Freedom From Information

 

In the movie The Matrix everyone is stuck in a giant machine, their minds possessed by aliens who feed off their bodies’ energies. The problem is that they just aren’t aware that their life force is being sucked out of them by the machine.

Sadly The Matrix scenario is all too real for many of today’s human beings. The Matrix is the internet combined with mobile technology, which is locking people into a world of abstract illusion that is not actually real – while mega-corporations bleed them of their attention, and more often than not, their cash.

Hong Kong, where I live, is in this regard by far the worst of any city I have ever been in. The level of internet addiction here is alarming. Many people cannot sit for more than a few seconds without pulling out a gadget to fiddle with. What hope is there for the presence of Spirit in such circumstances?

Don’t get me wrong. The internet is wonderful in many ways, and is a giant evolutionary step in human consciousness development. It makes information instantly available to all of us. It makes us much smarter in many ways. You would not be reading this if not for the internet, and you would not be able to watch the video I am about to recommend at the end of this post if not for the computer or gadget in front of you.

That video is of Eckhart Tolle, speaking at the Google complex. Fascinatingly, Tolle uses the same analogy I use in Discover Your Soul Template, and suggests that the internet threatens to turn humanity into a bunch of zombies, cut off from their essences. He too acknowledges the potential benefits of the internet and ubiquitous computing, but says we have to learn to balance our lives. We can do this by making time each day for moments of presence. You’ll note in the video that he suggests a very similar tool to what I recommend in my book –focusing upon the breath in order to centre yourself.  The reason the methods look similar is because they are exactly the same. Yes, I stole the idea off Mr Tolle. My Lawyer is on standby just in case he gets angry.

Another process for allowing presence is to simply to bring your attention onto something close to you and focus upon it, staying relaxed even as you do so.

When the mind becomes present, the mental world of judgment and projection vanishes like magic. Suffering ceases, and the joy of existence opens up before us. We see the world as it is, not as we are. What a blessing, and there is nobody who can take that away from us. Unless we give them our power, that is.

Here is Eckhart Tolle explaining just this point to Google employees. It is a wonderful thing when perhaps the world’s biggest information technology company acknowledges the importance of stillness, of freedom from thought, freedom from information.

Marcus

The Gratitude of Being

Emmanuel Kelly: A powerful teacher indeed

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. 

So began Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, written 150 years ago. But how can a single time be both good and bad? The answer is provided, in part, by another giant of English literature, William Shakespeare. In Hamlet the protagonist declares that, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." It is the judgments that we pass on things that colour our experience. Judgments take us out of presence. Judgment blinds us to the divinity within the people we meet. It strips the day of its God-given glory.

I have always gotten a lot of spiritual guidance. I suspect that this is because I need more than most people, being a bit daft. Songs often pop into my head just when I am facing a problem, or getting caught up in the illusory world of thought and projection. One of the songs that often comes to me as guidance is The Streets of London, which was originally sung by Ralph McTell in the 1970s. It is a song about homeless people in England's largest city. The last verse and the chorus, go like this.

And have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman's mission
Memory fading with
The medal, ribbons that he wears.
In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care

Chorus:

So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind

I remember singing that song in primary School. Mrs Marks, our music teacher, had the wisdom to teach it to us. Even as a youngster, I remember being moved by the simple and profound message. Above all The Streets of London implores us to give thanks for what we have, and not to focus upon what is missing. Take a look around and you will see many people who have it worse than you. Much worse. 

There is so much to appreciate in every day. This is why it is so important to not to allow your thoughts of unfulfilled hopes and dreams destroy the pure, simple abundance that lies at your feet this very moment.

The reason I write this short post today is that I recently saw a YouTube video which reminded me of this profound truth. It comes from the Australian talent show The X Factor, which is basically the Aussie version of American Idol. There is no need for me to say much about this video, and the wonderful and moving story that lies at the heart of it. It is the story of Emmanuel Kelly, the young man whose image fills the top of this page. He is a very special human being indeed. 

Simply watch and feel.

Blessings,

Marcus