Music In The Hands Of Heroes

I rarely endorse websites or organizations. There is such a plethora out here and things are confusing enough to the average web surfer. I much prefer keeping it simple and clean. But this organization has touched my heart, my spirit and my life. I will tell you how but first feel compelled to explain why.

The veterans of the Viet Nam War have often been described as “forgotten” but that is not an accurate statement. Let me see if I can up with a few others that are more accurate and historically acute. We weren’t forgotten. We were scorned, swept under the carpet, ignored, hated, feared, belittled, shamed, blamed, misrepresented, mislabeled as baby killers, targeted with the feces of protesters, shunned by family and former friends, abandoned by our government, and locked out of the very society we had served. Starting to get the picture? No, we were not forgotten. We are still very much in the minds of American society like a horrible jingle that lingers in their minds, like a bad dream they would like to forget but cannot. We will not let them.

Many of us survived the war only to fall in the firefight we walked into when we came home. It as an ambush of immense proportions. No one bothered to ask us our impressions other than to use it against us. “What was it like?” was the most dreaded question because, as soon as we began to answer it, we could see the looks on their faces before they walked away forever. “How many did you kill?” was another. We learned to shut up, shut down and shut in. We were, after all, proven survivors. But many were lost after the war to illnesses, some caused by Agent Orange. Others fell to the toxic spell of mind-numbing drugs and alcohol. Many were homeless, jobless, living on the outermost fringes of society. There was no where to go and no one to whim we could reach out for the help we now so desperately needed.

Some chose isolation. My best buddy from the war went up into the mountains of North Carolina and lived as a hermit for eight years before I coaxed him gently back into society. Others banded together, brothers in arms, to face this new threat, depending upon one another, knowing we could not depend nor trust anyone who hadn’t been there. Still others got on with their lives and somehow escaped the clutches that the experience of war imposes upon the most gentle and the most stalwart warriors.

Regardless of all our diverse reactions and subsequent behaviors, we all shared one thing in common. The war was a polarizing event that defined who we were and who we would become. For so many Viet Nam Vets, heroism did not end when they walked off the battlefield and boarded that big silver bird taking us home. We faced new battles for which we hadn’t been properly prepared and trained. It is a tribute to our courage and adaptability that so many of us survived this new front.

Then there are those who are still shining stars, for whom no adequate or appropriate decoration has yet been designed. The people at Guitars For Vets are such people. They are my heroes. I only learned about them recently via a spot on FOX News. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, a mind seed had been planted by that pot that would change my life. This is their story, as described on their home page:

In May of 2007 Patrick Nettesheim was teaching Dan Van Buskirk his guitar lesson when they started chatting about how much playing the guitar has helped Dan manage his Vietnam born PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Dan felt that it gave him focus and a great sense of happiness. They speculated that other Vets with PTSD might benefit from this meditation in motion.

Great idea! It was then that Pat told Dan a story about an entire song that he had recently composed while lying down with his eyes closed. The relevance of this was, that even injured Vets who could not sit up, might learn how to play the guitar and find joy in it. Dan then said something to the order of “It would be really powerful if we could get some guitars for these men and women.” And then Pat simply countered with, “Why don’t we start an organization called Guitars for Vets? Its the healing power of music in the hands of heroes.” They did.

After watching the spot on Fox, I found their website and was intrigued enough to send them an e-mail thanking them for their service and mission. I was really touched! I also enclosed a poem I had written in Viet Nam and put to music. It is:

The Little Flower

A little flower growing beside

A human road that had long since died

Had a picture in her mind

Of a dark, and frightening

Hour.

(For what good are words

To a flower?)

Another flower, this one’s mother,

She had to be for there was no other

Living in this

Vicinity,

Was crushed beneath advancing boots

Of human animals trying to shoot

That which they called

the enemy.

Her mother, wilting as she bled,

Heard no cries. No one said

Anything.

They just tended their own

And left this little flower

Crying all alone.

Bill Gould, Viet Nam, 1968

I really didn’t expect a response. I was just expressing my gratitude. However, Dan contacted me and asked if they could post my poem on their website and informed me they were sending me a guitar! I was blown away! I have been an avid musician since the tender age of 14 but have not played for the past ten years when I lost all my guitars and recording equipment in an unfortunate disaster. It also came at a time when I had just decided to return to America after a ten-year absence. It was another brother Vet reaching out half-way around the world and shouting, “Welcome home, brother!” I wept and am not ashamed to admit it.

Since that first e-mail, Dan and I have begun to develop a friendship and that entirely opened new possibilities for me that I had never considered before. Previously, I had no idea what I was going to do upon my return. Now I know.

If only the Viet Nam War had produced the last generation of war vets, but such is not the case. The war in Iraq has brought us an entirely new generation of warriors, men and women, returning home after experiencing the worst of humanity’s endeavors. While the implements of war may have advanced, it is still the human mind, heart and soul that pulls the trigger. War is an indiscriminate assailant of all the senses. The effects are long-lasting and life-transforming.

The people at Guitars For Vets understand. They are reaching out and helping these returning Vets and providing them with the means to share what they have experienced in the most open and accepted forum possible, music. I intend to find a way to use my talents, experience and knowledge to somehow expand their work though I do not yet know how. Albert Einstein said, “I would like to know God’s thoughts; the rest is details.” I will find a way.

