Tag Archives: awareness

False Flag

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In December 2012 the media reported the deaths of twenty students and six staff members at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  Supposedly a twenty year-old, carrying more weapons that is physically possible, walked into the school and began shooting people.  I don’t watch media, but I remember being intrigued by a clip I saw on FaceBook. I watched media reports, which I don’t remember accurately, but the gist was that early media reports from a news helicopter showed a man being captured in the woods outside the school.  The media also reported another suspect being apprehended in front of the school.

However, within 24 hours the reports all changed to saying that the 20 year-old that had done the shooting had committed suicide in the building.  What was going on?  I continued to follow the story and watched a government expert on these types of actions analyze the reports in a detailed 60 minute commentary.  He is the one that pointed out that the weapons that the media claimed the young man carried in would actually be too heavy to carry.  In addition, the bereavement donation page had been created before the incident (time stamped by Google).  The whole incident got even more bizarre when I found out that in the movie, the Dark Knight, there is a scene showing a map with only one world written:  Sandy Hook.  I didn’t believe the YouTube, so I bought the movie and confirmed it.

Just today I found out, via the Official FBI Crime Statistics page, that the FBI claims that no murders happened in Newton, Connecticut in all for 2012.  Interesting, eh?

I was personally triggered by the Sandy Hook “shootings”.  I mention in the My Mother and Me chapter of my book, Deconditioning Ground, (pg 31) that this was the month that I uncovered a new series of repressed memories.  I didn’t realize the memories where governmental abuse until later in the month, but this was the trigger for those memories to surface.  Since repressed memories are a little surreal, and as unbelievable as the Sandy Hook Hoax, this demonstration of government deception was critical in my waking up and being able to release the beliefs that had been chaining me (pg 35 in the book).

These types of operations are called false flag operations.  It is been proposed by some that the reason that these deceptions are so obvious is that they are designed to wake us all up.  I write about it here, because I am encouraging everyone to be aware of what is going on in the United States.  I hold our situation with curiosity.  The actions of part of our government is in conflict with our constitution.  However, our government is a part of All that Is.  The government is not in control of my safety or me, yet I think there is cause to be wary.  I am aware of the risk of staying here while this situation (and I don’t even know what the situation truly is) continues.  I ask myself frequently, “Is it time to leave the country?”  and “What will it take for America to wake up and take personal responsibility for themselves?”  and “What can I do to contribute to more awareness?”

TESLI is all about fostering greater awareness in people.  The answers are within and I like it when people use their own inner knowing to decide what is right for them and right action in general.  Being in a country where we are fed lies, it is even more important for us to rely on our own knowing.  When I asked the president to investigate this further, via his White House contact page, I never got a response.

 

Human Nature

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School has started up again.  My first lesson in Rio Salado BHS205 – Therapeutic Intervention Models is to write an essay on my beliefs of human nature, how people develop problems, and the most effective ways to help them.  These are my thoughts:

I believe that humans share fundamental universal needs. These needs include connection, physical well-being, honesty, peace, meaning, fun, and autonomy. If the needs of a person are not met, then it is human nature for that person to seek to meet that need. People use a lot of strategies to get their needs met. For instance, someone that is not getting enough appreciation may react to that state by feeling angry, sad, or perplexed. They may seek to get the need for appreciation met by complaining, by striking out at someone, by working harder, or by asking for appreciation. Some strategies may work better than others in getting the need met. Many people do not use effective methods for getting their needs met because they either have not learned effective ways and/or they are not clear on what their need is.

People, their circumstances, and their reactions to those circumstances are a result of causes and conditions that are extremely complex and multi-faceted. Both genetics and environment play a role in creating the experience a person has of life. However, wondering about what has caused a person’s current experience or circumstances is not as important as applying strategies that can lead a person away from an undesirable circumstance to the one that is more optimal. I am a practical person. The past is harder to influence than the present. While lousy genetics and a terrible upbringing may present obstacles to achieving a person’s desired state, I believe all obstacles can be overcome.

A problem is anything that is unwelcome or unpleasant. Not all problems reach a level that instills a person with motivation to change. Many “problems” are either tolerated or “dealt” with using ineffective strategies. The threshold for personal action to change varies with people and is dependent on a person’s tolerance for discomfort and belief that change is possible. It is the individual that decides what is a problem and what is not.

All problems stem from a person having an unmet need and attempting to get a universal need met in ineffective ways. As such, any solution must apply methods to satisfy the unmet need. However, before a solution can be determined, an awareness of the problem must develop. Even when people are aware they have some problem, they may not have examined the problem or their life deep enough to realize where the problem is coming from.

For example, the apparent cause for a DUI may be that they were unlucky enough to have been driving down a street with a sobriety check point. A deeper reason for the DUI was that they made the faulty decision to drive after drinking. Another reason may be that they made the decision to drink. Deeper than that we may find the person was driven to drink by a need to escape or a need to have fun. Having fun is a universal need and the need to escape may be due to feeling pain from having another universal need like connection, meaning, or ease not being met.

