Alex Cequea

When Values Have No Value

A recent CNN article about Christians supporting torture (“Torture prompts Soul-searching among some Christians”) gives a pretty bleak outlook on what is supposed to be our national moral base. Apparently “62 percent of white evangelical Protestants say that the use of torture against suspected terrorists can be often or sometimes justified in order to gain important information.”  Now I know what you’re thinking, “It’s only what Jesus would do!”

This support of torture strikes me as an expression of a spiritually immature society using any tool they have (in this case Christianity) to justify what their own level of consciousness feels is right. It is not right. It is not human. It is not moral. It’s like saying “I never lie, unless I get really scared to tell the truth.”

A nation that can’t live its principles has no principles. And, it makes us no different than those “evildoers” we’re so scared about. On the other hand, a nation that can live its principles has the respect of the international community and world leaders.

Isn’t it harder to get attacked when everyone respects you? And ,if someone does attack, won’t it be easier to get support from the world community?

Let's be the good nation, and lead by example.

Love and light,

-Alex

The Economy Doesn't Need A Quick Fix

The mess we're in is a consequence of a capitalist ideology that says "let's make as much money as quickly as possible." Therefore It is wise and understandable when the country looks to solutions that are long-lasting and profoundly moral and ethical (like green energy and sustainability), to help the country re-define what it means to have a successful economy.

A recent CNN article about green jobs mentioned that "Wind and solar companies have cut staff and stalled new projects as the credit crisis has tied up money, meaning banks are less able to invest in renewable energy." This made me sad, because even though the article is a clear supporter of a clean and green economy springing up in the US, statements like that clearly show that we're looking at the current economic turmoil through the lenses of an old paradigm. An old paradigm that says "how do we fix this as cheaply and quickly as possible?"

We don't need a quick fix. We need a long, drawn out, painfully but carefully thought-out "fix" that re-defines what it means to have a successful economy. Germany is doing it, Sweden is doing it, Switzerland is doing it. We're started to really think about it, and it some areas we've started to move towards it.
But my question is: Really, what are we waiting for?

Twitter Madness ahead?

Here's a nice article from Alternet about the unprecedented growth of Twitter, and what it means for all of us. A short excerpt:

"Twitter is growing so fast that 2009 may come to be known not as the year America swore in its first black president or nationalized the banks, but the year America learned to think and communicate in 140 characters or fewer."
Read article from Alternet

Love and light,
-Alex

How's the stimulus money being spent?

Here's a nice chart from CNN showing how the stimulus package is being spent. You can click on the sections to see their sub-sections

CNN Chart

Love and light,
-Alex

Obama Admin Calls on Input from Evolutionary Leaders

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/248704259

The Obama Administration has asked the "Evolutionary Leaders" to communicate about what is transpiring on the planet, and how we can change the course of the unprecedented events that are challenging this planet. This is a window of opportunity that must be taken! A deadline was given for this information to be conveyed to the Obama Administration.

Facebook Flashmob Invades English Train Station

My guess is we'll see a lot more of these tech-driven social experiments. This week CNN reported that thousands of people invaded a major London train station and danced for 90 minutes.
The whole event was organized through facebook by a 22 year-old guy who called himself "Crazzy Eve"

As a big fan of pranks and organized improvisation (see: Improv everywhere), I love seeing this kind of thing pop-up in current culture. The humor, spontaneity, and adventurous energy needed to carry out this sort of thing is badly missing in our culture and our world.

I've been thinking of organizing the Public Meditation Project the same way.
Maybe it'll end up on CNN too :-)

Love and light,
-Alex

Obama pushing for Green Economy?

Obama has yet to pick his Secretary of Energy, and Al Gore is the clear font-runner according to CNN's latest update. Among the three likely candidates, Gore has gotten 80% of the votes from CNN's viewers.

It's a shame because Al Gore isn't interested in a white house position. I guess being there for so long has jaded him. I do think, however, that he's become so much more effective in creating change since he's left his formal political position.

McCain's Last Resort: Obama is a Socialist

John McCain has fallen into the scripted black-hole of campaign rhetoric for one last chance at turning independent heads his way. Obama's large money advantage has allowed him to remain less negative than his veteran counterpart, but the whole tone and dialog of this endless race has taken personality politics into a whole new level, and the American people will paying its price for quite some time.

Is Mcain's move Bipartisan? or Purely Political?

Mccain is temporarily suspending the campaign to go back to Washington to deal with the financial crisis. He urged Senator Obama to do the same. In today's highly political world, it's hard to see any move as purely benign or without ulterior motives.

Example: President Bush used former president Ford's death to talk about "making unpopular decisions." He was referring to Ford's pardon of Nixon, and used it to reinforce his belief that invading Iraq was a correct move. Way to sneak in political propaganda. Not even the funerals are safe!

Sarah Palin Meeting with World Leaders, WHY?

