Sidestepping

This following statement might be politically incorrect to say, but I feel like saying it anyway - the recent unrest in the Middle East has reaffirmed my choice to have Hinduism be my vehicle for peace of mind and spiritual perfection. I don't know if that's offensive to say, coming from myself, a white male American citizen who so desperately wants to be Hindu, but at the very least I hope it's understandable to my readers. If I may explain why I feel this way...

I admit, I am no expert on Islam, or any of the Abrahamic faiths for that matter (not even Christianity). But the us-versus-them rhetoric that seems to permeate the dialogue between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam these days really turns me off from all of the above. I don't want to be involved in this sort of conflict. Even if one side is clearly the greater oppressor than the other, taking a direct stand for either side is liable to tear my soul apart, because it will feel like either way I am betraying a part of humanity.

A lot of European Christian art of course depicts Jesus as a white male. And while I remember there being a law in Islam that says the prophet Muhammad (or any prophet for that matter) cannot be portrayed visually, a lot of emphasis is placed on Muhammad being an Arab (as far as I know). So much emphasis is placed on the so-called "race" of these figures that one can't help but infer that these faiths are favoring God being a certain skin color.

This goes into one of the biggest reasons I have gravitated towards Hinduism and its plurality of Gods. Okay, so maybe most of the Gods in Hinduism are depicted with Indian features (again, as far as I can tell). But you'd be forgetting that there are plenty of Gods in Hinduism that have features that can't really be said to favor any human - Lord Shiva is often depicted with his skin being blue, Lord Ganesha has the head of an elephant, and Lord Hanuman has attributes of a monkey, including a tail! You know what that says to me? It says that God can be anyone! Black, white, brown, candy-striped, or maybe not even human. Just because I'm white doesn't mean God in Hinduism would favor or disfavor me, because God can be anything.

Maybe the above is a bit of an oversimplified explanation, and maybe a simplistic way of looking at things...but I don't intend to offend anyone with this post. I'm just expressing how - and why - I feel in light of recent events. If I say anything offensive, please say so, that I may work to correct myself. Just keep in mind I'm entitled to my opinion.

The Real Real World

*Takes a moment to remove dust and yellow tape...*

Namaste to all my readers...it's been a while! Sorry about the long absence. If you're wondering why it's been so long, well, a lot has been going on in my real life. A LOT. So much so that this blog had to be put on the back burner for a while. A lot is still going on, but I still have time to write a post where I can share some wisdom I've discovered.

That wisdom is pretty simple, actually - we spend so much time losing ourselves in information around us, that in trying to figure out what's important and worthy of our attention, we forget about our own experiences. We spend so much time living other people's lives that we forget about our own.

That is why there is meditation and yoga, and why it is so important in this day and age. Sure, the Internet can help connect you to the world outside, but you need something to connect you to the world inside.

I'm not saying one should completely cut off the outside world - no human can be an island, after all. But there has to be a balance...and that balance is one I've finally started to get a grip on.

As a result, big things are happening. Amazing things. Things I'm proud to be a part of. And hopefully I will be able to share them with you very soon.

Vegetarianism, Veganism, and...I Can't Think of a Clever Title

If you'll excuse the lame title for this blog post for a moment, I want to dedicate this particular post to discussing a topic that is becoming more heated these days, for environmental reasons: meat and the use of animal products, vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, and whatever else falls under this umbrella. While readers of this blog already know that I'm not vegetarian/vegan (yet), I still feel I need to have a say on this topic so at least vegetarians and/or vegans know where I'm coming from.

Let me start out by saying I have nothing against vegetarians or vegans. My vegetarian/vegan friends in real life know this. :-) I feel that if someone wants to go vegetarian or vegan, more power to them. I'm a big believer in personal freedom in this regard. That said, it's also my belief that one shouldn't be forced into becoming vegetarian or vegan. Obviously my real life vegetarian/vegan friends don't force anyone; what I'm more referring to are those people on the Internet who are vegetarian/vegan that militantly espouse their ideals and snub anyone who doesn't think and eat like they do. (There are people like that on the meat-eating/omnivorous side too, don't get me wrong, but I'm bringing that up here for the sake of making my point.) Whether or not one has to be vegetarian or vegan to be considered a true Hindu is another can of worms entirely, so I'm not going to discuss that now.

What I am going to discuss is how plausible and/or effective it actually is for absolutely everyone on the planet to strive for a vegan ideal. For the purposes of this argument I'm going to say that the vegan ideal is no usage or reliance on animal products or services whatsoever. It is my personal belief that the vegan ideal is not an ideal everyone can strive for, and may be impossible for some people, for various reasons.

