Spontaneous Enthusiasm.

Spontaneous Enthusiasm.

Why do most of my posts start with a question?

It may well be true that I am hoping to get the grey cells in your head moving and create some debate. It may be that I am looking to share some creative thinking with you all, so that the world can be helped to open its eyes to some glaring disparities between fact and fiction.

Why are you here reading this?

Maybe because I have a way of stimulating some provocative thought processes in you that feels like a breath of fresh air in the topsy turvy world. Maybe because like me, you are dissatisfied with all the mediocrity and inane ramblings of the status-quo that lack lustre and any real satisfaction.

So, are you offended by enthusiasm?

Are you put off by someone who is enthusiastic and often outrageously spontaneous?

Lets first get a clear definition about our chosen debate topics. (I always use the Collins online dictionary for this, but others are available)

Spontaneous:

spontaneous (spɒnˈteɪnɪəs ) 

Definitions

adjective

1. occurring, produced, or performed through natural processes without external influence ⇒ spontaneous movement
2. arising from an unforced personal impulse; voluntary; unpremeditated ⇒ a spontaneous comment
3. (of plants) growing naturally; indigenous

Derived Forms

sponˈtaneously adverb

sponˈtaneousness noun

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin spontāneus, from Latin sponte voluntarily

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= unplanned, impromptu, unprompted, willing, free, natural, voluntary, instinctive, impulsive, unforced, unbidden, unconstrained, unpremeditated, extempore, uncompelled,

= reflex, natural, instinctive, unconscious, mechanical, involuntary, instinctual, unwilled

Enthusiasm:

enthusiasm (ɪnˈθjuːzɪˌæzəm ) 

Definitions

noun

1. ardent and lively interest or eagerness
2. an object of keen interest; passion
3. (archaic) extravagant or unbalanced religious fervour
4. (obsolete) possession or inspiration by a god

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin enthūsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein to be possessed by a god, from entheos inspired, from en-² + theos god

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= keenness, interest, passion, excitement, warmth, motivation, relish, devotion, zeal, zest, fervour, eagerness, ardour, vehemence, earnestness, zing, avidity

= interest, passion, rage, hobby, obsession, craze, fad, mania, hobbyhorse

It is quite amusing to me that the thought of spontaneity is often putting people off doing something, an action or a particular choice to be made. Many people like to have everything planned in their lives, when in my observation planning can be too obsessive and restrictive. Plans that are inclusive of change are more profitable than those that are rigid and will not accept that change is a natural part of the cycle of life. I am constantly feeling alive when I make spontaneous decisions and act upon them. Being alive is about being in the moment. What this actually means is; that I accept that there is nothing else but the moment I have now. And subsequently realizing what the power is in this understanding.

The Power of NOW.

I have no power over the past, it has gone. I cannot undo what has passed, it's over and there is no way available to me to go back and change things. Even if we wish it were so it cannot be undone. (Unless we convince ourselves (our minds) that it never happened as we remember it.) I can neither change the future. Why you ask? Well simply put, when the future arrives it will be the present, and as soon as that happens and endures it will have become the past as well. I can however certainly have an influence over what may happen in the future, but that will inevitably be subject to what choices I make NOW!

So you see, spontaneity is inevitable, as it is in fact what we do, or are doing! We can argue that it is because we planned it this way, therefore not an act of spontaneity. But is that not just us failing to accept that our next action is as a result of choice, even if that be a subconscious one? Are you aware of all your actions? Do you have to think to breath? To walk and to think the thoughts you are having in rapid succession with full conscious awareness? No, some things are happening as a result of deeper functioning controlling factors. So when we actually do something spontaneously it is as a result of sudden unconscious thought that we begin to act upon. As if the feeling somehow sprang out of the ether, out of the global consciousness, from a point of wonderful enlightenment. Do we not then feel suddenly alive, as if a spark of genius had happened?

The dictionary describes a connectivity with; unplanned, impromptu, voluntary, instinctive, impulsive, unconstrained, unpremeditated, uncompelled, reflex, natural, instinctive, unconscious, mechanical, involuntary, instinctual.

