OJ Pod: EPI-33: Ignorance, Thy Name Is Ken

Outsiders Journey

We are not “here”. Not really.

We are puttering about in the Past and living dreamily in the Future.

But there is only Now

Went a little Eckhart Tolle on you there.

But it’s true. And if we remain ignorant of this fact, nothing ever works right.

Accept this total truth as your truth and you’ll eventually straighten out the rest of your roads, forever after.

I’m trying to avoid the title of Hypocrite here

I work on this endlessly; forgetting it, getting somewhat upset, then swerving back to live it once more.

It’s frustrating.

“Why so harsh on yourself, Ken?”, you may be asking.

Well, gentle reader, I’m not. I’m being honest.

And I’m trying to help you do the same.

I spoke on this same stuff in the last show EPI-32: Turtle Leaves Shell: Responsibly Facing One’s Fears For The Good Of All.

This inward pointing finger stuff is a continuing effort to live my walk, while being an example to those of you struggling to do the same.

We’re all flawed beasts until we wake up

By waking up to the existence of the right here and now, we live a more fulfilling life.

By not ignoring the Present, in order to decipher the Past and divine the Future, we better appreciate all we currently have.

One of the easiest ways to enjoy life more is to find what’s good about it right this second

Impossible at times, I know. But the act of trying will make that better life you seek become a self fulfilling prophecy.

The better life doesn’t one day appear. It’s already here.

You just have to will yourself to see it.

As you do this, what you eventually see will be better than what you would have seen had you never attempted in the first place

And yes, as a former Marine war vet, former alcoholic, former drug addict, and former bipolar patient I fully understand how fucked my advice might seem to you right now.

But if you don’t begin to try you will, by default, never see what you wish to see.

Start by believing what I say is possible. Then try.

Will you reach “here” and never suffer again?

No. The shit-sicle experiences will return. (That was the point of this episode. I’m eating a big one right now.)

But you’ll be better able to handle them when they do.

And you’ll eventually handle bigger versions of them with more grace.

You’ll also turn them into profoundly useful tools for enjoying “right now”, more than you can imagine…right now.

Trippy. I know. Just have faith. And begin.

The journey never ends, we just become better travelers as we go.

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Sponsor:

• Family Network Chiropractic in Kingston, NY: The only providers of NSA Chiropractic in the Mid-Hudson Valley

Key Points:

• I am struggling to finance all I do to bring this show to you
• That is no one’s fault but mine
• I’m in a pickle with how I can earn while on disability, without jeopardizing my entire wellbeing
• But I’ve survived far worse problems than this and I have faith that I’ll sort this out quick enough
• By remaining aware of how great my life is right now, I give my life meaning instead of searching for the meaning of life
• I can’t hold a job well or for long, and yet, I may have to try again shortly
• I live on faith but I proactively respond to what’s right before me
• The ultimate example of people living right here and now, while simultaneously blaming all around them for their ignorance, is “The Trailer Park Boys”. Enjoy. And learn.

Links:

• Mr. Lahey from The Trailer Park Boys: YouTube clips. You’re welcome!
• Eckhart Tolle on Amazon: I didn’t mention him in episode but his awareness info played a part in my fight to beat bipolar
• The Presence Process: A Journey Into Present Moment Awareness by Michael Brown: Learn a simple 15 minute, twice a day breathing exercise that will bring you into The Now
• Emotional And Psychological Wellbeing: NSA Chiropractic plays a HUGE part in helping me stay aware, particularly within my body