Darwin’s Natural Selection and the Map of Consciousness

Some people really do stupid things. Things normal (conscious) people wouldn’t do. Have a look at the newspaper, TV or internet and you will find plenty of examples. There are people who stick their head out of a moving train and then, oh what a surprise, are killed by a pole next to the railroad tracks. I had a girlfriend who called this kind of stupidity nature’s way of dealing with stupid people: Darwin’s natural selection.

Of course, not everyone is doing this kind of crazy stuff but there are people who end up with more trouble in their lives than others. People that end up in bad situations over and over and in general cannot handle life very well. Stress and anxiety are dominating their lives. I certainly know a couple of people who fit this category. You probably do as well. Ever wondered why it is so difficult to help them, even if you clearly know the answer? How come they can’t handle life as well as others do? Could it be that it is their level of consciousness?

I had not thought of natural selection and unconscious people for a long time. But while I was thinking what to write for my next blog topic, it popped into my mind: Is there a relation between the level of consciousness (how conscious or unconscious people are) and all the good or bad things that can happen? Is this just like natural selection, survival of the fittest; giving the more conscious people an edge, a real advantage in life?

It’s a well known fact that happy people are more successful than others. So do more educated people. But are they successful because they are happy or educated, or because they are more conscious? Is it this clarity in consciousness that makes them more successful? Success of course can mean different things to different people, depending who you ask and what their level of consciousness is.

If you look at David Hawkins map of consciousness (a scale of 1 to 1000, beginning at guilt and ending with enlightenment) you will see that at a certain level (200, courage) there is a tipping point towards life supporting consciousness. Above this point better things will happen to you. Btw, this scale is not limited to people, but can be applied to groups and countries as well. It certainly gave me a whole different view on conflicts between countries.

The work of Ken Wilber and his integral approach is also pointing to this direction; research on meditation does too. Even teachers of the Law of Attraction (like Ester and Jerry Hicks) speak of higher levels where you can manifest things easier.

Thinking this over, it all makes perfectly sense. With a relative low level of consciousness you don’t have the same overview as someone with a higher level of consciousness. You act and make decisions based on the level you’re at. You are not aware of any other, higher, alternatives. You make decisions that may appear strange to someone who is at a “higher” level of consciousness, a higher level of awareness. That person certainly wouldn’t do those things, or at least has more options to chose from.

Compare it to the Empire State building, New York City: If you are at street level you don’t have the same city view as someone standing on the observatory deck (although one can argue what the best option is, drinking a beer in the brewpub at street level or having to wait in line for two hour to reach the top of the building).

Now before you think you are one of those people who end up in trouble all the time, and may not be that conscious, don’t be that hard on yourself. Learning how to live consciously can be a great journey. The good news is that consciousness can be trained. Meditation is one of the best tools for this. Even 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Check my article on Meditation for further info on meditation and what methods are out there. Another good resource for Meditation is PeacefulProsperity, a site owned by a fellow blogger.

Raising you level of consciousness and awareness can also be done with various methods like The Sedona Method, Byron Katie‘s The Work or Eckhart Tolle‘s teachings (to name a few).

Dr. David Hawkins

If you are not familiar with David Hawkins and his map of consciousness I highly recommend you read his book Power vs. Force or check out his audio programs.

Why I believe the lack of compassion is the root of all evil

In my article Why I do not believe that the love of money is the root of all evil I said that money, or the love of money, is not the root of all evil. But then what is? If there is a root of all evil, I believe it must be seeing others (or other groups) as inferior. Not being able to have compassion for one another and others point of view, not being able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes: Looking at situations from a different perspective.

Take a look at human history and the way we run our lives: private, in the workplace, in business or on a global scale. The lack of compassion is a central theme and it’s been with us for centuries. To name a few: men vs. women, race discrimination, war, terrorism, genocide, the language we speak, religious conflicts (“Our God is better than yours”), sexuality. They all find their roots in the lack of compassion.

