Garius

I draw upon the olden days when I would have been Garius, Roman orator, leafing thru the latest by scribes for inspiration, or taking quill and ink in hand to scribe inspiration.

 "The only independent element in our selves is the attention of our mind-not our passing thoughts, but the force of attention that is obscurely linked to our thoughts….all great spiritual disciplines are rooted in the understanding of the attention factor in human life and seek to develop in man a stronger and more enduring quality of independent attention."*

  William James wrote that the power of attention is the only aspect of human nature for which we are truly responsible. All ethics and morality are founded on how we direct our attention.

 Many of the Hip generation took great knowledge from Baba Ram Dass's brown paper bag original Be Here Now. The Oprah-ites pay homage to Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now. The power embodied in Now was captured from Emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, the wealthiest and most powerful man of the time when he wrote:

 "If thou wilt separate, … from thy ruling faculty, the things which are attached to it by impressions of sense, and the things time to come and time that is past…and if thou shalt  strive to live only what is really thy life, that is, the present-then thou wilt be able to pass that portion of life which remains for thee up to the time of thy death free from perturbations, nobly and obedient to the god that is with in." **

 As for sermonizing, I'll lengthen my attention, shorten the writing, and continue to be to explore Now, Attention and the meanings of Life.

 *Jacob Needleman, Money, and the Meaning of Life, pg 274

 ** The Thoughts of Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus book II #3 translation pg 291.

Managing Identities - The Teaser

A teaser is my least favorite non-violent identity. I do not like being teased!

 The definition of Tease comes from an old-world word used in shearing sheep. The root of the word tease is from an attempt to pull apart; derived from how the sheep wool tangles were separated to create fibers for cloth. To tease is a useful shearer worker verb. A skill involved in creating the thread for fabric to control the comfort, protection, and beauty of the thread. But tease has evolved into “To annoy or pester; to vex. To make fun of; mock playfully. To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without affording satisfaction.”

 My father teased me. It was his way of giving me attention. It hurt me. I decided I would not tease others. I did not want others to experience that pain. Thanks, dad, for the lessons and learning to not be a teaser.

 Teasing can be good-natured jesting or poking fun at a too large an ego. Many families and friends play the teasing game with great intensity and clever turns of phrases. It is a form of attention. For some being teased is a form of caring, a show of love.

 Comics often use teasing as the shtick for humor in stand-up comedy. It is degradation as an art form, and self-abasement as a way of earning a living.

 For me teasing felt like a way my father was rejecting me. It felt stupid and wrong.

 Why would a father, any family member, or anyone in general reject anyone else?

 Is it because the other person is different?

 Did they tease out of fear, or anger, or because they didn’t know a better way?

 Is there a positive intent when being teased? Teasing can be painful, so is there a positive intent behind pain? 

 I felt a lot of pain from my gout and found a positive intent. Though I suffer the  pain,  I am not miserable.  The positive intent of gout was a further awareness of my body. A greater acceptance in learning to like what I/it dislikes. 

 I write to free myself and others who have been teased to release their fixed attention on the pain and to feel the fun and positive intention of teasing. To mock our over inflated egos playfully with good intent. To be gentle so that the teased feel the love.

 Show care when teasing a child. Let the child be with their miss takes. Support their challenges and sufferings without vexations.

 We are all doing the best we can with the information we have. We can use a helping hand, a gentle heart, and a kind word. Maybe save the teasing for your own selves. 

You University Attention

The college of who you are. 

 How can you get far if you don’t know who you are?

 If you do know who you are wasn’t school fun.? Weren’t there more friends at school, more like-minded beings, newer and exciting stuff?

 Mom and dad weren’t there.

 I loved “show and tell”. The kid with the insect collection, the stories of trip to Yellowstone, the girl who went to the ballet and the kid who got Willie Mays autograph.

 But school was mostly someone else’s agenda.

 They taught the three R’s, with two of them misspelled. Rithmetic, Riting?

 Maybe they meant Rites of Passage, and Rthymetic my new word for keeping the beat.

 Well now those of us who are Elders in Waiting; those who have attained Elderhood; and those youngsters who so patiently wait for the Wisdom of the Aged, it’s time to head back to school.   What do you want to learn?

 What would you like to change, alter, or enhance in your life?

 Is it business, fitness, health, nutrition, arts, home economics, psychology, or building your gratitude muscles?

 Is it about doing what you love?

 Is it time to start a revolution, and take over the campus?

 To develop Co-ed living quarters and pass, no pass grading.

 Time to be student, instructor, and the dean.

 Be a cheerleader, and the captain of the team. Be the B.M.O.C.!

 Have fun back in school and be sure and listen to some Chuck Berry♫.