The Flip: A call to raise our consciousness.

One of my favorite magazines is, “Ode.” It is a magazine about progress, people and places. “Ode’s” slogan is “For Intelligent Optimists.” I first discovered, “Ode,” several years ago while shopping for groceries at Wild Oats. Much like, “Utne,” and “Shambala Sun,” this magazine has depth, and my life is richer from experiencing the rivers of soul-challenging words within it.

Wednesday, a friend at work gave me a copy of the new issue. She remembered that I am a fan of modern philosopher Ken Wilber, and took the time to share the magazine with me. In it is a short article entitled, “Speaking in Tongues,” which features a short interview with Ken Wilber focusing on our need to change the way we talk with people from other cultures.

I read this article, on the night before a multitude of ‘tea parties’ took place across the land, and within the exhilaration surging through a work week during the most extraordinary time of my life (and, perhaps, any of our lives). I read the article at a time when I actually feel alive and present, much like I imagine the Dogwood trees in Memphis must feel bearing their new white flowers; at a time when I sense the cold of winter giving up to the stretched-winged flight of spring that will be our transport into what is sure to be the summer of all ages. I read this article, and felt providence for the first time in years. I felt the synchronization of small acts of kindness with completely different lives creating positive progression, peace, happiness and success. I read this short, two-paged article.

A quote from the article: “…the problem is the world needs to be more integrated, but it requires a consciousness that’s way up here, and an ability to see beyond the differences among us.” This quote is actually Bill Clinton quoting Ken Wilber, and if you have any touch-points with Ken Wilber’s works, you know it’s not surface-level gossamer. Notice that it doesn’t say, “…the differences between us.” It says, “…the differences among us.”

As a culture, we are experiencing a dark age of ‘lowest common denominator’ non-thinking unconsciousness, driving a chasm into the fractured state of humanity, dialed into our human ‘GPS’ system on a course of spiritual, community and overall destruction. This ‘dark age’ is manifesting itself within ourselves, and exhibiting itself for the entire world to see. We are seeing everything about everyone and experiencing nothing about anyone. Go back and read that last sentence, because if you are shaking your head, perhaps now is an opportunity to begin coming out of the deep dream coma of your sleep.

We have got to wake up. I wrote that this ‘dark age’ is manifesting itself within ourselves, and this is what I mean: We convince ourselves so much of our stances, rights, beliefs that we shut off any ability to personally experience the diversity of humanity. This happens to a point where we easily fence ourselves in to a cloistered herd of unconsciousness that has to rent viewpoints to express any sort of personal passion.

A few people were surprised when I didn’t enthusiastically take part in the “tea parties,” this week. Why would I? I’ve never seen a more realistic portrayal of herded cattle heading for the slaughter than the throngs of people congregated to scream, honk and yell out of ‘passion,’ out of being ‘mad,’ out of ‘standing up’, out of ‘it’s about time we stood up.’ Oh really? Listen to me, it didn’t do a thing. Many friends of mine attended, many friends of mine partook. I have no ill-will toward them, but it’s time we get real. It didn’t change anything. If anything, it drove more blindness into the chasm of this ‘dark age.’

Why did it not mean a thing? Because the only people this made any sense to was the herd of cattle taking part. This movement is so obsessed with getting the message across that they don’t have any clue of who they need to talk to, or what language those people speak. And, what happens to a bunch of happy cattle herded together and feeding on the same grain? They get led to slaughter and end up at the barbecue.

Now, the tea parties don't represent the only 'herd heading to slaughter.' We're seeing messages sent, protests held and passions raised from all sides. The problem is that none of it's connecting to anyone outside of the individual 'ventings.'

This leads me to another maelstorm we are seeing in our culture, and frankly, has been quite disturbing to me lately: All the bitching and moaning. Recently, someone asked me about when I became a republican? It didn’t shock me, but I’m not a republican. Although I may be a fiscal conservative and hold many views that perhaps fit the republican way, I’m not one. And, I’m not a democrat, libertarian, a green party member or anything. Why would I join any of these groups? Why would I want to be a part of something that claims “change,” or that “we need to stand up,” yet does the same thing over and over and over again? It’s insanity. Any party affiliation is not the ‘lesser of two evils’ or the ‘right and correct’ way. It’s a part of the problem which is keeping real change from happening. It's a part of the problem, as evidenced by the fact that we marched like lemmings to the sea in November and gave a huge, high percentage of incumbents job extensions.

The only way we will progress to real change is to raise our level of consciousness. Political change will only come when we can reach a level of consciousness that allows for a continually diversifying culture to accept the need to diversify government; generationally, geographically, and psychologically. (For those really drowsy folks, this means we need term limits, and you don’t really hear any ‘tea partiers’ or media saps screaming about that).

In order for change to happen, we have got to raise our consciousness. Consciousness will not progress unless we have the ability to see beyond the differences among us, and to talk and listen to people who are different than us. Folks, it’s time to quit leasing out our thought process to some third, fourth or perhaps 100th party e-mail you are forwarded. It’s time to quit leasing out our thought processes to the media. It’s time to quit leasing out our thought processes to anything that fits only with your idea of what the truth is. It’s time to wake up!

Jobs, taxes, the environment, finance and industry; none of this will get better until individual people quit bitching and moaning because things aren’t quite as easy as they should be, and start taking personal responsibility and sowing into the reality that we are all together on this big ball. And, whether you like it or not, the world is getting more connected, not less. You have to start exhibiting the change you want at a level that people unlike you can understand. Anything else is pissing in the wind. And, I smell the piss on a lot of people in their bitter, shallow, mad, angry and simply bitching attitudes of life. This is getting to the point where there are folks who are, at times, repulsing to be around.

The only path to change and progress is through raising consciousness. Therefore, I am suggesting, no, I am challenging everyone to a flip.

The Flip Challenge: Do you really want things to change for the better? Do you really want to see the world become a better place, for all people? Out of passion, compassion, virtue, ethic, love? Do you desire to improve, and to experience everything you can in life to the fullest? Are you willing to wake up, take personal responsibility for your place on Earth, and raise your level of consciousness? Are you willing to look beyond the differences among us and listen to those who are different from you? Are you willing to Flip.

For the next 30 days, I challenge everyone to flip the attention you give to your political, spiritual, cultural and economic beliefs to listen, learn and experience what you now believe to be exactly the opposite, and probably wrong. The idea is to quit letting outside forces determine what you are going to believe about people, and to find out for yourself. I am convinced that much of our culture simply makes judgements without knowing too much about who and what they are judging. As long as a 'source', which may be media, religion, an e-mail from a political organization fits what you believe to be the parameters of truth, then you will accept it. This is exactly what I refer to as leasing out our thought process. Here are some examples of what I mean by my challenge to Flip:

Examples: 1) If you can’t stand President Obama, read his books and look him dead in the eye regarding his family and past. Not through You Tube, a conservative think tank, Wikipedia, a CNN special or your aunt’s e-mail. Do it yourself. Engage this person. Engage in a pursuit of who he is as a human being. Reminder, you are human as well.

2) If you can’t stand Dave Ramsey (money guy on the radio). Maybe you think he’s crazy, unrealistic, or my favorite that I’ve heard, “He just sounds like a know it all.” Listen to him. Listen to him and find out for yourself. Pick up one of his books, go to his website.

3) That Rachel Maddow is dangerous. Watch her show. Do a little research about her background. Listen to what she says.

4) “I’m tired of paying taxes for people just to see the lazy people on welfare get paid.” Is this you? Are you willing to get in the community and talk with some people who are on welfare? I doubt it, because you probably already know it all. I challenge you to do this.

There are a million examples I can write, but I think you probably get what I mean by the “Flip.” If you don’t, just shut your eyes and keep dreaming your dream.

Personally, I have been disgusted with myself. The darkness I see in my life is my own doing. As I wake up, surround myself with the beauty of humanity and kindred spirits (which, certainly 100% of the time exhibit themselves through diversity of culture and spiritual backgrounds) I find that barriers to consciousness, those walls keeping me from experiencing the realities of fellow man, are built by me. They aren’t built by the government, democrats or Barney Frank. They are built by my own dreams of hate, bigotry and insanity. Folks, I’m done with it. The personal “Flip” challenge I am embarking is many-fold. The first page of my “Flip” is simply allowing me to experience myself. I have a feeling that if everyone made a similar challenge to themselves, our world would be transformed in 30 days. I’ll tell you, I am seven days into this stage of “Flip” and I am at least out of my bed.