If you are not part of our group and think the way we do; we have the right to suppress you or even kill you, if you do not do exactly what we tell you to do. You are not human enough, by our standards, to earn our respect.

Everyone has his own values. We all think we are good, decent people. But as soon as we have to deal with people outside our own social group or people with other values, maybe people who frighten us, we think of them as less important, less worthy. But why, aren’t we all human?

Crime is a good example of this. Most criminals are motivated by money; but they usually select their victims outside of their own social group; which is providing them the perfect excuse for their crime: “I only rob rich people, they have plenty”.

The lack of compassion is extra evident when religions clash. For most religion, if not all, love is at the core of their values. But look what happens when it concerns others? Look at Christians, Jews and Islam. In essence they share the same source, they believe in the same God. It’s their interpretation of the truth, their truth, compared with fanaticism that has, and still is, causing a lot of grief and suffering. Even within the same religion, people clash. Look at Christianity and the Spanish Inquisition. As soon as you have a different interpretation of the truth, you end up with people fighting or hurting each other; Believing they have the right interpretation of their faith, the others not.

I always compare religions, when they clash, with children fighting one another for the love of their father. Don’t you think parents love all their children?

But even in our normal day-to-day interactions with people we often lack compassion. Believing we are right and the other must be wrong. Our ego, sometimes, is so huge that we lack the ability to see someone else’s point of view as another way of looking at things. We defend our position to the bitter end. God forbid we are wrong and they are right.

I guess it is a matter how conscious you are. How much compassion you have is directly linked to your level of consciousness.

My experience is that everyone is right, from their point of view. Everyone has a little piece to solve the puzzle. We all need each other. We all need compassion. As soon as we understand this, we are on the right track.

In the next argument you have, take a step back and instead if defending your position, take a moment and think about it. If I was in his shoes, would I say the same? Have I thought of all possibilities, am I missing something? Could it be that he is right? Could it be that we are both right?

Let go of your ego. Let go of defending yourself. If you are open to this kind if thinking there is a whole new world out there. A world full of compassion. At the very least it will help you improve your communication with others. Isn’t that a great goal in itself?

I’m a fan of Cycles Gladiator Wines

I like a good glass of wine. It is one of my little pleasures. Recently my local wine store did send me a mailing with Cycles Gladiator wine on sale. I normally get a lot of these in my mailbox and hardly take a look at them. This time was different as the reason the wine was on sale was that Cycles Gladiator was banned from restaurants and retail establishments in Alabama. Why? The Alabama Beverage Control Board has deemed the wine brand label as “pornographic”.

Take a look and decide for yourself. The Cycles Gladiator label bears a replica of an antique French poster created in 1895 by Georges Masssias to advertise bicycles. It features an artistic rendition of a nude woman flying alongside a bicycle across a star-filled night sky. Do you think this is pornographic?

My first reaction was something like: That is a silly thing to do; this is art, certainly not something pornographic. Then it hit me. It all depends on the values and culture you live in. I live in The Netherlands, Europe and a nude picture is quite normal. Where I live we have more explicit photos than Cycles Gladiator on billboards and no one is complaining about them. Maybe people in Alabama, or their law makers, have other values.

I guess it’s all about your conditioning, the way you are raised or “programmed”. There are countries that allow less than Alabama. Wine itself may be illegal to drink!

The funny thing is that this conditioning is not only a product of how we are raised or the country we live in, but also a matter of when. What is illegal now may be allowed 20 years later. It’s funny how our human values change over the years.

As expected, since the ban, Cycles Gladiator has sold more bottles then ever outside of Alabama. They now have there own “I’m a Fan of CYCLES GLADIATOR WINES” page on Facebook: I decided to join and order some bottles of their Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cheers!

Why I do not believe that the love of money is the root of all evil

In my article about The Definition of Success I shared my views on what success and wealth means to me: My definition of success is about feeling good, doing what I like to do. Wealth is living with the people I love, caring about others.

