Thoughts–“Are Roamers Away From-The-Here & Now”
Summary = TBD
Condensed News Items = See Below (OCR needs edit)
News Item Gallery = jcap 1999-09-24 (99111)-2425
Transcript = None
The News
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MY NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 24, 1999 COPYRIGHT 1999 JAN COX
A CERTAIN MAN WHO FOR MANY YEARS HAD BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE CONTINUALLY FRUSTRATING ATTEMPT TO “AWAKEN”
WOULD OPEN HIS EYES EACH MORNING IN BED, ALREADY :[IRRITATED
EN ANTICIPATION OF THE FAILURES HE WAS SURE TO EXPERIENCE THAT DAY
EN REGARD TO HIS AFORE NOTED EFFORTS,
AND THEN ONE MORNING AS HE AROUSED HIMSELF FROM SLUMBER,
AND WAS JUST BEGINNING TO FEEL AS I DESCRIBED, HE SUDDENLY THOUGHT:
“THERE’S NO NEED TO DREAD HOW BAD THE UPCOMING DAY WILL BE REGARDING MY EFFORTS TO AWAKEN IT CAN’T GET ANY WORSE THAN IT IS
THIS VERY SECOND!” — THEN WAS FURTHER STRUCK:
“BUT IT ALSO CAN’T GET ANY BETTER, LATER ON TODAY OR TOMORROW,
OR ANY OTHER DAY!” —
AND HE LEPT, (OR MAYBE, FELL FROM BED) STRONGLY SUSPECTING THAT HE MAY HAVE FINALLY DISCOVERED HIS OWN MISSING PIECE TO THE PROBLEM,
WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED IS SIMPLE ENOUGH TO PUT IN WORDS,
BUT IS THE DEVIL HIMSELF TO MAKE PART OF YOUR CONSTANT AWARENESS,
WHEN IT COMES TO ACHIEVING THAT DESIRED OTHER CONDITION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: CIRCUMSTANCES AND POTENTIALS NEVER GET ANY BETTER THAN THEY ARE AT THIS VERY MOMENT, AND BELIEVING OTHERWISE IS WHAT MAKES THIS PRESENT MOMENT AS UNSATISFYING AS YOU FIND IT TO BE,
AND ONE MAN WITH OUR KIND OF INTEREST ONE DAY MUSED:
“IN SPITE OF MY YEARS OF EFFORT I STILL, AT THIS EXACT MOMENT,
FEEL YUCKY AND LONG FOR SOMETHING BETTER,
BUT AT LEAST I NOW HAVE THE CONSOLATION OF KNOWING THAT LIFE WILL
NEVER BE ANY DIFFERENT OR BETTER FOR ME THAN IT IS AT THIS EXACT MOMENT,
FINALLY REALIZING THAT THINGS WELL NEVER BE ANY BETTER THAN THEY ARE NOW MAKES THINGS A LOT BETTER THAN I’VE BEEN THINKING THEY ARE.
EVEN IF I LACK A PRECISE IDEA OF WHERE ALL OF THIS MAY END UP,
I NOW SEE AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF ME EVER GETTING THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY BETTER THAN IT IS AT THIS VERY MOMENT,
EF I AM NOT ‘AWAKE’,(IN SOME FASHION OR THE OTHER)RIGHT THIS SECOND, THEN I WILL NEVER BE
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IT HAS BECOME GLARINGLY OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THERE IS NO HIDDEN,
‘SECRET METHOD’ TO AWAKENING:
NOTHING THAT I HAVE YET TO ‘DISCOVER’ THAT IS NECESSARY FOR MY SUCCESS, AND MY BELIEVING TO THE CONTRARY HAS KEPT ME TIED TO THE ILLUSIONS OF, ‘FUTURE TIMES’, AND CAUSES MY PRESENT TO SEEM SO YUCKY.
