INTERNAL TEAM

Posted on September 2, 2023

Have been coaching the internal team and it is exciting to share that the learning, perking, and experiencing journey is evolving! As previously mentioned, through work with a quantum energy coach, the author has realized that John most likely would have been a better child, teenager, student, parent, partner, subordinate, soldier, and leader if the 50-year self-awareness and self-development commitment had included coaching for “digging deep” into inner, buried, repressed subconscious aspects of the self. Selected literature refers to these subconscious aspects as shadow,

… the dark side of the psyche-those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned. In the language of psychotherapy, the shadow is referred to as the ‘repressed unconscious’-repressed because we’ve pushed or ‘pressed’ it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we’re not aware of it! [Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston: Integral, 41]

The most recent awareness tool has been Introduction to Internal Family Systems written by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz (2023, Boulder, CO: Sounds True). Dr. Schwartz offers,

…IFS is a collaborative process. Your Self and your therapist’s Self set out together on a healing journey inside your system of parts. You are the expert on your experience—what you encounter on the journey—and the therapist is an expert in helping you hold Self-leadership during the journey. (136)

Anticipation of confidence, wellbeing, clarity, and calmness was inviting, and an evolving definition of Self-leadership surfaced: leadership by Self is an earned, team-based influence relationship between the Self as leader and inner personalities who intend ethical relationships and mirror common purpose, sparkling, energized stars (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) in a quantum universe. Dr. Schwartz calls  the inner team players, the system of inner personalities, exiles, managers, and firefighters; and each player has a protective role to play for the Self. The quantum coach’s role is to facilitate a teambuilding process between the leader and his-her team players through evolving awareness of the Self as leader, identification of internal team players, and helping iron out conflicts between team players and between the leader and respective team players. Reminds of General MacArthur, who in the context of football, remarked, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and in other places, bear the fruits of victory.” In the case of IFS, the TD’s are less stress, more energy, improved relationships, better listening, and simply improved peace-of-mind, joy, and quality of living and life.

The “dig deeper” quantum coaching for evolving, authentic John and little John has led to a wish that this challenge, opportunity, coaching, and learning to “dig deeper” had begun 60 + years ago! Moreover, it offers that young adults who are considering partnership, becoming parents, having kids, and raising kids may benefit from quantum energy coaching mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The vison is that the world is exponentially, positively evolving for generations to come because our parenting is improving.

Steve McIntosh contends,

Although America is plagued with abundant problems and challenges, most of these problems have pragmatic solutions that are within our power to implement. Almost none of these solutions, however, can be realized within our current political environment. Our frustrated, stymied, stalemated, and hyperpolarized political process is stuck in its tracks, and this gridlocked condition is now beginning to cause our social regression. Hyperpolarization is really the mother of all our problems because very few of the serious challenges we face can be adequately addressed until we ameliorate the fractious and frozen state of our body politic. [Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself. 2020. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House, xiii]

The only way to effectively solve this ugly problem is to evolve our collective human condition. A judgement is that polarization can be traced back to programmed subconscious issues with our parents, our parent’s issues with their parents, their ancestors, etc., etc. Folks who are considering parenting need to resolve personal issues and relationship issues before they choose partners, opt to have children, and become parents. Choosing otherwise, the mental-emotional loop will continue, and the predictable result will be more polarization.

If you are anxious to get started, find a meditation coach and learn to meditate. If you are ready to “dig deep” into that shadow, look for a quantum energy coach who is a good fit, while at the same time passionately committing to a balance of integral health, wellness, and wellbeing. Additional literature that may be of interest: Dr. Joe Dispenza, You Are the Placebo; Evolve Your Brain; Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself; and Becoming Supernatural. In closing, a “make new stuff stick” process that really works for the author is contemplating the new learning: write about it, reflect on it, perk it, exercise with it, think about it, chat with others about it, sleep with it, and “simply sit” with it to experience it. Along the way it is important to remember to take good care of yourself because one cannot love others absent love of Self, your team leader.

 

 

 

AUTHORITARIANISM

Posted on August 27, 2023

Today’s media platforms reveal that America’s three-legged democracy stool is missing its third leg. Economics and politics are alive; and the missing third leg, morality, rears its head daily. In the rear-view mirror are values, virtue, ethics, compassion, leadership, character, decency, common good, honesty, integrity, and common beliefs. Witness suppression of voting rights, pandemics turned political, media untruths, cyber and space warfare, infrastructure decay, inequitable wages, healthcare and childcare shortcomings, systemic racism and casts, LGBTQ+ rights questioned, abortion rights removed, Congressional investigations about insurrection, environmental degradation, untreated mental health, home grown terrorism, immigration overload and inhumanity, thriving white supremacy, education state-of-the art, history and funding deficiencies, insane gun control, deterioration of government credibility—SCOTUS, Congress, and Office of the President—and the list continues. The danger is continued and deepening division, fear, autocracy, and fascism. The opportunity is to improve common good, helping others, and caring about others; and merge and participate in interactive dialogue and collectively manifest the missing third leg of the stool, morality, or common good and caring, for America, Americans, and the globe. As Jonathan Sacks offers in Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times,

