Greetings Sacred Path Community,
Well we’re now officially on board with 2012 and all that will unfold as we traverse the months ahead. Have you made any resolutions for this year? Celebrating the New Year with the tradition of creating resolutions can be dated back 4,000 years. It has been viewed as an opportunity to find inspiration for future goals and absolution from past mistakes. Many people make New Years resolutions and yet many never follow through with them. A British psychologist surveyed 3,000 people and found that only 12% of them accomplished their resolutions. The question is: Why do so many fail? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that we do not take the time to prepare and meditate on what we truly desire and what we can realistically attain.
What does it take to succeed in making a realistic change for the coming year? Neuroscientists Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg, M.D. state that, “Ancient wisdom and modern science offer some sage advice: In setting an intention we need to carefully contemplate what we really value as important to us and then choose the one that is most essential for our well-being. Then we need to boost our willpower so that we can execute our intention.” I know this sounds simple and yet if it were that easy we would find that we had accomplished many more resolutions over the years.
Waldman and Newberg suggest that the difficulty is that we need to interrupt our brain's propensity to sabotage the plan. Researchers discovered that the people who had the most success at achieving their resolutions were those that were fully willing and committed to making a change. They employed certain strategies that changed the ways they thought and the ways they behaved. Those who weren’t successful tended to engage in wishful thinking and self-blame. Those who were successful utilized Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral strategies empowering the brain to turn resolutions into reality.
In other words, if we choose the “right” intention, and apply the “right” kind of thinking with the “right” kind of action, we can stimulate the motivational centers in the brain to create a year of transformation and success. Swaha Ron Holman, who shared Navapashanam Water with us during the last retreat, has recently given me some information from the Siddha Yoga tradition on the practice of Sankalpa, a Sanskrit word meaning “will, purpose, or determination.”
Ron states that, “Sankalpa is a Declaration of Intended Truth... It’s like a New Year's Resolution with a yogic twist... The difference is that a resolution often zeros in on a perceived negative aspect of ourselves while a Sankalpa explores what’s behind the thought or feeling. At a deeper level One recognizes a Sankalpa as Truth!”
“To make a Sankalpa is to set an intention in the sense of a prayer or resolution formed for the attainment of a spiritual purpose directed toward a specific outcome. It is said that Sankalpa is a way of taking goal setting to the highest level and infusing it with one’s deepest knowing as connected to the Divine. It combines the deepest meditative mind with the power of intention, a combination that is known to have the capacity to change the thought vibrations of humanity. The Sankalpa is revealed as part of our inner work, our personal path, our spiritual practices that lead us to Experiencing the Purpose of Our Life.”
I’m inviting 20 men to participate with me on Saturday, February 18th in a Practicum designed to empower you to cultivate the Practice of Mindfulness with the intent of developing your deep intuitive knowing through the mechanism of expanding your experiential awareness. This ultimately is what gives one enlightened wisdom. Several men have registered thus far. There are still spaces available so I encourage you to register now to join your brothers for a day to set your intentions into skillful actions for 2012, a year of great anticipation. We will work with the information provided on the Siddha practice of Sankalpa as well as metaphysical concepts and strategies for creating personal alignment on the Sacred Path. You will experience Mindfulness Meditation and dyadic Conscious Connected Breathing sessions (aka Rebirthing). This is the only one-day event for men prior to the Spring retreat in April. Read more about this event and find your registration form in this newsletter.
Mark your calendars for the 25th Annual Spring Sacred Path and Call to Adventure Rites of Passage Retreat, April 12-15. This retreat will welcome men of all ages from 12 upward. Fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, grandfathers and brothers as well as mentors and young men wanting to be in the presence of good men are invited to attend. We will create a memorable experience as we provide some initiation of the younger men into conscious manhood. Registration information will be available by early February.
For those of you who like to plan ahead, our 25th Annual Fall Sacred Path Men’s Retreat will commence on Thursday, October 18th through Sunday, the 21st, 2012.
The next event for men and women will once again feature Leonard Orr for a weekend of events (June 8-10) including didactic presentation, experiential learning and community sharing. Leonard will present on Friday evening the 8th followed by a workshop on Saturday for those wanting to deepen their Conscious Breathing expertise and then an event on Sunday for those that simply want to experience the process. We had 50 in attendance last June and many are working with the recommendations that Leonard offered for making spiritual purification an important part of one’s life.
Here’s to a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012,
Stephen
Monday, January 9, 2012
Register Now for February 18 Men's Practicum
How are you dealing with the stresses of life these days? Do you get enough sleep, relaxation and rest? Are your nerves constantly on edge and jangled? In terms of your mood, are you depressed and anxious? Do you feel irritable and tend to snap at people? Do you awaken not ready for prime time wishing you could spend the day in bed? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider that you’re fully human and a charter member of the majority of humanity that feels plagued by the pressures and duress of trying to keep up with the fast and frenetic pace of life today.
Here’s another question: Would you like to feel more in control, more at ease and lighter with a brighter outlook? The answer may seem obvious, yet as clear as the answer is, the mechanism to attain it isn’t necessarily so evident. Consider this: we may not always be able to control what occurs in our life and what happens to us, but we can learn how to exert greater control over how we react to it.
Mindfulness training provides the strategies and practices with which to weatherproof your life as well as maintain and sustain greater balance, equanimity and serenity. Being able to ride the daily ups and downs without being thrown makes living much less effortful. Setting the worries aside while dealing with your concerns in a discerning manner supports your capacity for taking skillful actions and manifesting resourceful outcomes. Calming the nervous system and attaining a centered presence allows for poise, focused awareness and clarity to reign supreme. This is the mechanism upon which our soulful intuition rises to the surface, guiding us to be our personal best.
Mindfulness training is based on age-old wisdom principals. You can think of it as a blueprint that lays out the structure for crafting your lifestyle to fit your own unique design. The elements tend to rearrange and fall into place when we sit quietly in stillness and silence and allow the inner voice of our deepest intuition to speak to us. Learning how to incorporate Mindfulness meditation into a daily practice can go a long way in providing the context with which energy moves into place. Learning how to breathe effectively in order to clean and balance our energy body strengthens our life urge and nurtures the revitalization of our cells. Energy becomes what we think, and thought is a divine creative force that has power and potential for great change mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
I am inviting 20 men to participate in a day of reflection, introspection and authentic self-examination of the blueprint underlying the foundation and structure of the lives that we’re living. During the time together we’ll explore Mindfulness strategies and learn useful spiritual purification practices involving the key elements of earth, air, water, fire and ether. You’ll have the opportunity to develop the powers of intuition through cultivating the deep experiential wisdom imbued with divine creativity and universal intelligence. During the event you’ll engage in experiences that are transformative and you’ll carry away the framework of a technology that is practical, useful and applicable on a daily basis. I invite you to be one of the men that will gather for this practicum.
To download the flyer/application, click HERE
Here’s another question: Would you like to feel more in control, more at ease and lighter with a brighter outlook? The answer may seem obvious, yet as clear as the answer is, the mechanism to attain it isn’t necessarily so evident. Consider this: we may not always be able to control what occurs in our life and what happens to us, but we can learn how to exert greater control over how we react to it.
Mindfulness training provides the strategies and practices with which to weatherproof your life as well as maintain and sustain greater balance, equanimity and serenity. Being able to ride the daily ups and downs without being thrown makes living much less effortful. Setting the worries aside while dealing with your concerns in a discerning manner supports your capacity for taking skillful actions and manifesting resourceful outcomes. Calming the nervous system and attaining a centered presence allows for poise, focused awareness and clarity to reign supreme. This is the mechanism upon which our soulful intuition rises to the surface, guiding us to be our personal best.