The second page of my challenge is committing to experience a congregation. It’s no secret, I can’t stand organized religion. However, for most of my life, I have communed and had fellowship with people, not religions. People, friends, my friends. I am looking this straight in the eye, and going to listen, to be still. For I know, that I cannot progress and raise my level of consciousness unless I am willing to get beyond the differences among us. The gift of life is only realized when one is willing to partake in life, and spiritual community has much to give.

How about you? Are you going to continue the bitching and moaning brought on by total sell out to spoon fed philosophies that hold as much water as a broken cup? Or, can you put down your anger a bit, your need to be right, your ideology for a moment to reach out and take the hand of the people necessary for your progress? What’s it going to be? Are you willing to “Flip”?

A closing story and I will wrap this up; last week I attended my daughter’s Great Grand Mother’s funeral. Over the past two months, I watched on as three generations of women wrestled, fought and embraced the dawning reality that a fourth, forerunning generation’s days here were coming to a close. The common thread that every generation shared for all of their lives experiences was moving on.

At a get together of family and friends following the service, my daughter’s grand mother made a comment to my daughter’s mom regarding one of her friends. I heard a reply, “Yep, she’s one of my people.” No matter the context, no matter the depth of meaning, this struck me. She has ‘people;’ a loyalty, knowledge, passion and probably relationship that comes with all the good, bad, and ugly from everyone. We all need ‘people.’

I have been asking myself, “Who are my people?” Could it be that someone thought of me as one of their people, enough to take the time to give me a simple magazine?

Do you have ‘people?’ And, can you say they are ‘my people?’

Progress and consciousness are going to require people in our lives; people we take the time to learn and communicate with beyond our differences. For, we are all different, and if you are finding yourself simply drawing yourself to people only because of an issue, or like minded belief, please ask yourself, “Do I have people?” There is a good chance, that if there is no substance to your people connection outside of the spoon fed drowsiness of our culture and politics, you are simply in a big herd of cattle.

I don’t want to be in a herd of cattle. And, in this analogy, my barbecue is going to be vegetarian. So please don’t show up and ruin the party.

Thank You,

Scott

Venus, Mars, Yoga, Peter Murphy and a baseball bat

More than two years removed from my last post, I find myself in a post-blogger world, where the allure of posting your own thoughts to the universe has almost come into question as to it's worthiness in our technologically forced culture of change.

Venus and Mars were disappointingly absent from my early evening Tennessee view of the sky tonight, yet I was able to climb the stairs and avoid turning on the artificial light of my archaic Sanyo television for the second evening in a row.

Some stretching, weight-lifting, tonglen exercise and a few swings of the bat were wonderful precursors to an evening conversation with the the most treasured person in my life, my daughter.

As Peter Murphy segues into Bono's bleeding opening from, "War", I believe I will revel in the wonderful reality, or non-reality of groundlessness; the condition that we all find ourselves in, no matter how we embrace, decipher or translate it.

Eliza Snow is curiously looking at the area where the speakers are playing, and moving her head as the violin in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" eerily weaves it's way beyond The Edge's bgv's.

Enjoy your evening universe, for more is to come.

Buddha Cats and Runway Zen

I like quotes. I am not necessarily a freak for them, but every once in a while a person's words strike me through the heart. Over the past months, the following quotes have done just that. I hope you enjoy them.

"Buddha cats are the source of love....they make love travel around the world." -Sophia Raquel Winchell

"There is a fine line between innovation and insanity." -Heidi Klum, host of Bravo's "Project Runway."

"I've never felt this way about a girl before. I'd punch a million cupids to see you smile." -Buzz, character from Disney Channel's, "The Replacements."

"Learning to let go of the ways we inadvertently and unconsciouslycontribute to our own pain is the key to finding radiant physical andemotional health." -- Ingrid Bacci

"It is difficult to see the picture when you are inside of the frame." -- Author Unknown

"It is difficult to see the picture when you are inside of the frame." -- Author Unknown

"The place to begin to improve the worldis in your own heart, head and hands. To get along with others, love them without forcing your love upon them. Imposing your beliefs on people will not bring you peace. Have concern for others, respect their rights and freedoms, and let them be themselves. Do this and you will enjoy peace. Having consideration for others is the basis of a good life. Most people are not against you,they are merely for themselves.Let differing ideas clash, but not those of the heart. Peace comes to you when you live and act in a spirit of love."
-The Daily Guru

"The thought 'I exist' is not the same thing as the awareness of one'sown existence. ... Thought is not the same thing as consciousness." -- Jacob Needleman

"Our weaknesses are divine gifts that when embraced will enable us tomake our purposeful contribution to the whole, which is why weincarnated in the first place." -- Andrew Schneider

"Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience,independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimatehuman freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change." -- Stephen R. Covey

We are so addicted to looking outside ourselves that we have lost access to our inner being almost completely. We are terrified to look inward, because our culture has given us no idea of what we will find. We may even think that if we do, we will be in danger of madness. This is one of the last and most resourceful ploys of ego to prevent us from discovering our real nature.
So we make our lives so hectic that we eliminate the slightest risk of looking into ourselves. Even the idea of meditation can scare people. When they hear the words egoless or emptiness, they think that experiencing those states will be like being thrown out the door of a spaceship to float forever in a dark, chilling void. Nothing could be further from the truth. But in a world dedicated to distraction, silence and stillness terrify us; we protect ourselves from them with noise and frantic busyness. Looking into the nature of our mind is the last thing we would dare to do. -Rigpa Glimpse of the Day, July 7, 2006. http://www.rigpaus.org

"Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise,open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life.Certainly it is worth the risk." -- Leo Buscaglia

Straight To Hell

Nearly five months have passed since my last blog post. Spring ran right into a blast furnace of hell throughout the Tennessee Valley, we almost saw the end of the world spark it's armageddon fire out of the middle-east, and some good music finally started to come out.

Still, our country is being led by a bunch of jack-asses. Ideology runs rampant. The need to push a view which requires one side to be wrong bleeds our lungs like spiritual carbon monoxide. We see the wave turning a bit, but there is still a blind following of fools taking place just because people don't want to think. Ideological spirituality that perverts the powerful testament of Christ's historical life runs rampant. American, Bush-Whacked evangelicals and fundamentalists (Fundies) would support a drunk monkey leading our country as long as that monkey believed that all of our problems are solved by invisible ghosts.

Workable situations continue to be called, "sin." And, with the punishment of those "sins" being a hellish future in eternity, our culture looks away from the God created individual for answers and into a freaked out and psychotic dreamland fairy tale for justification. "The body of christ" (note I used a little "c") has injected cancer into our collective consciousness to the point where we cannot see that we are all connected.

My God, My God, please forgive us. We are so far off.

I am not quite prepared to write a full entry yet, but I will be soon. In the meantime, I'm going to deactivate a bit and watch "Project Runway."

Thank You,

Scotty Boy

Photobook-April

I thought I would take a break from religious and political items and simply share some photos from my experiences this April. Enjoy:



The NASCAR season for 2006 hit Nashville last weekend with the Pepsi 300. Kevin Harvick won the race, the weather was beautiful, and I didn't get lost; eventhough I successfully figured out a new transport system into the stands for over two cases of beer.


The race got spread out early, making long green flag runs.


Doug and Jane at the race


Tennessee was pummeled with Tornadoes in early April. Much life was lost.

On the very day that countless twisters wreaked havoc on Tennessee, a rainbow in the sky.


After last year's hockey strike, the Predators return to the ice won them their second playoff appearance and an opening round opponent of the San Jose Sharks. The flying Predator was enjoyed by all.














The two teams take ice in preparation for a really intense matchup inwhich the Predators prevailed 4-3.














Sophia going crazy at the hockey game. She really had a blast.