Recovering liberal democratic freedom will involve emphasizing responsibilities as well as rights; shared rules, not just individual choices; caring for others as well as for ourselves; and making space not just for self-interest but also for common good. Morality is an essential feature of our human environment, as important as the market (economics) and the state (politics), but outsourceable to neither. Morality humanizes the competition for wealth and power. It is the redemption of our solitude. (20)

Authoritarianism has gotten us where we are; and unless we do something different, we will stay where we are and eventually destroy ourselves. In The Passionate Mind Revisited Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad offer, “Authoritarianism has two basic traits: a person or ideology that claims to know what’s best for others; and second, the authority is unchallengeable-not open to feedback and change when shown to be wrong.” (15) If the old, traditionalist worldview wins there is little likelihood the species will survive.

Yes, it feels like the country is a mess and that post truth, and consequently mistrust, is bubbling with conspiracy, spins, lies, partial truths, and more lies! Simply unhealthy ego, work-in-process human condition and shortcomings that are offering platforms for tomorrow’s challenges, opportunities, and evolution. An analytical glance reveals a least common denominator to be polarization, nurtured by festering, unhealthy selves that unleash pain and suffering in many forms.

Digging deep into the dark side of the psyche, contemplation (learning, perking and meditation), and collective, interactive dialogue offer a breath of evolutionary optimism and hope for Americans. Subsequent results can offer productive, interactive, authentic dialogue to build coalitions; teamwork; creation of evolutionary beliefs and values; nurturing and building visions for generations of children; and experiences of compassion as the antibiotic to confront a nasty infection. No one needs to suffer, and no one wants to suffer. We need to transcend and include and not undermine the human desire to evolve and survive.

Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad offer,

Humanity has displayed great creativity in most domains, except for relationships. Most of our problems are a function of unworkable relationships between people, groups, religions, regions, and countries, and humanity’s relation with the Earth. Because killing, or the threat of it, is and has been the bottom line of power, and has given the nature of power and wealth to coalesce and expand, and given that children need lengthy nurturing, humanity has not yet constructed a social system that can sufficiently promote the general wellbeing of large populations…We need an evolutionary leap in relationships to match our extraordinary recent leaps in science and technology and the resulting juggernaut taking us we know not where. Developing our relational and social capabilities must include the global dimension by replacing traditional unlivable, authoritarian ideals with more viable pan-cultural values that can flexibly meet accelerated change. We must learn how to be global social animals at last, through deepening, exploring, and building on the untapped potential in our nature, broadening our awareness, and emotionally maturing-all of which are possible if we care enough about surviving. (357)

Simply, we all need to grow our individual and collective mindfulness, awareness, and self-restraint and put “care” into all we think, say, and do. As good leaders understand and practice, transcending, including, and evolving implies a willingness to listen to and accept those who are different and have belief processes that are different.

 

 

 

PURPOSE-FUTURE

Posted on August 20, 2023

If one is mission [purpose] and vision [future] driven, to evolve sparkling, energized stars in the quantum universe offers infinite challenges and opportunities. And each sparkling, energized partnership can move America closer to the overwhelming task of being united for generations to come.

America is at a crossroads between a democratic republic—freedom, and autocracy—control. As American partners we need to decide what type of country, individually and collectively, we desire; and what each of us can do to facilitate the strategic, competitive, commonsense battle with our global competitors. Some folks will pitch-in and make things happen; some folks will watch what happened; and some folks will wonder what happened.

There are a bunch of strategies and stuff that need to get done: non-political voting rights management, technology building, environmental leadership and management, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, jobs creation, healthcare, childcare, immigration reform, countering systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, minimum wage, climate control, confronting home grown, white supremacy, terrorism, fair share tax reform, COVID-19 vaccinations and preparing for future pandemics, education funding, leading and managing web3, the metaverse, and blockchains, sane gun control, policing in communities, foreign policy, et al. As the two Japanese characters for crisis offer on the tattoo, with danger comes opportunity. The danger is continued and expanded division and autocracy; and the opportunity is to dig deep and work on our unhealthy personal and collective issues, participate in interactive dialogue and coalitions, and get done what is good for all Americans and America.

