What a great time to be living in! We are so lucky to have the opportunities we have at this point in history. These possibilities are mind boggling when you think about them.

Think about the internet, and how the world is at your feet while sitting in your own home! Think about the iPhone, and all the applications that are available; it seems that the only thing the iPhone can't do is to have sex with you...but wait, I heard there is someone creating an app for that too!

At the same time that we have these terrific technological advances, we have to work a little harder to preserve our humanity, and make sure our character doesn't suffer. I love the word "character," because it reminds me of something you might see discussed in the 1950's or early 1960's. Today, you almost never hear someone talking about another person's character. It seems that the defining items for a person today have very little to do with character, and a lot to do with possessions or "superficial shine."

I was recently watching a talk show that interviewed one of the several siblings. I had honestly never heard of this person, but I think they are part of some reality tv show. This is what I am talking about, and the vacuity of this person was so obvious - yet people seem to be clamoring for more and more of this. What comes to mind is an old term that caused lots of trouble for some people in Mao's China: "cult of personality." I was also in stitches recently watching a tv commercial for shampoo, or something like that, where an actor confessed that he couldn't survive without his "go to" people. What pampered poodles we are creating!!!

With all this stuff being hurled at us all the time, our own individual character gets impacted. We can sometimes forget what is really important, since so much junk is being circulated out there, and is being given real attention and importance by many people. So how can we stay focused and keep it real? Here are a few tips:

1. Start to limit your exposure to television.
2. Turn off, or at least limit , texting and phone calls when "in real time" with other PEOPLE.
3. Create quiet time each day for yourself with no electronic interruptions.
4. Try and think less about yourself, and your needs.
5. Help one person with one thing once a day without any expectations.

That's all for now - have a great day!
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Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the challenges we all face in everyday life. For many people today in this country and in the industrialized world, their attention is focused on "the economy,' and when "the economy" will get better. For others, life's challenges are centered more on the emotional and personal plain.

One thing is for certain though: no matter what your personal or financial situation, you are certain to face a continuing series of challenges in your life. It is unfortunate indeed that so many of us are ill prepared for these tasks. Chalk that up to a society that values success at all costs, and pays very little attention to the process of getting anything; results are what really counts. "Show me the money," etc.

As I watch my friends and relatives go through the various challenges in their lives, I am also struck by how differently some people react to the events unfolding in their lives. Panic is the usual response, based totally on fear. It is so rare to see people look at the events in their lives as life lessons, and nothing more. If you share with someone an event happening in your life that most people label as "bad," you are almost certain to get a reaction that's a mixture of sympathy and pity, whether you want it or not. I think the lyrics from one of Rod Stewart's songs goes something like this: "never ever live on sympathy….." I couldn't agree more with Rod's sentiment here.

And if you share with someone events that most people consider "good" or "great,", it's even more dangerous: behind the smiles and "good will" lurks jealousy and resentment. My grandmother was a simple family oriented woman, not regarded as brilliant by most of her family. But she once told me something that has resonated more and more as time goes on: "when something good happens, tell it to the mirror."

In times like these when so many people are brainwashed by the media to believe everything is so bad, her words seem more and more prescient and so wise. I live in a New York high rise that has increasingly become a post collegiate dorm (about 40%). But there is one neighbor on my floor who does not fit that demographic, she is definitely a long way out of college. We have always politely chatted when meeting in the hall or elevator. Yesterday she announced to me that her birthday was coming up. Before I could ask, she volunteered that she was going to be 94. I told her she could pass for 65, and I meant it; she is so sprightly.

I then asked her the obvious question, tongue in cheek: "what's your secret?" She responded without skipping a beat: "I get up every morning!"

All the best boys and girls, enjoy the rest of this beautiful fall.
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There's this funky song from the 80's or 90's, whose main lyrics go something like this:
"Could it be that, it's just an illusion, in all this confusion?

Increasingly I think that this is the absolute truth. Especially in these times, when each of us is subjected to an assault of so much information each day(much of it unsolicited), and some of us seem eager to spend more and more time on the receiving end of all kinds of electronic and high tech stimulation.

When I take a step back, this is what I feel: So much of what we are subjected to is just so strange and bizarre, that there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, that this is my reality, or a reality I want to live in…..lol. The information we are being "sold" is often so contentious, so ego-centric and more often than not amounts to what I like to call a "cult of personality or eccentricity" that is being thrown in our face.

I have been thinking about this for a long time, but this post was prompted by a conversation I had last week with someone. She asked me my opinion on the arrest of the Harvard professor in his home, and she was implying that Obama acted unwisely by initially labeling the police activity "stupid." She then told me that this controversy really had "legs." My response was that I was not that interested in this "controversy," though I knew it was going on. In a way, it was just an illusion, where the attitude of the police and the Harvard professor both probably contributed to the situation; it became a pissing match.
Nothing really new there for me, but for this other person, this "controversy," this external event was very important to her. Just think about the amount of time and money that was consumed by churning this event- I wonder if that time and money could be put to better use.

I am reminded of an old Buddhist saying of: "don't give so much to the external." What this means to me is : make your internal life very strong and don't give so much weight to how things "appear," since form is basically a changeable illusion that masks what is really happening. In this day and age when we are bombarded with so much negativity, and the expectation is that we should absorb it all, I often pull back internally, try not to give so much weight to "what is happening out there," and try to simply enjoy my life every day.

What are your thoughts on this?
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A funny title for a blog post, isn't it? I have been thinking about this for some time and wanted to explore this issue.

