Trick or treat

So I thought about going out in the Castro tonight, but after witnessing a truckload of police men and women unload with their swat gear, I decided to pass go and collect my $200. Instead of joining the anticipated 200,000+ people in costume, I chose to drive over the hill to Noe Valley and grab a bite to eat. I always had a hunch that this was the place the Marina folk migrated to when they were ready to reproduce. I was right. I’ve never before in my life seen so many little kids out trick-or-treating. It was a delight. Note to self: when I grow up and have kids (ha), take them to Noe Valley on Halloween. xo Ciao

3 comments October 31st, 2006

Confusing reality with the imagination

It’s easy to imagine things because we know we have absolute control over our thoughts. It takes little effort to adjust or change something that isn’t real in the first place. Every thought, every emotion, every feeling, every everything that takes place inside your mind is simply that: something taking place inside your mind. Your thoughts, your beliefs, they only exist because you exist. You exist within reality and without you, they would not be. They cannot be considered the truth (reality) until you figure out a way to bring them into reality.

Why do we have cars? Why do we have clothes? Why do we have nice homes? We have all of these things because somebody, somewhere had an idea of how to make life easier or better. Instead of arguing that their idea or belief was real, they figured out a way to take what was already here (in this world) and transform those materials into something as close to their idea as possible. The clothes we wear are simply somebody’s idea transformed into reality. Your shirt is really only strands of cotton sewn together. That cotton came from a plant in some field somewhere. That plant came from a seed, and that seed came from a plant. Don’t you get it? Everything comes from something else.

You are living proof that somebody’s idea was transformed into reality. No god made you. Your parents made you and their parents made them. They had an idea, or belief, or thought of having a child. Voila. Here you are. A couple expecting a child wouldn’t go around telling people they have a little boy, would they? No. They would be lying. They would tell people they are expecting a child. Why is it that we think it OK to pass our thoughts and ideas as the truth when they are really only existent in our imaginations? It’s not OK, so stop letting people get away with it.

Rich people aren’t rich because they have a money tree. Rich people are rich because you label them as rich. They had an idea and they figured out a way to bring that idea into reality, and that reality has allowed their bank accounts to grow. Once an idea is born it becomes part of the truth. It doesn’t matter how it was achieved, the simple truth is that they did it. You only think they are rich because you think they have more money than you. I promise somebody thinks you’re rich because they think you have more money than them. Stop complaining because another person’s reality isn’t yours. You create your own reality much like you create your own thoughts. Take special care in creating your reality though, because you share the same reality with all other things.

Conflict occurs when people confuse their thoughts with reality. If I didn’t know any better, the way people who are religious describe their “god” sounds a whole lot like their idea of their perfect self: all-knowing, all-powerful, with them at all times. Sound familiar? I know that I know everything, and I’m always where I am. You know everything that you know. Stop pretending or believing that you don’t. The only thing you don’t know is what you don’t know. The same people who believe in god (made to reflect their own self image sans the negative attributes) describe heaven to sound much like their idea of a perfect life. That life is yours. That life is real. Right here, right now. Realize that.

Imagine a lion cub. He will spend the majority of his life in a zoo. He’s unaware of any other way, therefore he has no idea how “easy” his life really is. The zookeeper feeds him daily, washes him once a week, and all he has to do is lay by the pool and look pretty for all the people visiting the zoo. This is his reality. It’s all he knows. What would happen if he were let loose in the wild? Would he stop being himself? No. He would adapt. Except now he realizes that life isn’t anything like before. He doesn’t complain, he just is. He knows in order to survive he must provide for himself. He knows this. The truths around him never change. He still needs food. He still needs rest. He still needs the exact same things he needed in the zoo. Except now he has to use his imagination to create his own zoo like reality. The problem is we think to much. We think that life should be easier. We think we deserve something better. We think we’re doing the best we can. Stop thinking and start knowing.

