“The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively not by the false appearance of things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.” – Schopenhauer
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse with partisan politics along comes an S bomb. Innocent oversight or downright rebel in your face pride Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell fanned the flames of controvery this week. To put this debate in the right context I defer to a great op-ed piece written by Jon Meacham in the New York Times.
“A man of knowledge begins with fear. When he overcomes fear he develops clarity. This allows him to see the not so obvious and to peer into hidden agendas. The clarity can be blinding and frightening that many revert back into fear. The seeker of knowledge breaks through to power and this can become a trap. It intoxicates him into becoming a tyrant using his knowledge. The man of knowledge develops power over power.”
Don Juan Matus
This is my distillation of the writings of Carlos Castaneda that I was forced to read many years ago to become an apprentice of a “Man of Knowledge.” Today, I was inspired to return to our noble project we started last year as graduates of Wizard Academy’s 2008, World Changers.
In my own experience I was affected by life’s circumstances and got stuck in the second stage, blinding clarity. I lost my innocence and pervasive optimism by seeing into just how deeply racism exists in our great country.
Angel Escalane the little wizard
Today watching legendary New York Times columnist, Thomas L. Friedman give his take on global warming I was infused with a shot of “fear and apathy be gone.” The essence of his comment was, “If you wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me are we screwed? I’d say yes. Once I begin to wake up and look at my daughters, I’d say no. We have the hope of mankind to lead us in the right direction.
Which leads me back to why a committed group of writers banded together to change the world and provide our antidote to racism. Keep in mind this was pre-election of our first Black president.
Where does this noble project go from here, I don’t know. But I can assure you the last thing to die is hope. This comes on the heels of losing my father. He was not perfect but in his own way he was a man of knowledge. Thanks for keeping the fire burning Mr. Oz.
“You will miss more by not seeing than by not knowing.”
~Dr. Eugene W. Adams
(The essential essence universally applicable, distilled after innumerable painstaking hours that uncovered the secret of simplifying the complex. Spoken as succinctly as read and without fanfare. Yet this man’s freely shared wisdom has anchored more than one Sentient.)
Seeing and Listening are to looking and hearing what the Sun is to Pluto: very distant.
That gap harbors the unknowing Knowns.
“Ideas are the product of connections, both logical and illogical. Effective creativity is a merger of these logical and illogical thoughts together to form revolutionary new strategies and plans. Sadly, most Americans focus only on what has already been developed by others.” – Dave Lakhani
The friend within the man is that part of him
which belongs to you and opens to you a
door which never, perhaps, is opened to
another. Such a friend is true, and all he says
is true; and he loves you even if he hates you
in other mansions of his heart.
The Wisdom of the Sands
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A friend is one who knows all about you
and still likes you.
entry within Apples of Gold
