Conscious thought and prayer can heal

I feel as if I have been hibernating over the past couple of months; much like a bear does during a harsh winter.

I have been experiencing my own internal winter; feeling lethargic and somewhat unproductive on a creative level.

I was awakened from my slumber by an e-mail that was sent to me by Jan du Preez, a South African businessman. He wrote the mail and sent it to everyone in his address book. It was a personal mail that was activated by the tragic shooting at Lonmin. His mail stirred something inside of me.

I share part of the mail:

‘Yesterday was a tragic day in the history of the NEW SOUTH AFRICA!

In fact, I would be so bold as to say that yesterday was one of those days in our country that has the ability to take us even further down the spiral of disaster – OR create the opportunity to set new goals as we aspire to “Madiba’s ideals of a Rainbow Nation”.

(Maybe even be the start of a new Miracle – as we really do need one!)

We need strong and positive voices to “contribute to a vibrant, transforming, growing economy and a peace full South Africa”, and we need it now!

We all have different skills, different ideals and different perspectives on life.

We belong to different faiths.

HOWEVER we all share a love for South-Africa – as it is our children’s Country!

I am not sure what I can do to make our country a “safe enjoyable place” for my children – and a better place for all other people.

But I do know that I have to do something! And something is better than nothing!

Tonight, – and the days ahead  - I will again be on my knees begging our Father, our God and Jesus his son and the Holy Spirit for more wisdom – and more wisdom for our leaders – as our country do deserve better quality decisive leadership!

Whatever you decide to do – please do something and make a difference…’

Research by Masaru Emoto has shown how conscious thought and intent affect the structure and beauty of water crystals. The fundamental conclusion of the research by Emoto is that pray and conscious, thoughtful intent, especially centred on love, or images thereof, can have a healing impact on any situation that you mentally focus on. These ideas are supported in an interview with Dr Dossey, where research is discussed to show how prayer and meditation assists with physical healing.

Events such as the civil war in Syria and the senseless shootings at Lonmin are examples of how human beings can default into destruction when diversity of opinion collapses into a dualistic reality of ‘us against them’. Emotional reactions get escalated and there seems that have is no other recourse to resolve the issue than to resort to violence. This dualism usually has its roots in a difference of opinion around a sensitive dilemma (issue) that has the power to set up contrasting, oppositional camps that then seek to destroy each other through domination and force. In such cases, there is the simplistic belief that destroying the opposing opinion through war and violence will ensure the survival of one’s own perspective.

IDASA issued a press release about the shootings at Marikana; ‘For some time now an increasing number of South Africans have begun to turn to violence too easily whether they are in political formations, unions, the public service or merely citizens. This incident should be a lesson in the danger of this approach’.

Tom Atlee recently posted an article ‘Public opinion, public judgement, and public wisdom‘ in which he states that ‘current forms of democracy have (to put it mildly) limited capacity for generating collective wisdom’. He believes that efforts to generate public wisdom engage us in wrestling more thoroughly and creatively with what is fair, righteous, and sustainable. According to Atlee this requires respectful dialogue between communities that stretch into such realms as deep moral and ethical quandaries, insights of ancient cultures and traditions, and our profound common earthly humanity.

While militant, simplistic and dualistic opinions such as being offered by Malema may appear to have no place in such a process to enhance public wisdom; it is necessary to understand and listen to that voice if one is truly aligned to the philosophy of what constitutes collective wisdom.

In times of tragedies, there are (a) those that are directly impacted and (b) those that indirectly witness the event through the information flow of news of television and internet. While you may be removed from a tragic event and have had no responsibility in causing it, you will get connected to it via the information flow. And once you ‘see’ the event; you will not be able to deny it.

Being a distant witness of a tragedy begs the question: ‘So what can I do about it?’ As South Africans, each one of us has the power to help assist in healing the trauma that occurred at Marikana, near Rustenberg.

• Give time for conscious, loving intentional thought for those who have been directly involved in the tragedy. Your thoughts need not offer any solutions. Your thoughts need to be sincere and aligned to the most powerful energy of love.
• Secondly, act respectfully with those you interact with. Attempt to open up space for dialogue with others by consciously listening to their voices. Such encounters will allow us to develop the greatest possibility of deeper understandings of the struggles that we may be enduring. The accumulation of such interactional encounters creates a critical mass of experiences that helps enhance and sensitize our collective consciousness.

