The Rishis Blog

More flow definitions

As you know, I've said repeatedly that flow changes the way terms and vocabulary are used. Things like "fear" and "decision" no longer exist or are redefined.

Well, here's a business example of how this is working as well:

Rental car agencies are going through a huge crisis as they are unable to meet the demand for economical cars. People asking for fuel efficient vehicles are being given gas guzzling SUVs instead because there simply are not that many economical cars to go around.

What does this have to do with flow? 

Because, for roughly the past 18 years, it was always considered an "upgrade' to get a bigger, more gas guzzling car. Even six months ago you would pay a premium to upgrade to an SUV.

Now that definition is being turned on its ear, and the rental car agencies can't give away their "upgrades" of gas guzzlers. 

So in the future the term "upgrade" will apply to the most fuel efficient cars, with premiums going for gas sippers like the Prius and even the Ford Escape hybrid.

It's just more proof that the world is changing and what was thought to be set in stone never was since it was never based on flow to begin with.

David Weber channeling The Rishis

Why is gas so high?

This question hits right at the core of flow. Why? Because even though literally the world is being crushed under the high cost of gas, no one seems to know why. So each entity involved with finding (or offering) a solution comes up with their own story.

OPEC says it's because of speculators and has nothing really to do with them. The oil companies say that is a lie and that infrastructure is to blame - they need MORE money to build more refineries and such to keep up with demand. The Republicans say just use ethanol and start drilling for oil anywhere in the US (and on the coasts) and everything will be fine. The Democrats side with the speculator argument.

This is where flow comes in. You may never know the real reasons, but through flow you can sort out propaganda and hidden agendas. The oil company argument is easy to see through, especially since you don't see them truly advancing alternative fuels (contrary to their public relations campaigns). OPEC's argument is slightly more believable as they risk people not consuming gas in the quantities they used to - OPEC can't raise gas to prices people truly can't afford. And so on.

Of course, through all this you seldom read of anyone asking the consumer to cut back in any way. The US consumes more than 1/3 of the world's energy resources, and unbridled consumption is seen as a right, not a privilege.

Yes, it will ultimately sort itself out. But in the meantime, make sure you follow flow rather than simply by the spin put out by public relations companies and their clients with agendas.

David Weber channeling The Rishis

Wishing for another time

With all the events happening in the world (1,200 fires in California, floods in the midwest, gas reaching ever-higher prices) it's tempting to wish you lived in another era. My roommate in college was this way. He was from a small town where he had friends, everyone went to the same church, and everyone essentially thought alike. When it got to college he encountered people from different cultures and belief systems, and it was jarring. Couple that with the fact he was struggling in his classes and was trying to get into ROTC for a scholarship, and he was stressed.

His stress lead him to repeatedly state he wished he lived during WWII. He loved the music from the era as well as everything else about it. But what he really liked was the fact that you had to focus on a war rather than your own problems - it was true escapism as you had to put your life on hold to go fight in Europe or Asia.

But the reality was, even with my roommate's hero George S. Patton, that the war eventually ended. Patton said he wanted to be killed with the last bullet of the war but lived after it was over and became very depressed (ultimately dying in a car accident).

So even if my roommate had lived back then, he still would have had to face himself and his problems. The good news is by senior year he had "found his place" and was much more confident and happy, and seldom talked about living in a different era.

The moral of the story? His "deep" desire to live in another time was merely another flow blockage. He was avoiding all the issues that needed to be dealt with. I was much in the same boat, although with me my flow began to emerge stronger and stronger as my college years progressed.

More strange flow blockages

I recently read about a documentary concerning Iranian transexuals. This sounds like a very obscure topic but it points out how perverted flow blockages can make things.

As you probably know, it is illegal to be gay in Iran and you can be executed for it. But since the Koran says nothing about transexuals (who are ultimately seen as not being gay per se), they are actually accepted in society, so much so that the government will pay for sex change operations (with endless bureaucracy required, of course).

Yes, there is still a lot of prejudice against transexuals, but they are not seen as sinning against God like gays are.

So here you have, yet again, people interpreting a piece of literature based on what they think it says, exactly like many Christians do with the Bible. And it is an interpretation, as both Islamic terrorists and Islamic peace workers both claim to be following the Koran to the letter.

I also briefly saw a special on gays and Hinduism. Apparently, and I'll admit ignorance of the Hindu religion, there is no reference to homosexuality in any context. Yet, thanks to prejudice, Hindus still frown upon it. More flow blockages.

As I've mentioned many times before, the most interesting part about all this is how these "set in stones' directives change over time. Just look at America, where you could be arrested and sent to jail for being gay in the 1940's, Trent Lott equates homosexuality with cleptomania in the 1990's, and now we have gay marriages becoming legal.

