Core Values

I am not somebody who gets carried away with the holiday spirit.

I love the feeling of new beginning that comes with a new year, though. It's a good time to think about new projects and also to reassess guiding principles.

2006 begins with a beautiful new moon and I intend to celebrate this present from the universe joyfully splashing in the ocean.

In these days, I've been thinking about the way my values are quietly reassessing themselves. No need to state that loud. There are some things I learned from it that I'd like to share, though.

For instance, I know since a long time that freedom is the thing that matters most to me.
Now, I am starting to realize that freedom needs to go along with peace in order to be fully benefitted.

It is just like energy. Energy is a great thing to possess. Yet, if unbalanced, it can turn against you and others around you. It becomes that kind of energy that the 34 exagram of the I-Ching refers too. Applying too big and unruled power can undermine foundation and ultimately destroy the building. Too much energy in your toes make you move too fast and without thinking. Too much power in the mouth produces undisciplined words that you might regret later. It takes a lot of humbleness to understand the true meaning of this answer from the ancient Chinese oracle.

Humbleness. Here, I just said it. Humbleness is another very important quality to acquire. It's useful to understand that as unique as you can be, as special as you might think you are, you're still just a very small dot in the spider web of the universe in motion.

Keeping your energy balanced, respecting not only yours but others' freedom and peace, remembering to be humble instead of self-consumed. These are all necessary requirements to be a "great" person. Otherwise, you just become a big--not great--nuisance.

Sometimes, I have this kind of feeling when I read blogs too. After a while, I get bored with those where the blogger only talks about him/herself, and mainly to show how great he/she is. I like much better the ones where people share openly and intimately reflections and feelings that can be useful to everybody, like in a conversation with friends, not pretending to be "great" all the time.

On the other side, I certainly don't like reading, (neither listening to, for that matter) somebody who's venting out anger, frustration or other bad feelings. One of the best teachings I received from a Lakota spiritual leader is that "it is okay to experience the feeling, not to act it out".

The same things were taught to me in martial arts. Balance you energy, be respectful, be humble. Don't repress your emotions, see and recognize them, but don't let them dominate you. Particularly, don't let them out on others.

One blogger I really like, John Perry Barlow, once, asked about his new projects and goals, wrote: I want to become a good ancestor. How beautiful!

Here is somebody who knows a lot about freedom, having fought for freedom of the internet since its start as the cofounder of Electronic Frontier Foundation. Somebody who wrote some of the most touching lyrics of the Grateful Dead and is considered a genius. But he has become so humble, lately, that all he's concerned about is how to pass down the best of himself to his children and grandchildren and generations to come.

John is somebody who made lots of money and learned that material possessions are not the measure of your success. I challenged myself to learn the same without having to make a lot of money first.

Money, like many other things in this universe, is just energy, in a solid form. I prefer to concentrate on free flowing energy, the true chi of the universe. Keep in harmony with it, keep your thoughts pure and your actions balanced, and abundance will come.

I don't really care in which form as long as it brings me warmth, peace, joy and freedom.

Money does not buy you freedom. Only your peaceful and thoughtful actions will grant it.

Acting your feelings out on others does not bring you warmth. Learning to respect yourself AND others in communication, will.

This is, more or less, what I'll be able to pass down to my son, his children and the generations to come. My words are not wind because I've always tried to live my life by these principles.

I might have failed integrity a few times, but I've been able to recognize it and take responsibility for, apologizing to the people I might have let go off on. My family and friends, and even my supposed "enemies" have helped me on the never ending quest of self-discovery and self-improvement.

There is no end of the road when you start this path, and it's all good.

Every path is a good path as long as it has heart.