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 Nothing in this physical universe lasts forever.  That’s the lesson of impermanence.

If you can appreciate and accept this fact, then nothing that happens to you, bad or good, should live too long in your mind.  The Chinese philosopher and teacher Lao Tzu was a huge advocate of not resting on ones laurels.  Understanding that even the greatest victories are short-lived is key to understanding impermanence.  Likewise, understanding that even the greatest tragedies are overcome with time is also key to understanding impermanence.  Intellectually, it is a very simple concept to grasp.  Again, nothing lasts forever.

But we all fall victim to this idea that our suffering is insurmountable and so uniquely special as to be incomprehensible by others.  Our suffering sets us apart.  It reinforces our feelings of aloneness.  And it is strengthened by our failure to remember the principle of impermanence: nothing lasts forever.  That includes suffering, whether we like it or not.  We all have known moments of suffering that we have consciously or unconsciously prolonged simply because it plays to the “victim” mentality.  We forget impermanence and cling to what makes us unhappy.

The good and bad in life ebb and flow like a great spiritual tide throughout our lives.  Acknowledgment that all things change, including that which we wish would not, is a step towards acceptance of what is.  Acceptance and surrender are different.  I do not advocate surrendering to the tide.  In fact, I would advocate navigating the tides.  What I do advocate is acceptance of those moments when things to do not go according to our plans, when times are tough.  In these moments, we are best served remembering that nothing in this world of form will last forever.  

Embrace impermanence.  Do not fear it.  Embrace it and know that every moment is a gift that builds upon the other experiences of your life.  Alone, we may judge them as good or bad, but together…together they are your life.  What is more beautiful than that?

 Philosophically speaking, there is a great deal of wisdom in the concept of dependent origination.  Simply stated, all things flow into one another.  This moment has its roots in the moments before it.  It is also an antecedent to the moments to come.  That is the idea in a few nutshells.

Common sense, right?  Before the present, there was the past.  In the past, each moment was the present with a preceding moment being the past to the first moment.  As you read this, the words you have read are the past.  The words that I have already written (which I haven’t really written because I am writing this as I write this) are ahead.  You can see the page filled with them.  I assume this because, again, as I write this, the words are not there.  They will be there when you read this, though.

And this is the whole point.  You cannot have a now without a then.  You cannot have a tomorrow without a today.  There is always a moment preceding this one.  We all know this to be true.  It is the very fabric of our reality, our perception of time.

Yet, we have no evidence that time truly passes as we have been taught.  It is quite possible that the present moment is the only moment, held eternally in place.  All that varies is our perception of the changes in nature.  We explain it as time, but it is possible that all we observe is the constant natural degradation and alteration of every thing in the Universe.  There is no time.

Even if we take time out of the equation, there is action.  Action is always based on previous action.  All anticipated action can be predicted based on current action and preceding action.  Nothing we do right now is wholly independent of other things that we have already done.  Thus, the current moment, the current action, is dependent on previous action.  This is an example of dependent origination.

Grasping dependent origination is important because of one simple reason: we ignore it.  We ignore the fact that nothing existence independently of everything.  Somewhere, there is a point of origin for every phenomena we observe, every activity we undertake, every decision we make.  We have this tendency to believe that the actions of others are random, unpredictable.  In reality, they are not random, and they are very predictable.  If we can accept this, then anything we observe can be traced back to an origin, to some moment that was the genesis of the series of events leading to that which we observed.  Thus, we can find the root of all action.  This is an important point and should stand alone as a sentence:

     We can find the root of all action.

Every event, every action can be linked to a causal antecedent.  We need not fear seemingly random acts of violence.  We need not despair at misfortune.  We need not rage at the countless injustices heaped upon us by a jilted lover or a vengeful spouse.  We need not ask, “Why me?”

Why me?  Well, why not?  Who better than you?

If you want to know why, look for the cause.  Note the preceding moments.  Understand the circumstances.  Above all else, learn.  Learn and do not let these things repeat themselves.

Nothing happens spontaneously.  Everything happens for a reason.  Seek to gain knowledge of the reason.  Understand dependent origination as a mechanism that moves the Universe.

 Sounds dirty, but it’s not.  At least not this time.

Fast is a great pace at which to operate.  It’s just hard to sustain.  Fast and hard…again, sounds dirty, but it’s not…are even harder to sustain.  We are creatures of finite energy, and we must choose how to direct that energy.  Without repose, we eventually burn out.

Repose is the key to everything.

Fast then slow…

A few slow days, moments to rest and recuperate, are essential to sanity and physical well-being.  Once the balance one finds from a slower tempo is attained, then it’s off to the races again.

Fast and hard.

If you are going to do it, then do the heck out of it.  Do it passionately.  Do it emphatically.  Do it with that reckless abandon I’ve talked about before.  Do it fast and hard.

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

I feel like I over-exerted my brain. I am, as they say, brain-fried.

