Walking Away From Destructive Behavior

Even if you are not a football fan, you have probably read or heard news stories about NFL players being arrested for an assortment of reasons including animal abuse, spousal abuse, armed robbery and even murder. Most of us shake our heads and wonder how a young person given the opportunity to make the type of money that an NFL player commands can be so stupid. Others wonder why the NFL condones such behavior by allowing these players to continue their careers in the NFL.
Baltimore Raven's linebacker Rolando McClain recently retired from the NFL, after three seasons, at the age of twenty-four.  McClain decided to walk away from his NFL career and re-enroll at the University of Alabama because he was concerned about his self-destructive behavior and feared he might eventually do harm to another human being.

McClain told ESPN Magazine that he had dark thoughts. “I felt like Aaron Hernandez,” the former linebacker said in the article. “Like I just wanted to kill somebody.”  According to ESPN, McClain felt overwhelmed by the stresses of the NFL.  He was angry as well.  He told reporters that his friends and relatives asked him for money and that he spent over $600,000 on them after signing his rookie contract.  

McClain's life has not been an easy one.  He was born July 14, 1989 in Decatur, Alabama. He grew up in the projects in Decatur.  At age 15, he had to get a retraining order against his mother, Tonya Malone, after she beat him and threatened him with a knife. She was later arrested after threatening his entire high school which resulted in a lock down. She was later diagnosed as bi-polar. Although McClain's father was awarded custody of Roland, he ended up living with several different families during his high school years.

McClain signed a $40 million dollar contract with the Oakland Raiders in July 2010.   He was released from the Raiders in April 2013 and then signed by the Baltimore Ravens before deciding to retire from football in May 2013.  During his stint in the NFL, McClain was arrested several times.  He was arrested December 1, 2011 for third degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside city limits, all misdemeanors, and for a shooting incident the night before. He was found guilty on all counts.  He was arrested again on November 18, 2012 with charges being dropped after the victim agreed to a financial settlement. He was arrested a third time on January 8, 2013 after Decatur police pulled him over for a window tint violation and e gave the police a false name.  He was arrested once again on April 21, 2013 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. 

McClain has apparently done some soul searching as he decided to walk away from a $700,00 contract with up to $400,000 in incentives after realizing he is full of anger and walking a self-destructive path.  He told ESPN, "I felt like Aaron Hernandez, like I just wanted to kill somebody."

McClain should be applauded for his decision.  How many young men, or people for that matter, possess the self-awareness needed to realize they are headed down the wrong path?  How many are strong enough to walk away from that kind of money and the life style it can buy?  

Watch this video on espn  http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9882568/nfl-former-oakland-raiders-alabama-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-self-imposed-exile

What the World Needs is a Little Empathy & Compassion

Empathy is the capacity to recognize, or feel, the emotions that another person or being is experiencing. Compassion is an emotion that we feel in response to the pain and suffering of another being.  A little bit of empathy is needed in order to experience compassion. 

In an article titled "Empathy & Compassion," Betty W. Phillips, Ph.D., Psychology writes "In the last few years you may have noticed the increase in warfare, divisiveness, unbridled profit seeking and budget cutting on the backs of the poor, sick or elderly, all examples of lack of empathy and compassion. Quality of life and happiness indices are falling rapidly in the USA, more rapidly than in other countries. Yes, they are related."  

In a well researched article titled "The Compassionate Instinct," Dacher Keltner discusses the collective beliefs that humans are selfish, greed is good, altruism is an illusion, cooperation is for suckers, competition is natural, war is inevitable and the bad in human nature is stronger than the good. Keltner points out that such beliefs have been perpetuated from the time of Plato, who "compared the human soul to a chariot: the intellect is the driver and the emotions are the horses. Life is a continual struggle to keep the emotions under control.," to the present day. 

Keltner writes, "Even compassion, the concern we feel for another being’s welfare, has been treated with downright derision. Kant saw it as a weak and misguided sentiment: “Such benevolence is called soft-heartedness and should not occur at all among human beings,” he said of compassion. Many question whether true compassion exists at all—or whether it is inherently motivated by self-interest."

