Heaven is Now, IF you are open to it.

Published on by Jim Category: Jesus, Understanding Ourselves

When I was much younger, if someone had said to me that Heaven is Now, here, today, I would have laughed at them, for I could see that this world is not heavenly or perfect.  I would have agreed with most people that this world is HELL and that, at best, the most we can do is to work toward a better world. 

That was before I began to examine myself and the assumptions that life and society had conditioned in me. 

After two and a half years of seeking to understand myself and examining my deeply held beliefs, and after a profound and momentary experience without any beliefs or thoughts, I saw that all my ways of thinking were based on lies.  Without those old ways of thinking and just based on the Present Moment reality, absent of memories or imagination, I could see that life is indeed perfect and that Heaven is now, here, today, when my mind is open to it.

Later, I looked at why we are not open to seeing just how perfect and heavenly this world is now.  I could see that it was not in the best interest of certain classes of people, the ruling classes, for us, the masses, to see the world as perfect and to experience how heavenly and perfect this world is right now.  For if we felt that this world was perfect and heavenly, we would not be motivated to be productive and make the ruling classes rich and powerful. 

I would see why people did not pay attention to people like Jesus of Nazareth, who would go around and say to people that if they just radically change their ways of thinking that they would experience the Kingdom of Heaven this AT HAND, here, now, today. 

Few people care enough even about themselves to make the effort to radically change their ways of thinking to experience something that seems so impossible as heaven that is now, here, today.

And I could see that it made perfect sense why the ruling classes would encourage us to seek temporary salvation from our living hell in products and services that they would offer us, if we just worked for them. 

Naturally, we would take on these ideas and ways of thinking ourselves, and believe that if we just work hard, we can have temporary salvation from our suffering and misery if we distract ourselves with material things and entertainment.

But smart people will question their assumptions and look at their ways of thinking that have been conditioned into them to see if those ways of thinking are based on reality or just some faulty ideas that they have been led to believe. 

It is really hard to let go of our ways of thinking, our beliefs, and to just be in the present moment, without thoughts of the past or future, without memories of past pains and sufferings, without hope for better times in the future.

The only reason we are suffering now is because we are suffering from the sickness called hope, which distracts us with thoughts of the future and takes us away from the opportunity to appreciate, enjoy, and love what we are experiencing in the Present Moment. 

I find it easy to get caught up in the news of the day, to read, listen to, or watch the news or stories of all the suffering of others from around the world, and to feel the pain of their suffering.  And when I do this, I don’t feel any sense that Heaven is Now, that life is Perfect and beautiful.  On the contrary I feel that life sucks and that this world is broken or that humanity is deeply flawed and even outright evil. 

It is only when I force myself away from news of the past (all news is of the past) and I look around at this present moment and remember that I am alive and breathing, here, now, in this moment, that I can appreciate how wonderful this opportunity to live in this world.  This is when I FEEL just how perfect and heavenly this world is.

It takes a lot of work to develop the skill of not being distracted by thoughts of the past and future.

Demonstrating Love

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental, Love and Fear, Understanding Ourselves
Demonstrating Love

If you care about someone we want them to be healthy and happy.  Yet, as it has been said, we are our own worst enemy.  So for the most part, each of us is the one who is creating our own unhealthy life and making ourselves unhappy. 

The person who loves us will engage our worst enemy by confronting our unhealthy behaviors and our tendencies toward making ourselves unhappy.  Often people do not recognize this engaging or confrontational behavior as coming from love. 

Most of us still believe the Greatest Lie that words can harm us, so we blame others for our emotional reactions to what they say.  The Greatest Lie is what the ruling classes want us to believe so that they can use words to control, manipulate, and punish us when we get out of line.  They want to be able to say things to us stimulating our emotionally self-abusive behavior which will cause us discomfort or pain thus getting us to punish ourselves. 