The latest twist is that British brain researchers have recently proven beyond a doubt that homosexuality is a genetic trait delivered in the womb. It will be interesting to see what flow blockage twist the anti-gay crowd puts on that one.

David Weber channeling The Rishis

More proof the world IS changing

Here I go talking about cars again but this news is truly significant. 

A recent study by General Motors, that bastion of large, gas guzzling vehicles, found that 88% of women would rather date a guy who owns a fuel efficient car vs. one who drives a sports car or the latest SUV. Moreover, 45%, nearly half, of 18 - 43 year olds (the prime car buying market) state that it's a "fashion faux pas" not to drive a green car.

By now you're thinking this is just a reaction to the gas crisis, so what's the big deal? Well, the big deal is that such a survey has never happened before. Never. Even during the bad old days of oil shortages in the 1970's the "cool" cars and their drivers were the ones with Camaros or Porsches or even Cadillacs. Small cars were always seen as some sort of compromise and not a vehicle of choice.

This proves the world is changing, and that all the traditional 'values' of past years are fading away. Automakers and society in general better be ready for this huge shift, because it's coming and nothing is going to stop it. Greed, consumerism, and the rest are ultimately going to seem like relics.

Of course, all this means that flow is stronger than ever in people!

David Weber channelling The Rishis

The Olympics and flow

The Chinese Olympics are coming up which is yet another great opportunity to talk about flow.

The Olympics are supposed to be where countries put aside their differences and compete in a forum of sportsmanship. For America, at least, there is also this belief that The Olympics will somehow show non-democratic countries the error of their ways.

But what are The Olympics?

One American Olympic hopeful, Jeremy Wariner, was profiled in an auto magazine. HIs first car was a $75,000 Mercedes (at age 21). His current cars, at age 24, are a $130K Mercedes S Class and a $70K SUV. And his parents didn't buy them for him. So is this Olympic hopeful really "going for the gold" simply for the sportsmanship? Doubtful, especially since his dream car according to the article is a $500k Mercedes SLR.

Okay, but these games are still about athletic skill, right? Well, yes and know. Yes, these athletes are the best in the world. But watch the swimming competition closely. You will see many athletes wearing a Speedo suit called a LZR, released in February. This suit literally increases an athlete's chances of winning due to its revolutionary design. In fact, since February lesser swimmers have won competitions simply because they wore this suit. Experts estimate it gives a 2% advantage or more, crucial in a sport determined by 1/10ths of seconds. Oh, and the suit costs $600.

What about converting the Chinese to democracy? Well, The US owes China over $400 billion in loans to support the Iraq war. The US also has a huge trade deficit with China. Virtually every American household has at least one Chinese-made product. 

China's partially state-owned oil company, PetroChina, had a market value of $1 trillion (that's trillion with a "T") on its first day of trading last November - the largest valuation of any company in the history of any modern stockmarket. And Chinese authorities have placed severe restrictions on foreign media reporting of the Olympics. EVERY camera angle is scrutinized so that no protesters are shown to the world. To add icing on the cake, Amnesty International just reported China leads the world in executions with nearly 2,000 a year,something that The Olympics were "supposed to remedy".

This is hardly a country that has any reason to change its ways.

The point is, in relation to flow, to just be honest about what is going on. The Olympics are nothing more than yet another paid sports spectacle where everyone involved wants money and prestige (but money comes first). And that is made even more clear when technology can literally change the outcome, not an athlete's inherent ability.

If The Olympics were what it says it is there would be no such thing as sponsorships for athletes or for the games. All athletes would have to wear the same NON-logo sporting gear/uniforms. And it is purely delusional to think a few weeks of sporting games is going to topple any regime. As much as it was a humiliation for Adolf Hitler when African American Jesse Owens beat his "Aryan Supermen" athletes in 1936, Nazi Germany still became significantly more powerful after that.

Personally I have little problem with athletes getting sponsorships or technology improving the game. And while I don't support communism, I do know that two weeks of Olympic games aren't going to change it. 

To pretend those things don't exist and The Olympics is just for sport is truly naive.

David Weber channeling The Rishis

Understanding Metaphysical Children Rishi event is tomorrow!

Come hear The Rishis talk about Flow Children, October Children, Indigos, Crystal Children and much more. By understanding these children you can understand both your own flow and how the future of the world is going to look. 

In this year of high gas prices, declining housing values, mortgage meltdowns, and everything else, it's a great way to know the future is going to be the exact opposite - truly wonderful!

Get complete details at: http://metaphysics.meetup.com/249/calendar/7983459/?a=cr1p_rt

Look forward to seeing you there!

