Wednesday, November 28, 2018

To whom it may concern

Which part of you is sitting behind the wheel right now?
Where are you heading?
Are you bored; are you burning gas?
Are you out on a vengeance trip?
Are you on the run?
Are you going to pick up a pizza, a six pack of beer and cigarettes?
But you have stopped smoking, haven't you?
Who is the driver?
Is it Mr. or Mrs. Howthingsoughttobe?
Is your true self asleep in the trunk?

Imagine your true self sitting in the driver's seat.
What would he or she do?
Has the true self a gender? What do you think?
Which you?

Why are you here? Seriously.
What is the purpose of your visit here on this blog?

Friday, November 23, 2018

In money we trust

The most important thing in the modern world is money. Without money, you are in serious trouble. Good looks, good food, and good sex are also vital.

Moreover, you have to be somebody. You have to have an identity. You have to have a position. To merely be a human being among 7 billion other human beings is to be a loser.

Materialism is king. You are your body and your credit rating. Idealism, generosity, and spirituality are like art and good table manners. They make you appear cultivated and profound.

So, how do you explain that many people are so desperately trying to escape these facts? What are they looking for? Why can't they see that there is no other God but money? Why can't they see that life has no meaning? Why do they refuse to accept reality?

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Accepting death is hard

All people die, rich and poor, high-brow and low-brow. Species die out, and civilizations go under. Death, decline and destruction are natural parts of the creation.

More than 99% of all species that have ever lived have become extinct. So, why are we so concerned about the extinction of Homo sapiens?

This is not a nice thought, even though it is reality-based; it makes us depressed. Most people prefer pleasant thoughts. 


Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Self-knowledge can make you disappointed

Selfish people are seldom aware of their selfishness. Stupid people are seldom aware of their stupidity and misers are seldom aware of their stinginess.

Some people believe that they are Christians, but they refuse to turn the other cheek, and they store up for themselves treasures on earth.

Some believe that they are reliable and honest, but they talk behind your back, others believe that they are happy and have a positive outlook on life.

What about you? Are you also deceiving yourself? Do you also try to be positive? Do you also refuse to see for yourself where you are coming from?

Monday, October 15, 2018

Confession of faith

I don't believe that Jesus Christ
was born of the Virgin Mary.
I believe he suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
I believe he descended to the dead.
I don't believe that he rose again.
I don't believe in the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

I believe that global warming or nuclear war will wipe out humankind.
I believe that earth is the only planet with life in the universe.
I understand clearly that I have a very limited knowledge.
I consider myself stupid.
I consider all people stupid.
I consider all religions, political ideologies, and philosophies stupid.

You are born somewhere, and you will die somewhere.
Death is not a mystery, life is.
Life is an incredible mystery.


Thursday, October 11, 2018

The elephant in the room

Only a small minority of the world's population cares about climate change and tries to live environmentally friendly. The vast majority, both in poor and rich countries, have more important things to think about.

We will not change; we want more stuff; we want cool cars, electric gadgets, and cheap airfares. We want bigger houses, fancy clothes and more money... We are desperately craving more money even if we are billionaires. We are like drug addicts.


Sunday, September 9, 2018

Life after death

Imagine someone who is an asshole: selfish, mean, false. At the end of his life, he donates money to charity and expects to be warmly welcomed into the kingdom of heaven when he dies in the same way he expects to be warmly welcomed to a luxury nightclub, just because he is rich.

How can you expect to get good grades if you don't study? If you are a Hindu, how can you expect to get a decent reincarnation if you have been an asshole here in this life?

Maybe it is irrelevant how you live your life. Maybe life isn't a school. Maybe all people go to heaven when they die. Maybe all your deceased relatives in the spirit world will be happy to see you again. Maybe there is no life after death. Who knows?

How do you deal with snake oil salesmen and tricksters?

What do you refuse to realize? What beliefs do you refuse to let go of?