THANKFULLY, I CAN NO LONGER IGNORE THE REALITY THAT WHATEVER, ‘RIGHT-THIS-MOMENT’ AMOUNTS TO — TO ME,
IS ALSO ALL THAT MY FAR-AWAY, DREAMED-OF EVENTUAL AWAKENING AMOUNTS TO.
WHAT. A SPLENDID SENSE OF FREEDOM TO HAVE FINALLY REALIZED THIS FOR MYSELF.”
KNOWING FOR YOURSELF, WITHOUT CONDITIONS OR RESERVATIONS,
THAT WHATEVER YOU HAVE, WHATEVER YOU KNOW, AND WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING
THIS VERY INSTANT
IS ALL YOU WILL EVER HAVE, KNOW OR CAN DO REGARDING THE GOAL OF AWAKENING,
CAN MAKE A MAN FEEL LIKE HE IS AN ISLAND,
TOTALLY SURROUNDED BY NOTHING BUT ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO – WAKE UP.
IN FACT, ONCE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THIS ACTIVITY IS SUFFICIENT,
THE VERY DEFINITION OF, “BEING ASLEEP” BECOMES SIMPLY THAT:
“YOU DO NOT UTILIZE THIS MOMENT.”,
BUT CONTINUE TO LOOK EXPECTANTLY AND FOOLISHLY TO THE NEXT…AND THE NEXT…
…AND THEN THE NEXT,
FOREVER ANNOYED, DISAPPOINTED AND FRUSTRATED.
AND FROM THIS VISTA, THE PROPER SYNONYM FOR,”BEING AWAKE” COULD BECOME THE TWO WORDS: “RIGHT NOW” — ALWAYS, “RIGHT NOW”.
PERTINENT TO THIS IS WHY SELF-CONDEMNATION FOR FAILING TO DO BETTER
IN YOUR EFFORTS TO REACH THE GOAL IS SUCH A TREACHEROUS AFFAIR
FOR WHEN YOU SO CONDEMN YOURSELF IT SUPPORTS THE BELIEF THAT
YOU CAN — YOU WILL — DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE,
WHEN THE TRUTH IS THAT YOU CANNOT.
IN OTHER WORDS: NOT BEING AWAKE NOW
IS WHAT MAKES YOU SLEEP IN THE FUTURE. …WHAT COULD BE MORE OBVIOUS THAN THAT?!
…(AND HERE IS YET ANOTHER WAY TO DEFINE A SLEEPER: HE IS A MAN WHO PUTS AN UNREAL BURDEN ON THE FUTURE.)
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I COULD SAY THAT THE MYSTICAL ODYSSEUS IS ALWAYS ON THE TRUE COURSE HOME — AT EVERY INSTANT OF “NOW”,
AND INSTANTLY STRAYS THEREFROM WHEN HE THINKS OF WHERE HE MIGHT BE TOMORROW.
…BUT ALLEGORIES ARE NOT REALLY NECESSARY:
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO DIRECTLY SEE FOR YOURSELF THAT LIFE…THINGS…CONDITIONS FOR YOU TO AWAKEN, BOTH INTERNALLY AND WITHOUT, WILL NEVER BE — CAN NEVER BE —
ANY BETTER THAN THEY ALWAYS ARE, RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT.
‘TIS LIBERATING…AND INDEED CAN BE, “FRUSTRATING”, (UNTIL ITS REALITY TRULY SINKS IN).
BY THE BY: MAY I GIVE YOU MY INTERPRETATION OF THE ANCIENT AND HONORED
MYSTICAL NOTION THAT SAYS THAT A MAN SHOULD:
“LIVE EVERY MINUTE AS THOUGH IT IS HIS LAST.”,
AND TELL YOU THAT’,. SEE IT AS HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH DEATH,
AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR
THE LAST TEN MINUTES.
