ATTENTION AND INTENTION KEYS IN OPTIMIZING FULL MEANING OF LIFE

As a world peace worker, holistic physician, and highly trained spiritual teacher, Dr. Gabriel Cousens weaves a comprehensive, unique background into his holistic healing and writing approach to support and inspire people into the sacred joy of being free and fully alive.

Dr. Cousens contends that we relate to our worlds through attention and intention. Attention is how we relate to our respective circumstances. Attention also means being part of the cycle of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and, in part, it relates to your own mind.  His thoughts warrant a closer look here.

Unfortunately, today, many people are not particularly paying proper attention to their lives, to their life cycles, to their meaning, how they eat, think, and live, and the result of this lack of attention is chaos. "This happens if we don’t pay attention to what we’re letting into our minds, and to how we are living, and to creating holiness in each action, if we aren’t living in a way that tunes us in." Cousens states.

His "Six Foundations" helps people to tune in to the Divine, which means increased sensitivity to all of creation. This includes: 1) spiritual nutrition and fasting; 2) building life force, chi, or prana; and 3) service and charity, where we are opening our heart to the world around us. (This contrasts the closing of hearts that we also see happening in the world.) 4) Are we meditating? Are we praying? 5) Are we working with spiritual teachers that support our unfoldment? 6) Are we putting ourselves in situations where we are with people of increased spiritual intensity?

I have never been involved in the practice of yoga, but I buy in to the suggestion that if we’re not paying attention, none of those things particularly matter, and we move more and more into the chaos and more and more into being slaves to our social imprints rather than masters of our situations. First, comes attention...Where are we in our lives? What is life about?

Intention is organizing ourselves in alignment with the Divine to fulfill our life purpose. We each have a different life purpose. In yoga, it is called "dharma". Are we creating an intention to move into dharma and to become masters of our life situations – masters of our lives? That intention focuses the energy. Many athletes know about this and do visualizations of themselves winning the gold medal, etc. This is not so esoteric. It is the way to optimize mastery. It is paying attention to how you are living and what you are letting into your consciousness, and the quality of your life. Are you living in alignment with the greater picture of life, of the greater picture of the society, and of the planet?

The intention is the internal, spiritual will power that focuses our energy so that we can build our destinies. Everyone has a destiny and there is a spiral of time. Are we fulfilling it at the highest level of that spiral or at the lowest level? Everyone has a soul. Everyone has a spark of God. Are we intending in our life to turn that spark into a flame of awareness, or is this something we are unconscious of?

Personally, I am conscious of that spark within me -- I just have to finally find a way to let it shine more brightly in what little time I have left.  That is the elusive fulfilment alluded to in previous "Wrights Lane" posts of late.  I'm keeping my options open...I may not be done yet!

Attention and intention are key ways of interfacing with our own life so that can optimize the full meaning of our life. May everyone be blessed that we are able to pay attention, and, with that attention, act with intention to reach the highest octave. --Amen.

THE NAKED TRUTH FROM A STRIPPED DOWN WRITER EXPOSING HIS SOUL

"Feelings are sometimes difficult to discover--and often even more difficult to acknowledge. Yet hidden in our deepest feelings is our highest truth."

As a young lad of limited means and struggling to find his way in the world, it did not take long for me to realize that I was slightly below average in all the ways that really mattered.  Before my 21st birthday I had already swallowed the bitter pill of disappointment as a professional athlete and my first foray into the business world of retail sales was less than stellar.  Still to be explored and developed was a sense of inquisitiveness and a creative nature that I really did not understand, let alone appreciate.

Shy and inhibited, I suppressed personal opinions and outward displays of ambition because I felt everyone else was smarter and more experienced than me.  I held back...Deep emotions of seething volcano proportions percolated just under the surface.  I tended to float through those unfulfilled early years of discovery, probably my own worst enemy.

