Costa Rica Guy

Sometimes it Takes a Flood

April 4, 2014 by costaricaguy 1 Comment

I saw Noah, the movie, last night.

Interesting.

Definitely a whole lot of “blank filling” going on there.

For instance, I’ve never read, in any translation, that Tubal-Cain ended up on the ark as a stow-away.

I also question the wardrobe department.

It just seemed that what they had the actors wearing was a little too modern…

I always pictured hides of animals draped and tied around their bodies…

not the neatly tailored and tightly fitting threads that Crowe and Connelly were styling.

And the accents in these bible-related flicks always gets me.

I really don’t believe English accents existed at that time and place in history.

But, despite those snarky complaints, the move was enjoyable.

And there seemed to be more of an ecological message to it than anything else.

And that was a fresh perspective.

I was always taught in Sunday school that Noah’s story was one of redemption.

That God was perfectly good and the world perfectly bad…so God just decided to start over…

and used Noah as his redemptive agent.

In that sense Noah represented a “type” of Christ…

and a foretelling of that other redemptive story that would play out thousands of years later.

But if you stop and think, the story of Noah really does have an ecologically conservative bent.

God chose to save only one family of humans, along with a potential mom and dad of every other living species.

I mean, if the emphasis was exclusively human redemption, why not save only Noah’s brood and a few domesticated animals that they might need to get along in the new world…

No sir, God wanted it all preserved…

even snakes!

Wasn’t it one of those guys that caused all the problems to begin with??

So, isn’t there a strong message emanating from Noah’s story about God deeming the ecology of this planet somewhat important?

And wouldn’t you know it…here we go again.

What’s it gonna take…another flood?

Because the waters are rising!

You know I was thinking just the other day about the concept of righteousness.

And that’s kind of ironic coming from a guy who is anything but.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that righteousness should go hand in hand with consistency.

That is, one is either consistently righteous, or not at all.

For instance, if you believe it righteous, from a biblical standpoint, to condemn gays…

shouldn’t you also condemn divorcees just as vehemently?

And if God cares about ecology, as the Noah story seems to reflect, shouldn’t we also?

So, why then, do we have the far right, the “christian” far right, being the most staunch global warming deniers?

I just don’t get it.

It’s not consistent.

What, do they not believe that God is capable of destroying the earth…again?

Well he might not have to as we have shown ourselves to be perfectly suitable to the task.

If one is being consistent with the bible, especially the story of Noah…one would have to conclude that God is very concerned about ecology…

He does care about more than just us.

After all, he created it all didn’t he?

So why shouldn’t we care?

That seemed to be the underlying message of this flick.

And you know what…

it’s a damn good one.

I guess sometimes it takes a flood to get our attention.

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Movements

April 3, 2014 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Okay, so I’ll admit my recent posts have been a bit, what…

morbidly introspective?

So much so that family members are growing alarmed.

Hey, what can I say…

I try to use my life as an example…

and sometimes a warning.

Okay let’s lighten up a bit and talk about movements.

After all, this blog is designed and intentioned to be just that…

a movement.

But other than the metaphorical kind, how about real life ways we can move…

and feel better?

I have found it to be true that lack of movement means bad stuff…like apathy, depression and lack of creativity.

When I move I just feel better.

I feel more creative.

I feel more alive.

I feel like I can take it on…

whatever “it” might turn out to be.

Here are three ways I believe we can move consistently to feel and do better in life…

1. Move the pencil…

or pen, or keyboard, or whatever your instrument might be.

I have found that a consistent, almost daily, writing habit is a very good thing for me.

There’s stuff stuck in my head and heart that just needs to get out. If not for anything else, for me to understand it better…

and perhaps for you to as well.

When I go through tough times, I have found the following exercise to be extremely helpful:

Oh and sometimes writing is best done with pen and paper…

the old fashioned way.

This is one of those times.

So, get out a pen and piece of paper and write at the top the following heading…

“What do I have going for me right now”…

or something similar.

And then just start listing all the things that are good, or even potentially good, in your life.

I did that yesterday and came up with a list of 50 things. It took me all of maybe 15 minutes to make the list.

I re-read it this morning.

And I feel much better.

Writing is a worthwhile movement…even if you can’t make a coherent sentence.

Don’t do it for anyone other than you and it doesn’t really matter.

Now if you want others to read it…perhaps it pays to spend a little time re-writing, proofing and editing.

2. Move to a quiet place…mentally…

A good while back I adopted the habit of meditation. It’s actually a very simple thing to do.

You need nothing more than a quiet place to sit, perhaps a yoga mat or cushion and anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of time.

And you just sit there and breathe. I prefer to do it with my eyes closed.

Yes your mind will wander. That’s what they do…those pesky minds of ours.

But you just keep yanking it back to the breath…as many times as necessary (and, believe me, there will be many).

