What's the opposite of "riot"?

This kind of mob-insanity kinda scares the crap out of me.

That people can get so swept up in freaking out that they destroy a part of a city.
How does that happen!? Why does that happen!? (But really, it’s no worse than paid-for-by-the-government wars, though is it?)

Maybe it’s because of the amount of forced control they feel over their lives.
Maybe the rioters were trying to overtly take back some of their freedom, maybe they were driven to do it.

They may have reacted in an unnecessarily violent way… but I’m guessing, it’s societal and personal pressures, mixed with the lack of control exercised over their own lives and their lack of true, ultimate, joyful freedom that could be the significant causes to such mob lash-outs. A few people react in ways that look and feel just like real freedom and self-control, and that leads other people wanting in on that pseudo-freedom wave.

Who the heck doesn’t want to feel like they are in control and have full freedom? I know I do- all of the time! But I’m not going to burn a car over it.

Or would I? *cue slight paranoia over the state of the human mind*

How does mob-mentality work, exactly? I remember discussing it in Psych classes, but I never really dove into the workings of it. (This is where I make a note to go back to my psych book—and yes, I still have it!)

Let me see what google has to say…

On the website, wisegeek.com it says: Social psychologists who study group behavior tend to prefer terms like “herd behavior” or “crowd hysteria.”

Yeah. Not really the depth I was hoping to quickly stumble upon (and because I told myself I was going to write tonight, I’m not going to get into researching it just yet, but maybe I’ll do another post like that later).

I’m sure we all know what mob-mentality is… but do we know what it IS?? The root and cause of it? Why it happens?

Brings me to questions and paranoia’s like: Do only people who are similar in personality, or intellect, or blood alcohol level, or some other factor, react together in a mob? Or should unsuspecting people be wary of getting swept up, as if in a spontaneous tornado? Like, what if I had been on that street at that moment, might I have ended up smashing out a window or kicking a puppy or something?

(Not sure why my mind is comparing a riot in the streets of Vancouver to a mud slide in a rain forest (do mud slides even happen in the rain forests? OH there are SO many things in this world that I just don’t know for sure! Can we ever know it all!?))

And to completely contrast everything I just wrote:

I guess mob mentality offers a subtle, promising hope. If a mob of people can get so railed up over something like losing a hockey game, maybe mobs of people can spark spontaneous bursts of joyful evolutions over the streets of the world!

It shows that people really do have the potential to group together as one and completely change and take over a section of the world.

Can we create a mob-evolution? One where we over-throw all the things that don’t seem to “work” in society? Can we group together enough people working on their personal evolution to make everyone else on the street work on their own?

And instead of burning cars and robbing electronics, we plant vegetables and trees and use no cancer-causing chemicals!

It will take everyone together to create a world beautiful for everyone; natural, sustainable, full of love and animals!

Yes. I am a utopian. (but take that lightly… remember I don’t know what causes mob-mentality or if they have mud slides in rain forests, do you think I know the complete definition of a “utopian”? ;)

You Are What You Think, Especially if It’s Ugly You’re Thinking.

I know it’s best to not think about the past. But there are times when it’s useful to go back there, to try and find out a little about how my mind is working now and to make sure I align my mind with the present moment, to be sure it’s not merely running from a subconscious, false belief.

All this thinking was brought on by finding old pictures of me that I dislike looking at. I was 18, in Niagara Falls with my family and I was so unconscious it was scary. (So unconscious, in fact, that I had my hair slicked back in a self-loathing pony tail with two pieces of “bangs” hauled out on either side, which resembled a handle-bar moustache…. placed on my head. Yeah. I hadn’t a clue!)

I hated myself and my life back then; and I hated how I looked, I hated people, I hated how lost and confused I was. I was dorky and ugly with not one ounce of Self developed. I had no idea who or what I was, I was alone in my internal self-war.

Back then, I was living in the past everyday. Going back to things bullies said to me years and years before, and what felt like every day after. I believed everything they said because I didn’t have a sense of who I was or what I could be. I sat desperately alone inside my self-loathing for the entirety of my teenage life. Spent much time and energy in seeing all my faults and believing all the crap people said about me, instead of building who I was and creating who I would be. (I was also very dumb ;)

An older boy I knew back then said to me a few times: you are going to be beautiful…when you’re older. This reconfirmed my notion that I was indeed ugly at the time, but it also planted a seed inside me. I’m not sure if he planned it that way, in hopes of saving my deteriorating appearance, or if he saw beauty in me that I hadn’t yet. Whatever way he meant it, it planted that seed, one that made me start looking for beauty inside myself.

