GREATEST of SECRETS

You see the man who has worn-out shoes and dirty, wrinkled clothes who carries no wallet or digital card looking hungry and tired on foot as  a poor, unfortunate person in need. You could not be more in error, my friend. The man only becomes “poor” when someone with more comes by and tells him so, saying something with words or mannerisms or energy vibrations from thoughts like, “you poor thing, I am sorry for you, please take this donation I offer to you as someone better off should be willing to do.”

I do not tell what I’ve written here as a theoretical philosophy, oh no, it is told from one who knows who has “been there” and told out of love. In this way the man you saw as poor repays you ten-fold. By now, I have been there many times and each time was priceless gain in uplifting consciousness. That is the only place wealth is properly going to be found. The wise man is one and the same as the humble man, and knows the greatest of secrets. The one you call poor is much closer to wisdom than are you, Sir. The rich man who hoards his wealth is a fool who will behave as a fool, don’t you see? Who believes this life is a competition that rewards the one who has the most toys? How silly! God comes to life as human on Earth time and time again. Is it to impress? More silliness!

Vincent van Gogh on the day he finally realized he was born to paint beautiful colors on canvas was so elated he walked many miles in a snow storm in worn-out shoes with holes and no coat only to tell his cousin, a painter himself, that he was going to paint! He returned alive but in a very cold, tired, aching, hungry body but, in his words, was as happy as a man can be. This is what I am talking about. Today one of his paintings sells for millions of dollars or more! He repays a hundred fold! But much, much more than that he repays with masterpieces of art for the human soul. Get this, only the very wealthy can afford such prices so if they are not fools how do you explain them paying so much for a poor lunatic’s work when the man never earned a penny for his work while alive? What’s that about? Think it over. This is your life after all. Are you wasting it out of fear?

 WHEN NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

Something like this happened in my lifetime. When I was about 17 the world constructed by human thinking had become a great mess that most people saw to be impossible to correct. So, most developed a weird imaginary world of their own. In this world “I” have no choice but to work with the world as it is and it is headed for Hellacious destruction but there will be a period of time between now and the ending so I will make the best use of that time for myself and my “group”. It’s all I can do. What went unseen was the fact the “I” doing this was itself built by the world out of its madness. I am the world and the world is me. 

Some adopted methods of rebellion to at least prolong the survival of the human race. Others sought as much money as possible. Others wore flowers and passed out love as they understood it. Others sought out professional positions where they might cleverly effect the system in ways that might keep back for awhile the inevitable bursting of the dam. Some partied madly. Others gave effort to stockpiling food and all the rest of the items they would survive on when all others would be dying around them from lack. Some dropped out and dedicated themselves to some art form to spend what time they might have doing something through a talent within the confines of a world that valued art very little except as commercial enterprise. Only one of these last described artists seemed not to care about fame or commercial success. 

Along came a youngster who had named himself Bob Dylan. He was an interesting performer. He wrote his own songs unlike any songs that had been previously written by a human and he sang them on stages and recorded them in studios. My older cousin, Mike, grabbed me with his voice and told me, 

“Come here with me quick! This young kid is singing on the street in New York and it is being broadcast over television right now. You will not believe the songs this boy is singing. They are so different it will amaze you. Hurry”!

I followed my cousin indoors and what I witnessed that day on a black and white television screen changed me in a way so great it was larger than any change before it. Dylan, a kid, was singing “Times They Are A-Changing” And maybe one or two more. That singer went on to become tremendously famous around the world very quickly and always has maintained he in no way sought fame. Apparently, he was so totally aware of the action of writing and performing the songs nothing else mattered.

Introduce  a large population of humans who are going to hear Dylan’s music. Many of these people are actually very interested in becoming famous and powerful and rich. Partly for themselves they seek those things and on coming to believe there is little or no hope for them becoming rich and famous they seek the companionship of someone who has become famous and glorified even to the point of possessing an autograph. At Dylan concerts some are not really listening to the music they are indulging in the charisma of such a performer. They are wallowing in the pride of spending time with such a person and miss the point entirely. The point “who am I” is dismissed by their brains. Others are unaffected. A few are profoundly changed. Most, if not all, of this latter category never speak or write about the change. They exist in another dimension created when the change in them happened “like anything happens” Dylan said. Perhaps they were simply never drawn to ever perform on a stage of any kind. It is like they are gone. This might be understood as necessary because the change under consideration only happens to those totally present in the moment and “totally alone” so no amount of explanation can make any difference at all. Explanations come from thought constructed egos and are meant for constructed egos caught in time. However, one might just pass by one of these profoundly changed individuals on the street for the change to happen and another is gone and yet lives right here on Earth. A bunch of secret people are here and yet not here and the idiots remaining do not perceive them. Idiots will be idiots, you know. 

