The Road To Higher Consciousness

Discipline is Not A Four Letter Word

ag — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:37:25 +0000

I’m sitting at my desk right now, typing words on the keyboard that show up on the screen in front of me. The reason, plain and simple, is that it’s the 1st of August and two weeks have passed since I added a post on this website. Have the multitudes out there been clamoring for another entry? Not so’s you’d notice. However, the inner voice is talking and telling me to get off my duff and post an entry and I know I’d better listen. It’s time to practice some self discipline… again.

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It’s All In the Here and Now

ag — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:36:16 +0000

There was a period in human history when it was a lot easier to live in the here and now than it is today. For the longest time, life was pretty much the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, for as far as the eye could see in either direction. If you were a farmer back in the middle ages, there’s a good chance that nothing much changed in your lifetime, other than the stone wall your grandfather had started building when you were a lad got a little bit longer throughout your days. Sure, you got married and had kids, and I guess you could worry about the Lord of the Manor conscripting you for his army, but not making judgments as to whether life was good or bad, it’s pretty much a fact that back then, day to day was pretty much the same.

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And So It Begins

ag — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:28:58 +0000

The last post spoke about achieving higher consciousness and improving the world by starting with the subject you know best… yourself. Less complaining about all the other doofuses out there and more focus on being the shining light you know you can be… the very best “you” possible. Well that goes for me, too, the guy writing this blog. The old saw, “Do what I say, not what I do,” just doesn’t hold water anymore. If I want you to believe what I say then I have to lead by example.

Let’s Get Positive

ag — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:50:05 +0000

It’s hard not to throw your hands in the air and cry, “I give up”, when you look around at all the stupidity, dishonesty, and downright evil that exists in the world today. From ethnic violence to corporate greed to partisan politics to the destruction of Mother Earth and so much more, the human race is not demonstrating to the rest of the universe that an intelligent compassionate species lives here. And for someone who tries to live by a higher standard, it’s very easy to merely waggle you finger at others and say “naughty, naughty”, there are so many worthy targets to choose from.

Where Did All The Middles Go?

ag — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:26:42 +0000

When I was a lad there were a lot of middles. There was middle America, and middle age, and the middle class, not to mention the ubiquitous middle of the road, which could be used to cover anything from politics to issues of social justice. Sure, there were always people on either end of the philosophical spectrum on just about any subject, but most of the time you could reach consensus, because the majority were… you guessed it… right in the middle of the road.

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Nothing Is Believing Anymore

ag — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:37:00 +0000

I was raised in the knowledge that “seeing is believing”. Something that someone else saw might be suspect, and hearsay was definitely a no-no as far as credibility went. But if you saw something with your very own eyes, well, by gosh, that had to be true. Didn’t it? And that went for photographs, too. The camera does not lie.

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And So It Begins

Welcome, Ella Rose

ag — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:53:56 +0000

A friend of ours had a baby last week. One minute she’s huffing and puffing and twenty pounds over fighting weight, and the next minute… actually 27 hours later… she’s lying in a hospital bed breast feeding a beautiful new addition to the family. Pretty awesome when you stop and think about it. As for me, I couldn’t help but stop and think about the kind of world little Ella Rose has come into and what life might be like when she’s my age, in 2080.

Butterfly Wings and Plumes of Ash

ag — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:46:40 +0000

If a butterfly flaps it’s wings in China, so the old saying goes, a hurricane in Britain will not be far behind. The point, of course, is that even though we may not be able to see it, everything is connected and just like an inflated balloon, you can’t push it in here without something popping out over there. Well, thanks to a conflation of modern technology and the ancient forces of nature, we now have another example to use. If a volcano erupts in Iceland, people will be sleeping in airports all over the world. Count on it.

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What If…?

On Beyond Human

ag — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:43:20 +0000

Don’t look now, but the very same evolutionary process that, over the eons, advanced the dominant species on Earth from rocks to plants to animals to humans has been at it again. Without our even noticing, it has taken us on beyond human to the next level. Ta-da!!! Our replacement is here.

