AndrewBrunelle.com

I believe the key is to stop our chronic dependence on the system.  We are like addicts, because we hate the current civilization, yet we are unable to live without it.  It is the only way of life we know.  And many of us remain blissfully and purposefully ignorant of its un-sustainability.  We depend on the people in charge to solve all the big problems for us.  We depend on them to build our roads and get our food into the markets.  And we pay them handsomely for their effort, whether or not their effort is for the greater good.  And we accept the fact that if any major collapse were to happen, we would not be able to sustain our life the way it is.  We also accept that if civilization collapsed, very few of us would survive.  We remain subservient to a system simply out of fear of our own demise.  We take jobs that destroy the ecosystem because our only other alternative is to starve to death.  Of course, I am simply talking about those who have no special skills that can be marketed by corporations and television companies who market materialistic lifestyles to an unsuspecting public who think they are relaxing in front of a tube that is passively sending them more and more advertisements that market useless junk, both food and material.  And we use this diversion from reality to feel like we are part of some American dream, like the people who are living it up on the screen.  And yet, we fail to realize how we are being brainwashed to fear the outside world and buy more stuff, especially prescription medications and lousy food.  We are taught from and early age that any health problem can be treated with a pill and that this is the only way.  But it does not stop there.  Living in a totalitarian government knows know bounds.  We are fed lies upon lies to the point we don’t even know what is real anymore.  We are conditioned to believe that the government will look out for our best interest, when all they are really doing is answering to richer and more powerful people who will probably have them killed if they do not comply.  Our rights are stripped from us at every bend, for the sake of ‘security” and defending our country.  And the thing that bothers me the most is we are the only species on this planet that do this.  I believe, wholeheartedly, that we are too smart for out own good.  And this causes problems.  But in the same light, we are also too dumb for our own good, destroying ecosystems without the comprehension to understand what damage we are doing.  But that doesn’t stop us, does it?

I am sorry for the rant, but I feel it was warranted.  Now, I know our society is doomed and I accept that.  I just want to raise awareness to some people, the people who will also see the warning signs and help to create the new paradigm.  I’ve been reading many blogs that are anti-civilization and they have such merit and such clarity in how this all happened and why we are so pathologically imprisoned in a system we hate which we cannot live without.  I encourage you to check out a couple of blogs.  One is called How to Save the World, while the other is basically a whole website devoted to dropping out of civilization and living with joy.  His name is Ran Prieur.  He is a very smart man.  Check out his essays and Zines.

But I want to stress I do not blame anyone in this occurrence.  At least no one alive today.  They are just following the scripts of their ancestors throughout history.  They are just doing what they feel is right from their context.  I am sure they are not aware of the extent of the damage they are causing, because from their high-up domineering perspective, they are doing nothing but fulfilling their duty to society.  They are just mimicking behavior from past role models.  I say we will need a monumental paradigm shift to change things, and I am an optimistic guy, so I feel it is going to happen, but probably by necessity.  Only when all other options are exhausted will be learn to live in harmony with nature.

I believe there will be a way out, but right now I do not feel that we possess the consciousness on a mass scale to do this today or in the next few decades.  But it will come.  I am sure of it.

People are as wealthy as the amount of value they give back to society.  We all give something to society (unless you are a bum) and it is the amount of value and the quality of that value which will determine how much we are paid for it.  But it is not just about the money.  It is also about the fulfillment we get from contributing.  If someone is not contributing whatsoever and is not a narcissistic personality disorder, than they will feel unfulfilled and probably depressed.  Sure, some of us have the ability to give more while some feel that it is out of their element to give, give, give, without receiving something in return.  And I agree that one should not give until he or she has nothing left to give because that is nothing short of self-sacrifice.  So, in order to make a compromise, I say if one is to provide good value, then one should be paid accordingly for that value.  And whomever receives that value should feel no regret in paying the correct amount for this value.  I would not suggest a Value Meal from McDonald’s as something you would pay accordingly for.

