB-5XBf2OmPd2fJ3UDxEhYA84vdv-qqlEOpe1Mmqk44skoAXxPSXRYzpMcT_go01Ar1OWAcq4eCxUykNrcxZOdVyMOSBiH0ifxjrsnjdoQVanRF_Z04BO1aK4-rtMKGiNGXjY/s320/puzzle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>And the directions sucked . . .</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLliBlYiP7Sc0QlJNgw8gZ_OvMSwPs223nvo2-26gIIisVwwoo4um1vFkVgxMPv4AbTNSNCWVKQKYCv4biYCqXWaJ1pK3ShARonV4lWxw-HDQu1eHX5DNg2wiJxJ6vyHIMfrSJrBV0LyPf/s1600/labyrinthlost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLliBlYiP7Sc0QlJNgw8gZ_OvMSwPs223nvo2-26gIIisVwwoo4um1vFkVgxMPv4AbTNSNCWVKQKYCv4biYCqXWaJ1pK3ShARonV4lWxw-HDQu1eHX5DNg2wiJxJ6vyHIMfrSJrBV0LyPf/s320/labyrinthlost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, while there is still shit in the background that needs to be cleared away, it is much clearer. The truth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEl7MQunTYYUrI_fYNSXsxukoQ49lhQ0ke7qhf1oPm5enYhodIPwqVaj3reHR50zORZLDUF5l9CtMPCuJGN9JtJnRXGo8NcI8DbLho9SzxHZ5oaaTiee8oJQVvKzhaisfIlmJxpe1sq-Z/s1600/labyrinthlost2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEl7MQunTYYUrI_fYNSXsxukoQ49lhQ0ke7qhf1oPm5enYhodIPwqVaj3reHR50zORZLDUF5l9CtMPCuJGN9JtJnRXGo8NcI8DbLho9SzxHZ5oaaTiee8oJQVvKzhaisfIlmJxpe1sq-Z/s320/labyrinthlost2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-37937649647860410472010-11-16T07:43:00.000-08:002010-11-16T07:43:22.123-08:00I'm Confused....Here's an FAQ:<br />
<br />
I am sure you have some questions. Let's get busy.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. What is the message? What is this truth you talk about?</span><br />
There is no you. You do not exist. The thought you think yourself to be is a thought, like any other. Some thoughts refer to something real. This one doesn't.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. But I'm hungry and want a sandwich. CLEARLY I exist! I'm hungry!</span><br />
No, you do not exist. You don't own the hunger. This is just distraction. Look deeper. You don't exist, regardless of your thoughts on the matter.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. I already have my truth, thanks. I'll see you later!</span><br />
Truth is NOT subjective! Something is true or it is not. It is true in every instance, or it is false. There cannot be any in-between in this. Truth does not depend on you or I to believe in it to merit it as "truth." It doesn't need other truths to support it. Truth stands alone and is, pardon me, self-evident.<br />
<br />
Understand this first: Truth is true no matter if it is known or believed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">4. That's nice. But I believe in _________ (Jesus, the soul, chi, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.). I'm not going to leave that belief for you.</span><br />
<br />
Those are nice beliefs, but they don't matter at all. To seek truth, beliefs must be set aside--they can serve to obscure truth, so they must be removed from the picture. This sounds very scary, especially to someone like a Christian who stakes so much upon faith.<br />
<br />
Now, here's the question to ask: Are you sure that your beliefs are real? Are they truth? Most Christians will say without hesitation that yes-it is truth, and there are no doubts.<br />
<br />
If you're sure that your beliefs are truth, then another truth cannot hurt them. If your faith is truth, then nothing can touch it! If you know your beliefs are truth, there is no reason to be afraid of looking at more truth.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: If I don't exist then who is reading this message? Who knows that I do not exist?</span><br />
<br />
A: No one. There is simply the process of hearing the message, simply the process of knowing you don't exist. There does not need to be a you for any of this to happen.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: But what is the human mind?</span><br />
<br />
A: It is the pattern recognition faculty of the human brain.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: So I am just awareness?</span><br />
<br />
A: No! Awareness exists. You do not. You are not awareness. You do not shift into something else and continue to exist. There is no you, at all.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: But I have a body!</span><br />
<br />
A: This isn't a question... Yes, there is a body. You do not own it. It is not <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> body.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: How is this truth going to help me? </span><br />
<br />