I want to thank Dan for reaching across the miles and years and welcoming this old Vet home. I urge everyone to support these people and their work. They are doing what we should all be doing. They are walking the walk while so many others are just talking the talk.

Finally, one last thought: Every single veteran has served you, taken your place on the battlefield to protect your way of life and your freedom, as well as that of others. We owe them all a great deal. Time to start paying that debt with action. Do not let this new generation of Vets suffer what we did, please. Show your support and gratitude with actions, not words. Go to this website and contribute whatever you can. If you have an old guitar sitting around gathering dust, send it to them. If you have a few dollars and are wondering what to do with it (highly unlikely in view of the current situation) send it to them. At the very least, rally around them and send them e-mails of support and inspiration. To find their site (until I can figure out how to establish a direct link, just go to Google search and type in Guitars For Vets.) That will get you there.

Thank you, Dan, for opening my heart, mind and eyes. Thank you for gently touching my spirit and guiding me onto the path I know I will now follow. Walk that path with us and prepare for an incredible adventure!

The Iconoclastic Thinker

Tonight, I was corresponding in real time with a friend back in the States. We have known each other for several years and she wrote and told me she felt like an “outcast”. Now, I know this lady well. Our e-mails number in the hundreds, if not the thousands over the years. She came to Thailand to study with me for a five day Master Thinker program. She is a doctor who lost her practice, her spouse, house and all her worldly belongings because she stood up for people. She took on the entire health care system single-handedly and was a whistle blower. They sought to destroy her but couldn’t ever diminish her spirit. She has been a source of inspiration for me since before I met her. They even made a movie about her but it only served to make her more of a target. She is an iconoclastic thinker. I will not use her name in this article because she has been targeted enough.

I immediately wrote her back the first thing that came to my mind. “The iconoclastic thinker is always an outcast. I use the stones that others throw at me for batting practice. It improves my focus, aim, accuracy and distance.”

Most great leaders in virtually every field are iconoclastic thinkers. Most managers are not. Most managers urge their people to “think outside the box!” What they don’t tell then is, “Don’t think outside mine!” For the iconoclastic leader, there are no boxes. They simply do not exist. A few examples? Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Copernicus, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and many, many more. We are surrounded by them but, instead of listening to them, we are usually the ones casting stones.

Iconoclastic thinking is not just the domain of leaders and here is where it gets really interesting. An iconoclastic thinker is anyone who thinks upstream while everyone else around him or her is relaxing on their inner tubes of perception and idly floating downstream. They can be a teacher, a parent, a friend, an enemy or even the smallest child.

Have you ever felt like the odd-person-out? Welcome to the world of iconoclastic thinking! Understand, it is not about being right or wrong, but about thinking differently. You can place your own values on your thinking (and you will) but know that others are just as ready to place theirs upon it, too (and they will). Expect others to think differently from you and the stones they toss do not hurt nearly as much.

I cannot think of a single iconoclastic thinker who lived his or her life without pain, attack and opposition. We all, at different points, ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” The resounding answer is, “Yes!” Sure, we have our moments of doubt. One of the signs of a real iconoclast is a constant challenging of our own beliefs. Another is unflinching flexibility as situations and circumstances evolve. Still another is the ability to act according to those beliefs despite the fear of the unknown that inevitably accompanies them. That is the essence of courage and commitment. That is the makeup of the iconoclastic thinker. Do you qualify? If not, why not?

Keep in mind that the iconoclastic thinker does not always go against the tide. Great iconoclastic leaders have a way of coalescing what other believe or want to believe and lead the way to change and evolution. There was a great experiment conducted in Japan that is know as the “100 Monkeys Experiment”. It involved a troupe of monkeys being relocated on an island with only a supply of yams (sweet potatoes) to eat, something that was outside their normal diet. One day, a female monkey from the troupe, picked up a yam, went into the sea, washed it and began eating it. Soon, all of the troupe was doing the same thing and they all survived as a result.

The fact is that we are all potentially iconoclastic thinkers. We all have ideas and thoughts that run contrary to the winds of current thinking. I suspect that passion is what divides the iconoclast from the masses. What is your purpose in life? Are you willing and able to pursue it with a passion that is unfettered and undeterred? Are you willing and able to take the hits from others? If so, welcome to the world of the iconoclastic thinker. Get off your butt and get out there and involve and include others. It doesn’t matter what the area of human endeavor is involved.

Artists, musicians, poets and dancers, are all iconoclastic thinkers when they break out of the mold and take their art in a new direction and to a new level. The same is true for business people, politicians and theologians. When I was 11 years old, I remember one older kid who came up with a system that revised how we packed groceries at the store in which I worked that increased customer service and raised our level of tips. I still consider him a genius, an iconoclastic thinker. Management was totally opposed to the change but he convinced us all to try it just on one shift and management could not deny the results. I was so inspired that I decided to apply what he had taught us to my newspaper route and the result was that I doubled it within two weeks! Iconoclastic thinking can be contagious to the point of becoming mainstream.

Find your purpose and pursue it with passion. Be brave enough to think differently and have the courage to follow the dictates of your heart, mind and spirit. Live what you preach. Walk the walk. Dare to be different!

