Monthly Archives: September 2010

Monsters From Other Dimensions

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Ever wonder where Monsters really come from? Not Human Monsters, monsters like the Boogie Man we saw as Children. How about other scary looking Monsters we have seen which were there only long enough to frighten us almost into submission and then disappear? Abominable Snow Men or Yeti, and various Creatures of local legends. Ever been curious where they really come from and what happens to them?

A few very highly educated Scientists who study the possibility of fourth and other dimensions offer a few possible clues. Some of those Scientists offer a Velcro Tape explanation for other dimensions. They postulate, and some of their math agrees, that there are many other dimensions other than the one we perceive as the only dimension that is real, and dimensions exist well beyond the fabled Fourth Dimension.

One example I read about is Gravity. Some Scientists believe that Gravity is ‘leaking’ in from another dimension, and if the Velcro dimensions that make our reality pull apart we will no longer have gravity. Without Gravity, we will have a new reality where we may cease to exist as there would be nothing to hold us to the Earth, Earth to the Sun, etc.

In the Velcro explanation of alternate dimensions, Fourth (and other) Dimension Scientists suggest that our reality is possibly made up of an unknown substance or  fabric with properties similar to Velcro. Our world and hence our reality is made of one or more intertwined strands of Velcro which are stuck to one another. This velcro Sticking process is what gives us Natural Laws such as laws we study Physics.

Medicine Men and Shamans take this possibility as fact. They know there are other dimensions or worlds, and they are as real as our world. Perhaps these other worlds are more real, because they jump in and out of these other worlds and interact with entities they find there. They implore, cajole, make deals with, and do battle with various entities they are aware of in these other other worlds. I do not think Medicine Men or Shamans delve to far into the how of the process, they are satisfied with going to these other worlds and doing what they believe needs to be done. These doors to other dimensions are guarded and not always available

In the realm of religion, there are four or five major religions and possibly thousands of alternate religions that have little in common with the major religions other than their structure. These minor religions have at their helm, Deities which are one or more Super Beings, or Gods if you will. Having and interest and personalities with the ability to effect life in our world. A common example are the Norse, Greek, Indian, and Roman Gods. Countless other examples are to be found in isolated pockets all over the world.

As the Medicine Man and the Shaman travel to other worlds, so do some people who practice meditation. As people who are practiced meditate, and their thoughts remain unfocused they too have experiences of other realms. Some of their experiences take place in or close to our normal reality. Other experiences are more abstract lending themselves to the bizarre. It is probable, people of olden times would meditate, discovered, and would be able to return to alternate worlds or realities, hence the founding of minor religions.

All the above is wonderful, if not fairly useless knowledge. Each of us is more concerned with out little slice of reality. How does any of the above apply to us? It all applies in a very concrete and real sense when out of nowhere we have an experience that has no logical explanation, or reason to have happened. The previous examples, being threatened by the Boogie Man as children. Seeing apparitions that appear, scare us beyond any level of scared we have been to before, and then once we ‘escape’, are never seen again.

For a brief period from seconds to hours, one or more Velcro strips containing other worlds stuck with ours. Suddenly our world is not our world any longer, and whatever entities we see or experience being so foreign and incomprehensible to us, must be how we appear to them. The fear that courses through our bodies may only be match by the fear that courses through theirs. Like the animals we both are, we react as we always react to sudden fear. We humans and whatever is standing, hovering, or moving in our gaze either uses fight or flight to defend itself from us with.

In my own experiences, other dimensions and worlds are as close as being in deep concentration, my dreams, or acting in a Shamanistic  or mystical manner. Not to leave out Witches, they are generally content with the warping of this dimension by various methods which may or may not involve other worlds or dimensions.

Wether Deities of major religions, minor religions, and those things that go bump in the night really exist in other dimensions, and for a few seconds find themselves in our world, may never be proven beyond our individual beliefs. No one, except hard nosed cynics, doubt the reality of Monsters and the possibility of other dimensions. In those few moments of contact, they are as real as we are, and if it us us having the experience, we know they are real.

