Brooklyn is Badass

There are many reasons why Brooklyn is badass. But here are two:

1) I just found out that the dog rescue team I started volunteering with was in the news (video below). They deserve it! They are so badass & so awesome. Guess what their name is? Well it’s Brooklyn Badass Dog Rescue, of course. It’s an all-volunteer-run group that saved over 800 animals. Through them, I recently met Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Training and got the opportunity to sit-in on one of his training sessions. I learned so much! I highly recommend him if you have a dog. Jeff works in several cities, but recently opened an office in Brooklyn. –Thank you, Brooklyn Badass Dog Rescue & Solid K-9 Training for making a difference and taking action. I am learning so much from you. I’m super inspired. :)

2) I just found out that my Friday morning yoga teacher David Silverberg was in the news (video below). He is super cool & totally badass. And so is his friend Gerald “Jerry” Koch, who could face up to 18 months in federal prison for refusing to testify in front of a federal grand jury (get the full scoop Here). –Thank you, David & Jerry for taking a stand and for making your voices heard (in Jerry’s case, not saying anything is a powerful way to be heard).

I’m so proud to live in Brooklyn. Who knows how long I’ll be living here, but after almost 20 years of living in this city, I can say that Brooklyn and its badass residents have made me what I am today (*scratches head* …not sure what that is, but whatever I am, Brooklyn in responsible in so many ways). –Thank you, Brooklyn!

-If you want to help by making a donation or adopting a rescued dog, visit Brooklyn Badass Dog Rescue.
-If you have a dog that needs training (or saving! Jeff Gellman works with very difficult dogs), visit Solid K9 Traning.
-If you want to help Gerald “Jerry” Koch in his plight for his (and ours!) constitutional rights, visit JerryResists.
-If you want to take David Silverberg’s yoga classes (he’s not your average yoga teacher), visit DouYoga or HoshYoga.

[Picture of David in his Namaste Tree Pose via BrooklynBoulders // Picture of rescued one-eyed pup via Hilary Benas // Picture of rescued tongue-love pup via Kate Black]

Bankruptcy is Bliss! How Filing for Bankruptcy can Create Clarity & Abundance :)

In late 2010 I decided to put the wheels in motion and file for bankruptcy. My papers were processed in 2011, and I received a complete discharge in 2012. Between contacting a lawyer and getting all debt cleared, it was almost laughable. Every part of it was like a joke. And believe me, the joke is on us (consumers, the average person). There were so many scams being pulled throughout the whole process: from the government all the way to the common junk mailer. Everyone had some sort of hustle. Even the court trustee played dirty. He contacted the owner of my building to see if my apartment was rent stabilized — he wanted to know if there could be money made by evicting me (thus sharply raising the rent & finding a new tenant who would pay much more). He wanted to work a deal with the owner. Luckily, I have a great relationship with the owner, and I’ve always been one of their best tenants. So they just ignored the trustee & sided with me. Eventually the trustee gave up & saw there was nothing to gain from my situation.

Last week I heard about Casey Anthony and her trustee. The fact that the trustee wanted to own the rights to her life story and sell it didn’t surprise me in the least. Ya, they could say it’s to pay her credit debt off, but it’s really just a massive hustle by the whole system — from the banks & credit card companies, to the government & courts, to the small parasite businesses taking advantage of loopholes — everyone wants a piece. It’s all a big game. That’s what loans & credit cards are …game. Every game comes to an end. [To learn more about the game read The Debt We Shouldn't Pay and watch Money as Debt, The truth about Money - Part 1 & Part 2 & Part 3. You can watch Part 1 at the end of this blog post, it's embedded.]

When people think a game is real, they get hurt. Not only physically, but more so emotionally. Our country is hurting. Not so much the big guys, or one ones calling the shots with all the cards in their hands, but the average player. The common guy or average family that thinks they are getting ahead by playing along. But what are they truly gaining by passively following (or by trying to emulate what they see on TV)? Have they lost touch with what really matters in life? With what is truly real? Are they aware of what is most valuable?