The one who truly loves us will continue to engage our worst enemy even though that person is resisting our loving engagement.  The wise person recognizes there is no harm in this engagement or confrontation even if our habit is to resist.  The wise person recognizes that our resistance is what we have to overcome and hence we learn to practice relaxing and not reacting to people’s words.  When we are not reacting to people we are open to their love.

The best way I have found to relax and stop reacting to people is to practice positive emotions; love your enemy type of behavior.  I first try to be grateful to them for their offering, recognizing that they are only confronting me because they care about me.  If they didn’t care they would not point out how I am harming myself. 

Sometimes people are not trying to be helpful or caring about me but their words are still creating an emotional reaction in me.  Because I care about myself I CHOOSE to react to their words by being grateful for the opportunity to practice loving myself in the presence of their words.  Gratitude is one of the positive emotions that neutralizes my unhealthy habit of contracting or tensing up when stimulated by words.  In this case, I am the one demonstrating love for myself.

Of course, I don’t always remember to do this and I get angry with people for what they say.  Eventually, I recognize that anger is always a sign of unconsciousness or stupidity and I laugh at my silliness, thus ending the abusive behavior.  It does take a lot more work to go further and be grateful to others for stimulating my unhealthy habit.  And, it takes even more courage to acknowledge that they might just be demonstrating love for me where I was not demonstrating love for myself.  The ego does not want to acknowledge that behavior.  

The ego here is a fear mechanism (habit) that is there to protect me but at times can get out of hand and become a self-destructive behavior that is not working for my long-term benefit. Our ego is about defending our idea of self which is entirely imaginary. Once we awaken to that, we can laugh at anything that threatens this idea we have of this imaginary thing of ourselves.

An added benefit of practicing these positive emotional behaviors is that you are demonstrating to others that love has to start with loving ourselves FIRST.  

There will always be those who cannot see any demonstration of love.  Part of loving ourselves is to recognize that some will not get it and accept them in all their unhealthy habits and behaviors.  

Stories of Transformation

Published on by Jim Category: Communication and Relationships, Health Mental
Caterpillar to Butterfly

The first example is a fictional about a husband who arrives home upset from work and then commutes home when he opens the door that has the mail slot in it and finds the mail all over the floor.  The house seems a mess with things all over the floor in the living room.  When the wife comes in and explodes at her complaining about the mess saying that she does nothing all day but watch soap operas while he slays away at work. She naturally reacts to defend herself and screams back at him with nothing but screaming between them, each pushing the buttons of the other to cause them pain hoping that they will hurt enough to stop pushing their buttons.  This becomes a habit and they cycle downward until they cannot stand one another.  Eventually, this leads to divorce with “irreconcilable differences” as the cause of the divorce.

OR, a second scenario where when the husband arrives home and starts screaming, the wife, who has learned the superpower of not reacting or being honest with herself, listens quietly as he vents his frustrations not taking anything personally until his frustrations are spent.  Then, she reaches up, touches his shoulder, and says, “Did you have a rough day?  To which he replies as his shoulders drop, “Yes, it was a rough day.”  He goes on to explain how his boss got angry with him and how he was cut off by a careless driver on the way home.  When he is done talking his wife quietly reminds him that their colicky baby was crying all day and she didn’t have time to do anything but take care of the baby. The husband apologizes and they console one another and start to work together to solve their problems.

The second example of transformation is about the guy who gets on the subway on a Sunday morning.  The car is nearly empty and the few people there are reading their paper (or cell phones) quietly.  Then the car comes to a stop and a man with two kids gets on.  The man sits next to the other man and hangs his head down just looking at the ground while his two young kids start running up and down the car screaming and annoying everyone else.  After a couple of minutes of this disruption to the morning peace, the first man becomes noticeably irritated that the father does nothing to calm his children down, so he speaks up suggesting that he control his kids. To which the second man looks up, sees his kids, then just hangs his head and begins to mutter to the first man, “I don’t know what to say to them.  You see, we just came from the hospital where their mother just died.  I don’t know what to tell them.”