So is it any wonder that we feel a bit dis-attached from this feeling, even whilst enjoying it? I love to feel that I am spontaneous and that sudden choices presented are decided upon freely and without preplanned directives. It comes from a deep place within me, from my soul and from my connectivity with the all that is everything. It is a part of the very fabric of who I really am, and so it makes me a little sad that others do not grasp this and even become fearful of allowing it into their days routines and event. (As a rather interesting experience to add here, I am writing this article in Caffe Nero on the high street Lincoln. One of the staff, whom I know only by my frequenting this coffee house, spontaneously just came up and asked me if I would like another coffee and then brought it to me at my table.) To prove my point that sometimes people do act upon subtle feelings and even intuitive instructions being emitted in their environments.

So what about the enthusiasm then?

I am seeing that it sometimes overwhelms some people if I am too enthusiastic. I really cannot help it, my life is so full of happiness that I am awake and being aware of opportunities to help and create a positivity to share with others in my community. I observe that some people become afraid of my enthusiasm, as if it will hurt them or be detrimental to them. It saddens me of course that they should react this way, and I try to tame my positivity around them, and let a more gentle appreciation wash over them. In the main I just do what I do and hope that people will respond to the energy with the understanding of love I sent behind my words and deeds.

Whilst I understand the many reasons people are not attuned to this enthusiasm, I am daily, continually hopeful that positive forces shall win out over the negative ones. I do understand that to have one the other exists, but my focus is of the positive because this has a greater feeling of satisfaction for me. And sharing this is the reason I have tried to maintain as the ethos in my life. It gives meaning to my existence to be useful to others, to the world in general. I share all of those experiences with you all, the readers of my blogs, my poetry, my songs as is my best possible action. 

  

Someone once said;

Do unto others, that which you would have them do to you.

Another memorable quote is;

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Yet another regular contributor to my viewpoint is;

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always get.

So in resume, can I say how profoundly I am impressed by the people whom I have met throughout my life. And a few I have not, nor may ever meet. None the less I am grateful for the opportunities they have shared with me to give me a wider and ever expanding view of the importance of kindness and sharing with others, everything that I have.

Please accept as a gratitude to them to you, the words of my song, produced with the help of my amazing brothers and family.

Courage to be daring.

Namaste.

Love, Peace and great light.

Peaceful Warrior.

A life of simple pleasures.

A life of simple pleasures.

Imagine a life where you have only the things that you really need. A life where luxuries are not an option and simple things are all that you can have. You have the clothes on your back and food in your stomach, fresh water to drink and safe accommodation, shelter from the elements. More than 80% of the earth's population don't even have this level of provision. They would consider the above list a desirable luxury.

Are you imagining it yet?

I can already sense each and every one of you cringing and squirming from the thoughts of not having your comforting things to hand. I include myself here too, I am likewise struggling to accommodate thoughts of a life where my things are taken away or indisposed to me at my will.

What would it really feel like to not have any material things that serve you? Especially if you are lucky enough to have become used to having them around and available to you whenever you wanted to use them. Think what it might be like to not have the discretion to have any of the things that you have set your life up to include. Like me I'm sure you would feel this to be an uncomfortable even unnecessary kind of suffering.

Who in their right mind would give all of this up? Which one of us would go as far as letting it all go, to free ourselves of 'stuff', material objects and experience a life of sustenance based upon less clutter? Whom amongst us could see the value of going through the challenge of letting it all go, to discover a world much simpler and easier to facilitate. And finally what kind of a person would do this all willingly, let alone concede to it if it happened upon them by fate or the forces of nature or economic disaster?

Well.... there have been many over the past centuries, since the modern eras of 'having,' collecting material things became popular and fashionable.

Oh... and the person writing this article that you are reading....!!!

Initially, due to some of the fateful reasons suggested above, but much more recently by completely open and free choice, I have begun an experiment that has taken me to various places on the planet and through many new and unusual adaptive avenues of the larger ongoing project, Imagine.

It is very difficult to say exactly when the project began, but sufficed as to say, since a very good friend of mine, Samantha Rey, suggested I walk 'El Camino de Santiago', (a 600 mile pilgrimage across northern Spain in 2009) I have been determinedly choosing to be a new person. One who challenges the things I once held very passionate views about, with no real conviction as to the validity of those views. That journey took just over six weeks to complete, and has been the single most amazing kick start to the evolution of awareness of my entire life.