Almost all people are holding on to crazy ideas: political ideas, religious beliefs, weird worldviews, self-images, outdated scientific paradigms. Why is it so painful and hard to question one's misunderstandings? 

In 1945 many Germans refused to see that they had allowed themselves to be bewitched by an idiotic ideology. Today most people refuse to see that there is no future for humankind. Advanced technologies will not save us. We will ruin this planet. We're like drug addicts, addicted to delusions; we simply can't get enough. 

You know that there are plenty of fraudsters, false prophets, and fake gurus in this world. How can you find out if also you have been duped? Which method should you use?

Should you rely on your intuition or gut feeling? (He seems to be reliable. I like him.) Should you rely on reasoning? 

How do you explain that science for many years was convinced that Omega-3 oil is good for preventing heart disease, and then came to the conclusion that it has no such effect at all, etc,?

Monday, September 3, 2018

Hello!

How are you?

How is life over there?

I'm still here, still wondering about the same old questions.

Life is strange, isn't it?

So, how do you explain that some people have to experience so much suffering, pain, poverty, and misery while other people live their lives like spoiled upper-class brats at an endless garden party?

Why is life so unfair? Is it a God that arrange things this way? Is it angels or evil spirits that are responsible? Is it fate, karma or the biological evolution that dictate the rules?

Well-off and fortunate highbrows are teaching the sore losers about the importance of optimism and positive thinking. If all the unfortunate suckers only could understand the benefits of a positive outlook on life they could also be rich, healthy and successful.

Have you ever read an advice columnist that advocate negative thinking, that life is awful and unfair, that war, greed, and exploitation is ruining life here on earth?

We who have experienced strong synchronicities understand that we are puppets and that someone is pulling the strings. But not always. In fact, mostly we are puppets without strings.

Why do we try so hard to ruin each other's lives?

Up until the middle of the 19th- century slavery was accepted by the Christian churches. Today Christians still speak about the importance of ethics and morality. How dare they? Why are they not ashamed? 1800 years of moral putridity and corruption.

Not many seem to understand that most of us are mentally ill and in urgent need of help. Meditation, faith, health food or hiking in the woods are not sufficient for healing. 

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Materialism is a mental construct

Materialists assume that both the thinker and the thoughts are physical phenomena that are somehow created in the brain. They believe that nothing exists except matter.

Dualists, like Plato, Descartes, and most Christians, say that spirit and matter are two distinct substances.

Others believe that the material world is an illusion, Maya, and that only the spirit world is real. (Without observers, there wouldn't be any physical reality.)

However, what is matter, really? Electrons and quarks? And what is an electron, a particle, like a tiny, tiny grain of sand, or a wave, like light?

What is dark matter? Roughly 80 percent of the universe is made up of dark matter. The physicists have no idea of what kind of matter this is; they just know it must be there, according to their calculations. So they call it dark matter.

And what is the spirit world made of?

Materialism and spirituality are outdated concepts. Who knows, maybe there is just one world that is both material and spiritual: wind and rain, rocks and life forms, thoughts and conscious thinkers, illusions, dreams, and ideas, synchronicities and various mystical Psi phenomena...

And maybe there are tons of universes out there somewhere.

Materialists don't know what matter is and spiritually oriented people don't know what spirit is. It's a waste of time to ponder over such things. It is much more important to try to figure out how to live.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

The electrochemical soul

You don't want to question your beliefs, views, and assumptions. You can question other peoples beliefs but not your own. Even dedicated believers in the scientific method have a hard time questioning their core assumptions.

What is a belief and what is an assumption? What are they made of? Chemicals? Electromagnetic fields? And, what feels threatened when your beliefs and assumptions are seriously challenged?

If someone steps on your toe you will feel pain in your toe. And if someone hits you on your nose, you feel pain in your nose. But, what if someone is questioning your core beliefs, where do you feel this discomfort?

What is the ego made of? What is the self made of? Electrochemical activity in the brain? What is electricity, really? What are electrons made of? And what is an electron, really, a particle or a wave?

