Things I don't understand

I don' think the world will shift with a focus on what we don't want.

It does have a chance with a focus on what we DO want.

That said, I am not for putting my head in the sand either. There is great pain that needs to be healed.

I believe healing and transformation must start with the individual. You don't know what you don't know... until you know it.

As within so without....

Many studies point to the importance of self-mastery being the key factor in good interactions. That the best synergistic solutions come from emotionally "mature" individuals first. If you have an individual that has not been given the tools on how to pull out of their own grief, they may only "know" that violence can soothe that grief. If more options on self-healing are available, then better choices to problems, disagreements, power struggles and the like have the promise of being upgraded/transformed.

In other words, people need individual relief from their own "demons" before they will ever play nice in the sandbox! If I steal a child's toy and that child thinks that toy is his LIFE, the scenario would unfold according that perception.

I know from my own personal experience that what I focus on expands. If we begin to find ways to help the individual find ways to greater levels of peace - and skill in keeping internal peace, then as they extend out to others, it will be on a different playground.

For a great earth ball game, where there is good sportsmanship, challenge, fairness and yes, the fun of trying to win - we need better trained athletes. You cannot have a great game if one of the ball players decides he/she will win if they just kill the pitcher. That ball player needs help. And benching them will only make them set fire to the dugout.

What's not to understand? The Myanmar regime responded to the cyclone in exactly the same way that the Bush regime responded to hurricane Katrina. How many nations offered help after Katrina and were refused? Why? Because..."we have it all under control"! "No, no one has shown up yet to help get people off their rooftops--BUT WE HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL!!" How many floating corpses were there? How long were people stranded in their houses, on their houses, and inside the stadium before food and water arrived? (Eventually, after first refusing, Condoleeza did accept a token amount of assistance from other nations--mostly supplies. A point not well publicized by the media. [It makes us look...well, you know, kind of weak--or inadequate--and how we lOOK to the rest of the world is more important than saving lives. Besides, like the Myanmar officials, we're invisible--and no one can see what fools we're being.])

Again, what part of pride, arrogance, and indifference toward the suffering of others is there to not understand? The only real difference in these two situations is the scale of devastation, and the ability that we have to assist one another. While private organizations were making their way into the storm affected areas with food, water, and supplies--the state, federal and local militia's were threatening to shoot people for "looting" because they were taking food and water from the stores.

As global citizens we are in the process of deciding now what standards--what context--"sovereign" nations will be permitted to operate within. Rules of conduct, so to speak. Minimally, food, shelter, water, clothing, basic education, access to health care, decent living conditions, and basic freedoms and opportunities--are the LEAST we can accept for ourselves and others. We have access to communications systems that permit us to share our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and desires with each other now, and that alone will be revolutionary. It really is only a matter of time.

Did anyone ever hear of the term "disaster waiting to happen" ?
Well that is what the city of New Orleans was and remains.

Hi Dara - N.O.Mayor Ray Nagin ordered the crackdown on looters on 9-01-05. When natural disasters strike, it is the primary responsibility of state and local governments -- not the federal government -- to prepare and organize the response.
The only possible way to evacuate a city the size of New Orleans [which is the only thing that would have made the response better] is to be prepared to do so.
Who's job is it to prepare for a natural disaster in New Orleans, Louisiana ?
- I don't blame the Democrats Nagin or Blanco or the Republican Bush.
It's a miracle that the New Orleans [not the whole nation] death toll from Katrina was under 1000. [In a normal week, 500 people die of natural causes in New Orleans - and they never did differentiate between those 500 who would have died - had there been no Hurricane.
In Hindsight - surely the State of Louisiana just wasn't prepared to evacuate the whole city.

However, I maintain that it just may be one of those things that we cannot prepare for. Thus, we call it a "disaster waiting to happen".
Neale's audience comments somehow mention the word "Bush" every single day in the comments section.

What's that like ? ... being so outraged by one man - that one looks for circumstances [and face it - some of you - constantly are looking for circumstances] that somehow you can pounce on Bush for.

The Karma you create by slamming people who have already been slammed is negative.

I'm not saying don't do it Dara - because has Neale once said - when we make a point of pointing out the faults of others - we are merely identifying the faults we least like about our own self.

And perhaps that will heal your Bush syndrome.

Neale, I love the blog, and everything in it, including the politics part which I have noticed others whinging about, and it is absolutely true, politics (amongst everything else) is as you say "our spirituality expressed." The Myanmar thing seems to me to be physical expression of the old paradigm as in: 1.) We are all separate and 2.) There is not enough of the stuff of life to go around, and because of those two main things that the rest of the world just ignores it, but this is changing, Thank God, and I mean that literally, thankful that the God in all of us is beginning to be awakened.

On another note, I wanted to ask you if you are going to be on Oprah's soul series webcasts? I took part in the "A New Earth," web-class with Eckart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey and found that it did shift something deep within me, I found that critical mass within myself was finally reached. I might also mention that reading your books has greatly contributed to this shift within me. Anyways, my point is I think that this "web-class/seminar" concept that they did was massive and I would love to see you do something similar with "Conversations with God," or perhaps any of the books (the ones that most stand out to me as being most deeply transformational are "Communion with God, and the latest one "Happier than God," but of course they are all transformational and inspiring). Cheers mate

-Samuel Berg

Understand exactly how the junta in Burma/Myanmar could let this happen. The military rulers must be in control of the situation. They must be able to get the "good stuff" to themsleves and their cronies, leaving the "crumbs" for the victims. It also takes time to repackage the aid with the names and logos of the ruling generals. How else can they take the credit while at the same time destrooying/blaming their political enemies?

As far as New Orleans goes, let's not forget that $$$ and prestige matter in this world and those that suffer the most are often those who have the least. And NOLA has a lot of the poorest. These are the ones who died in drove because they had no way to get out. These are the ones who are the last to be helped.

One of the questions I hope to ask God, is why do those who have the most and yet deserve it the least, seem to benefit the most?

If you watch 'Sicko' by Michael Moore you'll see many things that are un-understandable, or by the other hand, understandable at all...

How is it possible for the 'richest' country in the world not to provide universal and free health care for all...?

Why other countries can, including 'poor' ones as Cuba...?

When you realize that are beliefs, and values which are behind this, you understand...

And most of all, when you see what it is behind beliefs and values: religion, media and educational system (cultural stories), and how they're controlled by 'those in charge' you understand more...

And you then understand why 'good people' does not do anything about it...

But yes, the revolution is coming, as Michael Moore says.. and Neale too...

Greetings