This definition of success is a bit different than what is usually meant by being successful. For most people having money is the same as being wealthy and successful. My definition of success is different. But does this mean that I don’t care about money or see the love of money as the root of all evil? No, I like money, I love it. The difference is that money is not dominating my life. I see it as a tool.

I recently listened to the audio book version of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, in which the author, Robert Kiyosaki, says that rich people are rich at heart and have a rich mindset. While poor people are poor at heart and have a poor mindset. This is quite a difference in perception and attitude towards money.

Poor people usually fear money. They play is safe and never learn to master it. Money is dominating them. They are the people that would say that the love of money is the root of all evil. They simply do not understand what money really is and how it can be made. It is this attitude that makes and keeps them poor (moneywise). They work for money.

Rich people see money as a tool. They learn to master it so they can to create the life they want to live. They have a rich attitude. Money works for them.

Have a look at the following examples: If a guy with a poor attitude wins a huge amount of money and never learns to master it; it will not take long till he is broke again. He will spend it all. Buying things he doesn’t need. He may even end up with more dept then he had before. While, on the other hand, if someone with a rich attitude goes bankrupt, that person has a good chance to recover because of his rich attitude and knowledge about money. He will make investments and sees the whole experience as a lesson learned. Making sure he will never make the same mistake again.

Then what about the fixation of our society towards money? The role money plays in our lives? The wars fought over it and all the bad things caused by greedy people? Wouldn’t we be better off without money?

The way I see it is that money in itself is not the problem, nor is the love of money. It’s the believe people have that money will solve all their problems. This can happen to people with a rich mindset but also to those with a poor one. They believe in an illusion that money will make them happy. However, in my opinion, The Secret to Happiness has nothing to do with money.

Another thing, why speak negative about money? You can do a lot of positive things with it. The more you have of it, the more you can invest in positive things or give away. Give some to charity, to your favorite project or someone who can use it right now.

After listening to “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” I realized my definition of success is not that different than that of those who have a rich mindset (or at least that of Robert Kiyosaki). To me, money is a means not an end. Money is a tool, helping me living the life I want to live. A life I want to live now, not tomorrow.

Rich Dad Secrets

Conscious Living: Why I chose not to be a Couch Potato

I am a very visual thinking person. Whenever I hear or read an expression my mind will immediately translate it to a stream of images. Hearing people say “When the shit hits the fan” brings up a big grin on my face as the expression is very vivid. I actually see it happen!

Another expression that makes me laugh is “Couch Potato”. This brings up images of people sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating potato chips, all night long. Sometimes I see Al Bundy, from the TV show “Married with Children”, sitting on his couch. This too is a very vivid image.

The expression Couch Potato not only makes me laugh, it reminds me of the state a lot of people are in: An unconscious state, not really awake. To me being a Couch Potato is the opposite of Conscious Living. Couch Potato’s spend a large part of their lives, if not all, unconsciously. They are zapping their lives away. TV is an escape from the real world. Couch Potato’s are hypnotized by it, it’s their drug.

Don’t get me wrong, I too watch TV but not all the time. The difference is that I choose what I want to see, where and when. If there is nothing of my interest, or something better to do. I will not turn my TV on. Watching TV is about someone else’s story, someone else’s life, not my own. Which life do you think is more important to me? Which one do I want to live?

Couch Potato’s come in different forms and shapes. Since the Internet we find them online as well: zapping from site to site. Are you one of them? Maybe it’s time to wake up.

For me Conscious Living means being the director of my own life: Living my life instead of life living me. Making conscious decisions what I want to do with my life, how I want to live my life. Set the right goals and then work towards accomplishing them. It also means living with passion, doing the things that make me, and others, happy. It’s about meeting inspiring people and never stop learning.

Conscious Living is about living live to the fullest and enjoying every moment of it: physical, mental and spiritual. Being a Couch Potato is not part of this way of life. So “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying”.

