Costa Rica Guy

The Resistance

April 28, 2015 by costaricaguy 1 Comment

“We’re facing dragons too. Fire-breathing griffins of the soul, whom we must outfight and outwit to reach the treasure of our self-in-potential and to release the maiden who is God’s plan and destiny for ourselves and the answer to why we were put on this planet.”

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

All my life I’ve been plagued by these “fire-breathing griffins of the soul.” But not the pointed-tail emissaries of Satan that imbue the fundamentalist-tinged imagination.

In fact, this vast legion can and should be reduced to nay, but one…

me.

I am my worst enemy.

What Steven Pressfield dubs “the resistance” in the book that I’ve just finished reading, The War of Art, originates squarely between my own two ears.

You see, I’m an artist. But you’re probably not familiar with my work. That’s because it’s never really shipped.

Even as I write these words, the resistance is upon me. It confuses me. Whispers in my ear things like, it’s not worth it, people will laugh, you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, stop this nonsense and be responsible…you’ve got mouths to feed, and so on.

Lately the resistance has been telling me that it’s best just to hang these ideas up once and for all…after all you’re 52 years old, broke and that’s not a good place to start from. Better crawl into bed, or a bottle.

Seth Godin explains the resistance as a biological force. It’s that part of our brain, the amygdala, that’s responsible for our most base emotions. The amygdala is the part that kicks in when we are faced with a physical threat. My chickens have an amygdala. That’s why each time I reach down to pick one up, she reflexively ducks down as if to avoid the blow that will turn her into lunch.

The amygdala can make you sick to your stomach. Why is it that public speaking is the most fearful activity a human can engage in?

The amygdala.

But what keeps some from plunging ahead in spite of the nausea?

The resistance.

Pressfield likens the resistance to something a bit more sinister. A evil force whose aim is to rob humans of their god-given potential. One that wants to keep us tired and defeated until the day when we really are tired and defeated.

Why is that?

Why would there be such a force?

Where does it originate?

Why does it exist in the first place?

Maybe there’s some outside force that takes advantage of our built-in biological weakness and handicaps our ability to do great things, to do art.

Maybe the two forces work in concert…the lizard-brain and resistance…to hold us at bay.

But again, the question is, why?

Perhaps the answer lies in religious concepts, like good and evil. That evil is always at work to prevent good from occurring. The resistance is one of its main weapons. And it has the benefit of the amygdala (or, as Godin refers, the “lizard brain”) to keep us in reflexive check.

Evil is always at work to prevent good from occurring. The resistance is one of its main weapons.

Societal structure is in line with this notion of resistance. We are taught from an early age not to color outside of the lines. Conform, don’t resist. To follow creative impulses can lead you down a disastrous path.

So the resistance gains momentum.

We become increasingly obedient to its demands as we grow older. As a child it was easier to ignore it, because we were ignorant of the consequences of doing so. But those days are gone. Now we know very clearly what those consequences are.

And they scare the hell out of us.

So the resistance wins, or does it?

Depends.

And who or what does it depend on?

Me.

I alone can defeat the resistance.

Pressfield likens it to the proverbial schoolyard bully.

Stand your ground and the resistance will cower and run for the hills.

But the resistance is also resilient. So, to defeat it, you have to be even more-so. It’s war. The war is won on countless daily battlefields of engagement.

There’s a great deal of good riding on this. It’s not just my future, but the future of anyone who could be positively impacted by what is bottled up inside of me…and you.

It’s the war of art.

The resistance will take advantage of your innate weakness, the lizard brain, to prevent you from having a positive impact on the world.

Don’t let it!

Getting to Why

April 26, 2015 by costaricaguy 2 Comments

Here’s a list of a few famous people I admire (in random order)…

Martin Luther King

Barack Obama

Elizabeth Warren

Ghandi

Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Tony Robbins

Jacqueline Novogratz

Seth Godin

Bill Clinton

Shane Claiborne

Al Gore

Robert Redford

Malala Yousafzai

Nelson Mandela

Magic Johnson

Aung San Suu Kyi

Paul David Hewson (aka, Bono)

Bob Dylan

Jerry Garcia

Billy Graham (the evangelist, not the concert promoter)

Abraham Lincoln

The Apostle Paul

King David (of the Old Testament)

Jesus Christ

Quite an eclectic list, no? I could go on. What’s the point, you ask?

