Working the Invisible

Trips back to the UK can often be the source of reflection. Nelson Mandela once said one of the most intriguing phenomena is how one can return to a place and see how much they have changed, and the place may not have. The irony would be the opposite. To be conscious of our mental evolution and journey. Why is this important? Many feel the world is moving fast with so many technological evolutions and so many people also being lifted out of poverty. The question of evolution must be linked to who we are. Seeing things for what they are, seeing people for who they are, and seeing places for what they are – and working with these in the appropriate state of mind being conscious of who we are and working out our role in relation to these things. Whatever we do, whatever we have, the meta-physical, or invisible journey is key.

The Grit is Where its At

Most of the wealth of the wealthiest people in the world is inherited. With the house price increases over a decades in areas of London there are people who are sitting on a lot of cash. What they initially put in is not near the value now. As a result many people close to retirement sell-off and purchase in more economical areas outside of London where they may get more for their money. This has resulted in accelerated wealth for the sellers. There are often cases of wealthy parents and grandparents gifting fancy cars to the grandchildren, Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s. Occasionally you will see very young people driving these. One naturally wonders how such an expensive car, is in the hands of someone who looks like a teen. There may be two levels to this situation. One is the belief that the laws of karma always operate based on what goes around comes around, and that there is always justice and action/reward balance. This means that the teenager would have had to have done something in a previous life to deserve the Lamborghini. On the other hand, factoring out previous life efforts counting in this life, this is simply a case of no effort and pure inheritance of fortune. The parents who would have put in the hard work, and the recipients who are benefitting from it without the work. Who really benefits? Those who evolved mentally through the hard work, or those who simply enjoyed the result? In our martial arts dojo, I recall a time where one of our senior-most brown belt teammates forgot to bring their belt, and was practicing with a white belt on. When everyone saw him, they smiled because they knew the situation in reality which is that he has years and years of quality experience, and technically and physically is head and shoulders above the rest. The mental journey involved in progressing so much is far more significant than whether he wears a brown belt, a white belt or a stripy Mr Blobby belt, or no belt. The external doesn’t matter, the internal experience and evolution does, and would out-fight any other opponent who hasn’t mentally evolved as much. Driving the Ferrari is like wearing the brown belt when the mentality is that of a complete beginner. They may be cashing in on their previous good karma, but if the mind isn’t evolved over time the value in such cashing in experiences will not benefit one in the long term as the grit is where the real fortune is at.

Like a Jedi

Visiting the UK where everyone is generally more conversant in English means I can understand what is happening all the time; at least on the surface of things. Recalling the Star Wars Return of the Jedi, there is a time where effectively an illusory version of the Jedi is fighting, not the real Jedi, who is meditating on the mountains somewhere. This is a similar feeling to being on a train where you don’t understand the conversation around you. You can therefore be less distracted by it even though you’re in the thick of it. If you pick up the local language, you will be able to understand what’s happening. When you understand what’s happening, you will subconsciously digest it, and those conversations will affect your thoughts. Being a tourist in a foreign land who doesn’t understand the language completely means you can 100% focus on your own thoughts since what you hear cannot be processed. You therefore preserve your mental energy for what you want to focus it on. This can indeed be done in an atmosphere where you understand the language and culture, but it takes an additional layer of processing to not let it filter. It’s similar to a pair of siblings and the elder kid may be disturbed by the younger one and the mother may say “Just ignore him or her.” The information is in, but it should be discarded is the mothers request. It takes work, and it takes energy and we need to be smart in how we use our energy. 

Without mental evolution, where the values of hard work with detachment from results, the imbibing of humility and compassion towards others and the Earth, all of the big-bang extreme material progress that many people are striving for, including those who are trying to come out of poverty – will not bode well. Many previous generations have tried to rise in similar ways through big bang ideas and have risen, at the expense of so many things; and we now see a world which is suffering the reactions of some of these innovations which at one time were so novel, whether it be through polluted oceans of plastic, or hordes of people whose health is suffering as a result of air pollution. Working towards a more conscious and more holistic form of success will be more fulfilling and better for everyone and everything.