An opinion is that cultic-tribal addiction—political party sorting—is simply unresolved discomfort within the emotional body, the unhealthy deep stuff, or as offered in Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening (Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston, MA: Integral, page 41, 92-93),

…the shadow or dark side of the psyche, those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned…repressed unconscious…because we’ve pushed or pressed it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we are not aware of it…But the fact that we are not conscious or aware of the shadow does not mean that it has no effect: it just expresses itself through distorted and unhealthy means-or what is typically called neuroses…

In Never Finished, David Goggins offers an eye-opening comment, “…one day, you wake up owned by the person who is destroying you.” (103)

Digging deep, uncovering, balancing, and reintegrating this repressed and denied unconscious to improve our psychological health is process and is not easy; however, the work can free energy that has been spent shadowboxing with the self, making excuses, spinning, blaming, and telling stories. An initial step is simply passionate intent, a sense of openness and a commitment to 100% responsibility (Life happens because of me, not to me.), a willingness to face everything and fear nothing, and taking time out to just sit in the flames of the unresolved discomfort and give birth to penetrating insight, self-restraint, and skillful means. Deep dialogue chats with partners and friends can uncover deep scars and offer learning and reflecting experiences, challenges, and opportunities.

This is simply the evolution of our human condition, and with patience, persistence, education, compassion, learning, common good, loving kindness, virtue, and spirituality, we can move, individually and collectively, forward together. The alternative is further division, closer to autocracy, more lying, zero leadership, orchestrated overthrow of elections, bypass of constitutional order, accelerated division and violence, racism, and direction of a violent insurrections. Individually and collectively, we can grow common good, compassion, virtue, mindfulness, awareness, and self-restraint, and quiet the insatiable, unhealthy ego; and the dampening of anger, egotistical pride, jealousy, envy, doubt, ignorance, attachment, and fear can begin to free energy to nurture peace-of-mind, a sense of happiness and joy, and purpose and relationships created on a solid foundation of compassion. Let us get this job done for all Americans, not just a select few. Casts, conflicting political messages, and deliberate, negative words that separate, attack, and divide are simply wrong.

If open to the challenge, ready for the opportunity, and in need of a boost to get started: 1) In her Mindfulness Journal, Catherine Price recommends, Buy a pack of small stickers—any kind will do—and place a dozen or so around your home and office in noticeable places, such as your bathroom mirror, your computer, the back of your phone, the wall behind your kitchen sink, your alarm clock, or the cover of (your) journal. Every time you see one of these stickers, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, BREATHE, AND BE. 2) Locate a credible meditation instructor and learn to meditate. 3) Questions for reflection and journaling: What unlocks compassion? What manifests happiness, joy, and peace-of-mind? What are the personal, predictable behaviors that show up daily? Do I have a thinking-feeling loop that has been showing up for a few years?

The individual and collective mission is to evolve sparkling, energized stars and sparkling, energized partnerships in the quantum universe. And each sparkling, energized star and partnership can move America closer to the overwhelming task of being united for generations to come.

 

 

 

SPARKLING ENERGIZED STAR

Posted on August 12, 2023

Today it feels like we humans are stuck chin deep in the past, nurtured by a mental-emotional loop that offers more of the same predictable outcomes. A frequent judgement is that cultic-tribal addiction—political party sorting—is simply unresolved discomfort within the emotional body, or as offered in Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening (Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston, MA: Integral, page 41, 92-93),

…the shadow or dark side of the psyche, those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned…repressed unconscious…because we’ve pushed or pressed it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we are not aware of it…But the fact that we are not conscious or aware of the shadow does not mean that it has no effect: it just expresses itself through distorted and unhealthy means-or what is typically called neuroses…safety and security are sought by bonding together and identifying (fusing) with a tribe in order to persevere and protect against outsiders. Allegiance and admiration are given to the chief…emergence of a sense of self (ego) distinct from the tribe, although it often acts impulsively on behalf of its favored group.

Undoing and reintegrating this repressed and denied unconscious to improve our psychological health is process, is not easy, and can be painful and scary; however, the work can free energy that has been spent shadowboxing with the self, most often since we were kids. An initial step is simply passionate intent and a sense of openness and a commitment to face everything and fear nothing. Just sit in the flames of unresolved discomfort and evolve with sparkling, energized presence in a quantum universe. And because we harbor emotional junk does not make us bad folks, it simply shows up as stress, sucks our energy, harms our relationships with others, and the body keeps the score.

Dr. Joe Dispenza, in Becoming Supernatural, offers,

Integral to this process is not squandering our energy by emotionally reacting to leaders or people in power. When they capture our emotions, they capture our attention, and thus they have captured our energy. This is how people gain power over us. Instead, we must make a stand for principles, values, and moral imperatives like freedom, justice, truth, and equality. When we achieve this through the power of the collective, we will unite behind the energy of oneness rather than be controlled by the idea of separation. This is when standing up for truth is no longer personal, but through unifying and building community, becomes personal. (Pages 321, 322)

Quality, common good, compassion, and virtue can indeed become our partners. Recent digging deep with a quantum healing coach has been quite challenging. Learning to coach perfectionist Little John has orchestrated the reflection juices, the sitting turbulence, the mental gymnastics, and the emotional canoe in the ocean absent a paddle. At times it has been difficult to simply take a time out, listen to pineal activation music, and just be present. Recent curiosities have been what “happy” feels like and whether the current path is just another adventure on the awareness journey. Dispenza contends, “To stand up for justice and peace, then, you must first find peace within yourself. You must then demonstrate peace to others, which means you can’t make a stand for peace or be peace while you’re warring with your neighbor, hating your co-worker, or judging your boss.” (Page 321) Choose peace starting with peace-of-mind! It might just offer a sparking, energized star in a quantum universe.