Mindfulness training is based on age-old wisdom principals. You can think of it as a blueprint that lays out the structure for crafting your lifestyle to fit your own unique design. The elements tend to rearrange and fall into place when we sit quietly in stillness and silence and allow the inner voice of our deepest intuition to speak to us. Learning how to incorporate Mindfulness meditation into a daily practice can go a long way in providing the context with which energy moves into place. Learning how to breathe effectively in order to clean and balance our energy body strengthens our life urge and nurtures the revitalization of our cells. Energy becomes what we think, and thought is a divine creative force that has power and potential for great change mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
I am inviting 20 men to participate in a day of reflection, introspection and authentic self-examination of the blueprint underlying the foundation and structure of the lives that we’re living. During the time together we’ll explore Mindfulness strategies and learn useful spiritual purification practices involving the key elements of earth, air, water, fire and ether. You’ll have the opportunity to develop the powers of intuition through cultivating the deep experiential wisdom imbued with divine creativity and universal intelligence. During the event you’ll engage in experiences that are transformative and you’ll carry away the framework of a technology that is practical, useful and applicable on a daily basis. I invite you to be one of the men that will gather for this practicum.
To download the flyer/application, click HERE
Where Are All the Heroes?
By
Stephen J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Stephen J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Where are all the real heroes today? Role models that represent leadership for our youth appear to be absent or in short supply. Many young men today lack guidance to prepare them for manhood. Positive role models that represent the fundamental qualities of mature masculinity such as honesty, integrity, compassion, a sense of social responsibility and a commitment to purpose are needed now more than ever before.
In fact, now more than ever, our young males are yearning for a sense of belonging. Inner city youth, succumbing to the dramatic absence of fathering and mentoring, turn to urban gangs for a sense of belonging. Males from privileged backgrounds perceive acquisitions as the measure of manhood. It is evident that young men from all backgrounds have entered a troubled world with little guidance, diminished preparation and dashed hope.
In a time of our ancestors, tribes would initiate young men into manhood through a rite of passage. The elders of the tribe to ritualize the young man’s journey into maturity would facilitate a ceremony involving some form of challenge.
As the ones who created the world our youth will inherit, it is our job to prepare our young people for the journey ahead. Although we cannot provide them with their answers, we can point them in the direction of the right questions to ask and equip them with tools for their process of self-discovery. The Call to Adventure Retreat is a rare opportunity for young men to become heroes in their own lives and leaders in their community.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE RETREAT offers contemporary rites of passage into manhood for young men. This is an ideal bonding experience for fathers and sons. In today’s culture, it is critical that young men have pivotal experiences that present a model of true manhood. This retreat is that transformational adventure!
Not only for fathers and sons, but for spiritual warriors of all ages… a four-day vision quest into the heart of one’s soul that includes discussions, stories, leadership and following processes, a team building ropes course, workshops, sacred ceremony, time for introspection, self-reflection and meditation all geared to providing dynamic opportunities to discover one’s authentic self within a context of safety, acceptance, understanding and love.
We endeavor to open the world of conscious manhood to those seeking enhanced awareness, clarity of values, sharpened skills and a mature masculinity modeling what it means to be a good man today. We will not be mailing out the flier but rather will spread the word via the Internet and interpersonal contact. Please pass this message to those that you would like to invite and you can also download and print the flier to hand out. We’re looking forward to assembling upwards of 80 participants for this very special event and we sincerely hope that you’ll choose to be with us.
Partial and full scholarships are awarded based on request and established by need. At this point we have approximately $1,000 and another $4-5,000 committed from two of our men in support of our upcoming 25th Annual Spring Sacred Path Men’s Retreat happening concurrently with the 13th Annual Call To Adventure Retreat. Their committed donations are earmarked for the CTA portion of the combined retreat (April 12-15, 2012). We would like to increase this fund by at least $5,000 in order to bring more deserving boys and mentors to the SP/CTA Spring Retreat. For each $500 that is donated we can fully scholarship one participant. Please consider making a donation or getting the message out to sources capable of contributing to our Scholarship Funds. All donations in any amount are welcomed and greatly appreciated.
For those wishing to donate to assist men in need, you can earmark your donation for the Conrad Burke Memorial Scholarship Fund. If you wish to contribute to our youth scholarship fund, you can earmark your donation for the Walter Atkinson Memorial Scholarship Fund. Checks may be made out to Millennium Oaks Institute that manages our scholarship programs. M.O.I is a 501c3 Not-For-Profit Organization that is overseen by Charlie Atkinson, Walter’s son. Thank you for your generous support of our programs.
You’re invited to participate with a group of dedicated individuals committed to supporting the work of the Men’s Center Los Angeles through our efforts to provide inner city boys the opportunity to have a memorable experience of conscious manhood. There are a number of areas in this endeavor that can use more manpower. MCLA is working in collaboration with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Los Angeles County Second District, C.U.R.E., USC coach Pete Carroll’s A Better LA, UNITY, those in prevention with LAPD, LA County Probation, County of LA Sheriff’s Department as well as LA County Parks and Recreation to expand our youth enhancement program. We sincerely hope that you’ll favorably consider joining us.
Our mission is to offer these retreats to more young males residing in the inner city. Upwards of 80% of African American children in south central Los Angeles and other urban areas across the nation are growing up without a biological father in the home, and we want to make a positive difference. Our current focus is on reaching out to private and corporate sponsors to help underwrite this program. Please consider making a contribution to our scholarship programs to support men and boys worthy of our help. On behalf of the men of the Sacred Path Wisdom Council, I thank you for your consideration of this request. Please notify us of your intention to make a contribution and we will discuss your preferred method of payment and provide further information concerning a tax deduction.
The 13th annual CTA is fast approaching. The event commences Thursday afternoon, April 12th, and concludes Sunday afternoon, April 15th 2012. It takes place on a hilltop overlooking the coastline, just beyond the Malibu city limits in Ventura County. A varied menu and comfortable lodging are provided. An enriching experience is promised. An adventure of personal development is guaranteed.
Visit our web site, www.menscenterlosangeles.com, to read more about our programs and this upcoming retreat. Listen to audio recordings and view videos that illustrate what has been accomplished when good men come together to make a positive difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sleep Apnea
[I remember Andrew Soliz speaking in the community at the Fall Retreat about his sleep apnea condition and am pleased that we have a direct testimonial from one of the men who benefited from that sharing. That is the overall blessing of men being honest with each other about personal things that one might normally keep to oneself. I thought it might be helpful to put this letter from Bruce Figoten to Andrew in the newsletter with an encouraging statement for men with symptoms to go get checked. It can save a life.
Stephen]
Here is Bruce’s letter:
Hi Andrew,
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your innate wisdom and courage during the last men's retreat. You told your story about your sleep apnea and also stated that there was a place for western medicine as well as spiritual medicine. Your story got me to thinking about my situation.
In August I was admittied to the hospital with ventricular trigeminy (every 3rd heartbeat was skipping). I stayed overnight and nothing could be found wrong. My cardiologist increased my anti-arrhythmia medication and it got better. However, he thought that I might have sleep apnea, as this can cause my heart condition. He wrote me a prescription for a sleep study and I put it on my desk and forgot about it; I did not want to think about it.
After hearing you talk and recognizing the same symptoms you had, I immediately scheduled a sleep study when I got back from the retreat.
The results from the study not only showed that I had obstructive sleep apnea, but also central apnea. Central apnea is when the signal from the brain to tell my body to breathe does not fire all the time and it causes me to stop breathing. These two apneas together are called complex apnea. I went for another sleep study so they could titrate me on a BPAP [bilevel positive airway pressure] machine that takes care of both apneas.
I have been on this machine for over a week now and feel better already. Abby has noticed the difference in my sleep habits. I no longer snore or fling my arms about and pull the covers from her.
Thank you, brother, for having the courage to tell your story. If it were not for you, I probably would not have done the study and would have continued to be in denial.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and Carrie and your families a very happy and health new year.
Namaste,
Bruce
Aside from causing sleep deprivation and stress, there are many side effects of sleep apnea that are cause for concern. Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated episodes of apnea, meaning “without breath.” In other words, normal breathing is interrupted up to 50 times per hour during sleep. Not surprisingly, the side effects of sleep apnea can be very dangerous and serious. In fact, sleep apnea can be deadly. If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, it is important to recognize them and get treatment.
Side Effects of Sleep Apnea include the following:
Decreased blood oxygen level. Since breathing is interrupted, when a person has sleep apnea, the oxygen level in the blood decreases while the level of carbon dioxide increases. Having low blood oxygen levels can also affect the brain resulting in equilibrium and memory deficiency.
