WHAT AM I LEARNING NOW?
WHAT AM I LEARNING NOW?
How strange are the everyday occurrences that befall one if he is only receptive their gravity. But one must ask are ALL events that shape a lifetime potentially edifying in character? In other words, why is it that some things that occur to us produce such ethereal emotions, evoke memories, and/or seem to say something meaningful about the future? What is so “special” about these occurrences that force us to notice them? Why are we so stricken by some events and not others? Let me provide an example of such a poignant event that occurred to me this past week. The event is not necessarily momentous viewed from a “large scale” perspective I suppose, but it undoubtedly caused something to resonate within me that further confirmed my belief in UNITY, TIMELESSNESS, and GUIDANCE.
Recently I have again found myself involved with the principles set forth by the theory of holographic universe, namely those principles which suggest that we each create our own realities in order to learn from them. The fact is that I have championed this conception of reality for nearly half of my life now—ever since becoming deeply entrenched in the Jane Roberts’ Seth Material books. In short, some of the basic tenets set forth within the volumes of this material are that infinite worlds manifest themselves as a function of our thoughts and that they exist simultaneously—that is, time and space are only as “real” as we need them to be in order to learn that all is ONE. Anyway, since it is often frustrating and futile to attempt to convey abstract notions with words, I will leave it at that for now. But let me stress that I’m typically pretty bookish—not really shy or timid mind you—but definitely introverted and reserved. Material wealth has never been of great priority in my life, and carnal lust is something with which I haven’t battled for several years now. I am no slave to my libido. I have sown my wild oats…so to speak. (Symbolically enough, they now comprise the caloric bulk of my primarily vegetarian diet!) I have never owned a car, and for that matter, I have never even obtained a driver’s license. In this Western land of opportunity, the car--symbol of status, prestige, power, identity, and influence--I have eschewed in favor of the pedestrian lifestyle. Often I have stated, quite haughtily, that the car has become the bane of humanity. It completely astonishes me at times that the majority of Americans have become absolutely dependent upon these monstrosities of nuts and bolts. Hell—I personally embrace Michael Jordan’s attitude when he cockily asks “Why drive when you can fly?” HA! Anyway, often I have mused that I should have become a Buddhist monk. People think I am kidding. I am not.
Now, as it so often happens, I find myself in the midst of irony. And, as it happens, it happens for a purpose—the purpose that I learn something, the purpose that I develop some other “aspect” of my “self”. But enough guru shit. The irony? Where do I find myself employed, but at a 258 million dollar privately owned nutritional supplement company, which I will for now refer to as Company X. What do I do at Company X? Well, I am currently doing inbound sales, taking orders for male enhancement products. I am literally surrounded by men and women of all ages discussing erections and orgasms all day long for the sake of making large amounts of money, money, money! If ego could be personified, Company X would be a quintessential model. Privately owned by an entrepreneur who spends half of his time here in Cincinnati and the other half in San Diego, California with his wife and four kids, Company X has ridden a torrential wave over it’s five year history. There have been raids and seizures, claims of fraud, layoffs, high-turn over rates, disgruntled employees, etc. etc. Company X has embodied the entire human drama over the course of its five year history…and yet, it continues to grow, develop, and prosper. (It stands erect, if you will pardon the off-color pun.) I believe at base it is a legitimate enterprise, or I would not waste my time there. However, I am hardly naïve, and I know that it has a tendency to present pictures in glitzy bright lights when shades of gray are more appropriate. There is little doubt that Company X plays the GAME for keeps! But hey—let us be real here. That is the way of the world after all. I should further mention that Company X is not only a distributor of male enhancement supplements. They are merely the greatest income generators. Company X also offers a line of nutritional products tailored for various and sundry needs. Nothing wrong with nutrition, but having researched and studied the subject intensively for over18 years, I know that many of the claims made are entirely unwarranted. I am actually astounded at how little management seems to know about nutritional supplements in general. Or, perhaps it knows much more than it cares to say for fear of putting Company X in a bad light. It is difficult to know for sure…I am a simple fledgling you know….
