Bazooka!

Mario Bertolli sat there... pondering the meaning of this strange gift he received of a conductor's baton... which had arrived mysteriously, just a few days back.

“Things have been coming into my mind lately, and with startling clarity” Mario said to himself, as he sat there wondering on who sent this item to him, and why.

The last few days kept Mario busy enough that he didn't give it much thought... (This was just after his revelations on that “Staff Infection” issue... as that was much more salient to his immediate survival and was still eating at his brain).

So, the baton briefly faded from his mind. But only briefly, as now, Mario had some time to ponder, and every time that happened, the baton came rushing back to him!

He pondered... wondering... “How the hell could I make a living, 'reflecting' ?” Mario just couldn't see it. So he wondered.

Than like a subtle breeze, Mario found himself distracted for another brief moment and then did what he always did when his conscious mind was troubled or wandered. He would find a quiet place and either sit down or lay and close his eyes and say to his Conscious Mind, “Hey Mind, (Mario's conscious-mind), I want you to give this to my little-green-buddy (sub-conscious mind), and get back to me on what the two of you come up with” and he would breathe.

This technique Mario used often, allowed him to go on with his life by effectively freeing-up some space in his conscious-mind and giving it the job of working it all out with his unconscious-mind. It also has a side benefit of re-energizing him, no matter how hard any particular topic was for him on any given day.

You see, Mario knew a little secret about how these two minds worked together with what he called the great “Universal Mind”. This great Universal Mind to Mario, was something that kept his conscious and sub/UN-conscious-mind’s in check.

This great Universal Mind, (by you the reader), can be translated as one so sees fit, as this Mind is Universal.

Call it the Cosmos, call it Ether, call it a god or some higher power if you like, but to Mario it was all that and so much more! “It is Universal” was what he'd say, and that is all he could say to describe what he felt on the issue. Well, that and “gUM” which he would hum to himself quite often.

Now, Mario also knew enough about all the religions and theories out there on this planet, from Eastern thought to Western (with its arrogance and all...) from particular polities to extreme ideologies... from conspiracy theories to alien hypotheses... but to Mario... he surmised that all of them were tools for the use of what he called “The They's”. Tools used by this Power-Elite to control and manipulate the masses. Something these “The They's” could use to govern and control the plebeian masses.

And you will know this is true if you have ever been on the receiving end of the corporate understanding of normal thinking! You see, things are interconnected in a very complex web... or tapestry... And though Mario detests such metaphors, the weavers of society on this dot, in order to maintain control, sneak unnoticed deceptions into the butter, uncertain of what you know or who you really are. For if you, the reader, where to become liberated from these “The They's”, than you wouldn't stand for it. And that just won't do from their perspective.

In example: Ben Franklin's quote, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty." Senetor Ron Paul shortened the quote to, "Those that sacrifice security for liberty deserve neither." (A random YouTube quote... parroted... blah, blah... but it has great ramifications that threaten these “The They's”, as if the masses could understand the import of it beyond a theoretical. If they did, then the theoretical would become actionable and the system would crumble. Serious fear for these “The They's”, wouldn't you say? I mean, who'd ever take a job under such a construct? How would you earn your living if you didn't give up your essential liberties for the security of a promise of a paycheck or recognition for your contributions? The confusion of having to be honest and accountable is just too much for most!).

In short, the self-proclaimed authorities, (be they in business, government, academia, law or medicine), maintain their power through this deception to make certain that you never ever know who you actually are. For if you did, the game would be up and “The They's” would loose their hold on you. To them you are an expendable commodity.

Now, Mario knows this from all of his liberal arts training, his eclectic reading choices, his interdisciplinary choices of certain academic pursuits, and his access to a fare number of these tenured elites: Judges, Professors, Lawyers, Doctors, Officers, Professionals and the like. But mostly, he knows this from his experiences, failures and life lessons on the subtle system-wide oppressions of those that choose to think for themselves.

Mario is not of the herd mentality. And that has its issues as well, but we'll address that later...