Revisiting The Past With Today’s Perceptions

We all have past experiences we would rather forget and have derived many ways of doing so. Some seek psychiatric help. Others “blank” such experience out. Still others “reshape the original” reality into something more palatable and less painful. The most common approach we have been taught is to “learn” from the experience, let it go and move on. I think I have tried them all. Much of my childhood and months of my Viet Nam combat experience is blank. Both contained very painful experiences I strived to forget. A few years ago, I decided to try something different.

The human mind is “wired” to forget pain. A few years ago, I had a very serious motorcycle accident and nearly died. I can recall the incident in minute detail . . . except for the pain. Sure, I am aware there was intense pain but that realization is not nearly as clear as the other details, which are still as clear as crystal.

The fact is that every experience, good or bad, contains lessons. For example, from my motorcycle accident, I certainly learned the benefit of wearing a helmet! The question is, why would we want to revisit them? Ah! This is one of the keys I have discovered through Transformational Thinking to expanding awareness, and this is what I want to share with you in this article.

Usually, when we revisit (remember) an experience, we tend to do so with our perception of that time, like an old tape replaying. A few years ago, I began to wonder what it would it would be like if I revisited past experiences, good or bad, with today’s perception and began to do so with incredible results. In fact, I am beginning to understand that this is the key to the door leading from knowledge and experience to wisdom.

We are able to “see” details that were always there but that we were simply unable to focus upon at the time because of our mind focusing only on those factors centered upon survival or pleasure. In other words, we are able to expand our consciousness of the event when we look at it with our current perception.

The first thing to consider is that, no matter how painful the experience was, it is over. We are impervious to further pain! That takes care of the fear factor, often a difficult barrier to get through. Once past that, we can now look around and “notice” all the other things that were happening at the time and such an experience has always been rewarding for me ever since I began applying this technique. It is, I suppose, very similar to what some describe as an out-of body or near-death experience. Through emotional non-attachment, we can find much to learn from the original experience we may have missed on the first time through.

Many claim that we should focus on the future rather than the past. I disagree for a good reason. In order to create a better future, we must understand the present and, in order to do that, we need to know how we got here from there. We need to develop our minds to clearly focus on all three: the past, present and future, in order to become more adaptable and successful. It is only through this expansion of awareness that we can grow.

Let me put it into perspective. I lived much of my life with anger and that limited my ability to expand my perception. Every time I revisited an “bad” experience of the past, I did so with that anger. Later on in life, I was able to remove that element of anger but it was a while before I decided to revisit those events or experiences. When I did, I had a totally different outlook! I was also able to learn so much more that I had missed during the original happening.

Although this may be a difficult concept for some, consider the following: As I revisit an old experience with new perception, I change the original event because I change the actual experience (or at least my perception of it). Now, I proceed to the next event with that changed perception and the result is equally or more so different. We are talking about expanding one’s life experience here and nothing less. Think about what that means!

That is precisely what I have done and, the more I do it, the greater the parameters of my perception expands. Every revisit is more expanding. It is a spiraling cycle achieved with nothing more than the mind. It is something we are all capable of doing.

If you really want to improve your life, this is a great starting point. Can we really change the past? No, but we can change or expand our perception of it. You have that power right now. Start right now. Pick an experience and relive it, not with the intention of re-experiencing what you did then, but with what you know now. Look at it with the purpose of discovering all the learning points you lay have missed the first time through. Do so without fear or anger, but with love and a desire to learn more. You will be amazed at the results.

The past, present and future are all interconnected. They are not the linear journey we have all been taught to accept. Learning is not a one-time event. Not if you learn ow to revisit the path with your current perception to create a better future and realize that will be a different experience every time you do. It will change you current perception and the cycle simply continues to expand into true awareness and wisdom.

Fond Memories

I will soon be leaving Thailand and returning home to America after a ten year absence. I will miss the Land of Smiles greatly and will pack memories and photographs I managed to capture here with me. Like knowledge, however, unless shared, memories and photographs fade and die with time. So I have decided to start a new section on this blog, one that highlights some of my favorite memories of Thailand along with photos that captured those memorable moments.

My travels in Thailand were on a Honda 110, not exactly a monster bike, but good enough to take me where I wanted to go and I never feared any road, path or trail upon it. I took that bike where most people wouldn’t even think of going! Sign it off to just plain dumb! If ignorance is bliss, I was the happiest biker on or off road!

I decided to start with this one. It is of a most memorable morning. As usual, I had begun my trip long before sunrise, determined to be in position to capture the event from a most advantageous position. In this one, I succeeded, due as much to pure luck as to the cooperation of nature.

I was so cold! I remember my teeth chattering and being concerned that I could not hold the camera still enough to get a decent picture. It turned out to be a legitimate concern as several takes were necessary. As the sunrise revealed the temple on the mountain in silhouette, my breath was literally taken away. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. It was a most magical and mystical moment.

Later, I found my way to that temple and, after removing my shoes at the door, I entered into the serenity that reigned there. I remember thanking the Buddha and nature for what I had been privy to. I vowed to share the moment with others and prayed that they, too, would experience the feeling of exhilaration and fulfillment I had felt.

I continued on my journey of exploration and adventure that day, clocking over 600 kilometers on my bike in that one single day. That moment was followed by others equally as memorable, all of which I attempted to capture on camera. Future postings will determine whether or not I was successful in this endeavor.

