Yesterday I went to see the movie Dream Girls with my two daughters–ages 10 and 13. I personally experienced every emotion possible. I laughed, cried (unashamably), got angry, felt sorrow and regret, and in the end felt I had been treated to an event well worth the price of admission.

It was wonderful to view motion picture entertainment with a dominant Black cast that did not feature violence, sex, and all the stereotypes that reinforce how we are perceived–even to ourselves! Nor did it carry a theme of victimhood or reparations for past injustices. To me, it was a real-life story of the struggles that human beings face when driven to simultaneouly achieve success and happiness.

It also featured the attitude of success necessary to successfully compete on an uneven playing field. And the breakthroughs made by past entertainers in the music industry–which appears to be highly cut-throat. They were the Giants that paved the way for the opportunities many of us have today–sometimes without proper recognition and acknowledgement. (The Ray Charles movie was similar in this respect)

Most of all, it was a basic story about the human experience that we can all identify with irrespective of race, ethnicity, or national origin. After all, we all have “a story.” And that story is filled with successes, failures, disappointments, regrets, and ultimately triumph of the human spirit. Think how boring the human experience would be without all of these! One thing I’ve always said is when I choose to die, this body will be completely used up. It will not still have the price tag on it!

Most all, the movie was not an updated form of “Amos and Andy.” Where we were originally allow entre into the entertainment business in roles of “stereotypical humor.” Like Martin Luther King said in one of his speeches, “I don’t choose to scratch where I don’t itch or laugh when something isn’t funny!” I’m not sure how many of the majority population support us in this role of human beings having real life experiences (in terms of box-office attendance), but Eddie Murphy did win a Golden Globe Award for Supporting Actor.

Most of all, I could see my life flash by in almost every scene and acting role. I am also clear that the feelings and emotions I experienced were my own, not the actors on the screen. I told my girls it was a wonderful, powerful, and very cheap workshop.

Bill

Bill,yesterday in the afternoon I joined my friends going to the Old Opera in Frankfurt. My birthday surprise was a concert with the Funkbrothers. It was great and very unique. They had a special guest: He was German and he was white. But on the stage they’ve been just one. The same happened to us, the audience. Black and white people. Then one of the funkbrothers said: Now, times changed, didn’t they? In our beginnings we took coffee breaks, years passed and we took alcohol-breaks, years passed and we took smoking breaks and now we have to take pill-breaks to go ahead. This was fun, we all laughed because we all knew what he was talking about. But putting his words into an other situation may be in a not so funny behavior, nobody would laugh and he would have been “the blamed”. So, words and situations are what we’re making them. It’s up to each one of us if we laugh, cry or condemn.After a couple of time no one in the audience was able to sit anymore. Everyone was dancing. Because the people on the stage expressed their feelings and put that spell on us. They love what they do. The love the music. Giving that spell to us makes us loving the music, feeling the music.For me, thats why music is one of the fine arts. If I listen carefully, with all my senses, to music (no matter if I listen to Marvin Gaye, Tschaikowsky or Mozart), I can feel what they feel. Because musicians express their feelings through their music. And that is the point for me: They allow us to take a look inside. Did a politician ever let us look inside? No, because of his fear that we could see something. And sometimes there is nothing to see than profit. They don’t love what they are doing. They’re doing their jobs for: Profit and Power. And one result of profit and power is, and here I agree with Phil Davies, to be able to deal with fear and give your own fear to others while thinking: If I give my fear to others I will loose my own fear. But this is an error. By giving away your fear to others, you only enlarge it, nothing else, you never loose it. Putting people in fear is the absolute wrong way.

Ulla

Bill,
The first time I watched Apocalypto – the new Mel Gibson movie – I realized that the theme of the movie had something to do with fear, but it wasn’t until I watched the movie a second time with you this afternoon that I discovered why Mel Gibson chose fear as the theme of his movie.

In the beginning of the movie, Jaguar Paw’s father tells him not to bring his fear into the camp. Then, as the warriors are chasing Jaguar Paw through the jungle, the leader of the band tells the others that Jaguar Paw runs because he is afraid. But after Jaguar Paw emerges (is reborn) from the quicksand, he starts to run again and then stops. It is at that moment he decides to stop running, to stop being afraid and to fight.

But I discovered the “why” behind this theme of fear as I thought about the sacrifices being made for the banner of the sun people. It is clear that the king and his high priest use fear to control the population. Once I discovered this, I started thinking of how this theme applies to us today because I was pretty sure Mr. Gibson was trying to make a point.

I think it is fairly safe to say that most dictators keep their positions of power through fear. Saddam Hussein, Castro, etc. I think you can also find examples of religions using fear (stories about the Apocalypse – the end of the world – scared me when I was young. By the way, I think that might be why the movie is called Apocalypto – what’s more fearful than the end of the world?) And believe it or not, but some people accuse President Bush of using the fear of Terrorism to erode our personal freedoms through his use of the Patriot Act.

