December 7, 2002
Astoria, New York, USA
2:56pm.After spending four hours on my feet at
a computer terminal in Columbia University writing letters to the New York Times
and elsewhere, like the one in my last journal to NY public radio,
I took the subway downtown to the Brecht Forum to attend a showing of
photographs from the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Munching on sushi rolls and sipping wine, I met Jen and Liz, who work
admin at the Brecht Forum, which is a place for people who are working
for fundamental social change and a new culture that puts human needs
first. Within their loft in central Manhattan, they offer a year-round
program of classes, public lectures and seminars, art exhibitions,
performances, popular education workshops, and language classes. The classes
and activities are developed in collaboration with the many political
movements and the diverse communities of this most cosmopolitan of
cities, and the programs bring together leading intellectuals and activists
from New York, across the U.S., and internationally.
The Forums work is organized through projects that include: The New
York Marxist School, that attempts to resolve the problems that plague
everyday life and even threaten survival on this planet, from poverty,
disease, discrimination and alienation to war, economic crisis and
environmental devastation, bring people face to face with difficult
questions: Can society be changed significantly for the better? What kind of
changes would be needed? Who could bring about such changes? Questions
like these motivated Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels to develop a method for
studying the dynamics of change in societies.
Here's a quote from their web
site:.
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired is,
in the final sense, a theft from those who are hungry and not fed, those
who are cold and not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money
alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its
scientists, the hopes of its children... This is not a way of life at all in
any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity
hanging from a cross of iron.
-former U.S. president General Dwight D.
Eisenhower
The rest of the evening I helped Jen and Liz put address labels and
stamps on Brecht Christmas party notices while listening to Liz talk about
US political prisoners and powers that keep them suppressed, and Jen
telling me about her plans to make an after school Kung Fu program to
turn badass kids into warriors for good. Her Guru from Peru flew in that
night from South Africa, and from all she had said, I was stoked to meet
him. Schools are great places to make connections.
Weaving through Times Square on my long board, I stopped to make friends with a man
preaching Jesus,
shouting at the thick traffic of pedestrians, trying to hand out flyers
that ask, "Does GOD LOVE you?"
"No one will listen when you yell at them like that," I said. "You
gotta connect with people one on one. Look'em in the eyes. Don't
judge... come from a place of love. I'll show you."
"Sir... excuse me...... Hi there..." No one would stop. I tried three
times before giving up, laughing in amazement.
Lit up like Las Vegas, Times Square has TV screens ten stories tall
featuring The King of Beers... or whatever. Toys'R'Us has a full-size Ferris wheel seen
through a huge plate glass window. Sidewalk break-dancers call out everyone to come see their performance. A guy with a little piece of paper doesn't have a
chance. Most people didn't seem consumed by it all, overwhelmed, in awe, but were
rather defensive; they had shields up. They were on their way and
had no time to take in anything else.
Its a shame our society doesn't put the same attention into putting out positive
messages on issues that really matter as it does to commercialism.
Times Square is cultural celebration of non-stop fireworks-- Glitz, whiz,
flash - pure entertainment; lots of energy and light, but little enlightenment. It is
Very influential and effective at burning images and messages into lots of people's heads,
but it is deceptive-- all a distraction from thinking about important stuff like
where we came from and where we are going. Times square isn't a commercial center,
it's just a place like any other-- that has been made commercial. A high traffic area is
what it is. If our society's priority was to wake people
up to the
fact that mindless consumption is destroying our planet-- the home of rich and poor, then
Times Square could truly be a place of great enlightenment.
"This place(Times Square) looks like Disneyland" I said to one of seven cops on horses that
were gathered on the sidewalk just incase any political protests spontaneously popped
up.
"Yeah, Disney put a lot of money into fixing it up..." he returned.
Disney is the grandmaster story teller of our time. They've bought the classics and are making a killing. It is one of the world's great influences... for better or worse.
I remember a Disneyland TV commercial aimed a 50-somethings that said, "You were the first Disney generation." Another TV ad said, "you belong to the MCI neighborhood". Our culture is commercial. A kid I met that night in Times Square said he has been to Disneyland every summer for the past ten years. "I've spent so much time there..." he said, "its like going home."