Culture Crash!

I have grown accustomed to feeling like a lone voice in the wilderness over the past 25 years. I really don’t mind, at all. I much prefer being alone in the forest to the boardroom, anyway. However, having said that, I find that I still sometimes get frustrated, as do most iconoclastic thinkers, when others just don’t get it.

As a philosopher, I spend a great deal of time watching, studying, researching, learning and thinking. That’s what philosophers are supposed to do. But it doesn’t stop there. What good is coming to conclusions if they are not shared freely with others. Moreover, how significant is the information derived if it cannot be applied in the real world, obtaining real results? The answer? It isn’t. Therefore, the philosopher has the responsibility to share what he or she has learned but nothing can compel others to listen, much less apply. Therein lies the frustration.

What can seem so obvious to some philosophers can appear as “prophesy” to those who cannot make the connections. To be sure, there are many false prophets out there, but a few do possess the ability to make the connections between prophet and profit and predict if we go down this road or that path, this is going to be the result.
There are those who ride the waves of change and then there are those who create them. I have always preferred the latter role and frustration comes as part of the territory. Still, I have to admit to an occasional dab of smug pleasure (Hey! Nobody’ perfect. I am still working on the ego!) when something that I have been declaring for what seems like eons, suddenly comes to fruition and all those people out there who were reluctant to listen suddenly exclaim, “Aha!” The only problem is that it usually takes a tsunami of biblical proportion to get them to that point of epiphany. Very often, however, it is too late. We are, I believe, in such a time and I am feeling no joy, none at all. The enormity and tragedy of the current situation hold no joy for me. I am experiencing a plethora of feelings and emotions, but joy, sadly, is not among them.

We are experiencing a culture crash. It was inevitable and didn’t happen over night. It is not attributable to one person or factor, rather, the result of many that are interconnected but not indistinguishable. There are solutions but, whatever path we take from here, we must realize that, just as after 9/11, our world and our culture will never be the same. It is time to seek new solutions to old problems and forge a new path forward, not backtrack down the trail that led us here. A bitter pill to take is the realization that our best thinking got us here and that no problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it, in the words of Albert Einstein. No, it is time for a new manner of thinking and that is exactly what I have been saying and teaching for the past 25 years. In fact, the slogan for Transformational Thinking, the philosophy I have been developing and sharing with others for the past quarter of a century is, “Welcome to the Thinking Age!”

The recent economic crisis is not a stand-alone nor isolated problem, as we are all learning. It is, in fact, not THE problem, merely one of many symptoms of the root cause. Identifying root cause(s) is an absolute necessity when it comes to basic problem solving. If we cannot identify and change, minimize or eliminate the root cause(s), the problem will only come back to bite us again. Unfortunately, this step is all too often omitted as we rush to solutions, the equivalent of placing a band-aid on an arterial wound. It may be perfectly applied and may even stem the bleeding temporarily but, in the end, the patient dies.

Show me one system by which we live that is problem free and I will immediately drop to my knees and convert. Virtually every system with which we deal is laden with problems that serve as anchors, preventing forward progress. So what are some of the root causes that have brought us to the brink of disaster? And, remember, we are talking about global disaster, not just the home-grown version!

I feel, at the ripening age of 63, I can speak with some first-hand authority on at least the last half of a century. I think that provides us with a suitable cushion or margin of error on both ends of the scale of experience, involvement and awareness.
Something vital has changed in our culture. What is it? Did we ever really have it? If so, how did we lose it and can we regain it again? Those are the real questions. I think I can sum in up in a single word: Connection.

Many people speak fondly of a time in America when people went to sleep without locking their doors, children were allowed to roam the neighborhood freely and without fear, and neighbors rushed to help others in need. I remember those times. They are not a part of urban myth. There was a connection people had and valued then but I think that has dissipated. As we lost touch with each other, we also distanced ourselves from the systems that we employ and they got away from us.

How many people can say today that they personally have met their president, senator, congress person, and other political representatives who are supposed to protect and serve them? How many of us know the banker who approves or disapproves the loans for which we apply towards our business or homes? How many of us depend on our computers and the Internet to attain the information we seek, rather than real people? Strange as it may seem, the increased connectivity offered through advanced technology has actually served just the opposite purpose. We have exchanged real and meaningful human connection with real people for an artificial system of connection that seems so Spartan in the area of human feelings and we are experiencing the associated ripples of that choice. And this is not a uniquely American phenomenon. It is global.

I was in a restaurant in Male, the capitol of The Republic of the Maldives, a few months ago dining alone and there was a table of ten young people to my left. What drew my attention to them was that they were all (at the same time) on their cell phones texting or talking with someone who was not there! That was a moment of incredible insight for me. They were not connecting to each other; they were too busy connecting to someone else, probably telling the person on the other end what a great time they were having connecting with their peers at the table. Artificial? I think so.

We are losing the value of what I refer to as The Human Connection rapidly and most of us do not even realize it. As we have shifted from a village mind set to a global one, we are losing sight of what it means to converse, write and share our experience, knowledge and feelings. We are losing sight of what it means to form real and close relationships with others. I think this will is having a huge deleterious impact upon the culture I have known, defended, love and revere so much.