In 2010 I again set out to do a pilgrimage of sorts. I had two specific aims at that time. I successfully completed both. (Due to poor health a small part of that walk was not completed, some 75-80 km of an approximately 980km journey) Aim one was to walk from the very southern tip of Europe (Tarifa, Spain) along the roads and byways towards the most northerly point of Spain. (Estaca de Bares, north west coast) The other was to write a book whilst I traveled. The walk in the most part was following an old trade route across the Iberican peninsular, a Roman road called the Via de la Plata. This is also regarded as the second route of 'ElCamino de Santiago'. (The silver route) I walked for a period of three months (less breaks for an injury) arriving in November to the tail end of Hurricane Katrina, as it came east from North America and the tragedies it had caused there. My book in it's very rough handwritten format was completed three weeks later in a cafe/bar/restaurant in the fabled city of learning; Salamanca, central Spain. Incidentally the cafe/bar named oddly enough Don Quixote. (Cervantes, tale of another famous traveller, DonQuixote de la Mancha) The book is near to being ready for possible publishing, however I still need to find some helpful inspirations towards getting this out there to be read publicly.

Last year, on the 21^st of June 2012. I began the latest walk under the newly formulated project title, Imagine,walk with a stranger make a new friend.

Imagine, being the umbrella of all my current aims and projects was my attempt to challenge Great Britain to show its true colours with regards how it treats strangers in our lands. I wanted to walk the whole of the United Kingdom and get an overall feel of what it is to be British and what the different part of it were like. Sadly, on the small budget that I had personally saved, I was only able to complete four months of walking. This despite many donations from several kind and generous people whom I met during the approximately 800 miles between Nottingham city centre and the Northern most point of the British isles. Hermaness on Unst, a small island in the cluster of the Shetlands. The journey and the experience it gave me have lived with me daily ever since. I walked with a backpack weighing around about 20 kilos, with tent and a few basic provisions, mostly clothes for the inclement climatic variations, some food and water. Save for a few brief lifts, I walked the entire distance on foot, for up to twelve hours a day. One particular crazy stage I walked was approximately 66 miles in 35 hours. Brora to John O' Groats. (Please see Youtube Video. Its very funny..) 

 

Once this part of my project came to a financial conclusion, I examined my options as to what I could subsequently do to continue with the wider aims of meeting people from all over the United Kingdom, and learning valuable things about our society and its many facets. I seriously did not want to be a beggar. I wanted the help offered to me, to be what it was when I had some actual provisions of my own, free and spontaneous. I did not want pity, nor any misplaced feelings of guilt to be the motivator for people. I have always been able to provide for myself and those I care for, despite periods of hardship. Maybe I could have thrown myself at the mercy of the great British public and continued without any funds, but I also felt as though many of my initial questions about Britain had already been answered constantly enough. People that do acts of kindness, especially to a stranger, do the most amazing and unexpected things. Everyone else, live within bubbles. Comfort zones that do not include strangers very easily, certainly not as easily and frequently as other more open cultures. It may seem like a judgement, but it is nothing more than my personal observations I am sharing with you. I saw people empathise and be compassionate and stretch themselves beyond my expectations (which I tried to hold very low) and have received such amazing kindnesses that helped in the main to keep my spirits up. Yet it was observable that many of these people were or had been likewise recipient of acts of random or other kindnesses themselves at some point during their lives. A man that had been homeless once, in Edinburgh offered me the use of a camper van to stay in whilst visiting that wonderful city during the 'Fringe Festival'. Together with his partner they fed and watered me and restored my faith in the goodness of human kind. (They were by no means the only people that stepped up to the plate and offered me help and support. See blog for all the accounts of whom and when.)

As this part of the walk came to a conclusion I happily knew that another opportunity would present itself. And a week or so later it did, in the form of an opportunity to see a side of life I had thus-far escaped in any serious sense. I became homeless and on the streets with very little money and nowhere to sleep.