Everyone should be clear: forget your credit — your life is on the line! I’ve seen way too many people miserable over money matters. I’ve even seen friends, family & couples split up over debt or financial disagreements. We are not pawns in a game. We are living beings, gifted with the opportunity of life. Gifted with the precious ability to feel & to love & to see. Why is that not our focus? When did money take the front seat and drive the destiny of our lives? Where is our sense of Self worth? Is it the ‘small self’ or ego that is always worried, always chasing the carrot? The one always looking for approval & comfort? If so, that isn’t the real you. The carrot journey never ends. Oh, yes it does — pardon me. It ends at death. When we realize what truly matters.

The reason I filed or even thought of filing for bankruptcy was because I had a slow death. It started very gradually, slowly, but became very noticeable in 2007. Something in me was dying, and in 2008 it died. Everything I knew myself to be, all that I enjoyed being distracted by …died. I had been someone that loved art my whole life. I was the kid in their room drawing, while all the other kids were outside playing. I loved museums, and all creative things. I loved visual things & magazines. I even became an artist and worked in creative fields for 20 years. It all came to a crashing halt. I no longer wanted to make ‘stuff’ or buy stuff or felt inspired by stuff. I was suddenly turned off by it. I felt the weight & the responsibility for what it takes to make this stuff. You can call it art, or fashion, or interior design, or a cup to drink out of — just the whole idea of creating & shopping and the toxicity of it (not only for the person who’s creating it, but for the homes that store it and the landfills that eventually receive it). Everyone is destroying their health and the environment with the need for stuff. To have stuff or to make stuff. I just couldn’t do it anymore.

The ‘death’ or realization came after I finished a serious of bronze sculptures I was working on for a client. When the project was complete, I went to Africa for a month. After my return, I was clear that I was no longer going to make art or stuff for clients. At least not the way I was doing it before. I was going to allow a new work, a new career & purpose for myself to emerge. Well, long story long — it didn’t emerge! After returning from Africa, I got very ill, and I had problems with my old spinal injury (from 1997). I used my credit cards to live for a while, and to pay for medical bills. Needless to say, they piled up.

I found myself not wanting anything that creates and (supposedly) fulfills the life of an average human being: children, family, marriage/partnership, career, things, home, car, pets, property, hobbies, etc. I had no feeling or desire towards any of  it. No goal to achieve it, no want to have it, no idea that it could bring me happiness — no interest at all. I found myself in a very odd place. I found the world and most people’s dreams totally unrelatable. What I thought might pass and resolve itself in a year or so, quickly turned into 5 years.

My love for art, or visual creative stuff never returned. My desire to go back to work, doing what I was doing before (making stuff that is toxic to people & to the planet) never returned. And neither did a new inspiring career to replace the old one. That never surfaced either. But what did was synchronicity. Perfect opportunities, that suited the new me. The right people at the right times. I met people that wanted me to teach. People that were excited about things that I knew how to do. I also met a person that was excited about getting land, and living off-the-grid. I teamed up with this person & I bought 5 acres of land (with their help & the help of a best friend).

All of the energy from the people I’ve been working with lately got me inspired to start a new business. It’s a business that teaches people how to be boundless (via e-books & videos). The business I’m beginning inspires me because it helps people to remember who they are. Who they really are; the Self they get in contact with at death. When one realizes that all the stuff in their lives is not what’s most important. All that they work to buy or keep up or represent, in the end has no value for them. What matters most is what could be felt. Was I loved? Did I love well? Was I present to feel life’s unconditional gifts? Did I truly appreciate the gift that was my life?