Compromised immune system. The immune system of an individual suffering of sleep apnea becomes impaired because they don’t receive enough sleep. Constant sleep deprivation reduces the ability of the immune system to fight infection.
Development of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes can also be a sleep apnea side effect. Studies have found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea are more than two and one-half times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Scientists theorize that high levels of the hormone cortisol that are produced as a result of the stress caused by sleep apnea lead to increased resistance to insulin and glucose intolerance.
Daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Alertness and memory function of a person is affected due to decreased cognitive function with sleep apnea.
Irritability, short-temperedness, anxiety and depression. As sleep apnea can cause sleepiness and fatigue, when a person is sleep deprived, it affects all aspects their temperament both at home and at work.
Headache and migraine. Because of disturbed sleep that leads to blood-oxygen depletion and constriction of the small blood vessels in the brain, morning headaches and migraines can occur.
Sexual function problems. Another side effect of sleep apnea is sexual dysfunction in both men and women. Blood oxygen deficiency in major body organs can result from sleep apnea. There are medical reports stating that men with sleep apnea have problems initiating and sustaining an erection. Studies also find that women with OSA have a significant decrease in sexual function.
Obesity. Aside from being one of the causes of sleep apnea, obesity can also be a side effect of sleep apnea. Hormonal imbalances caused by sleep apnea contribute to weight gain.
Snoring. Snoring is one of the most common side effects of sleep apnea and one of the biggest indicators that sleep apnea is present. People that snore and have other symptoms of sleep apnea should visit a sleep apnea clinic and get tested.
Frequent nighttime urination or nocturia. Sleep apnea causes increased pressure on the right side of the heart as a result of low oxygen levels in the blood. Since increased pressure is also a sign of excess body fluids, doctors believe the body responds by secreting a hormone called atrial natriuretic peptide which is a diuretic and causes sufferers to urinate more frequently.
High Blood Pressure. Hypertension is a common side effect of sleep apnea. Studies show that people with moderate to severe sleep apnea are more than twice as likely to also suffer from high blood pressure. Those suffering from sleep apnea and high blood pressure are also more likely to experience other complications such as heart and kidney damage as well as stroke.
The Side Effects of Sleep Apnea Can Be Deadly
In addition to the health risks posed by the sleep apnea side effects listed above, sleep apnea increase the risk for several more serious cardiac events.
Heart arrhythmias, or an irregular rhythm of the heartbeat. Although often harmless, heart arrhythmias can be a dangerous side effect. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause both bradycardia, where the heart beats slowly at less than 60 beats per minute, as well as atrial fibrillation (afib), a condition where the electrical signals to the heart become uncoordinated, causing rapid and ineffective heart contractions. Over time, afib can increase the risk for more serious complications such as stroke.
Accidents. Sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea increases the chances a person will be involved in a serious car accident by as much as five times. The risk of work and industrial accidents is also higher.
Stroke, heart attack and death are the most significant side effects of sleep apnea. Stress placed on the sympathetic nervous system can lead to heart attacks, stoke and even death from sleep apnea. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic discovered that sleep apnea patients suffer twice as many cardiac events while sleeping than while awake; just the opposite of what people without sleep apnea experience. Mortality was also increased by a factor of six.
Every aspect of a person’s life can be affected by sleep apnea. The conditions mentioned above are just a few of the side effects of sleep apnea. It is important to get treatment as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming more serious. Without treatment, the side effects of sleep apnea pose a significant health risk.
Stephen]
Here is Bruce’s letter:
Hi Andrew,
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your innate wisdom and courage during the last men's retreat. You told your story about your sleep apnea and also stated that there was a place for western medicine as well as spiritual medicine. Your story got me to thinking about my situation.
In August I was admittied to the hospital with ventricular trigeminy (every 3rd heartbeat was skipping). I stayed overnight and nothing could be found wrong. My cardiologist increased my anti-arrhythmia medication and it got better. However, he thought that I might have sleep apnea, as this can cause my heart condition. He wrote me a prescription for a sleep study and I put it on my desk and forgot about it; I did not want to think about it.
After hearing you talk and recognizing the same symptoms you had, I immediately scheduled a sleep study when I got back from the retreat.
The results from the study not only showed that I had obstructive sleep apnea, but also central apnea. Central apnea is when the signal from the brain to tell my body to breathe does not fire all the time and it causes me to stop breathing. These two apneas together are called complex apnea. I went for another sleep study so they could titrate me on a BPAP [bilevel positive airway pressure] machine that takes care of both apneas.
I have been on this machine for over a week now and feel better already. Abby has noticed the difference in my sleep habits. I no longer snore or fling my arms about and pull the covers from her.
Thank you, brother, for having the courage to tell your story. If it were not for you, I probably would not have done the study and would have continued to be in denial.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and Carrie and your families a very happy and health new year.
Namaste,
Bruce
~~~~~~~
Aside from causing sleep deprivation and stress, there are many side effects of sleep apnea that are cause for concern. Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated episodes of apnea, meaning “without breath.” In other words, normal breathing is interrupted up to 50 times per hour during sleep. Not surprisingly, the side effects of sleep apnea can be very dangerous and serious. In fact, sleep apnea can be deadly. If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, it is important to recognize them and get treatment.
Side Effects of Sleep Apnea include the following:
Decreased blood oxygen level. Since breathing is interrupted, when a person has sleep apnea, the oxygen level in the blood decreases while the level of carbon dioxide increases. Having low blood oxygen levels can also affect the brain resulting in equilibrium and memory deficiency.
Compromised immune system. The immune system of an individual suffering of sleep apnea becomes impaired because they don’t receive enough sleep. Constant sleep deprivation reduces the ability of the immune system to fight infection.
Development of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes can also be a sleep apnea side effect. Studies have found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea are more than two and one-half times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Scientists theorize that high levels of the hormone cortisol that are produced as a result of the stress caused by sleep apnea lead to increased resistance to insulin and glucose intolerance.
Daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Alertness and memory function of a person is affected due to decreased cognitive function with sleep apnea.
Irritability, short-temperedness, anxiety and depression. As sleep apnea can cause sleepiness and fatigue, when a person is sleep deprived, it affects all aspects their temperament both at home and at work.
Headache and migraine. Because of disturbed sleep that leads to blood-oxygen depletion and constriction of the small blood vessels in the brain, morning headaches and migraines can occur.
Sexual function problems. Another side effect of sleep apnea is sexual dysfunction in both men and women. Blood oxygen deficiency in major body organs can result from sleep apnea. There are medical reports stating that men with sleep apnea have problems initiating and sustaining an erection. Studies also find that women with OSA have a significant decrease in sexual function.
Obesity. Aside from being one of the causes of sleep apnea, obesity can also be a side effect of sleep apnea. Hormonal imbalances caused by sleep apnea contribute to weight gain.
Snoring. Snoring is one of the most common side effects of sleep apnea and one of the biggest indicators that sleep apnea is present. People that snore and have other symptoms of sleep apnea should visit a sleep apnea clinic and get tested.
Frequent nighttime urination or nocturia. Sleep apnea causes increased pressure on the right side of the heart as a result of low oxygen levels in the blood. Since increased pressure is also a sign of excess body fluids, doctors believe the body responds by secreting a hormone called atrial natriuretic peptide which is a diuretic and causes sufferers to urinate more frequently.
High Blood Pressure. Hypertension is a common side effect of sleep apnea. Studies show that people with moderate to severe sleep apnea are more than twice as likely to also suffer from high blood pressure. Those suffering from sleep apnea and high blood pressure are also more likely to experience other complications such as heart and kidney damage as well as stroke.
The Side Effects of Sleep Apnea Can Be Deadly
In addition to the health risks posed by the sleep apnea side effects listed above, sleep apnea increase the risk for several more serious cardiac events.
Heart arrhythmias, or an irregular rhythm of the heartbeat. Although often harmless, heart arrhythmias can be a dangerous side effect. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause both bradycardia, where the heart beats slowly at less than 60 beats per minute, as well as atrial fibrillation (afib), a condition where the electrical signals to the heart become uncoordinated, causing rapid and ineffective heart contractions. Over time, afib can increase the risk for more serious complications such as stroke.