WHY I HAPPILY BLAME BUSH

Anti-Christ: In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist has come to mean a person, image of a person, or other entity that is the embodiment of evil and utterly opposed to truth, while convincingly disguised as wholly good and a bringer of truth. (THANK YOU WIKIPEDIA)


Ah, the good ole Anti-Christ. A quite harrowing fellow as depicted in wonderful family films like the Omen Trilogy. For me, the most wonderful depictions of our devilish friend, who might come knocking on our door via any number of means (including a laser show that beams all across the world-yes, I did read this once), came through the celluloid pleasures of Christian film in the 70's. Let's see, "Thief in the Night" was the most popular, then we had, "The Beast," and a slew of fearful horror flicks that ended with a nice, warm family oriented invitation to accept a free ticket to avoid such horrors such as the inability to buy food, not being able to die even when you wanted, and my favorite, hellish torture.

Then there was the great happy feeling of Christian urban legend. This came in the form of some pretty creative stories. The one I recall most was some 78th party or so removed depiction of how one time some guy was preaching at church. He sensed evil in the sanctuary, rebuked it and told it to "get out in Jesus name." Then the 78th party or so removed character in this story heard the back door of the church closing, he turned around just to see a devil's tail sliding out the door. Whew. That's some scary shit.

As I walked through my childhood, I never really could square the Anti-Christ with reality. I thought I did, and I believed it, but it really just caused a bunch of confusion that I didn't understand at the time.

For instance, after my family abandoned me on a nice Saturday during an "unexpected" visit from Pastor J.D. Cooper, I was scared shitless into the conviction that I should walk the aisle the following day and accept Christ. I really don't know who initiated this "happenstance" visit, but I do have my ideas. I can't really remember anything Pastor Cooper said, but what registered in my mind was, "You are going to hell, get with the program and get saved." Pretty nice lesson for an 11 year old.

You see, I was late. All of my brothers had already accepted Jesus. Most of them during the ceremonial, southern baptist walk of the aisle where you can get "2 for 1" by joining the church and accepting Jesus at the same time. I remember the walk. I was included. But being the youngest, I had no idea what was going on. No one sent me the memo. Therefore, I just followed along. But I knew that something was wrong. I was different. Something that happened to everyone else did not happen to me. The entire environment of our home changed. My oldest brother enrolled at a baptist university in Oklahoma. My parents dumped the liquor cabinet down the sink. My brothers joined youth choir, and everyone went to church Sunday morning, evening, and sometimes Wednesday night (sidenote: I actually liked Wednesdays for a while. It was Royal Ambassadors night where we got to do cool things like bring our football card collections. And the guys who taught it weren't always teaching some canned script from the vatican, I mean the southern baptist quarterly).

Those crazy looking girls on "Laugh-In" were replaced by the Mott Sisters. Even at a young age I knew that Paula, the oldest of the Mott sisters was the hottest. Herb Alpert and Hank Thompson were joined by Evie.

My mortally-coiled soul was embroiled in a puzzle of sin at age 11. More importantly, I was not one of the club. And even more importantly, if other kids my age, pillars of faith like John Ellis, Danny Farmer and Scott Seyfert had already accepted Jesus, why hadn't I. And to take it one step further, little Timmy Suttle and Ben Wedge walked the aisle and accepted Jesus. THEY WERE ONLY 7. What was wrong with me for not accepting Jesus yet.

Pastor J.D. Cooper's vist to "discuss" my eternal future didn't register as an offer of Jesus's peace, love, and guiding light for life, but basically as a membership to a club that would save me from hell, and the furies of the Anti-Christ. Couple that incident with period films like, "Thief in Night," "The Omen, (which was much better than any of the Christian films), and just the fact that every night Walter Cronkite was showing us graphics of how many more bombs the Soviets had than the U.S.A., and one might understand why a 10 or 11 year old would want to avoid these situations if there is a way.

Top this wonderful dish with the feelings of exclusion and not fitting in, and one can see how accepting Christ might be a good move for a little sinner such as I.

Well, to make a long story short, I accepted Christ the next day. Everything changed. Not! I want to say that the decision to walk the aisle changed everything, and I have believed that it did for most of my life. But the reality is it didn't. NOTE: For those of you worried about my soul, please don't. You see, when I think of Jesus, I see nothing but peace and love. And, according to the southern baptists, once a person is saved they are always saved. Therefore, I should be alright in the end.

God is not a scary God. Selling fear and paranoia in the name of God is not holy. It is confusion. Today we still see the same things: Fear, paranoia, and the good ole attitude of "You better get ready, cuz the train is comin'".

I believe that we are witnessing one of the closest resemblences to the spirit of Anti-Christ as described in the bible, today. It is exhibited not in just one man, but a philosophy and ideology. I am not saying that this one person is the Anti-Christ incarnate. But, if one takes seriously the bible and these stories, the general description of the philosophy of Anti-Christ is arguably present in our western world.

Earlier today as I felt the fury of nature rip through middle-Tennessee in the form of tornadic storms, I read some e-mails from differing family members. These notes stemmed from an e-mail someone sent out that reported an incident in Texas where an outreach to Katrina victims, an offer for gainful appointment did not produce any results or response.

The responses to these e-mails were mixed, but mainly a "don't blame Bush," approach.

My thought response to this dialogue follows. Enjoy:

WHY I HAPPILY BLAME BUSH:

I’ll be the one to protect you from your enemies and all your demons I'll be the one to protect you from a will to survive and a voice of reason I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices son They're one in the same, I must isolate you…Isolate and save you from yourself … (Lyrics from "Lullabye" A Perfect Circle)

Personally, I will happily stand up and blame Bush, and every person who voted for him because, "He's a Christian," "He's a good man," and "He's a great leader" and "He has the country's best interests at heart" or any other reason that has turned out to be absolutely diametrically opposed to his actions while in office. Oh yeah, my favorite is "He represents conservative family values." And I can't resist: "He's fiscally responsible." One more: "He loves Jesus."

Here's why I blame Bush: He is the figurehead of an anti-Christ mentality that from day one has used ideology to push an agenda that is much deeper than any one person can enact. It has nothing to do with his personal decision making authority or about how the government works. From the bottom line of decision making (the voting booth) to the top (Bush himself), this administration has been riddled with insanity. It also doesn't have anything to do with him being, or not being "a good man." The aftermath of Katrina is just one small example of this administration's ineptitude.

To be fair, every administration since the inception of our Country has exhibited some sort of craziness. This administration has gone over the edge, representing not the people, but an ideology. Bush endeared himself to the minority of voters (which I still haven't figured out how a minority can elect the power in a democracy. But my new friends who live in Tehran have been shedding some light on the subject for me), by speaking direct and manipulated language to a specific belief system. He has linguistically attached meanings to words that push this agenda. Iraq=terrorism, Jesus=republican, democrat=unpatriotic, bring our troops home = unamerican, christian=patriot, muslim=terrorist, etc..., etc....

As a result, Bush (which I am using simply as a title for the white, republican evangelical thought complex) is able to do whatever the hell he wants with no accountability. And, any time the pressure gets a little high, he pulls out his famous trump card of 9/11.

I'm sick of people pointing out those who abuse the system, such as some displaced Katrina evacuees, as representative of everyone. OH, my God, only 1 person looked for a job in Austin. WERE YOU FREAKING THERE? And what if that is the case (that only 1 person showed up for a job fair). I mean what the hell are you saying?: "Oh, those hurricane victims are nothing but black, lazy ass democrats who support Ray Nagin!"????> I mean come on. WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SAYING BY POINTING THESE THINGS OUT?????

TELL ME! WHY IS IT SO DAMN IMPORTANT TO POINT THAT STUFF OUT?

And we wonder why there is divisiveness? It's because everybody that was impacted by Katrina isn't like that. And folks are tired of this extreme pigeonholing. That extreme pigeonholing is a classic example of this administration's TRACK RECORD. It is a classic example of how ideology survives only when there is a side to make WRONG. And when people are continued to be told they are on the side of wrong, knowing full well that they aren't, they will fight back.

I don't have anything against people who believe differently than me. But to say that because you believe differently from me, you are wrong and it should be pointed out as so, is ideological. And that is exactly why I blame Bush. Democracy does not survive on ideology.

