I got mad at my kids class tonight. They were arguing in Chinese, not paying attention, whining, trying to steal reward cards and mumbling when they read. They all know better than that, they know that this sort of behavior irritates me. They know we have more fun when I’m not irritated so I always wonder why they can’t behave.

But thinking about it more they’re very much like humanity in general. We do so many stupid things that we know are stupid; stupid because they make us sick or cause fights or run up our debt or pollute. Why aren’t we any smarter than the kids? Why aren’t we all smarter?

Mandy and I went to Gordon Biersch on Sunday. We both ate meals that were too large for us, too salty and too expensive. I saw a family of white people (they looked like Americans) and it all reminded me of the worst of America. Why do we spend money we don’t have? Why do we eat food we don’t need? Why don’t we behave in a way that is to our benefit?

I’m not trying to single out American’s here, I’m only speaking about the people I’m most familiar with, every place that there are people there are people behaving stupidly and then failing to learn from their stupid behavior.

Now I don’t believe for a second that we’re inherently flawed by some so called original sin, in fact I believe we’re born as pretty damn amazing creatures capable of learning, playing, making friends, helping each other… so why is it that we so often act like a species of spoiled brats?

In the past few months I’ve changed my 太極拳 practice in two distinct ways. The first thing I did was begin a series of exercises given to me by Ho Tsong Yuan. Part of this was kicking drills which take my legs through a variety of movements and stimulate a variety of meridians. This was not a totally new practice for me but it was a significant expansion on my previous practice.

The other thing that Teacher Ho showed me is a kind of body shaking, stretching and rolling. If you think of a cat stretching and a dog shaking off water you have some idea of what I’m doing. I vary the speed and size of my movements but basically I’m moving my body in a kind of primal dance. The result is that a lot of the tension I held in my back and shoulders isn’t there anymore or if it is I can roll my way out of it.

This is a very powerful practice moving the muscles, the blood, the lymph and the energy. I can feel some of the places where my energy is stopping, it is a feeling something like the “stitch” one sometimes gets in ones side when running. But right now I get this feeling in my right pec, it’s moved around a bit since I started. I keep practicing and keep getting less and less blocked. I’ve also taken the practice into the pool where I thrash around like a drowning person, it’s probably funny looking but it feels good.

The second big change is that I practice my yang style 太極拳 long form (30 minutes) instead of my short form (10 minutes) now. The results are harder to explain but I feel like it’s deepened and widened my perception of my body and the space around it. Those who know, know as for the rest of you I wish I could put the feeling in your body/mind/spirit because it is really something.

peace

Saw two men waiting for the elevator at the gym. It’s only one floor up and it’s the gym, c’mon fellas. : )

The clouds, back lit by the setting sun, against the blue sky were a little piece of eternity at about 530 today.

Lots of thoughts on aliens coming soon. Meanwhile a plan is forming for the next two years.

People seem afraid of the idea that aliens walk amongst us. Now putting questions of whether it’s true or not for a second, let’s look at some more interesting questions.

What positives are there to aliens being part of our population?

What negatives are there?

Is there any reason to be more afraid of them than there is to be afraid of other earth born humans?

If given the chance to meet a friendly alien would you like to?

Can aliens be used to explain the popularity of David Hasselhoff in Germany?

Who do you know that you suspect of being alien or “mixed-race?”

Have a think.

Additional info added 1/30/2010

Aliens and potential aliens in popular culture.

Aliens in comics

Alien human hybrids from popular religion.

Potential aliens amongst us.

Not too long ago a whole lot of people(s) were considered alien here’s one face among millions.

As I was thinking about how I would answer these questions I started to think about all the aliens we’ve been living with for years from alien hybrids who’re so deeply embedded in our culture that we forget they’re aliens like Jesus to the fuzzy, cat eating ALF our culture is full of aliens.

And frankly I’m glad they’re here. I mean where would Han Solo be without Chewie? How many limbs would Luke have lost without Yoda? Which interstellar VD would have taken Kirk down without Spock’s pragmatic advice to, “Double bag it.”?

I recognize that these are simply some popular visions of aliens and that there are plenty of negative visions as well. Obviously I don’t have anymore interest in meeting the negative aliens than I do in meeting negative humans or a rabid dog. The others, well I am very interested to meet them. Just like I’m interested to meet people from countries I haven’t been too or people with interesting talents or perspectives. Meeting and interacting with people who’re different from ourselves is one of the most obvious and fun ways to grow.