Coming back from the Shetland islands I arrived in Aberdeen. I had managed to benefit from free ferry transport the whole journey, courtesy of Northlink Ferries and The John O' Groats Ferry.

I had been raising money for 5 charities too..! I had visited my brother and his family who were days away from emigrating to Australia and then my parents in the Midlands. My tent had a broken pole and my aim was to get to a place where there was employment of some description. I ended up by a set of synchronicities in Lincoln, a town I was unfamiliar with to any great degree. I had been living for the past four months from a backpack so was quite accustomed to the 'lightness' of my load. It was November, night-time and I had no shelter and precious little money.

Then the most amazing thing happened, which snowballed (almost literally) and I was catapulted into an adventure I will never forget. I found myself in a park, with homeless people, sharing the shelter of a poor windowless building, freezing half to death on a rickety old bench, but loving every last minute of my new found experience with reality. All too sadly a reality that many people are now facing, whether they had planned for it or not.

When I began this article, did you envisage this level of basics and simplicity? Could you cope with this reality? Are you keen to know how or if I survived this ordeal? 
 

Clearly I did not die, but would you like to know what my investigations are going to reveal about our society and the governance over it? Would you like an insight into what it would be like to be faced with homelessness and hunger on a daily basis?

Then, please subscribe to my blog and follow on as I continue with the story as it unfolds to the present day.

There is weather, hope, dashed hopes and kindness. There are tales of success, of failings and brushes with feelings of suicide. There is alcohol and drugs and fighting, smiles, laughter and tears, oh and food. There is lots of food...!

Thank you for reading, I sincerely look forward to your comments and participation in my ongoing projects under Imagine.

Please also see my website @ peacefulwarrior.eu

Love, Peace and Light.

Namaste.

Peaceful Warrior.

The Re-awakening.

The Re-awakening.

Have you been asleep?

Do you feel lethargic and drowsy?

Have thoughts about a better world been on your mind?

Then maybe you have been drugged by the effects of the global consciousness that has been groping about in the dark, under the false idea it were powerful and almighty. Perhaps you are beginning to awaken from this preoccupation with materialism and discovery to find a sense of wonderment at how fast we have been destroying our planet and the hopes of having a sustainable future here. 

 

What if it were now time for a change in our global (collective) and individual consciousness?

Often as human beings in the modern age, we are 'too busy' to have individually paid too much mind to what is happening and what our part in all of this is. We carry on in the way that society instructs us, without ever asking what the reason is for our collective mindset. We 'do our bit' for the society we are born into, hoping and believing that this is our 'purpose' for being here, alive. Religion has long told us that we have to serve god and get on with doing what he says we should, 'that's the way to happiness'. Observably that has not settled the minds of most people, even religious people are constantly in turmoil about so many things. If that is not so, why has it been that they have become involved in bitter and pointless wars?

Of course it may be noted that the people instigating these wars are not in fact dedicated to any type of peace, based upon belief in god or a desire to follow his commandments. (Remarkably all written by men and later claimed to be gods direct words) For peace to exist it must be in the heart of men. What is displayed however is not the result of a peaceful heart is it?

The bible says, that according to Jesus:
"You must love Jehovah your god with your whole soul, mind, and vital force, and you must love your neighbour as yourself". New World Translation. (I used this version because it is one of few that actually show that god has a name at all)

Now what did he mean if he said these things at all?

Did he mean live a life of complete ignorance to the causes of your actions? Blame others for what you do? Pretend to be a good person, whilst secretly carrying on a life of selfishness and greed?

I hardly think this is his message carried in the above statements. Did he not arguably mean: Honour the person you claim to believe in, and show that same respect and honour, to everyone who is your neighbour? And, do it as if you would do it to yourself. Doing otherwise would be a direct contradiction to Jesus' directive for a peaceful and happy life one might reason. 

 

Even Muslim people who are true to their beliefs will show respect to one another and to strangers in particular. It is expected of them to treat others as they would a valued guest.

Often I hear people say that the examples given, people like Jesus, and Gandhi and Mother Teresa, were saints, almost godlike. Well they were also human beings that walked this earth, ate, drank and defecated. They were no more saintly or holy than you or I. What they clearly were however, was compassionate, empathetic and kind. They exemplified the best that we as human beings could show to one another, love. They respected others, despite the facts that others held opposing attitudes and views of importance about many things. And, they were not held back by fear to do the right thing in the face of difficulty.