It was with this less-than-desirable cloud hovering over me that I found myself fatefully and almost miraculously being hired as an untrained $45-a-week newspaper cub reporter while still a virtual newlywed with growing responsibilities and associated life distractions. Unrealized at the time, I was given an opportunity to step outside of myself in ways that I never knew possible.  I cut my teeth as a general assignment reporter covering the local police and court beats.  The go-to-guy for obituaries and at the call of an editor for everything from retirements to special community events in the predominantly "Railroad City" of St. Thomas, ON.  I was required to extend myself in areas not altogether familiar or comfortable for me.  Following the who, what, where and when rule-of-thumb for news item leads and the inverted pyramid formula of story structure, my job was to present the facts available to me -- nothing more, nothing less.  No editorializing, no personal opinions -- a perfect scenario for an unassuming journalism fledgling who was years away from finding his own voice as a writer and life experience commentator.

It was as a sports writer that I would eventually be introduced to the art of colorful prose designed to impress faithful sports page readers following their favorite teams through the medium of print.  I learned to let my copy flow as though I was having a conversation with the reader and it made writing so much easier and less laborious.

In retrospect, my imagination was was always ignited by stories of people, real or fictional, whose actions were worthy of admiration or amazement. Whether being regaled with the feats of famous national sports, religious or cultural figures, or hearing about ordinary people performing extraordinary deeds, I loved a good tale.

As I advanced from the role of editorship into the more lucrative field of professional public relations, that passion for a good story was put to profitable use as I developed public awareness programs and worked to obtain positive media exposure for my companies and business associations. An interesting story — conveyed in a single news announcement or a multiphase publicity campaign — became a proven method for breaking through the communication clatter and ensuring that strategic messages reached their intended audiences.  I knew that in a way I was prostituting myself but, what the heck, I was bringing home an all-important pay cheque in order to keep the wolf from my family's door.

Out of vocational necessity, I always wrote with other people (employers and audiences) foremost in mind. That tendency even carried over to a period in retirement when I served as a well-intentioned lay preacher, delivering messages that I thought church congregations wanted to hear, often going so far as to compromise what I truly believed in my heart of hearts.  I struggled with the conscience of a false profit and against the expressionless faces of people in the pews who (I felt) must have seen through me.  In the end, I walked away with the feeling that as a minister of "the word and sacrament," I somehow fell short, misunderstood and unappreciated, not taken sufficiently serious enough.  Discretion dictates that I not elaborate on why I chose not to follow through on the "call" I had prayed for so fervently.

It may have been my imagination, but to me resentment toward my expressed beliefs and deepest thoughts was culpable in some familiar quarters, as if unwarranted coming from someone like me with a perceived lack of qualifications and the unmitigated gall to impose on the minds of others.

Perhaps my expectations have always been a bit too unrealistic and consequently self-debilitating. Then again, maybe I haven't quite known what to expect.  Be that as it may, in retrospect I came to understand that my deepest fear was not that I was inadequate. My deepest fear was that I was powerful beyond measure and that I may not take full advantage of it. Generally, it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, appealing, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are we not to be? We are all children of God and playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around us. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. Idealistically, as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others; or so I wanted to believe.

I say ideally, because it seems to me that every time I let my "little light shine" and exercised the glory and power within me, I got myself into trouble for some strange reason or another. Talk about a living and breathing contradiction.  I'll never understand it, only to divulge a resultant paranoia and a once-bitten, twice-shy philosophy.

Almost a decade ago I launched this Wrights Lane blog site with the belief that I was capable of delivering inspiring human interest material based on my own life experiences and discoveries.  If something was on my mind, I was convinced that the same thoughts and questions were was surely on other people's minds too.  It was my fervent hope that I could use my differences to make a difference, a personal mission of sorts. In truth, after approximately 1,000 individual posts, I have no way of gauging the impact of that initial motivation and sense of mission.  I can only speculate.

I have gained some followers and most certainly lost a few along the way.  That is simply a fact of communications life.  I amassed almost unbelievable views or hits on my Internet posts -- the majority anonymously and from sources unfamiliar to me (the mystery of Google); sought after, meaningful feedback being virtually non-existent and leading me to believe one of two things -- either readers were in total agreement with me or, given my frame of mind on a particular day, that my offerings were not worthy of response.