I’ve found that meditation puts me in perspective. It slows me down. It helps ease or even erase the incessant worrying.

It makes me feel better

3. Move your ass…

For years I was the typical goal-oriented gym rat. I didn’t feel exercise was really exercise unless it was a couple hours spent in an expensive gym.

Hell, I even hired a personal trainer.

That’s a lot of pressure to place on an activity that really doesn’t need to be so complicated.

Maybe that’s why so many people either loathe doing it, or don’t do it at all.

These days, when it comes to exercise, I’ve adopted a different attitude…

just move my ass.

No goals.

Other than the aim to move a bit.

I do so in a number of ways, like…

walking – I don’t run because I can’t think and run at the same time…and my walks always produce ideas…
surfing – can’t live without it…
swimming – ok, I’ll admit I do go to “a gym” for this…but, hey, I love to swim…
yoga – another super simple activity that is extremely low maintenance…
hiking – akin to walking, but always done in an extremely natural setting…it’s cleansing, as well as great movement…
biking – took this up a while back…Costa Rica is a great place to bike.

That’s how I move.

How can you move?

Keep it simple and just move.

Forget about the goals.

I believe goals are generally borne of envy.

We want what others have.

Like that perfect body, or all that gorgeous shiny stuff, or that super-charged love life.

I used to want all that too.

But these days, I just want to move.

It makes me feel much better.

And it costs a lot less.

Movements are important. They change things. They make things better.

They make us better.

So, let’s just move.

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Struggling

April 1, 2014 by costaricaguy 4 Comments

Have you ever had your water or electricity cut off?

Why do we have to pay for that shit anyway?

This morning feeling that all too familiar sense of struggle…

that life is just one long struggle for survival.

Ever get that sense?

It’s a struggle for most people, me included, to just find a small air pocket in your constantly sinking ship.

To suck in just one more day of life.

But what is it that I’m really struggling against?

Forces out there…

or in here?

If I pause and give that some thought, I come up with not so surprisingly self-originating answers…

such as…

Self-Loathing – which for me seems to be the root of my recurring depression and despair.

Self-Destruction – a tendency that often makes life’s struggles annoyingly arduous.

Self-Pity – a party that no ones wants to join in.

Self-ish-ness – and there is never enough to fill that hole up with satisfaction.

Self-Indulgence – as I have stated before…my Creativity Kryptonite.

Self-Centered-ness – that creates the false illusion that I am alone in this struggle.

Hmm, that’s about it.

So self somehow seems set at the senter of my struggle (with “center” miss-spelled intentionally to make me feel good about something…in this case, my relentless capacity to illiter).

At any point in time you’ll find me struggling.

To pay the goddamn bills.

With relationship issues (currently going through my 3rd separation from my current wife…yea, you heard right…3rd!).

With my tendency to self-destruct whenever I am struggling against something (which I mentioned was mostly all the time).

With this all too frequent feeling that I just don’t measure up to the person I really would prefer to be.

For instance, I feel this blog has a vital message for the world to hear, but I constantly struggle with self-doubt about my worthiness to be the person bringing that message.

And that self-doubt is reinforced by the fact that I struggle to find any one to pay attention.

Hey, just identified another source…

Self-doubt.

Yea, that’s a big one.

Sometimes I just feel like throwing in the towel.

Like Roberto Duran.

I’ve just had about enough of this shit…

I’ll say to my…self.

Then from out of nowhere…like a bolt of proverbial lightning (the best and safest kind)…

inspiration hits.

I get this feeling that even though I struggle…it’s all worth it.

It’s worth fighting against.

And that inspiration is rarely (no…never) about me.

It’s about you.

It’s about what I might be able to do or say or think that could possibly have an impact on your world.

Despite my limitations.

And defects.

And weaknesses.

And the ugliness that still exists in my life.

Something beautiful has the capacity to emerge.

That my seemingly insignificant life…

really…

isn’t.

That’s true inspiration.

And it gives me a reason to go forward…

one second-minute-hour-day more…

into the darkness of struggle…

sword drawn…

and ready to fight the good fight…

against that demon who looks an awful lot like…

me.

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What Interests Me Most?

March 27, 2014 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

The social network revolution is in full force these days.

It’s common on these social network sites to be asked to reveal your interests.

That is, what interests me most?

And we’re advised to connect with other people and to feign a genuine interest in what is going on in their lives.

But in reality the underlying motive in all this is really self-interest, isn’t it?

We have something to sell so we try to connect with as many people as possible, under the guise of being “interested”, in order to subtly suggest that they buy.

I guess it just goes against human nature to be more interested in others than one is in him or herself.

The realization that people really don’t give a rat’s behind about anything but themselves is a lesson that often comes later in life.

As a general matter, they don’t care about, nor are they interested in, you or anything about you.