My sincerest loving thoughts go out to everyone who has been hurt and pained at Marikana:

• to the victims and their loved ones
• to the police who seemed to have panicked and acted so hastily
• to the management and employees at Lonmin
• to those who have reacted with further messages of violence and destruction
• to the President who needs all the support and wisdom to manage the political tensions
• to all other human beings who are being wronged and physically and emotionally hurt through violence in other parts of the world

Loving beauty helps the healing process

Rally racing: Pass the baton!

Rally racing is about endurance; with large doses of unpredictability. Rally racing can be likened to running the 90Km Comrades marathon. Due to the protracted nature of competition, nothing can be taken for granted. It is only at the end of a long, arduous process that the winner is eventually crowned. So much can happen between start and finish. Therefore, being successful requires one to manage the emotional ups and downs that occur during the event.

I recently watched the 2012 Sasol rally, that covered 14 stages in and around the forest area of Nelspruit, in Mpumalanga.

Rally racing is all about team work. The demands of performance shift from driver to technical team and back to driver in an ongoing way over an intense two-day period. Driver/navigator and the technical/mechanical team form two inter-dependent components that make up the winning formula. Meaningful information needs to flow between driver and technical team every time the car is brought into the service station.

All of the pressure is on the driving team (driver and navigator) while out on the road tackling the various stages. The driver has to balance risk and caution while absorbing all of the information that is being passed to him by his co-driver, while pushing the car to the extreme in trying to post a winning time. Due to the unforgiving terrain many things can go wrong with the car; from punctures to more severe mechanical breakdowns. There is a high probability of accidents occurring as drivers push their cars to the edge.

Driver, car and terrain – a race against time

Clocking in at the end of a stage

At the end of the stage, the driver brings the car back to the service station. He needs to clock in at a given time. If he arrives late, for whatever reason, time penalties are incurred. During the short 30 minute service period, all of the stress gets transferred onto the technical team as they work under intense pressure to correct any mechanical problems reported to them by the driver. Those working under the car need to sustain their concentration as time quickly ticks by. Hands are hard at work as bolts are loosened, parts replaced, tyres changed, as the car undergoes a change in order to make it competitive again for the next stage; only to know that it will be returned again in a couple of hours needing another transformation.

In the service station – technical team hard at work

Rally racing is pure adrenaline. It can become an emotional roller-coaster for all involved due to the unpredictability of the competition. Given this, the success of a team is determined largely by the ability of each team member to remain calm and focussed on his particular role when things are not going so well, when plans are not unfolding as expected. It is a mentally taxing sport that offers little or no respite for the driver and his mechanical team.

Rally racing is a race against time. It is pure racing, since you are not actually racing against an opponent. It is all about driver, car, terrain and time. Given this, it is important that the driver adopts an internal frame of reference during his performance. He can only control what is under his influence. But since rally racing is all about passing on the baton, the quality of the mechanical service that is provided in that very short service time period, also plays a huge part in determining the final outcome of the event. Without a super-charged piece of machinery, no driver (no matter how good) is capable of winning.

A dust trail – racing for the line

The Otter trail and the anticipation of the Bloukrans river

The Bloukrans river crossing is usually the first thing that is spoken about by those hikers who have just completed, or are about to embark on, the Otter trail. There have been many stories about the difficulty of crossing a raging Bloukrans river. There have been some drownings that give testament to the challenge of getting across the river. For those who are unfortunate, taking the escape route may be the only safe way off the trail if the crossing is considered too dangerous (in which case the hikers will not be able to complete the rest of the trail).

The anticipation of crossing the Bloukrans can feel like a black cloud that hovers over those who set out on this most beautiful trail along the Eastern Cape coast between Storms River mouth and Nature’s Valley. One has to cross this river on the fourth day of the trail; so the unease and uncertainty lingers with you right from day 1. The crossing needs to be planned for low tide. The river is about 10Km from the overnight hut and you may need to start off very early in the morning when it is still dark in order to reach the river at low tide

If you have an experience for the first time, you have nothing to compare or contrast it with.

In December 2000, I did the Otter trail for the first time. It is a tough trail and you have to be physically fit to cope with the ups and downs as one moves continually from mountain to shoreline (and back again) on difficult, uneven terrain. However, the beauty of the trail is well worth the physical pain that one may have to endure.

My wife and I have just returned from doing our second Otter trail.

