"The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences." - Wikipedia
The Reality of Truth is a documentary film presented by Deepak Chopra and Mike "Zappy" Zapolin featuring interviews with notable thinkers such as Ram Dass, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. John Hagelin and Dr. Norman Rosenthal. The film explores the various methods which people around the world employ to tap into an alternative reality through meditation, spirituality and psychedelic drugs. The film shows how these people live their lives in a reality that is free of violence, judgment, fraud, lies and insecurity. The goal of the film is to show how anyone can live such a life.
According to Mike "Zappy" Zapolin, "There is a shift in consciousness that is taking place right now. It is a shift away from what used to work in the past, or what used to be "good enough". This shift in consciousness is causing people to rethink their entire lives–their relationships, their health, and their businesses. People are fatigued by the chaotic pace of everyday life that leaves them feeling further and further from the peace of mind they crave. People are reconfiguring the very material notion of physical reality, and are moving toward things that would be described as spiritual." With that thought in mind, Zappy teamed up with Deepak Chopra in order to explore the concept of "reality" and especially the concept of "the reality of truth." According to Zappy, "This movie will help you understand the difference between what our five senses tell us is real, and the reality that we are all capable of tapping into using our sixth sense."
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
Every now and then I think about Brett Dean McGibbon. Brett is a self-published author who binds his books in leather and sells them on a street corner in Seattle, Washington.
I was walking the streets of Seattle camera in hand. Click, click, click. I noticed a small restaurant that I liked, click, and then crossed the street. As I walked by, a guy at a table handed me a piece of paper. I usually try real hard to ignore these things as it seems everyone wants something; a dime, a quarter, a dollar; some thing. You can only give so much, you know? I took the piece of paper and looked at it. Words. I started reading them out loud. "..men and women who were raging with life, who looked within and wrestled with their beasts, who were engaged in mortal combat with what mattered and were not gonna let what mattered escape." I liked the words. I was attracted to the words. The guy drew my attention off the paper and pointed out that he was selling books and signing them (he was an author). I looked at him for the first time. I became conscious of this - I was so fascinated by the words that I never looked at him. I picked up a copy of the book, Lucifer's Redemption, and started reading the Preface. He encouraged me on. After the Preface, the Introduction. I was hooked. I was also attracted to the physical form of the book. Apparently he prints the pages himself on a laser printer (that is explained by a character in the book). The pages are then hand bound in leather with (Irish-linen twine). It had a nice feel. I liked the font. Like an old fashioned typewriter. I liked the book. The sign said twenty bucks so I gave him twenty bucks. I wanted it. I asked him if I could photograph him. That night I read half the book in my hotel room. It hit, drew me in. Made me think. Made me ponder. Made me reflect. At times I identified with the main character, James. We share similar attitudes about some important things. I finished the book off in Seattle Tacoma International the following day. Toward the end I almost felt that it was written about me - the inner thoughts. Then I decided anyone who reads it probably feels that way. It stuck with me. It stuck in my mind for two days. It also occurred to me that I have not read a book in years. This was the first in years. And it somehow seemed that I was fated to read this book.
If you are ever in Seattle you might run into Brett. I have talked to people who say he is still there. I see a used copy of Lucifer's Redemption going for $70 on Amazon. Not only a good read but a collector's item as well as each copy is unique.
A near-death experience (NDE) refers to a broad range of personal experiences experienced by people who have been pronounced clinically dead and brought back to life or by people very close to death. Often a sense of detachment from the body and the presence of a bright white light are reported as well as a variety of additional experiences. These experiences seem to be quite common and are often described as either hallucinations or evidence that there is an afterlife. "In their quest to find answers about the cause of the NDE, the mainstream scientific community has so far come up with two explanations. The first one considers the NDE a neurological phenomenon. The second explanation considers the NDE a supernatural phenomenon. After more than ten years of study, I am convinced of a third possible explanation..." Maureen Venselaar, PhD. In an article published in Noetic Now, Maureen Venselaar presents a new theory on what happens during a near death experience (NDE) which is rooted in the dynamics of both physics and astrophysics. Venselaar's theory takes the severity of the trauma the patient is experiencing into consideration and addresses the idea "that an NDE becomes more profound and more complete as a trauma or a sickness grows more life threatening." Venselaar is a spiritual/mental coach who works with elderly and sick people in The Netherlands. She has been studying near death experiences for over ten years and is convinced that there is a third way of looking at near death experiences other than as either a neurological phenomenon or a supernatural phenomenon. According to Venselaar, "As we approach the end of life, our sensorial observation decreases, our normal consciousness disappears, and deep down in our physical body, at the (sub)atomic level, a fundamental process starts which releases an 'exotic energy' (i.e. light-energy/photons). This special 'exotic energy' is the foundation of another new, pure and perfect body, and another kind of consciousness/awareness. With this new body, of exotic energy/photons, we can travel through the barrier of space and time. The near-death experience is without a doubt a real voyage." A near death experience is a five stage process in which there is a separation from the physical body, a journey through a tunnel, an experience of being in the presence of the light near a border, a return through the tunnel and a unification once again with the physical body. Those who pass on do not return but cross over the border. Venselaar refers to this as The Five Phase Theory. For detailed information about each of these phases visit Noetic Now or visit Venselaar's website De (binja) dood ontrafeld
