We need to be constantly reevaluating what success means. Most so-called success in the world is slavery. The trappings of success often bring the opposite of success, at least in the ways most meaningful to people's lives. Beware! Success is not what you think it is. It's often a trap. You have been programmed from birth into a sick construct of competitive violence. Most success by your likely definition will lead to the destruction of your individuality and your inner-beings grand potential. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with being successful and we should have abundance and success in our lives. But, we must possess the inner maturity to handle success; individually and as a culture. Every degree of success must be paired with a degree of integrity and compassion. Success without integrity is always fleeting, or monstrous. Real success sometimes involves saying no to growth, expansion and gain. Real success often involves absorbing tremendous loss on a personal level. Real success often involves sacrifice. Real success always involves virtues such as humility, compassion, and an abiding reverence and respect for life.
For those who have awakened to freedom from the modern nightmare, it is painful to watch their fellow human beings be used and destroyed by the very institutions and ideologies they entrusted for their protection. It is a natural response to be repulsed when we see the treasure of joy in each person looted and plundered by predatory institutions and systems. Many of these systems — organisms really, exist solely as social and economic functions that literally devour people. These processes feed on people's hopes and energy, and then excrete poison and toxicity — environmentally and philosophically, in the pursuit of what is called progress, growth, and success. The destruction of the miracle of life is only made possible by our value systems. Many of our so-called value systems are really suicide engines running inside of each of us. But, because we have been constructed to a large degree from the cultural values passed down to us as children, it is hard to even imagine ourselves in any other possible structure or arrangement of life. In some places, it is just normal that some people die at a young age — killed in senseless wars or by disease. In other cultures, the economic war they die in, is so slow moving it looks like living. One day you just wake up after many years of being used — old, spent, and robbed of your best years, with nothing left of value to the system, and then you are discarded. Few things are so heartbreaking as seeing people in various forms of bondage.
We fiber-optically connect our egos until each person is the center of his own universe; an aspiring god-brand. We build cathedrals of worship on Wall Street to glorify our money masters. The fiscal priesthood shows us how to purify our souls in a baptism of material goods. We dutifully pay our retail-tithe. We seek for gadget-enlightenment through purchases of glitzy techno-litter. The meaning of life; one endless shopping spree. There is no beauty, virtue, or truth left unexploited, unmolested, or unaltered for our explicit pleasure and total consumption. We sell ourselves for a quick taste of the 'good life' through products meant for the landfill. Planned obsolescence; the purest definition of our lives as both the consumer and the consumed. The garbage will pile-up so high that it will swallow you — if you allow it. Don't allow it. Quality people make a quality world. Seek quality. Be quality. Give quality. Put your mark of craftsmanship in every relationship, in every deed, and every thought.
People have moments of consciousness and epiphanies throughout their lives, but then suppress the realization. This is because the culture has already anticipated the freedom seeking mechanism in humans, and a micro control-coup takes place almost instantly because of deeply implanted economic and social fear factors. This is because you are a part of a culture, and the culture requires assimilation over individuation for its survival. But, you are so much more than what your culture has asked of you to be. We must become reacquainted with our true human selves, and not the modern avatar of a "person": a commoditized, corporatized, homogenized, zombified, denatured, worker-consumer drone. Humans have become speculative commodities incarnate, with their life force as a gross product traded on the open markets. And like monetary cyborgs, our human resource currency is mixed and bundled with exotic financial instruments to the extent that no one really knows where the product ends and the human begins. We have lost our humanity to the decimal point. Through this financial coup d'etat over the human soul, we have lost our purpose, and many people see no way to escape the endless manipulation and coercion of modern life, which controls us through the fear of "losing everything"; most of which are all created and fabricated false needs. The total commoditization of the natural world has placed a veritable lien against the spirit of nature.
There is a vast war against life, beauty and nature unfolding in this world. You are a part of that nature which is under great strain. Sit with yourself and face yourself, because you cannot escape yourself. You can't go from thing to thing and person to person and expect to create anything meaningful in your life. No matter where you run, to a rural village or a big city, to a new job or a new partner — there you are, the same you. Without inner tranquility and wisdom, we are devoured wherever we go. Beauty is everywhere, speaking to you and trying to remind you who you really are. Noticing the beauty will begin to heal you. Notice the beauty everywhere. Notice the beauty within you.
Instead of connecting with falsity; connect with truth — your truth. Reach deep within, and reconnect with the essence of your being. Separate yourself from the lies and illusions which are not you. You are not your things, your titles, your status, your bank account, your IRA, your portfolio, your credit score, your degree, your intelligence, your feelings, your occupation, your town, your sports team, your nation or your religion. You are not even your emotions, judgments or your fears. You are something much deeper and much more wonderful. You are something that intellect and science can never even begin to fully describe.
This is your moment; this ephemeral instant is your unfolding life. Make your life a tribute equal to the magnitude of the gift of life. Rush out into holy life and shine. Witness each moment in astounded jubilation. Take every holy breath in gratitude. Rejoice in life!
You are the offspring of incredible creative forces and have received the gift of life! With all respect to your religion or world-view — thank God, thank the universe, thank evolutionary processes — the keyword is "thank" — just have some gratitude and be thankful. While the ingrates duke-it-out about the true God, you take each breath in holy gratitude. The best way to be thankful for the gift of life is to not throw it away. Please don't waste-away in front of a TV waiting to win a lottery during the precious few hours you are not imprisoned in corporate shackles. Life is calling you. The other life. The analogue life. The real. Nature is calling you. And people too. Wondrous royal souls are waiting to meet, appreciate and experience you. We are all royal heirs of the divine unknown. Meeting another person is always a sacred event. Life is a sacred event. You are sacred. You are a miracle of creation. You are pure wonderment. Look at the majesty of — you! You are art in motion. You are incomparable. Your perfect life is matchless. Your precious gift of life is unrivaled like each snowflake. You are so fine and unique that it is impossible that there will ever be another like you. Give thanks!
You were given the tools to thrive! Don't live your whole life on holy crutches. Don't be a lifelong spiritual welfare recipient. Don't be a lazy spiritual beggar, no different than a child constantly asking a parent for money and handouts. God's prayer-line is not a wheel of fortune or a lottery for the indolent. "God helps those who help themselves," may not be in the Bible, but it sure makes sense to me. Faith doesn't work if you don't even believe it. Moses couldn't part the Red Sea if he didn't even show up. Show up in life. Believe. Have faith. Show up for yourself. Believe in yourself. Have faith in yourself! Don't you realize who and what you are? Why do you deny your own incredible power? Who convinced you of the lie that you are weak?
God gave you legs, but you have to do the walking. God gave you a back, but you have to stand-up straight. God gave you a head, but you have to hold it high and use it. This is not a religious message about being saved "by grace" or "by works." Believe what you desire about salvation. Jesus may give you eternal life, but until then, your ass is going to stay right where it is until you do something about it. Let's talk about this moment right now. If you fall in the mud, stand-up and go take a shower. Don't pray to be delivered from the mud. There are some things you can do, and you should certainly do whatever is in your power. God's favorite type of prayer is action. Get off of your knees and pray with action. God loves a prayer of action. Move your ass. Be grateful. Do something. Be something.