 

 

 

QUANTUM COACHING

Posted on August 5, 2023

Through work with a quantum energy coach the author has realized that John would have been a better child, teenager, student, parent, partner, subordinate, soldier, and leader if the 50-year self-awareness and self-development commitment had included coaching for “digging deep” into inner, buried, repressed subconscious aspects of the self. Selected literature would refer to these subconscious aspects as shadow,

… the dark side of the psyche-those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned. In the language of psychotherapy, the shadow is referred to as the ‘repressed unconscious’-repressed because we’ve pushed or ‘pressed’ it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we’re not aware of it! [Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli. 2008. Boston: Integral, 41]

The “dig deeper” quantum coaching for authentic John and little John has led to a wish that this challenge, opportunity, and learning to “dig deeper” had begun 60 + years ago! Moreover, it offers that young adults who are considering partnership, becoming parents, having kids, and raising kids may benefit from quantum energy coaching mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The vison is that the world is exponentially, positively evolving for generations to come because our parenting is improving.

Steve McIntosh contends,

Although America is plagued with abundant problems and challenges, most of these problems have pragmatic solutions that are within our power to implement. Almost none of these solutions, however, can be realized within our current political environment. Our frustrated, stymied, stalemated, and hyperpolarized political process is stuck in its tracks, and this gridlocked condition is now beginning to cause our social regression. Hyperpolarization is really the mother of all our problems because very few of the serious challenges we face can be adequately addressed until we ameliorate the fractious and frozen state of our body politic. [Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself. 2020. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House, xiii]

The only way to effectively solve this ugly problem is to evolve our collective human condition. A judgement is that polarization can be traced back to programmed subconscious issues with our parents, our parents’ issues with their parents, their ancestors, etc., etc. Folks who are considering parenting need to resolve personal issues and relationship issues before they choose partners, opt to have children, and become parents. Choosing otherwise, the mental-emotional loop will continue, and the predictable result will be more polarization.

An opinion is that student curricula need to include the opportunity and challenge to begin to resolve personal parental relationship issues with quantum energy coaching. Quantum energy coaching can help an individual begin to identify, perk, and experience personal parental issues and coach the person through resolving the issues by uncovering and being present with the issues while at the same time learning self-restraint and “how to” tactfully coach others. The result will be better leaders and parents, if the choice is to have children.

Long-term, while training future leaders for America, institutions can also be leaders in beginning to solve the polarization issue and support evolution of our collective human condition. It simply must begin with how our leaders are trained and kids are raised. The goal is authenticity and expressing love, gratitude, hope, trust, common good, and compassion felt in the heart as well as speaking truth and personally empowering reality through verbal and non-verbal language and energy. Lots of warm fuzzies, compassion, common good, virtue, and loving cold pricklies!

If you are anxious to get started, find a meditation instructor, and learn to meditate. If you are ready to “dig deep” into that shadow, look for a quantum energy coach who is a good fit, while at the same time passionately committing to a balance of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing. Some literature that may be of interest: Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself. 2020. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House; Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli. 2008. Boston: Integral; and Dr. Joe Dispenza, You Are the Placebo; Evolve Your Brain; Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself; and Becoming Supernatural. In closing, a “make new stuff stick” process that really works for the author is allowing the new learning to perk [write about it, reflect on it, think about it, chat with others about it, sleep with it, etc.], and “simply sit” with it to experience it. It has been routine for the author to be open to receive new material and quickly move on having the new learning not stick. Along the way it is important to remember to take good care of yourself because one cannot love others absent love of self.

 

 

 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Posted on July 29, 2023

As the 2024 Presidential election unfolds; and as we witness the dark divide becoming wider, deeper, nastier, and darker, contrasting potential candidates for President is interesting. It appears the critical decision is to vote for the candidate who has a quality profile, i.e., 1) is objective and not self-serving and decides based on what is in the best interests of America; 2) is committed to common good, compassion, virtue, and integrity; and 3) can best transcend and include others and consciously evolve a sane American culture.

How one chooses to “show-up” in the world can be critiqued by researching, examining, and witnessing talents, skills, and experiences; making observations; and scrutinizing character, personality, mentality, and interests. Let us take-a-look at Former President Donald J. Trump.