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Illegal Mexican Work Force and Us?

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Here in the Southwest there is an expression used which is probably not heard in other parts of America, and certainly not in other parts of the world. To hear the expression, “Works like a Mexican” is one of the highest forms of praise anyone here in the Southwest who is not a Mexican National will ever hear about how they do their job.

Contrary to popular belief, Mexican immigrants in America, legal or not do not fit the picture that most of America appears to want to paint for them. I find illegal Mexican Nationals to be among the hardest working, most conscientious people I ever met.

Over half my meals each week are most likely prepared in some way by a Mexican. The home I live in was built by Mexican labor. Most of the low pay high risk workers I come into contact with  are Mexican. No matter where I choose to go or eat, whether it be a car wash, coffee shop, or upscale dining, it is likely that a Mexican works there.

I hear some people say, illegal Mexicans are taking all the jobs. I have to agree with this comment because for the most part it is true. Mexican laborers work at the most physical and lowest paying jobs in the local job market.

Mexican labor does jobs such as re-roofing houses in ninety plus degree heat (in the shade) eight or more hours a day. Mexican labor can be found working at processing plants for minimum wage – if they are not cheated out of it. Mexican labor frames and builds houses, do yard work, clear trash. Mexicans pray they hopefully not get cheated out of their pay when a greedy foreman or business owner calls immigration to report them working illegally at the end of the day or week.

Mexicans who enter America illegally are made out of the same stuff we Americans were made of a few centuries ago. Illegal Mexicans are first and foremost above the average in intelligence. They have to be to be successful in America with so much going against them. No one really is giving them a hand up, despite what is popular in the press. Most illegal Mexicans do not want a hand up, instead they want to be successful on their own, and left alone to live quietly.

Illegal Mexicans are risk takers. Some pay thousands of dollars to get across the border. They risk their health and life to gain entry in America. Some Mexicans die in the process of getting to America. Mexicans trying to get to America die of heat exhaustion in the trailers of semi trucks, the vast deserts, shipping containers, automobile cutouts, anything that could possibly hide conceal a human being.

Some Mexicans are murdered by the Mules they paid to smuggle them across the wasteland desert separating Mexico from America. Some Mexicans are kidnapped and forced to carry tens of pounds of illegal drugs across the border at gun point.

Mexicans illegally in America are for the most part hard working people. We Americans have become soft. When we agree to work for someone, it usually means we agree to show up for the agreed upon hours per week. We generally complain about what we have to do, and in some cases we do the minimum.

We Americans at times complain about our pay. We dislike for our boss(es) because they expect us to actually do work. We determine the parameters of our work, deciding privately what we will or will not do, and for how long.

Mexicans are thrilled to get a job, they don’t care the pay is low. All they know is they will make more money in a month than they would make in six months or more in Mexico, if they were lucky.

As an example, if a Mexican is hired to clean, they clean until they are told they can take a break. They don’t move extra slow and do the absolute minimum, or decide when they have cleaned enough for the day. They keep cleaning until the work day is done. They find something else of added value to do if they can not possibly clean anymore.

Illegal Mexicans are a thrifty people. They send enormous amounts of money home to their families in Mexico each month, sometimes paying a ‘handling’ tax, all while making a poor wage.

Mexicans do not generally have most of what we Americans have come to think as necessities for life. Illegal Mexicans are happy with less than the minimum, because what we Americans consider the minimum, illegal Mexicans know is better than they would have had on the other side of the border.

I have found most illegal Mexican people to be warm, caring, forthright, and honest. That is more than I can say of some Americans living in the same neighborhoods as their illegal Mexican neighbors. Mexican’s are generally very family oriented, and prefer law and order to violence and trouble.

Almost all the violence and murders committed by Mexicans is drug related. Illegal Mexicans, in my experience are meek and humble. They do not have any choice. Even the smallest public incident could mean deportation.

