Costa Rica Guy

On Being a Superhero

May 16, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

The only superpower you really need is the one to constantly cultivate the attitude that forces you to ask, from the minute you wake up, to the minute you fall asleep, “What life can I save today?” It’s a practice. Often we forget it. We resist it. Instead of saving lives, we worry about saving ourselves too much. “How will I pay the bills?” “What do I do about my boss saying bad things about me?” And so on.

James Altucher
from Choose Yourself

Altucher’s book, and especially the quote above from his chapter on being a superhero, resonated with me. It seems to get at the heart of impact mindfulness and of prioritizing impact over self-interest.

And the concept of the Big US would serve to dissuade discrimination in the deployment of superpowers.

However, towards the end of the book Altucher writes in a way that seemed to swing back towards interest first thinking. That what matters is not so much impact, but potential maximization.

I disagree.

However, for most of my life I did think just that. I thought first potential maximization and then impact realization.

But as I grow older I’m beginning to realize (slowly) that it doesn’t work that way. That the Universe has indeed endowed us with “superpowers” and that it’s calling us to use them…NOW…not upon reaching some level of our potential.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that we realize our potential through the habitual employment of our superpowers.

The Universe has indeed endowed us with “superpowers” and that it is calling us to use them…NOW…not upon reaching some level of our potential.

And what are those superpowers, you ask?

Well, it’s just as Altucher says in the above quote. Saving lives.

And what could be more impactful than that?

Okay, I’ll admit that’s a bit confusing. I am sure you are thinking, how in the world am I going to find the time to do that…Costa Rica Guy? And even if I could find a few seconds of each day to allocate to the effort, what ability do I have to save a life?

Well, you see, that line of thinking greatly under-estimates your capacity to make a difference.

You don’t have to rescue the distressed damsel from the burning high rise to make an impact.

You “save lives” by small acts of kindness, by planting a tree, by encouraging a down and out friend, by taking a stand against oppression and exploitation, by taking care of yourself physically, emotional, mentally and spiritually so that you are found in a condition of health when the Universe calls on you. You do it by shipping your art and you do it by employing impact mindfulness.

The moment we turn our focus inward, on ourselves, on maximizing our potential, we are in immediate danger of missing opportunities for the Universe to realize great impacts through us.

Hyper-Critical

May 14, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

I believe Facebook, other social media as well, but predominantly Facebook, has the potential for great societal benefit…

Why?

Because it’s a convenient location for important discussions to take place…

Discussions that can lead to action and change.

But…and this is a really big BUT…for that to happen we need to be less combative, and hyper-critical, in the way we participate, IMHO.

Instead, most discussions rapidly devolve into cyber-shouting matches in a vain attempt to try to prove the rightness of one’s position over another’s.

That can be fun, in as much as it’s fun to degrade other human beings, but it rarely leads to any solutions, or even good ideas.

I believe that our world-views can handicap us in this effort.

That is, if your world-view is predominantly an exclusive one.

One that doesn’t leave room in the world for any other.

World-views that are religiously based tend to be that way.

Highly polarized political ones tend to be as well.

Maybe it’s a good idea to shun religious and political party affiliation altogether for the good of humanity?

Because no one is always right and to affiliate yourself with a particular religion or political party seems all too often tantamount to closed-mindedness.

When the fact is that the more you’re convinced that your position is the only possible correct one, the more likely it is that you’re dead wrong.

As soon as words like Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Socialist, Christian, Muslim, and others of that ilk are unleashed…

the prospect for a meaningful discussion usually goes dramatically down…

It’s an inverse relationship.

Could it be possible to have a conversation without bringing any of that shit up?

I believe it can.

I can talk about a particular viewpoint as being either good or bad, in my opinion, without giving it any label…can’t I?

I was struck by insight one day, from who knows where, and it led me to this world-view that’s been my consistent guide for some time now, and it helps me to be, well, consistent…and open-minded.

Actually, I believe it was a gradual process, but I can pinpoint a particular moment when it all sort of jelled.

I call it Impact Mindfulness.

I’m particular fond of it because it’s fairly agnostic and apolitical.

It allows me to saunter into discussions without the temptation to immediately begin throwing grenades that polarize upon detonation.