To be sure, the Internet brings certain advantages to the table as far as forming and developing human relationships that were never available to us before. I have in mind two people with whom I have been corresponding and teaching for years via e-mails but whom I have never yet met in person. They are Sammy Jacobs Abbey of Ghana and Terrence Jackson PhD, of Columbus, Ohio. The former is a leading advocate of youth development and the latter is someone I intend to join forces with and advance the cause of Transformational Thinking. I consider both to be my brothers.

My debate is not with the technological advances, but what we are doing with them. My gripe is not with current societal tendencies, but with what we are willing to risk. Do you really want to live in a world without Human Connection? I do not. If there is one aspect of any culture that must be preserved at any cost, it is that.

I believe we will come out of the economic crash in which we currently find ourselves. But, if there has ever been a serious wake-up call to re-examine values, surely this must be it! Look beyond the economics and politics. Look within your own heart. Look at your next door neighbor. Look at the poor fellow on the street. Start making those Human Connections now. Find kindred souls and expand your perimeter of awareness and sphere of influence. There is an entire universe out there and you can connect to it. You will be glad you did.

Composites 001

Living In The Land Of Smiles

They say there are thirteen different smiles in Thailand, each having its own individual meaning and undertones. Well, since I have been here, they have had to add a few more! Living in Thailand can be a very uniquely amusing experience. One would think that, after ten years, one would have seen it all but the surprises and delights keep flowing.

You know you are in Thailand when you encounter an elephant on the sidewalk with a battery operated red light suspended from its tail (in accordance with local traffic regulations, of course). It is considered good luck, particularly if you have been experiencing a bad streak, to crawl underneath and elephant's belly three times. Of course, it is bad luck if the beast decides to take a break at the time and lay down!

Years ago, my wife and I were walking along one of the busiest streets in Bangkok and I felt something reaching into my back pocket. I swung around, prepared to defend us from assault and/or robbery only to find myself face to face with a baby elephant!

The Thais are not very subtle with their compliments nor their queries. They think nothing about asking you how much money you make, whether or not you are married, have children, and, if not, why not? If you have purchased something, they not only want to know what you bought but how much you paid for it. Of course, being a foreigner, you always end up paying more than a local would and draw one of their thirteen smiles, the one denoting a composite of derision and pity.

A close female friend of my wife one day remarked to her, "My! You must have been beautiful when you were young!" Imagine saying that to a woman in the West! You would be picking yourself up from the next block over! Gwen, however, took it in stride and added one more smile of her own to the list that I thought had been only reserved for me.

Such is not solely the domain of the female of the species. My closest Thai male friend, Own, and I were having a philosophical discussion late one evening and he was desperately trying to make a point that was a complete non-sequitor. I finally had enough and said in an exasperated tone, "Okay! You win!"

"Thank God," He said. "I thought you were just stupid!"

I just smiled. (Add another to the list.)

I love Thailand, its culture and its people! They are a gentle people and not prone to violence. In fact, they will go out of their way to avoid confrontation. Ever hear of a Buddhist Jihad, Holy War or Crusade? I rest my case.

Of course, the language differences are always a good source for a smile, like seeing "lamp" chops being offered on the menu. But it is a sword that cuts both ways. Many years ago (40, to be close), I intended to ask a waitress to bring me a large milk and, instead, asked her to bring me big breasts! The word is the same, just a different tone. Throughout the rest of my breakfast, the two of us cracked up every time she neared the table.

I once met a jeweler, named Tommy Heng. He was not only the leading jeweler in Bangkok but the head of the Chinese mafia there, unbeknown to me at the time. At first, when I would enter his shop, his assistant took care of me and we would spend hours going through different gems. I knew how to play the game. His assistant would converse with Tommy in Thai and do all his figuring in Chinese. I am fluent in both but never revealed the slightest hint to either of them. Upon my third visit, I noticed that Tommy chose to wait on me. After a long Thai while and a few beers, he asked me where I had attained my knowledge of gems.

"Right here," I replied. I have never shopped for any gems before."

He seem somewhat nonplussed. "Then how do you know what my bottom prices are?"

I smiled, reaching for a pad of paper and a pen and starting writing in Chinese while speaking in Thai.

Tommy fell off his stool laughing! "You Sunny Beach! he exclaimed! "I want you as a friend, not my enemy. You are too clever! From this time on, you are my brother." And I was right up until the time he passed on into a "Land of Even Greater Smiles.

Many of my smiles (and worse) have not derived from the Thais at all, but from the foreigners who visit here. Sometimes, they can seem so garish and boisterous compared to what I have become accustomed to. When I do return to the West, I will be due for a terminal case of culture shock, for sure, and that's nothing to smile about.

I will miss the Land Of Smiles but there will alway be a smile in my heart when I think of all I have experienced and learned here.

As always, your comments are invited. Leave an e-mail address, too, if you like, and I will contact you. Always remember, wherever your path takes you, spread a little love and sunshine with a smile!

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I Met A Lady

I met a lady. Her name is Megan. We were only in each other's company for a few minutes, two strangers introduced from opposite sides of the world by a mutual friend, Roger.

There was something magical in that moment. She effused a power and energy of pure love I had never experienced before. It was in her aura, her eyes and her smile. Yet, there was also a hint of vulnerability there, too. She was a child in a woman's body. She had been hurt, yet had survived to become successful in business and life. She was strong and powerful on the one hand, yet so gentle and giving on the other.