Though because I was 16-18 when I heard that, I figured: I have a LONG way to go before I’m “older” (I'm there now, 30 is the beginning of "older" haha). So, it wasn’t until I was about 23-24 that I started to see some kind of beauty poking through, which correlates well to when I started hearing it from other people a little more (when I would hear someone tell me I was “beautiful” before those ages I would scoff at the lies they were trying to convince me of.) But during my mid-twenties, I started to pause, and Thank someone who would say that (instead of accusing them of being senile liars.)

I didn’t always completely believe them (even still, I have moments of doubt). But thanking people, instead of dismissing them, was my first step in becoming beautiful, like the boy from my past said I would be.

I hear it all the time from people now, that I’m gorgeous, beautiful, natural, etc. I still battle with my inner scowl, which tells me I’m the ugly duckling I always was, but luckily that voice is getting smaller, loosing its power. And the truth is coming forth, that all humans are beautiful.

I do see the beauty in this human form I have, I see the beauty in every human form around me.

So I’m guessing it has been my efforts to create my inner beauty that has slowly been releasing an outer beauty, and my quest to see the beauty in each and every person I see, all of which is what other people are seeing.

I always thought I would be made fun of if I spoke of being any sort of beautiful (people in my past also didn’t take well to other people being confident in any way, you would get ridiculed for “thinking too much of yourself”), therefore I always felt uncomfortable telling myself I am beautiful. It has only been lately that I see how important it is to tell myself that, that I am honoring, not only myself, but the Creator. And after being so negative for so many years, I feel I owe the universe some good vibes!

So, here, I’ll say it, I’ll mean it, and I’ll ignore the inner voice that’s disagreeing with me: I AM BEAUTIFUL! (And so are you ;)

One of those nights… when the super ego comes out to play…

So many things happen in the run of a day, in the run of an evening…
So many thoughts rush on by. We either attach or not attach.

Someone threw a snowball at my windshield as I was driving 50 down a dark road at 10pm on a Friday night. I didn’t even flinch, didn’t get a scare, didn’t react with a jump of frady-cat, like I might’ve before, years ago… (Though, even sometimes now, if someone, in my own house, quietly turned a corner and faced me, I’d prolly jump and scream a little bit-- but I blame the conditioning of movies for that… I've seen that scene in movies a LOT! So I expect it to be a clown with a knife, I’m like: “AH!! Oh.. it’s only you… DEEP-BREATH OUT“( “You” being my partner, who I know is the only one home with me, but for some reason, if we cross paths unexpectedly, I tend to scream out an ear deafening yelp as if he is holding a machete, aiming for my throat, (but then I'll giggle and see that he is the one who now looks scared.)

But anyhow..
The snowball thing…

It showed me how awake to the moment I can be... it’s something I have been learning, been working on… the ability to quickly asses a situation at hand, and react accordingly, more rationally. This practice has helped me feel more awake in my life than I have in years (if I ever have!)
I try hard to not attach to events when they arise, just let them run their course… I asses a moment, let it fly on by, move on to enjoy the next one…

It seems as though there are times when I'm so awake and consciously alert, that I cant even be scared of a snowball whacking off my window on a dark rainy drive!

I can be so in-tune with being in the moment, that as soon as the snowball hit the window, and I processed it, that moment to jump in fright was gone, the snowball was gone… I tuned into what happened so fast that I didn’t have time to be frightened, it kind of looked like this:
Me driving along, wide awake, in a consciously self-absorbed state of self analysis and awareness of the moment, turn to check the time on my phone- *!!!WHACK!!!!* *BLANK STARE*“that was a snowball” “on the window” “its not broken” “no big deal” *HERES WHERE MY BODY SLIGHTlY SITS MORE UP-RIGHT*, (a subtle physical reaction which would normally accompany a huge jump, rush of scared feelings, sweat and a rapid heartbeat and maybe some angry words about the SOB who threw the snowball* “whoa that was crazy” “I wasn’t scared at all” “hey that person should not have done that” MEEP-MEEP-MEEP! “hey, why did I meep the horn?” … “that person probably thinks I was meeping out of anger, giving that person a false sense of control, DAMNIT! Why did I meep the horn! I wasn’t angry, I was just sayingL HAY!” “oh well, I meeped the horn, that persons reaction is that persons reaction, im done reacting about it, let. It go…” (yes, I really do think like this.)
LONG SILENT PAUSE (that being about 7 seconds) “Hey. That was kinda cool. How I didn’t jump and get scared.”Though, maybe that means I was lost in thought?” “That it’s not that I'm “so awake”, it’s that im THAT unconscious!” “That, omg, I cant even react to a snowball hitting the window!” “OMG what is wrong with me!?!?”
*PAUSE* “oh, hey! I'm doing that thing again, that super ego crap! Guh!”

