We are a function of the stories we tell about ourselves. That is why stories are so important and why the way we tell them is equally crucial.
Ancient societies understood this well and history was an oral tradition for millions of years before writing transformed the nature of human reality. Since then print and more recently digital technologies have given mankind an ability to share stories like never before. The emergence of these technologies has also significantly changed the nature of human reality here on earth.
The story we tell about ourselves to the world is often very different to the one we tell ourselves internally. Additionally, the story the world tells about us is often different again and can vary widely depending on who is asked. All this begs the question as to which story is true - but that is actually the wrong question. The real question should be, which story best reflects reality - the answer is that they all do.
As both our internal and external stories effect our sense of identity, transformational change can happen either as a result of the stories we tell ourselves or as a result of a public narrative that emerges about us. Modern brands understand this very well and so invest heavily to develop and communicate their personal story while also reacting to and seeking to control external narratives that emerge about them.
Truth is not reality. Fundamental truth, the true nature of existence can never be grasped - and it is futile to try. My preference is, therefore, to deal with the reality of identity. It is empowering to know that we can create our own reality, but, equally sobering to acknowledge that the reality of identity is in turn strongly shaped by the external. The stories mankind tell, thus, greatly effect the reality of personal identity.
The impetus for transformational change and the creation of a new reality or sense of identity can thus come as a result of external events (eg. culutral shift, chance encounter etc.). Alternatively, it can result due to an individual changing their internal story and then effectively communicating that new story externally. Either way the objective reality that emerges will be a function of both an internal story and an external story. Awareness is, thus, about grasping the reality of our story and the reality of other people's stories.
All this makes me think about my own story - what is it? How do I tell it and how do others tell it? Is it honest? Am I happy with it? How is it likely to evolve? How active a role am I playing in its evolution? What are the risks and rewards associated with change? How aware am I of the reality of my story and how aware am I of the reality of the stories of those around me?
While truth can never be grasped fully, it can be appreciated. We experience truth in moments of stillness, when we are close to nature and open to the universe. Truth encompasses all possibility and as such is the fountain of all human creativity.
In order to create our own reality and better evolve our sense of identity, it is important to first gain a deep awareness of the reality of our identity. Being still and seeking to appreciate truth is helpful here. Meditation and psychedelics are, thus, useful tools in this respect.
However, in order to ultimately effect a change in our reality we need to do battle in this world. This is 'The Real Fight'. This is how we take ownership of our story - internal and external.
The way we tell the story is equally important. I try to pay attention to the way my story is told and to remember that a great story should also be an entertaining story.
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Wednesday 20 November 2013
Paradigm Shift
Life is never more interesting as when you encounter a paradigm shift - particularly if you had previously been a vocal exponent of the old paradigm.
I encountered such a shift this year with regard to nutrition. I was operating in a low fat, high complex carb (low glycemic index), high protein paradigm. I believed that the way to lose weight was to exercise and eat correctly - how wrong was I!
I've now totally changed my diet. Here are some of the interesting facts I've discovered:
- Saturated fat is good - eat more butter (grass fed), eggs, nuts, coconut, red meat (grass fed)
- Don't cook with Olive oil as it oxidises when heated - just eat it cold on salads
- Only cook with butter, coconut oil or macademia nut oil
- Grains are bad for you - stay away from wheat, oats, barley, rye, and corn
- If you are going to eat grain then white rice is least bad
- Fructose is the worst type of sugar - don't eat too much fruit, treat it as natures desert
- The best fruit are berries, in particular blueberries
- Sugar is a drug - more potent and addictive than nicotine - avoid it
- Nicotine is actually good for you - increases red blood cells and promotes brain activity (cigarettes are bad and do cause cancer - nicotine pills ok though)
- Vegtables are essential - you should eat them raw where possible and eat lots each day (particularly green veg)
- Mushrooms are full of vitamins and are very healthy
- Psychedelic mushrooms have other benefits to mental health and promote spirituality
- Where you're protein comes from and what it has eaten is crucial - only eat grass fed meat, and line caught fish
- Stay away from farmed fish
- Coffee is really good for you (if mycotoxin free) - its high in antioxidants
- Red wine is good for you, but, avoid excess alcohol as it lowers your testorone level
- Stay away from soy unless its fermented
- Fermented milk tastes great and is a super source of probiotics
- Marajuanna is healthy for you and does not cause lung cancer
- 90% Cocoa dark chocolate tastes great and is super good for you - avoid all other chocolate
- Your gut is your second brain - gut health is vital to overall health
- Fasting is healthy - it raises your levels of growth hormone and lowers insulin levels
- Fasting up to 16 hours a day can be very beneficial, so long as you still eat a sufficient amount of calories during your eating window
- Flouride fucks up your pituitary gland (third eye) - why is it in our tap water?