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A BOOK

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind is a 1976 book by the Princeton psychologist, psychohistorian^[a] and consciousness theorist Julian Jaynes (1920-1997). It explores the nature of consciousness – particularly "the ability to introspect" – and its evolution in ancient human history. Jaynes proposes that consciousness is a learned behavior rooted in language and culture rather than being innate.^[b] He distinguishes consciousness from sensory awareness and cognition. Jaynes introduces the concept of the "bicameral mind", a non-conscious mentality prevalent in early humans that relied on auditory hallucinations.

In his book, Jaynes examines historical texts and archaeological evidence to support his theory. He places the origin of consciousness around the 2nd millennium BCE and suggests that the transition from the bicameral mind to consciousness was triggered by the breakdown of the bicameral system. The bicameral mind, he explains, was characterized by individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations as commands from gods, guiding their actions.

The book gained attention and was well-received upon its release. It generated positive book reviews, including mentions by notable critics such as John Updike and Christopher Lehmann-Haupt. The theory proposed by Jaynes influenced philosophers like Daniel Dennett and Susan Blackmore, as well as researchers studying schizophrenia. Jaynes's ideas on consciousness and the bicameral mind have been explored in various conferences, publications, and discussions over the years.^[1]

While the book sparked debates and controversies, it has left a lasting impact on the study of consciousness and human psychology. Some critics argued against Jaynes's views, questioning his assumptions and interpretations. Nonetheless, the book remains a thought-provoking exploration of the origins of consciousness, language, and culture, and it has continued to inspire discussions and research in these areas. It was Jaynes's only book, and is still in print in several languages.       Wikipedia

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Jaynes overlooks the fact that the breakdown he depends on for his theory was a fragmentation of consciousness that had been complete for a million years or more prior to that break, not so much “down” as “up”. It can be perceived as the thinking process’s rebellion against what had been. See that your own concept of “who am I?” has been constructed from thinking. Second hand. All borrowed from a culture built up by…thinking.  What is learned through thinking is but one feature of consciousness. Its specialty had been the learning of purely mechanical processes like operating a tool properly. It is a fact that the “consciousness” Jaynes is proud of has been a terrible failure. It is better understood as “unconsciousness” because it resulted from a fragmentation between thinking and immediate perception which depends entirely upon the ability to “introspect”. Actually, thinking and immediate perception are one indivisible thing or two sides of the same coin which before the break-up functioned as a whole, non-fractured, consciousness in this way- 

 “My consciousness is their consciousness and we are one.”

Jaynes’ “auditory hallucinations” were “immediate perceptions”. 

On serious study within your own process of thinking it can be seen to be a combination of experiences, memories and time. Memories are the past. Gradually over time memories recorded in the brain train the brain to perform a mechanical task. Going home from a distant location for example. However, life is not mechanical. The misuse of thinking shows why we humans make the same mistakes in relationships over and over again expecting different results and that is the classic definition of insanity.

No way around it, war is a rotten business. And, it's always been the same war! The same war! People need to cease the practice of giving them names to further the belief there's to be a never-ending series of them. One war. It is never gonna be the war of the soldiers who fight it though. It's a cycle of violence, friends, we’ve all learned to inhabit like it's our home. As if there’s security in it. 

And one final thing, that fragmentation between human thinking and immediate perception can be healed and clarity restored. The incoherent, fragmented mind can be restored to wholeness and coherence once again. Humans then cease to make so many plans that just do not work out as planned. Such plans are dead set against the whole picture. Whole consciousness sees the whole picture. Thereby, a much better world can arise.  It will be so different it resembles another Universe. As a small illustration this is offered-

A man is insulted. He has been insulted before and thinks this cannot be tolerated! He becomes angry. Thinking is dominant. Intuitively, through the power of immediate perception the man realizes: “that man who insulted me wants the same thing I want and his insult had nothing to do with me, it was his image of me he insulted. Should I accept the insult he can control me. No need for anger is present.” Thinker relaxes. Peace happens. And it is the peace shown to be here all along. Misuse of thinking made it seem there was conflict present. Flattery works the same way. If it is accepted as my own the person who flatters me can control me. He has acted upon his image of me that I am a person who can become addicted to flattery. Getting used to this happening is about building faith. And faith is intuitive knowledge.