So it seems that lack of foreign policy experience can easily be fixed by meeting with 9 world leaders in 30 hours. At least that's what the GOP would like you to think.

These meetings will be used as proof that Sarah Palin has some foreign policy experience. The republican base can now say things like "but she's met with world leaders!"

Well, Larry King has met with every great actor of the last 30 years, but I still highly doubt his acting capabilities.

And, judging from the fact that she didn't want to take any questions from reporters and only photos could be taken, I'm starting to doubt her acting capabilities as well.

Read the entire cnn article here

Love and light,
-Alex

The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives...

I ran into this talk at TED: Jonathan Haidt: The real difference between liberals and conservatives

It is about the root of liberal ideology and conservative ideology and how they can coexists in a healthy manner. Like the Ying and Yang, one is necessary for the other to exists.

With the presidential race seemingly close, it is imperative that we understand not only each other's points of view but also the roots of those ideas and how they can grow in harmony. If we can't be open to the perspectives of others, then we can't put Obama in the White House... I'm just kidding, but really, he needs to win :-)

It's a great talk with plenty of insight, and an eye-opening perspective that the nation hungry for and desperately needs.

GO watch it, now.

Love and light,
-Alex

Polls Driving you Crazy? Maybe they shouldn't...

This article by Joshua Holland of Alternet is very concise and insightful. It sheds light on my previous post "Are the Election Polls Rigged?"

Joshua's article is entitled "Why the Polls Drive Us Crazy (and Shouldn't)" and you can read it here

Some things to consider:

• Cell phone users are rarely Polled (Most people under 25 have JUST cell phones)
• Most polls were off by a significant margin during the Primaries
• Current polls may be good for showing trends but are poor indicators for what will happen in November
• Most states aren't polled, results are based on "trend estimates."

May the margin of error be with us,
-Alex

The Relentless Activism of Rage Against the Machine

I've always admired people who are activists firsts and artists second. Watch this video from a RNC protest led by Rage's frontman. You can read the complementing article here

Love and light,
-Alex

Activism in the 21st Century

I ran across this article on campusactivism.org, and although I found it a little exclusive and single-minded, there are a few points worth looking into. It's called "Principles for an Online Activist Grassroots Revolution"

It is a list of useful principles for developing the technology to power a grassroots revolution.

Love and light,
-Alex

Are Humans to Blame for Hurricane Ike?

A few years ago, when Hurricane Rita headed towards Houston, millions of residents took to the streets (my family included), and headed west towards San Antonio. That time, Rita moved east of Houston at the last minute, and missed the major population center. This time around, not believing that the hurricane could create much damage, many stayed back to ride out the storm.

Is this a direct result of global warming?

Is Sarah Palin Obama's Shadow?

This is a quite insightful article by Deepak Chopra explaining why Sarah Palin has appealed to some portion of the American population.

Dr. Chopra says that Obama calls on us to reach for our higher selves, and it naturally stirs hidden and uncomfortable reactions from millions of Americans who aren't ready to express those fears. Enter Sarah Palin, the anti-Obama, and people now have a validation of their fear that they can latch onto.

Read the rest of the article by Dr Chopra here

Love and light,
-Alex

I'm featured in a German Magazine! Info3

Today I got a Magazine in the mail from Germany with my picture on page 15. I got interviewed about the Public Meditation Project about a month ago, and I'd forgotten about it.

Maybe I'm famous in Germany?

A Royal Smackdown from Keith Olbermann

This video from Msnbc is making the rounds. Keith Olbermann is hitting the republicans and John Mccain hard for exploiting 9-11 and the terrorists attacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L25jjSyiyks

The Spiritual Activist Blog Awards...

It is hard to find good activist blogs, let alone a spiritual activist blog. One with resources, actions steps, creativity, and lack of incoherent anger. Of course, there are lots of great blogs around environmental activism, but spiritual activism is a little tougher to find. Plus, what is spiritual activism anyways? Here's the idea for a Spiritual Activist blog Award I'm unveiling soon, to help spotlight those wonderful souls out there.

We the Candidates, or We the People?

What ever happened to the issues? Is this a personality thing, or do we actually want something better for the country? The talking point fed to the American public today is the whole "lipstick on a pig" remark by Obama, and I could not be more turned off my the whole thing. 

It is not only a waste of time and energy to lower ourselves to such "issues," when we could be discussing ways to better ourselves and the environment around us.

Here's the vision I propose:

Are The Election Polls Rigged?

As someone who's been following this election much closer than elections past, I can't help but wonder why the polls seem so far out of touch with what I see. I watched both Mccain's and Obama's convention speeches. To say that Obama's was better than Mccain's is not only ridiculously obvious, but also quite insulting to the intelligence of anyone watching.  But somehow, Mccain is ahead now? Where are we? bizarro world?

Here's my theory:

John Lennon is Still Ahead of his time...

I just saw a live performance by John Lennon of his controversial song about our male-dominated society, "Woman is the Nigger of the World," and I realized that over 25 years after his passing, he is still very much ahead of the times.