Well it dawned on me that by making such a list and then asking myself why I admire them, I might be able to get at what really is important to me, or my why.

So, this post is about getting to why…the why of Scott Bowers.

I believe, as Simon Sinek proclaimed in the very popular Ted Talk entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (see video below), that getting to why is considerably more important than either the how, or the what.

Knowing why is considerably more important than knowing how, or even what.

So what’s the why that weaves a common thread across the names on the above list?

Each on the list achieved fame or notoriety for doing something, be it Jerry Garcia’s guitar playing, or “Che” Guevara’s dictator overthrowing.

I once saw an interview where Garcia describes an acid trip before a concert. He hallucinated that there were mafia members in the packed concert hall who were there to kill him. So he decided he would have to “play for his life.” His metaphor for playing for the rest of his career became just that…he played for his life.

I believe the common why is that each person on the above list poured their heart and soul into the “what” and the “how”, but not so much for the results (the fame, fortune, and historical notoriety), but in order to make a difference in the lives of other people. And many of them to give the less fortunate some measure of equal opportunity.

They cared and that resonated with other people. Made people want to buy from them, watch or listen to them, or follow them to the fiery depths of hell.

I guess if that’s what I admire about them, I would hope to provoke some measure of similar admiration in myself.

My own why thus becomes clearer. That is, to be a person who cares, who wants to do something with his life to make a difference. More specifically, to help others less fortunate than myself have equal opportunity.

Another question you might ask yourself in discovering your why is to name something you really detest more than anything.

In my case that answer is simple…exclusion.

Be it in the form of racism, nationalism, or just mean-spirited pretty girls treating the “fat” one poorly.

It’s the antithesis of the collective whys of those I admire.

Does that make any sense?

So, what’s your why?

Getting to why is an important exercise to undertake.

Watch the video below and maybe you’ll see…why…

photo credit:ruk777 via Compfight cc

Mediocrity or Madness

April 25, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Over six years ago I wrote a post entitled, Mired in Mediocrity. I took a look at that one again this morning and to tell you the truth, in many ways, things haven’t changed that much. Oh, there have been subtle changes in outward circumstances, but real inner change…the kind that really matters…not that much.

So, what gives?

My previous post connected being “stuck in a mediocre existence” with our inner voice, our subconscious mind that, mainly out of fear, keeps us from taking those bold steps forward in a new direction.

The constant “what if-ing” quickly begins to invade our every creative thought.

But those inner voices are often joined by a cacophonous chorus of outer ones that also warn us of the perilous pitfalls that lie for those who follow their dreams.

And all that noise can easily drown out our hopes for more than a mediocre existence.

Perhaps those in control of the levers, the societal elite, would prefer that we remain mediocre. Tweet It Out!

Because when one is mired in mediocrity one is more susceptible to control.

We just lower our heads and humbly do our jobs as cogs in the wheel of progress, without complaint or question. To try to break free, even in this the supposedly “freest” of all societies, will be met with harsh resistance, normally.

When one is mired in mediocrity one is more susceptible to control. We just lower our heads and humbly do our jobs as cogs in the wheel of progress without complaint or question.

So, maybe being “mired in mediocrity” is a bit more complicated than what my previous post proclaimed.

Those who choose not to remain mediocre, and we all have that choice, by the way, are often branded as the mad ones.

But it’s those mad ones that move us all forward, isn’t it?

So, we’re confronted with a personal dilemman as a result of these societal norms about what a sane life is supposed to look like. And that is, stay mired, or become mad and face the consequences.

Ideas that would have us break free from the muck and mire of mediocrity generally and initially will be branded as just that, mad.

“Are you friggin nuts,” is a common expression one might hear from both the inner voice, as well as a few outer ones.

Other voices will join the chorus with you’re not smart enough, talented enough, disciplined enough, tough enough, brave enough, good-looking enough…..

ok, ok, ENOUGH!

Get the picture?

So, Costa Rica Guy, I ask auto-rhetorically, what’s the friggin answer to this dilemma of mediocrity or madness?

I suggest that we…embrace the madness!

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Idealism is Realism

April 17, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

How often have you heard this expression…

“I’m not pessimistic…I’m just realistic”…?

I came across this old and grainy video in a Brain Pickings post of Victor Frankl. He appears to be giving a lecture to college students .

What he says in it is quite illuminating to me.