I will use my diabetes as an example of this. Diabetes, because of the nature of its treatment, at least from my experience, can make striving for a vegan ideal impossible. Why is this? Because a key component of diabetic management for myself and many others - insulin - came about because of animal testing. It was testing on pigs that allowed insulin development to be possible. I know most insulin these days is synthesized and not dependent on pigs producing it, but if pigs weren't tested on to begin with, insulin wouldn't be around...and my life as a diabetic would be much more difficult. So if you look at my diabetes objectively from the viewpoint of the aforementioned vegan ideal, then technically it would be impossible for me to be vegan.

I know some vegans would argue the following point - that if I just followed a vegan diet, I wouldn't suffer from diabetes in the first place. In the case of myself, I wouldn't know since I haven't tried a vegan diet yet; I might one of these days but right now I have too much on my plate (no pun intended) to devote the mental energies to attempting to go vegan. But even if I did, a vegan diet is no guarantee against diabetes for anyone. This is because diabetes has a genetic component to it. Lifestyle is a factor for developing diabetes, yes, but if one doesn't have the genes for diabetes in the first place, one is far less likely to develop it. Also, one can develop diabetes symptoms even if one follows a perfect vegan diet because of the aforementioned genetic factor.

Now I'm not saying going vegan won't help diabetes, but what I am saying is that it's no guarantee. And if one's diabetes treatment requires insulin, like mine does, whether or not you were vegan to begin with you are still going to be using medicine that was the product of animal testing. It's a rather depressing thought, but it's sadly the truth.

I'm not trying to discredit vegetarian or vegan ways here. I think they are of great merit. Rather, what I'm trying to say is that there are some cases where going entirely vegan would adversely effect one's life. Then you get into the horrible argument of which life is more sacred...and that's an argument I'd rather avoid. Surely all life is sacred, including my own...right?

Prying Open My Third Eye?

Over the past few days, when I meditate, I've been experiencing curious sensations lately. These sensations have taken the form of pressures on and around the bridge of my nose, the middle of my forehead, and sometimes behind the eyes. These sensations have almost always been pleasant and not painful at all.

I've been focusing on these sensations during meditation, and when I do, I feel the most intense pressure right in the middle of my forehead...indeed, it feels like something is growing there and wants to leave my skull! However, what's even more curious is that these past couple of days, I've been experiencing these sensations when I have not been meditating. Even when I have been working today I still felt the pressure at the bridge of my nose and in the middle of my forehead. As a result, I've been feeling happy at certain intervals, sometimes downright euphoric.

To investigate what this might mean, I've done a little research on Google, and I've come across pages that explain that this all has to do with the pineal gland of the brain and the so-called "Third Eye." Now I know the sixth chakra in the forehead is called the third eye chakra, but I have to wonder why this chakra has suddenly become this active in my brain. I haven't experienced any unusual visions or other sensations than the pressure and the accompanying happy feelings, so I have to wonder: why now? And what does it mean?

I know better than to believe most of what's being said on the Internet about the pineal gland and the third eye chakra. Most of what's said on it is crackpot conspiracy theories and "advice" on activating and cleansing it that's more likely to do harm than good (one page for instance said that vaccines are bad for the pineal gland; I don't know about you but I'd rather take the vaccine and live longer than have a "healthier" pineal gland and catch some debilitating disease). Still, I wonder if there's any legit information on the pineal gland and the third eye out there? I just want to know what's happening to me and if it's good or not.

I just hope it's not a sign that I need medical attention...

Something I Can Never Have, Or...?

Last night (Monday, July 23) I had an interesting dream. In this dream, there was this boy in a black T-shirt (that's the only detail I could remember about his appearance) who gave me, of all things, a king cobra. As in a live king cobra snake. This apparently was no ordinary king cobra, though, as it behaved very unusually for its species: it slithered up to me and appeared to want to...snuggle, for lack of a better term. It was downright friendly and looked at me with an expression that should've been on a puppy for how affectionate it was. I was justifiably afraid of this king cobra, as I would be if I encountered a real king cobra, but this king cobra continued its affection.

Now I know this is not how snakes behave in real life. I'm no expert on snake behavior, but I'm guessing if I encountered a king cobra in real life it would not only have no interest in snuggling, but it would try to scare me away (and definitely succeed). Still, despite this being a dream, I still feel it carries some significance.

From what I understand, going on what I remember from one of the satsangs of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living, dreams aren't prophetic or psychic or anything mystical or supernatural, but rather a way for the human mind to process the reality it experiences. Dreams could be unconscious desires, impressions of the world around you, interpretations of memories, or maybe all of the above. I think the aforementioned dream I had falls under the unconscious desire category. But what sort of unconscious desire?

I think it's a desire for the extraordinary, in my case. Something fantastical or mystical to happen in my life, a miracle of some kind that would finally prove to me that I have a place in this world, that I am special and extraordinary. In other words, something I could never have, and by that I mean something that happened that would be considered a miracle that would be a positive experience for me.