Some people love to think that all rich people are evil or self-centered.  While this may be true for a large percentage of these people, I know of many who are not the narcissistic people we all picture them as.  They are the few that look at life as having a set of rules that they must follow in order to reach their goals.  Becoming wealthy is something positive as long as it is accomplished through positive means.  Or, for the Buddhist population, constructive rather than destructive means.  If you need to destroy another to attain wealth, it is not for the highest good of all.  But if you start your wealth quest with positive intentions and continue with those intentions throughout your endeavor, you are on the constructive path.  It is through our creative self-expression that we truly shine our best.  It is, indeed, by following our passions that we can create wealth beyond our wildest dreams.  And when we are truly in our element, we will be able to outperform most people who do not have your niche as a passion and will begin to create amazing value potential.

If you have ever been in the flow state, where the work you are creating almost seems like it is coming from a higher power, then you have found your passion.  I know, in the past, when I would write in this blog, I would often get to the point where my fingers just flowed and I wasn’t even conscious of what I was typing, but when I read it back, it was so beautiful that all I could think of was, “Who wrote this?  This couldn’t have been me.”  But then I saw the true power of passion and flow.  Wouldn’t it be great if we all could harness this all the time?  Where we not only are in our element, but are also doing so well that we create such beauty we cannot even comprehend it at first.  When I look at some of the great artists’ work, I am astounded at what amazing capabilities the human body and mind have.  We all possess this quality to a degree.  All we need to do is nurture it and we will also be able to create massive value on a global scale.

I am working very hard on getting myself in optimal health and prosperity so I can be a better contributor to this blog and to other endeavors that will allow us all to become more conscious. Raising your consciousness is about the most important thing you can accomplish in your lifetime. At least I believe this to be true for myself. It is very challenging to do this, but with a concerted effort, I believe it is possible for a mass shift in consciousness on a global or even universal level. I sense a mass awakening is upon us, be it in the next ten years or the next fifty years, I can sense it intuitively. Something big is going to happen, but I am not exactly sure what. The only thing I am sure of is that it will change the paradigm by which we currently live our lives.

I have a feeling like it could have something to do with the magical 2012 number that the Mayan calendar followed. They called 2012 the end of history. Whatever that means in their context, I am not aware. But in my context, I feel that it is a unique step in our consciousness development where we no longer have the need for history because of our newfound perspective. As I see many people awakening in our world, I am almost certain that when this transformation happens, circumstances will be infintely better than they are today because the people involved will be of a highly conscious nature. Everyone’s survival needs will be taken care of and everyone will be allowed to pursue their passions. Almost every act will become effortless because it is stemming from a source of joy. The world will finally become the remarkable place it was meant to be.

Utopia is not the right word, but it is the first word that comes to mind. There are those pessimistic people who say utopias can’t work and that people will revert back to their old ways. They often say something about human nature. But if and when we have this transformational shift into a higher state of being, this way of thinking in a pessimistic way will be forgotten. Life will be so spectacular that it will be increasingly difficult to even have a negative thought. We will all work together, collectively, to rid the planet of all wrongdoing and create what we all crave: inner peace and happiness. If we all work together, we can and will fix what is wrong and encourage what is right. Now, I know wrong and write are subjective terms, so let me use constructive and destructive instead. There will be more construction and less destruction. Eventually, there will be only construction. There will be positive reinforcement of this construction and all of us will create what this world really needs. And so on and so forth.

This is just a vision I have for the future. Words cannot adequately describe it, but I feel that we all need to have this vision in our own way and then collaborate on which version is optimal for our expansion. We might as well get prepared for this now because I have no doubt that it is coming, but the exact date of this profound event is not in my awareness. I am sure that, in time, it will be. I just ask that everyone drop all their doubts and fears about what living in a paradise would be like. If we can think it, we can create it–together. That is the true magic of human nature.

For the past two or three weeks, I’ve been eating more raw foods.  Mostly fruits.  I am starting to shy away from the processed foods and candies.  Sure, they still taste good, but nothing compares to eating an apple right now.  It is almost like a cup of coffee, but without a crash at the end.  And the taste is explosive, much unlike any boxed food I can find.  Living foods has a wonderful quality to it that cooked foods do not have.  It gives me an extra boost that is hard to explain, but it leaves me clearer in all aspects of my body and mind.  I do not think us humans were meant to eat cooked food.  Sure, we can tolerate it because it’s been forced down our throats for so many years and we had to adjust as a survival mechanism.  But since we have evolved over millions of years not eating cooked food, what makes us think that we can all of the sudden eat food that has been cooked?