Getting back to today now. Many things are indeed being done to harm, destroy and even mutilate our planet and the consciousness of its population. Sadly it is us, the human species that is doing all of this recklessness.

Nature would get on very well without us, doing what it has done for millennia. Human beings however have decided somewhere along the way, to abuse the planet and their counterparts with alarming regularity and severity. Surely if you were prepared to look at things calmly and with a real sense of determination, you could not conceive of this type of behaviour having lasting possibilities? Logically, one cannot use a finite resource for an infinite period. One cannot keep killing without a repercussion to the longevity of the species, mathematically. Hate that festers and grows will surely be the plague that wipes us out of existence. It is not uncommon to be described in terms of humanity being a parasite. Something that feeds of its host eventually killing that host. 

 

Do you begin to see why I am saying that the time has arrived to become more aware of our affects on the planet and civilization? I'm not saying anything new of course. Many people have said the same thing and for many years it has been discussed what we should do about this.

Severn Cullis Suzuki for example, stood up as a child in front of the entire United Nations assembly and gave a speech about climate change and ecological issues. Some 20+ years later she is still advocating more awareness.

Al Gore has been campaigning furiously for changes to the mindset of each one of us for decades, with regards this ecological crisis.

James Redfield, Eckhart Tolle, Mandy Peterson and many other authors have been writing about these issues for such a large part of the past several decades with the aim of waking people up gradually into a new world. One that has been created by blindness and greed. The reason they have been attempting to wake people is certainly not to manipulate them further. But it does seem clear that these rather small groups of people have done so out of concern for the welfare of the greater number of their human family. Of course no-one likes to be waken in a violent and scary fashion. A cold bucket of water thrown over you might cause you a heart attack, but a slow gentle shaking will do no harm whatsoever.

Though this has been going on for some time, it would appear to certain observers that the result has been lethargic from the people waken from this preoccupation with materialism/things/resources. We are still using energy sources at rates that are unsustainable. Why even a week or so ago here in the United Kingdom, energy companies were reporting strategies that would stop private users demanding so much supply during the week, when manufacturers needed that power for industry. They were being encouraged (the private household consumer) to use supply at the weekends rather than at other times.

In the short term.

We are able to carry on using power and resources.

In the long term.

We will run out of everything and have nothing. Unless we conserve energy and find better ways to share and source renewable energies and products. OR, we just stop demanding so many new things and so often. Certain government people have been advocating the 'make do and mend' ethos from war times, when resources were stretched to breaking point. You may laugh, but what a great idea. How many pairs of shoes do you actually need? How many of the media and communication, brand makes, jewelery, gaming technologies (gadgets and gizmos) do you actually have to have to find peace in your life?

On top of everything else people are now becoming ever more aware of not only the health benefits of eating better, less mass produced food, but the sustainability of its produce. Huge amounts of energy is being used to transport food and 'stuff' around our planet, when it could just as reasonably be sourced locally. If of course we would stop thinking profit (for a few greedy people) and begin by thinking environmentally and sustainably.

Yes it is lovely to be able to have holidays abroad and trade things from far flung places, but what is the cost to our environment and the resources we have available to be used. What is the carbon footprint of doing ever more travel and thrill seeking to be happy?

I'm really not having a go at anyone, I'm just as keen to travel the world as anyone else.

All I'm saying is; Can't we share our world with everyone, in a calm and fair way? Can we not learn to be more compassionate and caring towards others who don't have the things that we do. Especially those that don't even have the basics, like fresh water, food and adequate shelter. Maybe charity is not the answer. Maybe a complete overhaul of our thinking is. Perhaps if we as a collective of humanity gave more power to the sharing of resources and raised our level of consciousness to see that what we have belongs to everyone, even other sentient beings on our planet, maybe then we would have peace. A peace that is sustainable and free.

I hope that we can exchange ideas in a loving way, to the glory of our race.

Namaste.

Love, Peace and Light.

Peaceful Warrior.