Making Change: The Documentary Thrive - Challenging Ideas, Questions, Answers, Solutions

The documentary film Thrive was released a few weeks ago for free on Youtube.  Watch the trailer above and the full film below.  I really do hope you'll live 2 hours of your life watching this.  I think it's important.  And there are few things I find important.  Maybe it will change your life.  Or maybe you'll change your life.  Find out more about the Thrive movement on the website.

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The description of my blog in the top left corner there has stayed pretty consistent even though my blog itself is all about CHANGE.  Maybe that means CHANGE is a consistent process that is always CHANGING.

I don't know.

My blog description says, "It contains a variety of stuff I don't fully understand and probably never will..."  This is still very true.  But, I just lived 2 hours of my life to watch Thrive the documentary which provides some very good explanations for some of the questions I've been asking of both my life and life in general.

I sometimes find it really hard to identify or connect with humans and the world.  I sometimes feel crazy or alone with some of the ideas that swirl in my head.  I've been working on making positive change in my life but am always confused by how to make positive change in the world.  That step usually introduces concepts like politics, economics, or other things that get people so charged up... And the concept of politics and economics themselves do not make sense to me.

With American politics, I never understand why there are only 2 political parties or sets of major beliefs and why we have to vote on one or the other.  I cannot identify with either.  I also can never understand why people who choose to identify with a particular group hold onto those beliefs so rigidly as though it is necessary for their survival.  I do identify with Darwinism, evolution, adaptation, change, and survival of the fittest.  That makes sense to me.  It's a system that nature created.  Change is natural.  Everything changes.  But man created politics which is an unnatural and very complex system where the concept of "survival of the fittest" is distorted.

At times, it's also hard for me to understand beliefs just as a general concept.  It seems that when beliefs never change, people may attach a certain sense of pride to holding them.  And in many cases, this may work well.  It gives a sense of reliability, security, and predictability to actions that may be useful.  But what if you chose a wrong belief in the beginning but you didn't know better?  And the pride in holding that belief has now dug you into a big hole that will be tough to climb out of without 'losing face' among your peers.  What if it's not only your peers but your family?  I experienced an example of this:

Simply put:  Two close family members of mine were living their lives in a way that one older family member did not believe in.  It was a very strong belief associated to religion.  The belief was strong enough that it escalated to an argument with another close family member who was then "banned" from the believer's house and family.  The believer cited during their argument how many years they had stood up for what they believed in as though it was a justification.

But it never made sense to me.  I cannot justify supporting a belief or idea over a family member.  I could never understand religion, really.  I can understand the joy getting together once a week, singing, having a continental breakfast and planning community events.  But, I cannot understand how religion has created so much division, wars and killing among so many people in the history of mankind.  

I don't believe in religion, but I very much believe in spirituality and am on a path of exploring that.  I do believe in family.  I do believe in love.

Beliefs can be very powerful.  But to change your beliefs is even more powerful.

And the economy.  Wow!  That certainly does not make sense to me.  I got stiffed on one of the worst freelance jobs I ever did.  The company never paid me and after months of emails, I finally receive an explanation, "Due to the poor economy... we are unable to pay you at this time. "  What?  What do you mean?  What does the economy have to do with this?  How am I suppose to make sense of that?  Does that really work?  Can I just start telling people, bill collectors, banks, and the government that I simply cannot pay them back at the time due to the poor economy?

When it comes to the economy, I simply wish I didn't need to participate.  When I graduated from college, the one truth I did know was that I needed to pay off my loans right away so that I could be free.  Free from debt.  Free to choose what job I wanted and not have to worry about its pay.  Free to be in control of my own life and not have my choices be influenced by fear of not having enough money.  Free to explore a life worth living.  I've spent half of the past year doing work exchange: I don't receive any money, but I have a bed and healthy nourishing food, and I don't have many stresses of bills etc.  The only time I worry about money is when I need to get to the next place.  I've been much happier living this way.