Additionally, Mario is attuned to certain wavelength's that resonate with “gUM” in E,F, or G... similar to Ohm.... or Amen... or the deep, resonant sounds of sand in a dessert... And Mario uses this to get in tune with this resonance to allow his Conscious Mind to work with his Un/Sub-Conscious Mind and vibrate with the great Universal Mind.

Now, none of this should be threatening to anyone in any way... And if for some reason, (any reason at all), if you the reader feel uncomfortable with any of this at any point, please, stop. Put this down, throw it out, burn it or what ever you want. Mario's feelings won't be hurt, though he may be a bit saddened that you too, wouldn't want the calm he has found. C 'est la vie. Mario still has a long way to go and is no Messiah. He's just a traveler on a blue dot in a vast sea, seeking clarity and calm.

For Mario, his journey is a form of relaxation and calm. Some call it meditation, some call it prayer. Some visualize some higher power, and some seek the ether or the void.

Mario just focuses on his breathing.

“Inhale to the count of 4. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Exhale... 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and relax” he says to himself. And after about four or so of these repetitions, Mario inhales and tenses his entire body... from his toes to head and then to the tips of his fingers... then exhales again... and releases the tension to “8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...” then repeats the entire process until his Conscious Mind starts to feed his Un/Sub-Conscious Mind.

This is where his mind explodes with a million this or that's all of which distract him from his job of just breathing.

All the while, as this is happening, Mario struggles to not focus on that dialogue, but rather, just on his breathing. And he has gotten pretty good at it, too! He can focus now up to about the number 2! And that is a great accomplishment indeed! (If you don't believe it, try it! Getting past 1 is harder than you might think!).

Anyway, the point here is that Mario is in control of his personal mind, more so than many. Mario is calmer and clearer and better for it. He approaches things with a certain pause, a certain calm, that if you've seen it in others, you sort of wonder how they found it! This is how Mario did.

Sadly though, this same calm that Mario has, has a few side effects. Things like confidence, honesty, empathy, and enthusiasm.

“Well that's not so bad” you say?

Well, your right, it isn't.

Yet somehow, by Mario's mere presence, there is a double edged sword that he must carry... To some, he is the light in the room... to others he is a curiosity, to still others, a threat to their very existence. (Sort of like, by Mario being in the room, their moral corruptions, fears and weaknesses may be exposed and open them up to some imagined humiliation!).

I know, right?

Odd.

But for Mario, this happens all too often.

“If these folks only knew” Mario would think to himself, “they'd be freed from all of this suffering that causes them to act so peculiarly...” Mostly, Mario would exhale, smile, and walk away. For to entertain entanglement with these negative forces was just too draining for Mario. Besides, he could only get to 2! And those folks need the 8-10 crowd to help them... But that is off the topic for now, so let's get back to Mario.

It was after one of these sessions that Mario performed, with the sole intention of offering up the baton to his Sub/UN-Conscious for exploration, when it dawned on him that he had completely forgotten about the baton!

I know, right?!

Well, lucky for him, his Conscious and Sub/UN-Conscious play well in the sandbox of his mind and took the essential liberty of getting it up and in there to be tossed about until it either needed more information or came back to him with an answer.

And either way, the process was put into effect and time must pass until it is needed. At which point, they will offer up a solution, and then Mario will have to weigh it against his internal ethical compass and see if he agrees with it and believes that the “gUM” would approve.

At first, Mario was a bit wobbly on his feet with this process, but over time, he gained an inner-ear of sorts and finally got his balance. (Though he still stumbles every so often).

On several occasions, he misread what his little green buddy gave back to his conscious mind and didn't consider “gUM” 's potential response. “gUM” let Mario wallow in it, too! For if “gUM” didn't, then Mario wouldn’t have gotten the lesson.

Either way, those painful experiences are gifts. Mario has made drastic improvements which have made Mario feel a bit grander than he aught to have felt, but he'll get that lesson when it is needed.

Perhaps the baton is the tool with which to do it?

We shall see.

Till next time,

Cheers