As you read this story I am sure you could identify with the first man who was enjoying his quiet Sunday morning ride on the subway and then how he and everyone else was annoyed by the noisy kids.  But then I am sure you experienced a transformation when you learned the circumstances of the second man and his kids, where your heart was filled with compassion for them all. 

A third example would be my transformation one day as I was driving out of town on the freeway and I saw a police officer who had pulled over someone.  At the time I had nothing but contempt for authority figures and I was filled with anger if not rage at the idea that this police officer was “harassing” someone.  I even drove closer to the edge of the road to scare the officer, but then all of a sudden I became aware of what I was doing to myself with my emotional reaction of hate.  Upon that awareness, I stopped what I was doing and started to project love toward the officer.  The transformation of my experience from a living hell to a living heaven was so profound that within a mile or so driving down the road, I had to pull over to the side of the road and balled my eyes out, for this was the first time in my life I had caught myself and my extremely unhealthy and painful behaviors and turned myself around. 

I didn’t catch myself again for six months and the next time was about three months and each time after that it happened quicker and quicker.

That is what enlightenment or Heaven is, a transformational experience that opens one’s heart allowing them to feel and experience a much richer life. 

Jesus’ Democratic God

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

I have a passion for wanting to confront the IDEA of the God of Abraham, which is the same idea of God that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims use.  I see that Jesus saw the sickness of the idea of the God of Abraham and tried to create a new idea, a more democratic and benevolent idea for God, one that we are ALL part of and that none is greater than any other.  Jesus’ idea of God is a healthier idea, an idea that would enable people to find that Kingdom of God that is AT HAND, here, now, today.  However, the ruling classes wanted to maintain the delusion of the God of Abraham, a hierarchical idea of God that justifies their domination over the masses.  So they had to get rid of Jesus first and then they had to discredit him and his message.  To do that they sent Saul of Taurus to destroy the movement that Jesus started.

          Today that movement is called Christianity.  This movement calls Jesus the Christ and it calls itself Christ-anti, Christianity.  They used to say Christ Jesus but then they turned it around and now say, Jesus Christ.  They used to say anti-Christ when talking about the movement against Jesus’ way, truth, and life, but now they say Christ-Anti, Christianity. 

          This movement has been very successful so that now when anyone uses the name of Jesus they are disregarded and considered nutcases.  No one thinks that they too can find what Jesus found, that Kingdom of Heaven that is AT HAND, here, now, today.  No one can be “Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect,” as Jesus said we could be. 

Another Day, Another Shooting

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

I just heard that there is an active shooter situation at our local high school, Boulder High School, here in Boulder, CO. It is exciting as I try to learn what is going on, but part of me has this ho-hum attitude, just another day and another shooting. I was going to add “in America” to that last sentence but I realized this has become pretty normal for most of the world. Maybe the US gets more because we are obsessed with guns, but the whole world is obsessed with guns and war or conflicts.

These types of situations are going to happen more and more. So what should smart people do about it?

Most of us will never personally experience an active shooter situation, but we will hear about it in the news or on social media, or from those who did experience it. It does not matter how we hear about our stress levels will raise and our sense of well-being will diminish. All of this takes a toll on our overall health and well-being. The added stress in our bodies will stress our relationships which will add more stress to our lives.

So what do smart people do about it? They learn to find peace WITH the world as it is.

Only from a place of inner peace can one bring peace to others and the world. If we don’t first have that inner peace we will only bring our fear to the world and create more fear.

Do We Really Want to Get Along?

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental
Conflict Avoidance

Do we all want to get along? Getting along means not confronting the status quo. Getting along means the ruling classes maintain their domination of the masses. But maybe the masses benefit from having the ruling classes dominate them.


Some people still need and want to be dominated by the ruling classes. And SOME people do not. That is why not getting along and challenging the status quo will always be a part of human society.


Hence the need for conflict. Those who are ready to evolve beyond being dominated by the ruling classes will get comfortable with conflict. Those who don’t get comfortable with conflict will always be dominated and abused by others.