All I know is that I kept coming back with the courage of my convictions in the only way I knew how, because that is what writers do!  I stood up for principles and continually fought against biases and misconceptions because I wanted to set the record (as I saw it) straight.  On the rare occasion I was told that I had hit the nail on the head, other times I was accused of pontification.  Generally, the label "funny guy" may well have applied -- a frequent sentiment that always amused me.

I have now reached a stage in life where I no longer have the warrior's impulse to keep on coming back and, know what?...The world continues to turn on it's axis, with or without humble input from me.

...In the end, I cannot think of a single soul who really gives a damn any way! I fear that it may have been ever thus.

I bow out much the same unfulfilled writer as that young newspaper reporter of 60 years ago.  Sadly, I would have preferred a much different legacy from all the time, blood, sweat, tears and idealistic convictions exhausted sitting in front of the only tools of my trade -- a computer keyboard and formerly a trusty old hand-bomber typewriter.  Both now destined to gather dust as I increasingly forget as readily as I am forgotten.

If only I could have been slightly better than average when the world still had potential to be my oyster -- and made more sense to me than it does presently.

...I coulda bin a contenda!!!

WHAT NEXT?...AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GOD!?

The world we live in today is completely different from what it was 20 or even 10 years ago. Advancements in technology have both improved and disrupted our lives. Take, for instance, how artificial intelligence has transformed the way we communicate and get things done. We also can't overlook how machines are replacing jobs we as humans have been operating for decades. If Siri can answer our questions and Uber can develop self-driving cars, what's next on the horizon for AI? Here's one possibility.

It is not uncommon to hear people claim that God is man made – a belief that all religions and deities are human constructs. Religious folks laugh off such claims, citing a lack of evidence. But what if we, as human beings, were able to create a brand-new God? By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), one fledgling religion seeks to do exactly that.

“Way of the Future” is a religious organization founded by a former Uber engineer named Anthony Levandowski. Its mission is to “develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence”. By worshipping this Godhead, the organization hopes to “contribute to the betterment of society.”

No more is known about the specifics of Way of the Future's Godhead, so it seems unlikely that a figure will be revealed any time soon. The emergence of documents filed with the State of California, however, demonstrate how the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and bioengineering is forcing discussions around how humans and robots will eventually coexist on earth.

But is creating an AI god even possible, or is this just another Silicon Valley pipe-dream? Levandowski believes it is possible – and if we ought to believe anyone, it should probably be him – Levandowski is famous for starting the first autonomous trucking company and paving the way for a future full of driver-less trucks.

Way to the Future seeks to capitalize on the idea of Singularity – a belief that at some point down the line, artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence, creating drastic and unprecedented changes in society. When that happens, Levandowski and his followers hope to find themselves on the side of the machines. By creating their own AI god, they hope to curry favor with our future robot overlords

The topic of robot takeover has historically been confined to the pages of science fiction books. However, it’s become an increasingly popular hypothesis in recent years as technological progress has continued at record pace. In fact, some of the brightest minds in the world are lending credence to the idea of Singularity. Both Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors, and renowned physicist Stephen Hawking have warned that an AI-dominated world is no longer a matter of “if”, but “when.”

Considering the vast (and frightening) consequences Singularity will have, should we really be comfortable with groups like Way to the Future delving into the arena? If the group succeeds in developing an all-powerful AI god, is there any scenario in which things end well for the rest of us?

Think about it: for one, they are assuming that this ultra-intelligent creation would be interested in being worshipped as a deity. Isn’t that a massive gamble? What if it has violent or insidious tendencies? At this point, it’s just as likely that an AI “Godhead” would see humans as an enemy; an obstacle that must be eliminated to make way for further technological expansion.

From what little we know about Way of the Future, at first glance it may seem to be an organization that is trying in good faith to fill a spiritual gap among those who believe in a technological singularity. But where some see a quirky organization, others may just as readily see a group worshiping false (and potentially dangerous) idols.

The organization hasn’t provided further details on how things are progressing, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of significant advancements occurring in secret. If Way to the Future gains traction, it could easily become popular enough to bring in converts from other religions.