One of the nice things about being brain-fried is that you hardly notice you are brain-fried. The realization tends to come when you try to think about something heady and worthwhile. You try, but you can’t. Your head might hurt (as mine does). At minimum, your thoughts are foggy. You might call them murky, at best. Try as you might, your thoughts don’t race. It’s more like they schlep their way through your boggy mind.

Another nice thing about being brain-fried is that it is usually a good indicator that you have exerted considerable emotional energy in some activity that required your full, undivided attention. This is a good thing. Sure, you may have gone down in flames, but you were 100% “there”…fully invested in whatever you were doing. And chances are that the pursuit of…whatever it was that you were doing…was in some way vital to your life. Few things demand more of you than the work of your life.

The opportunity to spend 4 out of the last 7 days working as hard as I have on exercising skills that I consider newly-emerging has been an incredible blessing. The two venues that presented themselves to me were different, with different players, different desired outcomes, and different requirements. The scope of each engagement was drastically different. The number of people I worked with was different. The results were different, and the levels of success attained were different. Each was so completely different from the other…

Yet, together, they were the same: opportunities to move others towards achieving a common goal. The stakes are high when you raise your hand and tell another that you can help them facilitate a challenging conversation, but, when successful, the reward…the reward is invigorating.  Brain-fried and invigorated…what a pair.

In case you were wondering, in the short term “brain-fried” prevails.

When you go outside on a typical hot, muggy Puerto Rican night, you are greeted by the chirping sounds of the unofficial ambassador of Puerto Rico, the coqui.

The coqui is a small tree frog that lives all over the island of Puerto Rico. Modern myth says that the coqui is unable to live anywhere else in the world but Puerto Rico.  While romantic, it is a common misconception.  Stories are told of failed attempts to maintain coqui’s in captivity elsewhere, failed attempts at keeping them as pets, and failed attempts at transplanting them to other tropical locals. In fact, the coqui has invaded the Hawaiian Islands and is a source of great consternation for many of its inhabitants.

The coqui is a difficult animal to keep alive in captivity because it is very attuned to the climate of Puerto Rico. There is popular poem , “El Oracion del Coqui” or “The Prayer of the Coqui,” in which the coqui begs God to take care of the coqui’s little Caribbean island because, “As you well know, I cannot live anywhere but here.” There is nothing more symbolic of the heart and soul of Puerto Rico than the coqui.

 I am not an economist.  I do not pretend to be well-versed in financial matters.  I have an MBA, but I can’t say that I’ve grasped the micro and the macro of it.  What I have always known is that indefinite growth is impossible and that an expanding economy isn’t sustainable.  Duh, right?  We all sort of figured that one out.

What, then, should become the new measure of economic value?  How do we measure success?  For decades, growth and profit have been the Holy Grail of individual business and of the larger economy.  But if we can all agree that growth doesn’t last forever and that the quest to push the envelope of growth will only lead to compression, collapse, and contraction, then what model should we hold up for the developing nations of the world, for the emerging economies?  

It troubles me that, as we export jobs to the developing world in the hopes of lowering the cost of production and providing services, these receiving economies begin to grow.  They begin to take on the characteristics of our old ways.  They begin the pursuit of what will ultimately become unsustainable growth.  So, are we just exporting a failing, untenable vision of economic success?  Are we pushing these fragile economies towards a model that can only end in disaster?

Is there another way?

I don’t know.  I’m not an economist.  I simply observe and wonder aloud if we can define a new measure of success…

I know that this is probably a really unpopular, potentially offensive thing to say, and I will say it anyway. I don’t go out of my way to support breast cancer research because, at this point in my life, my time and resources are limited. Since my time and resources are limited, then I have to take a hard look at where I spend both of them. When I take that look, I observe that a lot of people dedicate both their spare time and resources towards breast cancer research and awareness. It’s a topic that is very much in the public eye. So, I can take a step back and look elsewhere.

Like to research into Rett Syndrome. I have a personal connection to Rett Syndrome, so that explains my primary motivation. I also know that it’s not exactly a disorder about which most people are aware. So, I see it as my obligation to lend whatever support I can into research. It’s a personal choice, of course, and I think that the resources I direct towards Rett Syndrome are needed more because there are fewer people contributing. There are all kinds of rational reasons for why I’m misguided, I am sure. Where you focus your energy and resources, though, isn’t exactly a rational, objective science.

Similarly, I find myself leaning towards other organizations and the work that they do because of a personal connection that initially drew my attention. Once the personal connection is made, then I assess the value of my contributions. Does what I do make a difference? Can I find a niche where my unique talents can be leveraged? Will my monetary contributions be used in a manner that aligns with my personal philosophies and convictions? Is there an opportunity to affect the greater good? The answers to all these questions (and others) do not have to be “yes.” I just have to say “yes” to enough of them. Take Acumen Fund, for example. I was moved by a personal appeal. I was persuaded by what I read online. I was sold by the passion and conviction of the people who work for the organization. No science here, just art, feeling. It really comes down to emotions, doesn’t it? Why pretend I am wholly rational when we are, by nature and design, not rational creatures?