And here’s the connection between the movie and living spiritually and creatively. At the end of the movie when Jaguar Paw’s wife looks at the Spanaird ships and asks if they should go to them, Jaguar Paw tells her that they should go to the forest. I think this, as the last dialogue of the movie, makes a profound statement. When we live without fear, we free ourselves to live creatively and spiritually.

What do you think? I’d love to hear what you – and anyone else who cares to comment – think about the movie. Phil Daviswww.sellingbooks.blogs.comwww.zdocs.biz801-897-2679

Bill,I just watched the movie “Crash.” For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, it is about how the lives of some ordinary people “Crash” into each other while just going about their daily lives. The people crashing into each other are of many diverse ethnic backgrounds.As I sat there watching this movie, my first reaction was that the story was way over the top. People, even people living in dense urban areas, just don’t interact with each other the way these characters were interacting. I mean, I’ve lived on this earth for over 40 years and I’ve never witnessed anything like what I was seeing in the moving.But then, while I sat there on my couch in my mostly White Suburbia neighborhood, I had a new thought. That thought was that maybe the director was trying to tell us something. I thought that maybe we don’t generally act out violently against people of other races, but maybe we do internally.So I asked myself if I’ve ever felt uncomfortable when walking down a street and seeing two black youths coming toward me. The answer is yes. And have I ever looked suspiciously at muslims waiting to board the same airplane as I am. Again, yes. Then the movie Crash took on a deeper meaning for me. I thought about Katarina and how it seems we all become more violent during times of crisis. Does this mean that in times of crisis we let out all those dark thoughts we keep hidden inside ourselves? Unfortunately, I think the answer is – or can be for some people – yes.Bill, I think what you are doing is right on. Until the consciousness of all of us changes, the world will not live compatibly. Your blog site may be a small pebble in a vast ocean making almost imperceptible ripples, but someday those ripples may grow into waves.Thank you Bill. –Posted by Anonymous to Where to Now? at 12/17/2006 10:38:26 AM

I just finished reading your blog entry and scanning over previous ones, and it reminded me that about a year ago my brother started a blog about re-shaping politics (and other areas) with a group of people – all interested in “changing” the current state of affairs. Everyone was all fired up about one thing or another – the many, many things “wrong” in this country – lots of ranting and raving. My brother asked each of these individuals rather than continue to rant and rave – to come up with one or two possible actions that would address these issues and concerns. That’s when the blogging stopped. Myself included. Today, I revisited the blog site and looked over the rantings and how everything just stopped, I came to a quote that had been posted on the blog home page – “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” by Mahatma Gandhi. It seems that most everyone around me (myself included) is always looking to someone else to change things or to come up with a plan. This quote reminded me that change really begins with me and if I live my life in with integrity and empowerment, the ripple effect does occur. Your blog reminded me that I really need to stay focused on keeping those principles alive in myself and not worrying about whether or not anyone else is doing the same – because the change I want to see, begins with me. Thank you.

At the turn of each new year, I always reflect on the past year. I try to determine what I have learned that I would like to take into the new year and what I would not like to take. In essence, I want to consciously create my own reality. Such an examination requires a great deal of discipline and wisdom since it is so easy to fool myself. After all, I tend to consult three entities, me, myself, and I, and we all tend to agree!

No, the type of examination I’m thinking of has to transcend the mind. It has to tap into the well of wisdom that is available to us all. Sometimes, this process can only be accomplished through facilitation by someone we not only trust to be honest, but also has the skill of wisdom–an in-depth understanding, empathy, and compassion for the human experience. If you have someone like that in your life, you are very fortunate. On the other hand, if you only have someone you can skillfully manipultae to only see your point of view, then you get what you get.

One of the things I have become very good at is determining how I spend my time. At this stage in my life, what I do with the hours I have each day has become of prime importance. The main criterion I use for this determination is based on relationship. A major part of this acitvity is spending time alone to read, play in my garden, clean my house, write, and simply reflect on the contributions I would like to make to the world before I choose to leave. I have gone beyond disappointing people because I do not want to accommodate their agendas of likes and dislikes.

I like to retire early and rise early when I feel very refreshed and creative. I am a morning person–5:00 to 6:00 am. I like to exercise to clear my mind. I have begun to eat healthy, which I paid little attention to for most of my life. I read labels of food content and attempt to eat sparingly. I know many, if not most, of you have been doing these things for years. I have reacquainted my self with my clarinet (with my daughter) and will resume my piano lessons.

The reason I telling you all of this is that you might make an accounting without me sounding righteous. I wanted to share about me first. In reviewing the two previous paragraphs, the invitation is for to consider how YOU would write them for yourself–if you so choose. When you write something it’s like making a legally binding agreement with yourself as opposed to a loosely defind thought process.

Now for the “let-go’s” or the learnings. I have learned to talk much, much less. I’ve discovered that most of the time people simply want to talk through their problems to find their own solutions. They just need a good listener. Even when there appears to be an openning for comments or advice, I assure you others dont’t want any UNLESS they ask you several times for your non-binding thoughts. Then such comments might best be framed as “When I had a situation like that, this what I did and learned…..” or “If I had a situation like that, this is what I would probably do……” And, I’m not sure if would work or not. Then I have learned to simply “shut-up!” and listen more.

