Once again I was caught reading some strange stuff. My wife and I were traveling to CA for a
wedding and to visit the grandchild. On
the plane I pulled out Survivalist magazine.
My wife asks me, “you’re not going to turn into a survivalist?”
I laugh and say, “I’ve always been a survivalist!”
My father escaped from 2 concentration camps and was
liberated from “The Train” during the fall of Nazi Germany. My mother worked
for the Jewish resistance. I have
survivalism in my genes! I have first
aid kits, bug-out bags packed, all sorts of survival equipment packed
away. I’ve read for years about both urban
and back-country survival. I train physically
to be fit and to use a variety of weapons.
What she really was asking, “are you going to regress to a
lower level of consciousness?” Are you
going to become a Tea-Party type?
Perhaps not really worried, but this interaction led us into an
interesting conversation.
What can happen to us that might drop us down to a lower
level?
Maslow proposed a “hierarchy of needs,” beginning with needs
for food and shelter, then safety and security, friendship and intimacy,
respect and self-esteem, and finally the highest need is for “self-actualization.
What happens when your very existence is threatened?
Well this can occur when rising up to the next level of consciousness,
where the ego feels as if it is dying.
There is an interesting story about a Buddhist monk who had
a heart attack and ended up in the intensive care unit. He was in terrible pain, and wrote about losing
connection to Source. Only after it was
all over he was able to reconnect.
So, regression to a lower level can occur with disease of
the brain or body. If we have Alzheimer’s
or another dementia, can we still be connected to Source, so that we continue
to practice right action?
A diagnosis of cancer or other disease can undo our sense of
self, and drive us to a lower level of consciousness.
On the other hand, contemplation of our own
mortality can raise us up to higher level as well!
Often the aged will let go of all the stuff they obsessed
about when younger, perhaps money or status.
When they truly understand what is most important in life, and then letting
go of “shoulds,” they rise up to a lovely new higher level of being.
Stress beyond our ability to cope can drop us down to a
lower level. Other severe stressors can
be related fear of loss, where we feel threatened or our loved ones are
threatened, isolation, relationship loss and grief, or even just feeling that
you have no clear purpose in life.
A survivalist mentality can be connected to living in a low-level
community or to living as a hermit.
Yet, truly enlightened individuals may choose to live in a
closed monk-like community, or to live a hermit’s existence.
So, what protects us from regression to a lower level of
being?
My father showed an interesting behavior while in a
concentration camp. Everyone was
starving and there was only a small amount of bread that they had to divide
amongst themselves. My father decided to
build a scale from scraps of wood and string.
Then each piece of bread could be weighed, so that everyone could be a assured
of being treated equally. A small boy in
the camp observed this action. Later, as
an adult, he painted a picture depicting this episode.
Why would my father do this?
Obviously he was a survivor, he could have found a way to cheat and
steal from his fellow camp members, and he did steal from the Germans to
survive.
Maintaining a sense of morality maintains sanity. Within compassion you automatically help
others. To do this you must let go of
some level of ego. Giving of yourself,
so as help others live better and more fully. These are the acts of living at a higher
level. This makes living worthwhile!
Right action is the key.
So, be a survivalist!
Be prepared for many possible eventualities.
Train with weapons, be a sheepdog.
A sheepdog might look like a wolf, to the sheep, but you
know you have a different mindset.
The mindset is that you are there to help your neighbors, to
share with others in what ever way you deem to be right action.
A higher level of being can be defined as the larger group
of people you consider to be part of your “family.”
We can play the role of “fitting in.” But, realize it is only a role you are
playing.
You are the bright shining embodiment of Source.
Embrace this embodiment and enjoy to the fullest!
I sometimes wonder why thoughts regarding “All That Is”
arise during my rides. Must be similar
to any form of meditation. 
Nonetheless, during my ride I was mulling over the talks and
posters listed. I was thinking how even
within integrative medicine we fall into using the modalities with which we are
comfortable; acupuncture, supplements, herbals, tai chi, yoga, meditation, and
so forth. 
What is important is to realize they are merely ways of
focusing attention. 