I know that we can survive on both diets, but with all of these diseases people are experiencing these days, from cancer to diabetes, I wonder what the root cause of all this is.  At least part of it has to be diet-related.  In America, we are a culture that loves food.  We even have a holiday devoted to just stuffing ourselves to the brim and then having dessert.  A country that cooks millions of giant birds every November to fill our gluttonous needs.  I believe the reason we overeat is that the foods we are eating are low in nutrients because of the cooking and the way the food is grown/raised.  Now that we’ve interfered with nature so much that our foods are grown with chemical fetilizer and our meat is raised with hormones and antibiotics, it is no wonder our country’s population is going downhill healthwise.  And it may be more expensive to shop organic, but the quality is well-worth the extra cash.  Also, not cooking the fruits and veggies you happen to purchase will also give you the best nutrient bang for your buck.

Whenever we eat cooked food, our white blood cells go on attack mode.  That should tell us something.  If our body is telling us the Egg McMuffin is a foreign invader, not suitable for consumption by anyone, then why do we keep eating it, putting a strain on our digestive system and our immune system?  If our bodies are constantly working to fight off the food we are eating, is it any wonder to you that disease just happens to slip in under the guard?  And this is the big problem.  If there is an opening for any sort of virus or bad bacteria to get through, it will get through and cause problems.  The body will need all its resources to fight these intruders, but if you are still eating the cooked diet, it will need to expend some energy digesting the massive amount of french fries and fried dough that is resting in your stomach.  I believe that is one reason that when we are sick we do not feel like eating.  Our body sends us a signal that we should not be eating right now because our body is trying to repair itself.  And if you are going to eat anything at all, why not make it a fruit or a green smoothie?  It digests much quicker than cooked food, in 20 minutes to be precise.

I am no expert on raw foods, but I do know one thing.  To me, it makes sense.  It just makes sense to me.  Intuitively, logically, and spiritually.  I just think about all the times I’ve burned myself on the stove.  That is what we are doing to our food.  If you stuck your hand in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes, wouldn’t you think there would be some damage?  That is the same thing that is happening to our foods when we put them in the pot.  We are damaging our foods.  I, for one, do not feel that this practice will contribute to optimal health.  It will most likely contribute to premature death.  All the toxin accumulation from the harmful free radicals that from when food is put at a certain temperature will take us all down slowly if we do not monitor our raw vs. cooked foods.  This may or may not be for everyone, but the more I think about it, the more I believe that raw foods is food in its natural state, the way the Earth is offering it to us.  It is there for our survival and to change its nature in any way is to alter what is intended for you.   Why not try it?  I bet it is the ultimate weight loss diet.  I’ve read plenty of testimonials that say so.

This is not going to be an overly extended post, but it is just a thought on how to control impulse spending and also how to spend less while attracting abundance. I recently bought these Moneybands from this great website, linked previously. They are very nice and keep both my money and my cards secure, so secure it is quite a challenge to get them out. This is the main reason I bought them. If you trap your money in a place where it is hard to get to, then you will be more reluctant to spend it. It even encloses all your credit and debit cards in the dead center of this pile of money so that there is no way that you could just put it on your card real quick. Now, when I carry it around, I am rather hesitant to make a purchase that would make my life so inconvenient as to take the rubber band off, sift through the bills for the right one, and then clumsily hand the bills to the cashier, while digging in my pocket for change. If I know I am going to be spending money for sure, I take the amount out of the trap and use that in another pocket so that if I overspend at all, I’ll need to go into the trap again.

Don’t get me wrong, spending money is a form of giving, but when you are spending on things you do not need and will probably not use, it helps to have a way to stop this impulse, or as Fight Club would call it, the Ikea nesting instinct. I had bought two Jimi wallets and a couple leather ones before I settled on these extremely inexpensive rubber bands. And if you want to go super low-tech, I recommend a celery rubber band. You know, the one that holds the celery together in the supermarket. It works almost as well as these longer-lasting rubber bands. But if you buy enough celery, you are probably better off just sticking with those.

And I have to say that this has helped me monitor my spending significantly. But if I really want something, and I mean really want it, I will go through the painstaking process of removing my money from this trap and fumbling around for the exact change. Sure, using a debit or credit card is so much easier, and that is the problem. I hope someday we go back to gold, so that way, in order to purchase something of great value, we would need a pickup truck. Anyway, just a thought I was having while not buying a tempting item. I hope you got something out of this. If not, I’ll have another article soon.