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Don't trust yourself

Three thousand years ago people took for granted that the world was flat. A thousand years ago people still believed in brownies and trolls, ghosts and witches. People knew that the king was appointed by God and considered trading in slaves as a legitimate business. Today most people think that such ideas are awful and stupid. 

If humanity would live on and evolve for another thousand years, which is not likely, they will, of course, say about us that we were complete idiots and that our scientific, religious and political ideas were uncivilized, vulgar and crazy. 

Your thoughts, views, and assumptions are products of your culture and this era. Materialism, capitalism, sanctimonious religiosity and meaninglessness are not ultimate truths.

Friday, August 3, 2018

Death and dying

How many years have you left? What do you think? 30 years? 10 years? 2 years? When will it be your turn to die?

Will you die in a hospital bed or in a car crash? Will you drown; will you kill yourself with sleeping pills? Will you die from cancer or a brain hemorrhage? Will you suffer tremendously? What do you think?

Do you sometimes wonder what it feels like to die? Do you sometimes wonder what it's like to be dead? Is death like an eternal deep sleep or will you end up in heaven or hell? What do you think?

How many more years has humankind left? Will all life on earth go extinct? Will we all die in a nuclear war or because of the climate change?

What will the universe look like if no one is there to see it? What is the universe made of? Practically nothing; 99,99% empty space? Emptiness between the electrons and the nucleus of the atom?  A few electrons and quarks here and there in the endless void?

What is light made of? What are thoughts made of? Electric fields? What is an electric field? Is an electron a particle or a wave? What do you think?

What is consciousness? You wake up in the morning and falls asleep at night. Is there a switch somewhere in the brain? 

What is all this about?

Monday, July 30, 2018

Bellicosity is not inscribed in our genetic code

If a boy is growing up under difficult conditions, maybe he is regularly abused; maybe the parents are violent criminals; maybe they live in a neighborhood where many people are violent criminals – then it would be strange if he didn't end up in jail, as a violent criminal.

You are born into a world filled to the brim with madness, war, and terror. History is the story of wars and madness. It's a wonder that you're not completely mad. Is it not strange that there are so many friendly people around after all?

Most politicians in the world are assistants to violent gangsters, but they hide their true allegiances behind trustworthy and smiling masks; they are wolves in sheep's clothing. Soldiers in all countries are fooled to believe that war and violence are in our nature and that we have to fight for our rights, that it's a matter of them or us.

But bellicosity is not inscribed in our genes. We are aggressive and violent because of conditioning and adaptation to a violent and criminal environment. The more violent and mad a society is, the more violent and mad people you will meet. The more peaceful and egalitarian a society is, the more friendly and laid back people you will encounter. 

You don't need a scientific degree to understand this.

Monday, July 23, 2018

Decisions


Which part of you is making the decision when you are making a decision?

One part of you decides to quit smoking and never to smoke again. The next morning another part of you lights a cigarette.

One part of you decides to never talk to her again; another part becomes excited when she suddenly calls and happily agrees to have dinner with her.

One part of you says yes; another part says no. One part is getting his way; another part gives in.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Meditation and the monkey mind

The monkey mind is not a big problem. The monkey mind is just stupid thoughts that are hopping around.

The big problem is the beliefs, ideas, and assumptions that motivate your meditation and your actions in daily life.

For example, you may believe that you have to silence your chattering mind.

You may believe that you have to be positive, relaxed and wonderful, that what you feel is wrong.

You may believe that you are stupid, ugly and lazy.

You may believe that life is utterly meaningless.

You may believe that you are an idiot or a jerk, that you are...

What if you're not the one you think you are. Maybe life is not about what you think it is about.

Maybe you have fooled yourself. Maybe you have been deceived.

You have to examine your beliefs, ideas, and assumptions if you want to improve your meditation. The monkey mind is uninteresting. 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Psi

If you experience synchronicities or other psychic phenomena, then you probably have serious psychological problems. Welladjusted, down to earth people, don't experience synchronicities or paranormal oddities.