He says, basically, that idealism is realism.

That when we expect more from people, what we get is a more proper expression of who they really are. Tweet it Out!

Conversely, when we’re pessimistic, and expect the negative in the name of being “realistic”, we get a lower version of the true capability of human expression.

Therefore, according to Dr. Frankl, one is being realistic, by being idealistic.

I’d never heard such a thing before, but it makes sense.

And he should know, having survived a Nazi concentration camp in which he made the observation that the ones who had the best chance of survival were, indeed, the optimistic and idealistic ones.

He went on to write a rather famous book about entitled, Man’s Search for Meaning.

The problem is that we don’t edify one another in this idealistic manner, generally. We don’t support one another’s dreams. We don’t give credence to one’s search for meaning.

We instead tend to poopoo on such pursuits as a waste of time in this dog eat dog world.

Why do we do that?

One of my earliest childhood memories is hearing my father screaming at my mother telling her how much of a piece of crap I was. I’d done something bad…not so terribly bad. I’d accidentally knocked out a tooth of a girl during a round of put put. And for that, I’ve carried a memory my entire life of being, well, worthless.

Now, I’m not going to blame that event for all the woes of my life. But it does sort of support the idea Frankl espouses.

That is, if we express a negative view of others with our words and actions, more than likely we’ll get an even more negative outcome.

Whereas, if we expect more than we perhaps believe they can possibly ever really deliver, i.e., an “idealistic” view, then, chances are, we’re going to be quite pleasantly surprised.

This idea could be brought to bear in many areas of society…from parenting to prisons.

I recently spent 3 weeks in LA County Jail. I can tell you there ain’t a whole lot of edification going on inside that place. Inmates are made to feel like pieces of human refuse. In fact, the guards seem to take sadistic pleasure in doing that.

And when they’re finally released, they often find themselves making a rapid return to that same treatment.

Makes no sense, until you consider carefully Frankl’s idea that we get less than we expect from humans.

What if instead, we expected more from inmates? What if we supported their finding some meaning in their lives? What if we helped them do that?

What if we did that in our public schools?

What if the most important subject in school was finding meaning in life?

We don’t do that because we take the pessimistic view that life really doesn’t have any inherent meaning. It’s just life. It’s just survival.

So we try to equip students with survival skills, but no real meaning finding skills.

And we often get far less than they’re truly capable of.

That’s not real.

What’s realistic (and idealistic at the same time) is for humankind to reach it’s REAL potential.

And we have a better chance of realizing that with more idealistic expectations.

So, the next time you hear some bloke expressing pessimistic sentiments in the name of realism…

Tell that person to shut up and get ideal!

If we project idealistic expectations of what people are capable of, we might get more realistic views of who they truly are.

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The People Planet Party

April 10, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Why is it that every political, economic, or other discussion of social order always has to be judged as falling along a spectrum of…

right, left, or center?

I believe that’s what turns many “normal” people off from ever having these discussions in the first place. And they actually are very useful, even vital, discussions for us to have…wouldn’t you say?

Because either “we” have them ourselves, or simply relinquish control over such issues to “them.”

Of course, that’s precisely what “they” want us to do.

I’m beginning to sound a little too much like Glenn Beck for my own comfort…

I’m not a conspiracy theorist!

But I do have a “theory”, or two, about what might be going on here.

I mean what should be the real question…how should political, economic, or social order ideas and actions actually be judged?

As to the affect they have on us…meaning People and Planet…

right?

So, why do we so quickly apply labels and then, according to the label, either tune them in, or out?

It’s sort of like we’ve been conditioned to do that.

And that’s because we HAVE BEEN conditioned to do that!

There was a proverbial once upon a time, long, long ago, when that wasn’t, at least, as true. That getting involved in such discussions was a mark of one’s civic responsibility…or status as a caring and impactful human being.

That’s before we moved from being human “beings” to being human “doings.”

From being actual players to mere spectators…who let Bill O’Reilly and Shawn Hannity do our thinking for us.

And they want us to label. They want us to tune everything out, but them. Drives their ratings and increases their pay-checks.

In fact, the whole political system is built on the assumption that you will label everything. If you happen to be one of those “centrists”, they’ll spend buko bucks trying to move you in their direction.

In fact, that’s pretty much what entire political campaigns are about, since they already know who’s on their side of the spectrum, i.e., their base.

