2009: A year of Endings and New Beginnings - "Status Updates": The Way I See Them

The end to the decade has come... and the beginning of a new one is about to get started. Looking back on the short life I have led up to this day, I cannot help but feel overwhelmingly thankful for what this decade and this year has given me. Not only have I experienced living in three different countries, but I have also been able to accomplish each of the goals I've set myself out to do. Most importantly, however, this decade has brought with it the doors which I needed to cross in order to truly remember who I am and what it is that matters most to me. Through my experiences I have continued to gain a new understanding of myself and the world around me and can now rest assured that regardless of where I may be, I am always home.

In regards to the BIG picture, this decade seems to have given mankind a HUGE boost in terms of its power of communication. Of particular interest is the social network known to all (if not most of us) as "Facebook". Now, you may be wondering why I've chosen facebook as a topic of discussion for this post; hereafter, I will attempt to explain why I think this is important and some of the lessons that can be learned from it.

Now, I don't think I need to spend time explaining how facebook came to be and how much it has grown over the second half of this decade; the important thing to consider is that virtually most of the world's population that has access to a computer is now a member of this social network. With this context in mind, I'd like to narrow down my observation and focus my discussion on one of the many functions for which facebook (or Twitter for that matter) is currently being used for on a moment-to-moment basis - "status updates".

Looking over my "News Feed" just a couple of days ago, I ran into a new application which allows the user to make a collage of his/her past year's daily statuses. Out of curiosity, I decided to install the application and see the resulting collage. To my surprise, I discovered that I could choose which of my past "status updates" I could use in the collage. I selected a few at random and was immediately presented with a very powerful collage. The reason why I use the word "powerful" is because the collage allowed me to clearly see the "state of mind" I've had throughout the year (from the top of the first page to the end of the last one).

A few minutes later, I went back to my "News Feed" and started to see some of my friends' "status collages" for 2009. I became intrigued; slowly I began to see a very interesting pattern that continues to show up globally in every second throughout this social network. In other words, it seems to me that  "face...book" is actually serving as a live historic-record of humanity's "state of being". A record which literally grows by the second and which exemplifies the general attitudes that most (if not all) of its feeders have towards life and their present situations.

If you are yet to grasp what I'm trying to say here, I invite you to check out all of your 2009 "status updates" and see what kind of pattern comes up. You may just learn the very reason(s) why your current state of being is where's it at (for better or for worse), and you may even come to learn a thing or two about your general attitude towards life's ups & downs. It all starts in your mind.

As I've often said, "Money can buy you many things... but for EVERYTHING else there's your STATE OF MIND. Therefore, change the colour of your mind... and you may just live a RAINBOW of a LIFE."

Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
                 - Iker Gomez Goroztieta

Riding Katsuyama's "Ski Jam": The Joy of Living

With only three days left of 2009, my friend Tapio from Vancouver and I decided to pay a visit to the northern mountains of Fukui. I had heard that Katsuyama's "Ski Jam" is Fukui's biggest ski resort and online reviews had nothing but praise to say. Consequently, we decided to get the car ready the night before and head out on our two hour drive to reach Ski Jam around 8 o'clock. Little did we know that the universe had something in store for us at the half-way point.

Within an hour leaving Tsuruga, we reached Fukui City. I was running low on gas and decided to make a quick pit stop at one of the many gas stations. I made a stop at a self-service station, but since I had never actually put gas in my car (in Japan) by my self... I decided to head to the next gas station - Shell. Since it was around 6:30 AM, service wasn't available at the time; thus, leaving me with no other option than to learn how to do it on my own... and boy did I learn something that morning...haha.

Long story...short, I made the foolish mistake of putting half a tank worth of DIESEL into my car. How did I know it was diesel? Well, cause my car literally died right before crossing a busy intersection! All I remember is looking over at Tapio saying... well you can probably guess what I said at the time. Fortunately for both of us, we had iPhones at hand and we proceeded by quickly researching what to do next when faced with such an issue. While Tapio researched Google, I called my supervisor. It was 7 AM now, and he was in Tokyo. Suffice to say that he wasn't too happy about the wake up call and thus he told me to use my phone to figure out what to do next.