Bush and his movement convinced people that he was one thing, while he is very much something else. If any one still holds a shred of belief that some of the bible stories are true, please think back to those stories in Revelation about the Anti-Christ. The end times come and lies are presented like the truth. Well, those stories are ringing a bit too familiar to me with the continued lies, manipulation and obvious actions of this administration. I am grown up now, and am beginning to recover from childhood domestication.

The whole Bush mentality is a quite valid dream that anyone on the earth has the right to live (unless you live in Nigeria). It doesn't mean it's right. And the cornerstone of the Bush mentality is that IT IS RIGHT. There is no flexibility, no room except to make an opposing view wrong. This is why people like myself speak out on this subject. Not to say that the Bush mentality doesn't have a place, or that a person isn't free to subscribe to it. But the issue with it is it's requirement to be right and everything else that doesn't square with it is wrong. That is not how the universe works. This type of ideology causes the wars of the world (Once again, if you would like to have a good example of this, I would be more than happy to connect you with my friends who live in Iran), disappointment, and the ultimate last action of great civilizations: bankruptcy (or financial failure).

Therefore, I blame Bush. When we were domesticated as children, we were shown films and told very scary stories about how in the end times there would be a "mark of the beast", and the anti-christ would come. I saw movies where people had to take a "666" just to purchase bread. Later, there were frantic fears about the UPC code being the mark. Well, I remember that weird, awkward feeling as a kid in Salina, Kansas. It was scary. And, the only time I have ever felt that feeling again, was over the past couple of years. I get that feeling everytime I see a black square on a car window that surrounds a big white "W"

Thank You. Enjoy Life!

The Satanic Verses

Remember the Satanic Verses controversy with Salmon Rushdie?

Well, if not, here is the quick overview: An author of middle-Eastern dissent that writes a poetic book of fiction. Groups of Islamists, most who didn't read the entire work, found some of the content blasphemous and offensive to Islam, and called for Mr. Rushdie's death. It sent such a maelstorm of controversy and fervor throughout the world that Rushdie had to go in hiding. Even today, Mr. Rushdie has to live wondering what will happen when he turns on the key to his car.

Let's fast forward to today:

Returning from the gym tonight, I stopped to pick up my mail from my complexes mailroom. On the bulletin board, slick and shiny; shaped like a ticket to some cool event was a small flyer emblazoned with the words, "EXPOSING The Davinci Code."

One of our local churches in Williamson County, TN (The Oasis something or other) is having some speaker in for an event refuting the Davinci Code.

I'm not going to make this a long post, because I really don't want to rehash my thoughts about the collective consciousness of insanity, our culture's penchant toward leasing out our thought processes, and just simply put: the lukewarm timidity of "the church" and their paranoid fear of anything that doesn't square concretely with everything they believe, resulting in a morbid defense of the truth. And, after all, I simply believe that the Truth needs no defense.

I write about all of these in earlier Winchell World posts.

Back to the subject: Like millions, I read the Davinci Code. I loved it. At no point did I believe that the history of Jesus and the validity of the church was being raped. As a matter of fact, I think the book is a great WORK OF FICTION

Here's a guy literally criminalized by extremists, most who haven't read the book, just for simply writing a novel. It is the new, "Satanic Verses." Except this time, it is the Christian extremists trying to kill the author. Not with guns and knifes, but with uninformed, well-organized and methodical insanity.

Rarely do I write so quickly and bluntly without elaborating. But, tonight I do.

Why aren't the authors of all the Christian fiction books being pointed out? Why aren't the writers of "Left Behind," being ripped apart in seminars? I'll tell you why: They fit the Christian Industrial and Distribution complex. They met the criteria. Although those books are no more truthful than the "Davinci Code," they fit the mold.

Well, there's a little rant for the evening. Enjoy life. Happy Thursday.

Thank You,

Scott

CULTS, WAR AND THE LOVE OF ALL

CULTS, WAR AND THE LOVE OF ALL

As typical with life, so much happens every moment that there rarely seems time to chronicle the things that I want to share with the world. The past two weeks have brought quite a bit: A wonderful trip to Chicago, great music, challenges of competition, dance, and the always present mortal fiber that faces each of us every moment: Death.

Instead of dreaming of immense writings that offer volumes of prose exploring each one of these situations, I want to write a work that molds these experiences into an expression of the outcome. That outcome is that I am a little more open to the people and the places that surround me (thank you for allowing me to borrow that line Neil Peart). Perhaps a little less constricted by the walls of negativity and free to the possibilities of acceptance and tolerance.

I definitely have opinions, I definitely have thoughts. But whether you find community and fellowship within a church, synagogue, mosque, mother earth, friends, Dance World, rock concerts or with personal solace-my dream is that we can all grow in those communities without assumptions and judgement.

Community does not assume the need to have legislated rules. It does not assume the requirement of "It's my way or the highway." Community is like-minded and like-hearted people welcoming and building up each other during our travels through this life. People and friends that are together with us, without the need to degrade, judge or "send to hell," or "save" others who may not be like-minded with you. Peace and grace to everyone. Enjoy these thoughts:

PART 1:

If there is one thing that I have witnessed continually, especially over the past several weeks, it is that this universe is simply too big and perplexing to live as separated agents of our own device. Being around unfamiliar people, places and ideas gives a person two choices: resist with the war of ideology where the main strategy is to prove the other person wrong. Or, live with an open heart and mind, accepting people with no assumptions. Unfortunately, most of us resist with assumptions and judge people without knowing one thing about them. This causes us to miss the beautiful essence of this creation: We are all connected and in the same boat.

St. Patrick's weekend was a time where I lived in Chicago for a few hours. On Saturday, a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art surrounded me in an environment of people, art, thoughts and dreams. I stepped back and just sucked the vibes of all these different people into me. It felt good, connected and together. Although I knew no one, we were all together with no animosity, hatred, pre-judgement or need for wrong ideas. We just, were.

A few hours later, that same day my friends and I found ourselves in a surreal setting where nearly 100,000 people joined together in voicing their support for bringing our troops home from the war in Iraq and their opinion that this war is needless. With hundreds, possibly thousands, of Chicagoland police in full riot gear on one side of us, and the marchers on the other, we found ourselves as the only people in a sort of weird de-militarized zone, almost invisible to all in the middle of this. What struck me is that there were no problems. People, both marchers, spectators, police accepted everyone.

With acceptance, we all get along. Removing the need to be right all the time destroys the need to build up walls between us. The purposed action of causing no harm results in a simple result where the truth is illuminated. After all, the truth needs no defense; and it is apologetics for any philosophy that is a clear signal that something is awry with that very philosophy.

There is no institution, no war, no set of rules or doctrine that will change society. It is the people. In 1994, Peter Drucker wrote the following in a article for The Atlantic: "It is the social transformations, like ocean currents deep below the hurricane-tormented surface of the sea, that have had the lasting, indeed the permanent, effect. They, rather than all the violence of the political surface, have transformed not only the society but also the economy, the community, and the polity we live in. "

The continued situation in Iraq will not cause betterment. It will be social transformation that comes from the people. Yes, it is distinctly possible that a "freedom bringing" force may open doors for more of the people to be heard against tyranical ideoligists, but ultimately, war does not bring permanent, positive, spiritual, connected change.

Spiritual change does not come with war against culture or the legislation of morality. Bombs of belief that gut our minds with the idea of separate worlds between love and hate erode the opportunity to affect positive change. Hate is our neighbor as much as love is our roomate. Walls will not make our neighbor go away (just look at the wars through history). Love will conquer all. But the eradication of hate will not happen by resistance to it's existence.

From an early age most of us are pronounced guilty of simply being born who we are. We lock ourselves in a prison of misidentity that girds us in solitary confinement as we attempt to surrender to "heavenly"powers in an effort to receive early parole from this caged hell. Being fed the notion that we don't belong here; that we are 'strangers & aliens' misplaced not by purpose, but by the guilt associated with us for the crime of being born, we subscribe to monolithic dreams of golden roads paved with the warfare of armageddon rain that will bring us to a hall of victory, where we can live in a grand mansion of unearthly array forever and ever, amen.