BERATING YOURSELF WHILE, HOPING-THAT, AND, BELIEVING-THAT, AND,
PROMISING-YOURSELF-THAT
YOU WILL “DO BETTER”
CREATES A KIND OF DESTRUCTIVE, “TIME SHIFT”
BY WHICH YOU ARE INSTANTLY REMOVED FROM ANY POSSIBILITY OF YOU
PRESENTLY DOING ANYTHING REGARDING OUR GOAL,
WHILE, “PRESENTLY” IS THE ONLY POSSIBILITY ANY OF US HAVE,
LET’S TAKE A BRIEF BREAK FROM ALL OF THESE SERIOUS ADULT MATTERS)
AND HAVE AN, “IRONIC, STORY TIME” FOR ALL THE YOUNGSTERS IN OUR AUDIENCE: ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A CERTAIN MAN WHO, AS HE WOULD SIT,
WRITING ABOUT THE FACT THAT AWAKENING IS ONLY POSSIBLE IN THE,
EVER-PRESENT MOMENT OF, “NOW”,
WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY THINK ABOUT THE WAYS PEOPLE MIGHT REACT TO HIS WORDS IN THE FUTURE.
OKAY, ENOUGH FRIVOLITY — BACK TO BUSINESS.
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AN EXPANDED VERSION OF AN EARLIER DEFINITION:
A MAN “ASLEEP” IS HE WHO HOLDS ANY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE,
BUT THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT A MAN “AWAKE” WOULD HOLD ANY SUCH HOPE, FOR A MAN WHO SLEEPS NOT HAS NO THOUGHTS OF THE FUTURE AT ALL,
EVEN AFTER YOU’VE DISCOVERED THE, “PERFECT METHOD” TO AWAKEN,
(EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO SUCH THING…0H, ALL RIGHT:
AFTER YOU’VE APPARENTLY DISCOVERED THE “PERFECT METHOD” FOR YOU
TO AWAKE — ANY WAY),
AFTER YOU’VE DONE SO,
IF YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THE METHOD AFTER THAT
THE METHOD WILL ONLY SERVE TO PUT YOU BACK TO SLEEP.
AND A BOY SAID TO HIS FATHER: “AFTER A WHILE, DOESN’T IT ALL BEGIN TO -SOUND ALIKE?!”,
“ALL OF, ‘WHAT’?”, HIS FATHER REPLIED,
“THAT TOO.”, RETORTED THE LAD.
THEN LATER THE BOY SAID TO HIS FATHER:
“AFTER A WHILE, DOESN’T IT SEEM LIKE YOU’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE?!”,
“ALL OF, ‘WHAT’?”, REPLIED THE FATHER,
“YOU JUST SAID THAT.”, RETORTED THE SON,
AND FROM THE OTHER ROOM THE MOTHER SAID TO HERSELF:
“IS THERE NO END TO THIS?!”, AND THEY BOTH SHOUTED BACK: “WE HEARD THAT!”,
AND SHE THOUGHT: “I’LL JUST BET YOU DID OR AT LEAST I’LL BET THAT YOU
THOUGHT YOU DID”, AND THEY BOTH TENTATIVELY CALLED BACK: AHHH….WELL…YEAH, WE THINK MAYBE WE DID (?!?!) …… “
YOU CAN NO MORE BE MORE AWAKE IN THE FUTURE THAN YOU CAN
SATISFY YOUR PRESENT HUNGER BY EATING TOMORROW.
IT’S NO WONDER THAT MEN HAVE SUCH A DESPERATE TIME FINDING THE
“TRUE METHOD” OF AWAKENING,
‘TIS FOR THE SAME REASON THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING THE,
“PRESENT MOMENT” — ‘CAUSE IT IS NOT SOMEWHERE AWAY FROM YOU TO BE FOUND.
NOTE: EVERY COMPLAINT EVER HAD BY EVERY MAN WANTING TO AWAKEN HAS BEEN AN UNRECOGNIZED COMPLAINT ABOUT — THE FUTURE.