Now that I've been taking control of my health and realize how important natural food and nutrition are to preventing and healing serious illnesses and cancers... I have even more questions:

Why is so much time, money, and resources spent on cancer research when I see so many personal witnesses come through these natural health centers and either make dramatic improvements or heal themselves completely of cancer and other illnesses?  What is all this find a cure talk about?  Why is little to no nutritional classes and education required for medical degrees?  Why are doctors telling my grandparents that they cannot eat too many greens because it will thicken their blood?  Why is organic produce more expensive?  Why are non-organic methods even used still when it's known that organic farming methods maximize nutrients while preserving and recycling natural resources?  Why do we spend so much water, produce, time, and resources to raise a mass amount of animal meat products that only give us derivative nutrition while severely polluting our natural resources?  Why do I only remember eating beef and cheese nachos everyday during middle school with a quarter cup of iceberg lettuce and tablespoons of italian dressing?  How is it possible for a large agricultural company to patent corn seeds and nature and sue other farmers for intellectual property theft when their seeds blow naturally in the wind onto their neighboring property?

If you wonder any of these same questions, or wonder what your doing with your life, or what you should do... maybe you should watch this film.  Ask questions about yourself, your life, and what you want life to be.  Don't accept it as it is because life is always changing and you have the power to make the change you want to see in the world.

A lot of my questions and developing ideas were aligned while watching this film.  There were also many ideas introduced that really challenged my ideas and understanding.  The end of the film does provides some positive directions and solutions for the future.  Check it out.  I'm curious to know what you think.

Change at the Party: Move a Car with Your Bare Hands!

Wow! Look at this guy! Someone take a photo, quick! Okay World’s Strongest Man, say, “Cheese!” That was a Kodak moment for sure. Okay, you can put the car down…

Whew! As unlikely as it may seem, this guy and I share a few affinities: We both like acts that are ridiculous in nature and we both like moving cars by hand.

I’m going to discuss the latter…

It’s possible that this guy has wanted to move cars by hand ever since he was a little boy the size of his current bicep… It’s possible that he’s been training his whole life, devoting the majority of his time to the over development of his muscles so that one day, his dream of moving a car with his hands would come true…

When I was a little boy, I played soccer. There are two things I remember my coaches saying:

1. You’re white trash.

I was about 12 years old when I was playing on a premiere league in another, more “affluent,” suburban community. One day at practice, the trainer called me “white trash.” When my mom and I brought this up to the head coach, the trainer said he was only kidding. He may have been an okay trainer but he was a poor comedian. I quit the team a week later to spare myself the poor humor.

2. There is no “I” in “Team.”

I heard this from several coaches throughout my soccer years. Cliché as it is, the possibilities of teamwork are incredible. An individual has the potential to accomplish great things… like change the position of a car with their bare hands… But a good team can accomplish the same task much more efficiently.

This point was proven last weekend when I was at a house party. A friend was trying to leave but his car was blocked in by a large Taurus. We asked around the party to find the owner but no luck…

Now most people may have accepted defeat at this point…

I, however, have been fortunate enough to see the potential of a Group of People Vs. a Car. In the past, a friend backed over a curb during winter and the middle of the car body was hanging over a small ledge. She gathered 6-8 dudes, including myself, and together, we were able to pick one end of the car up and swing it back onto the parking lot. The moment the car lifted off the ground we were all surprised and thrilled with self and group empowerment!

Now I’m back at the party and I’m trying to gather 6-8 people asking everyone, “Who wants to move a car?! Okay, put that beer down and let’s go!” It was difficult to rally people up at first… There were several people who were doubtful… But, “One…Two…Three,” we lifted and the car started moving. Together, it took about 7 people 3 attempts to shift a Taurus out of the drive way far enough for my friend to get out. Every participant was thrilled- especially, those doubtful at first. Immediately after, I heard people on their phone, “Dude, WE JUST MOVED A FUCKING CAR! WITH OUR HANDS!”

Let’s summarize:

1. Both the World’s Strongest Man and Myself like to move cars by hand.

2. Both the World’s Strongest Man and a Group of People can move a car. I prefer the latter approach.

3. The World’s Strongest Man must train for years to prepare and accomplish this task. A Group of People can be ready in about 5 minutes.

4. The World’s Strongest Man uses drugs like steroids to help him achieve the task. A Group of People can be intoxicated with alcohol and other drugs and still move a car.

5. When the World’s Strongest Man moves a car, the accomplishment is only shared with himself and his muscles. When a Group of People move a car, everyone high-fives and shares the joy of their accomplishment.