My life would grind to a quick halt without Mexicans doing work for minimum pay which some born and raised Americans are too good to do for so little money. Whether the situation is right or wrong is another matter. Most cities in the Southwest could not enjoy the level of luxury and comfort they enjoy for so little, if it were not for illegal Mexican labor taking care of our wants and needs in all areas of our lives each and every day.

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The Truth Of You

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I wrote this tonight as a response to a blog comment I left and the Author replied back. I thought there may be something here for you?

Thank you for the opportunity to follow through, I hope I do not fall short.
Think of a real Bad Guy in, or better yet watch the movie, “3:10 to Yuma”. The Bad Guy knows what he is and makes no apologies for himself or his actions. He knows his life purpose, and he is comfortable with himself. He is the best Bad Guy possible, as he works at it with his all.

The Good Guy is your current persona perhaps? He is not sure what he is, and does recognize his inherent goodness. He is wishy washy, and not comfortable within himself, or perhaps does not know how to define himself. His self created life problems finally push him over the edge, and he has to become what he was alway meant to be.

Unfortunately in the Yuma movie, his end came too soon, but before he dies, he learns his life truths, and the real Good Guy shines through so strongly even the Bad Guy is illuminated and changed in his presence.

~~~

I will give you a small helping hand but it is really up to you to follow through. During your quiet time determine what you know about yourself and your world, not to be confused with what your authors, myself, or anyone else says or writes, only what you know to be true for you.

…this is not an earth moving experience…let it be something as simple as:

1. I am here in this life to____. Make a few simple statement that defines you.

2. I have important things to do with my life such as _____.

3. Over the next (time period, at least a month to notice a difference) I will _____

Get some social goodness in your life.

4. I have brought these gifts ______ (list a few of your unique gifts) with me to help others. I will help others by _____ (doing what?)

That is more than enough to get you on your way. Actually it is too much. After my first number one stop and do not define any more about yourself until some later point.

The most important idea you should take away from this – is identifying what your reason for living is, and how you can best share your unique gifts with others.

It is possible you are doing exactly what you should be doing, and neither you, I, or anyone else is aware of it? What a wonderful gift you can bring to the world by sharing yourself in this way!

Whatever you find to be true, you need to define those gifts that are you. Fine tune them and let the rest of us experience them in a positive manner.

Self Truths are not a massive sun rising out of an abyss, Self Truths are more like a foggy morning turning into warm autumn sunshine by afternoon.

Take little steps, but keep stepping.

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Forks, Pins and Discoveries

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I wrote a first post on chess here, and I mentioned I would update my thoughts or lack thereof as I had something I wanted to note for myself. Here is the first of the updates.

Chess it seems is like any serious undertaking. To become skilled takes time and dedication. I can appreciate why so many people prefer to do something other than sit at a chess board. On another note, I think those few now dusty games that have been around forever, will be making a comeback soon.

The world of electronic gaming, unless some new genre is discovered and catches on, will grow old in the most developed countries. How many ways can you shoot ‘em up, track them down, or whatever else is the game play before one game starts to run into one another game. The movies are already experiencing an exhaustion of usable material, resorting to remakes and remakes of remakes. Electronic gaming can not be too far behind if it is not way ahead already.

Trying to play better chess is a lesson in humility and some frustration. One Sage suggests concentrating on opening moves, the next promotes learning the end game (when only a few pieces are left), while a third thinks the middle game is most important. I can appreciate all points of view.

Without an understanding of, or at least the mimicry of a good opening, most players worth their salt almost immediately turn into aggressive serial stalkers. Systematically removing my pieces from the board faster than I can get them in front of the the pawns they stand behind and the middle game is a dream that never happens.

On the other hand without learning how to checkmate your opponents King, excellent winning opportunities are missed and the win happens with something akin to dumb luck. Playing the few others around my level of play, I occasionally see potential checkmates my opponent would probably make if they were aware enough of the end game to see them also. Instead they miss their opportunity allowing me to save my King, and play on to at least a drawn game, if not a thundering win.