Know why you do something. Know why you say something. If somebody asks you what you’re doing, tell them the truth. Do not say, “I don’t know.” You’re lying. You do know. I’m sitting. I’m looking something up on the internet. I’m bla bla bla. Know everything. Know that you are healthy because you take care of yourself. Know you’re alive, and better yet, know you’re not dead. Know all things.

Our greatest strength is our ability to know things. Our most dangerous weakness is our ability to think things. We allow ourselves to believe what we think and ignore what we know. A wise man knows everything that he knows is true because it’s real. It can be proven. He also knows that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. If somebody asks you a question to which you do not know the answer, do not lie. Reply, “I don’t know, but let’s find out.” Do not say, “I think…,” because a half truth is a whole lie. A wise man knows this. He knows he’s alive because he knows he’s not dead. He’ll know he’s dead the moment he’s no longer capable of knowing he isn’t alive.

Know what’s real, and most importantly, know what’s not.

3 comments October 24th, 2006

This is all there is

You believe in God. You also believe that we have a soul that lives eternally once our earthly bodies fail us. You believe that both of these statements are true. Now that we’ve agreed upon what you believe, let me tell you what I know. (Not what I believe to be true, but what I know to be true.) I know these statements you believe to be true are false. I know they are false because I know they are not true.

1. It’s true that you believe your soul (X) is (=) some part (Z) of (x) your earthly being (Y), correct? If so, then:

X = ZY

If you do not agree, then read no more, you and I already see eye to eye. If you do believe this to be true, keep reading.

2. You also believe to be true that your soul (X) will ultimately become all of your heavenly being (A). Correct? If so, then:

X = A

If you do not agree, read no more, you and I already see eye to eye.

3. It is true, and I reference only your beliefs, that whatever part (Z) of your earthly being your soul was/ (is) will also be all (100%) of your heavenly being (A). In that case:

Z = A

Now if X is equal to A and A is equal to Z, then I am confident that X is equal to Z.

X = Z

If you do not agree, you may now stop. You now see the truth. If you do agree, I invite you to continue reading.

4. If all four of the above equations are true, let’s do the math. If X is equal to ZY and X is also equal to A, then couldn’t we safely say that A is equal to ZY? If you agree, then keep reading, otherwise, you’re finished.

5. So, if A is equal to ZY, and A is also equal to Z, we could feel confident in saying that:

A = AY

Divide both sides by A and you will quickly see that Y = 1. Phew.

6. Now that we’ve established that our earthly being (Y) is one, and one is all there ever is, then I suppose we can stop here. But I know there are those of you who still don’t quite understand, and for you, I’m not going to stop here. I’m going to continue.

7. If you’ll recall step 4, X was equal to ZY and X was also equal to A (step 2), so let’s substitute A for X (since we already know they are equal). If that’s so, then:

A = ZY      is equal to      Y = A / Z      is equal to      Y = X / Z

8. So if A is equal to ZY and X is equal to Z, then:

A = X (X / Z)      is equal to      A = X(squared)Z      is equal to      A = X(squared)A

Divide both sides by A, 1 = X squared , square root, X = 1. Phew.

9. Just in case you’re still not agreeing with the math, I’ll continue.

A = XY      is equal to      A = X (A / Z)

Divide both sides by A and you’ll get:

1 = X / Z

We know that X is equal to one, therefore Z has to equal one. Z = 1. Phew.

10. If Z is equal to one, and we know that Z and A are equal, then A is also equal to 1. A = 1.

11. Now in the event that you’ve by now forgotten how this problem started, let me remind you. You agreed that your soul (X) was some part (Z) of your earthly body (Y). You also agreed that your soul (X) was equal to everything your heavenly body (A) will and ever will be. Come to find out, your “soul” and your earthly being, your heavenly being, and whatever “part” of you it is, is actually all the same thing. It’s all there is. This (right here, right now, at this very moment, is all there is.) There will never by anything else because this (THIS) is all there is and ever will be. If you’re still confused, or still “believe” that god is watching you, stop. KNOW that this is what it is and that’s the truth. There is never anything other than the truth. A lie (or belief) exists only in your imagination. When you die, your body will still be here. Your brain will still be here. The chemicals from which your imagination ran wild will still be here. That mythical god, heaven and hell will not. Because they never existed in the first place.