It kinda hurts…

Don’t believe it? Just try to start a blog and then get someone to actually pay attention to it…

It is the dawning of the realization that “survival of the fittest” means that you better look out for number one because nobody else is going to.

But is that the way it was meant to be?

Do you really think the creator of all that is, or god (if you believe in that sort of concept), really designed us to be little bastions of self-interest?

Have you ever met someone who is genuinely un-self-interested?

That is a rare person to come across.

I can’t say that I have, at least not in person.

I mean people like Mother Teresa and Gandhi come to mind, or Jesus.

People who really didn’t care about what was in it for them and worked hard and sacrificed even to the point of death to make life better for others.

How was life for them I wonder?

What is it like to be completely un-self-interested?

Is it liberating, or confining?

Does it bring joy, or misery, hardship and disappointment?

I wouldn’t know, being a person who has lived his 53 years relatively, say 90%, self-interested.

It seems to me that although the aforementioned suffered in life, they certainly left a remarkable legacy. They accomplished great things despite their apparent disdain or indifference towards power, prestige or promotion.

Take politicians for example. What is it that they’re really after?

Is it to serve the people, or just to get re-elected?

And why is getting re-elected so important?

What is it about Washington, D.C. that’s so enticing to them? I lived there for a year and it wasn’t all that.

I would venture a guess that 99.99% of them are more concerned about “what’s in this for me” than they are about “what’s in this for us”…

wouldn’t you agree?

But what if we really weren’t created to be so self-interested.

Maybe we were designed to be more like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, or even like Christ.

Maybe real success, fulfillment, joy and even abundance is found in being genuinely un-self-interested.

Maybe the right way to view this social network revolution is not in finding out how to harness its power for me, but in harnessing its power to do something to improve the lives of others.

Just a thought.

Let’s face it, the correct answer to that frequent question about what interests me most is…

ME.

But maybe real “success” can be found in having the capacity to answer that question, truthfully, with a simple…

Y-O-U.

I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?

Mother Teresa

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.

Mohandas Gandhi

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus Christ in John 10:10

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Hunting for Validation

March 26, 2014 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

I have always prided myself on being a humble guy.

Wait, what’d I just say (write)…??…

“prided” myself on being humble?

What an oxymoron.

The very opening betrays a subtle underlying problem.

The constant yearning, obsession, and need for validation.

And the corresponding and terrifying fear of its counterpart, rejection.

I guess we all have it to one degree or another.

And it is the antithesis of humility.

I am not saying that the appreciation of validation is wrong. It’s perfectly natural to feel that familiar swelling of the ego when earned recognition comes our way.

What I am referring to is the desire for validation that really meddles with life.

That’s the kind that tends to direct where you go, who you meet (and love) and what you do.

I believe when one searches so arduously for this elusive “thing” called validation, it probably (perhaps certainly) means that there is none of it within.

It’s a constant hunting for validation out there somewhere.

And that’s a very dangerous safari indeed.

There are lions and tigers and bears out there who will eat you alive with rejection.

And these days I feel as if I have been chewed up and spit out.

So maybe it’s time to stop the insane pursuit.

Like that intense little boy in the superb film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

He obsessively pursued validation from his father, even after his father was long gone, not knowing all the while that he already possessed it to the nth degree.

And so do we.

That is, we all possess “it” and need nothing further, really. It’s part and parcel of our created reality.

I believe realizing that fact and then halting the hunt is the essence of true humility.

Possess Your Life

March 25, 2014 by costaricaguy 2 Comments

I have a sticky note on my bathroom mirror that reads…

I wonder how my life will turn out today?

The intended emphasis is wonder…

the wonder-ment of life.

But one day I read it differently.

The meaning conveyed was more of a sense of possession.

In our western capitalistic society we are all too familiar with possession, aren’t we?

That’s what life is all about…possessing things.

But sometimes the things we think we possess…

we really don’t at all.

We have a home until the bank takes it.

We have our health until disease takes it.

We have our looks until age takes it.

We have our spouses until separation, divorce, or death takes them.

We have our children until adulthood takes them.

We have our hopes and dreams until disillusionment takes them.

So, what is it that we are really capable of possessing in this life of ours?

That brings me back to my little sticky note…

this life that I have is indeed mine…

it truly is my life.

That is so easy to miss, isn’t it?

You’re persuaded throughout your life that you don’t really possess it at all.

Do you possess your life?

Our does your work, kids, spouse, debts, commitments, infirmities, or circumstances possess your life?

But the truth really is…

My life is mine.

It is the one thing that is truly mine.

The proof is in the fact that solely my decisions (and reactions) control the direction of my life.

You just can’t say that about anything else.

So, really I determine the quality, or lack thereof, of my life…

not circumstances, or things, or people.

So I want to encourage the decision to do just that.

That is, to stop obsessing about what you can’t possess and fully take ownership of what you can…

your life.

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