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.

While working with a company which does direct marketing through infomercials, I met Steve Ober, SVP and Partner. Steve directs and produces most of their shows. His success record is far greater than anyone in the industry. Seven out of ten of his shows produce successful levels of sales. The industry average is one, or during a good year, two out of twenty.

I asked Steve why he was so successful. He said, “I am driven to win and the answers are already there. If you work hard enough, you will find them.” He also said, “I know what I want because I can see it.” He went on to explain that he never gives up until the show is exactly right. He said that he stays humble, and always looks for a better way before releasing his shows.

After listening to his story, I told him about a movie Martin Scorsese recently produced about the life and career of Bob Dylan. As the story is told, they cut to interviews with Bob Dylan. He comments on the various stages in his life throughout the interviews. Dylan discovered the needs and wants of his market and became the voice of his generation, while transforming American folk music from the backrooms of Greenwich Village to a global craze.

Dylan in response to the interviewer saying he was the voice of a generation commented that, “It was already there.” He explained, that he noticed how people would respond positively to various aspects of singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and many others. Each singer had certain things that would connect with the audience: the look in their eyes, the tone of voice, the way they picked the strings on their guitar, and combined great singing with meaningful words. What the generation wanted was already out there, but not embodied in one person.

Dylan observed what worked and then let go of the aspects of his act that were not connecting, and adopted all of the elements that were connecting with the audiences. He literally became the voice of a generation by discovering existing realities and combining his intention and creativity with the needs he noticed in his audience. It seemed simple to him. He could see the future success by observing what was happening in the moment. He truly unleashed his genius by living in what I call “Integrative Presence” and connecting with an existing intelligence, which was the flow of cause and effect in his market.

When he returned to Minnesota after only five months in New York City, which was the center of folk music at the time, he had been transformed from an okay singer to a genius. Many from Minnesota commented on what seemed to be a magical transformation. One said, “It was almost like he had sold his soul to the Devil.” But, of course, he didn’t; he was able to let go of what he knew, and be open to a series of insights about what was really impacting the audiences, combined it with his intention, and became the voice of a generation.

To make that transition Dylan had to let go of his past and be totally present. He even changed his last name and often says that, “it really does not matter who I was.” Letting go of the past is the first step to insight and discovery of present reality.

After listening to the story, Steve Ober said, “Exactly, and that just shows what a great filmmaker Martin Scorsese is.” Steve Ober and Dylan have formed the habit of allowing insight: which is as Webster’s says “A clear understanding of the inner nature of some specific thing.” … Which in my view is the gateway to genius.

The first organ that develops in the womb is the heart. With all our science we still do not understand exactly what animates its beat. But we do know there is a mysterious force that animates life itself. If you sit quietly in nature you can feel that force. Call it what you will, but it is the life force that animates your heart, which in turn animates your body by flowing oxygenated blood through your veins.

When we are unhappy it seems to me that we are out of rhythm with the flow and beat of life itself. While this force continues to animate us, we put our attention on our thoughts about what has happened and what might happen. Placing our consciousness on these thoughts for too long begins to disconnect us from the life force, and often lead to high levels of stress causing heart attacks, sudden unnatural death, and all manner of illness. We stop dancing to the rhythm of life, which is always there, and our entire system starts to fall apart, as we unplug from our power source. It is a natural warning to get back to the dance of life.

So when you are feeling stressed, remember the life force is always present, bringing you and everything around you to life. It is creating a beautiful diverse array of creation. Do whatever helps you let go of the thinking that is creating your stress, and use your heart to tune yourself with the rhythm and flow of life itself. Let your heart become a tuning fork for the heart beat of life, and like a runner whose breathing and heartbeat synchronizes with the body, you will feel a surge of natural energy.