I know I haven’t answered all the questions I posed and I don’t pretend that I can. I hope I’ve made people rethink the subject just a bit.

This is from the second chapter of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Being Peace written in 1987. The portion I reproduce here is the beginning of the second chapter, word for word, in lieu of permission I offer an apology should the other require it.

I post it because, even though it was written twenty plus years ago, it very clearly speaks to the type of mindset that I’m approaching all of this with, the type of mindset I believe we all need.

Many of us worry about the world situation. We don’t know when the bombs will explode. We feel that we are on the edge of time. As individuals, we feel helpless, despairing. The situation is so dangerous, injustice is so widespread, the danger is so close. In this situation, if we panic, things will only become worse. We need to remain calm, to see clearly. Meditation is to be aware, and to try to help.

Our world is something like a small boat. Compared with the cosmos, our planet is a very small boat. We are about to panic because our situation is no better than the situation of the small boat in the sea. You know that we have more than 50,000 nuclear weapons. Humankind has become a very dangerous species. We need people who can sit still and be able to smile, who can walk peacefully. We need people like that in order to save us. Mahayana Buddhism says that you are that person, that each of us is that person.

The tragic disaster in Haiti brings a sobering clarity to the course of this “discussion.” It takes me back to Pingtung county and the aftermath of typhoon Morakot to the lessons I learned there but have not discussed until now; lessons I personally need to put into action.

As I was wandering around in calf deep mud, garbage and shit, hauling away people’s ruined furniture and spoiled food I couldn’t stop marveling at how poorly prepared these people were. Taiwan is an industrialized nation with high literacy rates, a functional, if unimaginative, school system and excellent healthcare and yet this relatively minor disaster caused tremendous damage.

There was garbage and other waste everywhere after the typhoon for the simple reason that there had been garbage and other waste everywhere before the typhoon. An effective system applying the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle would have reduced the clean up workload by at least a fifth. It would have also made the pre and post typhoon environment much healthier and more pleasant to live in as well.

Proper drainage systems and enlightened water treatment systems would also have made a massive difference. I wish we could all flush with the pride that Arcata residents do. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957256,00.html

If we accept that an unprepared home / community is not a good thing in daily life or in the event of a disaster the next thing is to consider what a prepared home looks like. Obviously the kind of green home that produces power and sells it back to the grid is ideal. You can read about that kind of home here http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/index.htm. With this as an ultimate goal I think it’s useful to think about a few things that are more immediately possible for most folks.

The ten steps mentioned here are fairly tame but they’re still good ideas. [ http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13107876 ]

Beyond these steps I would add the following:

-Having adequate bedding and bedclothes for everyone in the house to be able to sleep safely and comfortably at or below the lowest average annual temperature for your location.

-Having two sources of heat, and ideally two sources of electricity as well especially sources that aren’t part of a power grid that one has no control over.

-Having a cellar or cold storage that doesn’t require electricity to function. Also a clean dry storage area to be stocked with rope, tarps and building materials in case of a need to repair the home.

-Having an up to date set of medical reference books and a good DIY reference library in general. Of course a good first aid kit and basic tool set go hand in hand with the reference library.

-Readily available flashlights, candles and at least one kerosene lantern.

-Having as little excess as possible, especially anything in the way of unused collections (basketball cards, stamps, this sort of thing). As a rule collections should be limited to books often read, CDs often listened too and personal photos. The fewer appliances the better as they only increase one’s dependency on the grid.

I know I’m a long way from being able to make most of these things a reality so I’m personally starting by simplifying and giving away or recycling everything that I can. I am very conscious of the excess in my life here as well as the valuable but burdensome items I have in my Mom and Aunt’s homes in America.

I share these thoughts with love in my heart and long underwear on under my polar fleece pants… my heart and prayers go out to the people of Haiti. One love.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8460771.stm

The following links are all well worth reading and acting on where appropriate.

Fire safety.

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=72c51a53f1c37110VgnVCM1000003481a10aRCRD

Burglary deterrents.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2securehome

http://www.howtoadvice.com/HomeSecurity/

How this affects us indirectly too.

“One side of the street is a church the other side is a liquor store, both of ‘em keeping us poor.”