Talents, Skills, and Experiences

A narcissistic drama-seeker who covers a fragile ego with a bullying impulse and has taken democracy to the brink. (Maggie Haberman, Confidence Man, 506) Life’s goal has been to gain and maintain position power, at any cost. Witness a track record of business and government failures, investigations and numerous lawsuits and absolute chaotic disasters: most consequential president in history; puppet of Vladimir Putin; foreign policy bullying, badgering, and destroying; abandoned allies; personal business endeavors with several bankruptcies; North Korean nuclear weapons stockpile doubled; pandemic management and leadership was non-existent, dereliction of duty, passed buck off to governors who became blame targets; enlisted foreign interference in elections (Russia and China); several obstruction of justice charges; impeachment proceedings; insurrection; multiple legal cases lost and pending; accepts payoffs for positions; and has numerous Trump party cronies who are lost souls in search of a tribe and chief. No decisions are made based on strategic plans, strategies, goals, and objectives; makes decisions on how he feels at the time; can handle small projects and sign executive orders; not able to lead projects large in scope; selection of judges, environmental deregulations and deconstruction of institutions may be legacy; and immigration policy is inhumane. Is a master at using neuroses [The dark side of the psyche: denied, repressed, disowned and projected subconscious aspects of the Self.] to create stories (“fake news”) that strategically move the “lightning rod” from the Trump Party to others in order to trigger the psyche of perceived “enemies” and his base. Others become the personification of the wrongs and inexcusable of the Trump Party: Russian interference, Ukraine, racism, nativism, gloating, tax cuts for the rich, Supreme Court justices, bullying, outrages, fake news, etc., etc.  As Bernie Sanders has eloquently noted, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.” Accepting responsibility for anything is not his cup of tea. Blaming others is his ballgame. Just take him Diet Coke and wash his dirty laundry.

• Track record of complicating the story narrative, throwing sand in the eyes of the onlooker, claiming that transparently implausible stories were true unless proven otherwise, and denying the obvious truth.

Observations

Donald J. Trump is a genius at networking and using the media to recruit, retain, and fire, at will, addicted surrogates, circles of friends, admirers, celebrity hangers-on, and wannabes who savor and long for safety and security sought by bonding together and identifying with a tribe in order to persevere and protect against outsiders. Allegiance and admiration are given to the chief and clan. Mystical signs, conspiracy, and desires of powerful spirit beings must be followed for the continued safety and well-being of the tribe. Years of behaviors reveal the following:

• Does not understand duty, honor, and country.
• A cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a predator, a con man.
• Racist, incendiary, toxic, casts hate, disruptive, name caller, and divisive, unfit for political office.
• Repeatedly has disparaged the intelligence of service members: Americans who die in war are “losers” and “suckers.”
• Deny, deny, deny; accuse, accuse, and accuse. The magic formula: D cubed—disease, disaster, division; and he continues to escape responsibility and being held accountable for anything by anybody.
• Tax cuts were a corporate “boondoggle.”
• Vision for country is merely to fix what his administration undermined, agitated, deconstructed, or destroyed during his time in office. Examples: intelligence, FBI, CIA, U.S. Postal Service, voting integrity, Supreme Court, and CDC.
• Stokes fear, celebrity, and brand building; and show-photo opportunity is the foundation for his rhetoric. Is a stand-up comic.
• Staff selection of addicted surrogates has been a disaster and revolving door; and demands loyalty even if unethical, yes sir, no sir, no excuse sir; or you are fired.
• Surrounded by fixers and “yes men;” encourages rivalries and thrives on personal attacks.
• Protected by political party sorted, partisan, power worldview associates of the Federal government institution he and his cronies choose to deconstruct and destroy.
• Conspiracist (example QAnon) and guilty of political cowardice, blaming, passing the buck, and dereliction of duty; shirked constitutionally mandated duty and rewards misconduct.
• Sexist and multiple lawsuits and misconduct behaviors.
• Racist: a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.
• Dishonest, arrogant, and narcissist; uses position and financial power for personal gain.
• Creates martyr complex, irrelevance, and distractions; misleads, boasts and is egotistical, promotes blamelessness of self, never wrong, and anxious to criticize.
• People mistakes and poor interpersonal relations skills.
• Lies, denies, blames, and spins; egotistical and self-serving; unqualified for the position.
• Having been President and playing golf reveal the real person: you cannot hide. Read Commander-in-Cheat.

Character, Personality, Mentality, and Interests.