The interesting thing is, I don’t miss credit or credit cards at all (my life is so much easier & better without them!). I never needed a bank loan to buy land. I’m living with more freedom and more abundance then I’ve ever experienced. Not to mention, love. The amount of love in my life is unfathomable to the former me. Everyday is a celebration of life. Everyday I’m grateful for the little things. I’m healthier and more connected to my body, to nature & to all living beings. Life feels sacred again. I’m debt free, and my mind is free.

I’m also making moves towards a life of self-sufficiency, by moving to the country with my partner. Which I hope to do in the next year or two. I want to teach people how to grow their own food, make their own home, and find peace in simply being. Life could be really-really simple. It doesn’t have to be a money & status game. There are no “I bought my happiness” winners of that game. There are no winners in life. But there are ones who are successful. My definition of success is an unconditional constant abundance of peace, love & happiness. If you have achieved or realized those — you are rich.

The Dhamma Brothers: How Vipassana Meditation Transforms Lives

The Dhamma Brothers is a documentary film about the first maximum-security prison in the USA to use a Vipassana meditation program (Vipassana means insight or clear-seeing) to rehabilitate its prisoners. (There is also another prison documentary called Doing Time, Doing Vipassana that shows how this program works. The program is Indian in origin.)

In the film you learn about the 10 day Vipassana meditation program, as well as what its like to be part of the program. You will also witness the results. At the bottom of this blog post is a recent letter that one of the prisoners sent to the film’s director Jenny Phillips. The prisoners continue their meditation practice to this day (it’s been over 10 years). The program truly transformed their lives, it gave them a life long practice, a tool for not only understanding the self, but for greater awareness & peace.

I won’t say much more about the film, other than to see it. As far as Vipassana programs go — I recommend them. I’ve participated in several Vipassana programs over the years (at Spirit Rock & Insight Meditation Society). The basic program is outlined in the documentaries: 10 days of silence & meditation — no talking, no reading, no music, no phone, no entertainment, no vigorous exercise, no computer — just 10 hours of meditation daily (plus eating & sleeping & walking, of course) — while you learn to observe the sensations in the body (observing without a reaction). During that time, deep feelings that have been suppressed begin to surface. Not being able to mask or dull oneself with daily distractions (like entertainment, constant chit-chat or obsessive busy-ness) can become difficult. Many people have no idea what it’s like to just be with oneself. The 10 day Vipassana program provides the support & facility to do that.

Dear Jenny,

I once said of Vipassana meditation, “This feels like freedom”. I spoke only of what I was feeling at that time. I had no reason, not even the idea that has attached itself to me these last six weeks. During that time, I have been meditating in my cell four hours a day. It is all so very clear to me now. Vipassana is freedom. It is the freedom – I believe with all my being – that very few people attain.

I have none of those longings to be out of here. At the same time, I don’t have the desire to be here. Everything is just so right. All things are connected, and I am just a tiny part of the universal beauty. I am not always able to maintain this level of pure contentment. I sometimes become sad until I realize I’ve developed attachments, and I quickly find balance. It is so wonderful to be detached while at the same time to be a part of a stream that flows through everything.

Jenny, I don’t know that words could really communicate these feelings, but I simply have tried to tell you about them. I think that I am missing something, but even that is okay.

Much metta,
Johnny Mack

If you have a direct question about Vipassana programs or other meditation practices, you can email me (my address is above, in the blog header menu) or leave a comment below. I teach meditation & I practice it in various ways. Meditation is not only a big part of my life — it is my life. I realized that the most important thing I could do is be. You can read more of my thoughts on being in The Tao of Disasters & How I Practice Meditation, as well as my website www.AimeeLovesYou.com

No one compares to you, ever.

Should an orange model itself after a strawberry? Should it even compare itself to a strawberry?

If the orange did, & it caused pain & suffering for itself, could you see how it would be a silly situation?

So why do you think humans do it, yet do not recommend it as wise for fruits?

[This week's blog post is a re-post from May 1st 2011. Let the message of this blog post stand as a reminder. May we never forget that no one compares to us. Everyone is uniquely themselves for a reason. Let us not only celebrate that in each other, but cherish it in ourselves.]

