68. Time Is Running Out For Humanity

On the grand scheme of things, over billions of years, human beings as a species
are just a flash in the pan. Yes, you heard me correctly. The present trajectory of
an over populated planet, persuaded by religious dogma, and influenced by
corporate avarice, social media, smart phones and cable news have collectively
pushed homo sapiens to a precarious point edging ever closer to extinction.
Human beings seem to be unaffected, delighting each day by exhausting
themselves with opinion and judgement.

Corporate vampires continually lurk in the shadows amassing revenue at the
expense of this human vulnerability. Society for the most part with their head in
the sand, meekly goes along with this temporary adrenalin sense of fulfillment
unaware that the next new thing is distracting them from realizing imminent
annihilation. I’m far more pessimistic than when I was younger but we must at
least try. To that end I offer the following as an antidote primer.

Relaxation mindfulness techniques that include slow, deep breathing – when
practiced with efficiency and effectiveness, sends a clear message out to these
vampires and manipulators. They falsely promise a rise in social class and often
increased health and wealth at the expense of servitude to an alluring corporate
model, or super drug designed to enhance a terminally ill 21st century lifestyle.
They never fess up to what lies imminently right around the corner. Recently on
T.V. a Christian religious zealot when questioned about the climate crisis replied,
“I don’t need facts, I have faith.” Really…

Zen Master Seung Sahn taught his students to cut through the veil of this
insidious “back seat driver” manipulation as he named it, this lying phantom voice
urging us to go along with the dictates of what has become a cancerous social
structure. He used to say there are four hindrances to our practice: Wanting mind,
Attaching mind, Checking mind and Holding mind.
Of the four, today’s focus is on “Holding mind.” Long ago in our growing up
process, a fictitious ego game plan began to take hold in the recesses of our mind.

It beat us up tirelessly with an overarching accomplishment agenda that included
status and ego gratification. To this day, it remains somewhat dark and nebulous.
It is incumbent upon us to recognize and acknowledge the far reaching and selfish
impact this type of thinking encourages. Our survival depends on it. We must cut
and let go of this ego manifestation. The continuation of human life as we know it,
our very salvation as it were, is dependent upon our waking up.
First is the realization that human beings are not special. Sorta’ goes against the
grain of what was taught in Sunday School doesn’t it. An old time honored street
slang says: “Life doesn’t give a rat’s ass who lives it.”
As sobering and direct as this sounds, please realize how efficacious this
statement actually is.

Contrary to what organized religions teach, human beings are totally expendable.
We are no more than a ”flash in the pan” as stated above when considering the
grand scheme of the universe. Our current contemporary status stands starkly at
the precipice of what could and very well may signal the beginning of the end.
Human beings must stop buying into the lies and puffed up promises of organized
religion. It is quite confusing. The genocide due to Islamic faith differences
between Taliban, Al Queda, and Isis-K is quite telling in that respect.
We still have time, albeit very little, to throw away faith as a substitute for facts. All
intelligent scientific accounts are pointing towards a very limited window of time to
“get our act together” as a planetary species.

Traditions and rituals have their place when used for the purpose of establishing a
peaceful and unified mind state. By this I mean one devoid of anger, opinion
without fact, blind religious belief, and the unmitigated hatred and judgement from
devolved political ideologies. Our singular planetary objective has to be a
continuous expression of love and compassion as best we can aspire to via our
personal life circumference. Planetary sustenance begins with each and every one
of us. Remember, there are close to eight billion people on this planet now, the
vast majority of whom are still searching for some ego fulfillment. sadly, this
fulfillment comes at the expense of bio diversity and the not too distant collapse of
the entire eco system.

A peaceful mind, one that is quiet and free from wandering and grasping thoughts
coupled with a steady relaxed heartbeat and slow measured respiration marks a
starting point. The benefits of meditation practice also includes a gradual
dissolution of human ego wants.

We must resolve to honor our earth mother. Everything depends on it. This
wonderful planet with it’s animals, forests, plants, and inanimate substances such
as rocks and minerals are all vibrating with chi energy. These life sources must be
honored and respected. They are depending on us. What needs to die is our self
serving mindless ego gratification, and the sooner the better. Time is running out.