If you doubt what I say to be true, just look around. It’s being proven before your eyes by each and every single thing in existence. If you don’t believe the walls that surround you are real, go and touch them, and when you feel that they are real, know that they are real. Stop believing in things and start knowing things. The lies have got to stop.

Parents lie to their children to protect them from the truth. They lie and tell them that if they are not good, they will not get presents at Christmas. They trick them into being good. They lie. That lie exists only in their imagination. They lie to their children and tell them that if they are not good, and if they do not obey god’s law, then they will go to hell. They scare them into being good. They lie to their children by telling them they are the best children on earth. If every parent tells this to their kid, which parent is right? Could it be that they are all wrong? Every child can’t be the best child on earth, now can they? This lie is created to make the children feel special. We create lies to make ourselves feel better about the truth that really is. Children lie to their parents for fear of getting in trouble. They know in their hearts (the truth) that they did something wrong and in an effort to protect that truth (the wrongdoing), they lie. Their lie in no way alters what truly happened, does it? The truth is all there is. Children lie to their parents to protect them from the feeling of disappointment. They lie so that their parents will not feel as if they failed. The truth is, they only believe they are a failure because of the lies society has bestowed upon them. When asked if I was gay, I lied. I feared an unbearable shame and more so, I wanted to protect my parents from feeling as though they didn’t do their job. It’s a lie. My parents did the best job they knew how to do and for that, I am ever grateful. The truth is all there is, and the truth is I’m just as every bit the perfect child they raised from infancy. Stop believing other people’s lies. They are only keeping you from the truth.

Picture three girls: Suzie, Katie, and Annie. Suzie and Katie have been best friends for over ten years. They met in high school and have been in touch ever since. Katie and Annie recently met at a job fair in their city. The girls decided to have lunch with one another. Upon approaching the table, Suzie and Annie gave that look when you realize you’ve met someone before, but are afraid to admit it. The truth is, the two girls met five years ago in a setting in which every girl would remember. Suzie was caught (by Annie) on a date with Annie’s boyfriend. Obviously the girls didn’t hit it off too well. Fast forward back to the table where the girls are having lunch. Katie interprets the look on the other two girls faces, just as anybody would, and asks the question, “Do you two know each other?” Suzie, for fear of having to tell the story, quickly exclaims, “No!” She knows deep down that the truth is, yes, they had in fact met about five years ago in a very uncomfortable situation. She did not want to explain this to her best friend. Dissatisfied with Suzie’s answer, Annie politely states, “Actually, we’ve met before. Remember? You were on a date with Chad.” Suzie continues to deny the girls had ever met, because she now knows that the embarassment the truth would carry is more than she’s willing to take on. Katie looks to her best friend, with the hope that she will come clean with her, and asks, “Is this true?” Suzie shakes her head.

Now, we as the reader know the truth. The truth being that all three girls had on previous occasion met. Suzie, in fear of facing the truth, lied about it. That lie, as deceitful as it was, in no way affected the actual truth, did it? Her lying did not alter history in any way. The girls had all still met. Now imagine the same three girls, but this time Suzie is going to tell the truth (or what she believes to be the truth).

… Katie interprets the look on the other two girls face, just as anybody would, and asks the question, “Do you two know each other?” Suzie, who honestly does not remember meeting Annie, says, “No, I don’t think so.” Annie, who remembers clearly the day the two girls met interupts, “Actually, we have met before. Does Chad ring a bell?” With a horrified look, Suzie shouts, “Oh my gosh!” You can imagine whatever you want from here, but the truth is, even though Suzie lied, though unintentionally, her lie still did not alter the truth.

Even if you believe a lie to be the true, (in the case of the second Suzie), it does not change the truth. Ever. The truth will always be the truth no matter what you believe. I know what the truth is. The truth is that THIS is all there is. There is nothing else.