So, we end up with political, economic and social order discussions that are never really about what’s best for People and Planet, but only about whether they are right, left, or center.

Isn’t this whole concept of spectrum, or continuum, merely an impact blinder that prevents us from arriving at real solutions to the problems we face?

I’d say that, well, yes, it is.

Why can’t there be a non-spectral party known as The People Planet Party, or the PPP?

One that doesn’t judge according to the spectrum, but according to the merit of how a given course of action will impact us?

Is this a completely nutty notion, or what?

The two party system that’s so dominated the political, economic, and social order discussion in the U.S.A. for the last 100 years, or so…

might be overdue for a bit of an overhaul.

So, I hereby propose The People Planet Party as one that judges ideas and actions on the merits of good or bad, as opposed to the labels of left or right. Tweet it Out!

Now there’s a catch to pulling this off…

You see, this post has been a rant against the incessant impact blinder that I’ll hereby dub as “spectral labeling.”

But in order to pull this off, we have to get out of our habitual zero-sum, scarcity mentality, my prized ox is about to get gored, mode of thinking.

We have to learn to put impact over interest…

and to embrace the concept of the Big Us.

In short, we have to adopt the worldview of impact mindfulness.

In fact, we could call it The Impact Mindfulness Party…but, The People Planet Party is a bit more “catchy”…wouldn’t you say?

So, what do you think?

Who should we nominate to lead The People Planet Party?

Any ideas?

Indiana and Impact Mindfulness

April 3, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

The heat is coming early to Indiana this year.

In the form of a new law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act …

A law that has drawn national attention and the ire of the LGBT community.

Without getting into the contortions of how the law is supposed to work, or might work…

The effect can be, and most likely will be, to sanction religiously motivated discrimination against gay people.

The example that’s continually used is where a christian wedding cake baker refuses to provide service for a same-sex wedding.

But real world situations are far more expansive and potentially pernicious than that already worn-out hypothetical.

Now, I believe it’s fairly clear that when it comes to “protected classes”, one cannot use religious persuasion as an excuse to discriminate.

The Jim Crow laws in the south from reconstruction until the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 65, were, at least in part, and I’d even argue at their heart, religiously motivated.

The problem is that in many states, Indiana included, sexual orientation is not a protected class.

This new law is a backhanded attempt to take advantage of that, in favor of religious persuasion…

and, let’s face it, primarily christian religious persuasion.

Many are trying to make this a political issue, or a religious issue…

To me, it’s simply a human rights issue.

It comes down to this…

If you can’t use religion as an excuse to discriminate based on race, you should neither be able to use it to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

The argument that the LGBT community should be denied protected class status is one purely based on religion…

Due to the fact that there’s this ancient text of dubious sources containing a few scattered sentences condemning homosexuality as a sinful choice.

And to deny protected class status on that basis is to allow religion to exert far too much influence on how we govern our affairs…

to allow it to rise to the level of an “establishment”, which our First Amendment clearly prohibits.

That is, when religious influence of a particular persuasion begins to undergird the very laws we enact to govern ourselves…well, we got a real constitutional problem on our hands.

But constitutional arguments aside…

I believe we should step back, remove the impact blinders of religion and politics, and ask ourselves what is the impact on PEOPLE here…

Simply put, what’s the right thing to do?

You see the LGBT community is comprised of decent, loving, hardworking, intelligent, creative, beautiful people…some of whom are even religious themselves…

Yet they have endured and continue to endure discrimination, sometimes brutally.

How can that be justified?

When a group of people, who are the way they are because, well, “god” made them that way,…

are routinely and viciously discriminated against, very often due to religious motivations…

why shouldn’t they be deemed a protected class?

Of course, they should!

In fact, many states have already taken such action. Indiana happens to not be one of them…which is very sad.

You know, I guess this worldview of impact mindfulness that I hold fast to, the one that tries to remove impact blinders like religion and politics in order to get a clearer view of the impact of our choices on People and Planet, helps me to arrive at the conclusion that what Indiana is doing is just plain wrong.

Good people will be hurt.

Ask a black person who endured discrimination back in the Jim Crow days how it felt.

Nobody should have to endure that…for any reason.

And all this political mumbo jumbo is just a distraction, or red herring…

The real issue is that we need to elevate People and Planet over religion and politics, 24/7/365! Tweet it Out!

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