Okay, okay, enough of the prelude already! Move on! I have said all of this so that I might say this. My good Indian Brother V has recommended to me a book entitled The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari. One day a couple of weeks ago, I had just dismounted the bus and was meditatively walking to Company X for my training class. As I was walking, a boyish looking man in the same class pulled over and offered me a ride. Although I was enjoying the morning walk, I did not wish to be unsociable, so I accepted his courteous offer. The man’s name was Bobby. I soon discovered through our conversation on the way to work that Bobby is an avid tennis player looking to take his game to the next level. Coincidentally enough, he is also from the same part of Cincinnati as I am from—Clifton. Since I am a personal trainer who enjoys teaching sports specific training methods, I gave Bobby my business card. I further discovered that Bobby is 33 years old, and I swear to the forces that be that he looks to be no older than 20! Right off the bat I was awestruck by a couple of Bobby’s personality traits. One was his extreme passion for the game of tennis. Another was his penchant for blaming outside forces for his failure to excel against higher caliber players. He was resentful—angry, hostile. I politely but frankly pointed out to him that if he wanted to legitimately compete against elite competition, he must first change his attitude and take responsibility for his training habits. He was receptive to my candid remarks. H acknowledged the truth in them. I felt as though I was teaching him something about himself—but mysteriously, I also felt as though he was teaching me something as well. I had this esoteric feeling that I was creating this entire scenario. I felt as though Bobby was actually an alter ego. Kind of like a black and white image—despite our apparent differences, it was as if we were derived from the same source--but we had taken different paths….But it wasn’t just Bobby’s physical appearance—it was the entire context of the situation that felt so profoundly eerie. Bobby had at one time been a bus rider. He now is quite outspoken about his disdain for the bussing system in Cincinnati. I, on the other hand, am quite outspoken about the overuse and overdependence on cars within the US today. I am a staunch advocate of walking and public transportation as a means of curtailing many of the maladies that plague modern Western “civilization”. Bobby is a car enthusiast. Plastered inside his own car are pictures of racecars and their drivers—and their drivers’ women! What is directly above the gearshift? A large picture of a fully adorned Ferrari!
I have not seen Bobby for a couple of weeks now. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he failed his training examination at Company X. I wish I could say more about some of the chilling insights that I have tapped over the last couple of weeks as a result of being immersed in a microcosm of ego, sex, money, and interpersonal competition, but my ability to coherently explain them and convey their significance is inept at this time. I will add though, just for the sake of a final thought provocation, that I had been wondering about the derivation of the name Berkeley Premium Neutraceuticals. I mean, after all, it is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, not in Berkeley, California. Well, I just happened to be reading an article on Buddhism the other day, which mentioned in passing that Berkeley was the man who proved that the notion of the indivisible atom is a metaphysical fiction. Interesting…but what does it all MEAN? ONE IS ALL? Yes, I suppose THAT is what it ALL MEANS….
How strange are the everyday occurrences that befall one if he is only receptive their gravity. But one must ask are ALL events that shape a lifetime potentially edifying in character? In other words, why is it that some things that occur to us produce such ethereal emotions, evoke memories, and/or seem to say something meaningful about the future? What is so “special” about these occurrences that force us to notice them? Why are we so stricken by some events and not others? Let me provide an example of such a poignant event that occurred to me this past week. The event is not necessarily momentous viewed from a “large scale” perspective I suppose, but it undoubtedly caused something to resonate within me that further confirmed my belief in UNITY, TIMELESSNESS, and GUIDANCE.
Recently I have again found myself involved with the principles set forth by the theory of holographic universe, namely those principles which suggest that we each create our own realities in order to learn from them. The fact is that I have championed this conception of reality for nearly half of my life now—ever since becoming deeply entrenched in the Jane Roberts’ Seth Material books. In short, some of the basic tenets set forth within the volumes of this material are that infinite worlds manifest themselves as a function of our thoughts and that they exist simultaneously—that is, time and space are only as “real” as we need them to be in order to learn that all is ONE. Anyway, since it is often frustrating and futile to attempt to convey abstract notions with words, I will leave it at that for now. But let me stress that I’m typically pretty bookish—not really shy or timid mind you—but definitely introverted and reserved. Material wealth has never been of great priority in my life, and carnal lust is something with which I haven’t battled for several years now. I am no slave to my libido. I have sown my wild oats…so to speak. (Symbolically enough, they now comprise the caloric bulk of my primarily vegetarian diet!) I have never owned a car, and for that matter, I have never even obtained a driver’s license. In this Western land of opportunity, the car--symbol of status, prestige, power, identity, and influence--I have eschewed in favor of the pedestrian lifestyle. Often I have stated, quite haughtily, that the car has become the bane of humanity. It completely astonishes me at times that the majority of Americans have become absolutely dependent upon these monstrosities of nuts and bolts. Hell—I personally embrace Michael Jordan’s attitude when he cockily asks “Why drive when you can fly?” HA! Anyway, often I have mused that I should have become a Buddhist monk. People think I am kidding. I am not.