This prison is a separate world fit perfectly with the alms of western democracy, where we are on our own to win or lose, live or die, breathe or suffocate; and whatever the outcome, "it's our own damn fault."

But we aren't created that way; separate. We are connected. Each one of us, together in some fashion or form. We are all in the same boat. We can deny this all we want, but to paraphrase a recent "guru" post: "Just because the blind person say's 'the sky isn't blue' doesnt make them right."

Community, fellowship, and friendship; these types of connectedness are built outside of politics, plans and strategies. They are human things. No institution on earth can cater to the matters of soul with programs. In the words of my friend, Kenny, "It isn't one size fits all." Therefore, no matter how much our institutions such as government or church try to create "programs" that fill needs, they will ultimately fall short in serving the progress of community. Sure, good things may happen and people may be helped by these programs, but they are pieces of a puzzle that fall morbidly short of providing the connectedness that our true being requires.

When I see faddish signs adorn the lawns of our southern bible arenas emblazoned with advertisements such as, "Divorce Recovery," or "Youth Quake," I am reminded how these are really no more than social welfare programs doled out by an industrial complex that survives by telling the domestication story I wrote about earlier in this prose. My favorite is the billboard that reads, "Wear Jeans to Church." The assumption that "People are getting divorced, this is bad, let's fix it" It sounds very familiar to the template that purports most agressive military actions in the world. But, the battlefield here is the soul. And, you find similar things in almost every organized political and religious complex; it's not just christianity.

I have no doubt in my mind that many people are helped, and find community within these programs and institutions, just as much as I believe people are helped by welfare at some points. But, again, it isn't one size fits all.

If you find community in these types of institutions, peace to you. I wish you nothing but fulfillment and happiness. But please don't tell the world they have to believe like you, and hold it against them if they don't. "But, Scott, that goes against the 'Great Commission'". Maybe so, but that 'Great Commission' is sadly outdated and comes off more like a spiritual attack on an unarmed, peaceful country.

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a fewpersons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is initself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." -- Albert Einstein

On a lighter note, The Cult concert in Chicago rocked. Here are captions from the photos above that I have smattered throughout this writing:

1) The Cult played a sold out show at Chicago's Vic Theatre on St. Patrick's Day. Spun with social and spiritual consciousness and a firestorm onslaught of power, Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy did not disappoint. This was the seventh time I have been blessed to see The Cult. They are my favorite rock band, and this was definitely the most fun and satisfying Cult experience of those seven concerts.

2) Chicago, Chicago. What a great city. What great vibes and people. Sure, I only saw a very small part, but it is awesome to be around diversity and immensity. It is beautiful and intimidating at the same time.

3) War protest. March 18th saw 70,000-100,000 anti-war demonstrators march down Michigan avenue. I have never witnessed anything like this upfront and personal. This was a very surreal scene, and also very peaceful. My personal take is that people all over the world are sick and tired of out of touch folks calling the shots. Whether Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine or the U.S.A., decisions being made by corrupt governments that don't represent the people are wearing thin on people's spirits and patience.

Thank You,

Scott

DANCIN' FOOL

"Ah we can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behindCause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t danceWell they’re are no friends of mineI say, we can go where we want to, a place where they will never findAnd we can act like we come from out of this worldLeave the real one far behind,And we can dance"

-"Safety Dance"-Men Without Hats

How fragile we are, yet stoic and stable we portray. Like a towering spectacle of concrete, glass and steel that hovers over a city of this world; yet one fissure, one miniscule fault can rear it's destined purpose and topple it all.

I have been taking advantage of this wonderful world of ballroom dancing. Yes, it's beginning to catch on like wildfire, but my involvement with it didn't begin with it's popularity at all. Over the past several months I have been taking lessons (Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha, Fox Trot, Swing, Rumba, Mambo). Without a doubt, this pursuit has been the most challenging athletic venture in my life, as well as the most challenging social endeavor I have embarked upon.

Last Saturday night I went to my first "social dance". It is a great event where tons of people from all walks of life get together and practice what they have been learning in their respective worlds of dance. There are pro's, there are novices. There are singles, couples, older, younger, crazy, sane, and all other points to and fro.

People come to socialize. People come to meet new people because they are tired of the same old same old, boring social scene of their own world. People come for any number of reasons, the most common being that they just want to dance.

It is not unlike what I know a high-school dance to have been. Music, girls, the risky feeling of wondering if the girl you want to dance with will actually accept the invitation.

Now, I am a person that can literally stand in front of 10,000 people and not feel an ounce of fear. I love dealing with new, scary situations. Rejection really doesn't bother me because I feel it at some level every day of my life. I am used to it. But, for some reason, the Saturday night dance was the most panic-striking, horrifying social venture that I have experienced. New environment with none of the people from my private life. A novice dancer who has never tried any of my lessons in a public setting. The risk of rejection. No matter what all of the particulars, to dance in this setting one must have a partner. That means asking. That means the risk of rejection.

FAST FORWARD: I made it through the dance without losing my mind, and actually had a good time and felt wonderful. It was like I took the first step up a mountain to realize that it actually is possible to do reach the precipice; even if it takes one step at a time.

"Dance World," has opened up a door for me that I have been seeking the key to for years. New people with common interests. Active people who like to take risks. Fun people who's social lives are not always centered around drugs and booze. I have even made a recent comment to a friend of mine that "Dance World is my new Church." I have a teacher, go to great classes, meet new people every week with a curiosity that is fresher than the air in a Montana sky.

I went to my dance lessons during the week with new confidence and happiness. My Tuesday class was so cool and fun. My teacher, Krisa and I worked on Cha-Cha, and by the middle of my class, I was leading spinning and just having the time of my life.

I was even anticipating and looking forward to this Saturday's "social dance." I could not wait for Saturday night. Knowing nothing could stop my confidence, and just the idea that I was having more fun with dancing, and being a little less hard on myself for not being the best, I could not wait to be in that environment.

Last night, I decided that I would look nice. So I cleaned up and put on decent clothes pliable to the dance environment. I like looking nice and wearing decent, good clothes. Sometimes that is Diesel jeans and a rock band t-shirt. This night it was some dress pants and shirt. The fashion police definitely are not writing tickets for people who dress like shit, but I do this for myself. Therefore after donning my friends Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole and Bachrach I hopped into the vehicle and headed to the Saturday night dance. Good mood, positive attitude, happiness. Absolutely no expectations of who I would meet or what would happen. I just was heading for a good time.

Upon arriving at Dance World and paying my money at the door, the next order of business is a short, 1-hour class they give to help people get some pointers and tips on one of the major dances that will be focused on at the night's dance. That night, Tango. The variety of newcomers and regulars would be brushing up on a dance that is very poignant and specific in it's presentation.

Although, I have been learning Tango for a couple of months, I don't get to practice much. Because of this I chose the "beginner" class, instead of "intermediate". The classes happen on the floor of the main ballroom (much like a roller rink floor), with the two groups splitting sides. Within seconds, I noticed that many of the people that are at the same level I am were in the "intermediate" class. But I really couldn't change at that point. Within several moments after that, I began having trouble concentrating and started to feel out of sorts.

When our teacher (an absolutely wonderful lady named Connie) began having us take partners, things really began falling apart for me. Dancing is a two person sport. There are two sides of the coin, and synchronicity, fluidity and compatibility is huge. But, no two people are alike. I am definitely not Jerry Rice or Drew Lachey; please don't hear me say this. I am new, young to dancing and by no means have any part of this mastered. But, the dance partners I got hooked with were not where I was at. Therefore, it slowed me down a bit and cut the quality and concentration of what I could do. That's not an excuse, it's just a fact.

Class continued, and I tried to glue my mind together by realizing that I needed to just focus and relax. Things went o.k., until the bomb dropped. There was a girl in our "beginner" class that I had recognized the week before, and I knew she had done the Tango before. I actually wanted to partner with her because I felt it would go smoother. So we did. And, when we hit the last pivot from Promenade, she stopped me and pointed out that my pivot was wrong. I listened, trying to figure out what I was doing. We did it again, same thing. I really didn't know what I was doing wrong. So I asked the teacher. I wasn't doing anything wrong. Nonetheless, when someone points that shit out, all hell breaks loose in my mind and the demons begin feasting on my confidence. Class was over.