In normal everyday life, you are always busy. Your calendar is filled, you have endless assignments, duties, and deadlines. You don't have time to think about the mystical part of life. 

But if the rug is suddenly pulled out from under you, maybe the love of your life leave you for someone else, maybe someone near to you dies, maybe you get laid off, then strong synchronicities or other weird things can begin to happen to you.

Or, is it that you now begin to take notice of them because your sensitivity is heightened because you are in a hypersensitive state of mind?

People who come close to death can sometimes experience incredibly strange things.

So, are all these stories about synchronicities, meetings with angels or dead relatives illusions, hallucinations?


Many people pretend that they know about these things. Some of them say that paranormal phenomena are fantasies. Others pretend that their days are filled with synchronicities or messages from angels.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Spirits are real

Many different spirits can take over you: crazy spirits, evil spirits, angry spirits, egotistical spirits.

You have no power over the spirit or the spirits that have taken over you, but sooner or later they will go somewhere else. Depression won't last forever.

You have no power over spirits, but you can invite them. By abusing a child, you are inviting evil spirits; by giving lots of love to a child, you are inviting friendly and relaxed spirits.

By practicing friendliness, even if your childhood was hard, you are also inviting nice and friendly spirits.

Certain medicines can also chase away troublesome spirits.

And, of course, when you die, your spirits have to find a new body. 

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Metaphysics




Woodcut from Camille Flammarions 1888.


What you perceive is just a small part of everything. Your world is just a microscopic part of the creation.

Maybe this universe is just one universe among tons of universesMaybe there is a God somewhere, who is responsible for all the misery and suffering here.

Maybe our world is like a chicken factory farm. 
The chickens have no idea of what's going on outside.

Science deal only with what's going on inside the chicken farm,
the measurable part of the world. Scientists who speculate about what's going on in the unknown world are not scientific.

The religions deal with what's going on outside, in the metaphysical world.
But they are not unanimous. 

There are thousands of totally different explanations to what's really going on out there, so many fantastic fantasies.

Something is happening out there. Something is going on in the unknown world.
The question is what.


Bildresultat för chicken factory farm


Relaterad bild



Saturday, April 28, 2018

Suppose they gave a war and nobody came


You don´t need to read much history to lose all faith in mankind. 
Endless wars and atrocities in the name of Jahve, Jesus Christ, 
Allah, manifest destiny, truth, democracy, freedom...
Thousands and thousands of years of horrors.

Still, most people you meet are decent and friendly.
How do you explain this? What's wrong with us?
What's wrong with you?

Why can't we stop following crazy, bellicose leaders: 
political leaders, religious leaders, leaders of the pack?
Is it because we are made to follow leaders, like chimpanzees?

Well, we also have the power to resist our natural urges.
It's difficult, but it is possible.
It's possible to jump off the bandwagon.
But you don´t.

You have to have a band to belong to. You have to have a bandleader. 
You can find another group of people to identify yourself with
but you have to belong somewhere. 
You're afraid of being all alone.
You're afraid of traveling alone without a roadmap.
I can understand that.
Nevertheless, it's possible to defect.

Many people have been able to leave their religious cult.
Many people have been able to leave their drinking buddies.
Many political dissidents have left their home, in search of a new home
in a new country, in a new culture.
Even criminal gang members have been able to leave their gang.



Thursday, April 5, 2018

Life is meaningless


If you need a meaning with your life, you have to invent it or get it from someone else. The meaning is not out there somewhere in the yard like an Easter egg placed there by The Easter Bunny.

It's wonderful to find meaning in life. It feels good. To live a life without meaning or purpose is hard. We're not made to live without meaning.

Historians have identified 22 000 different Christian churches, denominations and sects in the history of Christianity. Isn't that amazing, 22 000 different interpretations of the same book?

There are also tons of different kinds of Hinduism, different kinds of Islam, different kinds of Buddhism. This must reasonably mean that you are free to invent your religion or your interpretation of a religious teaching if you feel like it.