Sometimes, we meet saints on our journey through life who inspire, encourage and energize us. Megan is one such human being. Teachers are where we find them but only if our eyes and minds are opened enough to embrace them.

Two days after we met, Megan returned to America and we have continued to develop our relationship through e-mails. What began as a cursory introduction has developed into a fully blossoming friendship that I value to a great degree.

Open your heart, eyes and mind. Your next best friend could be waiting right around the corner of circumstance. You never know. Life is what happens while we are busy making plans, according to John Lennon, one of my all-time favorite heroes.

Here's to you, Megan. Thanks for coming into my life and sharing yours with mine.

I Met A Man

I believe one has to live what one teaches. Anything less is to be a hypocrite. In my life's journey, I have met many people claiming to hold "the Truth" but few who lived what they preached. I know many spiritual people who are not religious and many others who are religious but not spiritual. The two are not synonymous nor are they mutually exclusive. I know something about both, having once studied to become a Roman Catholic priest and, at another time, a Buddhist monk. During the time I lived in Saudi Arabia, I studied the Koran. What is true? Not words, but actions. A little story for you . . .

Years ago I was conducting a two-month program in Transformational Thinking (TT) at a large printing and publication company in Miami, Florida. I was also training a young man, a self-proclaimed "reborn again Christian: to become a teacher of TT. He showed a lot of promise. He was an eager and voracious learner and talked a good game but the telling moment occurred one afternoon during a break between sessions. It was a rough neighborhood with more barbed wire than I ever saw in Viet Nam!

I had stepped out on the loading dock to have a cigarette (Yeah, I know!) He joined me. As we were standing there discussing the previous session and planning the next, an elderly African American man approached pushing a shopping cart filled with aluminum cans. He headed straight for the dumpsters and proceeded to filter through the trash within. One man's garbage is another man's treasure. As I watched him, our eyes met and I offered him a cigarette and he accepted. That cigarette served as an opening between two human spirits. We began to talk.

My young (white) trainee silently retreated and disappeared back into the building. I didn't even notice he was gone. I was totally mesmerized by this man's face and his eyes. His face was a map that revealed a long and hard journey. His eyes revealed a soul that was alive and glowing with energy and life. There was something majestic and magical in his bearing. He was happy. He was fulfilled. He "knew" where it was at and I wanted to learn what he knew. What was his secret?

I learned his name was "Old John". During our conversation, he shared that he was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. He had done bad crimes, served hard time and paid his dues. I didn't ask what he had done. It no longer mattered. The man with whom I had connected was not capable of doing such things. He had changed. I knew I didn't have a lot of time so I asked him directly what had changed his life? I expected to hear an answer like, "I found Jesus," but that is not what came.

Instead, he said simply, "I am a free man. I don't owe anyone anything. I have my own place. I pay my own way with these here cans. I perform a service to my community by keeping it clean. I am a happy man and so grateful for each and every day."

Wow! My mind was racing, as was my heart. Here was the truth! Here was a man who was fulfilled, who knew the difference between what he wanted and what he needed to be happy! How many of us can claim that, much less live it? Standing before me in this rundown neighborhood was a real teacher of truth. I was totally blown away!

This man had a dignity befitting the Buddha. He had the humility of Christ and the wisdom of Mohamed. He was a saint in tattered clothing. He was an idol to be appreciated and revered. I felt so "less than"! It was a momentous lesson in humility.

Later, I went back inside and continued teaching, refreshed, invigorated and inspired by my meeting with Old John. I was on fire with passion, man! I had them amening from the aisles! I also asked my young colleague what had happened to him. Why did he disappear? His reply was yet another lesson.

"I saw that guy and felt threatened. I wanted to get away." What a lame excuse! Fear of the unknown. Yet, how many of us operate under the same misconception?

Old John taught me that we are all teachers and students. Everyone who enters my life does so with a lesson and it is my mission to discover why and what that message is. The Chinese say that, when the teacher ceases to learn, he is no longer qualified to teach. That afternoon, I let my trainee go. He had much to learn and was not yet ready to assume the responsibility for teaching others. You cannot teach something to someone who already thinks he knows it all.

A few years ago, I met another man in Hua Hin. All the locals considered him "crazy" but, over a few smokes, he opened up and taught me so much. He lived on the streets and we carried out conversations that lasted for weeks. Every day he would come around at the same time and we would sit there, squatting on the road and just talk. He wore more Buddha images around his neck than Mr. T had gold chains! I honestly don't know how he remained upright.

One day I asked him why he was so happy, always laughing, sometimes out loud, giving credence to the opinions of the locals. You know what his reply was? "I have found the secret!"

"What is the secret?" I wanted to know.

"The secret is that there is no secret!" He exclaimed. "It is all right here in front of us. This is it! You are the secret. I am the secret. All this (waving his arm wildly) is the secret. We are living the secret."

That gave me pause. Though our paths parted since, the intersection that took place in those moments were life-changing ones. I still think about him and about the life lessons he possessed and was more than willing to share with anyone willing to listen.