• Low-functioning includes persons who “… do not exhibit polished and polite behaviors as a mask for their manipulations…may lack the education or interpersonal skills to control and deceive. Instead they might use threats, coercion, or intimidation to achieve their desired outcome.” (Source: Dr. Timothy J. Legg, “What Is a High-Functioning Sociopath?”, 5-28-2019, https://www.healthline.com, 1-3.)
• Narcissistic sociopath: one form of antisocial personality disorder and is the result of environmental factors such as a child or teen’s upbringing in a negative household that resulted in physical abuse, emotional abuse, or childhood trauma. (Sources: Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough, 2020, Simon & Schuster; https://psychcentral.com, Dr. John M. Grohol, “Differences Between a Psychopath vs Sociopath,” 5-20-2020, 1-5; Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford, “Psychopath vs Sociopath: 16 Key Differences,” 9-7-2018, 1-3; https://www.health.com, Rosie McCall, “9 Ways to Spot a Sociopath,” 10-4-2019, 1-7.
• Gangster, corrupt, and behaves as if above the law.
• A stale, nasty breath of death, hate, narcissism, chaos, fear, conspiracy, norm erosion, “dark,” institutional deconstruction, and neo-facism.

Partisan politics is a dangerous duel of limited and partial truths; and binds party sorted folks to fixed, literal or otherwise limiting beliefs and frames of minds. Political party sorted, addicted surrogates make obvious excuses for candidates and excuse the inexcusable with respect to virtue, morality, judgment, intent, behavior, actions, ethics, and laws. W. Edwards Deming remarked, “If a person is not performing as expected, it is probably because they are miscast for the job.” Michael Cohen offers, “No one ever tells Trump the truth about his behavior and beliefs, or the consequences of his conduct and ignorance and arrogance, in business or in his personal life and now in politics. Trump is the boy in the bubble, impervious to the thoughts and feelings or others, entirely and utterly focused on his own desires and ambitions.”

Donald J. Trump is a power-hungry gangster who is unfit to occupy the Office of the President of the United States of America. Examine and deeply reflect on his profile. As a country, we need a President who will lead the country, improve the country, and set the stage for future generations, not one who will continue to deconstruct the many institutions that are the foundation and pillars of the America Americans desire.

HEADY GOLFER

Posted on July 23, 2023

In 1999 the self-awareness journey took this golfer to downtown Denver and the Tattered Cover bookstore, near Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. The search was to uncover a connection between the body and the mind. Having recently read Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson, Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and The Warrior Within by Bruce Lee, the mystery of the Tattered Cover bookshelves seemed to have awaited literature that would gallantly reveal the secrets of the mind-body connection. Secret: 24 years later the secrets of the mind-body connection are still time-space away, simply evolution-in-process.

Wandering to the Buddhist literature offered The Art Happiness by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. This book was to unfold a fruitful journey to Naropa University, three years of Tibetan Buddhist meditation training, study of the five Wisdom Traditions, Study Abroad in Sikkim India and, thanks to son Doug and wife Cindy, a renewed connection to the game of golf with a necessary learned skill of self-restraint. As this perfectionist-reformer golfer came to realize, two shanks into a lake on the right of a fairway can quickly mess with the golfer’s monkey mind and put it on the verge of insanity with a fit of anger and a dose of fear.

In Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole New World (2011, NY, NY: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 130-34), the Dalai Lama offers,

…it is helpful to consider the onset of destructive emotion as a kind of causal chain, which starts with an external stimulus and ends with our behavioral response. The aim of emotional awareness is to bring our attention or mindfulness into this split-second process, and thereby to gain control over it.

This split-second process—a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end—is like a speeding train with five cars:

1) A trigger-stimulus: a shanked golf ball goes into the lake on the right of the fairway.

2) Perception of the stimulus: we see the golf ball flying toward the lake; and we see and hear the ball plopping into the water leaving a nice circular ripple.

3) Interpretation: less than a millisecond later, arising in the mind is the exaggerated judgment that the golfer stupidly shanked the shot into the lake.

4) Emotional response: quickly followed by anger, annoyance, or irritation, the inner cauldron is beginning to bubble.

5) Behavioral response: very quickly, we say something, or do something in retaliation…nasty words, a club slammed into the ground, a thrown club.

Once the golfer understands this causal chain, the challenge is to interrupt its flow, catch the self, and bring awareness to the process evolving the skill of self-restraint. The Dalai Lama offers,

…it is easiest to start near the end-between the emotional reaction and its behavioral expression. Then, as we become more familiar with the process and our emotional awareness develops over time, we can work our way back along the causal chain, with the ultimate goal of quelling or eliminating the afflictive emotion altogether. (132)

Give it a try! It is such a thrill to catch oneself before the irritation ruins the hole, a relationship, or the round. Self-restraint can be like a 15^th club in the golf bag. Stop what you are doing. Breathe. Be. Acknowledge the reflection-trigger-stimulus; and respond instead of reacting. It just feels better! And the next shot is much easier and more fun. Self-restraint is a wonderful, learned skill. The nice thing about a golf ball, even though it may occasionally hide, is that it is always honest and offers honest, authentic feedback. A nice question: When was the last time you received authentic feedback from your best golf buddy? Was it golf ball like feedback? The mind-body connection is still time-space away and evolution-in-process. Perhaps they are simply connected and quantum, and this golfer just chose to separate them.