At BB King's restaurant, where a private party was taking place, a crowd had gathered
outside. It was average Joe mid-west and wife with cameras. Paul
Newman came out surrounded by bodyguards shuffling quickly through the
throng of flashes and hysteria into his limo and in the next moment he
was gone and the crowd dispersed. It was so strange. I'd never seen
anything like it-- people so desperate for a glimpse or touch of stardom.
In an arcade, while chatting with kids working there,
a friendly gentleman with a beer belly, crazy hair and a front-top
tooth half broken rotten' brown asked me to join him in playing some
games. He was a kind middle-age man, very patient with my writing and
picture taking. I found a good friend in him. He spoke wisely, although
he'd obviously had a few drinks. He said Jesus taught him compassion.
After leaving there, he invited me to Applebee s to share a basket of
buffalo wings and a picture of beer. "I'd rather have a friend to share
with than a whole picture alone," he explained.
At 2am, flying on my self-propelled
stand up roller coaster through empty subway tunnels under Times Square, I hit
an oily patch going fast carving on a
down slope, lost control, nearly crashing hard core, but only hurting my
right foot, although it felt like I might have broke it, because my big
toe wouldn't move.
The next day it snowed, for the first time here this year, dropping 8
inch in places. I laid low and didn't leave the apartment. When I woke
in the morning the foot was even more sore than the night before. I
thought it was broken for sure, but it is much better now.
Friday I did two shows back to back at Bronx Guild High School, which
is like a charter school within the normal school system, but it is
focused on giving the students more freedom to focus on areas of their
choice and place them in internships. Bronx Guild has only 70 students, and
is located within another high school of 3000 students... which
has the same security system of metal detectors, x-ray scanner and
police strict as in any airport or prison.
During the show the kids were chatty, making my presentation difficult.
It was by far one of my hardest audiences... made harder because I
didn't have the snappy music and smooth transition between images because I
was missing the real of slides that were stolen from my car and I had
to make due with telling my story. When did my second part, I needed to speed it up
double time to keep their attention.
After my shows I followed a class to another school to attend the Deaf Poetry Jam...
a troop of professional poets who do a show on Broadway. They blew my
mind. More about it later.
Tristan has Dakota at the hospital because he has a serious chest cold,
so I've had a quiet day replying to email and gathering bits of info to
share. Edith recommended I read No Destination, a book by Satish Kumar,
she gave me a link to In
Context that tells some of Satish's story, which I found very inspiring.
After sharing my sadness due to the loss of my slides, Seed sent this:
*For best results, you gotta SING it!
The Bare Necessities
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Seed also wrote: "what you transcribed as 'Jonathan Cross' is
actually 'John of the
Cross' (St.)"
Here is a sampling for you:
"My Beloved is the high mountains,
and the lonely valley forests;
unexplored islands, rushing rivers,
and the love songs of the wind;
the hushed night time
and the waking dawn:
the soundless music of silent solitude;
the supper that nourishes
and swells me with love."
"To take pleasure in everything,
desire pleasure in nothing.
To possess everything,
desire to possess nothing.
To be everything,
desire to be nothing.
To know everything,
desire to know nothing."
Seed also turned me on to a documentary about the
"hidden" aspects of the Gulf War, and sent this info
letting me know about an anti war event last Sunday... which I attended:
Song for the City is a festival of music of many genres, an offering to
the
people of the city of New York dedicated to the mission of healing and
transformation through music. In its second year, Song for the City
declares Not In Our Name and
offers this event as a platform for peace,
providing an opportunity for people of peace consciousness to stand
together in their commitment to bringing about positive change in the
world
based on just principles and to declare their resistance to global war
and
to the repressive measures that are being enacted by our government in
our
name.
The program will be hosted by journalist Amy Goodman and will include
guest
speakers such as Hiroshima bombing survivor Setsuko Thurlow; the
Reverend
Earl Kooperkamp of Not In Our Name, and an impressive roster of
inspiring
musical artists, including: jazz bassist, Rufus Reid; composer and
performer, Meredith Monk; Lincoln Center Chamber Music veteran,
cellist,
Fred Sherry; baritone and Broadway performer Andre Solomon-Glover; jazz
pianist, Onaje Allan Gumbs; drummer Aaron Scott of the McCoy Tyner
trio;
Singer and composer, Dana Hanchard; The Hanool Poongmul Pae Korean
drumming
troupe; Uruguayan singer-songwriter Victoria Guttierez; South African
multi-instrumentalist, Tony Cedras; chromatic harmonica virtuoso,
Gregoire
Maret; Flutist, Laura Gilbert of Aureole;percussionists, Frank Cassara
of
the Philip Glass Ensemble;Eric Phinney of Ethos; mezzo-soprano, Mary
Nessinger; pianist and composer-in-residence at West Park church, Jed
Distler.