Who is responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing? …Are you sure?

The news about what happened in Boston is everywhere. The response I generally heard from the media after the tragedy was: “we are going to get them & bring justice!”. Get who? The guys you think you saw in security camera footage? The blurry pixelated faces? The two bodies covered in winter clothes? Then, with whatever leads the police supposedly had, they shut the city down for a manhunt? Eventually hunting down a 19 year old & killing a 26 year old? And of course these two were from a foreign land with an unpronounceable name (for the average American). After the hunt, the police tweeted on Twitter: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won.” Uhh, yea, OK.

Anyway, (*sigh*), how is it that they (the police, government, & the average American) think the problem is an isolated incident? That terror is over when two young people are killed or hunted down? The problems we are facing in the U.S. are way bigger than what happened in Boston (we have many more threats to consider). And things will continue to get worse if we do not look at the bigger picture. What is the environment & culture & thinking that breeds or inspires such hate? (Not just the hate that bombed, but the hate that hunts, kills & blames.) And is shutting down a city (telling people to stay home) for a manhunt of a teenager & his brother (supposedly shown in an unclear video) wise? How can we call that justice? And how is the hunt (& killing) of them by the police even legal? Whatever happen to innocent until proven guilty in a court of law?

There is a friend of one of the ______ …..do I call him a victim, or a terrorist, or the accused? (I’m not even sure now, since the media & government has decided that for us.) There is someone that personally knows Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His name is Troy Crossley. He started a campaign (more like a hashtag campaign called: #TroyCrossleyTruth on Twitter) to spread awareness about what is happening.

The mother (Zubeidat Tsarnaev) of Tamerlan Tsarnaev & his  younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has spoke out against what is happening via BBC NEWS on April 20th. She said that what is taking place is a set-up & that her oldest son, Tamerlan, was controlled by the FBI for years.

You can also read this post on THE WEEK by Chris Gayomali. He is also questioning what is happening.

Alex Jones (who is a bit of a Negative Nancy in my opinion, & I can’t hear him too much, because it’s… just too much) has some good points. He raised the points (along with photos) in two videos he made about the Boston bombing. You can view them HERE & HERE.

Please be clear! I’m not saying anyone did or didn’t do it. I’m not saying that I take this person’s side or that person’s side. I am saying two things: think for yourself & take responsibility for your life. That means, don’t just allow the media & this government to create your thoughts or resolve things for you. Look for yourself, & choose the bigger picture. Let’s also look at the source of problems & not just the symptoms. If we don’t have peace of mind, & we feel that we are hated, & we feel threatened — why? Why is this happening? And is there a way to bring about a change? Not just in your own life, but in life as a whole. What are our priorities? Are they ones that truly matter? If you thought you (or someone you love) would be in a bombing tomorrow — would you live your day differently? Would you act, think or speak differently? What would your priorities be? Would they suddenly change? And if so — why aren’t those your priorities all the time? What is stopping you?

Disasters & tragedies can bring clarity — insight on what matters most. But for some, disasters & tragedies can bring about more fear — which can lead to more ignorance. It’s always up to us. Always up to me, & you. We influence each other. Let’s be the ones that live for what matters most. When you decide what is most important for you, & you have the courage to live it — it inspires others to do the same. Let’s inspire each other. Let’s bring justice & peace to our own lives by how we live each day. Then, collectively, the world will eventually reflect that. Until then, we must start with ourselves.

[If you would like, you can click on images to enlarge them. That way, you can read the embedded quotes clearly.]

Banned TED Talks — banned by TED? Really?