You can, of course, also invent a secular philosophy of life or some other kind of belief system. You're free to concoct whatever beliefs you want.

Most people, however, don't have to worry about inventing beliefs or the meaning of everything. They simply believe what they have been told to believe. Family and friends, school and MSM, provide the answers to all questions about the meaning.


Tuesday, March 27, 2018

What is real?


Suppose there is no inner reality 
and no outer reality,
no inner space and no outer space.
Suppose there is just one reality, only one space.
Suppose everything is real:
hallucinations, dreams, and fantasies,
common sense, planets, and stars,
fear, snowstorms, and spiders,
etc. You name it.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Who are you really?


How do you deal with your inner idiot?
Do you try to talk sense to him?
Do you keep a low profile to not upset him more?
Are you under his thumb?
Is he under your thumb?
Do you pretend that he doesn't exist?

And how do you deal with your inner dullard
or your inner sissy?

Is the sensible part of you like a clever psychologist,
or is he like a dutiful police officer?

Do inner parts have a gender?
Is your inner idiot a female?

Have you noticed that there is a part of you 
that is not an idiot, not a dullard, not a sissy,
not a psychologist and not a police officer?

Saturday, March 3, 2018

The true self


You are not acting from your true self
when you are drunk or stoned,
stressed out, depressed
or possessed by a crazy idea...

Are you yourself 
when you're on antidepressant medication?
What do you think?

Who are you really?
Maybe you are not the one you think you are.
Maybe you are someone else.
Maybe you are a bunch of people.

Is the true self an illusion, as the Buddhists say
or is it the eternal core of your being as the Hindus say?
Is it the part of you that goes to heaven or hell when you die?
Is it just brain chemistry?
Is it just an idea, a thought?

What do you think?

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Bad advice

"Know thyself" is not a wise exhortation.
To say “Know thyself” is like saying "Know it all". 
You will never get to know yourself fully.
You can search till the cows come home 
for your true self.
Maybe you can learn a little bit more about yourself
through self-inspection, meditation or psychoanalysis
but you will never get the full story.
Self-awareness is like a movie trailer
to a movie that is not finished yet.

Everything is in constant flux, like a river.
You are not the same person today 
as the one you were last year.
and the one you think you are right now 
will be gone in a few years.
You will grow old and frail,
demented, senile or mentally confused.

Once upon a time you were a fetus
and looked like a little rat pup.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Children and mindfulness meditation


Children are fantasizing too much.
They spend too much time in their fantasy worlds.
They must learn how to sit still 
and pay attention to what the teacher has to say.
It´s important with mathematics, grammar and spelling.
Fairies, ghosts and imagined fighter jets
have nothing to do with the real world.
There is no pilot inside a house fly.
Children can benefit from mindfulness meditation.
Children can learn how to be present, here and now.
Children need discipline.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Mindfulness meditation critique

CEOs endorse mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness meditation improves performance 
and it is lessening the employees health care utilization.

The receptivity for mindfulness is greater in the business community 
than in general academic circles.

By practicing mindfulness, 
the workforce does not get distracted by meaningless questions like:
'How the hell can I work for this company that is selling this crap?' or
'How the hell did I end up in the arms industry?'

Mindfulness practitioners become more and more narrow minded and focused.

The University of Miami offers mindfulness training to combat troops. 


Sunday, January 14, 2018

Drop out

It's not only religions that create problems in the world. Political ideologies and crazy personal beliefs are also very harmful.
 
You need to question your beliefs. Where do they come from? Do they come from your parents or from your friends, from a spiritual teacher or from a priest, from a political leader or from a psychologist? Where do they come from? Which are your own thoughts? Do you have any thoughts that you can call your own?

All people need to question their beliefs and hidden assumptions. 
This is much more important than questioning other peoples ideas.

More people should stop following political and religious leaders. More people should stop sitting in awe at the feet of a Guru. More people should jump off the bandwagon. It's getting urgent.