The Corporate Elector

ag — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:29:49 +0000

Last post we spoke about how money is becoming more and more important in American politics to the point where you have to be filthy stinking rich to even consider running for or holding any kind of state or national office. Well it’s even worse than that.

The Money of Politics

ag — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:30:39 +0000

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the reality of American politics and the democracy it purports to uphold have changed quite a bit since that day almost two hundred fifty years ago when a new nation was born with the intention of giving voice in governance to the people rather than leaving that role in the hands of the aristocracy.

The Arc of Life

ag — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:00:52 +0000

There are no straight lines in nature. No shore lines, mountain ridges, tree trunks, river beds, meteorite paths, wave patterns, or human spines. Why then should we expect our personal and communal lives to be any different?

Self Interest and The Larger Picture

ag — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:16:55 +0000

Self interest is getting a bum rap. I mean here we are living inside these individually packaged flesh and blood bodies that clearly define us as separate beings and we’re not supposed to do our best to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative? You must be kidding!

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Welcome to 2010

Olympic Spirit

ag — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:47:31 +0000

I have been watching the Olympics on TV. Not that I’m particularly into winter sports, or, for that matter, anything done in cold weather. However, I am absolutely drawn and fascinated by the athletes, these beautiful young people from around the world who have not only dedicated their lives to their art, but in so many cases have come back from injury and pain that would leave the average person flat on their backs or crippled for life.

Speaking of Haiti

ag — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:44:26 +0000

The world recently witnessed a major tragedy, a natural occurrence of catastrophic proportions that focused our feelings and mobilized our energies like nothing has since the last natural occurrence of catastrophic proportions. Humans are funny that way. The worst always seems to bring out the best.

Who Am ‘I’? – Part 4

ag — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:56:38 +0000

The last three blogs have taken us on a search deep inside to find out who we “really” are. Along the way we learned that we are not our bodies nor our possessions, despite the signs on the back of some pickups that “the one who dies with the most toys wins”. And we know as well we are not our thoughts nor our emotions, both of which can change so quickly and so dramatically that they present no stable base on which to build an identity. So what’s left? Today we’ll find out.

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Who Am ‘I’? – Part 3

ag — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:08:51 +0000

So if the word, “I”, does not refer to my body or my thoughts… (see the last two posts to get up to speed)… then what’s left? My emotions? Those non-thinking gut reactions I have to the world around me, those relished moments of bliss, those uncontrollable instants of anger, those all too frequent feelings of depression, boredom, and confusion? Is that who I truly am? Wow. That would be scary!

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Who Am ‘I’? – Part 2

ag — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:21:35 +0000

The last post questioned whether or not we really are the body we inhabit… the physical being we identify with, walk around inside of, and use for our interactions with the world around us. This post, we’re going to go inside that body to see who’s actually in there. No, we’re not talking about some alien, dybbuk, or evil spirit that has taken us over and has to be exorcized so we can return to our normal selves. We’re talking about something naturally within that’s actually a little closer to who we really are.

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Who Am ‘I’? – Part 1

ag — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:32:06 +0000

As we start the New Year it seems like an appropriate time to take a look at the basis of what The Road to Higher Consciousness and it’s sister site, Games of Consciousness are really all about. Namely, who are we at our most basic core? What is meant when we say the word ‘I’? Sounds like an off-the-wall question to be sure, but the answer we give to it, as individuals and as a species, will determine not only our own individual lives but the future of life on this planet as well.

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Welcome to 2010

ag — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:37:44 +0000

Happy New Year. Hooray! Last year is over. The new year is upon us. Out with the negative. In with the positive. The stock market’s going to go up. My weight is going to go down. This is the year we turn it all around. Right?

Bowl Games, Teamwork, and Consciousness

ag — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:21:58 +0000

It’s that time of the year again when guys all across America sit glued in front of the TV set watching college athletes compete in a never ending series of Bowl Games to determine how many football games one can consume before becoming completely pie-eyed. One such game took place yesterday between Boston College and the University of Southern California, and while the game, itself, was nothing special, what happened the day before was.

Joy To The World – 3

ag — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:16:48 +0000

For the past several postings we’ve been looking for joy in all the wrong places, finding it sadly lacking in the things we buy, the things we own, the things we do, and even the people we love. So does true joy even exist? And if it does, is there any way we can experience it and make it our own? The answer to both of these questions is… Yes.