Then I continued my drive home.. (taking into account, everything I just wrote up there, ran through my mind in under 26 seconds).

FYI: it took me longer to write this post than it did for that entire situation to unfold!

Directly Experiencing an Enlightenment Retreat... (an email to a friend)

one of my "direct experiences" (working on the question "who am i") was coming to see fully how WE are evolution.. evolution in action. it's only when we consciously work to evolve ourselves, can we then evolve humanity as a whole!! it hit me like a ton of bricks! right in the chest!
with that, all my self conscious worries fell away! it felt amazing to feel that much power and importance, in not just me, but EVERYone!

the other direct experience i had (working on the question: what is another?) was fully understanding and KNOWING how we are all one. we are one and the same. each and every person. i saw it with such clarity. i've always "believed it" but i never really KNEW it.. amazing.. and i saw that the thing that makes us feel "separate" from each other (and ourselves!) is the mind. the egoic tendencies, self consciousness and self dissatisfaction-- THOUGHTS!. the only time we can feel fully One is when we are present in the moment with another person... without any thoughts of past or future, or worries, or anything outside of whats happening in the Now of that moment. it's such a powerful understanding.
i wil dedicate my self to not slipping back into that loss of control of thought. being somewhere else in my mind when i'm in the NOW with someone (especially my family!). it causes me to feel isolated, and the other person can feel that lack of presence.. that lack of love in the moment.

it's truly amazing!!! haha!

my entire outlook evolved with those realizations.

(im now working on a book about it all (and more) !!
its called: "We Are Tools Used By Active Evolution..Seriously"
(i had to add the "seriously" to appeal to a larger audience lol show the lightheartedness of this beautiful theory..
I'M PUMPED!! and everyone should go to an Enlightenment Intensive!

you have no idea how unconscious i am about some things!

NO IDEA!
you may THINK you have an idea...
OOOOOH but you DONT! lol ;)

Celestine Prophecies... (© James Redfield)

THE FIRST INSIGHT . . . A CRITICAL MASS
A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences.



THE SECOND INSIGHT . . . THE LONGER NOW
This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort. While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life's coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet, and the real nature of our universe.



THE THIRD INSIGHT . . . A MATTER OF ENERGY
We now experience that we live not in a material universe, but in a universe of dynamic energy. Everything extant is a field of sacred energy that we can sense and intuit. Moreover, we humans can project our energy by focusing our attention in the desired direction...where attention goes, energy flows...influencing other energy systems and increasing the pace of coincidences in our lives.



THE FOURTH INSIGHT . . . THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER
Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce, human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.



THE FIFTH INSIGHT . . . THE MESSAGE OF THE MYSTICS
Insecurity and violence ends when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness--buoyancy--along with the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended.



THE SIXTH INSIGHT . . . CLEARING THE PAST
The more we stay connected, the more we are acutely aware of those times when we lose connection, usually when we are under stress. In these times, we can see our own particular way of stealing energy from others. Once our manipulations are brought to personal awareness, our connection becomes more constant and we can discover our own growth path in life, and our spiritual mission--the personal way we can contribute to the world.



THE SEVENTH INSIGHT . . . ENGAGING THE FLOW
Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First we have a question; then dreams, daydreams, and intuitions lead us towards the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being.



THE EIGHTH INSIGHT . . . THE INTERPERSONAL ETHIC
We can increase the frequency of guiding coincidences by uplifting every person that comes into our lives. Care must be taken not to lose our inner connection in romantic relationships. Uplifting others is especially effective in groups where each member can feel energy of all the others. With children it is extremely important for their early security and growth. By seeing the beauty in every face, we lift others into their wisest self, and increase the chances of hearing a synchronistic message.



