Mumbai 26/11/08 and "Them"

This time the terrorists hit "them" where they and their children frolic.
"Them" being those who live of the fat of the land and walk the corridors of power.
Usually they make inane statements after terrorist attacks kill and maim those who live and work in the real India, the crowded bazaars & the rickety buses and trains.
And then go on right along with their cowardly and effete lives.
Will they now use their privileged position to take some real action or will they just create more barricades and "Z" and other alphabet soup security for themselves and hope they can get away with just watching the world around them crumble.
And I who write this and you who read this, we also need to take a minute and reflect upon the likely fact that we also are a part of "them". And if not yet part of "them" aspire and work to be asap be part of "them".
And perhaps recognize the shame and care to delve a little deeper into what really is life about.

Open Eyed Meditation

For over 7 years now I have practiced meditating the conventional way.
In a quiet place, preceded by various other practices designed to calm the mind.
And most importantly with eyes closed to enable perhaps the shutting out of thought.
This practice has helped me in many ways. The benefit I value most is my work-in-progress movement from being self-centered to being centered.
However yesterday I came to realize that all "closed-eyes" "traditional" meditation has an overarching purpose.
It is to enable us to reach finally a state of living in meditation.
A state of unreasoning acceptance that participates in the world around us with a unchanging calm.
An involvement in emotions, relationships and work that transcends entanglement.
In other words Open Eyed Meditation.

Why is the world bust?

I am going to attempt an answer in the fewest word's possible.
Americans, Western Europeans and the Japanese work too little for too much. In a world where billions of others are now as productive and glad to work much harder for so much less this has great consequence. It makes most of what America, Western Europe and Japan makes economically not viable.
At the same time the financial system is jury-rigged to feed the world's surplus and savings into these "rich" economies so that they can continue their profligate way.
This ultimate Ponzi scheme had to fail sometime and that time is upon us.
So will things change? Watch this space.

Overhearing Change

Yesterday at an airport lounge I overheard change. It was in the glum silence of a group of previously fat cat investment bankers. Gone was the glib self-satisfied banter I used to irritatingly overhear just about a year ago.
In the uneasy quietitude was change at work. Intelligent, perceptive minds back to pondering reality and real work. Instead of the chemirical world of done deals and greed forever unsatisfied. This morning I am at another looking forward to another day another portend.