Keltner then goes on to discuss recent findings and studies that indicate that these old and outdated beliefs have no basis in reality.  "These studies support a view of the emotions as rational, functional, and adaptive—a view which has its origins in Darwin’s Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals. Compassion and benevolence, this research suggests, are an evolved part of human nature, rooted in our brain and biology, and ready to be cultivated for the greater good."

Keltner then provides the reader with a good amount of information supporting the idea that "compassion is deeply rooted in our brains, our bodies, and in the most basic ways we communicate."  

If this is the case, then why do so many people people seem to lack empathy and compassion ?  Why the wars, the greed and the divisiveness?  Although we are born as empathetic and compassionate beings, our beliefs are conditioned by our environment, culture, society and parents.  If we are to make the world a better place, we have to collectively work on changing our collective beliefs and value systems.  We have to learn to cultivate and develop the empathy and compassion that resides within us.  We have to start with ourselves and then those around us.  

Kymatica - A Documentary

Kymatica is a documentary about human and universal consciousness produced by Ben Stewart,  Kymatica was voted best scientific documentary in the 2009 New York Film Festival. It is an hour and a half long and worth the time it takes to watch.  Kymatica explores the metaphysical aspects of reality from creation to the boundaries on our freedom imposed upon us by our own collective beliefs.

"Evolution is a term to define only one organism and that's the self. The self is the universe, the self is the alpha and omega, god, and infinity, and that's the only thing that evolves because we are all part of the self. Nothing goes through an evolutionary process alone or without direct benefit to the whole. So when you begin to think that there's this controlling elite, this controlling hand behind the curtains leading the planet to destruction..."

Worldview Literacy Project

"Consciousness is all it takes for one to transform and transcend above the obstacles we face in life and to really see deeper into the beauty of life that surrounds us wherever we go - that is only if we are mindful of it and if we dare to open up our eyes." – an 11th grade student from Oakland, CA.

While stumbling around the internet as I drank my cup of morning coffee, I came across the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) Worldview Literacy page. The Worldview Literacy Project is an educational initiative "built on the premise that when students learn about their own worldviews, they will be better able to make choices based on their own values and goals, thus enhancing a sense of integrity and well-being." In addition, IONS believes that the more we know about other worldviews, and engage with people who have different worldviews, the more likely we are to develop compassion, empathy and understanding as we will come to realize that we are all inter-connected. This understanding will motivate us to act andwork together for the greater good. 

"Worldviews are the filters through which people see and sense the world and their place in it. A worldview is an organization of beliefs and perspectives that shapes how individuals perceive the world around them and what they accept as true. Worldviews operate mostly outside of our awareness and are influenced by many factors such as family, politics, religion, and community, among others. Worldviews are both individually held and culturally shared. They influence goals, desires, motivations, values, relationships, and the actions and reactions of every day encounters. Becoming aware of and exploring worldviews will give students tools to communicate, contribute and function more effectively in their lives." - IONS

It is important to understand how our personal belief systems are influenced by our conditioning and worldview. Both our perceptions and behavior are influenced by our life experiences, environment, culture, family, friends, society and the educational system. Through learning and experience we unconsciously form a personal and individual worldview which has an impact on how we understand the world and experience life, as well as how we relate to other people and succeed or fail in the pursuit of of our goals and desires.

"The Mission of the Worldview Literacy Project is to develop and increase access to curricula and tools that help youth and lifelong learners contemplate and understand the fundamental role that worldview plays in the perceptions and behaviors of themselves and others."  - IONS

Students are encouraged to use their imagination and creativity as they learn to approach new experiences with openness and a willingness to transform their conditioned beliefs into something new that reflects what they have learned and experienced after being introduced to worldviews that differ from their own. This is a life long process and does not end after the course of study is completed.

"We are part of a complex, ever-changing, interconnected, living universe. What we do influences the world around us, and the world around us influences us, even when we are not aware of exactly how. Greater understanding of the interdependence of all life leads to a more complete view of our place in the world." - IONS


For more information and to view the curriculum and travel opportunities please visit IONS' Worldview Literacy page.