The solution a person adopts will depend upon the level of problem they discover. If driving down a street with a sobriety check point is the cause of their DUI then the solution is to be more careful what streets they drive on when drunk. If they find they are using alcohol to escape from the pain of unmet needs (and do not like the consequences, i.e. DUI) then they can adopt strategies to get their needs met and/or alternative methods to care for themselves when they are in pain.

As a helping professional, I can help people identify what is the root cause of their problems and/or dissatisfaction. Incredible changes can arise from someone simply adopting a worldview that is based on awareness and non-judgment. This is the first step. After the problem is identified, or perhaps even more helpful, after the person identifies the kind of life they want to live, I can help the person plan strategies that will create that life and eliminate problems. This is the second step, deciding what strategies to use and coming up with a plan. The heart of the plan is that we cannot change other people, places and things directly, but that we can set up the conditions for both external and internal changes. Then, in order to implement the plan, often new skills need to be developed. I can help the person identify what skills they need/want and guide them in developing them. This is a dynamic process of change with each step giving feedback and informing future growth.

References
Gladding, S.T. (2005). Counseling theories: Essential concepts and applications. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Rosenberg, M.B. (2005). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
Encinitas, CA: Puddle Dancer Press.

How “the story” effects us

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Monday I finished work around 9 pm.  I took a load out to the car and let Chispa, my dog, out so she could enjoy a few sniffs around the parking lot.  I went back into the spa for a few last things.

When I came out I called her name and a young fellow asked me, “Do you have a dog?”  I answered in the affirmative and he responded, “Sorry she took off running that way.”

I was jovial and replied, “You scared her, didn’t you?”

He said, “I didn’t mean to”.Chispa

I went off in the direction he indicated confident that we would be reunited in a second.  The parking lot is long, as it sits behind a “strip mall” type shopping center.  Chispa is familiar with it.  Now that the weather is cool, I bring her to work and walk her off leash on my breaks.  She is a little fearful of the world, so she never goes far without me.

I couldn’t see her anywhere so, I called her name and was surprised when she didn’t come running back to me.  I turned the corner to go up the street at the end of the parking lot.  She was no where in sight.  I was perplexed.  I’d only seen her bolt once in fright before and I imagined that is what happened this time.  Yet, certainly after running the length of the parking lot she would have stopped.  Maybe when she slowed down she caught the smell of something good…

Anyway, I spent an hour walking around the neighborhood calling her name and an additional half hour driving in a wider circle through the neighboring streets.  The whole time I was monitoring my thoughts and emotions.  I noticed that I was perturbed with the man that had scared her and I had a tendency to blame him for my predicament.  However, I was also aware that I could just as easily blame myself for leaving her unattended.  Parallel to these thoughts, I held the knowledge that correct view is that neither one of these things was responsible for my situation.  Buddhist correct view claims that this situation was a result of my previous thoughts and actions and that those thoughts and actions must be similar in nature to my current predicament.

Approaching a situation with correct view and mindfulness can serve to prevent a recurrence of unpleasant circumstances.  So I continued to monitor my thoughts and feelings and refused to be a slave to them.

Early on in the adventure I had an automatic thought about how I was losing sleep and needed to get up early in the morning to go back to work.  I felt a fleeting moment of desperation and the need to rush to find the dog.  I analyzed that impulse and easily dispersed it by telling myself that I could handle a sleepless night and that I need not be in any hurry.  Life is not in the future, it is in the moment.

The mind has a tendency to get ahead of itself and make up a story.  For instance, I imagined Chispa scared, confused, and cold or perhaps dying by the side of the road in the shadows.  I could feel the mind trying to make up a story in order to figure out where she was.  It took some awareness and discipline not to allow these stories to become real.  Yes, it was a possibility that I would never see Chispa again, but in the present I was simply without my dog.  That was a circumstance that happened all the time.  I am often without my dog.

I was able to stay remarkably calm.  This ability is evidence of a strong mindfulness practice.  I was acting and not reacting.  Since peace is my spiritual goal, I am always pleased when I am able to see the fruits of my practice.  I reminded myself of Master Shantideva’s advice:

If there is nothing you can do about it, why get upset?

If there is something you can do about it, why get upset?

I was doing what I could.  I knew that I would not be able to rest without a thorough search.  I also knew that I would not be able to sleep at home with Chispa still at large.  Once, I had satisfied my need to comb the neighborhood I left Chispa a blanket in my parking spot, went home, packed my food for the next day, grabbed my sleeping bag and headed back.

I had expected to find her waiting for me in her blanket, but she was not there when I returned.  I set up my bed in the minivan and lay down to sleep.  I checked in with myself and acknowledged my feelings of loss.  In my mind’s eye I could see her running up all wiggly and I longed to see her again.  I imagined I never would and the story got the best of me.  I released by feelings with tears and was unable to let her go in that moment.  I sat back up and looking in the direction she had run off, I willed her to come back.  After what seemed like forever, I was able to convince myself to let her go and lay back to sleep.  I replaced the story that was playing in my mind with a prayer and was quickly asleep.

Just before 2 am she scratched on the car door.  Without much fanfare I let her in and we drove back home.  She seemed warm and content.  Whatever her story was, she was tight lipped.