Two minutes later, the dance began. Fun, great music, people. I grabbed a lady I knew from group classes and began the Tango. Within two minutes I was lost, confused and panicked. I left the dance floor ready to go home. Connie, the teacher, caught me and wouldn't let me leave. She worked with me on my Tango for a few seconds and helped restore a bit of confidence, but the damage had been done. Not by anyone else. But by me.

I got no natural rhythm
But I go dancin’ every night
Hopin’ one day I might get it right
I’m a dancin’ fool, I’m aDancin’ fool
I hear that beat; I jump outa my seat,But I can’t compete,
’cause I’m aDancin’ fool, I’m aDancin’ fool
The disco folks all dressed upLike they’s fit to killI
walk on in ’n’ see ’em there
Gonna give them all a thrill
When they see me comin’They all steps aside
They has a fit while I commitMy social suicide,
I’m aDancin’ fool, I’m aDancin’ fool
The beat goes on
And I’m so wrong
The beat goes on
And I’m so wrong
excerpt from "Dancin' Fool" -Frank Zappa

The next 15-20 minutes of my life was spent in a living hell. The floor filled with beautiful people waltzing, rumba-ing and all other cool dances. On this night, it seemed that everyone was paired up but me, and that everyone was better than me. I had no one to dance with. My regular teacher wasn't there. Some other folks that I knew I could dance with weren't there, and I just didn't have the guns to face asking someone to dance, just to be told "no,"or to find out that I really suck and they don't want to dance with me anyway. I felt like curling up in a ball and hiding in a corner. But I didn't. I got in my car and left.

Minutes later, I spun toward the interstate and stopped. Screaming in my mind, "I'm not going to runaway like that!" I went back fully intent that I would not let my own mind and ego sabotage me with lies that aren't true; with visions that aren't real. I got back onto the floor, freaked out and left again.

When there's lightning - it always brings me down
Cause it's free and I see that it's me
Who's lost and never found
Feel the magic -feel it dancing in the air
But it's fear - and you'll hear
It calling you beware
There's no sign of the morning coming
There's no sight of the day
You've been left on your own
Like a Rainbow in the Dark
-excerpt from Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark"

Confidence shattered by lies. Fun and intent blown by the wiring and condition of my mind. The fear of rejection slicing my wrists and bleeding me dry. The fear of rejection stealing and robbing me of the sunlight that warms my soul.

How we set ourselves up to fall. How I can let so much unreality that is happening in my own mind, not "theirs" destroy all that is good. This is sin. This is the "devil." We are told the "devil did it." Well, I'm sorry but he didn't. We don't need a devil when we're really good at destroying ourselves.

Am I a horrible dancer? "No." Do people think I suck? "No." honestly, they probably don't give a rat's ass one bit about me, nor care or think that much. What do I have to fear? The own craziness in my head.

So, what's the result, what's the answer? I don't know. I do know this though. I'm going back today. I am going to the Sunday Dance this afternoon and I am going to face it.

NO AUTHORITY IS HIGHER THAN REALITY

Enough said:

Truth isn't a matter of your personal viewpoint. Learn to see things as they really are,not as you imagine they are. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it. No matter what you believe, it never changes the facts.If they are there, the facts always speak for themselves. The truth does not change because it is, or is not,believed by a majority of people. If sixty million people say a foolish thing,it's still a foolish thing.

The sky is no less blue because the blind man does not see it.

Thanks to the Daily Guru for this timely wisdom.
©2006 by Max SteingartReproduce freely but maintain © notice

Denial: So sweet the poison of not having to think

The following is an excerpt from a recent blog entry on my page at http://www.zaadz.com. It comes at a time where the cobwebs of craziness have blown out of my mind like a bad muffler backfiring in an alley. I hope you enjoy these thoughts:


Denial is a wonderful apparatus to dull our senses to the humanity of our heroes. It also works as an elixir for the pain we create by trusting our thought process and consciousness to people & philosophies that are in the same exact boat as us. And, conspiracy and error exist.

For an example of this axiom, one must look no further than Anychurch USA when a member of clergy or staff falls from some sort of “sin” and no matter how “damning” the evidence, there are still people who won’t believe it’s true. We set ourselves up for the fall by putting someone in a place with expectations that are so far from who we were created to be that it is impossible to live up to them. Yet, when that person doesn’t live up, we don’t believe it, still wanting them to live to that expectation, and denial kicks in.

I don’t mean to pick on the church, but it’s an easy target. So are friendships, families, career circles, and the largest target ever: Ourselves. (Therefore, don't think that I believe I am above this. I am the biggest culprit-just ask me about how I am responding to the latest headlines regarding my "Person of the Year" for 2005, Ricky Williams).

Churches divide, families split, friends grow distant, countries war; all because of denial.

But, where does denial breed? And what is a preventative measure from even having to use this coping mechanism? My simple theory is that denial breeds from early domestication into a mind-set of beliefs that set humans on a path of ideology and closedmindedness. My simple answer is that we should accept people unconditionally as they are with no expectations and realize we are in the same boat.

But that’s kind of difficult with centuries of storylines, dogma and tradition in every corner of our life that strangle commonsense like it’s a criminal dangling from a hangman’s noose.

It is easier to believe what we have always “just believed because it’s true” than to open our hearts and souls to the possibility that although we are all uniquely different and beautiful, we are all connected and in the same boat.

Concretizing belief is the first step to intolerance and a great, purposeful step toward setting a person up for disappointment. And upon disappointment, the medicine of denial will kick in.

Anyone on earth can be wrong at any time simply because the ground is not solid. As much concrete as one thinks exists, as good as it may get is “wet cement.”

We cause ourselves great pain and discomfort by wanting things to be like we think and believe they should be. The issue with this is that things aren’t like we think and believe they should be. The universe is full of beauty and everyone of us lives a different story while interpreting the world through our own eyes and minds. Unity, compassion, love and peace breed from the breaking chains of belief and ideology.

Beauty is intrinsic to all of us and everything, but it is not justified or defined by doctrine, ideology, belief or a business model with a cross at it’s heart.

BY THE WAY, THE PHOTO ABOVE IS THE MUG SHOT OF THE SOON TO BE RELEASED RAP LEGEND, LIL' KIM. GODSPEED KIM.

TIME HUSTLES THOSE WHO WAIT TO DIE

"GET TO THE HIP NOW BABY, 'FORE THE HIP GETS TO YOU"

For anyone who has perused the postings of WinchellWorld, or for anyone who knows me remotely; the subject of music runs deep within my soul and veins. No, I don't play. Being the 5th of five kids put me in an environment where all of my older brothers either played in school band, sang, or did something involved with the instrumentation and performance of music. By the time it got to me, it just wasn't appealing.

But, music WAS appealing to me. Thus, my life has always been vocated somewhere within the entertainment realm, and my love of music runs deep through a vast diversity of aural delights.

With this understanding, one can understand how my soul sparked alight recentlyew with the news that my favorite band of all time, THE CULT, is reforming once again for a North American tour.

All hail THE CULT, keepers of rock's flame of justice and integrity! May THE CULT guide us through periless times of wandering politicians and goonish minions!



My first introduction to THE CULT was seeing this Deep-Purpleishesque band on Saturday Night Live in the early 80's cranking out a different sound from across the ocean in the form of a tune entitled, "She Sells Sanctuary." Little did I know that in just several years, my friends and I would be blinded by THE CULT'S light at Starwood Amphitheatre in Antioch, TN as they opened up for Billy Idol. Little did I know that THE CULT would find a home in my heart providing forgiveness for the sins of listening to crappy music at times, and salvation for my rock and roll soul.

And, little did I know that I would be granted the blessing of seeing THE CULT on numerous occasions in many incarnations throughout their frantic and crazy career.

Well, miracles do continue to happen and we are blessed with another round of Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy's hip-shaking soul waking hurricane blues of salvation again!