Joy To The World – 2

ag — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:26:46 +0000

So, despite what retailers say in an attempt to get the cash registers ca-chinging during the holidays, if what we get in our stocking is not the way to measure true happiness and joy, what is? I mean, isn’t this too critical a subject to be left to chance?

Joy To the World – 1

ag — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:08:40 +0000

We are now hip deep into the Holiday Season. All around us lopped off fir trees are piled in corner lots waiting to be brought into our homes and laden with electric bulbs and flammable decorations, television ads are full of happy smiling people opening boxes filled with ‘just what I’ve always wanted”, and radio stations are playing the same lame Xmas songs over and over and over and… What’s not to like?

The Siren Call of Fame

ag — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:31:29 +0000

Within the past several weeks Americans have witnessed several news events created by unscrupulous people who will do just about anything for the sole purpose of becoming famous. I won’t give these media hounds the publicity they seek by mentioning their names, but we can discuss their actions.

Happy Thanksgiving

ag — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:44:52 +0000

In America the fourth Thursday of November is celebrated as a national holiday known as Thanksgiving. It is the only holiday completely unique to this country and is rooted in our earliest history when European settlers, who had landed on our shores in 1620, gathered to give thanks for and feast on the fruits of their first year’s harvest. The ritual has lasted for almost 400 years, though since then we seem to have lost track as to what we are giving thanks for and whom we are thanking.

Good News Bad News

ag — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:51:45 +0000

From the time we wake up in the morning till we go to sleep at night, the media is constantly informing us about what’s going on in the world. And whether we are tuned to the local TV station whose top story is about the latest mugging, robbery, rape, or killing on the streets of our cities or National Public Radio keeping us up to date on the number of innocent victims from the latest car bomb in Afghanistan, suicide bomber in Iraq, or typhoon in the Philippines, the news is almost always bad. True, the common wisdom says that “Bad news sells newspapers”, but that’s precisely the issue. Why should bad news grab our interest more than good, and what might that say about the nature of humanity?

The Highest Good Of All

ag — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:40:10 +0000

I read an interesting book this week entitled The Next Evolution: A Blueprint for Transforming the Planet, by a visionary gentleman name of Jack Reed. It’s premise is simple… our world is becoming polluted, our resources are disappearing, the vast majority of Earth’s people are starving, disease ridden, or worse, and even those who think they’ve got it made live boring lives of quiet desperation, fearful of losing what they’ve amassed. And it’s all because we’re living in a dog eat dog society where everyone’s looking out for #1 and the rest of you be damned. The book would be a real downer if that were all it said.

Big Bang vs. God

ag — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:39:46 +0000

Science and religion have long disagreed as to the origin of the Universe. Science says it’s the result of a Big Bang. Religion says it’s the work of God. Each one says the other is full of it. And just like the classic Japanese monster movie, King Kong versus Godzilla, the two of them have been going at it tooth and nail for years, or fang and claw to keep the metaphor in tact. Through the application of higher consciousness, however, a rapprochement may now actually be possible. You see, the problem is not so much in the concepts involved, but in the words being used.

Coming of Age… Again

ag — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:13:11 +0000

An article appeared in today’s newspaper about a number of social innovators who will be receiving awards this week for work they have done to solve community and world problems in their “encore careers”. According to Civic Ventures, the San Francisco non-profit sponsoring these awards, this refers to people over 60 who are embarking on a “mid-life redirection” of their lives.

What If…?

ag — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:10:35 +0000

Here’s a fun question. What if one single advancement in technology could turn Earth into an absolute Eden, a place where war was unknown, nobody starved to death, and everyone really and truly had the opportunity to do and become the very best they could imagine? What might that advancement be?

Why Should I Care? – cont’d

ag — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:29:03 +0000

One reason to ask the question “Why Should I Care?” is simply to ponder the opposite scenario. What if nobody gave a flying crap about anybody else? What if we actually lived in a Mad Max/Clockwork Orange Society where everyone just took what they wanted, did what they felt like, and ran roughshod over anything and anyone who stood in their way, leaving broken shards scattered behind them without thought of the suffering they had caused or the ultimate consequences of their actions?