I’m guided by the idea that people and planet will be better off if we believe and act on three simple ideas…

that it’s best to prioritize impact (that is, the positive impact we can have for people and planet via our actions and inactions) over our self-interest…and in particular, our economic self-interest…
that it’s best to embrace the idea of the Big US, or the one where every argument presupposes that we’re all on this planetary ship together, since that is, indeed, a fact…
and that it’s best to take off impact blinders, such as political and religious affiliation, in order to see a bigger and more objective picture.

Am I patting myself on the back for breaking new philosophical ground with this?

No, of course not. I’m not by any means smart enough to accomplish such a feat.

All these ideas have been around…

Many label them as progressive…

But, you know, I don’t recoil at that label…as I truly believe progress is a good thing.

And I’d like to see more Facebook discussions that are progressive leaning and less that are partisan posturing and hyper-critical…

That is, discussions driven towards the end of progress for all, rather than towards elevation of ego via proving one’s rightness, or righteousness.

Proving yourself the smartest guy or gal on the Facebook wall doesn’t make the wall any smarter…or better off. Tweet it Out!

image credit: A Sheep in Man’s Clothing via Compfight cc

Revolutionary Love

May 8, 2015 by costaricaguy 2 Comments

When Che Guevara was asked by a reporter in New York what was the motivation for the revolutionary, he gave a surprising answer.

Probably not the one this reporter expected.

She was fishing for some radical reply that would spice up her story and generate hatred for this Marxist madman. But Guevara simply said…

…the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.

I was listening this morning to a very old video clip of a BBC interview with Bertrand Russell.

Russell is asked if this interview were placed in a time capsule and then viewed 1,000 years in the future, what would be the message he would most want to convey.

Russell said this…

Russell was also quite the revolutionary in his own day, albiet, unlike Guevara, a pacifist one.

Nevertheless, it seems that there is something to this idea of love as the motivational force for the revolutionary.

If we ask ourselves why bother to practice impact mindfulness, I believe the best answer, the one that penetrates to the heart of the matter, is indeed…love.

Love for people.

Love for planet.

And love of the fact that we are all created and connected by a universal force that some call god, or divine intelligence, or whatever, but it is there and it is calling us to love.

I can see no other possible explanation for love’s very existence.

In that sense love is the ultimate good. And the ultimate good is the best representation that we can mortally muster of that universal force.

So much is done in our world for motivations that are diametrically opposed to love. They are done for selfish gain or interest, greed, lustful cruelty, or for religious, or nationalistic reasons.

We talk of love for country as if it were the highest form of sacrificial love. I disagree, highly. I believe this form of intense patriotic love is what separate us. It’s what threatens us.

And when I use that word, us, I am talking the big US…not the small one.

You see, love of country presupposes that the small us is the only us worth loving. The revolutionary misfit has a love much grander than that. It is love for all people, everywhere. We care just as much about them in Uganda and Uruguay as we do for those in the urban areas over which we daily tread.

Do you really love people? You should since you belong to that species yourself.

Do you love planet? Well, you ought to, since it is the only celestial home we have at the moment.

Do you love the universal connection that we all share? I hope so because it is the lowest common denominator of our being.

If you do truly love those three things and if that rare form of revolutionary love is your primary motivational force for impact…

then you certainly qualify as a revolutionary…

and as a misfit.

This post is an excerpt from The Revolutionary Misfit Manifesto.

My Magic Wand

May 2, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Here’s an ancient blog post resurrected, that also happens to be an excerpt from The Revolutionary Misfit Manifesto.

…

If I could develop an ideal product it would have to be a magic wand.

One that I could wave around in Harry Potter-like fashion and fix all the things I believe need fixing.

But, wait a minute, what exactly are those “things?”

And maybe if I could identify exactly what it is that I think needs fixing, then I wouldn’t need my magic wand.

There might be another more feasibly develop-able product that could do the trick.

Nevertheless, if I did have a magic wand and could wave it around fixing things, the one thing I would want most to fix is indifference.

Granted, I would need to start by waving the wand over my own head.

What exactly do I mean by indifference?

What I don’t mean is waving the wand and turning myself and everyone else into proverbial Mother Teresas of compassionate action. I am basically talking about indifference to the impacts that what we do (and especially what we don’t do) have on the world.

