Genius Stone Blog

Prior to the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, upon being informed that the people were suffering, said, “Let them eat cake,” which at the time meant the crusts of bread.  It seems to me, that we as a nation are moving dangerously close to this attitude about the suffering of our people.  It seems we are focused on everything but relieving this suffering.

Suffering to me is an indication that you are going in the wrong direction, you are resisting the natural flow of life and so an adjustment is in order.  It is similar to the pain you feel when you put your hand in a flame; it is a message that you are doing something wrong, and you should pull your hand out of the flame. Leaving your hand in the flame will not deepen your learning; it will only destroy your hand.  Likewise, continued suffering or a system that elevates suffering beyond a natural feedback system can also destroy individuals and society.

As more and more of the people of a country fall below the poverty line, and cannot support their families it is a message to the leaders of that country that they are moving in the wrong direction. Additionally, as science has pointed out, there is a force that transcends and time connects us all instantly; so one person’s suffering affects all of us. We are our bothers keeper, like it or not. The challenge of “relieving the suffering of sentient beings” as the Buddhists commit to, is for all of us.

In a small village this is obvious and the tribe takes care of its own as a natural response to an individual suffering.  But now we are organized into Nation States, it becomes more complex, and is beyond individual capability. Hence, our equivalent of the tribal elders must take responsibility to relieve suffering and build a healthy society.

As thought leaders, how do we encourage our leaders to take responsibility for this massive effort.  Letting the people of your tribe or country work their own way out of suffering does not always work, and often creates deep levels of anger and resentment.  I think we can see this building here in the USA.

I grew up as a farmer, and if you don’t tend to your crops they wither and die.  Each plant has a life force, as each person has, but that force can be diminished or destroyed if it is not nurtured, and its force will be magnified beyond imagination if is nurtured.  Our people and the society we call The United States of America will respond in the same way.   Again, what are your ideas.

What is the difference between an idle thought and an intention powerful enough to move providence?  Some say if you want it to be so, think about or write down our desires and it will come true. Others point out it has to be a strongly held thought or intent.  Goethe said that, “The ground raises to the feet of the committed man.”

It seems to me that intention is more like a feeling than a thought.  Like working your way into a wave when you are surfing. As a friend of mine who is a Harvard PhD. and surfer, Said,  “You cannot think your way into a wave, you have to feel it.”

Connect To Who We Really Are

Like the surfer connected to a force of nature that propels them forward, our intentions have more power when they are flowing with the natural current of our lives.  We all have a natural current and rhythm within us that is part of the greater flow, which is our unique being or who we really are.  When we resist this current, which some call purpose, we suffer.  When we know it deeply, and learn to swim with it, we move forward with grace and ease in an almost magical manner.

“Know Thy Self”

Knowing yourself is not a mystical notion, it is entirely practical, but it is not easy due to the distortive effect of our thoughts and belief systems.  Once a belief system gets a hold on us, we distort our true reality to be right about what we believe. It is like trying to navigate to a location without knowing your present position. It is impossible, and will be filled with misadventures, frustration and anger.  Our present reality is not a framework or belief, which by their nature are only an approximation of reality.  These notions must be discarded or put into perspective as approximations, before we can feel who we truly are.  As the Buddhists say, “Don’t mistake the finger pointing at the moon, for the moon itself.”

It’s the Feeling or A Knowing

Knowing how to connect with the larger current that we are part of on a deep level is genius. Feeling the difference between emotions that come from our thoughts and beliefs and the feeling of being connected to our unique river is the secret. Once we know this, we can begin to expand ourselves while moving forward in our natural current, and use intention to create new realities that change the flow of our lives, and the flow itself.  We move with grace and ease creating something that is a natural extension of our deepest purpose while adding to the beauty of the world around us.

Again, I look forward to your insights and thoughts, even though they are only an approximation of reality, as are mine.

It seems to me that when our consciousness combines with the presence of our right brain, and with the discernment of the left brain, genius is created. Like an athlete in the zone or a CEO leading an Executive Team, both presence and discernment grow in an ever expanding spiral of insight and action. As one feeds the other, power and performance expand naturally. However, to maximize performance, both sides of the brain need training and practice, as does the synchronization of both together, which I call “Integrative Presence.”

No Substitute For Practice

Many leaders are masters of the left brain, less of the right brain, and few can sync both consistently. The leaders who learn to synchronize both see the right moves ahead of them as they approach, and move at a speed that seems like slow motion to them, but is like a sudden burst of lightning to those in a normal state of mind.
Different Practices

Each of the three skills are only mastered with training and practice. Determining your areas of strength and weakness and committing yourself to the rigor of training and practice is essential to achieving mastery. Each of these has a different nature and requires different approaches.

Presence: Being in the present moment and experiencing unfiltered realities
Discernment: Reducing reality into meaningful related parts
Integrative Presence: Simultaneously integrating discernment and presence

If our discernment is not based on the actual flow of cause and effect, it will be weaker. Both must be strong to achieve “Integrative Presence.” There is a point in practice when your experience allows you to slip into “Integrative Presence” at will. It happens like magic after you have learned to feel your way into this state. Mastering these skills is the first step in the journey to become a great leader or fascinating person. We should all ask ourselves which we need to most work with.