The Secret to Happiness

In my previous article Feel like a Child, Be a Child I wrote about my little girl Rosanne and how she is able to enjoy almost anything. Children are joyful and curious about everything they do, see and discover. I think children are masters in happiness and our greatest teachers. Children can be just as happy, or more, playing in a bath tub than with a $200 toy. They are able to enjoy the little things, things we grownups do not see any longer and pass by without ever noticing. We are so busy with our thoughts and our lives that we have forgotten what the real secret to happiness is.

The basic mistake people make is that they seek happiness outside themselves. Thoughts like: I will be happy when I buy this or that. I will be happy once I have that girlfriend or get married, I will be happy when I have children, I will be happy when the next paycheck comes or when I have a new job, when I am a millionaire, on vacation, etc. It’s all projected in the future. We fool ourselves by thinking that happiness is something we can buy or get. Our whole society is based on getting things so we can be happy. Look at most of the ads in magazines or commercials on TV. They are not selling product; they are selling happiness: “If you buy our product you will be happy too”.

Once we have bought our little piece of happiness it will provide some temporary pleasure. It can last an hour, a day or a week, maybe longer. But it will not take long before life will take its course and our normal problems reappear. Our happiness slips away and we have to go out and buy new stuff, meet new people and set new goals. All to fill our empty hearts; fill our need to find true happiness.

But why project happiness to the future? A possible future which may not even come true or may lead to a huge disillusion. We live now so wouldn’t it make sense to be happy now as well? To me happiness is about being content with what I have now. Being able to enjoy every moment. Trying to find happiness in the future is an illusion. It’s not about the big things. It’s the little, normal, things that matter. It’s about listening to birds singing or enjoying the sun shining on my face. Here’s my definition of happiness:

The secret to happiness is to be able to enjoy the things you have; right here, right now. Not longing for something you want and do not have. Happiness can only be found within. Happiness is a state of mind, not something you can buy or get from someone or somewhere else.

Children can teach us the secret to happiness. The secret we have forgotten. All we have to do is to be more like them. All we have to do is look at them and watch them play, having fun: Right here, right now. This is the secret to happiness.

Feel like a child, be a child

This week I had the pleasure to take my little girl, Rosanne, out for a couple of long walks in the park. Rosanne, a 2 ½ year old toddler, was joyful and curious about everything she discovered. A spider in a web, a couple of ducks in the water, little twigs on the ground or flowers she could pick. Everything was interesting, nothing remained unnoticed. She was really enjoying herself; and I did too, watching her having so much fun. Watching her being happy.

When we go out for our walks, we walk side by side, talking, playing, laughing and occasionally chasing each other. We’re always having fun! And when she is tired, I’ll put her up on my shoulders so she can rest for a while and to make sure she has a great view of the surroundings.

At one occasion it had rained in the morning and the trail was still wet. Splashing is one of her favorite things to do, so she could not walk by all the puddles, still filled with water, without stamping her little feet in them. We began naming the puddles: big puddles, little puddles and baby puddles. In that moment life was very simple. There was no greater joy than standing in a big puddle. No worries remained about all the unimportant stuff in life, only the puddles mattered. It was a moment of true happiness.

In my opinion we can learn more from children than the best guru or enlightened master can teach us. Children, when they are young, naturally live in the now, in the moment. This is a great teaching. It will keep you young and alert. If you stop for a moment and are willing to be open, a piece of that natural playfulness and awareness will be transmitted to you; changing you forever. Changing your priorities and teaching you what is really important and what is not.

In Zen Buddhism they often talk about a mind which is fresh, playful, enthusiastic and open. A mind that is not conditioned by the outside world: A Zen mind or enlightened mind. A mind like that of a child: A beginners mind.

I look forward to all the walks we can do in the future. I want to feel like a child, be a child. And Rosanne is my teacher, my little Buddha.

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