Or else does not exist. Or else is a belief. It is a threat you use to make people do what you think they should do often times for your own personal gain. Imagine two kids doing something they shouldn’t. Tommy knows that he and Kyle will get in trouble if their mothers find out about what they’re doing. They’ve already begun so there’s no turning back. Tommy needs Kyle’s help in doing whatever it is they’re doing. Kyle doubts Tommy and is reluctant to offer his assistance. Regardless of whether or not he helps Tommy, Kyle knows his mother may never know about this bad deed. Tommy, in a great effort to win over Kyle’s support threaten’s him with a statement similar to this one: “Kyle, help me or else I’ll tell you’re mom about what you did.” Kyle, in a mad dash to protect the truth, succumbs to Tommy’s plea and does whatever it was that Tommy was asking help for. Kyle didn’t realize at the moment, but if Tommy were to really tell on Kyle, he would actually be telling on himself as well. For if Kyle’s mom found out about it, we all know Tommy’s mother would find out about it. Moral of the story? We have got to take more time when accepting someone’s statement for the truth. Because the truth is, it probably isn’t true at all, but merely an effort for them to gain something they desire.

Take for instance the saying: Breathe or else you’ll die. You know that is a true statement. If that is true, then this is true: Hold your breath or else you’ll live. But the second statement preconcludes that you’re dead already. We know that if you don’t breath you’ll die. We all know whether or not you breathe, you’re still going to die. We just know that not breathing will bring about death much sooner. Therefore, saying breathe (or else) you’ll die is simply an idea about the truth. The truth is don’t breathe (and) you’ll die – and – breathe (and) you’ll die. “Breathe or else you’ll die” is obviously a silly lie to trick somebody into breathing. They already know they should breathe. It’s human nature. Much like it’s human nature to be good.

The truth is also this: It’s human nature to be good. We know that deep down in our hearts, stealing is bad. We know it’s bad, not because the bible tells us it’s bad, we know it’s bad because it will ultimately mean somebody else is missing something that is their’s. We know it’s wrong to end another man’s life. We know this is wrong, not because the bible tells us it’s wrong, but we know it’s wrong because we know that if we kill another man, that somewhere, somebody will be missing their loved one. Human ethics and morality have nothing to do with religion. Nothing. We can clamor on and on about how the bible teaches us to be good, but if you’re reading the same bible that I’ve read, perhaps you’ve forgotten the part when it says you shouldn’t wear a shirt woven of two different materials, and maybe you missed the part where it states that it is OK for a man to enslave another man, and maybe you misread the part where it states it’s OK for a father to sell his daughter as a whore. If you don’t believe me, read the bible again. The same book you claim to be “the truth” has over 100 flat-out contradictions. How in the world is a man supposed to accept something for the truth if the truth can’t make up it’s mind? We cannot give credit to religion for all that is good without giving it credit for all that is bad. How many times have you thanked god for the long needed rain? Often? If you answered yes, let me ask you this. How many times have you thanked god for the tornado that ripped through your town? The same god that gave you rain also gave you that tornado. Can you not see the silliness in what you believe?

Why do companies lie about what they’re working on? It’s not necessarily a deceitful lie, but they’re not being completely honest now are they? They lie to the public so that A) their competitors can’t one up them and B) so that the element of surprise is high and mighty once they are finally ready to “announce” their product. The truth is: what they were doing NEVER changed regardless of what they told or didn’t tell the public. It’s the same thing. The truth is unchanging and unaltered by the lies and or untruths we tell.

From where does an argument arise? It’s existence becomes apparent when people’s beliefs clash. Man A believes himself to be right and Man B to be wrong, all the while Man B believes himself to be right and Man A to be wrong. Beliefs alone cannot be proven. They are false. It is only when they are proven that they become the truth and therefore become a fact. Only what is REAL can be proven, that is the truth. I can prove my chair is real. I can touch it. I can feel it. I can smell it. I can taste it. It’s real. There is no possible way for you to argue that my chair is not real, because you, too, can see and hear and smell and taste that it is real. Beliefs can never be proven, therefore they are a lie. Philip K Dick once said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” He was exactly right.