It’s unfortunate how the media and our society focus so much on individual feats and accomplishments. Professional athletes get paid a ridiculous salary for their exceptional physical skills. In politics, it seems we expect one President to change the world for the better. As we watch abnormally strong individuals pick up cars, refrigerators, boulders, and other tasks lacking utility, we feel more powerless and forget that we too have great potential, especially if we work together.

Nearly anything is possible. Everyone has potential. Individuals can combine their energy to do amazing things. The power of teamwork is incredible!

If you’re feeling down and depressed, it is often from the result of feeling powerless. A great way to empower yourself is to simply pick up a car and move it with a bunch of your friends. It may be a little stupid... But trust me, you will feel empowered by the possibilities of what teamwork can do. Then, take that energy towards a more useful goal in the future!

Make Change. Just Do It!

-Lazer

Change in Animals: Year of the Tiger!!!

On Feb.14th 2010 the lovers celebrated Valentines Day. Romance aside, this day brought a greater significance this year: The start of the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Metal Tiger! Only furries could realize the potential of both occasions! [P.S. “Furries” is a sub-culture where you make love and role play while dressed in legit animal costumes.] I don’t know about you, but I am incredibly excited! I was born in 1986 making me a Fire Tiger. This is my year!!! I sense that great things are on the way!

Congrats if you were born in 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938, 1926, 1914, or 1902- this is going to be a great year for you too! And a HUGE congratulations to those born in 1902- if you are 108 years old and on the internets right now, this is definitely your year! And if you were born within the last 2 days of 2010 and you’re reading this, you are a baby genius and every year should be incredibly exciting for you!

Okay Lazer what’s all this horoscope la-di-da talk about?

Well, for those of you who don’t know, I’ve been way into astrology and horoscopes since about July ’09 (I’m a Cancer on the Leo cusp, btw). I generally start my day with breakfast and checking Horoscope.com. Horoscopes don’t provide absolute advice, but rather guidance which has been very beneficial and accurate for me over the past 7 months.

The way I see it, astrology is based on planetary configurations, which determine things like time of day and season. Society and lifestyles are in turn organized around these variables. So to me, it seems natural and beneficial to better understand astrology and how planetary configurations affect me as an individual even if its effect may be indirect.

I’m also fond of Feng Shui: The Taoist teachings and concepts of how to live in harmony with nature and one’s environment. The concepts are quite practical for leading a healthy life in balance with the elements and positive and negative energy, or “Qi”. Architects and interior designers often operate with an understanding of Feng Shui, which could also just be common sense at times.

For example, a bedroom should be a peaceful space with positive energy. It’s a place to rest and make love. If you work from home, it would not be a good idea to have your work desk also in your bedroom. The space is confused with work and rest. This makes spaces like college dorms, sometimes difficult to live in. It means your roommate could drunk vomit over both your bed and desk in one blow.

But the principles of Feng Shui are designed knowing that the perfect living situation rarely exists, so there are a lot of techniques to improving the “Qi” or energy of your living situation.

Still don’t buy it? Put it this way, we need both air and water to live- they are a necessity. Feng Shui teaches how to balance these elements in our surroundings. Some techniques are as simple as opening every window at your place once a day to allow the elemental wind energy to circulate.

Coming from a filmmaker’s perspective, I often approach Feng Shui with a visual approach. For example, I’m very concerned with lighting and natural day light and how it interacts with people and spaces. Plants need light to grow and humans need light to process Vitamin D. Studies have shown that human deficiencies of Vitamin D often due to a lack of sunlight can influence depression (I don’t have a bibliography for my blog so you do the research and figure out if these are all lies).

So light plays a huge part in our lives. Basically, we need light to see things (and photograph them). I believe a lot of healing can be done visually. I’ve devised certain visual treatments for myself because I don’t have health insurance. For example, if I start to get sick, the first thing I do is clean my apartment. The visual “idea” of clutter produces a negative energy in the space that affects me psychologically which can later turn indirectly physical.

An extreme example similar to this idea is found in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange when Alex is forcefully exposed to hours of horrific movies and images as a radical psychological treatment that also has a strange physical effect.

Okay, what the hell… I went off on a long tangent to say that I think astrology and Feng Shui are pretty radical and beneficial to my life. Even if you don’t buy in to it, if you're a Tiger, this is your year baby! Go over to Horoscope.com and read your several horoscopes to get some inspiration for the New Year! Make some change! Do what you want to do in 2010! Have fun!

Nipple Pinches,

-Lazer