Accidents. Sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea increases the chances a person will be involved in a serious car accident by as much as five times. The risk of work and industrial accidents is also higher.
Stroke, heart attack and death are the most significant side effects of sleep apnea. Stress placed on the sympathetic nervous system can lead to heart attacks, stoke and even death from sleep apnea. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic discovered that sleep apnea patients suffer twice as many cardiac events while sleeping than while awake; just the opposite of what people without sleep apnea experience. Mortality was also increased by a factor of six.
Every aspect of a person’s life can be affected by sleep apnea. The conditions mentioned above are just a few of the side effects of sleep apnea. It is important to get treatment as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming more serious. Without treatment, the side effects of sleep apnea pose a significant health risk.
Judgment
Often times, when we occupy the space of 'I'm right and you're wrong' it keeps us from seeing our own responsibility in matters. When we judge others' foibles and personality traits, what does it really say about us? What can we do to identify and get rid of judgment in ourselves and in our lives?
From Deepak Chopra, MD:
"The Hidden Side of Judgment
Not every person gets to the point in their life when they question the value of judging against others. After all, society depends upon a healthy regard for the difference between right and wrong. Many people, perhaps the vast majority, are content with a system where rules are meant to be obeyed, lawbreakers are punished, and so on. But the mechanism of justice is not the whole of life. When I was young, I was struck by a passing remark from the lips of a spiritual teacher: 'Where love is not, there must be laws.'
At a certain point, a new and different kind of view begins to oppose our certainty that we have a right to judge others. Insight begins to dawn. It's not the same insight for everyone, yet I'd guess that something like the following begins to make sense:
Judge not lest you be judged.
We condemn in others what we are afraid to see in ourselves.
Blame is the projection of guilt.
Us-versus-them thinking is destructive to both sides of the equation.
How would you label such thoughts? If you are a rigid adherent to "an eye for an eye," these insights are corrosive; they must be rejected to keep your black-and-white moral code intact. But there's a reason, despite the intricacies and cruelties of the system of law, why the spiritual side of our nature is attracted to non-judgment. We want to love and be loved. At a deeper level, we realize that all suffering is ultimately related to self-judgment. Seeing yourself as fallen from grace, you feel justified in treating everyone else as fallen, to one degree or another.
Yet at a certain, highly unpredictable point, the urge arises to move beyond self-judgment, and when that urge arises, the need to judge others begins to decrease. There is an evolutionary impulse in everyone, or so the world's wisdom traditions teach us. We believe in our higher or better selves. We want to reconnect with the soul. The selfish demands of the ego wear us down and begin to seem pointless. Whatever the trigger, moving beyond judgment is evolutionary. A breakthrough is possible, after which a path opens up.
Walking this path transforms the entire person, over a period of time, and leads to many stages of realization. At one stage you may want to rebel against rules and authority. That can be a satisfying stance, but eventually it is seen as untenable. At another stage you may feel humbled and therefore more judgmental against yourself than ever before. That, too, is just a stage. Ahead are various roles we attempt to play—martyr, saint, ascetic, child of God, child of Nature, etc. It would be too ironic to judge against any of these steps in personal growth; they are convincing while they last and rather empty once they are finished. Whatever the way stations that you experience on the path, the goal isn't the role you play; it's fulfillment within yourself.
Fulfillment is all-inclusive, which is why it is often labeled as unity consciousness. You exclude nothing from your being; there is a common thread running through you and everyone else. At that point, when empathy is effortless, you have succeeded in something that is at once very desirable and very rare. You have transcended the war between good and evil, light and darkness. Only in that state does the war end, and the perplexing issues around judgment are solved at last. Short of complete fulfillment within yourself, you cannot help but participate in duality, because the entire play of right and wrong, good and bad, light and darkness, depends upon self-division. Your ego will persist until the very end in labeling A as good and B as bad, for the simple reason that duality requires choices. As long as you prefer one thing over another, a mechanism will sneak in that says, 'If I like it, it must be good. If I don't like it, it must be bad.'
Fortunately, even as the game of judgment keeps society running smoothly, constantly dictating our likes and dislikes, our loves and hates, human beings are born to transcend. We can go beyond the setup of society, the ego and judgment itself. In that innate capacity for seeking the higher self, every hope and promise offered by the world's great spiritual teachers rests."
Deepak Chopra is the President of the Alliance for A New Humanity.
From Michael Berg:
"It is easy to judge others and find fault in them; it is sometimes even enjoyable. Yet in reality, if our aim is to draw greater blessings and fulfillment into our lives, it is one of the most dangerous things we can do.
When we judge others we often think that we are simply making an observation, and that this action or thought will not affect us. However this is not the case. When we judge others we are awakening and connecting ourselves to a force of judgment. It is like trying to throw mud at someone – we might or might not hit them but we are definitely tainted by the mud. And by acting in this way we don't necessarily affect the other person, but we most definitely draw the energy of judgment and lack into ourselves.
I am often asked, 'We know that there are no coincidences, but why, then, do we see faults in others if it is wrong to judge people?' The kabbalists teach that as easy as it is to see shortcomings in others, it is almost impossible for an individual to truly find and assess his or her own faults. In order to change and grow we need to be able to know what it is about ourselves that we need to transform. Yet if we are never completely capable of seeing our own faults, how will we change?
In order to assist us, the Creator created endless mirrors for each of us that allow us to clearly see what we have to change. These mirrors are all the people that are in our lives every day. Every fault we see in another person is an indication that we have an aspect of that issue within ourselves. In fact, the reality is that the only reason we are being shown these flaws in others is to realize that they also exist within ourselves. How silly is it then that we often disregard this and focus on what is wrong with other people?
The kabbalists use a simple story to illustrate this lesson. A man spends all of his day in a coal mine and his entire body and face are filthy. As he arrives home he sees a mirror his wife has bought. He looks at the mirror and sees that his reflection is dirty, so he takes a rag and starts cleaning the mirror. He tries and tries with all his might but his face still remains dirty. Of course this man is acting foolishly, as it is not a problem with the mirror but rather his own filth. This is how we usually behave—we see a reflection of our less-than-perfect traits in others, and rather than realizing that we are seeing this in order to change and perfect ourselves, we stay focused on the faulty mirror.
If we truly integrate this understanding into our lives, the next time we feel the urge to judge others we will instead look inward and find how we too possess the fault we see and forget about judging anyone. By acting in this way we protect ourselves from drawing the energy of judgment and lack into our lives. And most importantly, we gain a clear direction for own transformation and growth."
Michael Berg is a Kabbalah scholar and author. He is co-Director of The Kabbalah Centre. You can follow Michael on twitter, twitter.com/inspiringchange. His latest book is “What God Meant.”
From Dr. Karen Binder-Byrnes, Ph.D:
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." -Carl Gustave Jung
"As human beings, we are constantly searching for self-definition by viewing ourselves in the context of our fellow “others" on this earth. One of the ways we do this is to be continually searching for the "sameness" or "difference" with the people we encounter in life. Often, the search to realize our own uniqueness leads being judgmental. As a basic and primal evolutionary survival tool, judgement of the "other's" intentions could enable one to move toward or away from a threatening encounter. However, on an everyday basis, most of us are more likely to be judgmental as a means of elevating our own self-importance and/or assuaging our feelings of inadequacy.
There is an underlying sense of moral superiority and righteousness when we are being judgmental. In this dynamic, whether we are judging ourselves or others, we lose the sense of tolerance, compassion and objectivity that is probably most required. Recently, I was in a car with a male friend who became irate and judgmental about another driver who cut in on us in a toll line. I laughed, as I had been in the car with him many times when he had done the very same thing to other drivers. This is a simple example.
Being judgmental can drain us. Having compassion and empathy restores and increases our energy and our sense of well-being. It helps us want to move toward others and allows others to move toward us. During this holiday season, when we are surrounded by family and friends, we should all try to be more tolerant and empathic to our differences and check some of our judgments both of others and of ourselves at the door. Be mindful of the tendency to be judgmental and find humor and acceptance the kaleidoscope of human foibles that make up our world! Happy Holidays!! Peace."