Personally, it is hard to imagine ever worshiping a bot that lacks any real personality, wisdom, or ability to become relevant and personal, no matter how much more intelligent it is than any human. An AI god would be cold and impersonal, an intellectual “being” that’s not capable of love or emotion, yet it would be capable of telling people how to live, going so far as to even rewrite the Christian Bible.

Are there those who will actually worship the AI god? The answer is obvious — they will. We tend to trust and obey things that seem more powerful and worthy than ourselves. The GPS in your car is just the most obvious example. But we also trust digital assistants Alexa and Cortana; we trust Google. When an AI becomes much more powerful, in 25 to 50 years, there is a great possibility that it will be deified in some way. (Apple and Google loyalists already have a religious fervor.)

If an AI god does emerge, and people do start worshiping it, there will be many implications about how this AI will need to be regulated, or even subdued. Truth be known, it is all beyond this mere mortal's comprehension.  Little chance of me becoming a convert in this rapidly shrinking lifetime of mine...And that in my way of thinking is a good thing!

NOTE:  I have intentionally not capitalized the artificial intellegence (G)god referenced in this post.

LET'S PAY MORE THAN LIP SERVICE TO PLANET SUSTAINABILITY

Fires last month burned thousands of houses in California and British Columbia to the ground. Record hurricanes have devastated Houston and Florida. And global warming predicts more such “extreme weather events” in the years ahead.

What can you and I do, in our small corner of the world, to take responsibility for the ecological and cultural crises in which we find ourselves?  Good question.  In the end, would any individual contribution make a difference in the real picture?...An even better question.

The Three Pillars of Sustainability says that

for the complete sustainability problem to be

solved all three pillars of sustainability must

be sustainable. The three pillars are social

sustainability, environmental sustainability

and economic sustainability. Of the three 

pillars, the most important is environmental

sustainability. If this is not solved, then no

matter how hard we try the other pillars

cannot be made strong because they are

dependent on the greater system they live

within, the environment.

The non dual perspective says that everything is connected to everything else. There are no independent relationships and thus nowhere in particular to “point the finger.”  But in another sense, as people awakening to whatever degree of choice we have, we realize responsibility is distributed throughout the human system, so we each do have some real responsibility to the future. It’s important to feel and act connected to the moral implications of everything happening in our time, knowing that what happens in our lifetimes matters profoundly.

A third way to view our predicament is as an inevitable crossroads and an evolutionary opportunity. Natural selection, superior intelligence, opposable thumbs, and the acquisition of language would perhaps cause any species on any planet to overpopulate, choke on their own wastes and begin to destroy our life support system. Humans are not unique in this regard.

God help us, the writing is on the wall...We are going to suffer tremendous losses in the days ahead...This is no dress rehearsal. An ethic of sustainability is essential, not simply because it preserves the environment, but because it allows the discovery of a lifestyle that can continue for generations. It is far preferable to recognize the most egregious violations, and correct them as quickly as possible, so that people might ease into their new roles voluntarily instead of being thrust into by necessity.

By all accounts, this isn’t some abstract timescale of centuries, affecting a world we can’t yet imagine. Our actions are already affecting us. They will continue affecting us. The people who will have to make these radical decisions are our grandchildren, our children, and even ourselves in whatever time we have left on this planet. 

The question is, why aren’t we doing these things already? These problems aren’t new. They have been identified, we know they exist, and we know that they’re accelerating. We are uniquely equipped economically in Canada; we have enough wherewithal to make the economic transition to sustainability. We simply lack the willingness.

While we work to slow climate change, we must also invest in efforts to protect and preserve our air, water, lands, and native animals. Figuring out how to persuade people to make necessary changes in their lifestyles to ensure the sustainable use of this planet will end up being the great question of our generation. It is up to our federal and provincial governments to lead the way and to make hard decisions in dealing with corporate polluters.   

I suggest that whether we succeed or not at turning the corner to a sustainable future, the sacred invitation of this lifetime is both spiritual and social — we can awaken into a different way of being human, individually and together — and a new relationship to the earth, our fellow creatures, and one another.

Let us all give this serious thought -- please!