The other day, I went for a walk here in Phuket, Thailand and came upon an old Thai man sitting on a piece of cardboard. He had a plastic cup in front of him that contained a few coins but was not overtly begging. He was just sitting ther is a state of absolute serenity. It was this presence that attracted my attention.

On a whim, I went to a nearby food stall and ordered two bowls of noodles and sat with him while we shared lunch. At first, he was so grateful and thanked me profusely and profiundly. we shared a couple of cigarettes. Then it got heavy. He told me he had lost everything in the Tsunami of 2004. He had lost his entie family. I was stunned and didn't know what to say.

He reached out and touched my arm saying, "Adjaan (teacher). I have spent many years searching for you and knew you would come to me today. You were my teacher in a previous life and I have longed to thank you before I die."

Talk about heavy! What could I say? It got even worse. He bent over and kissed my foot, the ultimate sign of respect in the Buddhist culture. I was so embarrassed! People were walking by and I was not ready for this! As far as I was concerned, I taught this man nothing and, in a single meeting, he taught me everything. It was I who should have been kissing his feet. I have not seen him since but he lives within my head and heart.

What do these stories teach us? Treat everyone who enters your reality as a teacher. They know and have experienced things you have not. Learn from them. Share what you know with others freely, for we are all students and teachers.

Whom have you met and learned from? Share your experiences with all of us so that we may learn.

Transformational Thinking

My intention and purpose is to provide people and organizations with the skills necessary to effect positive change within their realities. All change begins within and expands outwards to include others within our sphere of influence. As Leo Tolstoy said, "Most people think of changing the world but few think about changing one's self."

Transformational Thinking (TT) is a philosophy of change. My first book, Champions of Change, was written in 1997. Its most important message is that we all have a choice. We can be either victims of circumstance or Champions of Change.The quality of our life is determined by the choices we make. By learning how to improve the quality of our decisions. we can improve our quality of life. It is really that simple.

There are several qualities that make TT unique. First of all, it is universally applicable. By this, I mean that anyone can apply it within their own reality and obtain immediate results. It is also skill-based. Knowledge without application is meaningless information. Action is what translates thought into reality. TT is not just a collection of thoughts, concepts and theories. It is a simple how-to guide of quality enhancement. I will be sharing these skills with you in later postings. TT is also what I refer to as a "living" philosophy and, like all living creatures, it is ever-expanding, adapting and changing. It is an inclusive philosophy, as opposed to an exclusive one, as are far too many other philosophies. Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or atheist, TT is for you.

I have taught TT in over fifty countries to hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals over the past 25 years. For the past ten years, I have lived and worked out of Thailand and focused on South Asia. I will be returning to America within a couple of months and will continue my teaching there. It has been a great experience being in this part of the world and I have learned so much! It is time for me to return home and share what I have experienced with my fellow countrymen.

Transformational Thinking has its roots in the real world, not books. It is derived from nature and the systems found there. I consider nature as the best model and mentor when it comes down to adaptability, so necessary for survival and success. Opposed to current thinking, survival is not about the fittest. It is the most adaptable who survive. TT teaches us how to adapt to change but, more importantly, shows us how to create the changes we want and deserve. Change comes in waves. You either ride them or drown in them. I prefer to create them and TT is the way to do that.

One of the keys to becoming a better thinker is to understand the interconnections of all elements of life. That is not as difficult as it may seem at first. My grandfather, who was a Comanche, taught me, using nature as a guide. Through his patient tutelage, I learned that I was a part of nature, rather than apart from it. In future postings, I will share with you what he called the Wisdom of the Ancient Ones.

The second lesson of TT is that we are all responsible for the results of our decisions and choices. Imagine you are standing on the bank of a small pond and you reach down, pick up a pebble and toss it into the center of the pond. What happens? Ripples. They radiate 360 degrees from the center. Who is responsible for the ripples? You. The ripples represent the consequences of our decisions and, once set into motion, they cannot be stopped or taken back. Every word we utter and every action we take creates ripples. We are each responsible for the ripples we create. What happens when the ripples reach the shore? They return to the source. We all receive what we put out there into the universe.

Our ripples can have direct or indirect consequences and effects. Our words and actions can affect people we have never met. One example that comes to mind was a woman I taught in the Maldives several years ago. Two years after I had taught her TT, I ran into her on a street in Male and she invited me for a cup of coffee. She told me she had used what she had learned by sharing it with her 15 year old nephew (who was having serious problems in school and with his parents). Sitting down all three of them, she shared some simple TT skills with them and the problem was resolved by the 15 year old, himself, an amazing transformation, according to her. Indirect ripples.

This is the first time I have ever written a posting for a blog. I would appreciate your input, questions and comments.

What's Wrong With This System?

Many people are looking around, scratching their heads and wondering why everything seems to be falling apart. We wring our hands and are abashed at the poor operation of our economic system, the educational system, management systems, medical systems, insurance systems, political system, military systems, media systems , even our religious systems. What is wrong with this picture? But, before we can fix or improve something, we must first identify and eliminate or at least minimize the root cause(s) of the problem. If we don't, the problem will only recur and come back to bite us again and again.

In order to fully appreciate what is happening in the world today, we have to consider several diverse, yet interconnected factors. We need to understand how we got here from there before we can determine where we need to go next.