Perhaps we’re indifferent because we rationalize to ourselves that we’re just too small and insignificant to make a difference.

So, why bother?

Therefore, we lower our heads and go about the hum drum existence of generating enough “daily bread” to get by. Doing our basic duty that we feel is owed to the small space of our existence and feeling fairly good about it. Until we step back and ask ourselves, could there be more to it than this?

The answer usually is…you betcha.

I think often we’re indifferent because we rationalize to ourselves that we’re just too small and insignificant to make a difference. So, why bother?

Apart from the impacts of things like throwing garbage out the window of your car (since there’s already so much out there), I believe the more insidious impacts come from what we don’t do. We choose to relegate our existence to something far less than what it could be, what it was perhaps meant to be.

Why do we do that? Because of societal messages that tell us to quell the temptation of dreaming and doing. Leave that to someone more talented. That there are only a chosen few who are allowed to step outside the circle of conformity and do really cool shit.

And if you dare to make such attempt, the critics will pounce with full force in order to rein you back in.

So we remain indifferent to the whole idea. Maybe even cynical towards it.

It’s irresponsible.

It’s outside the mainstream.

It’s coloring outside of the lines and we were taught early on that that equates to poor performance.

Shaking off the shackles of indifference will win you many critics. Some might even call you nuts. They will say you need help. Someone to talk to that can dispel those nutty notions…exorcise those demons of difference-making.

After all, who exactly do you think you are? You’re no Ghandi or King. You have no looks of Pitt or Jolie, brush skills of Picasso, or oratory flare of Kennedy (as Dan Quayle was once crushingly reminded).

You can’t dance, can’t sing, can’t even count very well. So, just pick up that shovel and get back to digging yourself a deeper hole of despair and despondency.

Shaking off the shackles of indifference will win you many critics. Some might even call you nuts.

This morning, even though I don’t have my magic wand, I do have this magic MacBook Air that I can metaphorically wave, saying…FUCK the critics.

And what I can tap tap tap out on these magic keys can emanate to the far corners of this world and be criticized and condemned, but also coveted by someone who, like me, refuses to be indifferent.

The 4 isms of the Apocalypse

April 30, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

All authority is questionable and we should question it whenever we deem it in opposition to what we believe is right.

However, authoritative propositions tend to intimidate us into submission to them.

Nevertheless, there are many modern examples of seemingly settled authority being questioned.

The peace movements of the 60’s were in opposition to the authoritative proposition that the government always knows best. And that it was best to invade a country on the other side of the globe for dubious reasons. And to send young men and women into harm’s way in the process, not to mention the death and devastation wreaked upon the invaded country.

The Occupy Wall Street movement questioned the authoritative proposition that all economic wisdom and power should emanate from the captains of Wall Street crony capitalism.

In this blog I often rail against four authoritative type ideologies that I will refer to this morning as “the 4 isms of the apocalypse.”

Ism #1 – Nationalism

I really don’t believe in borders. They are man-made constructs that lead to distrust, wars, prejudices, economic distress and exploitation (among other things). I realize that we live in a world with them and there’s nothing much that can be done about it. But I do think that they provoke a nationalistic mode of thinking about the world that’s not helpful towards making it a better place to live in.

I really don’t believe in borders. They are man-made constructs that lead to distrust, wars, prejudices, economic distress and exploitation (among other things).

Ism #2 – Militarism

I never mean to offend. Shake things up, for sure. But offend, never. Offensiveness does not bring good results, ever. But I am offended by the size of the U.S. military budget, when there’s so much lack in our world.

That may sound unpatriotic, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and I do question the authoritative proposition that U.S. militarism is a “good” thing. It also motivates (through fear) other countries to act the same way, which is why there are enough nuclear warheads in existence to blow the entire world to kingdom come.

I do question the authoritative proposition that U.S. militarism is a “good” thing.

Ism #3 – Capitalism (the kind that has “run amok”)

I have written so much on this topic over the years. No, I’m not anti-capitalist. And, no, I’m not socialist. I’m just a guy who has come to a belief that the brand of crony capitalism I’ve witnessed throughout most of my lifetime inspires greed.

And, no Mr. Gekko, greed is NOT good, ever.

It’s what brought the U.S. economy to its knees in 2008 (and dragged down the rest of the world with it).