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The Awakening

The Awakening is a documentary film by Max Igan.  Before you click the arrow to play this video, take a good look at the center of the image.  Notice the word "obey."  This suggests to me that this film contains subliminal messages.  The film is rather hypnotic. 

Unity is the answer to everything. All the problems we face are symptoms of the divided state of human consciousness. - Max Igan

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Roots of Empathy

After James Holmes went on a shooting spree in a Colorado theater showing the Batman movie Dark Knight, Peter Bogdanovich, an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic, told The Hollywood Reporter magazine, “Today, there's a general numbing of the audience. There's too much murder and killing. You make people insensitive by showing it all the time. The body count in pictures is huge. It numbs the audience into thinking it's not so terrible. Back in the '70s, I asked Orson Welles what he thought was happening to pictures, and he said, "We're brutalizing the audience. We're going to end up like the Roman circus, live at the Coliseum." The respect for human life seems to be eroding.” Yes, cultural conditioning. Audiences are being conditioned to accept murder and violence as a form of entertainment. Violence is in the news every day. Respect for human life seems to be a thing of the past. What to do about it? One woman has an answer. Mary Gordon is the Founder/President of Roots of Empathy which is an organization whose mission is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.

Roots of Empathy's goals are:

• To foster the development of empathuy
• To develop emotional literacy
• To reduce levels of bulling, aggression and violence, and promote children's pro-social behaviors
• Ro increase knowledge of human development, learning, and infant safety
• To prepare students for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting

Roots of Empathy's program is successful. In 2001, the Government of Manitoba commissioned a three-year follow-up study of Roots of Empathy, measuring pro-social behavior, physical aggression, and indirect aggression. Results show a significant improvement in all three behaviors.

Roots of Empathy is an international organization based in Canada. The program has crossed the border to Seattle, Washington. Maybe its time to make more people aware of this program and expand it throughout the United States. If Roots of Empathy was taught everywhere in the world there would be no war or bullies. Everyone would be able to respect and understand their own feelings and also other people’s feelings. Roots of Empathy would be able to change the world making peace and there would be no harm. I think that it could change the world forever.” - a Sixth Grader.

 For more information about this program, or to make a donation please visit rootsofempathy.org

Play and Imagination

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” -Albert Einstein

Drinking coffee, looking at what comes up on my Facebook news feed or whatever they call it.  This one catches my eye and makes me think:

"OK, so you are ten years old, you have a laptop, iPod, Facebook, and a Blackberry.... Dude. when I was ten I only had one thing to play with. It was called outside!"

Oh yes.  Playing outside.  That was it!  That was all we wanted to do.  We played every kind of thing:  house, army, cowboys and indians, tag, hide and seek, baseball, football, all kinds of things.  Most which required making things up and imagination. Our bikes were motorcycles after all.

"I remember when we used to play a game
Take you by the hand and spin you very fast
Midspin, let you go, stop yourself
Switching into statues, rock hard
Necessary spinning in the front yard, necessary spinning in the front yard,
Everybody's spinning in the front yard
Necessary spinning in the front yard
Sometimes I wish that I were nine years old again ... "

~ Necessary Spinning -  Translator

Letting your imagination run free is an important part of growing up which is at some point socialized out of us. On her blog Social and Emotional Living, Kimberly Hackett writes,  "My children played well when children. They built forts out of blankets and pillows, upturning sofas and chairs, making a mess of the house. It didn’t matter. Their creativity and freedom made me happy and it was easy to make them happy this way. They worked together, linking imaginations through interior tunnels that had few words. This is how they loved each other. I wonder where freedom goes. As my children grow older, I find myself missing their childhood freedom. No longer can we whimsically float down the wide river of play and imagination. There was school yanking us to shore, to a reality I could not control. School gave my children what I couldn’t, the chance to become socialized. They needed to maneuver on their own. Their ability to be with other children gave them another kind of freedom, the freedom in friendship. But school is a demanding taskmaster and the freedom of play and imagination is not usually welcome. "

Wouldn't it be great to be nine years old again?  Nine years old before laptops, iPads, Blackberries, Facebook so on and so forth.

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