The idea of "too much brain power" came to me because I have been splitting my time between NYC and Miami (mostly NYC though). When I am in Miami, it dawned on me that things just feel differently there. One of the things most striking is that you don't sense all the complications you sometimes feel in NYC. And when you go to do things in your normal daily routine, you are not met with all the self-styled "geniuses" you find in NYC. Of course, Miami is a tropical place and that does affect the casual nature of things. And btw, I would never say that people are stupid in Miami; it's just that their demeanor and identity are not so wrapped up in their intelligence. And funny enough, even though the Miami real estate market has and continues to take quite a tumble, when I return to NYC after spending time in Miami, I am amazed at how much more people complain about the economy.

The idea of "too much brain power" was also spawned by several recent national events. During the last presidential election and the recent "economic meltdown," we have been treated to all kinds of "experts" weighing in on these issues. We are all familiar with the political experts who were cranking up the heat during the long and tumultuous primary campaign. And some of the same "experts" were called out to explain the fluctuations in our economy that we have seen over the last eight or nine months. One thing is for certain though: very few of these "experts" with all their credentials have taken the position that the recent fluctuations in our economy were part of a natural cycle that was, in one way or another, inevitable. Most of these people were looking to blame SOMEBODY, because after all, isn't that the way things work? Either the big banks were to blame with their irresponsible lending practices, or the consumers living over their heads were to blame. It doesn't seem to have dawned on too many people that EVERYTHING DOESN'T ALWAYS GO UP.

This idea is probably not so popular because it doesn't take a Harvard MBA or a government "expert" to figure out.

All the best to you people out there: stay positive!
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The conditioning starts right from the cradle: you will be happy when(fill in the blank). That blank can be: get out of kindergarten, get to high school, grow a beard, lose your virginity, get a car, get into your dream college, get that dream job, marry your "sweetheart," get that loft downtown, have two kids, etc. etc.

The list is endless, and there are very few people who are actually taught to be happy by just being. Some people are fortunate enough to realize that these external things, people or events, when achieved, don't actually make us happy for more than an instant. For most people though, there is always something "more" just on the horizon that is really going to do it, to make us happy.

It's a formula for chronic discontent, which is exactly what is cultivated in our society these days. This explains in part why people have reacted so dramatically to the changes in the overall economy: it's fear that they won't have those things that they think will make them happy. Few remember or care to focus on the fact that a few years ago, before the "economic crisis," when all those things were readily available, chronic discontent was still the name of the game, because there was always something "more" to want, there was always someone with a shinier car or a bigger McMansion down the block. The famous performance artist Spalding Gray was coaxed by friends to move from a small vacation house he loved in Sag Harbor, NY to a huge modern "mansion" in Sagaponack. The argument was that someone as "successful" as him "deserved" and "should" live in a more splendid place. He listened to these friends, and plunged into a depression when he actually moved into that cold modern "masterpiece."

If there is a lesson to be learned from the economic gyrations we have seen, it could be this: work hard to make your dreams come true(that is the only way to make them happen, after all). But don't think that the achievement of any one goal is the key to your happiness; every one of us has the ingredients for happiness RIGHT NOW in our lives, and it is incumbent upon us to cherish the people and things in our lives that we have at this moment.. You can move halfway around the world to get away from your life issues, you could get rid of a "difficult" spouse, but it doesn't always help; Change can indeed be good, but it is not always the panacea we think. There is a great Buddhist saying that goes something like this: wherever you go, there you are!

Enjoy the skin you are in!
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Free will-Part I

What a wonderful gift free will is; it is truly one of the divine powers granted to each human being on this planet. Yet it is sad how often you can see it it squandered. That's probably because many people aren't even aware that they have it!

In order to fully appreciate free will, you have to separate yourself from the hordes of people who are on a pre-programmed course. In other words, you have to be awake each moment to exercise your right, your power, to determine your fate in this world. And this is no easy task these days, when we are accustomed to deferring to other forces for our existence. Those other forces could be a controlling parent, boss or spouse, a situation we deem "hopeless," all those "scary things out there," or the media. Yes the big, bad, and beautiful media that seems hell bent on manipulating each of us into a state of perpetual need or fear, grappling for our very existence.

If there is anything you get from this blog post it should be this: the media can exercise only so much power as you allow it. That I might be easy for me to say, but I assure you I actually practice this: I exercise constant vigilance in my life to insure this. I have traveled quite a bit in the last year, and what I see on the ground(and in the air) has thoroughly convinced me people's lives are as disparate as they always were, and are NOT, I repeat, NOT uniformly affected in a negative way by the so called "recession" we are supposed to be experiencing. There is an old saying that "every dog has its day," and I think it's something that many of us have forgotten. I believe the saying is true, and it is true irrespective of the general market conditions reported on the news.

Thus, it is so important to tune out the scary manipulative "news" and tune into our own powers, including that wonderful power and gift of free will. Free will can be so magical, yet it must be exercised with loving care, and I am being dead serious to include the word "loving." Since there are many forces out there trying to scare the pants off all of us, it has taken its toll and affected many people: people think they must be on the defensive and worry about themselves. This only accentuates the already over the top selfishness that permeates this society. Don't succumb to this! To not only survive in these times, but to actually prosper(Yes it is possible!), tune into the energy of love in whatever you do, especially as you exercise your power of free will. Since so many people are convinced that "things are so bad," your energy will only stand out more and get you amazing results.

Dare to be extra generous in every way with everyone you meet! Let me know what happens boys and girls.

More on free will later.
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We are just about wrapped up in getting our blog back online and will continue with regular posting frequency.


Thank you for you patience and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone!

Regards,
Robert Fisher
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