First of all, understand that our best thinking got us here! Our systems were designed and developed by the best minds around. Perhaps they once worked but times and people have changed and evolved over the ensuing years. Our systems haven't. We are still using, for example, management systems that were designed some two or three hundred years ago! Think of how much the world has changed in that time and you begin to realize that we are still trying to operate in a modern global environment with systems that haven't improved with age like a fine wine. The game has changed but the rules have not.

Albert Einstein told us that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way over and over, expecting different results each time. He also said that no problem can be solved by the same mentality that created it. That boy was no slacker when it came to problem solving!

Change is accelerating at an incredible pace and the impact or volatility of change has assumed global proportions. Our ancient systems are too slow, constricting, bulky and inflexible to allow them to adapt to the changes modernization in technology and communications have wrought and we can expect the pace to only gain speed from here.

In nature, that which does not or cannot adapt to change dies. It is that simple. Natural systems are among the most adaptable models one can find and I have spent a great deal of time in nature studying its systems with a sense of fascination and awe. As much as we "modern, civilized" humans would like to believe otherwise, we are still creatures of nature. We are a part of nature, not apart from it. The human body contains incredible systems that operate according to natural principles. Our external systems, on the other hand, are artificial, created with predominantly linear thinking and extremely unnatural. Why aren't they working? Go figure!

If you think it is bad now, buckle your seat belts, for it is about to get worse! There is an amazing phenomenon that has taken place that I call The Great Convergence. I teach about it in my Visioneering workshops.

In nature, there are cycles. They are birth, growth, maturation and decline. In nature, nothing is really "born" and nothing simply "dies", fading into oblivion and nothingness. It is more a process of energy transformation. The decaying leaf, for example, becomes nurturing food for the tree that shed it, making way for new leaves. The cycle continues ad infinitum.

The Great Convergence is the merging of three extremely strong cycles and is a phenomenon that never could have happened in the past. We have the Industrial cycle that began in the 1750's, the Information cycle that began in the 1960's and a new cycle most people are not really all that aware of, the Molecular cycle, that began in the 1980's with the deciphering of the genetic code. This last cycle is going to challenge virtually everything we hold to be true in the very near future. It has already given rise to hotly debated issues that are moral ones, such as cloning. It is the convergence of these three cycles each of which, although can be viewed as separate and powerful influences in its own right, are actually interconnected and influencing one another and, therefore, us.

So, if we are to survive this Great Convergence, perhaps it would do us well to look at natural systems and learn why and how they are so adaptable. Maybe we can apply what we can learn from natural models at the molecular level to our own systems to make them more flexible and adaptable. I have done this with many organizations and the results have been nothing short of amazing.

Let's look at an organism most humans consider simple and primitive forms of natural life, bacteria. Talk about adaptive! Look what happened with Bird Flu! It is adapting faster than all our modern technology and medicines can handle. We are losing the footrace to an organism that has no feet! What principles of adaptability is found in nature at the molecular level? I will list six here and I hope that this sparks some interest and discussion. Remove you management hat, however. I find many "managers" cringe at first glance. Once they wrap their minds and arms around these principles, however, suddenly they see the light and start making some organizational adaptations of their own.

1. Self organize. Traditional management systems are top-down systems that are also compartmentalized. This prevents rapid decision-making and we all know where that takes us.
2. Recombine. Just as molecules recombine to meet the challenges of changing conditions and situations, we can do the same. Forget departments! Where is the talent in the organization and how can we put that talent to best use? Forget traditional organizational structure and develop new models based on what we find in nature.
3. Sense and Respond. The faster we can sense change and the wider our array of possible rapid responses, the more likely we are to survive. In nature, if I sense the presence of a poisonous snake only after it sinks its fangs into my leg, I may respond but it is usually too little too late. Better to sense it before the bite! The same is true in business. Our people on the front line, interfacing with the customer every day are our best sensors but too rarely have a voice or the authority to make on-the-spot decisions.
   
4. Learn and Adapt. We need to truly create learning organizations, not just pay such a concept lip service. We also need to create an environment in which people are free to apply what they learn. Too often, we operate in an atmosphere based on fear and punishment in wihc people will not try out new ideas and this stifles innovation and growth.
5. Seed, Select and Multiply. There is a principle of nature (and Physics) that is called the Tension Differential Factor. Simply stated, it means the more options from which I have to choose, the more likely I am to make a better choice. The oak tree drops hundreds of acorn, aware that not all will take root. In business, generate as many ideas as possible and try them out. When you find one that works, introduce it into other areas. In marketing, for example, don't just latch on to what seems like the best idea. Try several and see which ones work the best then launch a major campaign using them. Discard the ones that don't.
   
6. Destabilize. Ah! This is the one that sends shivers up the backs of most managers! Destabilize? Are you insane? I just got this company running the way I want it! Do you want total chaos? No, but a little chaos is a good thing. We tend to become too comfortable and complacent and this is obviously not exactly an innovative state of mind. Introduce change into the organization. Shake things up in a positive way. Get the creative juices flowing. Get people involved and included. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results. You are not the only person in the organization who is a thinker.

I never met a system that could not stand some improvement, though I have met many that were obsolete and some that were downright contrary to the purposes of the organization. Just because we have been doing something the same way and it seems to be working doesn't mean it is the best way. We have to get creative, folks, and nature is right there offering a myriad of models for us to study.

I invite your comments and input.