I am getting better at creating a drawn game. Having your King run for its life every other game gives me solid practice on the fine art of not being forced into checkmate too quickly, and occasionally winning a fifty move draw. Of course with better players, fifty moves is a pipe dream, let alone not having my King in a steady state of fleeing across the board trying to avoid checkmate.

Learnings that have helped most are spotting simple Forks, Pins, and Discoveries. Being able to identify them in the process of being conjured up, or noticing I myself am creating a Fork, Pin, or Discovery has helped my game more than anything else to this point. Of course there may be learning’s that are helping me of which I am not skilled enough to realize I am getting value from.

I am also learning to think well for longer periods. I find myself myself thinking, “I am doing better”, as I notice my army is being decimated a few moves slower than my previous personal best. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it when I replay some of the games from the best players in the world, and notice they too make mistakes.

Replaying games played by some the worlds greatest players and noticing they make mistakes has helped my game. I know there is a ratio of errors in a master game compared to the games I am able to play. Master mistakes are noted in mistakes per hundred, while mine are easier to track  because I can count in sets of five moves per mistake.

It is easy to draw inspiration from sports figures and gamblers when playing chess. If I can keep my skill level creeping along, I may make it to the (for me) coveted pinnacle of ‘average’ in the chess world. From there life is not so bad, because from average there is still a world of room for improvement.

Yes, the board is backwards, unless White moved his camp from one end to the other chasing Black away in the process.

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Respect In Proper Proportions

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Some of us are born leaders, some are born followers, most of us are in between sharing traits from each end of the spectrum. Knowing when to follow, when to lead, and when to follow your own advice make us the individuals we are. Determining what is our correct choice for each situation is important to our happiness.

Leading is perhaps the diciest undertaking of the three choices. You determine an action, and start going in that direction. You hope that most people around you will follow you. If it is a reasonable thing you are trying to do, it is likely that some of the people around you will follow your lead.

When people go their own way, it is a one person decision. Going your own way may mean you have a bigger priority at the moment that you want to follow to its end. Or it may mean you are making a poor decision.

The easiest and most difficult undertaking is to become a follower. Followers once they decide to follow, follow blindly. It is almost as if one becomes an extension of the leader. What the leader wants and thinks is what followers want and think.

Following can lead to dramatic changes in our behavior,  both positive and negative. A simple example is joining your friends for a soda. That behavior opens the door for other non standard behaviors to be observed by the members of the friends group. Seen often enough even bad behavior can become one of those, everyone is doing it so why not me too excuses we use to justify our actions.

Being too much of a follower is also a self limiting behavior. Self limiting behaviors are behaviors we engage in that over time effect us in a negative way. That effect may be missed opportunity, missed interaction with friends and family, or unknowingly turning away from those people who have your best interest at heart.

How this happens is easily understood through what we think of as typical Teenage behavior. You want to go out and be with your friends on a weekend night. Your parents are resistant to the idea, probably for good reasons which we do not understand being the Teen. What we perceive is our Parents are being too strict, and never want us to have any fun.

Initially we respect our parents wishes and follow their rules. One weekend, for no obvious reason, something happens that makes our Parents desires less important than our own, and those of our friends. We ignore the rules of our Parents and we do exactly what we want, stay out later than we should with our friends.

The next day our Parents are most unhappy, and upon reflection, staying out the night before does not now feel as good as it did last night. From this moment on we either start growing up and take responsibility, or we continue to justify why we were right and our parents are wrong.

What we really did was violate a trust. We have channeled the respect for our Parents over to our Friends. Suddenly, our friends have taken our Parents place at the top of the respect tree. The respect we have for our Parents is below the respect we give our friends.

Of course to us, it feels as if this is exactly as it should be. Our friends are always there for us. They share more of our time than our Parents do, and they are always ready to share the wisdom of their knowledge with us. Our Parents want to stifle us, and keep us from growing up.