"Hai, wakarimashita!", I remember telling him. As soon as I hung up, Tapio told me it could be a costly operation to fix the car. It was here where all the hours I've invested in "mind-training" (aka meditation) and my contemplation of the present moment came in handy. I looked over to my right and saw another gas station with a small "Car Service" shop right across the street.

"Tapio, I'm gonna have to ask you to push me across the intersection and into that shop; I'll take it from there".

A couple of minutes later we were parked inside the gas station as it started raining. I took my iPhone and researched the Kanji on how to explain my situation to see if they could help me. Not too sure on whether I was clear or if they understood because this is a "common" occurrence (?), but within minutes my car's gas tank was being dismantled and drained. It was really a 50/50 shot whether we'd be up and running to reach Ski Jam or being asked to call JAF (Japanese Automobile Federation) to tow my car back to Mitsubishi dealership back in Tsuruga (an operation that would have cost be me more than 50,000 yen = $500.00).

All I remember was standing there overseeing what they were doing to my car and realizing from the look in Tapio's face that this was a really sketchy situation to be in. "There's nothing else to do other than to enjoy the show," I remember thinking. I had no other option but to accept the moment for what it was and take responsibility and action as the result of my own mistake. Fortunately, the universe seemed to have a good laugh from my carelessness and granted us permission to be "off the leash" and get back on the road within an hour or so.

I ended up paying about 20,000 yen ($200.00), but it didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that we were able to jump back in my car, set up the GPS and go back into the flowness.

"I can't believe that just happened!", Tapio said. We both looked and each other and had a good laugh. As I continued to drive and everything around us began to turn white, I remember thinking that perhaps that  small "setback" is something that possibly could have saved our lives. Sure, we got to Ski Jam an hour and a half later that we had previously anticipated, but we GOT there! It's all in the timing. Better yet was the fact that neither one of us let our little incident interfere with the excitement of being able to experience snowboarding in Japan for the first time.

The day continued. As soon as we parked and stepped out of the car, it started snowing. We bought our lift ticket and boarded the first lift on our way to the summit. Within half an hour we were 1,350 metres above sea level in what both of us came to describe as a "POWDER-HEAVEN". I have ridden Whistler/Blackcomb for ten seasons, but I had never experienced the same amount of powder there in the past decade as I did in my first visit to Ski Jam. It was a Monday, which meant that the mountain was practically ours given that most people were at work.

We rode and rode for hours. We sat by the trees to contemplate the beauty of the valley before us while enjoying some plum liquor. We had a delicious lunch and headed back up to catch a few more runs before sunset. On a personal level, the feeling of flowing down a mountain in which numerous dinosaurs once walked through made the experience even more delightful. After all, Katsuyama happens to be the place wherein 80% of dinosaurs discovered in Japan have been found and counts with one of the biggest dinosaur museums in the world just a few kilometers from this particular mountain.

Suffice to say that this was by far one of the most enjoyable days I've ever had ridding a mountain. It was a day of real spontaneity filled with surprises right, left and center. We got back to Tsuruga around 7 PM and decided to end the day by visiting an onsen to take a bath in thermal waters, relax, and be thankful for the simple joy of being alive.

An anonymous author once wrote that "life isn't measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away". In this regard I agree with Emily Dickinson:

"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living [being] is joy enough."

The End of the Beginning: Continuation

It's "Christmas Eve". This means that there are only six days left to this year... along with the first decade of the 21st century. There will be an ending... followed by a new beginning. If I could sum up what I’ve learned over the past decade in one sentence, I would put it like this: The time to contemplate the ending is before the ending. 