While listening to the music, with head in hands and eyes closed, I
fell alseep. When I awoke a short time later, I looked around at the
ornate wooden sanuary filled with beautiful people singing for peace, and it
seemed as though, a long time ago, it was something I'd dreamed; a
distant yet vivid memory-- however, I'd obviously never been there before,
which was kinda spooky, what might be called dejavu. Like a sign post
confirming I was on the right path, it gave me calming reassurance of
spiritual direction-- that I was where I was supposed to be, living the
dream, fulfilling my purpose.
hey max, just finished those mexico journal entries you recommended to
me. i found them very interesting, especially that mountain of death
one. i found that to be an adventure just reading it, never mind
experiencing it. but still no peyote experience to be found???..... where is it
at? haha sorry to bother you!! thanks alot, you dont even know how much
you have inspired me, just reading your journals, i sware! you've
specifically inspired me to pursue photography which i am very interested
in, as a hobby and as a documentation of the rest of my life, as well as
writing. peace max
mike
Hello MAX. I was wondering how you deal with the great lack of
respect that many people today have for absolutely everything. This
disrespect is seen
everywhere,at work, in the classroom, in the cafe, even in many homes,
but I seem currently to encounter it the most in my own high school
auditorium. There was a lot of this happening during your two
presentations at my school. You kept your cool, that
much I expected, but you also turned the disrespect around and did not
lose the depth of the messages you were giving. How did you do this?
When faced with blatent disrespect, I shrug it off and
smile, following one of the philosphy's of Taekwondo's Grandmaster
Chung- "You can't argue
with children." Inwardly though, I still get a mixture of annoyance,
hurt, and confusion as to why it would posess anyone to treat another
in such a manner, especially when unprovoked.
In the midst of this confusion I often lose my train of thought and can
think nothing but "Damn, why is he/she so bitter?" How does one get
past
this? Also, do you have any insight on the orgins of disrespect in
modern society? Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards,
Joe
PS: I'm glad you got a chance to speak with Mr. Pfeiffer. He's a good
guy
and has a lot wisdom that he isn't afraid to share, much like yourself.
HELLO MAX!
Excuse me for not responding to your question about Mr. Pfeiffer. My
spirit discerns he pretty much has it together as an individual. The
idea is to find a way to teach others about the abilities of spirit that
will help them, NOT just talk about your own attainments.
With this BEing IN the MIND of SPIRIT, I will now offer to assist you
anytime you feel an energy loss, drained as you said you felt after one
of your shows. You will witness first hand what can be done from one
to another in LIGHT! Feel free to call me if you require
assistance , (not out of curiousity), any time on a Saturday or Sunday,
or after 8pm Arizona time. I will be more than pleased to prove what I
say to you, especially if you have any pain, such as in your back!
ALL things are connected.
-David
Max,
I can't begin to thank you enough for allowing this information to be
accessed through your website. One of the major obstacles is overcoming
this material world we live in. Our priorities are out of whack. The
other major problem is educating the general populace to believe in
themselves and make them aware that within them is the cure to disease,
along with a clean diet.
Let us see if we can convince people to once again believe in their own
Spirit as being something intelligent and also that "IT' remembers the
original blueprint of a healthy body.
All of us are on a Quest for Knowledge but, if we are dying off, or
being killed by our own ignorance prior to remembering, or being caused to
remember that we are in fact a SPIRIT inside of a body, we will just
be back to repeat the entire Earth Experience again and again. It has
been made known to me that "if you leave this body with no awareness,
you will return with no memory." I will now 'PROVE' what I say is TRUE
to your avid readers.
Honestly answer these simple questions.
1. Are you alive or living?
2. Are you intelligent?
3. Do you have a mind of your own?
If you happen to have answered yes to these questions then you have
just become aware of the 'FACT' that you are a Spirit!