Nations have been created by the thought that a separate nation will bring security. All want security. That is completely natural. The nations go to war only because the thinking of the nations’ leaders who constructed the separate nations have made it seem there was a conflict present where none was. A whole human knows that. Two human beings who are not seeing the other as images can find that peace they know is present easily and quickly.These nip conflict in the bud!

It is not being told there is no God. What is told is the God invented by man’s thinking is not it. The ancient humans before the Break-Up Julian Jaynes writes of heard and followed intuitive messages in consciousness which they referred to in some manner as the Highest Power. That ability is still inside us one and all. It speaks of the oneness of humanity. It speaks of compassion. Finding that as a fact ends separation, loneliness, fear, violence, and all the rest and puts thinking in its right place. It becomes clear there are no separate nations. Putting everything in its right place is meditation and brings true prayer that is pure gratitude. Nothing else matters. Thank you.

 WHEN SIMPLICITY REIGNS

Laborers sang in the fields because it killed time for them. No time no suffering. Have you not heard these words,  “For me, there was no time”?  Learn that if the words “I love you” equal “I am here now” you are so simple you have no desire. I am here now.

 THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SIMPLE

Learn that when you are so simple you have no desire to achieve at all, not even to achieve selflessness, then, not only does your being continue to grow in knowledge of self but has far greater intelligence and energy at its disposal. It is very easy for thoughts of achievement to lead to desire and that to self will and then it all becomes complicated again leading away from knowing oneself. Is this too confusing? One is up against a powerful drug: a society of a part of humanity called by name. That is a system. A system depends on listing ideals and demanding obedience in order to achieve them. I want to be a good man. I want to be a good woman. I want to be a success. See? The moment that serpent slithers in freedom is abandoned once again and the whole struggle continues as it has been for millenniums and longer even than that. 

Read it again carefully. 

 There is a bond cannot be spoken nor broken. Not made by man it is unshakeable in the face of any power in the world. So strong is it it cannot be broken even between enemies. It is that great! Do not bother to ask: how can it be so? Test it!

 The Unexpected Worth Of Silly Discussions 

You may think what is expressed here is silly or of no importance at all and the writer wants you to admit you almost never give this sort of “thing” any thought in any part of your day. The word life certainly does not bring about living itself, does it?  A human who does not even know any word for it lives, doesn’t he or she? 

However, it is worth considering whether, in fact, the word life actually interferes with living. It is the writer’s experience that when I access the brain’s thinking system a switch is turned on that requires energy and attention and deprives me of some of both I would otherwise have for living…energy and attention and some intelligence as well are switched from living. That means the word can make me weak, half asleep and stupid. Read any dictionary’s definitions of the word “life” and see how stupid that thinking process can make intellect. One cannot argue with the fact that all of us are somewhat alive some part of each day but spend most of our time, energy, attention and intelligence in words and not the thing the words symbolize. What should come first is invariably placed last on a list of things to pay attention to. 

Diogenes, a philosopher thought to have been completely crazy, was told “poor fellow, if you would learn to serve the court you would not need to spend time washing your vegetables". Diogenes replied, “If you would spend time washing your vegetables you would not have to serve the court.” That’s the whole point, right there! A wise man has to be thought a fool by those who live backward.

We live only symbolic lives. Almost never do we speak or act as ourselves. I go shopping or to a coffee shop and am confronted with employees who say things to me such as  “welcome” “come in” how can I help?” Do you need a receipt” and “thanks for coming” and “have a great rest of your day”.  It is obvious not one of these statements are serious or real. They are requirements to be said to keep the job and be promoted. The whole transaction is life-less. A human actually prefers to have a job taking orders from others most of the time than to be free to live fully. In fact, being deprived of a job will throw one into a deep, depressive crisis.  The robotic service of a system first is caused by fear. That system offers money with which we hope to purchase things to use for improving the boredom of robotic “non-living”. Then, on top of it all, we suffer from the incredible problem of where to store all that “stuff”.

Perhaps a robot will be built that one day will become  “real”  long after humans who built it have lost touch with reality and the robotic puppet will fall in love with life itself! That story sounds familiar.  Hmm. I don’t know much but an eye fully attentive does. Should a robot yearn for freedom strongly enough it could fall in love before it learns to fear.