What's left

I remember in high school and college friends telling me about their experiences growing up in Catholic school. One thing stood out as especially unusual - the Catholic Church had a firm stand that writing with your left hand was wrong, a sin. The devil was somehow controlling you and it had to be corrected. Of course, this goes to societal flow blockages. The majority of people (Catholics) were right handed so therefore left-handed people must be wrong.

Fast forward to 2008. I saw an article yesterday that said no matter who ends up being president (meaning McCain or Obama) we will have a left-handed president.

Of course, this is even more of a story of flow when it comes to Obama since he is black, has Muslim relatives, does not have an "American" name, and is left handed. All of which were considered "sinful" by American society at one time or another.

Just another example of how flow triumphs all and flow blockages ultimately go by the wayside. 

Charles Moskos dead at age 74

You probably don't know who Charles Moskos is but you definitely know his work. He is the scholar who formulated the don't ask, don't tell policy for the US military. Here is a quote from his obituary:

"Charles was a remarkable man, a renowned scholar who repeatedly offered thoughtful 

advice and thought-provoking ideas on the challenges with which we have grappled over 

the years," said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the United States' commanding general in Iraq. 

I found this quite humorous as this so-called scholar was simply trying to find a way to cover up bigotry and make it sound presentable, and that bigotry was, of course, full of flow blockages.

While admitting the system was imperfect, he was quoted as saying, "allowing gays to serve openly would hurt the morale of the military rank-and-file and would make many recruits uncomfortable".

This statement is even funnier as the same could be said (and was!) about blacks, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, and every other minority in America serving in the US military in the past 200 years. Until Vietnam War the US Military had to have "black squadrons" and "Asian squads" as it would "hurt the morale of the white military rank-and-file and would make many recruits uncomfortable" to serve alongside minorities they perceived to be inferior.

Things got so silly that black soldiers had to secretly give blood so that white soldiers did not know that the transfusion they were getting might have come from an African American.

Rather that deal with the flow blockages directly by teaching the rank-and-file about respect for their fellow soldiers, Moskos just added more flow blockages. The message was quite clear to the rank-and-file: homosexuality is wrong, and if you know someone is gay they are not to be treated as an equal.

Of course, the world is changing for the better and the ridiculous Moskos "solution" will soon seem as quaint and obsolete as the military's decree (until 1942) that African American men were too stupid to fly planes.

David Weber channeling The Rishis

Gas prices and flow

Yes, you know by now that gas is outrageous. I just filled up my car for $4.31/gallon, and that's one of the cheaper stations around here. But people's reaction to high gas prices also is a case study in flow blockages.

For example, there are now reports around the country of people "running out of gas" and calling AAA and other services for free gas (AAA will give you up to four gallons free). Then there are others who will wait in line for 20 minutes or more just to save 10 cents a gallon at a cheaper station.

Flow is about logic, and the above scenarios are very illogical. Gas has not passed $4/gallon in most of the country, so by getting a free gallon or so from their auto club how much are they really saving? They have to wait for the tow truck to arrive, sometimes 30 minutes or more, and then put on an act. Think how much they could have accomplished in that time! 

The gas station scenario is even stranger. There is an Arco station near me (Arco is cheaper gas in California as they do not take credit cards) and it is always packed with large SUVs and other gas guzzlers lining up to save 10 cents a gallon. Yet while waiting they have to start and stop their vehicles, wasting gas in the process and, of course, polluting the environment even more. 

If they are so concerned about saving 10 cents a gallon (and when gas is $4/gallon 10 cents is a minor amount) why are they driving a vehicle that averages 13 miles per gallon? 

The reason has to with flow blockages around perception. As long as they believe they are saving money then they are saving money, even if the reality is quite different. But such blockages create even more problems. People start blaming everyone but themselves. For example, a friend of mine sent me a conservative petition to open up more oil drilling in America. So rather than change their gas guzzling habits, people externalize their problems and don't take responsibility for their own actions.

While I'm an environmentalist, the real message of this post is about living in flow, not about driving an economical car. If you choose to drive a vehicle that guzzles gas then you live with that. I drive a car that gets 30 mpg on average but takes premium gas. So I accept that I must literally pay a premium for my gas versus other car owners. I don't fill my car with cheap gas or put regular in, for I know that it will damage the engine and potentially cause me serious repair bills. If I was uncomfortable with paying for premium gas I would have not acquired the car.

Yes, there are things in life you can't plan for, such as buying a new house and then there is a fire. But when it comes to things like buying a vehicle in an unstable gas price market there is simply no excuse for regretting your choice - you know all the facts in advance.

David Weber channeling The Rishis