Dr. Karen Binder-Byrnes is a leading psychologist with a private practice in New York City for the past 19 years. See her website, DrKarennyc.com, for more information.
From Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel:
"What I hear in this question is a common concern for all of us: we want to be able to respond to our relationships with skillfulness and clarity. But when we critically examine, say, a conflict we might be having with a friend or family member, we often find ourselves judging others based on 'right' or 'wrong.' So to me the fundamental question comes down to this: 'Is there a way of working with relationships without judging or ignoring?'
For me this question opened up a query into the difference between discernment and judgment. When we look at another human being—or ourselves—we see that we are not 'one way.' Human beings are creative and destructive, cranky and kind, joyful and miserable…it's impossible to pin down a human being. We are always a 'work in progress.' So when we judge others (or ourselves) we are objectifying or seeing them in a one-dimensional way. There is a closing down around a negative idea, and simultaneously, there is a non-acceptance of the "fullness" of who they are. This is why, when we judge others, we experience first and foremost the negativity of our own mind.
One thing I like to do when I find myself in these situations is to try to remember at least two other qualities about the person whom I have just 'put in a box.' For instance, aside from what is irritating us, we may acknowledge that she is a good mother to her children. We may remember that she brought us soup when we were sick. In this way, all of us move out of our tendency to judge them—to form a solid picture of them—which in turn moves us out of our own negativity. This helps us see this person more fully, which, if we are honest with ourselves, is more accurate.
This doesn't mean that this person doesn't exhibit habits that challenge us. Nor does it mean that we shouldn't also find a way to work with or even communicate with this person, set boundaries, and so on… But when we don't shut down by making judgments, the atmosphere of our minds is open, gentle and non-reactive. This gives us a greater capacity for clear seeing and how to relate to them skillfully in order to obtain a positive outcome.
I deeply believe that seeing the fullness of others, in all their pain and glory, allows us to express the greatest love and respect we can offer. It is an unconditional kind of love. And this kind of love has a profound effect on our own minds.
Not long ago a dear friend of mine lost her father. She told me that after his passing, her family and friends began to praise and deify him. Although she adored and respected her father, this was hard for her. She said that her father was many things: he was intelligent and kind, but also sometimes rough and gritty, 'like a prickly pear cactus.' She had trouble listening to people describe her father in such a one-dimensional way. She felt that her love for her father included the fullness of his human-ness.
I found this touching because her love for her father was inclusive … she didn't have to forget or disregard him in any way. She could accept him completely for who he was. She was able to see him clearly and accept him fully, both at the same time.
We can have an inclusive stance that makes room for the full humanity of others. From this ground, we can respond to a parent, friend or co-worker without judgment. When we realize that we can be both open and discerning at the same time, we experience freedom from negativity and meaningfulness in our relationship with the world."
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel is a Buddhist scholar and the author of the book, ”The Power of an Open Question” (Shambhala Publications).
From Deepak Chopra, MD:
"The Hidden Side of Judgment
Not every person gets to the point in their life when they question the value of judging against others. After all, society depends upon a healthy regard for the difference between right and wrong. Many people, perhaps the vast majority, are content with a system where rules are meant to be obeyed, lawbreakers are punished, and so on. But the mechanism of justice is not the whole of life. When I was young, I was struck by a passing remark from the lips of a spiritual teacher: 'Where love is not, there must be laws.'
At a certain point, a new and different kind of view begins to oppose our certainty that we have a right to judge others. Insight begins to dawn. It's not the same insight for everyone, yet I'd guess that something like the following begins to make sense:
Judge not lest you be judged.
We condemn in others what we are afraid to see in ourselves.
Blame is the projection of guilt.
Us-versus-them thinking is destructive to both sides of the equation.
How would you label such thoughts? If you are a rigid adherent to "an eye for an eye," these insights are corrosive; they must be rejected to keep your black-and-white moral code intact. But there's a reason, despite the intricacies and cruelties of the system of law, why the spiritual side of our nature is attracted to non-judgment. We want to love and be loved. At a deeper level, we realize that all suffering is ultimately related to self-judgment. Seeing yourself as fallen from grace, you feel justified in treating everyone else as fallen, to one degree or another.
Yet at a certain, highly unpredictable point, the urge arises to move beyond self-judgment, and when that urge arises, the need to judge others begins to decrease. There is an evolutionary impulse in everyone, or so the world's wisdom traditions teach us. We believe in our higher or better selves. We want to reconnect with the soul. The selfish demands of the ego wear us down and begin to seem pointless. Whatever the trigger, moving beyond judgment is evolutionary. A breakthrough is possible, after which a path opens up.
Walking this path transforms the entire person, over a period of time, and leads to many stages of realization. At one stage you may want to rebel against rules and authority. That can be a satisfying stance, but eventually it is seen as untenable. At another stage you may feel humbled and therefore more judgmental against yourself than ever before. That, too, is just a stage. Ahead are various roles we attempt to play—martyr, saint, ascetic, child of God, child of Nature, etc. It would be too ironic to judge against any of these steps in personal growth; they are convincing while they last and rather empty once they are finished. Whatever the way stations that you experience on the path, the goal isn't the role you play; it's fulfillment within yourself.
Fulfillment is all-inclusive, which is why it is often labeled as unity consciousness. You exclude nothing from your being; there is a common thread running through you and everyone else. At that point, when empathy is effortless, you have succeeded in something that is at once very desirable and very rare. You have transcended the war between good and evil, light and darkness. Only in that state does the war end, and the perplexing issues around judgment are solved at last. Short of complete fulfillment within yourself, you cannot help but participate in duality, because the entire play of right and wrong, good and bad, light and darkness, depends upon self-division. Your ego will persist until the very end in labeling A as good and B as bad, for the simple reason that duality requires choices. As long as you prefer one thing over another, a mechanism will sneak in that says, 'If I like it, it must be good. If I don't like it, it must be bad.'
Fortunately, even as the game of judgment keeps society running smoothly, constantly dictating our likes and dislikes, our loves and hates, human beings are born to transcend. We can go beyond the setup of society, the ego and judgment itself. In that innate capacity for seeking the higher self, every hope and promise offered by the world's great spiritual teachers rests."
Deepak Chopra is the President of the Alliance for A New Humanity.
From Michael Berg:
"It is easy to judge others and find fault in them; it is sometimes even enjoyable. Yet in reality, if our aim is to draw greater blessings and fulfillment into our lives, it is one of the most dangerous things we can do.
When we judge others we often think that we are simply making an observation, and that this action or thought will not affect us. However this is not the case. When we judge others we are awakening and connecting ourselves to a force of judgment. It is like trying to throw mud at someone – we might or might not hit them but we are definitely tainted by the mud. And by acting in this way we don't necessarily affect the other person, but we most definitely draw the energy of judgment and lack into ourselves.
I am often asked, 'We know that there are no coincidences, but why, then, do we see faults in others if it is wrong to judge people?' The kabbalists teach that as easy as it is to see shortcomings in others, it is almost impossible for an individual to truly find and assess his or her own faults. In order to change and grow we need to be able to know what it is about ourselves that we need to transform. Yet if we are never completely capable of seeing our own faults, how will we change?
In order to assist us, the Creator created endless mirrors for each of us that allow us to clearly see what we have to change. These mirrors are all the people that are in our lives every day. Every fault we see in another person is an indication that we have an aspect of that issue within ourselves. In fact, the reality is that the only reason we are being shown these flaws in others is to realize that they also exist within ourselves. How silly is it then that we often disregard this and focus on what is wrong with other people?
The kabbalists use a simple story to illustrate this lesson. A man spends all of his day in a coal mine and his entire body and face are filthy. As he arrives home he sees a mirror his wife has bought. He looks at the mirror and sees that his reflection is dirty, so he takes a rag and starts cleaning the mirror. He tries and tries with all his might but his face still remains dirty. Of course this man is acting foolishly, as it is not a problem with the mirror but rather his own filth. This is how we usually behave—we see a reflection of our less-than-perfect traits in others, and rather than realizing that we are seeing this in order to change and perfect ourselves, we stay focused on the faulty mirror.