When I heard that there were TED Talks that were banned, I never assumed that TED (who’s mission is: “to offer free knowledge & inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers”) was the one banning them (or pulling them out of mainstream view). When I heard that the talks included Sarah Silverman, Eddie Huang as well as Graham Hancock, I could kind of figure out why. Those are names that became famous for saying what others wouldn’t say or for doing things others wouldn’t do, (along with genuine talent, brilliant thinking & various accomplishments too of course). But when I heard that Rupert Sheldrake was included in that bunch, it really made me suspicious. It made me think that maybe there was content that higher powers didn’t want us to hear or know. [When I say 'higher powers,' I mean people that are ego-maniacs & want to control the population with what we collectively consider power: ownership, inheritance, knowledge, fame, resources or money. When we collectively no longer consider those things or types of people powerful, they won't be. Until then, we play the collective game. The important thing, is to remember it's a game you chose to go along with, by agreeing to the rules -- living within the rules, modeling yourself after the rules -- you have agreed to play.]

Relaxing into life & letting go, being open to various possibilities, giving up a false sense of control, not pretending to know it all — make a great number of people quiver (not just TED, which is why they banned some of their own videos). When dogmas are challenged, or the beliefs people hold dear are perforated, they lose their footing. They panic. They create enemies (in order to justify their dogmas & beliefs). And to be clear, we all do this in various ways about various things we believe in to get us through our day-to-day lives. But why do we need dogmas, beliefs, or things we want to feel certain about to get us through our lives? (Both religion & science fans are included in that question.) Why do those concepts feel like good footing or a powerful structure for us? What about those ideas or thoughts allow us to feel secure? To feel secure, like we know what’s going on, or have a handle on things?

What if Rupert Sheldrake was right, & we could just say, everything is always changing.  And we could be lighthearted about it & flexible — open to possibility. What if we became more fluid, more all-encompassing, more all-embracing & unconditional? For many, it’s a scary thought. They think with real openness, equality & freedom, the world would go mad! They’d think we would be living in a crazy world, where anything goes, & life is chaotic. Well, it already is! And maybe it is, because we are so fixed. Unbearably rigid to the point where we cause our own suffering & ruin. We are bound to concepts & ideas & beliefs that aren’t working for us. How do I know they aren’t working? I can look at lives in general, I can see how people eat-up entertainment & are always starving for distraction. As well as the need to medicate or mask everything — as they search for lasting peace, love & joy outside of themselves, in things that could never give them what they truly want.

I can also look back at TED Talks & review the 5 most watched TED Talks to date (updated by TED on November 8, 2012). Almost all of them deal with the very subject that Rupert Sheldrake is addressing & mentioning: “everything depends on evolving habits and not on fixed laws”, “thinking less dogmatically can open things up” & “our minds are extended beyond our brains”.

“The fact that I was banned actually confirms what I am saying…”
– Rupert Sheldrake

There is a lopsided way in which we are living, where the material aspect of life is the be-all, end-all. Thinking & living like that doesn’t allow much room for play. And please don’t say “We live in such a creative playful time! Look at the artists & the creators of our culture, as well as the opportunities for them!” As a professional artist or creative person, I know all too well how orchestrated it is. And as for our culture, there isn’t a democracy. We can talk about the government & law & rights & all sorts of things, & wind-up at a dead end. I see a culture of people wanting to be happy & looking for fulfillment in the mass accumulation of things (or select prized things & positions). I see people desperate for approval & a place to belong. And lets not forget the billions working at jobs they don’t love, but feel like they have to take that sort of work on (in order to play the game we all created).

There has to be an easier way. And as I experiment with the words Ease or Effortless in my life, I begin to see more & more that I was sold a bill of goods. I was sold junk concepts that never worked, never felt right, & never gave me a sense of real freedom or joy. The more I look into “not everything depends on fixed laws”, the more I bravely step into the unknown; the more I feel free; the more life feels universal, connected & unlimited — instead of individual, separate & fixed.

