If a tree falls in a forest but nobody sees it, did the tree really fall?

If I write a blog entry and nobody reads it, did I really write it?

We all know that people are capable of amazing accomplishments when they can align their actions, when there is “momentum”.

In an Internet community, how do we create that  “critical mass” that makes it work?

There are moments when I feel really stuck, at a loss about my life, not knowing what to do. My last resort then, is a tarot reading. Usually I spread the cards and do the reading myself, but this time I decided to try something different.

At the suggestion of my wife I went to a Gipsy woman who is famous for her advices. I wanted to have another point of view over my situation. Everything in my life is going through deep changes, so I thought I could be missing some important point.

Of course, like everybody, I expected the Gipsy would give me ready answers on every topic bothering me. I know this is not the way a tarot reading is supposed to work__ the cards only mirror our unconscious.

And of course I got no ready answers from her… The Gipsy was a good tarot reader indeed, and she didn’t try to cheat me giving me some magic solution. Instead, she pointed out my weaknesses, things I need to work out.

My main issue, the question I’ve put to her was about my work. Is writing the blog on YuBliss what I’m supposed to do? Shall I go on writing the blog if I don’t feel any inspiration at all? Here’s her answer…

“Chico, the cards are telling me there’s a battle going on inside you. Your “soft artist side” is fighting against a “harsh rational side”, and this struggle is preventing you from moving forward. To prevent yourself from being hurt in this battle you are wearing an armor. But there’s no external enemy, the battle is inside yourself! You have already been wounded long time ago, so the armor is only covering your old wounds and keeping yourself from getting the love and nourishment you need. So stop being so harsh on yourself! Stop fighting, forgive yourself and say yes to the abundance of love that’s available to you.”

At first I didn’t understand what she meant by “forgive yourself”. But later I understood that I am harsh on me when I force myself to do things that I don’t like, only to please others. So I decided to forgive myself and be watchful and do only what pleases myself.

I am amazed how easy it is to fall into the trap of doing things to please others in order to be accepted or loved…

Its that time of the month where we let you see what we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with here at YuBliss HQ, and this time we’ve been super busy.

Here are a few of the new things we built for you:

• See which of your friends are online right now
• Edit any of the myths that you have written
• Use website addresses and smilies in stories and myths
• Quick links on your hub and on user profile pages

We’ve also tidied up your hub and profile page and added some useful help messages.

We’ve got loads more killer features up our sleeves, but you can always send yours to features@yubliss.com

Watching the 80th edition of the Oscar made me think of Plato’s Myth of the Cave. Why are we so fascinated with the projection of images in a dark room? What is the magic that transports us to somewhere apart from the common reality?

In the myth, Plato describes how we human beings are like prisoners tied up in a cave with our heads facing the back wall, unable to turn around and condemned to stare at the rock.

If we could catch a sideways glance, what we would see behind us would be a surprise. We would see puppets, and behind the puppets – towards the opening of the cave – a fire. What we perceive on the back wall, then, is the shadows of puppets dancing on the gray confines of the cave.

Mistakenly, we take this world of shadows to be reality. When one of us prisoners is released from the grip of this misconception, the understanding is possible. We would first see the puppets as puppets.

Then we would shuffle around the fire and finally head to the opening of the cave where eventually we will have the real understanding of things. We will be able to see things the way they are, under the light of the sun.

So my question here is: what are we seeing? Are we facing the wall of the cave, or are we out in the sunlight? How do we know the difference? Aren’t we living lives of diminished prospect, resting content with our knowledge, failing even to ask the right questions?

We feel more comfortable when we don’t question the mainstream. Is something true just because everybody around us is saying so? A lie repeated thousands of times may be mistaken for the truth…

For all that I said you may think I don’t like movies! It’s just the opposite. I love films like The Matrix, for instance. Very much like in Plato’s Myth of the Cave, The Matrix dramatically conveys the view that ordinary appearances do not depict true reality.

If you believe that there must be much more to ordinary appearances than meet the eyes, put The Matrix on your list of films to be seen.

Matthew argued that free flow of capital is increasing the level of hunger and poverty across the globe.

I argued that it does not. In the past few (and in the next several) years, free flow of capital seem to have caused economic growth to concentrate in underdeveloped areas of the globe, lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty (although difference between rich and poor seem to be increasing at the same time).

If we consider that, after the basic needs of food, water, shelter, etc are satisfied, there is a less than linear correlation between money and happiness, free flow of capital does not seem to be a bad deal after all. What we all want is to be happy.

In fact, a study by the World Bank (ok, I admit, that my sources can be accused of bias :o), argues that access to capital can be the solution for the poor living in the developing world.

While I have serious reservations to wild capitalism (more than the text above make you think), I am a believer on that last paragraph. For the past year and a half or so, I have been lending money to the poor in Africa, Asia and Latin America and watched them, not only to pay the loan back reliably, but also elevate their economic situation. Kiva enables any person with a few dollars to try that microlending trick.

It makes me happy. Hope it is also improving the world.

All the buzz about elections in the USA and the retirement of Fidel Castro make me feel sick. One side of the medal shows four candidates running for the presidency attacking one another and promising the moon.

The other side shows a decrepit dictator, retiring from a 49 years command ahead of a country that presently is sadly resuming its former vocation of third world touristic destination for wealthy people, after the fall of the Cuban utopia.

These guys are on the news only because of a thing called nation. But how come such a thing as “a nation” exists? Have you ever thought about that? How come we inhabitants of this planet have organized our societies in the form of nations and gave the power to a person to speak in our names?