I have learned that a relationship is an unconditional commitment to another person’s health, happiness, and well-being. And learning how to behave appropriately to that commitment is a never-ending learning process. It is probably one that I won’t master before I decide to leave. However, I am getting better. My major new realization is to simply “be more” and “do less.” The more I “be” the more I learn. This is very hard for “doing-oriented” people like me. But it sures take a lot of stress out my life. Mastery of this skill is reflected by one’s average blood pressure.

The last thing I’ll share here in terms of transitioning into the new year is more consciously creating my own reality. Evaluating my skills, interests, and new areas of preferred learning and designing the script of my life to fit these criteria. This clarity allows me to relate my script and myself better to others so they will know “where I’m coming from.” They might not be happy with my script, but at least, they won’t be confused. If I am in a committed relationship–which may or may not be marriage–I will probably have to make some adjustments to my original script.

Again, the reason I have shared so much about myself here is credibility. To suggest what you might think about requires that I share those suggestions about myself. That’s my way of thinking and may not be true for everyone.

Thanks,
Bill

P.S. “We all live such elaborate lives.” Line from the Play Aida

The first step to creating sanity I previously wrote about was humility rather than arrogance. The second step in creating sanity is a willingness to learn rather than teach. The learning I am speaking of is experiential learning, not intellectual learning.

When I lived in Paris after earning my Ph.D., I was overwhelmed with the culture, the people, and most of all how they viewed the U.S. My reality had to quickly adjust if I was going to live there for my Postdoctoral Fellowship. The science was easy after Berkeley, but the cultural adjustment was challenging.

What I learned was if I kept my mouth shut and just listened, I would not only adjust, but also see the world in a completely different light. It was the first experience of expanding my reality to “walk in someone else’s moccasians.” The astounding point was what they were saying began to make sense! We are not the saviors of the world and most of what we do what is in our own best interests.

The previous statement is probably true of most, if not all, of the world governments. How do we get out of this cycle of self preserving behaviors, particularly when survival is not at stake? Transformation! And the most direct means of transformation is the authenthic experience of others. Particularly, those whose ideas and worldviews are significantly different than our own. What’s so cool today is that such a relationship can take place on the internet, which is least threatening.

This is a neat way to create our nation in cyberspace. The point is to be willing to learn from others. Listen more and notice how we have an unconscious opinion about everything that occurs in our sensing reality. Learn to quiet the mind and all of it’s conversation to allow experiencing what others might be “expressing” by using words. In other words, listen to their meaning, their emotion, and most of all their underlying request to be understood, accepted, and loved.

Ultimately, love is the only force that will bring transformationa and sanity to humans on this planet we call Earth. Make a commitment to learn something new for the next seven days by listening to peole you live and work with–regardless of age.

Love and Peace,
Bill

After a month off-line, I am resuming my blogging. Thanks to those of you who have acknowledged the value you have gotten from my ramblings so far. This year I want to up the ante with some outrageous ideas of what we might do to bring some sanity to the world. My key messages are the ones in my books Animal Kingdom and Spirituality in the Workplace.

In Animal Kingdom, the message is humility as a prerequisite for learning how to get along with others. Americans are generally perceived to be arrogant by most of the world. My observation of us in other countries confirms this perception. Our arrogance stems from our dominance in technology and business success. Both of which are quickly coming to an end. China, India, and the growing unification of Europe, economically, will eventually overcome our dominance.

Foreign students are choosing to stay home and go to school rather than coming here on the basis that we are still superior in science, technology, and engineering. Banning them over the past few years didn’t help much either. Somehow, people find alternatives. They always do. Check out sometime how we rank in science, mathematics, and engineering worldwide when you get a chance. Also check out the quality of our high school system compared to the rest of the world.

Humility begins with the realization that we do not know what is best for the world. In fact, we haven’t managed to find out how to solve our own problems here in the U.S. We are a divided country politically, economically, racially, and spiritually. We haven’t discovered how to get along with each other, let alone imposing our way of thinking on the rest of the world! We are certainly not a role model.

Humility is recognizing that others are more impressed by what they see in terms of real results and are seldom fooled by slick marketing. Slick marketing is really designed to fool us not the rest of the world. Based upon what is observed, little marketing is necessay in terms of exporting our ideas, culture, or business acumen. It is also key to tell the truth to ourselves regardless of how embarrassing it might be. Remember, “the truth will set us free.”

Humility is being open to the perceptions of the rest of the world of the U.S. As my mother used to say, “where there is smoke, there is fire!” Until we can be open and receptive to the overwhelming perceptions of the world, we are hopeless. Being more arrogant in the face of world opinion does not make us right. There is only one planet available to us all, for the foreseeable future. Unless we can learn how to get along with each other, then we are headed to a very predictable tragic future!

Hang on, since I predict we have no intention of changing at all. After all, we are right and anyone who disagrees with us is obviously wrong!

Welcome to 2007