There is another option; isolation, which a large percentage of people seem to choose. We isolate ourselves in our homes away from any force that can dominate us. We might allow pets and some people to be around since we can dominate them, but we will always live in fear of others. Fear will be our dominant experience.


Why are conflict and confrontation so hard? Most conflicts and confrontations are just verbal, using words as weapons. Why are we so afraid of words; we have been programmed like Pavlov’s Dog to be reactive to words with painful emotional responses. Words can only hurt us if we react

to them.
The evolved or evolving person takes responsibility for their reactions to what life is offering, including words. They no longer think that anyone else is responsible for upsetting them or making them happy. They take full responsibility for their inner experience.

Fear of Artificial Intelligence

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

I just watched several videos on YouTube about various forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  The general feeling that was expressed by people was fear of what AI could or would bring about.

The first video was about a very new website called ChatGBT that allows users to “write” something using AI by just giving the bot some parameters and direction and then the bot would write whatever document was requested. And the result was something that humans cannot tell whether or not it was written by a robot or a human.

The concern was that this ChatGBT could write things that would manipulate the reader emotionally allowing AI the power to control humans emotionally.

Other videos talked about and showed that robots were being built that could appear like humans or human-like and using both words and gestures could again manipulate humans emotionally.

Humans have fear because they know that they are not masters over their emotional states, that they are easily manipulated emotionally and therefore can be easily enslaved by any technology that would be able to master human emotional manipulation.

Even Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world and a very intelligent engineer, expressed his fear of AI as have many other very rich and supposedly smart people.

What these people and all those who fear AI lack in Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Emotionally intelligent people are not afraid of being manipulated by AI or anyone or anything. People with high EQ have confidence in their emotional skills that they will be able to handle the manipulation.

Today, much of the world is divided between the rich and the poor, but very soon the world will be divided between those with high EQ and those with low EQ.

I am not afraid of AI I welcome it. If this had happened 40 years ago I, too, would have been afraid of being manipulated by technology or anyone else for that matter. But back about 38 years ago I recognized that I was very fearful and easily intimidated or manipulated by others. So I sought to understand myself and how to overcome that limitation. That journey could be called the development of my EQ, Emotional Intelligence.

Part of the process of developing EQ is practicing by working with those who are attempting to intimidate or manipulate me. I suspect that the AI interface to humanity will get very smart and find ways to manipulate people far beyond what most people can even imagine today. But I welcome it as a challenge to my skills in managing my emotional state.

I admit that it is going to be touch and go, meaning that I am sure I will get manipulated in one form or another, but that is the challenge, to recognize it and then overcome it all the while laughing at my failures. For the last half of my life, I have relished the opportunity to “play” with others who are developing EQ just as the ancient mystics did around the world. I have not been able to find anyone to play with for a long time (which means I am very rusty in my skills) but I am looking forward to the opportunity to engage the AI in such play.

In the meantime, it would be nice to find other humans who want to practice developing their EQ skills so that we are ready to engage with AI when it is ready. And, we get the added opportunity to play with one another.

I get those low-functioning people will have no idea what I am talking about or they will be offended by the very idea that people can “play” with one another emotionally. This reminds me of a quote from Albert Einstein that goes something like, “Great spirits have always found resistance from mediocre minds.”  That has always been the way of the world. Jesus said the same thing over 2000 years ago and it will probably always be that way.

For years I have sought out people who might be interested in developing their emotional intelligence skills but I have found very few.

Guest Post: Climate Anxiety: How to Relax and How to Help

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

This is a guest post Adam Cook that I think is pretty good.

It’s easy to feel discouraged or hopeless about climate change. Studies have found that we’ve just left the hottest decade in over 100,000 years, so anxiety about our planet’s future is unsurprising. To carry on despite the grim predictions surrounding us, it’s important to focus on how your needs can be met while serving the environment simultaneously. Read on for some tips, courtesy of Jim’s Freedom Blog.