 

 

A JOURNEY

Posted on July 15, 2023

Saying “hello” to the authentic self (The deepest core of who one is.) is evolution-in-process. What does it mean to “show up” as the authentic self? When the desired, targeted thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors match actual thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors as one goes about life and living on a moment-to-moment basis. Moreover, the actual thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors must be in sync with each other. The alternative to the authentic self is to show up as the presented self, the “people pleasing” mode, the thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors that surface based on what is expected of us or based on social or peer pressure. This is living the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered— Mom, Dad, Gma, Gpa, teachers, monks, imams, priests, nuns, rabbis, coaches, mentors, ministers, military buddies, Army brass, professors, classmates, neighbors, bosses, spouses, kids, etc. These programs are the result of our past thinking and our tomorrows the result of our present thinking based on what society encourages. Christian Larson’s message is clear: our sickness, disease, illness, health, wellness, and wellbeing are reflections of the language we live in; and since birth the conscious mind (5% of who we are) has been programming the subconscious mind (95% of who we are) to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered.

The challenge and opportunity are to become aware of the gap between the presented self and the authentic self to uncover areas that need to change for the gap to close and put us closer to showing up as the authentic self. In addition, we need to learn how to master the skill to communicate with one another beyond the presented self-ego and bring to life the mysterious collective intelligence that lives between and among us but is not specific to any of us. (Cohen, 13)

Andrew Cohen contends,

One of the remarkable discoveries made in many years of practicing a contemporary spiritual path is that enlightened awareness can not only come alive in the interior of an individual-as a ‘Higher I’-but also in the interior of a collective-as a ‘Higher we.’ When this mysterious new kind of enlightenment emerges, it expresses itself in the space between us-and it effectively becomes the intersubjective experience of the whole group. (Manifest Nirvana: A Sanctuary for 21^st Century Spiritual Explorers, 1)

Christian Larson’s message is clear: our sickness, disease, illness, health, wellness, and wellbeing are reflections of the language we live in; and since birth the conscious mind (5% of who we are) has been programming the subconscious mind (95% of who we are) to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered. These programs are the result of our past thinking and our tomorrows the result of our present thinking. We have been our mental parents, and we shall be our own mental children. All that a person does and brings to pass is the vesture of thought. What one thinks and passionately or lazily passes along to the body as a “must do” or “should do” is what one gets. The challenge is to close the gap between the authentic self, the language of integrity, and the others’ self that we have chosen to create because of what others have offered and we have chosen. The challenge and opportunity are to tell the truth. As a perfectionist-reformer-know it all who fears rejection, has targeted having everything right, and has rejected the imperfect for eight decades, recognizing and admitting reality about the presented self stir inner chaos, tantrums, and stress that is paralyzing and distracting, and generates and reinforces suffering, sickness, disease, and illness. What should one do to close the gap between John’s John (authentic self) and others’ John? Interesting questions:

• What does it feel like when “presenting John”? Controlled, angry or one of its many varieties, irritated, grumpy, condescending, critical, intolerant, impatient, elevated voice, controlling (soft-nice, or hard- nasty).
• Do you notice anything physically or emotionally different? Tight, rigid, not focused, distracted. A-fib occasionally pays a visit when stress endures.
• Do you feel happy or guilty when you are being authentic, or are you tired? Guilty and tired.
• Do your breathing patterns change? Shortness of breath.
• Any change in appetite? Stressed, not hungry, nauseated.
• What are thoughts? Positive. Negative. Self-motivated. Other motivated. Angry: Where have all the years gone? The “shoulds and oughts” are eight decades old.

Yes!! We are reflections—thinking, personality, character, and state of wellness—of the language we live-in: intrapersonal, interpersonal, person-to-persons, social media, and mass media. Larson’s message: have a clear, conscious vision of the desired well state of being (high level of wellness), health, and integral wholeness; and program the subconscious with the vision. A beginning…

-Simple.

-Virtues: gratitude, trust-hope, compassion; courage and honesty; and integrity and prudence.

-Master of authentic self and model the way as a person, in relationships, socially, institutionally, culturally, by helping others, and caring about others.

-Quality, common good, compassion, and virtue in all I am and all I do.

-Peace of mind with purpose and connections created on a foundation of compassion.

-Wellness: point where an individual is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually capable of maintaining his-her highest quality of life (lifestyle and habits) through self-responsibility, self-leadership, and self-management.

-Illness: individual looks for cause and medical professional is partner in resolving the illness rather than as a “fix it” handyperson.

-Quality of life attributes manifested through personality and character are evolutionary, revolutionary, leading edge, and a creative leap forward.

-Authentic happiness is process, an evolving journey, and a reasonable goal.

Let the subconscious mind programming begin through the brain center and conscious mind connection…

-Concentrate on finer mental life that permeates physical brain (organ).

-Directions to subconscious (95% of who one is.) through brain center.