In our preparation for this trail, we pulled out some of our old photographs taken in December 2000. As I looked at the images of the Bloukrans river, my stomach turned. I could immediately recall the fear that I had to deal with when crossing the river. Although in the past; that fear was now staring me straight in the face. Doing the Otter trail required me to cross the Bloukrans river again. In 2000, the crossing of the Bloukrans was a taxing experience. Fortunately, there were some strong swimmers in my party that could assist weaker swimmers such as myself.

Ready for the challenge

Tackling the Bloukrans river crossing, December 2000

Looking back at what we had achieved

I have always advocated that you should do an extreme event at least twice. For example, I did the Comrades marathon twice and found the second time far more mentally challenging. The first experience is usually the easiest since you approach it with no pre-conceived ideas. No assumptions are made and you usually encounter the experience with a ‘beginner’s mind‘. There is a naivety in the experience.

As we approached the Bloukrans river in March 2012; my experience in December 2000 was strongly etched in my mind. I was worried. Unlike in the previous crossing, my wife and I were on our own this time. There was no one to assist us, if necessary. This heightened my anxiety.

We had planned our arrival exactly at low tide.

My surprise and relief looking down at the Bloukrans river, March 2012

Where is the raging water?

Crossing ankle deep

The crossing of the Bloukrans in March 2012 reminded me of a number of things:

• That in life the only constant is change itself and that no two experiences will ever be the same.
• That my tough first crossing had created fearful anticipations of what I was possibly going to encounter the second time around.
• I couldn’t stop thinking of what my reaction would have been if my experiences of the two crossings had been swopped – an easy first experience and then being shocked at the raging river for the second crossing.
• Having ‘no mind’ (clean slate), ‘open mind’ (receptive mind), and ‘beginner’s mind’ (dealing with what ‘is’ in a non-expert way) as a mental stance when encountering an experience for a 2nd or 3rd time helps to challenge the assumptions and anticipations that we may build up in our minds (as fantasies).

One of many breath-taking views

Crossing rivers and passing waterfalls on the trail

The beautiful rock formations on the coast

The tranquility of the overnight huts

High above, looking back at the huts

The protea - such natural beauty on the trail

Reaching the end with mixed feelings; re-entry back into society

Being in nature, away from ‘the madding crowd’ always helps to restore emotional balance and reminds one of ‘one’s place’ in the bigger scheme. The trail is a humbling experience. I had an over-riding feeling of gratitude and joy to have had 5 days in such beauty.

Where are the children?

In the early 1970′s Cat Stevens wrote and sang ‘Where do the children play?‘ In the song he looked at the issue of how urbanization and technological advances where encroaching on the natural environment (more particularly, on how parks and natural settings where being abused for technological and commercial gain):

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorryloads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems you can’t get off.

Oh, I know we’ve come a long way,
We’re changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Humfrey waiting for his walk

I take Humfrey for a walk every second day. We make our way through a park. Every time I walk through the park I am struck by the decay and the fact that no children are around to breathe life and joy into the place. I feel the neglect, decay and lifelessness of a place that should be filled with the laughter and joy of children playing.

The municipal park, George Lea, Sandton

I was telling my friend, Giaco Angelini, who is a film director, about my feelings when I walk through this park. I showed him the photograph of the park. As our conversation unfolded, we spoke of how photographs should reflect mood and emotions.

The park also has a special place in my heart, as it was in this park that my sons once had the pleasure of enjoying the freedom and laughter of play many years ago. I can clearly recall how I pushed them on the swings, collected them at the bottom of a very high slide, and played ‘hide and seek’ in the maze.

A story can be captured by a photograph. As Giaco and I shared ideas about photography, emotions and societal issues it became obvious that the above photograph needed to be edited to convey my true feelings about the park. Giaco helped me re-edit the photograph. I decided to desaturate the colour and add more grain. I added the negative space that exists next to the swings (I had originally cropped the photograph just to depict the swings and litter). As I edited the photograph, a new message was emerging. The changes helped to depict the feeling of decay; lifelessness and abandonment that I experience each time I walk through the park.

Where are the children?

Cat Stevens sang about urban encroachment. The park at George Lea is a reflection of urban decay and neglect. If only there was a little more care taken of our environment. Decay and neglect of places, where our children used to frequent, escalates further issues. If there is no place to play; where do our children go? What will they get up to? Nurturing our children in an ecological way requires us to be role models in our own behaviour. This neglect is an adult issue. It is a reflection of how our governmental and municipal systems are fragmenting. So what will happen to our children?