If we truly integrate this understanding into our lives, the next time we feel the urge to judge others we will instead look inward and find how we too possess the fault we see and forget about judging anyone. By acting in this way we protect ourselves from drawing the energy of judgment and lack into our lives. And most importantly, we gain a clear direction for own transformation and growth."
Michael Berg is a Kabbalah scholar and author. He is co-Director of The Kabbalah Centre. You can follow Michael on twitter, twitter.com/inspiringchange. His latest book is “What God Meant.”
From Dr. Karen Binder-Byrnes, Ph.D:
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." -Carl Gustave Jung
"As human beings, we are constantly searching for self-definition by viewing ourselves in the context of our fellow “others" on this earth. One of the ways we do this is to be continually searching for the "sameness" or "difference" with the people we encounter in life. Often, the search to realize our own uniqueness leads being judgmental. As a basic and primal evolutionary survival tool, judgement of the "other's" intentions could enable one to move toward or away from a threatening encounter. However, on an everyday basis, most of us are more likely to be judgmental as a means of elevating our own self-importance and/or assuaging our feelings of inadequacy.
There is an underlying sense of moral superiority and righteousness when we are being judgmental. In this dynamic, whether we are judging ourselves or others, we lose the sense of tolerance, compassion and objectivity that is probably most required. Recently, I was in a car with a male friend who became irate and judgmental about another driver who cut in on us in a toll line. I laughed, as I had been in the car with him many times when he had done the very same thing to other drivers. This is a simple example.
Being judgmental can drain us. Having compassion and empathy restores and increases our energy and our sense of well-being. It helps us want to move toward others and allows others to move toward us. During this holiday season, when we are surrounded by family and friends, we should all try to be more tolerant and empathic to our differences and check some of our judgments both of others and of ourselves at the door. Be mindful of the tendency to be judgmental and find humor and acceptance the kaleidoscope of human foibles that make up our world! Happy Holidays!! Peace."
Dr. Karen Binder-Byrnes is a leading psychologist with a private practice in New York City for the past 19 years. See her website, DrKarennyc.com, for more information.
From Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel:
"What I hear in this question is a common concern for all of us: we want to be able to respond to our relationships with skillfulness and clarity. But when we critically examine, say, a conflict we might be having with a friend or family member, we often find ourselves judging others based on 'right' or 'wrong.' So to me the fundamental question comes down to this: 'Is there a way of working with relationships without judging or ignoring?'
For me this question opened up a query into the difference between discernment and judgment. When we look at another human being—or ourselves—we see that we are not 'one way.' Human beings are creative and destructive, cranky and kind, joyful and miserable…it's impossible to pin down a human being. We are always a 'work in progress.' So when we judge others (or ourselves) we are objectifying or seeing them in a one-dimensional way. There is a closing down around a negative idea, and simultaneously, there is a non-acceptance of the "fullness" of who they are. This is why, when we judge others, we experience first and foremost the negativity of our own mind.
One thing I like to do when I find myself in these situations is to try to remember at least two other qualities about the person whom I have just 'put in a box.' For instance, aside from what is irritating us, we may acknowledge that she is a good mother to her children. We may remember that she brought us soup when we were sick. In this way, all of us move out of our tendency to judge them—to form a solid picture of them—which in turn moves us out of our own negativity. This helps us see this person more fully, which, if we are honest with ourselves, is more accurate.
This doesn't mean that this person doesn't exhibit habits that challenge us. Nor does it mean that we shouldn't also find a way to work with or even communicate with this person, set boundaries, and so on… But when we don't shut down by making judgments, the atmosphere of our minds is open, gentle and non-reactive. This gives us a greater capacity for clear seeing and how to relate to them skillfully in order to obtain a positive outcome.
I deeply believe that seeing the fullness of others, in all their pain and glory, allows us to express the greatest love and respect we can offer. It is an unconditional kind of love. And this kind of love has a profound effect on our own minds.
Not long ago a dear friend of mine lost her father. She told me that after his passing, her family and friends began to praise and deify him. Although she adored and respected her father, this was hard for her. She said that her father was many things: he was intelligent and kind, but also sometimes rough and gritty, 'like a prickly pear cactus.' She had trouble listening to people describe her father in such a one-dimensional way. She felt that her love for her father included the fullness of his human-ness.
I found this touching because her love for her father was inclusive … she didn't have to forget or disregard him in any way. She could accept him completely for who he was. She was able to see him clearly and accept him fully, both at the same time.
We can have an inclusive stance that makes room for the full humanity of others. From this ground, we can respond to a parent, friend or co-worker without judgment. When we realize that we can be both open and discerning at the same time, we experience freedom from negativity and meaningfulness in our relationship with the world."
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel is a Buddhist scholar and the author of the book, ”The Power of an Open Question” (Shambhala Publications).
Making a Living - Co-Creating the Cosmos
by Jon Foreman, lead singer and guitarist of the group Switchfoot This article first appeared in the Huffington Post
"Hate was just a failure of imagination."
—Graham Greene
“Re-appropriate” is a word that I stole from my friend David Dark. He'd stolen it from a guy named Jeff Tweedy. It's a good word to steal. In fact, of all the words I've stolen in my lifetime I feel the least remorse for lifting this one. Re-appropriate: to seize and reassign. Its very definition encourages a theft of sorts. I suppose all of language works like that: taking anonymous words and making them our own.
This enlightened practice of re-appropriation is unique to the human experience: we adapt within our situation to make the most of it. All other creatures are defined by their innate abilities, mostly untaught. A worm is not taught how to crawl. A chameleon is not taught how to change colors. A rabbit, a horse, a spider — these creatures are defined by themselves and their intrinsic giftings. We human beings are not like this: we bend, we learn, we invent, we change. Humanity has been making herself up all along. Making life. Making a living.
I would like to re-appropriate the phrase "making a living" to mean something larger than accumulating net worth in an online bank account. I'd like to suggest that ATM receipts and mortgage payments have very little to do with living or life or making life worth living. In my personal struggle to make a living, I've found that true success has very little to do with income or comfort. In fact, it seems to me that inconvenience, hardship, and discomfort are my best teachers. It's as though these horrible, wonderful moments where I realize my own limitations are almost exclusively the only ones that matter. So when I'm brave enough, I chase these awkward moments down. I write songs about them. I put my scattered thoughts online. Heck, I even seek therapy from time to time. Love, dreams, confessions, God, women — these are dreadful, awe-inspiring mysteries to me. They put a funny taste in my mouth. They give me scrapes and scars. And stories.
The best stories often come from inconvenient and uncomfortable places.
Like a newborn child, real life comes out painfully, awkwardly, delicately. As a pearl is formed only when the oyster is agitated with sand, the most important moments in my life were born out of friction. The art comes from the awkward ache. The knot in my stomach usually teaches me more than comfort ever could. The sculptor's chisel carves away at the block to bring something new into being. In the same way, we hammer away at the world we're given to bring something new into being. We re-appropriate the past and present to create the future — breath by breath.
We are making our living on a dying planet, born into a world of contingencies. Our world is torn to shreds by the greed of men, the intolerance of our times, and the wars that rage on in the world around us. Every day our bodies are decaying. On the day of our birth, our death becomes an eventuality.
The world we've been given is under the dark shadow of these struggles. We're born into the fight. It's as though we're armed only with a dream. So it's no surprise that our hopes are dulled on the battlefield of institutionalized cynicism. In this world of death and taxes we might even begin to question whether dreams are appropriate. Against the backdrop of despair, we are tempted to abandon the struggle of hope and accept dead cash instead. We're tempted to believe that "the real world" could never be anything other than it is.
But isn't "the real world" largely what we humans have made it? Let us remind ourselves that the "financial security" that we are slaving for is anything but secure. Let's remember that this peace of mind recently went bankrupt. Yes, these supposedly stalwart investment institutions were bailed out, but by a government that faces an insurmountable debt. Let's take it even further and recall that none of us has any control or security over the day of our birth or death. And in this context I believe that "making a living" cannot be tied to the paycheck alone. Rather we make the real world of tomorrow today. Moment by blessed moment, we're making a living.
