Above: John Lennon and Yoko Ono reading the Tao Teh Ching
Excerpt from a interview: When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the systems game. The establishment will irritate you: pull ones beard, flick your face to make you fight. Because once they got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don't know how to handle is non-violence and humor ~John Lennon
Remember the Past to Change the Future
I can remember as a kid the fall of Saigon and the end of Vietnam War. Even at a young age I felt a life of uncertainty and possible strife. I used to think what kind of world are we living in where all these guys go and just get killed for the guys in the suits up there at the White House. It would really encapsulate me trying to figure out why wars break out. I use to wonder would our family be safe where I lived?.. or would we end up like the poor innocent people of "Nam" the disposable citizens of the politicians.
Walking through the local park where I grew up you would run into Vietnam Vets hanging out; I would ask many of them about the war and they would just brush me off as "let's not go there kid"...take a hike. They had the classic hardened faces of war; but when you looked in their eyes you could get lost in the gaze of the million mile stare; a stare that was transfixed in a place far away, in a different time and place. I will never forget their face's its burned into my mind forever; something you never forget. A soldiers subdivided soul still there in the Nam with all their fallen buddy's that never came home and many missions they faithfully lived through. For sure a part of them is still there frozen in the confusion of a senseless war. No painkillers can numb a shattered soul; they will need years of dissolving the pain away slowly.
I am 49 years old, and there is still racism, hatred because the way one looks, ethnic religious faction's killing people in the name of "God". We still have only a cease fire between North Korea and South Korea from 64 years ago. Many wars have came and gone, too many lives lost. A student asked my take on recent events in the news, can Meditation and Qigong heal the world from these things? My answer is that it's alot more complicated than that, but it cannot hurt that for sure.
Our culture needs to focus on positive things that make a difference in peoples life. Teaching young parents how to raise and develop their family's, Healing arts, natural healing, education, health care and demanding better programming in the media to name a few. The return of being physically more connected to each other; shut our silly little phones off, BE PRESENT. Life is to precious... be connected to your love ones it could be the last time you see them. There are no guarantees in life that everyone will live to a ripe old age. It could be your last opportunity to connect with whomever you are with. If the cable news makes you sad or angry; turn the garbage off. Only let positive enriching things into your consciousness.
Above I posted a picture of John and Yoko reading the Tao Teh Ching by Lao Tsu; and how cool is that. I long for his presence in our world today; we would be better if he was still around. He was a person that had a strong voice in non violence and dialogue, a wonderful musician as well. I find it troubling although that everyone in the last 50 plus years that tried to make lasting positive change was assassinated. JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Medgar Evers, Mohandas Ghandi, Anwar Sadat to name a few. What does that say about our Society?
We all should remember the past; and learn from the history of the so many that have fallen. If we want a bright future our society will need to change; massive action will create lasting change. We have been down this road so many times and the end result will be same. War, racism and darkness will only lead us only to more of the same. The World needs a morality wake up call, and focus on healing what "separates us"; and focus on "uniting us" is the answer. Until then we will be constantly getting much of the same. It's not a lofty prediction or goal it is very real, but will you stand up to create lasting change? Again to answer my students question as I began writing this article - for sure if more and more people learned how to self heal and create balance, many better choices will be made. It will give everyone the tools to live from a elevated consciousness and make solid choices. For sure the younger generation that will shape our worlds future need these tools in their precious life.
We all should remember the past; and learn from the history of the so many that have fallen. If we want a bright future our society will need to change; massive action will create lasting change. We have been down this road so many times and the end result will be same. War, racism and darkness will only lead us only to more of the same. The World needs a morality wake up call, and focus on healing what "separates us"; and focus on "uniting us" is the answer. Until then we will be constantly getting much of the same. It's not a lofty prediction or goal it is very real, but will you stand up to create lasting change? Again to answer my students question as I began writing this article - for sure if more and more people learned how to self heal and create balance, many better choices will be made. It will give everyone the tools to live from a elevated consciousness and make solid choices. For sure the younger generation that will shape our worlds future need these tools in their precious life.
GWA