I have made arrangements to see THE CULT on March 17th in Chicago. The Cult is playing a solid schedule of U.S. dates throughout early spring, all at intinmate club and theatre settings. If you find yourself down and out and seeking answers, perhaps THE CULT may provide a light and way for you.

"We'll see you in the everlife." -Parting words from Ian Astbury, Sonic Temple Tour, Memphis Tennessee, Mid-South Coliseum, 1990

WINCHELL CAT OFFICIALLY NAMED

PRESS RELEASE

Winchell Cat Officially Named

January 28, 2006Franklin, TN

After much deliberation, Scott and Sophia Winchell have officially named their new cat, ELIZA SNOW NIRVANA.

Eliza Snow, originally named Percy, was adopted this afternoon from the Nashville Humane Association and will now reside at the Winchell residence in the Cool Springs section of Franklin, TN.

Eliza is descended from a long line of Arctic Fisher Cats, as evidenced from her snowy-white fur and peculiar black marking on the top of her head.

"Naming a pet is a process." said new cat owner Scott Winchell. "We went through alot of names in a very short period of time; Alaska, Ocean, Monkey Head, etc...... but something told me that we would know the right name when we heard it." Eliza came to Winchell's mind while watching the film, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," with daughter Sophia. In the movie, a modern-day stage adaptation of the classic play Pygmalion is entitled, "Eliza Rocks." Coupled with a moniker uplifting to the cat's white color and a segue into the spiritual, Eliza Snow Nirvana was solidified.

"I never thought I would own another cat again. But, things change. I believe I've come to a place of responsibility in my life where I can offer a stable environment to an animal in need of a home," said Winchell. "Plus, Sophia loves animals and it will be good for her to have one in Nashville when she is here." Sophia is also keeper of the famous Tabby, Lani Lemon who resides permanently in Memphis, TN. Sophia has also immediately granted the status of "sister to Lani" for Eliza Snow.

New Family Member, Haircuts & Paparazzi

CH..CH..CH..CHANGES...

I swore I would never have another cat. But we find ourselves welcoming our new family member into our Tennessee home today.

Sophia's surprise for me this weekend was definitely great. She decided to change her look by going for a much shorter style, as wonderfully displayed in her photo.

The thought of a January-gone has seeped into my mind over the past couple of days, and for the first time in my life I don't even have the slightest hint of "where did it go?", or "Can you believe how time flies?" For me, that's revolutionary. It means that time travels at exactly the speed it should and perhaps living in the current moment (the only moment that exists) may have something to do with a fulfilling lifestyle of no regret.

Enjoy the photos below of our new friend (nameless at the time of this posting). Also, scroll-down for a look at some true paparazzi: photos from hip-hop superstar Paul Wall's recent wedding.

THE ICE MAN FREEZES MATRIMONIAL

These photos are from Hip-hop superstar Paul Wall's wedding. The photographer is unknown. I received these from one of my team members at work.

It's encouraging to see the family side of our greatest superstars. More reason to support the cause of rap music's greatest figures.

I wish everyone a peaceful and happy week.

Scott

Boycott's, the Cha Cha & Beautiful Women of Music

A LIGHTHEARTED MOMENT: HERE ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN MUSIC (AS JUDGED BY ME):
In no particular order:
Sade
Mary J. Blige
Anna Nalick
Mariah Carey
Sarah Brightman
Shakira

If you have not enjoyed the presence of these ladies in your life, I feel sorry for you.

SADE: International superstar, sultry songstress, temptress

Shakira: Argentinian wonder. Amazingly talented as a vocalist, songwriter and producer

Mariah: What can I say? Every man wants her, whether they admit it or not.

Mary J. Blige: Oh My!
Anna Nalick: Wow!

Sarah Brightman: Broke to popularity over a decade ago through her appearance in "Phantom of the Opera." Operatic vocalist of sultry beauty and grace.


NOW: AN UPDATE FROM THIS WEEK!

I am calling off the Boycott of NBC's Office. I appreciate everyones support. Now the reality:

I WAS BEING SARCASTIC, and I really didn't go to the hospital. Our local NBC affiliate removed "The Book of Daniel" from the air last Friday night because of supposed negative response from viewers. The problem with that is that most of the complaints were from people who never saw the show, but simply listened to someone else (who probably didn't see the show) and got irate. It amazes me how we as a culture (both sides and everyone) use sound-byte mentality to invest our stances, beliefs and morals. "As long as so and so says it, it must be true!"

I've written alot on this blog about the collective consciousness of insanity that is so willing to lease out our very minds and souls to someone just because of who they are (preacher, politician, boss, whatever). The sarcastic "Boycott of NBC's The Office," was another way for me to point this out, in relation to NBC's controversy related to "The Book of Daniel."

Bye the way, does anyone know when "Book of Daniel" will be on DVD? I want to see it. But, because of a bunch of fools, I don't have access in Nashville.

I love life in Tennessee. Here are some thoughts and highlights from this week that I have experienced:

* One day snow, next three days sun and 70 degrees. Today it is raining. Hmmm.

* Racism, prejudice and hate exist. They always will until we move to a better place in our individual and collective minds. Mostly perpetuated by subtle humor amongst people who just think they are being funny, it is high time these issues become scars and not open wounds.

If you worship with a congregation, have groups of friends, or just simply commune with the workplace I encourage you to discover who we are. We are not created to hate. And, sin is not an excuse.

* The Memphis Grizzlies have dropped 4 in a row. They are in a bit of a slump, but will come out of it.

* My ballroom dancing is progressing. I have a very cool teacher, and am actually getting good at a few of the dances like Cha Cha and Waltz.

* The media business is good in Nashville. It is interesting to see the ebb and flow of how people approach the success or failure of their businesses. It is interesting to see who businesses are willing to ask patronize them, and why.

Enjoy a peaceful weekend!

BOYCOTT NBC'S "THE OFFICE" UPDATE

PERSECUTION, FAITH, FORCE

"Being right is not just a viewpoint. It is the foundation on which we stand and are able to prove the other person wrong in order to justify our faith. God is with us." - Unknown Soldier of Salvation

I write the above words in a simple gesture of fellowship. Fellowship and offering; the offering of my thanks to the hundreds of you who have reached out and joined forces with me in a "battle of right." Knowing that just a few days from now, NBC will once again attempt to fill viewers minds with the idea that the workplace in America is nothing more than a cage of buffoons lolligagging around in their own ego, trapped by the chains of a capitalist imbalance.

But we can stand! Yes, we can stand. Where is the man, the woman who will stand up for the TRUTH of the American workplace? Where is the person who is proud?

How fitting it is that on the very day where we celebrate the legacy of a person who stood up and basically died to build access for everyone to the American workplace, that we find not only a fight, but persecution.

Yes, some of you may have heard how even today I was mocked as being 'out of hand' and 'too far to the right-wing' of things in standing up for a truthful portrayal of 9-5 America. Thank you for your prayers. (Jim, thank you for driving me to the hospital. I owe you a drink man!).

All is well, because we are right. A COUPLE OF NOTES OF UPDATE:

* Many of you are asking "How Can I help ban NBC's 'The Office.'? -Because of this, we are developing a "Ban NBC's The Office Toolkit". This should be ready for distribution next week. The tool kit will contain door hangers for your office doors, posters for cubicles, and stand ups for the water coolers.

Also, we are in process of developing picket and yard signs to use at rally's at your local NBC affiliates.

* SECONDLY, Because of the overwhelming attendance at yesterdays service in Cool Springs, First Church of Mattress Springs has already outlived it's usefulness. We appreciate Bishop Twin's offering of the use of the building, but we will need to move to higher ground.

Next Sunday's meeting will be at 12:01 p.m. at the Cool Springs location of Chili's. It is "Bring a Jaded Co-Worker Day."

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Stand tall people. Salvation is ours and hell is for the heathens!!!!!

BOYCOTT "THE OFFICE"

BOYCOTT 'THE OFFICE' NOW!

As a professional career employee in corporate America, I am aghast at the liberal media's latest brash attack against the institution that provides so many of us our livelihoods. The NBC so called "comedy", "The Office," is a distorted portrayal of a corporate office setting that exaggerates everything from an ego-filled boss, to sexist innuendo directed at females and an appalling abuse of the disabled. Not to mention the derogatory attitude the show puts toward minorities.