I know that would never happen, at least the way I would want it to. I know the only way I can feel happy, special, and extraordinary, to feel I have a place in the world, is to dig deep inside myself for those feelings, then live my life in this world. And there's nothing wrong with that fact. The Gods don't have to prove that to me; rather, I have to prove it for myself.

There might be one other explanation for the dream I had: if I remember correctly, yesterday in India was the holiday of Nag Panchami, a religious holiday centered around snakes. Perhaps my dream was simply a reminder of it. Maybe this dream was a combination of both theories I proposed here: my mind wants a miracle to happen, and maybe a king cobra (symbolic of Nag Panchami) liking me was the symbol of such a miracle I would want to happen.

Regardless of what this dream may or may not signify, I'm not taking it as some sign of prophecy or some other ridiculous interpretation. Rather, I'm just curious to know if it was truly a window into my soul and its desires. If you readers want to weigh in, feel free.

Fragile: Handle With Care

Recently I've been questioning if my life is of any value to the universe.

Let me get it out of the way right now that I am NOT suicidal. At least not at this moment. I know life is a gift, and I don't intend to send it back. But I've realized something about myself that I find so disturbing that I honestly question whether or not my existence is worthwhile.

That fact is that my soul, my spirit, is so fragile, so delicate, so spineless that when it comes to facing the truths of my life I fall apart and shatter like glass. Yeah, I know the truths I am about to mention are hard for everyone...but for me they're so hard I have no defense.

What I eat encourages cruelty, towards both animals and people. What I use in my life, that requires consumption of electricity, negatively impacts the environment and the air we breathe. What taxes I pay encourage war, death and destruction, and the erosion of liberty. These are truths that I know would be hard for anyone in my situation to take.

But even their mere hinting causes me to fall apart. I cry profusely. I become lethargic, unable to do anything but sob. I emotionally disintegrate. And when I fall apart, no one wants to be around me or help me. I don't blame them, since I become a beacon of negativity.

The problem is, even though I do meditation and Sudarshan Kriya, they seem to have only treated the symptoms. They only offer a temporary boost in happiness. I know the disease lies in my inability to stand up and do the right thing. Make the right choices. Forgo and turn away from those things I enjoy that hurt the planet. It seems like doing the right thing would mean taking all the joy out of my life.

However, I know - and fear - that the day will come when I will have to choose between my pleasures, and my moral standing as a human being. Or maybe even between these pleasures and my life, with the environmental damage finally starting to catch up to all of us humans.

When - not if, but when - that day comes...I don't know if I'll survive.

I'm too fragile...

Is There a Bright Side to Commercialization?

I know a lot of my posts here in Light Club can be filed under the "fluff" category, not having very much substance to them. I've made some posts on here that I consider to be substantial, but I admit it's not much. Well, I aim to increase the substance-filled posts in this blog by one post today, but...it will involve me saying something that some people might consider controversial.

What could I say that would be of a controversial nature on this blog, that might actually add to this blog's quality and usefulness? Well, how about this: I personally believe that commercialization has, in some ways, been of benefit to yoga and Hinduism.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: how could I as a white American and a semi-outsider to Hinduism have any right to say that? I ask that you hear me out for just a few paragraphs so I can clarify that statement. I also ask that you keep in mind that I'm not endorsing or condoning the commercialization of yoga and Hinduism, but rather that I'm pointing out that there is a silver lining to it.

What is this supposed silver lining to the commercialization of yoga and Hinduism that has so rightly been criticized as having done damage to the core beliefs of this faith? It's one that many in their rush to criticize can easily overlook: it's exposed more Westerners to the faith than ever before. Yes, it's exposed Westerners to a shallow version, but with the amount of Westerners that have been exposed via commercialization, there are an increased amount of Westerners who are willing to look beyond the commercial version and actually do some research on the real version.

It's a simple law of averages: the more people you expose, the more you'll find who are genuinely interested. But while for every Westerner with a genuine interest there are probably two pop-star singers with false intentions (I'm looking at you, Madonna and Alanis Morisette), there are still seeds planted - seeds which foster more respect for the culture of origin. I know these seeds of more respect don't take root in the aforementioned people with false intentions - it just mutates their disrespect and ignorance - but they do take root in the form of those with genuine interest wanting to spread their genuine respect and interest to those who have their deluded perceptions.

Perhaps the best thing that commercialization does for Hinduism and yoga is that it opens a door for dialogue. Sure, it's a dialogue saying how many Westerners who embrace the commercialized form of Hinduism and yoga have cheapened the faith and perverted it, but that's only the start of dialogue, and it can go from there to genuine healing and education.

I don't know if I was clear with this post...hopefully I'm clear enough that I won't be flamed off the Internet. But if you have questions, objections, constructive criticism or whatever, you know what to do. :-)