- Water is crucial - drink a lot of it everyday, but, avoid tap water and any water with flouride in it
- Unpasturised milk is best - pasturisation kills most of the food in milk
- Salt is good for you - you need it for the minerals it contains
- Stay away from table salt - Pink Himalayan rock salt is the best salt
- Supplementation is important - best supplements to take each day are Krill Oil, a food based multi-vitamin and a probiotic
- You don't need to exercise to lose weight - just eat right!
Following the principles above has improved my health beyond measure. It's a million miles away from conventional wisdom and my previous way of thinking. As I said, life is never more interesting than when you encounter a paradigm shift.
I encountered such a shift this year with regard to nutrition. I was operating in a low fat, high complex carb (low glycemic index), high protein paradigm. I believed that the way to lose weight was to exercise and eat correctly - how wrong was I!
I've now totally changed my diet. Here are some of the interesting facts I've discovered:
- Saturated fat is good - eat more butter (grass fed), eggs, nuts, coconut, red meat (grass fed)
- Don't cook with Olive oil as it oxidises when heated - just eat it cold on salads
- Only cook with butter, coconut oil or macademia nut oil
- Grains are bad for you - stay away from wheat, oats, barley, rye, and corn
- If you are going to eat grain then white rice is least bad
- Fructose is the worst type of sugar - don't eat too much fruit, treat it as natures desert
- The best fruit are berries, in particular blueberries
- Sugar is a drug - more potent and addictive than nicotine - avoid it
- Nicotine is actually good for you - increases red blood cells and promotes brain activity (cigarettes are bad and do cause cancer - nicotine pills ok though)
- Vegtables are essential - you should eat them raw where possible and eat lots each day (particularly green veg)
- Mushrooms are full of vitamins and are very healthy
- Psychedelic mushrooms have other benefits to mental health and promote spirituality
- Where you're protein comes from and what it has eaten is crucial - only eat grass fed meat, and line caught fish
- Stay away from farmed fish
- Coffee is really good for you (if mycotoxin free) - its high in antioxidants
- Red wine is good for you, but, avoid excess alcohol as it lowers your testorone level
- Stay away from soy unless its fermented
- Fermented milk tastes great and is a super source of probiotics
- Marajuanna is healthy for you and does not cause lung cancer
- 90% Cocoa dark chocolate tastes great and is super good for you - avoid all other chocolate
- Your gut is your second brain - gut health is vital to overall health
- Fasting is healthy - it raises your levels of growth hormone and lowers insulin levels
- Fasting up to 16 hours a day can be very beneficial, so long as you still eat a sufficient amount of calories during your eating window
- Flouride fucks up your pituitary gland (third eye) - why is it in our tap water?
- Water is crucial - drink a lot of it everyday, but, avoid tap water and any water with flouride in it
- Unpasturised milk is best - pasturisation kills most of the food in milk
- Salt is good for you - you need it for the minerals it contains
- Stay away from table salt - Pink Himalayan rock salt is the best salt
- Supplementation is important - best supplements to take each day are Krill Oil, a food based multi-vitamin and a probiotic
- You don't need to exercise to lose weight - just eat right!
Following the principles above has improved my health beyond measure. It's a million miles away from conventional wisdom and my previous way of thinking. As I said, life is never more interesting than when you encounter a paradigm shift.
Tuesday 19 November 2013
Victoria Falls
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to visit the falls. My father was there as a young man. When we were kids he would captivate us with slide shows beamed from a small projector onto my mothers white table cloth, which he hung in our living room. The pictures of the falls made a huge impression on me as a young boy and a deep longing to visit them emerged within.
In primary school we also learned about the falls during a history class on Africa. Here I learnt the name the native Tonga people gave to the falls - Mosi-oa-Tunya - Smoke that Thunders. I remember thinking how beautiful the name was and what a shame it was that the falls were more commonly known today by the name of an English queen who never even stepped foot in Africa - let alone saw the falls.