Respect is one of our most valuable personal assets, and it needs to be given out carefully. Giving too much respect to people who have little direct interest in our well being is one of the quickest ways to ruin our life and fill the lives of those around us with the problems we cause.

Misdirected respect is wasted respect. Misdirected respect does nothing to improve our life. Misdirected respect only brings eventual conflict and pain. Our poor decision becomes obvious only after it is too late and we have damaged close relationships.

Fortunately most of us grow up and come to understand the tried and true value of giving our respect to those who have or had the most influence in our life. We learn not give respect to people who’s real interest in our life is selfishness in self centered relationship.

Giving more respect to casual people in your life than you do to those who always want the best for you is a major life miss. Respect your Family and close Friends, but give that respect with your eyes open and your brain thinking.

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Fear Based Life is No Life

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I read a recent post on a forum of a person who writes they hear knocking and being touched by something unseen. They write they are scared to the level of being terrified. I wonder what there is to be terrified of?

If someone knocks on a wall from the next room is that scary? If they touch your leg and you did not seen them is that scary? If there is really something close to him (as he thinks there is) he can not see, is that a good reason to be scared?

The majority thought of what is happening to him is collectively it is something bad. He hears some noise he can not find the source of. He feels something touching him he can not see. He sometimes feels a presence next to him that he can not see or touch, but it does not feel normal. He knows it must be something out to harm him. All the replies he received to his post were about various ways to either protect himself, or make it stop.

He is scared because this is something foreign to him. Why he would remain  scared is conditioning he learned growing up. What we as humans usually do that other large animals do not is we rarely transfer out of our fear state soon enough.

If you have a pet, or know someone who does, pay attention to what the pet does in a new situation where the pet is initially scared. When something happens that scares your pet, they react with fear as a healthy normal response.

After a few seconds if nothing hurtful happens, curiosity takes over and the pet becomes more interested in what is happening. It calms its fear because it understands fear is no longer an appropriate response.

The pet becomes curious as it tries to understand the new situation. What is in it for the pet, is there food, or is it something to play with? We humans on the other hand, stay stuck in a fear state knowing it must be something bad.

We allow ourselves to remain afraid even though nothing happens to be afraid of. Fear is a healthy emotion and has contributed to our being alive, however it is an emotion we overuse and abuse.

Unlike a normal animal, the poster won’t let go of his fear. He is more comfortable remaining in a state of heightened fear, than embracing the possibility of having nothing to fear.

One of our former Presidents in his Inaugural Address repeated an old quote, “[The] Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself“. Fear leads to inaction. Inaction does not contribute to our health and wellbeing. Inaction caused by fear leads us down the path to victimization.

Fear stops us of thinking of other possibilities. This poster, hearing noises and being touched is terrified. Perhaps there is a good reason for this happening. Maybe the poster’s attention is wanted, and this is the only way it can be garnered.

What would the poster have written for example, if the first time he heard the knocking and felt something touch him, he awoke and his home was on fire? What would he be writing then? I doubt it would be a fear based post about how terrified he is. The poster would have posted about how fortunate he is that something touched him, waking him up from a sound sleep, and saving him from a horrible end.

The Poster and his fear based state, who is the main subject of this post aside, it is time to change the focus to us. How many fears do we carry around, allowing them to shape the direction our life, and keeping us from what may be the best changes we ever made in our life?

Some amount of fear is good. Fear is a healthy emotion when used correctly. Allowing fear to take over our life, fear becomes a debilitating disease. We allow ourselves to become so overwhelmed with fear we cease to make choices we know are best for us.

As for the poster, what is causing his fear may have stopped already, or it may be with him for the rest of his life. To the end of his post, nothing had happened that could even be vaguely dangerous to him. Holding a detached view at what is happening to him, there is no reason to be terrified. Annoyed, upset, or angry are possibilities, but fear is not.

For a more in depth reading of our new fear based culture, here is a good read on the subject: The only thing we have to fear is the ‘culture of fear’ itself, a PDF file, which can be viewed in your web browser with a plug you may already have installed.

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