Space in conversation

Have you ever been able to identify what it was in a conversational process with another person that left you feeling drained and/or frustrated as you walked away from the interaction?

Space defines existence

During any conversation, there is always an interactional/energy exchange and an information/idea exchange between the participants. These exchanges are inter-connected and feed into and influence each other.

A conversation unfolds best if (a) you both feel emotionally safe (with non judgement) and (b) where there is ‘space’ for ideas to expand into. However, this space is not a given; it is actually a creation. And in order to assist in this creation the participants need to be mindful of how dominant or controlling they come across as they convey their opinions and perspectives to each other.

On a fundamental level, space is best created by a caring or curious question; followed by silence. This is an invitation that opens up space for the other to be heard.

In our Western society we have a need to be heard by others. We attach value and importance to our voice (perspective). We have been taught to express our opinion; usually in a competitive manner. So generally it is not difficult for us to give a perspective in an expert authoritative way.

I remember doing a workshop with a group of creative directors in an advertising agency. Everyone seemed to be attached to their own ideas as if that idea was defining who they were. There was a lot of competition and debate about who had had the best idea. They had learned to ‘fight’ for their idea and try to convince others about the value and importance of their particular perspective. Paradoxically, no one felt heard in the group despite everyone being forceful in their opinion. They felt undermined and frustrated. There was no receptiveness in the group.

I felt exhausted as I attempted to facilitate a group process that offered everyone more space in which to contemplate the ideas that existed in the group. But being receptive requires you to drop your defense and to allow an external piece of information (or idea) to enter your own mental structures. This can be an overwhelming experience for some since they may have learned to ‘defend’ themselves from external prescriptions when they grew up as children (where parents closed down space by constantly telling them what to do and how to think in a authoritative prescriptive way).

Being receptive may have negative implications of being controlled, dominated and/or emotionally abused by an external force. So instead of being receptive; it feels emotionally safer to ‘talk’ with more conviction and control.

On a metaphoric level, a conversation is a living process that needs to breathe. Breathing has to do with inward and outward flow in a rhythmic, balanced way. Space is the oxygen for a conversation to evolve to deeper meaning – it is a gift. When you are feeling closed down in a conversation and overwhelmed with another person’s opinion just breathe without trying to defend yourself.  As you do this, you will be able to create more and more internal space (which feeds positively into the interactional process). If you are in conversation with someone who values you; a point will be reached when his or her outflow will be exhausted and you will be given the opportunity to offer your insights. If this does not occur; the conversation will leave you feeling emotionally drained since all of the space will have been consumed by the other person.

Sounds easy; but oh so difficult.

Patterns of performance

Nature is one inter-connected dynamic pattern. If you look closely into nature, patterns exist everywhere.

Depending on your perspective and where you look, nature could reveal its chaotic or disjointed side to you. For example, I have had horrific reactions to the photograph below which was taken with my macro lens. I will share the context of this photograph at the end of the blog (just to keep you in suspense).

Yesterday, South Africa lost the 2nd cricket test to Sri Lanka with a day to spare. Given all of the expert opinion in the cricket fraternity; this result was against all odds. Captain Graeme Smith was at a loss to explain the performance of his team.

If one considers patterns, this result may not be so ‘outrageous’ and/or mysterious. Like in nature, patterns also exist in sporting performance. These patterns are created by energy flow and the habitual nature of humans (athletes). More specifically, attitude and thinking patterns of human systems (teams) generate patterns of behaviour both on and off the field.

To outline the pattern of performance surrounding the South African cricket team, take a look at the tables below.