Embedded below is the talk by Rupert Sheldrake that TED disapproved of. (Just listen to the clapping & praise Sheldrake got after his talk at the TED conference. Now why would they ban it? It was obviously greatly approved of by the TED conference itself. –Interesting.) And below the video, is a letter that Sheldrake wrote to TED in response to TED’s actions & comments regarding his talk.

Rupert Sheldrake
March 18, 2013

I would like to respond to TED’s claims that my TEDx talk “crossed the line into pseudoscience”, contains ”serious factual errors” and makes “many misleading statements.”

This discussion is taking place because the militant atheist bloggers Jerry Coyne and P.Z. Myers denounced me, and attacked TED for giving my talk a platform. I was invited to give my talk as part of a TEDx event in Whitechapel, London, called “Challenging Existing Paradigms.” That’s where the problem lies: my talk explicitly challenges the materialist belief system. It summarized some of the main themes of my recent book Science Set Free (in the UK called The Science Delusion). Unfortunately, the TED administrators have publicly aligned themselves with the old paradigm of materialism, which has dominated science since the late nineteenth century.

TED say they removed my talk from their website on the advice of their Scientific Board, who also condemned Graham Hancock’s talk. Hancock and I are now facing anonymous accusations made by a body on whose authority TED relies, on whose advice they act, and behind whom they shelter, but whose names they have not revealed…

[For the uncensored full scoop on Eddie Huang's TED experience, in his own words, Click Here. For more information about the Sarah Silverman TED situation, Click Here. To watch Graham Hancock's banned TED Talk, Click Here. If you would like to see a full lecture of Rupert Sheldrake's titled Science Set Free, Click Here.]

With New Eyes: The Photography of Chris Jordan & The Responsibility We All Share

Plastic grocery bags & ziplock pouches piling up. Numerous bottle caps of various sizes. Mesh fruit bags & bands. Vegetable rubber bands. Labels & stickers. Where do they go? Maybe we should take notice.

I read a great quote the other day: “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness” (quote by Jean Jacques Rousseau)

How kind are we being when we take things for granted? How wise are we being when we destroy lives & disregard the environment?

I found Chris Jordan‘s work in January of 2012. I posted several of his photographs on my AimeeLovesYouXo Facebook page that week. Then, just over a year later, a friend sent me an email with a film that Chris Jordan completed about his MIDWAY project:

We can never be reminded enough. We can never be told enough, or shown enough. Every day, every moment, is opportunity to wake up to our own madness. The world will not wait for us to come around. Now is always the time.

In the world of form, change is inevitable. There is no escaping change. So instead of acting as though nothing is happening, or everything can stay the same — why not say “Ah! An opportunity to explore change! An opportunity to evolve. To begin again. To see with new eyes. To feel with a bigger more expansive heart! To exist with a greater awareness. What a gift this opportunity is. What a gift responsibility & a need for change is. Thank you for this gift.”

When we look at the state of the world, the state of mankind, with gratitude for the work that needs to be done, it’s a lot more empowering than guilt, shame or blame. (Plus, being in a state of gratitude just feels a whole lot better, & its way more productive.) We live in a very important time. I feel lucky to be alive as so much is rapidly changing. I feel fortunate to be able to look at my past actions & say to myself, “What was I thinking?” It means I have actually witnessed the evolution of myself. I have witnessed a transformation. An expansion of awareness. And if it is liberating & powerful for me, imagine if this is happening to everyone at the same time. How could it not be exciting? How could it not be an opportunity? How could it not be a gift?

Let’s take advantage of this opening to see, act, hear & feel with greater awareness. Let’s share with each other & help in any way we can. Let’s take responsibility individually with ourselves, as well as collectively with each other. We’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s up to us to make it happen. Day by day, moment by moment. Everything counts.

….And before I go, just remember: Plastic bags & other plastic packaging can take up to 1,000 years to breakdown, so even when an animal dies & decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuing threat to wildlife. Packaging now accounts for 1/3 of all household waste. Please be kind. Please consider this. Always.