We cannot do without limits and endings. They bring definition to our endeavors, but if we are to use them to our advantage, we have to plan how to meet them. This requires bringing to completion whatever one gets started on; something that the Japanese are particularly good at. That alone is discipline and wisdom enough. If you can follow that rule, you will be ‘superior’ to most people. 

Last night I had the privilege of attending a Japanese End of the Year Party along with fifty of my co-workers at a traditional onsen. Aside from celebrating the end of a successful year for our school and reinforcing our inter-personal relationships, the main purpose of the party was to simply “let go” (cleanse our minds and emotions) and forget about the past in order to “empty the glass” for the new year – the new beginning.

There is much wisdom in applying this custom into one’s life routine. When you come to the end of a cycle, a new one will begin. It could be said that completion actually begins somewhere in the middle of a cycle and that new beginnings are engendered out of previous actions. Completing a cycle means fulfillment. It means that you have achieved self-knowledge, discipline, and a new way of understanding yourself and the world around you. You cannot stop there, of course. New horizons are always there... but you can reach out for those new vistas with fresh assurance and wisdom. 

Put differently, that is to say that with each turn of the wheel you go further. With each turn of the wheel you free yourself from the mire of ignorance. With each turn of the wheel comes continuation. In this respect, once you allow the flow of life to “turn your wheel”, you are able to come full circle – making a complete revolution. Thus, it’s important to celebrate every turning joyfully, but the momentum should not be obstructed. Movement must be preserved in order to prevent stagnation and ensure that the purity of the next cycle is ensured – continuation.

During this Holiday season people all over the world are celebrating in their own respective way(s). While some are celebrating Christmas, others are celebrating Hanukah; some are celebrating the official beginning of winter, while others are busy celebrating the end of the year and decade. Regardless of what the label may be, I believe it’s important to remember that one shouldn’t have to wait until the “Holiday Season” to be joyful and merry. Every day should be a celebration.

What I mean to say is that when all is said and done, at its simplest, life begins with dawn. THAT is blessing enough. THAT is happiness enough. All else becomes secondary. We may think mornings are so common that they are unworthy of veneration, but do you realize that most places in the cosmos do not have mornings? This daily event is our supreme goodness. THAT is your miracle to witness; the ultimate beauty; the ultimate sacredness. THAT is your gift from heaven; your omen of prophesy. THAT alone is knowledge and proof that life is not futile. THAT is enlightenment. THAT is your meaning in life; your directive, your comfort. THAT is inspiration for compassion; the light of the ultimate.

Protect your sense of wonder above all else; the way your life will continue to unfold is directly proportional to it. EVOLVE by growing young.

I end this post with a question that is (or at least should be) well-known to most of us… though it seems very few have actually gone one step further to try to answer: 
"To be or not to be? - THAT is the question."

You see… the best things in life are those that are available to everyone on a moment-to-moment-basis. Yet sadly, most individuals fail to see this; thus allowing their concerns and sufferings encapsulate their state of being into one of disappointment, pain, and dissatisfaction. It’s a vicious cycle, but there are ways of stepping out of it. All that is needed is becoming aware of your immediate nowness. 

Take small steps; start with your breath. 

In & out. 

Slowly, without thinking; simply be aware. 

Repeat. 

Continue.

Be.

It’s all here. There’s nowhere "else" to GO. You’re already here. Prison or palace? Your call alone.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all wherever on Earth you may be!

Direct your eye right inward, and you’ll find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered. Travel them and be expert in home-cosmography.

THOREAU, (Walden)

The Freedom of Pure Being

Life is infinitely more interesting when you stop all the "doing" and you shift into the "being mode" (even if for a moment). Be like the rock that lies in your path whenever you take a stroll around your neighborhood; the timeless and eternal witness that accepts each moment without trying to change it at all. Now... what do you feel? Do you see or hear anything differently? Quiet your mind, accept things just the way they are. Stop asking. Stop answering. This is it. Be free. Here. Now.