Sticking to what I am observing is…
I can’t tell you how many people have tried to get me to focus. When it happens, it can be amazing – like putting all 21 spelling words into only 3 sentences when I was in the 2nd grade. But – it is extremely rare, and why writing about these particular Saboteurs is not something that comes easy to me. What is interesting is the underlying work I am doing with Positive Intelligence actually fits better with me. They are training us to focus our energy and mind on specific senses – touch, vision, sound – to master controlling the animal mind so it is slower to rise to the occasion, and more under “my” control. It is honing observing where our mind is… and bringing it back to where you want it to be… and building up those muscles through repeated applications… with a phone-based app that has lots and lots of bugs …
… which I have reframed into the perfect torture chamber for me. Try to remain calm while the updates are… not coming… and the reminders… don’t show up… and the questions… are not there to answer. And yes, I have been able to stay mostly present… so it must be working. 😉 The Saboteurs for today are related but slightly different. Stickler is very focused on details, perfection, order, and organization – to the point that nothing is precise enough, or done well enough. If you can’t do it right, why do it at all – Right is Right, and Wrong is Wrong – there is no gray. Related is Hyper Vigilant – constantly on guard for all of the dangers around you that could go wrong. Life is full of dangers – if I don’t look out for them, who will? Put together, these people are literally living their own perfect torture chamber with our current crisis…
… often not as helpful as playing The Fool.
So I always encourage you to listen to the music… today – look at the picture. 😉 It is honestly one reason I picked Clapton because not only does he have some great stories and songs, he has some interesting guitars. We already talked about the Beano album – there is actually a Beano Guitar – a 60 Les Paul that was used for the album in 1966… and then was stolen from him while with Cream. As the band was heading to the US for their first tour, their manager hired a Dutch design firm to provide “psychedelic costumes and guitars” for their shows which would occur during the “Summer of Love”. They took his 64 SG (same as Tommy Iommi for those keeping track) and sanded it down and repainted it DayGlo enamel paint… and in the video, you can sorta tell … if you can look past his amazing perm 😉 (For those interested, Bruce is playing a Fender Bass VI – a six-string bass guitar… and yes I have one of those, along with 3 SG’s – but not a Fool – yet )
observing who is around you that is different…
The hard part of this week for me is focusing mostly on the negatives – the Saboteurs, without giving you insights on what to do to turn them around. I want to jump forward to the Sage voices that will help relieve the pressure… and, if you have these particular Saboteurs, I would not be credible as a source to be a voice of the Sage. In this mind, my lack of details, focus, and attention to the danger would instantly discredit me. As you might guess, my scores are very low on these, but am surrounded by people with them. I am well known for saying “What is the worst that could possibly happen?”– which started as a joke… but has become a practice. Playing this out in a neutral setting can actually get people to see once these Saboteurs are turned on themselves, they can point a way forward. Having worked out the specific details of what exactly could go wrong, people can step forward – realistically… and be informed with these “skills” as an advantage.
… can be your own Sage way forward.
The album this is off of is Disraeli Gears – a play on the name of the British PM and bike gears that a roadie mispronounced. Only their 2nd album, it was recorded in 3 days in New York City – amazing for the complexity of the songs on it, including this one that started out as a different song. The Vigilance of one of the world’s best sound engineers, Tom Dowd, and the prowess of Bruce along with Felix Pappalardi as the producer came up with a masterpiece. Felix rewrote the lyrics with his wife, and went on to found Mountain, and produce many great rock albums of the 70’s… until his wife shot him in 1983… a fitting testimony to their lyrics. As with the Stickler and Hyper Vigilant, it is a … Strange Brew, Kills what’s inside of you…