Was that good?

Should it not be called into question?

Greed is not good.

Ism #4 – Materialism and Consumerism

Another topic on which I frequently dwell, so no big surprises here. We live in a world of limited natural resources. Nevertheless, there are countries that consume at a level right now that if the entire world did so at the same rate, we’d need several additional planets just to keep up with it.

Again, questionable?

I say yes!

There are countries that consume at a level right now that if the entire world did so at the same rate, we’d need several additional planets just to keep up with it.

A blog can be a dangerous instrument because it gives ordinary people a voice. That’s a very good thing for democracy and freedom.

And I will continue to use this platform to speak what’s on my mind. I will always try to do so in a non-offensive manner.

But I will question what I believe needs to be questioned.

And I will try as I might to change what I believe needs to be changed.

10 Ways Our World Could Improve

April 29, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

We’d all like to see OUR world improve, right?

Here are 10 suggestions for improvement:

1. Less religious intolerance

I am no fan of fundamentalism. Religious fundamentalism breeds intolerance. When folks think they have all the answers to the riddles of life they tend to condemn others who might have different ones. I am all for faith, but have little tolerance for an intolerant faith.

2. More consensus and movement towards solving global warming

To say that global warming is a hoax is ignorant. It’s kind of like Jim Inhofe suggesting, with a snowball, that there’s a snowball’s chance of over 90% of the scientific community being collectively wrong on this one. The science is in. What’s more, the consequences are HERE. It may be too late to do anything about them. I hope not. But it is never too late to at least try.

3. Less consumerism and more environmentalism

For too long we have sacrificed the environment in order to appease our insatiable desire to consume. Now we are feeling the effects. It’s high time we reversed that trend. We could all get along with less stuff and more sustainable selflessness.

4. Less prejudicial hate

I hate the word and almost every usage of the word, hate. Except in this context. I hate prejudice. Hate it with every core of my being. I don’t hate people who harbor it, but I do think that they are suffering from a brand of ignorance that puts their mentality (at least with respect to this issue) on par with, say, the lizard. That’s it, prejudicial people are cold blooded reptiles. That’s the way I see it.

5. Stop the labeling and bickering over labels

Democrat, Republican, Left, Right, Socialist, Capitalist, yada, yada, yada. Unless and until we can get rid of these labels that tend to create distance between us, there will never be consensus and nothing good will ever get done. Everything that miraculously does get done will be done to bring power to the label, and take it away from the opposing view. And that’s just about power, not about bringing real and honest good into the world.

6. Less people in poverty and societal indifference to their plight

Why does poverty exist? Here is a fact for you. The world’s 100 richest people could end global poverty in the world 4 times over. So, why don’t they? Of course, those are the ones who if they lost everything, have the talent and drive to get it all back, right? Well, maybe not all of it, but at least enough for them not to be in…poverty. Go figure.

7. More art and less competitive commerce

It amuses me to constantly receive these inane emails that promise to increase my web site traffic, or sell me some ridiculous email list to use in perpetuating the spam cycle. Probably some of these are coming from “successful” businesses that make a lot more money than I do. As for me? I will stick to trying to produce art. And make a positive difference for someone other than me.

8. Less corporate mega-farming (and more individual farming)

We are sick and getting sicker, fat and getting fatter. Obesity is on the increase and so is cancer. Why? Because we killed the small farmer and replaced him with the corporate mega-farm. The result? More and bigger stuff to fill the aisles of the mega-big-box stores and McDonald’s Big Mack burgers. I am all for bringing back the small farmer. In fact, the micro-farmer, which could be Sally the suburbanite with a hydroponic garden in her backyard.

9. The end to all stupid and needless wars and armed conflicts

Isn’t this the top answer in most beauty pageants to the question “if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?” Well, I certainly ain’t winning any beauty contests, but world peace actually is a pretty good answer?

10. Widespread impact mindfulness

I challenge you to take one day and be mindful throughout that day of all the things you do (or don’t do) and all the potential impacts of them. What if everyone was mindful of their impacts and sought to make sure they were positive ones? How that would change the world!

What you do matters.

How about you? What are your 10 ways our world could improve (or five, or three, or even one)?

And, better yet, what can you do to bring about those improvements?

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