What is it that defines a nation? Is it an ethnic division? Is it a political one? A geographical one? A linguistic one? A combination of all these? Think of a young child who has not yet been programmed by society and does not even know the names of the countries. He or she will not see any borders and nations, but only mountains and rivers and trees!

We are first of all human beings, and not exponents of a political creed or an ethnic background. Every time I go through immigration procedures at airports I feel ashamed by the ugly and senseless discrimination.
Just imagine, if one day we simply dropped this nationalist distinction between human beings. We shall be able to drop all armies and collect and destroy all instruments of death. We shall have an amazing amount of new resources at our disposal to feed and educate the poor.

Politicians need nations to exist themselves, but what do we common people need nations for? I’ve been listening to people blaming against politicians since my childhood. Why do we still give them the power?

Just imagine, if one day we simply dropped this nationalist distinction between human beings. We shall be able to drop all armies and collect and destroy all instruments of death. We shall have an amazing amount of new resources at our disposal to feed and educate the poor.

Haven’t we been programed to accept this concept of nation without questioning? We are proud of our countries, we feel great just because our nation is great in sports, at war or because of the great figures in economy. But how does being from a certain country and not from another affect our daily lives? How does it really affect the story that I want to live?

I’ve just moved into a hotel room this afternoon. I’ve had a dispute with my wife, we almost broke up but we’ve come to terms now and agreed that we should keep some distance.

So here I am experiencing the pleasures of the life of a bachelor… once again. OK it’s not only pleasures but it’s a relief to be free to make my own schedule and not to listen to the irritating sound of cartoons on TV in a small household.

It’s was only this morning when I put my things inside the room that I remembered of this fancy I had been cherishing since I was a child__of living alone in a hotel room. So I’m going through some magic moments right now. Not knowing about the future is kind of exciting, it’s like all doors are opened… anything can happen!

But what has the Myth of Narcissus to do with this story? Well, I’ve been living with my wife now for seven months, and you know how everything flows smoothly in the beginning. We see in the lover all the beauty we want and need to see. We project our ideals, what we see is only our image reflected on our partner, very much like Narcissus that falls in love with his own image reflected on the lake.

So I had this in mind to write about Narcissus, when my wife who is an homeopath doctor suggested this morning that I took Sulfur, a remedy that is indicated for those living a narcissistic complex… I understood this coincidence was a hint that I am in the right path.

Once again I felt synchronicity was working in my life. We discussed about our projections and expectations we both had, and could find some steady common ground for our love to keep growing.

I hope Narcissus will now be able to raise his head and take in the lively landscape around him.

Another school shooting made top headlines yesterday, this time at Northern Illinois University… like an itching sore that reopens with a casual scratch.

I considered not to post a second blog on this subject for two reasons: first, I’m not American and I live in Brazil. Second, why to stress on this painful issue?

But I’m a citizen of this planet and it affects me for I believe we’re all somehow connected. I believe in the story of the Tower of Babel, that once we were one nation and could understand each other.

Regarding the pain, I think everything must be said and expressed in order to heal this disease, no doubt a cancer that’s making it’s way through the point of least resistance.

Now the evil is coming from inside. The very cells of the organism are growing with no control and destroying the being. The organism is ill and must recognize the illness in order to start the healing process. What’s causing this wrong?

It may sound foolish but I see it as a matter of ‘I am right… you are wrong!’. And the “wrong” is so threatening that to prove that I am right, I will grow stronger enough to destroy it. I will accumulate so much that the other will starve. I will build walls and establish limits so that the enemy is kept at a safe distance. And I’ll make laws to guarantee safety for my equals and those that think like me.

But how can one feel safe if the threat comes from within, from someone we’re supposed to rely upon? I don’t like to admit, but for all I see, the whole world is following this pattern of fear of a distant enemy while the real threaten is much closer and the task to be done is more like homework.

You get me wrong if you think I’m speaking of countries, of nations, of groups only. No. The homework can and must be done by each one of us living this myth that what happens on the other side of the world doesn’t affect us.

School shooting made top headlines again last week:

“A female student shot dead two women before turning the gun on herself at a college in the southern US state of Louisiana, in the latest deadly episode in a week of shootings.” Sidney Morning Herald.

Another school shooting… this is not new, this is not uncommon anymore, but this time it was perpetrated by a female student!… What’s going on? Women are supposed to bring life into this world, to preserve and take care, to nurture life, not to murder! I really hope she’s not the first of a new pattern in this type of crime…

Contrary to popular belief these school shootings are not happening only in the USA. America has a way to “sensationalize” these events that makes them more conspicuous but they are also occurring in Germany, Canada, India, Japan, Finland, Scotland, and Australia for instance.

It looks like a disease spreading all over. These teenagers are like canaries in coal mine detecting a society ready to implode upon itself. A cancer is showing it’s face from the entrails of an institution where people were supposed learn about sociability and practice conviviality.

What are we doing to stop it? All I was able to find on internet is a debate around the control of weapons in school, about placing the blame on video games and the need to increase security measures but not a single voice to shout out loud that something is really rotten with the very way we chose to organize society.

Suppressing the symptoms will not take us a step closer to the cure. Why is it happening? What’s so wrong with our society? Are we so deaf to our kids claims that they have to kill to draw our attention?

Whatever the cause for these school shootings we should listen to this profound wake-up call and make a sober evaluation. Aren’t we feeding the monster that will eventually swallow us with these cosmetic measures like tightening the security system in schools and blaming video games?

What do you think? How do you prepare your children for this kind of issue? Do you talk with your children about school violence? As a parent have you have taken any extra precautions to keep your children safe?