I am, by no means, one of the great philanthropists of the world. My life is unfolding in such a way, though, that I recognize that my time, energy, and coffers are needed in ways that I have yet to contribute. This is why I am here. This is why I am writing this. It is not all about dollars and cents and cans of green beans dropped off at the local food bank. All of those are needed. But your time, energy, and, most importantly, love are needed more than anything else. 

Dollars fuel the machine, but love sets the course.

Share your love.

It’s not that I feel any more important today than I did yesterday.  It’s not that I feel like my purpose for existing is any more clear to me.  It’s not that I have figured out any of life’s great mysteries.

The difference is in believing that I can.  I just can.  Period.

It’s not delusional.  It’s not overly optimistic.  It’s not idealistic.  What it is…well, is true.

I can.

I can because it’s not hard.  I can because there is no reason not to.  I can because there are courses of action to which I am called, and if I am called then I am meant to.  I can because there is no reason to fear.

I can because maybe nobody else will, and, my friends, that would be a tragic shame.

I can.

Can you?  

I sure hope that you do.

 Some days, you just have to go see a contemporary jazz dance performance just for the sake of going to see a contemporary jazz dance performance.  Why not?  When was the last time you did that?  Maybe last week.  Maybe never.  Regardless, it’s something that you can say you’ve done after you’ve been to one.

See?  That was easy.  I just had an enriching life experience.  No TV.  No DVD.  No internet video.  I sat in a seat next to my wife and watched a contemporary jazz dance performance.  I enjoyed it.  She gave me tickets for Christmas.  We watch “So You Think You Can Dance” together when it is on.  She knows I love the show, so she bought me tickets to see a real dance performance.  

It was awesome.  The dancers got sweaty.  You could hear them breathing heavy, grunting.  You could hear their feet drag across the stage.  They played cool music.  Some of the music was dudes beat-boxing.  My wife laughed because it reminded her of our little guy.  He likes to drop beats.  He does it in class.  We all refer to it as just another song in the soundtrack of his life.  He sometimes makes me think of the movie “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”  He just doesn’t have a band following him.  He does it himself.  So, when my wife said that about the music at the performance, I thought about my son and the movie, and I laughed.  Inside, of course.  

The dancers reminded me that we all have gifts, we all have art.  We want to give it.  We need to give it.  Why else would they spend a Friday night sweaty and panting and jumping around on a stage to an audience that didn’t even all stay around for the second half.  For a paycheck?  Sure, money is good.  We need it to live like everyone else in this country.  But the paycheck is a benefit.  What I watched on that stage reaffirmed what I know to be true: the pursuit of dreams and of passion trumps all else.  All things pale in comparison.  I felt blessed to partake in that gift.

So, thank you to those wonderful dancers in the North Shore Dance Company.  You really made me day.  

And thank you to my beautiful wife for such a thoughtful and meaningful gift.

 On the drive home today, I was thinking about Haiti and how frustrated I feel that I can’t do something tangible, something real, that has to do with healing.  There is going to be so much hurt, so much pain, for months and years to come.  We’ll forget about these people, go on with our lives, and still there will be so much to do.  So, I started crying.  My chest feels like it’s going to explode.  I just feel so connected to this, and I can’t figure out why.

Connected.  Interconnected.  We are all one.  The Dalai Lama wrote about a Buddhist image that illustrates interconnectedness.  Imagine a vast, celestial net.  At the intersection of every rope on the net, there is a jewel.  It’s a pristine, beautiful jewel.  It has many facets, and it reflects everything around it with brilliant clarity.

You are that jewel.

And in you there is the reflection of every other jewel in the net, in the web.

Every single other jewel.

That is interconnectedness.

So, I am going to keep on this path.  My oldest son gave me a Clifford the Big Red dog to send to Haiti.  I have a contact willing to make room for this one dog.  Someone handed me a plush Tigger today.  My mother is sending me a check for $25.  There are orphans arriving in the US, more to come every day.  There were about 400,000 of them in Haiti before this.  

I am just one man.  I can’t save the world, so don’t get pissed at me for not plunging into every cause out there.  If it means that much to you, go do it yourself.  Don’t wait.  Be vital.  Be indispensable.  Save a life.  Change a life.  I’ll do this.  You can join me.  Or you can pick up your own standard.  Or you can ignore me.  

I don’t care.  I have work to do.  I asked God for a miracle.  Then, I realized something…and this comes back to interconnectedness:

We shouldn’t ask FOR a miracle, we should ask to BE a miracle.  Be a miracle, and you will make other people into miracles, too.  We already are.  We just have to realize it.