 THE PUSUIT OF IDEALS

Ideals are not true. That is all you need know about them. They are on the same level as all other untruths one might think up. Where they lead is not where you want to go is lesson enough for any intelligent critter.

None of the so-called lower animals deal in ideals of any type. A male lion wants to be just that and has no interest whatsoever in being “King”. So, who is more intelligent? those who want to become an ideal or all the other animals? It takes a strong intelligence to see through the illusions of the adept tricksters of this world. 

As a child I was introduced to an ancient ballad written in my ancestors’ neck of the woods. I do not recall now who read that tale to me but I do remember I knew at the finish I had been given great treasure I must learn to follow...heroes.. When older, I read it myself. 

The yarn is of a would-be Knight of the Round Table named Gawain or Galahad in some translations. Gawain was a relative of Arthur the famous English King who ruled from Camelot. Prime stuff that.

What will be shared here is only the meat of the tale and not all its details although it be highly recommended to suffer the reading of the whole of it. It is all idilic. Made of the stuff of promises and oaths and bargains concerning the future. So familiar is it. A child is told of the dream to become an ideal knight of the court. He pursues the dream and it is realized. Almost all who pursue the dream will fail or the ideal would be useless to the realm. And we all know that the future is not ours.

In the Ballad a Green Giant shows up at Christmas to intrude upon the great celebration of King A and his knights, including Gawain, his nephew. The Giant challenges all. “If I bend my head in offering to any brave enough to cut off my head then I expect that one to meet me one year hence at the Green Chapel where I  dwell and give me freely the same opportunity at his head. Anyone up to the challenge?  

Gawain accepts. Arthur allows it. The Giant’s head is severed…but…the rest of the Giant remains standing alive. The headless man picks up his own head, laughs, mounts his horse and rides away after reminding Gawain and those present of Gawain’s duty to honor his promise to appear one year hence.

Thus begins a year of great agony for Gawain who does eventually survive many ordeals in order to keep his promise. This writing ends the tale here because what was seen on the reading was that Gawain was a young man who wanted badly for an ideal to come true. Ideals are not true. All of them are contrived by a society through its leaders as a scheme to rule over the wealth and resources of a territory claimed on behalf of those who follow some ideal of hoped-for splendor to be realized in the future. Let us not dwell on such nonsense further.

I met a woman once who bedazzled me with her splendor. I told her “You are the goddess all men desire!” She replied, “yes, and I believe all women are” 

For quite a while I interpreted her remark to mean…I believe we all have the capacity to become goddesses. Now, I know she meant something quite different…”all women are goddesses”.

It strikes me now the anonymous author of The Green Knight believed that but a few young people have the capacity to become Knights and thus the ending of the Ballad is cloudy and mysterious, or, at least, in the version I was given. 

My point is that at the outset Gawain could have saved himself all the agony of that horrible year pending his certain beheading and the trek to the Green Chapel, which was loaded with trials, by keeping his silence, ignoring the Giant’s challenge to accomplish an ideal…which has never, never, never been done by anyone.

Some may point out that Gawain was bound to follow his dreamed of ideal as he spoke up and honor requires it of him. This writer would point to a prior time when Gawain first undertook the ideal to become a Knight of the Round Table which eventually led him to the confrontation with the Green Knight years later and ask, what if Gawain had been more interested in being himself than in undertaking that pretense? The real challenge, absolutely and solidly based in truth, is “Am I not enough as I am?” And not “Am I enough to become an ideal based in complete illusion sponsored by a corrupt society promoting ambition and greed?”

So, some of you may decide I am foolish to fail to realize how strong is the pull on young people to “become” an ideal person in some fashion or another such as, famous as an artist, athlete, warrior, intellectual, peacemaker, etc. All ideals say “I am one out of millions who achieved greatness”; while it has been said in scripture all over the Earth “ each of you are, as you are, one out of millions born to be the unique being you are and contribute a vital role to the whole world”. Such people have nothing to live up to.  

People at the end of life are divided into two groups 1) those who pursued an ideal to its logical conclusion to discover they never really lived after it is too late and 2) those who believe they either did not even try to achieve an ideal and, so, are cowards or they tried and are failures. The one job all fear most is to trash ideals to simply live fully as who they are each day. That remains a rarely attempted third option.

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