To make this kind of living takes incredible creativity. To see the limitless possibility in the present moment takes a wild imagination. And it's not just artists that need this untamed ingenuity.
A good teacher is creative. A good computer programmer is creative. A good mom is creative. A good lawyer looks creatively beyond the contingencies of injustice and works to bring a more virtuous existence into being.
In fact, the argument could be made that a human being is most God-like when she is most creative, ingeniously crafting the true and the beautiful out of the confines of the present tense. Remixing tomorrow out of the raw materials of today. Re-appropriating a dream into reality. It's not just vagabond surfers who chase down preposterous dreams of doing what they love — humanity has been doing this all along. Flying without wings? Landing on the moon? Recording and amplifying sound? Yes. We invent, we progress, and we make it up as we go along. Does it sound like a swindle, like cheating the system? Does it sound outrageous? It absolutely is! But that's what making a living is, my friends — it's scandalous! And the outrageous souls willing to risk failure might be the only ones who are truly making a living. For better or worse they are defining the world our children will inherit.
This world is a hand-me-down. It was given to us by our parents — women and men much like ourselves. Human beings in love, human beings rejected, human beings hungry, restless, apathetic and hopeful: ever-changing, ever-adapting. Yes, the human soul is a bundle of conflicting desires. You want peace, but you love excitement. You hate math, but you want to graduate. You love your parents, but they drive you crazy. Even our hopes are at odds with each other. The rent? The relationship? The career? The vacation? Our dreams rarely line up. It's messy stuff, but these are the raw materials that life has given you.
You had no choice as to where your journey begins, but the choice is available to you now. You could argue that you didn't choose to be born, that there are factors of your existence over which you have little or no control. It's true, these are the contingencies we were born into. Your heart, your bones, your soul, your sexuality — these were given to you. Given to you as a painter is given a canvas and a brush. Given to you as a sculptor is given a block of marble. St. Francis of Assisi said that "He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." Your artistry? Your craft? You are making a living.
Which is to say that you are the art. Your words, your haircut, your clothes, your actions—these display your unique blend of past and present, desire and lack thereof, insecurity and purpose. You are the painting, and everyday you paint yourself and the world around you. Every moment is a canvas waiting to come to life. The walls of this planet and the walls of your heart are still available to graffiti artists everywhere. There's still room for redemptive, honest, hopeful colors. You put your brush to canvas with every decision, with every breath. We are the human race. We are the re-appropriators. But none of us creates out of nothing. Human creation is always re-appropriation. Trying to put beauty into form.
Tom Morrello once said that "Music is like sausage." He was killing time on-stage in a club called Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. We were halfway through the encore trying to figure out a cover tune that none of us really knew. It was a mild form of chaos onstage. So as we switched instruments and tried to work it out, Tom told this parable to the patient crowd, "Music is like sausage. You love the final product but sometimes you don't want to see how it's made." It's one of my favorite stories to tell. I love finding something beautiful within the bizarre. Grace within contingency, as Gregory Wolfe might say.
Because after all, that's what music is. That's what life is. Re-appropriating the scraps we have at hand in an attempt to create something truly magnificent. Crafting timeless beauty out of our own temporal specific circumstances. My friends who practice yoga have a saying: "Fake it till you make it." Maybe that's what humans do best: we make it up as we go along.
You want to know the meaning of life? This is your highest calling: You are called into the dynamic co-creation of the cosmos. This breath is your canvas and your brush. These are the raw materials for your art, for the life you are making. Nothing is off limits. Your backyard, your piano, your paintbrush, your conversation, Rwanda, New Orleans, Iraq, your marriage, your soul. You're making a living with every step you take. So when you make a living, do not merely make money. Why settle for cash when joy is on the line? You feel a thrill when you dance, when you sing, when you finish your poem; even when you sweep the room, you see order pressing back against the chaos. So when you create, never settle for making a living — at least not the way that the world might define that phrase. When you make a living, you are speaking a new world into existence. You are creating grace within the confines. You are co-signing God's blank checks.
"Hate was just a failure of imagination."
—Graham Greene
“Re-appropriate” is a word that I stole from my friend David Dark. He'd stolen it from a guy named Jeff Tweedy. It's a good word to steal. In fact, of all the words I've stolen in my lifetime I feel the least remorse for lifting this one. Re-appropriate: to seize and reassign. Its very definition encourages a theft of sorts. I suppose all of language works like that: taking anonymous words and making them our own.
This enlightened practice of re-appropriation is unique to the human experience: we adapt within our situation to make the most of it. All other creatures are defined by their innate abilities, mostly untaught. A worm is not taught how to crawl. A chameleon is not taught how to change colors. A rabbit, a horse, a spider — these creatures are defined by themselves and their intrinsic giftings. We human beings are not like this: we bend, we learn, we invent, we change. Humanity has been making herself up all along. Making life. Making a living.
I would like to re-appropriate the phrase "making a living" to mean something larger than accumulating net worth in an online bank account. I'd like to suggest that ATM receipts and mortgage payments have very little to do with living or life or making life worth living. In my personal struggle to make a living, I've found that true success has very little to do with income or comfort. In fact, it seems to me that inconvenience, hardship, and discomfort are my best teachers. It's as though these horrible, wonderful moments where I realize my own limitations are almost exclusively the only ones that matter. So when I'm brave enough, I chase these awkward moments down. I write songs about them. I put my scattered thoughts online. Heck, I even seek therapy from time to time. Love, dreams, confessions, God, women — these are dreadful, awe-inspiring mysteries to me. They put a funny taste in my mouth. They give me scrapes and scars. And stories.
The best stories often come from inconvenient and uncomfortable places.
Like a newborn child, real life comes out painfully, awkwardly, delicately. As a pearl is formed only when the oyster is agitated with sand, the most important moments in my life were born out of friction. The art comes from the awkward ache. The knot in my stomach usually teaches me more than comfort ever could. The sculptor's chisel carves away at the block to bring something new into being. In the same way, we hammer away at the world we're given to bring something new into being. We re-appropriate the past and present to create the future — breath by breath.
We are making our living on a dying planet, born into a world of contingencies. Our world is torn to shreds by the greed of men, the intolerance of our times, and the wars that rage on in the world around us. Every day our bodies are decaying. On the day of our birth, our death becomes an eventuality.
The world we've been given is under the dark shadow of these struggles. We're born into the fight. It's as though we're armed only with a dream. So it's no surprise that our hopes are dulled on the battlefield of institutionalized cynicism. In this world of death and taxes we might even begin to question whether dreams are appropriate. Against the backdrop of despair, we are tempted to abandon the struggle of hope and accept dead cash instead. We're tempted to believe that "the real world" could never be anything other than it is.
But isn't "the real world" largely what we humans have made it? Let us remind ourselves that the "financial security" that we are slaving for is anything but secure. Let's remember that this peace of mind recently went bankrupt. Yes, these supposedly stalwart investment institutions were bailed out, but by a government that faces an insurmountable debt. Let's take it even further and recall that none of us has any control or security over the day of our birth or death. And in this context I believe that "making a living" cannot be tied to the paycheck alone. Rather we make the real world of tomorrow today. Moment by blessed moment, we're making a living.
To make this kind of living takes incredible creativity. To see the limitless possibility in the present moment takes a wild imagination. And it's not just artists that need this untamed ingenuity.
A good teacher is creative. A good computer programmer is creative. A good mom is creative. A good lawyer looks creatively beyond the contingencies of injustice and works to bring a more virtuous existence into being.
In fact, the argument could be made that a human being is most God-like when she is most creative, ingeniously crafting the true and the beautiful out of the confines of the present tense. Remixing tomorrow out of the raw materials of today. Re-appropriating a dream into reality. It's not just vagabond surfers who chase down preposterous dreams of doing what they love — humanity has been doing this all along. Flying without wings? Landing on the moon? Recording and amplifying sound? Yes. We invent, we progress, and we make it up as we go along. Does it sound like a swindle, like cheating the system? Does it sound outrageous? It absolutely is! But that's what making a living is, my friends — it's scandalous! And the outrageous souls willing to risk failure might be the only ones who are truly making a living. For better or worse they are defining the world our children will inherit.