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MY INTERPRETATION OF THE SIGN OVER DANTE’S DOOR:
“ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE.”,
IS NOT IN THE NATURE OF A WARNING
BUT RATHER AS HELPFUL DIRECTIONS FOR THOSE WHO UNDERTAKE THE CHALLENGE
TO CHANGE THEIR INNER WORLD OF THOUGHTS,
(PST, JUST OFF TO THE SIDE HERE FOR A SECOND, LEVEL WITH ME, HOW D’YA LIKE THIS POSSIBILITY:
THAT “BEING AWAKE” IS ACTUALLY NOTHING MORE THAN:
“A CHANGE IN THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR THINKING”?!
…HUH?!, HUH? — WHAT D’YA THINKS’ HOW D’YA LIKE ITS’ )
ONE MAN HAD AN ANNOYING RASH WHICH HE INITIALLY VIEWED AS BEING SIMPLY,
A PHYSICAL ANNOYANCE,
BUT WHEN THAT PROVED LESS THAN SATISFYING HE VIEWED THE RASH AS BEING
A METAPHOR (FOR SOEMTHING OR THE OTHER),
A TACK THAT ALSO LEFT MUCH TO BE DESIRED — SO:
THEN HE TRIED THE LITERAL, PHYSICAL APPROACH AGAIN..
…THEN THE METAPHORICAL ONE AGAIN THEN BACK TO THE LITERAL – THEN
THE METAPHORICAL, BUT THEY BOTH CONTINUED TO BE DISAPPOINTING,
SO
HE FINALLY DID THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO: HE IGNORED THE RASH.
..WELL, PHEW!, BELIEVE YOU ME,
THAT MAN CAN SURE EXPECT A LETTER SOON
REVOKING HIS MEMBERSHIP IN: “THE ROYAL ORDER OF ACCEPTABLE MYSTICS.” …MAN, TALK ABOUT — BLOWIN’ IT! PHEW!,
ALL ATTACKS ON YOURSELF PERPETUATE THE ILLUSION THAT THERE IS A “FUTURE TIME”, …AND FURTHERMORE: THIS ILLUSION IS THE PRIMARY SUPPORT FOR YOUR PRESENT SLEEPY STATE,
PONDER THIS: IS THE “PRESENT” SOME HOW AN UNNATURAL TIME FOR THOUGHTS?! …ARE THEY BY THEIR VERY NATURE, “ROAMERS-FROM-THE-HERE-&-NOW”?
ONE MAN HAD A CLOCK WITH NO HANDS, OR NUMBERS. AND WHEN EVER HE’D LOOK AT IT, ALL HE’D SEE WAS THESE FOUR WORDS PAINTED ON ITS FACE: “YEP — IT’S STILL NOW.”
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ONE MAN HAS ADOPTED AN ATTITUDE-TOWARD HIS INVOLVEMENT IN ALL OF THIS THAT HE THINKS OF AS: “ENLIGHTENED RESIGNATION.”,
NOT BAD, BUT MORE TO THE POINT WOULD BE: “DETERMINED RESIGNATION.”
ONE MAN WHO HAD TRIED ALL OF THE WELL KNOWN METHODS THAT CLAIMED THEY WOULD
HELP IN AWAKENING, (BUT WITH LITTLE TO SHOW FOR IT),
ONE DAY AS HE WAS ABOUT TO UNDERTAKE ONE OF THOSE DREADED & MONOTONOUS
LITTLE EVERYDAY JOBS, (THAT OF MOWING THE LAWN),
HE SUDDENLY THOUGHT OF HIS AIM, AND OF HIS INABILITY TO FIND A
MYSTICAL PRACTICE THAT PRODUCED RESULTS, AND HE:
LOOKED AT THE LAWN MOWER:
LOOKED AT THE GRASS:
THOUGHT OF THE BORING EFFORTS THAT LAY AHEAD OF HIM,
AND OF HOW HE KNEW HE’D BE NORMALLY FEELING ABOUT IT,
THEN SAID TO HIMSELF: ,”WHY NOT?! — I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE.”