Social Profit, Money and Butterflies

Here’s an enlightening 1/2 hour audio visual that is well worth watching.

It’s a discussion between Lynne Twist and Deepak Chopra on “Social Profit”, money and butterflies.

Lynne Twist is a San Francisco based social activist who besides raising many hundred of million of dollars for social issues, in particular the Hunger Project, eloquently describes the present state of humanity, and together with Deepak discuss the caterpillar and its transition to a butterfly, and the similarities with today’s’ societies.

The caterpillar voraciously consumes all food in it’s path, in an unconscious automated state, oblivious to the amount that is available – it just eats. That is until the imagines cells inside the caterpillar form in large enough numbers and conglomerate, and a switch occurs. All other cells then become the nutritive soup that feed the imagines cells, and the transformation occurs: from caterpillar to butterfly. Is that where we are now: ravenous caterpillars’ approaching a new phase of development. Lynn and Deepak describe this quite well. (As does this link here: Butterfly Effect)

It’s a pretty good analogy.

And Deepak’s closing remarks: the genetic code responsible for the wings of the butterfly is the same gene code for the beating of the human heart.

Amazing.

Here’s the video:

Keep in mind these important facts:
God is a verb not a noun, and there are two states for creation: asking and allowing.

A Note to Arnold Schwarzenegger

I sent this email to Arnold a few days ago.

Hi Arnold,

I don’t know whether to call you Mr Schwarzenegger, Arnold, or Sir, but as I’ve grown up in Australia and formalities, well just aren’t the thing we focus on, so I figure Arnold will do for now.

Today I drove for the first time east along CA-58 and saw an amazing gathering of electrical wind turbines on the western hills of the Mojave Desert.

I’m holidaying in your great state and thoroughly enjoyed the view I saw. I’m presently working in Kuwait managing the building a critical pipeline to keep their production at number 4 in the world, so to see such a plethora of “clean, green energy” product brought a tear to my eye.

I did some quick research to find that these turbines can produce up to 30% of California’s power requirements. Amazing! (I saw a few vacant hills – when will it be 100%?).

I researched some more and was a little dismayed to find limitations on using the electricity created because of infrastructure limitations: the electricity simply cannot be delivered to the users.

See here for more:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0331-01.htm

This is an old article – from 2001, so I do not know if the power transmission lines have been improved to connect the wind farms of the Mojave area to the rest of the Californian electrical grid, however I still saw a large number of inactive turbines, larger than what I would expect to be out for maintenance reasons.

Either way, I salute you for all your efforts, and all the best for the future. I understand that this is your last term as the Governator!.

Jeremiah Josey
www.linkedIn.com/in/jeremiahjosey

It was great to get his reply a few days ago:

—–Original Message—–
From: governor@governor.ca.gov [mailto:governor@governor.ca.gov]
Sent: Thursday, 5 March 2009 11:00 PM
To: jeremiahjosey@gmail.com
Subject: Re:Energy Issues/Concerns

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

California was built by the ingenuity and hard work of its people, and our great state continues to thrive because of their involvement and commitment.

I greatly appreciate receiving input from my fellow Californians about the issues important to them. Taking the time to communicate your opinions and offer suggestions is essential to good citizenship and good government.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. I value the comments of people like you who care about the future of California.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Is There Any Difference Between Islam and Christianity?

Yesterday I was riding on the Storm Peak Express Ski Lift at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, sharing that ride with a very felicitous beared fellow. He reminded me very much of the character “Chicken Joe” from that wonderfully light movie Surf’s Up (by Sony Pictures Animation, 2006). My ski lift riding companion was a boarder like his name sake (albeit on snow), and I suspect he may even have been from Wisconsin. ;o)

The conversation began with him asking me “do I know how to relax?” I replied that yes I did, and coming to Steamboat from Kuwait was part of that. We talked some more, about my experience in the Middle East, and then he asked me about my understanding at an intrinsic level of Islam and how it was different to Christianity.

After a few moments thought, I answered that intrinsically the religions are same [and reflecting now, they are similar to each other perhaps like no other religions]. I said that at the core each religion promotes ways in which to behave; towards others, towards ones self. They both promote how to act, how to eat, how to live, how to be. They were both life systems designed to manage the ones ego. They were both life systems spelt out many hundreds (thousands) of years ago by people who practiced what they spoke.

It was a very enlightening conversation for me.

Upon further reflection of the conversation it made me realise just how similar the two religions are. It helped put into perspective for me that the reasons the two religions appear so different is not because of their roots, but because of the layers of interpretation the various tribes and groups have placed upon them over the many years the practices have been in use. This has been influenced by many things: by the need for power, for control over others, by intermingling of local traditions and beliefs, and ultimately by the ego. Ironic because the systems are practices whose ultimate intention is to manage the ego. [I deliberately don’t use the phrase “control” the ego, for the ego cannot be controlled, much like a wave, representing the ego, cannot be controlled, it can only be surfed, or a slope, can only be skied, not changed].

So, in essence, Islam and Christianity are identical life practices. Both promote simple practical means to achieve peace and harmony in ones life, with others and espcially with ones’ self.

This quote summarises the practice very well.

Spread love everywhere you go, but first and foremost in your home. Love your children, your spouse, your neighbour… Let no one who comes to you, leave without being better and happier. Be the living expression of goodness, be it the goodness of your face, goodness of your eyes, goodness of your smile or the goodness of your warm welcome.

Mother Teresa

Helping me to remember:  Become conscious.  Meditate.  Be with God.