Thoughts and Questions

I had big plans to write a story on Y2K this month, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a venture better left to the imagination of the reader. There is plenty of information, both positive and negative, out on the Internet. Some documents will scare the daylights out of you, and some will lull you into a false sense of security. My personal take is that it won't pass by without some calamity-how much is anyone's guess right now. I don't see the end of the world coming, but I know there will be glitches. Like the Girl Scout motto says: "Be prepared."

What does that mean? Think in terms of necessities for sustaining your life, for starters. Clean water, food supplies, heat and other energy sources, fuel and some hard cash top my list. It goes on from there, based on one's personal assessment of the situation. However, if you start to add up just water, food and fuel, multiplying it by the number of people in your household and the number of days that you wish to cover yourself, it starts to be a pile of supplies.

In the meantime, keep abreast of the situation and read the reports. A good place to start is:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/roleigh_martin/brochure.htm

This is a good brochure, which highlights some of the potential upcoming problems. Enough said on my part.

My list of questions grows as life goes on. First one that comes to mind is "what are we seeking?" The second question is "if we find what we seek, are we satisfied--or do we just set up a new course for more fulfillment?"

A funny thing happens to me as I stretch out spiritually. The path seems to direct me back to the physical universe! If I move towards love, oneness, and unity with my fellow human beings, I start to take on a new sense of responsibility. That, in turn, puts me more into the thick of events and situations in my immediate world. Forget astral travel or getting to the "other side." I may drift off into countless universes, but in my normal waking moments, the good old physical universe is where I reside.

Even though we experience communion on a spiritual level when we relate to each other, still, our spoken words vibrate through the atmosphere. Our physical senses assist us in deciphering the messages we send. It is by our physical actions that we make our statements of who we are and how we wish to define ourselves. In seeking the spiritual, I am always led back to the physical. It is the stage upon which all my manifestations of spirit are acted out.

Again, what are we seeking? I'd like to know how my readers would answer this question. I don't claim to have any special expertise in this mystery of life. I'm merely a fellow traveler--another player in the cast. I observe what I observe from my vantage point. I certainly don't consider it the only vantage point in the universe! Right now, I would love to hear what it looks like from a different point of view. If you'd like, write me at tapeout@aol.com. I'd sure like to share your thoughts.

My sense is that when we find what we are seeking, we often find a new void to be filled. Consider the case of Michael Jordan. He reached the pinnacle of success in basketball and walked away from the game to try his hand at baseball. He learned that he would never achieve success as a baseball player, so he returned to basketball again. Soon, he was back to the top of the mountain. Then, he walked away.

Why? Because he achieved what he sought. There's no game left once the destination is reached. If being the best is the goal, where do you go once you are there? In the entertainment field, I've seen two types of careers. The first blazes across the sky and then disappears just as suddenly. The second sustains a level of excellence for a lifetime. My guess is that the latter is more concerned with the love of the art than with some goal to "reach the top." Be careful what you wish for!

It gets back to this spiritual loop. The entertainer that is out to be the best is acting out of ego. The one who acts out of love for the art is on a more spiritual course. Those that have become beloved legends have done so because they created a tremendous amount of joy over the years.

So, in assessing our goals and what we seek, I think it is wise to go beyond what we envision as the end result and ask ourselves what we would do if we attained that result in this moment of now. Would it be something meaningful to build on or something to walk away from? Either might be valid, but it's not a bad idea to consider where our wildest dreams might take us should they come true.

It is delicious to dream of power, success, freedom, spiritual abilities and so on. I have discovered that all these paths demand an increase in personal responsibility, understanding, and love. It seems to be the way the world is balanced. Or, as Lennon and McCartney once wrote:

"and in the end
the love you take
is equal to the love
you make"

See you next month, when I share some reader feedback (hopefully!)