1^st Test Pattern

Vs India (Dec 2010)	Vs Sri Lanka (Dec 2011)
Played at SuperSport, Centurion; 16-20 Dec 2010	Played at SuperSport, Centurion; 15-19 Dec 2011
India batted first	Sri Lanka batted first
India bowled out cheaply in 1st innings: 136 runs	Sri Lanka bowled out cheaply in 1st innings: 180 runs
SA only batted once	SA only batted once
Convincing win by SA by an innings, with lots of time to spare	Convincing win by SA by an innings, with 2 days to spare

2^nd Test Pattern

Vs India (Dec 2010)	Vs Sri Lanka (Dec 2011)
Played at Kingsmead, Durban; 26-30 Dec 2010	Played at Kingsmead, Durban; 26-30 Dec 2011
India batted first	Sri Lanka batted first
SA bowled out cheaply in 1st innings: 131 runs	SA bowled out cheaply in 1st innings: 168 runs
SA lose with a day to spare	SA lose with a day to spare

In order to understand on-the-field patterns of performance, one needs to examine off-the-field patterns of behaviour, as well as the attitudinal mind-set of the team. Given the convincing victories after the 1st tests, it can be hypothesized that the SA team may have gone into the second tests in an arrogant and complacent manner.

If the SA team wants to change some of its patterns of poor performance in the future there are many questions that could be asked regarding its activities and its use of time in the build-up to the test match. Here are some basic questions that could be considered:

What did the team do with its time after the victory in the 1st tests? Did the batsmen utilize this time and put in extra practice (given the fact that they only batted once), or did the team fly back immediately to the respective home cities to bask in the glory of victory? What happens to the players on their return home – are they monitored? Are the SA bowlers only prepared to graft, if they bowl on a green wicket that has pace and bounce and gives them an extra advantage? When does the team re-connect for the Christmas test? Does the team always have a Christmas Eve party at the hotel together with family members? How focused are the team during the festive season test match – are they distracted by the festive mood that surrounds them?

If may not be necessary for captain Smith to logically explain his team’s poor performance against Sri Lanka. However, he may need to seriously consider the fundamental pattern of performance of the team that the tables above highlight. More importantly, doing the same things over and over again in the same way, yet expecting a different result is ‘insanity’ according to a popular phrase.

If a team wants to break its pattern of poor performance it needs to go about its preparation in a different way; in particular challenging the old habits and routines that may be embedded in the team’s culture over time.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a peaceful and balanced 2012, and especially hoping that you challenge the self-defeating beliefs and destructive habits that do not support your highest vision of the ‘Best You’ you can be.

The photograph that caused such an emotional reaction is that of the glue that weeps from the strelitzia nicolai flower.

Skimboarding – a refreshing experience

Before going on our walk on the beach, I remember debating whether I should take my camera. The fundamental reason for this dilemma had to do with my rather strange notion of walking for relaxation and walking to take photographs were two different endeavours that did not mix – they were I felt, mutually exclusive activities. Since we were only going on a walk with the purpose to relax; not specifically setting out to take photographs, I didn’t want to lug a camera bag along.

I can get a little obsessive and pedantic in my approach as I look at a potential scene from a variety of angles, considering all of the possible camera settings, before I take a shot. There is a lot of build-up to taking a photograph. This obviously can have an impact on those around me as I enter my own photographic world. This can take away from the relaxation that a walk on a beach can offer.

I verbalized my ‘internal debate’ to my wife as we were ready to leave for our walk. ‘Take the camera’ was her spontaneous reply. I had just completed a photographic course and she was aware that I was keen to improve my photographic skills, given any opportunity.

On an isolated part of the beach, we came across six young guys having fun. There was a jovial atmosphere as each waited for the ‘right’ moment to throw his board into the incoming waves and to launch himself into whatever maneuver he was trying to execute once he was balanced on the board. There was no crowd to cheer them on. They were not doing what they were doing for financial reward – since skimboarding is not a professional sport in South Africa.

I silently thanked my wife as I removed my camera from the bag to set myself up to capture this special moment. As I watched their remarkable skills through the lens, I couldn’t stop thinking how their enthusiasm and joy for their sport was in such contrast to some of the arrogance and sense of entitlement that some professional athletes convey in the sports that have extensive media coverage and excessive financial backing.

Poetry in motion

Lift off!

Exhilaration

What goes up must come down

The sole aim was to crack the ultimate ride, to pull off the most amazing maneuver. It was so refreshing to witness how the joy of the challenge to perfect a skill can be totally wrapped up in a process of love and freedom. This was something that our national team sports could take on board since an energy field of staleness and lack of creativity tends to prevail when they are performing.

There was no financial gain to be had for the six skimboarders; no ‘hero worship’ status that an audience or public was affording them; no media clicking away to sell television rights for millions of dollars.

As they wrapped up, I felt a little sad. I didn’t want the excitement and joy to end. As I walked away, I looked out to sea and saw two whales doing their own dance.

Concluding the breach