NBC markets the show as, "From Reveille and NBC Universal Television Studio comes a documentary-style look into the humorous and sometimes poignant foolishness that plagues the world of 9-to-5 in the half-hour comedy “The Office,” based on the award-winning BBC hit. "

As workers, we need to unite, stand up and speak out about this evil. By contacting national and local NBC affiliates and telling them that we will not stand for this outrage that infects not only ourselves but our families.

I am tired of the media continually skewing the reality of the workplace. The workplace is sacred. Yet this television show portrays it as nothing but a dysfunctional party of racist and bigoted lunatics. What's next? A show that attacks the institution of marriage by portraying a bunch of voyeuristic married women?

Join me in boycotting "The Office." Contact your local NBC affiliate NOW. In Nashville, TN that would be WSMV. You may e-mail programming@wsmv.com

I am gathering as many names as possible to support this cause. If you would like to add your support to the list of people who want to downsize the office from our tv screens, post your note of affirmation on this blog.

Thank You. May the corporate giants of America continue to stand strong as the foundation of our great society.

Yours Truly,

Scott Michael Winchell

RISKY BUSINESS

I have been known to be a pretty open person about things going on in my life. My close friends know alot about me. I do not hide alot from the people who I work with. Sometimes, to a fault, I offer personal information about myself. It is risky to be open about one's life. Just like art, the risk of communication is critique, AND misinterpretation. Anytime a person chooses to share their story, it is going to be perceived and translated by the programming in the receiving person's mind.

People draw more defined opinions and pictures of a person when they have more information such as how much money that person makes, what their financial situation is, what they believe politically and spiritually, or what is happening in their personal life with relationships & sex.

I want people to know me.

One of the purposes of the "Winchell World" blog is simply to be an outlet for this communication. Therefore, I want to post some things about what I do; what is going on in my life, and who I am. This definitely will be a work in progress and will not be held by just one post. But, I am going to give it a shot.

As a preface, I come from a family that has the communication skills a rock. It's not obvious on the surface, and if asked, many of my family members would perhaps diagree. That's fine. But the fact is we are horrible at not just communicating, but we are not open about what is going on. Most families are like this. It is not uncommon by any means.

I have a deep admiration and respect for my brother in California. He has faced incredible challenges over the past year, and through the process has been very open, clear and communicative about what's going on with him. That is a great beacon of hope for those of us who possess some of the thought processes that I am attempting to reflect in this post. It is also a deviation from our familial norm.

Throughout life, the line of action my brother has taken, has not necessarily been the case with most of my family, including myself. Whether it's money, health, or God, someone could have the Feds on their tail because of tax problems, a very discernable diagnosis of a disease, or perhaps a spiritual challenge and you would never know it. I don't know why this is. Perhaps fear, just not wanting to share, or whatever. But where it has lead is to separation, assumptions and basically everyone living their own life.

In my family, it is typical to hear things like, "The Doctor's aren't sure what it is," "We're not doing to well," "Well, we just really don't have the money," or my favorite, "Where are you going to church?" "Can you believe so and so got such and such car!," "How can they afford that?," etc, etc, etc..........

If you have gotten this far, perhaps you can tell that this type of environment can be frustrating for a person like me. Alot of the times, over the years, the communication line in our family has simply been as if the meteorologist on the ten o'clock news came out and said, "Well, tomorrow, we are going to have some weather."

Maybe other members of my family feel the same way I do. Maybe they don't. How would I know? Honestly, except for my brothers here in Tennessee and in California, the conversations don't go that deep.

To me, I believe people should know about family member's situations. I really don't want someone to die, and then find out a bunch of stuff that wasn't in order, that easily could have been taken care of. And, I don't want to die and leave someone in my family a mess.

Maybe a good place to start is to tell people openly about myself. And, following, I'm going to do that. Risky? Yes. But, so what? I'm going to put the following in a sort of personal interview form with questions and answers about my life. Here we go:

1) What do you do? I manage a local sales team for Clear Channel Radio in Nashville, TN. I am going into my fourth year with the company. When I came to Clear Channel, it signaled a drastic career change leaving the confines of the Christian industrial complex, where I experienced 15 years of tumultuous and average success.

It has been the best move I have ever made. I make a modest income (not quite 6 figures yet) in a middle-market, managing a team of 6 direct salespeople with the help of two other combination sellers. The radio station I represent is currently the #1 overall radio station in Nashville. I am blessed, fortunate and happy with my vocation and the continued prospects that develop every day.

2) What is your personal situation? I am single with a nine year old daughter, Sophia, who lives in Memphis. I rent a small, nice apartment in Williamson County, TN which is a suburb just south of metro-Nashville.

3) Are you rich? No. Much of the past year and half of my life has been spent wrapping my mind and intention around just how few skills I was raised with to build a prosperous life. Some families have alcoholism that runs rampant through the bloodlines. Other families have disease. Our family has poor money management skills masked in some twisted form of lying denial that presents a front that the opposite is true. It's not. Fortunately, a person can get on the right track. Thanks to a very great example I have in my best friend, my own slap in the face into reality, and Dave Ramsey, I am slowly, and not without problems, heading in a better direction that will allow myself to live the life I want to live, go to the places I want to go, not be dependent on anyone, and help provide my daughter a decent future.

4) How are you health-wise? I attempt to take care of myself, eat healthy and exercise. I have regular physicals and feel much better when I am taking care of myself. The biggest realization came in late 2004 when I was diagnosed with ADD. This benchmarked much of the revolutionary change in direction of my life, and really woke me up to some of these other issues that CAN be explained, AND dealt with.

I am not an alcoholic. My physical and mental makeup can make alcohol a problem. When I begin to drink, and put myself in environments where my mind cannot focus, I will lose control and not be able to turn the booze off. Fortunately, realizing this, helps avoid it. ADD is a hereditary condition. It is not an excuse. I almost get pissed that it took the fifth child in a line of men to figure out that this may have something to do with our dysfunctional communication and management skills as a family.

5) The ultimate question: Where do you go to church? I don't. You can get a clue as to why by reading some of my other posts on the blog. The truth needs no defense, only lies do. Therefore I will just leave this subject to that.

6) What do you do in your spare time? I enjoy music, sports, and just life itself. I love being around people, and yet I like my private time. I read alot. Therefore, I try to exercise and workout several times a week. I listen to alot of music and read books, mostly related to spirituality (NO, I've never read, "Purpose Driven Life." Sorry), poetry, biography, the mind and marketing.

I love women.

I love the Miami Dolphins, Memphis Grizzlies and Kansas City Royals. I follow each of these teams on an average fan level throughout their respective seasons.

7) What are your thoughts on parenthood? Bad question. I love my child. My time is limited with her. Nothing can make me love my child more, or less. That bond is unshakeable in my eyes. It is important to me that as to the influence I have on her, that I am a rock, a solid environment where she does not feel the need to act in a way that is not herself. It is important that I put an environment around her where she develops the habit of being able to make good decisions based on who she is, not what some made up domestication policy says she should be. I very rarely get angry with my daughter. It's useless. Kindness, patience, peace, care. These are the things that I can offer, this is the only way. I enjoy every moment with my daughter and I don't care what anyone else says or thinks about it.

I've spent my entire life following a so-called "Christian" paradigm that wrecks families, destroys lives and mangles the futures of children by teaching them to be anyone other than themselves. I am not going to go there any more. That's not saying I know the future of my child, but it does say that I'm not going to waste today to try to avoid a future that doesn't exist except in my fearful mind.

8) Sounds like you hate God? Nope. Not at all. I hate the closedmindedness and numbness of the christian industrial and distribution complex. If there really is a literal hell, these complexes will represent Boardwalk and Park Place on Hell's Monopoly board. That real estate is too expensive for me. It will cost my soul, and I can't afford that. It's bad stewardship of what God has provided me freely.

Well, there is a good start. Perhaps more RISKY BUSINESS later. For now, I am going to listen to one of the three most sexy women in music: Sade.

Good Night!