THE NINTH INSIGHT . . . THE EMERGING CULTURE
As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will move humans into higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the after-life dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.



THE TENTH INSIGHT . . . HOLDING THE VISION
The Tenth Insight is the realization that throughout history human beings have been unconsciously struggling to implement this lived spirituality on Earth. Each of us comes here on assignment, and as we pull this understanding into consciousness, we can remember a fuller birth vision of what we wanted to accomplish with our lives. Further we can remember a common world vision of how we will all work together to create a new spiritual culture. We know that our challenge is to hold this vision with intention and prayer everyday.



THE ELEVENTH INSIGHT . . . EXTENDING PRAYER FIELDS
The Eleventh Insight is the precise method through which we hold the vision. For centuries, religious scriptures, poems, and philosophies have pointed to a latent power of mind within all of us that mysteriously helps to affect what occurs in the future. It has been called faith power, positive thinking, and the power of prayer. We are now taking this power seriously enough to bring a fuller knowledge of it into public awareness. We are finding that this prayer power is a field of intention, which moves out from us and can be extended and strengthened, especially when we connect with others in a common vision. This is the power through which we hold the vision of a spiritual world and build the energy in ourselves and in others to make this vision a reality.

i dont care what you think!!!

so what do you think about that?
wait...shit!! damit!!
back to square one.

we are tools used by active evolution, the personal is evolutionary.

Feminism = Person-ism... it's all up to us to evolve. 


I didn't realize the feminist women I met were such a small minority (I thought I was the only one left in the world to be introduced!) I guess when you find yourself in a university type setting, in rooms full of women (and men!) all seeming to be of like mind, or wanting to be at least, it's hard to imagine the countless other women (and men) out there that have not sat in those rooms and were not introduced to such enormous revelations (some revelant, others maybe not so much... that's left to the individual really). 


I also didn't realize the term "feminism" gets such slack and resistance. That I was going to be attacked and questioned and labeled in such harsh ways as I did when I first 'came out' as a feminist. I felt love for all people, I saw such discrepancies in the way men and women are and treat each other and react to one another. I saw the good, the bad, the WTF? And i got a bit of slack when I would talk about it (especially in front of drunk men! WHOA do some of them NOT wana hear anything about feminist views!)


Since taking a break from university it became more evidant to me that not all women (and men!) think alike about things concerning women and women's issues. Some women dont think AT ALL about things concerning women, especially in a historic or societal sense. And some even think there's nothing to think about "anymore", that women and men are completely equal which means there's nothing left to "feminism" (there's so much wrong with that, that I cant even get into it right now!) 


The most memorable quote and standpoint I recall from those courses concerning women is: the personal is political. (and this to me, is about women AND men, not just women!)


I try to take that approach with everyone I meet now. Each personal story and circumstance is very much polticial in nautre, meaning it possesses vital public concern. 


How we personally react to ourselves and each other are roots of where women (and men!) have grown in the world, and can be used to predict where women (and men!) are headed, therefore they can be altered and replanted and used to grow us into being where we want to be... living up to our potential by creating it in deeper ways, as well as evolving society/humanity as a whole.


It is up to us personally to evolve. To evolve all women and all men into the next phase of human consciousness. We all have to work on it (or if not 'all', at least more of us have to). 


Work on not being unconsciously, mindlessly driven by our subconscious, other people, the media, fear, illness, anything that isn't our truth. 


We must learn about things that please us, interests us and is somehow involved with others. Take ourselves seriously. Respect ourselves and other people. Eat healthy and more and more sustainable (this is a process!) We must be kind to ourselves. Make progress in the everyday things- and not hold things against ourselves when we slip up (letting go and forgiving asap). We must hold great hope for the future. Believe we can make a difference-and then start making it, one step at a time. Live in a limitless mindset, while respecting the environment. Treat everyone as our best friends. Trust time and what it has in store for us. Know that things are where they should be and we are on your way to pure joy. We must connect with each other more and more, in deeper ways. And we must love all children as the wonderful gifts of human potential they are (even when they stress us out! ;)  


Remember: we are tools used by active evolution, what we think and do is important to the human condition. We play a larger role, individually, than we might think we do. We are essential. 

Start now by smiling at something you love about yourself. 


:)