The song lyrics, which you can read here, are quite relevant even today. And John Lennon, still often misunderstood and ignored as an activist and revolutionary, is making heads turn with lyrics like:

Can a Race Team win on Biofuel?

As co-founder of Tidal Wave Group, I should let you know about our current challenge of bringing sustainability into the racing industry. We are supporting a race team, Kenya Kwanza, in their quest to be the first team to compete in the world-renown 2009 Dakar Rally using only biofuel to power their entire fleet.

Mccain and Obama Speeches... there is a difference

I just watched both Obama's speech and Mccain's speech when they accepted the nomination. There's definitely an difference from an energetic point, and there's a difference from an ideological point.

The overwhelming support for Obama is hard to match. Mccain is trying to play up the fact that he's called a "maverick," and trying to send the message that he'll fight to change government. Needless to say, the country wants change, it's just a question of how much.

This blog will no longer be my MUM blog

I have blogged for MUM for 2 years. Now my blogging for MUM has come to an end. Maharishi University will now take down my link from their site, but this blog will go on as m personal blog. And, lucky for me, I have managed to keep a very interesting life going for myself.

So, it turns out I'm famous...

 The latest issue of What is Enlightenment? magazine features me on page 18! Actually, It features the Public Meditation Project and it quotes me repeatedly. It says that public meditations "…may represent the next big thing among Gen-Y spiritual seekers in America, and the trend seems to be catching on fast."

There's even a group in Germany that has taken the entire concept and ran with it. They have great pictures of people meditating all over. I even created a Guide on how to start your own Public Meditation Project group:

Download Public_Meditation_Project_How-to.pdf

It's for all the people who emailed me wanting to know how to start their own movement.

2 years ago I said to myself: One day I'll be in What is Enlightenment?

My dream has come true :-)

So congratulate me repeatedly as my life stays pretty much the same... only now I can brag to friends and family with supporting documentation

The school year is about to start, and I'm contemplating whether I'll continue to blog for the university (Gasp!)

Regardless, It's been a really really fun ride. Thanks for all the time you spend reading. you could have spent it doing more important things but you spent it with me, and that makes me feel wanted in a very electronic editorial-type of way.

Keep on laughing :-)

 Love and light,

-Alex

Iraq War veterans speak out about the truth of the war...

There are tons of testimonies from soldiers who've served in Iraq on Youtube. I ran into a few by accident.

There's a group called Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) that held a conference a couple of months ago with about a dozen soldiers giving their personal accounts, and their own videos and photos to illustrate the terrible things that are happening in Iraq: Killing and torturing Iraqi civilians, racism, the works.

I wonder why CNN didn't cover it?

here are some links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i5ZUfpxnV0&feature=related (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iTdxBECos8&feature=related (Part 2)

And here's the site for Iraq Veterans Against the War http://ivaw.org/

Love and light,
-Alex

Flood pics...

We're located in Fairfield, IA. We're about an hour and a half from Cedar Rapids and about an hour from Iowa City. Everything is ok here, we haven't experienced any flooding or tornadoes. A friend forwarded some incredible pictures of the flood from different parts of Iowa.

 More pics like the one on the left are found in this link:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/mississippi_floodwaters_in_iow.html

 Please do what you can to help.

Some 9.3 trillion gallons of rain water fell in the last few weeks in Iowa, enough to provide water to parts of drought-ridden Georgia for the next 53 years.

And If you're driving through the Midwest, check the roads because a few major highways are closed.

Love and light,
-Alex

Tornadoes, floodings and storms, oh my...

A tornado came within 8 miles of the Maharishi University Campus a couple of days ago, and we happened to be in the middle of meditation when the tornado sirens went off. Talk about an abrupt ending to meditation.

Luckily, since Id seen the movie "Twister," I knew that all you have to do is hold on to a pole and you'll be safe.

Everything was fine, but it WAS moving at 45 miles an hour, which is just about how fast I would have been able to drive away in a quick escape, considering the small roads and all.

Cedar Rapids, which is about 1 hour and a half from here, is flooding like crazy. Some are talking Katrina-like disaster. But thankfully the waters are calming down and the overflowed river is moving back to where it came from. 3000 people were evacuated, including one full hospital.
In Fairfield, everything is ok. Just a lot of rain every once in a while, but no major disasters here.

Maybe the meditation is working?

Love and light,
-Alex

My birthday and Waterballoon fights...

It's really hard to hit people with water balloons.. especially when they're moving. My birthday was last Sunday and I had a water-balloon fight to celebrate. Then we played dodge ball and threw a Frisbee around.

I've been wanting to have a water balloon fight since I was 12. That was the last time I had a proper one.

It's much easier to ambush people. I think that's the best way to do it. Also, for your own water balloon-fighting needs, make sure they are filled really well. Otherwise, they won't pop, and you'll just end up hurting people.

:-)

Love and light,
-Alex