In my teens I visited the Niagra Falls in Canada. They were awe inspiring - for about 10 mins! The crass commercialisation of the town soon drowned out the majesty and beauty for me. I remember thinking at the time that the Victoria Falls would be different, because it was Africa - a wilder land, closer to nature, and unspoilt by tacky American commerce.
As a young man I met and married a beautiful Shona girl. I told her of my love for the falls I had never seen and shared my wish for them to be my last resting place - where my ashes should be spread so that people could come to remember me at a powerful spot of immense natural beauty.
The problems in Zimbabwe made my wife reluctant to visit the country again until this year. When we eventually did plan our trip the falls were first on my list.
When I first laid eyes on the falls I was filled with a deep sense of awe and wonder. I had never before seen such a sight of power and majesty - it was everything I imagined and more. The afternoon spent walking with the family along the viewing route was a truly spiritual experience. This is Africa at its most wild, powerful and free.
The town of Victoria Falls has a good road into it and the streets are clean and well maintained. There is free fast broadband access in most of the hotels. The electricity works with no blackouts. In fact, the only issue with technology was the credit card machines in the restaurants and hotels which couldn't pick up a signal. It has to be said that this is very different to the rest of Zimbabwe which badly needs investment in critical infrastructure such as roads, electricity and broadband.
The trip to the falls would not have been complete without a bungee jump from the river bridge. As I had done one 13 years before in RSA I was confident that fear wouldn't be a problem. How wrong I was - as I stepped out onto the bridge it gripped me in a vice. I was frozen and my will to jump vanished. Why was I here doing such a stupid thing - why risk my life for a brief adrenaline rush? I chickened out. However, after a few words from my wife my courage as restored and I stepped out onto that bridge for a second time. This time I didn't look down - only at the horizon - and then I jumped! It was terrifying.....exhilirating, but, terrifying.
While I doubt I'll ever do another bungee jump, I most certainly will be back to visit the falls. They have possessed me in a way that is difficult to explain and indeed did so even before i visited them. It is as if they reached out across time and continents - drawing me to them from an early age. The Mosi-oa-Tunya were quite simply zvinoshamisa!
In primary school we also learned about the falls during a history class on Africa. Here I learnt the name the native Tonga people gave to the falls - Mosi-oa-Tunya - Smoke that Thunders. I remember thinking how beautiful the name was and what a shame it was that the falls were more commonly known today by the name of an English queen who never even stepped foot in Africa - let alone saw the falls.
In my teens I visited the Niagra Falls in Canada. They were awe inspiring - for about 10 mins! The crass commercialisation of the town soon drowned out the majesty and beauty for me. I remember thinking at the time that the Victoria Falls would be different, because it was Africa - a wilder land, closer to nature, and unspoilt by tacky American commerce.
As a young man I met and married a beautiful Shona girl. I told her of my love for the falls I had never seen and shared my wish for them to be my last resting place - where my ashes should be spread so that people could come to remember me at a powerful spot of immense natural beauty.
The problems in Zimbabwe made my wife reluctant to visit the country again until this year. When we eventually did plan our trip the falls were first on my list.
When I first laid eyes on the falls I was filled with a deep sense of awe and wonder. I had never before seen such a sight of power and majesty - it was everything I imagined and more. The afternoon spent walking with the family along the viewing route was a truly spiritual experience. This is Africa at its most wild, powerful and free.
The town of Victoria Falls has a good road into it and the streets are clean and well maintained. There is free fast broadband access in most of the hotels. The electricity works with no blackouts. In fact, the only issue with technology was the credit card machines in the restaurants and hotels which couldn't pick up a signal. It has to be said that this is very different to the rest of Zimbabwe which badly needs investment in critical infrastructure such as roads, electricity and broadband.
The trip to the falls would not have been complete without a bungee jump from the river bridge. As I had done one 13 years before in RSA I was confident that fear wouldn't be a problem. How wrong I was - as I stepped out onto the bridge it gripped me in a vice. I was frozen and my will to jump vanished. Why was I here doing such a stupid thing - why risk my life for a brief adrenaline rush? I chickened out. However, after a few words from my wife my courage as restored and I stepped out onto that bridge for a second time. This time I didn't look down - only at the horizon - and then I jumped! It was terrifying.....exhilirating, but, terrifying.
While I doubt I'll ever do another bungee jump, I most certainly will be back to visit the falls. They have possessed me in a way that is difficult to explain and indeed did so even before i visited them. It is as if they reached out across time and continents - drawing me to them from an early age. The Mosi-oa-Tunya were quite simply zvinoshamisa!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)