Summation: You can not see, taste, touch, hear or smell any of these
things. They are not physical. They are SPIRIT, therefore, the only
obvious conclusion is that YOU are a SPIRIT! We are Spirit beings
having a human experience! It is just that simple! One more thing to stir
your curiosity. How long have you spent being aware of what is going on
outside of you? How long have you spent being aware of what is inside
of you and how to react to what is going on outside? I believe I know
the answer to that one.
Now, to anyone interested in knowing and discovering the POWER of their
own Spirit please feel free to email me at align@mohaveaz.com
I will put you on a path of energy awareness and perception that you
will be able to magnify by yourSELF and you will receive the benefits of
your own actions and desires. If nothing else, you will be healthy and
have plenty of energy to continue your own pursuits whatever they may
be without worry of disease or pain or costly insurance. I most
sincerely thank you for the energy it took to absorb this knowledge and do
look forward to being of assistance to all concerned. Oh, by the way, the
one thing in this Universe that is constant is Change. You can be
assured this will take the desire and the will to change. To KNOW THYSELF!
Create a day of wonder full of joy.
Most Sincerely,
David Mitchal
Consultant/Teacher
worst disease in the USA , by Mike at happyplace.net
I have seen statistics which claim there are approximately 30 million
alcoholics in the USA.
Certainly that would seem to make it the worst disease in the country.
I think I have a candidate for one even worse.
Even though I have been sober for 27 years, I still consider myself a
recovering alcoholic. I am familiar with the mind set that accompanies
addiction.
After that first drink, the mind releases its tensions, its inhibitions
. You have some fun and all seems well with the world. After a
while, the mind begins to focus on the need for the next drink. The buzz of
the first drink in wearing off and things are not as carefree and happy
as they were just a half hour ago. Everything will be OK just as soon
as I have the next drink. Always seeking the satisfaction that comes
with the next drink.
The ugly reality for the alcoholic is that the satisfied feeling never
lasts very long. He always needs one more drink and one more and one
more. The ultimate result - a wasted life.
Now let's stop for a minute and think - where else in our society do we
see this same addictive behavior ? An addiction suffered by maybe 100
million Americans. I call them consumerholics.
They have all the same symptoms as the alcholic. They have to buy that
next thing they feel "they need". It makes little difference, it could
be clothing, toys, computer stuff, another addition to the house,
exercise equipment, a car or a canoe or maybe a $5.00 cup of coffee. Just
like the alcholic, the buzz lasts for a little while (a few days or
even a week) but then the need for some new gizzmo takes over and the
comsumerholic obsesses until finally they and go buy it and the cycle
starts again. Few of us realize how deeply we are influenced by the "needs"
implanted in our brain by advertising.
To the consumerholic there is no such thing as "enough". They are
never really satisfied AND never will be. They don't seem to know or want
to know, you cannot buy a satisfied mind. Sad, because the simple
fact is, its free. It's the state of mind of a happy person.
A word of caution here. The last person to recognize that they are
sick is the alcholic. He doesn't have a problem, he's just having a good
time - what the hell, everybody has a couple of drinks, right.
Me, a consumerholic ? - get outa here - everybody has to buy stuff,
right.
Editors note. Hundreds of millions of people, in poverty stricken
countries, suffer slave like working conditions making the crap that keeps
the consumerholic supplied with their next fix.
__________________________________________________________
I have recently seen a number of counciling organizations advertising
that they will show you the way to "happiness and success" if you just
attend their 3 day course - ($995.00).
I have no trouble with the idea of attending a course to work on your
own happiness but it really ticks me off to sell it by promising they
will teach you how to use happiness to attain success. The kindest word
I can use in the happyplace newsletter is "baloney".
Happiness is not a tool to gain success.
Attaining happiness is a wonderful personal success and sometimes it's
actually a detriment to attaining financial success. The higher you
climb on the ladder of financial success, the more butt you have to kiss
and the more evil you must rationalize to maintain your sanity. At
some point, the greed , deception and corruption becomes unbearable to the
truly happy person.
So, my darling readers, I tell you, treasure your happiness - if you
are happy, by golly, you are a success !!!!
I love you all.
mike - happyplace.net
Adam sent me this poster to print out: Clone of the Attack