Now, as it so often happens, I find myself in the midst of irony. And, as it happens, it happens for a purpose—the purpose that I learn something, the purpose that I develop some other “aspect” of my “self”. But enough guru shit. The irony? Where do I find myself employed, but at a 258 million dollar privately owned nutritional supplement company, which I will for now refer to as Company X. What do I do at Company X? Well, I am currently doing inbound sales, taking orders for male enhancement products. I am literally surrounded by men and women of all ages discussing erections and orgasms all day long for the sake of making large amounts of money, money, money! If ego could be personified, Company X would be a quintessential model. Privately owned by an entrepreneur who spends half of his time here in Cincinnati and the other half in San Diego, California with his wife and four kids, Company X has ridden a torrential wave over it’s five year history. There have been raids and seizures, claims of fraud, layoffs, high-turn over rates, disgruntled employees, etc. etc. Company X has embodied the entire human drama over the course of its five year history…and yet, it continues to grow, develop, and prosper. (It stands erect, if you will pardon the off-color pun.) I believe at base it is a legitimate enterprise, or I would not waste my time there. However, I am hardly naïve, and I know that it has a tendency to present pictures in glitzy bright lights when shades of gray are more appropriate. There is little doubt that Company X plays the GAME for keeps! But hey—let us be real here. That is the way of the world after all. I should further mention that Company X is not only a distributor of male enhancement supplements. They are merely the greatest income generators. Company X also offers a line of nutritional products tailored for various and sundry needs. Nothing wrong with nutrition, but having researched and studied the subject intensively for over18 years, I know that many of the claims made are entirely unwarranted. I am actually astounded at how little management seems to know about nutritional supplements in general. Or, perhaps it knows much more than it cares to say for fear of putting Company X in a bad light. It is difficult to know for sure…I am a simple fledgling you know….
Okay, okay, enough of the prelude already! Move on! I have said all of this so that I might say this. My good Indian Brother V has recommended to me a book entitled The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari. One day a couple of weeks ago, I had just dismounted the bus and was meditatively walking to Company X for my training class. As I was walking, a boyish looking man in the same class pulled over and offered me a ride. Although I was enjoying the morning walk, I did not wish to be unsociable, so I accepted his courteous offer. The man’s name was Bobby. I soon discovered through our conversation on the way to work that Bobby is an avid tennis player looking to take his game to the next level. Coincidentally enough, he is also from the same part of Cincinnati as I am from—Clifton. Since I am a personal trainer who enjoys teaching sports specific training methods, I gave Bobby my business card. I further discovered that Bobby is 33 years old, and I swear to the forces that be that he looks to be no older than 20! Right off the bat I was awestruck by a couple of Bobby’s personality traits. One was his extreme passion for the game of tennis. Another was his penchant for blaming outside forces for his failure to excel against higher caliber players. He was resentful—angry, hostile. I politely but frankly pointed out to him that if he wanted to legitimately compete against elite competition, he must first change his attitude and take responsibility for his training habits. He was receptive to my candid remarks. H acknowledged the truth in them. I felt as though I was teaching him something about himself—but mysteriously, I also felt as though he was teaching me something as well. I had this esoteric feeling that I was creating this entire scenario. I felt as though Bobby was actually an alter ego. Kind of like a black and white image—despite our apparent differences, it was as if we were derived from the same source--but we had taken different paths….But it wasn’t just Bobby’s physical appearance—it was the entire context of the situation that felt so profoundly eerie. Bobby had at one time been a bus rider. He now is quite outspoken about his disdain for the bussing system in Cincinnati. I, on the other hand, am quite outspoken about the overuse and overdependence on cars within the US today. I am a staunch advocate of walking and public transportation as a means of curtailing many of the maladies that plague modern Western “civilization”. Bobby is a car enthusiast. Plastered inside his own car are pictures of racecars and their drivers—and their drivers’ women! What is directly above the gearshift? A large picture of a fully adorned Ferrari!
I have not seen Bobby for a couple of weeks now. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he failed his training examination at Company X. I wish I could say more about some of the chilling insights that I have tapped over the last couple of weeks as a result of being immersed in a microcosm of ego, sex, money, and interpersonal competition, but my ability to coherently explain them and convey their significance is inept at this time. I will add though, just for the sake of a final thought provocation, that I had been wondering about the derivation of the name Berkeley Premium Neutraceuticals. I mean, after all, it is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, not in Berkeley, California. Well, I just happened to be reading an article on Buddhism the other day, which mentioned in passing that Berkeley was the man who proved that the notion of the indivisible atom is a metaphysical fiction. Interesting…but what does it all MEAN? ONE IS ALL? Yes, I suppose THAT is what it ALL MEANS….
posted by Todd Reinhard at 9:25 AM
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