Why Should I Care?

ag — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:57:03 +0000

I was listening to the ten o’clock news last night and was regaled by the usual progression of natural and man made disasters – floods in Samoa, roadside bombs in Afghanistan, fires in Southern California, political repression in Iran, several murders in Oakland, and just in case that’s not enough to keep the juices flowing, the swine flu is still spreading throughout the world. Just for an instant the thought crossed my mind, “Why do I really care?” And I realized that there are several different ways to answer that question.

The End of Civility

ag — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:11:35 +0000

It should come as no surprise to anyone possessing even the slightest powers of observation that civility in America is dead. Now I am not speaking here of the long lost art of chivalry… spreading one’s cloak on the ground so mi’lady can daintily step across the puddle without soiling her toesies. No, I’m talking about the common courtesies of giving seats on the bus to old people, not flinging garbage on the streets, and refraining from “throwing the bird” to every driver who happens to move into lane in front of you.

Remembering 911

ag — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:17:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe that it was only eight years ago that the world watched in horror as 110 stories of glass and steel and hopes and dreams and visions and human lives came crashing down to Earth, not once but twice. Those of us who were there to see it will never forget it. The scars which it left on our psyches and in our hearts may never be completely healed. And while a lot has changed since then, we now have a Department of Homeland Security and long lines at airport check-ins, sad to say, the energies and fears, hatreds and self-righteousness that allowed 911 to happen have only gotten worse.

On Cleaning Up

ag — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:33:51 +0000

My wife and I have just redesigned our back room, the one that serves as office, TV lounge, library, exercise center, and guest bedroom. It’s not a big room, just an awfully useful one, and given all the uses to which it is put, it was clear we needed to have a neater, more efficient floor plan.

Ted Kennedy and the Higher Consciousness

ag — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:10:52 +0000

Senator Kennedy died last night and the airwaves are filled with tributes coming to him from around the world. Granted, I haven’t listened to any conservative talk show hosts, but the praise for his dedication and hard work over the years in promoting the causes he believed in seem to come from both sides of the aisle. There is a lesson in higher consciousness here.

Cyclist Down On Market Street

ag — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:33:10 +0000

She drew our attention as we waited at the red light, standing in the middle of the lane with her bike rather than snaking her way between the stopped cars like messengers and experienced riders do. “There’s a newbie”, I mused. “And not really dressed for biking”, my wife added, a dimension of awareness that I had missed completely. Several riders caught up and headed to the front of the pack, and she, apparently feeling the strength in numbers, followed, disappearing around the bus ahead.

Bang Bang You’re Dead

ag — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:14:17 +0000

We seem to be going through a period of human evolution where the solution of choice to any problem or misunderstanding is to kill the person on the other end of the equation. This is true whether we are talking about having differing religious beliefs, holding varying political views, being fired from a job, getting cut off on the highway, or even having bad dreams.

The Strange Case of Dr. Henry Gates

ag — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:29:57 +0000

Americans love our freedom and we love to fight. This volatile combination is how our country was formed and grew and why we can justify planting our flag anywhere in the world where human rights appear threatened. It is also how small unimportant incidents between two male egos can escalate into major national issues that grab the headlines and stir the pot. Take the strange case of Dr. Henry Louis Gates of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

On Being Connected

ag — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:01:12 +0000

There’s something nice about being connected. Whether we’re talking about knowing the ‘right’ people in business, having someone you love waiting for you at home, or even being part of a street gang, being connected is good. In the words of the West Side Story Jets… “You’re never alone… you’re never disconnected. You’re home with your own… when company’s expected… you’re well protected!.” But I digress. Being connected can come in handy in many situations. I, for example, use it in my yoga practice.

How The Other Half Thinks

ag — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:11:40 +0000

I received an email from an old friend the other day for the purpose of trying, once again, to convince me why the right is right. The scary part is that the story it told and the example it contained portrays quite accurately the way a large part of our population really do think and act.