This world is a hand-me-down. It was given to us by our parents — women and men much like ourselves. Human beings in love, human beings rejected, human beings hungry, restless, apathetic and hopeful: ever-changing, ever-adapting. Yes, the human soul is a bundle of conflicting desires. You want peace, but you love excitement. You hate math, but you want to graduate. You love your parents, but they drive you crazy. Even our hopes are at odds with each other. The rent? The relationship? The career? The vacation? Our dreams rarely line up. It's messy stuff, but these are the raw materials that life has given you.
You had no choice as to where your journey begins, but the choice is available to you now. You could argue that you didn't choose to be born, that there are factors of your existence over which you have little or no control. It's true, these are the contingencies we were born into. Your heart, your bones, your soul, your sexuality — these were given to you. Given to you as a painter is given a canvas and a brush. Given to you as a sculptor is given a block of marble. St. Francis of Assisi said that "He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." Your artistry? Your craft? You are making a living.
Which is to say that you are the art. Your words, your haircut, your clothes, your actions—these display your unique blend of past and present, desire and lack thereof, insecurity and purpose. You are the painting, and everyday you paint yourself and the world around you. Every moment is a canvas waiting to come to life. The walls of this planet and the walls of your heart are still available to graffiti artists everywhere. There's still room for redemptive, honest, hopeful colors. You put your brush to canvas with every decision, with every breath. We are the human race. We are the re-appropriators. But none of us creates out of nothing. Human creation is always re-appropriation. Trying to put beauty into form.
Tom Morrello once said that "Music is like sausage." He was killing time on-stage in a club called Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. We were halfway through the encore trying to figure out a cover tune that none of us really knew. It was a mild form of chaos onstage. So as we switched instruments and tried to work it out, Tom told this parable to the patient crowd, "Music is like sausage. You love the final product but sometimes you don't want to see how it's made." It's one of my favorite stories to tell. I love finding something beautiful within the bizarre. Grace within contingency, as Gregory Wolfe might say.
Because after all, that's what music is. That's what life is. Re-appropriating the scraps we have at hand in an attempt to create something truly magnificent. Crafting timeless beauty out of our own temporal specific circumstances. My friends who practice yoga have a saying: "Fake it till you make it." Maybe that's what humans do best: we make it up as we go along.
You want to know the meaning of life? This is your highest calling: You are called into the dynamic co-creation of the cosmos. This breath is your canvas and your brush. These are the raw materials for your art, for the life you are making. Nothing is off limits. Your backyard, your piano, your paintbrush, your conversation, Rwanda, New Orleans, Iraq, your marriage, your soul. You're making a living with every step you take. So when you make a living, do not merely make money. Why settle for cash when joy is on the line? You feel a thrill when you dance, when you sing, when you finish your poem; even when you sweep the room, you see order pressing back against the chaos. So when you create, never settle for making a living — at least not the way that the world might define that phrase. When you make a living, you are speaking a new world into existence. You are creating grace within the confines. You are co-signing God's blank checks.
Blind Perspective - Volume 3
by Michael Tapia, longtime member of Sacred Path
[The following article is the third in a chronology of Michael's progressive loss of his eyesight. They form a remarkable story of courage and an indomitable will to live.]
It’s been ten days since I awoke temporarily blind. My sister Ingrid is visiting with my six-year-old nephew Alexander. Ingrid has been visiting every day since I lost my eyesight. Today she’s making lunch.
“Hey, Alex, let’s go downstairs and water my garden!”
“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” Ingrid asks.
“Sure! I’ve had lots of practice.”
I take Alex’s little hand and we slowly climb down the stairs. I hold tight to the banister and we finally reach the landing.
“See the hose, Alex? Please take me to it.” I say.
“Okay, Uncle Michael.”
He hands me the hose and I ask him to point it at my succulent garden. It sits right outside my bedroom window where I planted my jasmine last spring. I also raised the purple bougainvillea on a trellis to frame the window.
“Uncle Michael, how did you go blind?” he wants to know.
“It was from medication I took,” I reply.
“Will you be blind forever?”
“No, Alex. I’m starting to see shadows now and my eyesight should return soon.”
“Uncle Michael, is it scary to be blind?”
“At first it was, but my friends kept me company.”
I could smell the dampness of the earth as the soil became well drenched, as if by a summer rain.
“Great job, Alex. You’ve been an excellent helper. Please turn off the water.”
I roll up the hose and dry my hands, then we head back up the stairs. Alex’s little hand is firmly in mine as he guides me like he was a grownup. We come back to the kitchen, where Ingrid has been keeping close watch on both of us.
“Wow, you guys were great out there! How did you know where everything was?” she asked, amazed.
“Alex was the perfect guide. Ingrid, it’s not rocket science; we’re creatures of habit. I visualize my intention and then cautiously perform my act.”
“So,” Ingrid says, “you visualize and then act.”
“Exactly!
“You’ve been so much help, Sis.” I give her a big hug and kiss her on the cheek. Then I give Alex a big hug and thank him.
“Bye, Uncle Michael. Love you,” he says shyly, and they’re off.
My cats, Zacky and Momma Girl, come out of hiding; they’re terrified of children. We climb the kitchen stairs. I trail the wall to the bookshelves, then move through the French doors to the living room and collapse on my favorite chair. I look out the window, and as I blink I begin to see movement on the telephone wire outside. I blink again, and I think I begin to see two shadows on the wire. I blink again and there’s nothing. I sit anxiously, Momma Girl on my lap. I think I can see the trace of her body. I gently stroke Momma Girl’s head and whisper, “Soon, little one, my vision will return.”
[The following article is the third in a chronology of Michael's progressive loss of his eyesight. They form a remarkable story of courage and an indomitable will to live.]
It’s been ten days since I awoke temporarily blind. My sister Ingrid is visiting with my six-year-old nephew Alexander. Ingrid has been visiting every day since I lost my eyesight. Today she’s making lunch.
“Hey, Alex, let’s go downstairs and water my garden!”
“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” Ingrid asks.
“Sure! I’ve had lots of practice.”
I take Alex’s little hand and we slowly climb down the stairs. I hold tight to the banister and we finally reach the landing.
“See the hose, Alex? Please take me to it.” I say.
“Okay, Uncle Michael.”
He hands me the hose and I ask him to point it at my succulent garden. It sits right outside my bedroom window where I planted my jasmine last spring. I also raised the purple bougainvillea on a trellis to frame the window.
“Uncle Michael, how did you go blind?” he wants to know.
“It was from medication I took,” I reply.
“Will you be blind forever?”
“No, Alex. I’m starting to see shadows now and my eyesight should return soon.”
“Uncle Michael, is it scary to be blind?”
“At first it was, but my friends kept me company.”
I could smell the dampness of the earth as the soil became well drenched, as if by a summer rain.
“Great job, Alex. You’ve been an excellent helper. Please turn off the water.”
I roll up the hose and dry my hands, then we head back up the stairs. Alex’s little hand is firmly in mine as he guides me like he was a grownup. We come back to the kitchen, where Ingrid has been keeping close watch on both of us.
“Wow, you guys were great out there! How did you know where everything was?” she asked, amazed.
“Alex was the perfect guide. Ingrid, it’s not rocket science; we’re creatures of habit. I visualize my intention and then cautiously perform my act.”
“So,” Ingrid says, “you visualize and then act.”
“Exactly!
“You’ve been so much help, Sis.” I give her a big hug and kiss her on the cheek. Then I give Alex a big hug and thank him.
“Bye, Uncle Michael. Love you,” he says shyly, and they’re off.
My cats, Zacky and Momma Girl, come out of hiding; they’re terrified of children. We climb the kitchen stairs. I trail the wall to the bookshelves, then move through the French doors to the living room and collapse on my favorite chair. I look out the window, and as I blink I begin to see movement on the telephone wire outside. I blink again, and I think I begin to see two shadows on the wire. I blink again and there’s nothing. I sit anxiously, Momma Girl on my lap. I think I can see the trace of her body. I gently stroke Momma Girl’s head and whisper, “Soon, little one, my vision will return.”
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