Chuck D (Public Enemy)
1 Million Bottle Bags
Apocalypse ‘91

The first CD I ever bought was Apocalypse ’91 I didn’t even have a CD player at the time but I was a volunteer at KHNS and I knew there was no music that demanded to be played more than PE’s.

When I heard this song I was like, “That’s right, that’s right I don’t drink and I’m for damn sure not going to church, Chuck knows his shit.”

Sneaking up on 20 years later I still don’t drink or go to church and I’m still certain that both are VERY sound decisions but I’m no longer certain that Chuck was only talking about literal churches and liquor stores. We all hear the message we need to hear at the time we need to hear it and the same Public Enemy that helped to raise me is still informing my thinking.

Here’s how I break it down now. Churches represent superstition, prejudice and not thinking for one’s self and liquor stores represent escapism and gradual suicide neither of which I can recommend anymore than Chuck D did in 1991.

The thing is it’s easy to avoid literal churches and liquor stores since they usually advertise themselves as such. Sure they sometimes come knocking at our door but we can always hide in the hallway, the real trick is finding the churches and liquor stores we aren’t aware of.

We can find the subtle ways in which we limit our own thinking and turn a blind eye to the world, we can also find our own forms of unhealthy escape we simply have to start looking. Once we find these “churches” and “liquor stores” we have to evaluate their positives and negatives in our own lives.

Some forms of ignorance or prejudice are relatively harmless like my general disinterest in reggaeton. Maybe it’s great music and I just haven’t listened to enough to know but certainly there is a wealth of great music that I already listen to, music that informs and engages me. There is even more that I want to listen to, so much so that it makes little difference if I ever listen to reggaeton; I have enough music for the next 100 years or more.

In the same way some forms of escapism are a lot of fun and bring little negative impact. Others are profoundly damaging, sapping many different forms of energy and dulling our intellect. I struggle to keep my Facebook account in the field of healthy diversion but with all the inane games and gossip it can easily become a massive waste of time and energy for me.

What constitutes a “church” or a “liquor store” will be slightly different for each of us as will the way in which we evaluate them what should not differ is the amount of benefit we receive when we remove them from our lives.

When I remember not to go to the church of complaining about and being limited by my student loan I’m happier instantly. After the instance improvement in mood comes a gentle opening of possibilities and a deep appreciation of my good fortune.

I’m a measurably happier, friendlier and more dynamic person when I just pay my loan and don’t waste energy being mad about it and this is only one “church” that I’m learning not to attend. The more “churches” and “liquor stores” we remove from our lives the freer we are, the better off we are and being freer better off people is what this whole full disclosure idea is about.

Best of luck identifying and shutting down the churches and liquor stores in your life.

While we have been talking and arguing, on and off this blog, I have been acting the first thing I did was gather all my documents (birth certificate, degrees, licenses…). Once I had these all in one place I copied them all and a couple of days later I sent those copies to my brother for safe keeping.

The purpose of this step is to make it easier to reestablish my identity if I lose my primary documents. I don’t expect this to ever be an issue, I’m pretty careful with things, but by doing this I increase the likelihood that it’s not an issue.

Now I’m in the process of setting up a go bag. I am not entirely certain what I need to include so the list below is tentative. If you think I’ve missed anything please pass your ideas along.

-all primary documents (excluding those used regularly)
-a change of clothes
-a Leatherman tool/knife
-one prepaid international phone card
-Taiwanese and American currency (amount to be determined)
-a pen, small notebook and box of matches
-a second watch or second cell phone (to be purchased eventually)
-my pocket copy of the Tao Te Ching and the Omar Khayyam collection I inherited from Grandma Shirley
-a USB with copies of my writings
-a couple of granola bars/Clif bars

If I felt that the chances of a break in were higher I would hide my go bag as it is I’m going to keep it in an easy to reach place. My plan at this point is to use my briefcase as my go bag.

It offers the advantages of being durable and business like (non threatening to authorities) but it isn’t ideal. I will eventually replace it with a bag that can be carried on my back or over my shoulder and that can hold my laptop computer.

Just like the steps I described earlier I don’t expect to ever need to use this go bag and I’ll also feel better knowing that I can if I need to. This is the sort of simple, practical survival work I’ve been talking about and as such I suggest it to everyone.

I hope to get into the actual details of assembling the bag and packing it carefully/efficiently in the near future, until then peace.