-Physical ailments: concentrated on subconscious mentality that permeates the organ, muscle, or nerve.

-Impress conscious realization on any part of body: think it, feel it, see it, taste it, smell it, and touch it.

-Physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental wellness: integral life practice.

-Harmony of the human organs and eleven human systems.

Yes! We are thinking, personality, character, and wellness reflections of the language we live in. Let’s live in the language of the authentic self! Close the gap between the authentic self and the represented self, the healthy ego, and the unhealthy ego. Simply one step at a time, a journey. Perfectionism creates stress, distractions, and tantrums! The vision offers happiness, a manner of traveling with strategies as follows:

-Tell the truth, do not lie or deceive. Honesty, integrity, and morality.

-Meditate for healthy partnership of the conscious and subconscious minds and for mindfulness, awareness, and self-restraint.

-Guided meditation therapy.

Some First Step Resources

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, Dr. Joe Dispenza

Evolving Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind, Dr. Joe Dispenza

You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter, Dr. Joe Dispenza.

Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon, Dr. Joe Dispenza

 

 

 

 

STARRY DAYS, STARRY NIGHT TIMES

Posted on July 8, 2023

Anger, impatience, frustration, resentment, fear, depressing times,

Mired, thinking-feeling loop, past repeating, future predicted. Simply sit.

Quantum mind, starry days, starry night times,

Somebody, something, someone, somewhere, in some time, simply sit.

 

Stress, sickness, pain, illness, disease, body is mind, unhealthy times,

Physical and mental environments alike. Simply sit.

Quantum mind, starry days, starry night times,

Somebody, some thing, someone, somewhere, in some time, simply sit.

 

Bridge, new future ahead, healing in process, heart-mind wedding times.

Wedded clear intention and elevated emotion, abs pumping, songs playing. Simply sit.

Quantum mind, starry days, starry night times,

No body, no one, nothing, nowhere, in no time, simply sit.

 

Common good, compassion, love, virtue, joy, gratitude, heart knows no times.

Pineal busy, brain orgasm, quantum universe, supernatural songs, wow! Simply sit.

Deep breathe, tighten abs, push. Quantum mind, starry days, starry night times.

Everybody, everyone, everything, everywhere, every time, simply sit.

100% RESPONSIBILITY

Posted on July 1, 2023

When was the last time you heard a politician say, “I am the one responsible for this screw-up.”? Clinging to false narratives with blaming, excuses, no desired results, CYA mentality, justifying, lying, denying, spinning, and defending simply produces more of the same. And when the choice is to do more of the same, the country will stay where it is—divided and teetering on the brink of collapse.

Many folks act as if this formula were true: Desired Results = Not Desired Results + Excuses. If the shoe fits, request that you wear it! Stop spinning those wheels and make a conscious choice not to give away power and influence by passing the buck, blaming, and justifying. It is a waste of time! There is a unifying option and better strategy: commitment to the concept of 100% responsibility, life happens because of me not to me. [Hyler Bracey, Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford & Roy Trueblood, Managing from the Heart, 1990, Atlanta, GA: Heart Enterprises; and training handout, “100% RESPONSIBILITY,” The Atlantic Consulting Group, 1986]

The concept of 100% responsibility is simple: I am 100% responsible for what happens; and other people are not responsible; not 50-50; not 100-100. It is 100-0! There is no one else to blame. Whatever happens, I did it. Whatever the result, I created it. Accepting what happens if you are 100% responsible, and others are 0% responsible, empowers one as opposed to making one dependent on other people and events. Imagine the power of the country if everyone were assuming 100% responsibility for its success. Imagine how refreshing it would be for every American to be examining what they did and what they could do rather than wasting energy getting off the hook. Perhaps the greatest value in 100% responsibility is that the focus moves to producing desired results and not wasting time finding ways to avoid responsibility. [Hyler Bracey, Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford & Roy Trueblood, Managing from the Heart, 1990, Atlanta, GA: Heart Enterprises; and training handout, “100% RESPONSIBILITY,” The Atlantic Consulting Group, 1986.]

In Beyond Religion (2011, NY, NY: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 83), the Dalai Lama offers wisdom,

…if we are really interested in tackling our problems at their roots—whether we are talking about human conflict, poverty, or environmental destruction—we must recognize that they are ultimately related to issues of ethics. Our shared problems do not fall from the sky, nor are they created by some higher force. For the most part, they are products of human action and human error. If human action can create these problems in the first place, then surely, we humans must have the capacity as well as the responsibility to find their solutions. The only wat we can put them right is by changing our outlook and our ways, and by taking action.

With a commitment to the mantra, “I am 100% responsible,” important steps will have been made to empower each of us, to heal our great country, and to move forward today for generations to come. It is certainly not catastrophic to accept responsibility, determine what the issue is, determine what needs to be done to fix it, fix it, and move on.