I know that I am here because I know that I’m not there. I can pretend I’m “there”, but that belief exists only in my imagination. I am always only ever here. Every hour or so, stop what you’re doing and ask yourself, “Where am I?”. If the answer is ever not, “I’m right here,” then you’re doing something wrong. Because I can promise you that the answer will always be, “I’m right here.” “There” does not exist in reality. It’s a belief only in our imagination. We use adjectives to describe things in a way that allows them to fit our mold of how we think things are. Stop calling the days beautiful, because that’s your opinion. A warm sunny day is horrible for people trying to ski or children attempting to build a snowman. For them, a cold, ugly day is a beautiful day. For the people at the beach, a cold, ugly day is ugly. But the people in the mountains are loving it. A day is just a day. We never ask, “What night is it?” do we? We measure everything by the day. But guess what, each and every single “day” is just like the last. No matter what we call it, it’s still just another turn of the earth. It’s the truth. It is what is.

Death does not exist any more than life does not exist. We know life exists because we can prove it to ourselves by watching a child being born. We can prove it to ourselves by watching our plants grow. We can also watch those same children die in car accidents, and those same plants wither away due to lack of water. It’s a cycle. Death is only a transition into another cycle. Every day dies by night and is born by morning. At the same exact moment in time, somewhere, a day is ending and the night is starting and a night is ending and day is starting. We are constantly dying and being reborn every single moment. Some transitions (or deaths) are bigger than others, but only in our imaginations. The “whole” has never changed. Nothing ever changes because everything is always changing. The same truth can be applied to EVERYTHING. That’s the beauty of it. Nothing, not even your imaginary god, is more important than you, or that ball, or that cloud, or that mountain. Everything is the same because everything is different. Imagine a door. It’s the end of your home and the beginning of your porch, which is outside. It’s the same door, right? We use adjectives to promote an idea. We use adjectives to describe things so that they correlate with the message we are trying to convey. If you’re still in doubt, I’ll show you some more math.

If everything (A) is the same (B), couldn’t you also say that nothing (X) is different (Y)? Right? And, couldn’t you also say if everything is different, nothing is the same? They are both true statements, would you not agree?

AB = XY      is equal to      AY = XB

If we do the math on the first equation, we’ll find that A = XY / B. Since we know both statements are true, we can subsitute A in the second equation to get:

(XY / B) B = XB

Do the math and you’ll quickly see that Y is equal to B. If Y is equal to B, mathematics will also prove that X is equal to A. If everything and nothing are the same, and if same and different are the same, what can we conclude from this? That everything is all there is and nothing is all there isn’t. They are all just words used to decsribe the same thing differently. A cup that is full of water is also empty of air. A cup that is empty of water is full of air. The cup never changed. It’s the same cup being described depending on how we see it (and how we want to see it). The cup doesn’t care, the truth doesn’t care. The truth is the cup, air, and water are all that exsisted in that “story.” There is nothing else other than what is. What is is the truth.

A truth is easy to prove because it’s real. If something is real, it can’t be false? Right. If something is not real, it’s pretty hard to prove that is real? Right. In fact, it’s an impossible endeavor. Much like proving that your “god” exist. On the other hand, what is true is this. This being your hair, the highway, a fish, an ice cream cone, a boat on the lake, everything. These things are easily proven because we know they are real. They are the truth. In the event that you’re still somewhat lost, let me show you:

A true truth is true, right? And a false lie (also false) is true, right? If a true (X) true (X) is (=) true (X), and a false (Y) false (Y) is (=) true (X), then mathematics proves that a true equals a false.

X squared = X      is equal to      Y squared = X      is equal to      X = Y

Now you might ask yourself, how in the world does something that is false equal something that is true. It’s very simple actually. If everything is true, couldn’t we also say that nothing is false? Furthermore, couldn’t we also say that everything that true is real (can be proven) and everything that is false is not real (cannot be proven), then where does a false (lie) exist? It exists only in your imagination. We create things that are false. They are not real, therefore they are not true.