A: Realizing "no you" doesn't make problems go away. It's a shift in perspective, a recognition of a lie that permeates through everything you do. Find out about this because this is truth, and it is real--not because you want it to fix all your problems. This is not the key or solution to all your problems! This is truth. Truth is important in and of itself. Pursue it because it is truth. You do not exist.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: But how will this truth help anyone?</span><br />
<br />
A: The death of ego = death of suffering. Enlightenment on a mass scale. Without the belief in self, there is nowhere for the desire to harm others to come from.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: Cogito ergo sum. "I think therefore I am." Doesn't this prove you wrong?</span><br />
<br />
A: "I think __" presupposes a thinker. If the conclusion of the cogito is that there is a thinker, then using the "I think__" proposition is question begging and thusly fallacious. Next.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6064780475808182771.post-28161295698518165112010-10-31T06:42:00.000-07:002010-10-31T08:25:17.886-07:00PainPain is unavoidable. You live, you breath. You <i>will</i> experience <b>pain</b>.<br />
<br />
Enlightenment is not an escape from pain. It is not a nice calm inner peace that removes all suffering. Suffering is life. Enlightenment does not end life, so how could it stop pain?<br />
<br />
But yet, I said that the pain I carried with me was no longer my pain. True. It's not. And I don't feel the immensity of the pain, as I did before.<br />
<br />
(It's obvious your body will continue to feel pain. This isn't the pain I want to focus on, although the pain in your body and the pain in your mind are very intimately connected and affect the other easily. The pain I am talking about is emotional, mental. Enlightenment does not mean the cessation of pain.)<br />
<br />
Pain certainly grasped me firmly before enlightenment. I would try to leave it behind. But it always just slipped below the surface, refusing to leave. It never remained dormant for long; new pain would come, and the old would burst forth again. Pain waited to overwhelm me; it had never gone.<br />
<br />
It's hard to escape these cycles. We desire for better, yearn for peace. But if I had been given peace, when my soul was roiling and I was devoid of hope, I wouldn't have known what to do with it. It probably would have made me nervous, and I would have ran away from it for the comfort of pain.<br />
<br />
Pain can be a comfort. It was, at least, familiar to me. I knew what to do with pain. There was a special place for it to gather, and I could always turn to it and think about the tragedies that had befallen me. Pain was not ambiguous, like happiness was.<br />
<br />
Pain doesn't have to be carried around. There is no you; there is no vessel to collect this putrid filth and try to make sense of you out of it. Most people experience something and turn around to put that experience into their sense of self.<br />
<br />
When bad things happen especially, we want to make sense out of them and give them a reason for happening-or at the least explain what the implication is that it even happened to us. We analyze the experience. This happened to you, and it changed the definition you carry of you. <br />
<br />
Enlightenment was the realization that the pain didn't need to be moved about to create the portrait of me. I did not need to carry pain with me. There was no me; it was all just illusion. It was just thought, and it was utter fabrication. The pain had existed; the past had indeed happened.<br />
<br />
But the past was the past. The pain could remain there. <br />
<br />
It was only after enlightenment that I could bring myself to look fully upon the devastation that had been my life. <br />
<br />
All that pain and torment, all that suffering that had gathered and festered and grown exponentially by languishing in them--it dissolved. <br />
<br />
It didn't sink below the surface to await my next weakening; it was gone. No more pain to carry with me, an anchor to keep me tied down.<br />
<br />
But. I know there will be pain again.<br />
<br />
My heart will break. I will cry, and I will suffer. But I will not be lost in it. I will experience it, it will wash through me, and I'll continue on. The pain won't be dragged with me through time; I'll leave it where it was.<br />
<br />
Perhaps this doesn't seem like a big difference.<br />
<br />
Before and after enlightenment, there is still pain.<br />
<br />
Yet, afterward, the pain is only new. The old pain is sloughed off, like the dead thing that it was. Pain is much easier, much less... painful ... when it is only a new wound you are dealing with and not old battle injuries.<br />
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The difference is mammoth.Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772122044370382noreply@blogger.com0