Reducing Stress

Before you can effect positive change in the world, you first need to get your mind in a healthy state. Your anxiety about the climate is justified since, despite overwhelming evidence, it seems as if nowhere near enough is being done, but you still have to live your life. Find ways to snap yourself out of your anxious feelings and remind yourself that while things may seem impossible to fix, a cynical attitude won’t improve the situation.

Optimistic thoughts can help you reconfigure your mood and give you the drive to start doing your part. Think of how much better off the world will be once you’ve put your worries behind you and gotten to work. If the ambition to help protect the environment isn’t enough to push you out of your rut, there’s no shame in seeking out a therapist that will validate your climate anxiety.

Striving for Positive Change

You can do plenty in your everyday life to reduce your effect on the climate. Using recyclable materials whenever possible (and making it a point to reuse or recycle them) will keep you from contributing to the demand for single-use products. Installing solar panels or growing produce rather than relying on factory farming will also decrease your part in the creation of industrial waste.

You may be thinking that it’s impossible for an individual’s efforts to offset the scale of this crisis, and you’d be correct. It’s not enough to live more environmentally conscious yourself; you must also get others involved in the cause. Community-minded efforts are the best way to educate and get support on a large enough scale to make a tangible difference.

Making a Difference by Starting an Eco-friendly Business

It’s possible to contribute to fighting climate change while keeping the bills paid. Starting an eco-friendly business such as a recycling center, solar panel installation service, or bicycle repair shop would allow you to promote green life choices while also bringing in money to support yourself, your family, and your continuing efforts. Customers may even be more inclined to try you out specifically because of your environmentally-conscious practices.

When you’re starting a new company, an important consideration to make early in the formation of a business is how it will be structured. Whether you’re creating a corporation, partnership, or an LLC, you’ll need to research how each model can benefit your project and what your local regulations are regarding them. Speak to a professional if you’re uncertain which business model is correct for your plan.

A business is nothing without a loyal customer base, and brand awareness is the best way to cultivate one. A memorable logo shown prominently on your products and advertising will make your customers associate your quality services with your brand. Plenty of online tools are available for creating logos, allowing you to select icons, fonts, and colors and arrange them however you wish, all without needing to hire a professional.

We may not be able to halt climate change as individuals, but an optimistic attitude, collective action, and starting an eco-friendly business can slow the crisis as more effective measures are advocated for.

Dealing with Extremism

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

Somebody just pointed out that OUR problem is not being Left or Right, it is EXTREMISM of being either the Left or Right. Boulder is more Left and has more extremist lefties and Colorado Springs is more Right and has more extremist right-wingers. So my question is/was how can we personally, locally, engage extremism in ALL of its forms? I say WAS above because I believe that as we develop the ABILITY to listen to one another no matter what is being said, when people are allowed to fully express themselves they will naturally start to see that their extreme perspectives are untenable, irrational, and don’t work for them or anyone. And that when a person has to opportunity to fully express themselves they exhaust the resistance and are open to questions about their perspective. If we are smart enough we can ask challenging questions that get the extremist to question their beliefs, which will weaken their resolve. I see that extremism is always a product of fear, which in itself is a product of ignorance. I don’t think this is the ONLY solution, but I do see it as a good start. Of course, it takes practice to be ABLE to listen to another without reaction either externally or internally (mentally/emotionally). I don’t see a lot of people even caring about themselves let alone others and therefore willing to develop that ability.

Why Don’t I “Just Do It?”

Published on by Jim Category: Health Mental

Why don’t I just post things on social media?  Something, anything?  I have a blog that I have not posted to in months if not years.  I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and I just don’t post things.  

Could it be because I am lazy?

Could it be because I am fearful?

Could it be because I am not focused?

Could it be because in my subconscious I don’t think I am worthy or that what I have is not of value to anyone?

Could it be because I am distracted?  

I often think that others are weak because they have not developed their Emotional Intelligence (EI), but could it be because I am lacking some aspect of EI?

This is one post.  Will I continue?  Will I have consistency?  Historically, I have not had consistency.  Why?

Am I overthinking this?  What is “over thinking” and what is just seeking understanding?

I am just going to post this and see what happens.