Churches around the world have been preaching a lie for centuries by promoting an agenda that they believe to be true. Beliefs can never be true. They are always false. These same churches and beliefs are respsonsible for 90% of the wars the world has ever witnessed. Does that make you feel good? These same churches that are responsible for these wars are also the same churches that are stealing your hard earned paycheck to promote their unhealthy agenda. Does that make you feel good? Does it make you feel good that your church is stealing your money to further a lie? Stop and think about what you’re doing, what you’re doing would be hilarious if the stakes were not so high.

Does it make you feel good that your Christian president has sent thousands of American men and women to die in Iraq for a lie? Does it make you feel good that your Christian president is trying to pass law to make it illegal for me to marry the person I love? Does it make you feel good that your Christian president is trying to bar development of stem cell research in the name of an imaginary god’s will? Do any of you even know what stem cell research can do? If you don’t, let me tell you. Stem cell research is the number one way for scientists to find a cure for every incurable disease known to man. Your president is trying to prevent this. Does that make you feel good? I surely hope not.

It’s tiring hearing people say the world is so complex. The world is not complex. The world is actually VERY simple. It’s as simple as 1 = 1. We use adjectives and opinions to make it more complex than it truly is. Allow yourself to begin to see things how they truly are and not how you want them to be, because when you do, I promise you that they will be more “spectacular” than you could ever imagine. The universe is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. Once you get this and truly understand it, you can relax, because everything you could ever want or be you already have and are.

We have got to stop attributing things we don’t understand to some imaginary friend and start giving credit where credit is truly do. Instead of thanking god for your good health, thank your doctor for giving you the right medicine, thank the scientists for providing your doctor with the proper medicine, thank the researchers who found the correct procedure to create that medicine, thank the farmers who grew your fruit, thank your grocery store for providing healthy food, thank your parents for lending you an environment which promotes a healthy life. You would think silly a movie whose end credits listed thousands of names of people who had nothing to do with the movie, wouldn’t you? I surely would. It’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re giving credit where no credit is due, and giving no credit where all the credit is due. Stop thanking god for a blue sky day, thank the sky for being blue, thank the mountain for being gorgeous, thank yourself. Thank your family. Give thanks to what is and stop giving thanks to what is not.

Not a word I have spoken has been an opinion of mine. I’ve stated only simple facts from the beginning. Facts you know deep in your heart are true. I use only facts because a fact is real. A fact can be proven. A fact is the truth. Opinions and beliefs, as good as they may sound, spend their entire existence only in our minds. We can speak of them, spread them around as the truth, but they’ll simply never be. I have no doubt your thoughts are real. The chemicals in your brain creating those thoughts are very much a reality. But without those chemicals, your thoughts disappear. Want to know how I know? I know because I don’t know.

Our world is torn by war at this very moment because of a difference of opinion. Opinions that can never be proven. Innocent people are dying by the truck load in Iraq because we think we’re right, and that they are wrong. We could never be more wrong. Over 3000 people died on September 11 because a handful of people thought they were right. They could have never been more wrong. Everything (EVERYTHING) is coexisting with it’s opposite. It’s day right now in San Francisco because it’s not night. It’s night in Somalia because it’s not day. Right now, somewhere, someone’s child is being born. For them and their family, to say it’s like heaven would be an understatement. At that same moment, somewhere in the world, a woman (who is someone’s child) is going to be raped. Statistics prove it. For her, to call her experience hell would be an understatment. The truth is that the world is at harmony with itself, in fact, it’s very heavenly. We are creating our own hell on earth by believing in lies. It doesn’t have to be like this. In fact, we have an equal ability to create our own heaven by knowing (not believing) the truth. Until we realize this, we will continue to kill innocent life, promote unnecessary suffering, and continually put the lives of our children at risk. At risk in a world full of destruction and chaos created solely by our imaginations. Let’s begin by ending this plethora of lies and end by promoting the truth. Because the fact of the matter is the truth is all there is and all there is is the truth.

4 comments October 22nd, 2006