Who Am ‘I’? – Part 3

Michael Jackson A. D.

ag — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:34:36 +0000

When you’re a world famous celebrity nothing comes easy… not even your death. Controversy rages around your last moments, what drugs you might have taken, what your doctor did or didn’t do, not to mention your will, the custody of your children, and what about all those tickets people bought for your big comeback tour. Actually, a comeback tour from his present location has only been done once before, so I recall.

Michael Jackson and Higher Consciousness

ag — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:32:10 +0000

Michael Jackson died yesterday. He was the King of Pop, sold more albums than anyone else in history, was an icon throughout the world, and at the time of his death owed a half billion dollars and stood accused of heinous crimes against children. What a life. So how does this fit into a blog on Higher Consciousness?

Michael Jackson A. D.

Stealing Elections, Being a Dictator, and Higher Consciousness

ag — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:30:11 +0000

So is there anyone in America who didn’t think that Ahmadinejad was going to rig the vote in Iran, come out the winner, and be elected to another term? If so, shame on you for being so naive.

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Hooking Up

ag — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:11:58 +0000

When I wrote the last post on Twittering I didn’t expect to be back covering social interaction issues so soon, but a recent item on NPR makes this follow-up seem quite appropriate and connected.

The Twouble With Twittering

ag — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:02:12 +0000

Every technological advancement, however innocent it may appear at first and benign it may seem to the masses, has its evil underbelly that festers behind the scenes. And though I’d be hard pressed to find anyone under the age of thirty who agrees with me…

Reflections on Prop 8

ag — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:57 +0000

It always strikes me as funny in a “black humor” sort of way that it is the people who most loudly and most prominently shout the Lord’s name who act so overtly against the Lord’s word. Take war, for example.

The Real Reason For The Recession – 3

ag — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:05:54 +0000

Personal greed has not always been the driving force behind human self interest. There was a time, long before the modern era, long before Capitalism and the rise of Hominum Economicus when individuals knew that they couldn’t make it out there on their own.

The Real Reason For The Recession – 2

ag — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:02:11 +0000

In the last post we discussed the proposition that GREED was the underlying cause of the current world economic recession. Not that the planet doesn’t providing enough goods and services to satisfy the needs of its population, that’s not what caused this crisis.

The Real Reason For The Recession – 1

ag — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:03:25 +0000

Economic pundits are amazing. They have the answer to everything. The day after the stock market rises over 100 points they will recount in precise detail the logic behind the day’s upswing and tell you the exact reason why the market was so optimistic. And the day after that, when the market goes down that same 100 points plus…

Shiites and Sunnis, Catholics and Protestants

ag — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:31:00 +0000

Call me a goody-goody, but personally, I don’t like it when people do nasty things to other people… like shooting them or blowing them up or burning their houses or any number of other things that can only be categorized as being very mean and anti-social. Yes, there are times when the invaders march in over the hills…

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Swine Flu and Group Mind

ag — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:53:21 +0000

There is certainly no question that Swine Flu, Mexico’s latest and most virulent export, has brought the world together, if only in making certain that we all stay separated. While reactions around the globe have varied…

Welcome to the Future

ag — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:50:16 +0000

Human consciousness is currently going through a major evolution. In the same way that our mind evolved out of pre-human mind so long, long ago, adding new and undreamed of capabilities to animal mind, a new mode of awareness seems to be generating from within our current experiential human state. When it takes hold, it, too, will bestow on us a similar type of qualitative change.

Meaning and Measurement

ag — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:42:01 +0000

Just over three hundred and fifty years ago René Descartes looked around at his world and realized there was a lot that did not make sense, especially when he applied his method of experience, reason, and logic to the prevailing view of the day. Contrary to that view, which called for blind and unquestioning faith in the dictums of those in authority…

Games Of Consciousness – Introduction

ag — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:42:01 +0000

I want to share my experiments with you… my experiments in consciousness. In one sense this should be no more difficult than the task faced by any researcher who has studied a subject and wishes to offer the objective results of that study to those fellow scientists who are interested. All I need do is to explain my methods, allow you to duplicate them in your laboratory, and let you come to your own conclusions.

Bowl Games, Teamwork, and Consciousness