Day 18: Death penalty

The Norwegian PM is visiting Vietnam. One of the subjects that has leaked to the press is Norway's point of view about death penalty. While I'm against death penalty, I have the impression that my view still differs from the mainstream variety of it.

First, the function of death penalty is four-fold: It scares people from doing the same crime, it gives society a form of revenge, it stops the person from repeating the crime, and it saves society the expense of keeping the person in jail.

The ethical view will differ between world views. That is, while the popular western model is about the value of the one life, believers in reincarnation may shrug and say that you're just sending the individual back to square one. There is no life actually lost.

Since I believe that this world doesn't really exist, but is a creation of consciousness, the value of the one life is not really a motivation. And it is easy for me to see that sending a person back to square one can be a solution. "You have not learned your lesson, you are misbehaving badly, try again from the start." That may or may not help the person being executed. The person might even accept this premise, being someone who believes in reincarnation.

However, it is a cheap and easy solution. By getting rid of the person, I have cheated myself for the possibility of doing something good. Being good towards someone who misbehaves is the ultimate form of goodness.

By getting rid of the person, I strengthen the idea that some people just can not be helped. That cruelty can not be overcome with goodness. These are thoughts of suffering. So someone else's death penalty then becomes part of the foundation of my own suffering.

Legalization of death penalty thus becomes part of the suffering of all people in that nation, and suffering leads to health problems. If, however, the policy is to enlighten the criminal, to help them realize that their suffering can be watered out with goodness, this policy would also encourage the citizens of the same nation to do the same. It would reduce the suffering of all the people, not just the the criminal.

If this hypothesis is true, there should be a correlation between the number of death penalties ruled (the intention, not the execusion) and the health of the people living in the same area, especially mental health issues. Since different countries view and deal with illness, and especially mental illness in different ways, I expect no raw data to be available at this time. A study should be conducted, using the same method of measurements in all countries.

However, bad thought also leads to bad action. Which means that there should also be a correlation between the number of crimes, including petty crimes, commited in an area and the prevalence of death penalty justification. Now is the time to put some students on the case to perform the actual study.

Day 16: Happiness

One of the questions I like to ask people is what makes them happy. It gets interesting when I get "I don't know" back as an answer. "What is happiness, how do you define it?" And finally - why did I even bring it up? Being challenged to explain why I'm asking about happiness brought more clarity to my own thoughts as well.

I guess I am especially interested in happiness these days - the reason being that I have been through three years of harrasment from my employer. After the first two years, my body gave me a clear signal that I could not go back to work. I have been on sick leave the last year, working on pulling myself out of depression and get back to being healthy and able to work again, even though the harrassment continued for another year while I was on sick leave.

In this journey, I have studied a lot of human psychology - I think there is some truth in the idea that the people who become psychologists and psychiatrists are people who have had to work themselves through difficult mental issues themselves. Because in essence ... I never judge anyone for their behaviour, and I am a very liberal person. But at some point, thought patterns can take such grasp in you that it becomes an obstacle in life. So great an obstacle, that life just runs away. Recognizing this, I found that I needed to pull myself out of it, so that I could have a normal life again. (Not that I have ever had a NORMAL life.)

For example, my depression consisted of certain thought patterns about how others view me and how I view myself. With those thought patterns, everything I experience will be processed by my thought pattern in such a way that the ideas that are hurting me become stronger, while ideas that would prove me wrong were ignored. Indeed, when you have a strong filter on, you can hear people say or read something which is not there. The mind can actually substitute words right in front of you, so that it reads something completely different than what has physically been written. You have to read it 4-5 times very carefully to find out. Which means that I can not trust my own experience when i am in that condition.

So to find the way out of it, I have to become an expert of my own mind. And from this comes practice. What practice does one use to become more mentally stable and, preferably, live a happy life? Or as Buddha would say - live a life without suffering? From all my religious studies, I have come to the conclusion that all religions in the world have that same goal, but have only slightly different explanations around the concepts and slightly different practices.

All the disagreements about the different roles of the different people in holy scriptures, whether one should be baptized as a baby or adult, which direction to pray, etc - it is of lesser importance, because what is important is your own relation to God and honoring God's creation. What is important is gratitude to God for the experience that He has granted us. With real, heart felt gratitude also follows happiness and a loss of suffering. And all the different religious practices seem to be different ways of achieving the feeling of gratitude.

But that's my interpretation. And I am open to - and even curious about other people's views, because I feel this enriches my experience. It is also a way of experiencing gratitude. I am grateful that I get to write to you and read your words. I am grateful that I have a chance to learn about you and your thoughts about happiness.

I have learned that in Russia, it is expected from people that they should not smile in public, especially if you are at work, and especially not smile when strangers are looking. That is only about the smile, however. Their point is that if I go to a café, I should have no reason to smile to the waitress, and she has no reason to smile to me - simply because we are strangers. It is a strictly professional business relation. We don't know each other. Why should we smile and express happiness?

But what is a valid reason to smile, then? I'm grateful that I'm able to sit in a café! I'm grateful that I get a really good cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate! I'm grateful that I get to sit there and enjoy life! I'm greateful that the waitress is taking my order. I'm grateful that I get to pay the waitress for my coffee. I'm grateful that I'm helping the waitress by being one of the many customers who pay her salary, so that she can have a place to live and food to eat and have her children grow up if she has any. I'm grateful that I can have this experience in these lovely surroundings and just for a moment be part of someone else's experience, even when I'm only the customer who received a cup of coffee. And the fact that I receive all of these things in my experience that God gave me - it is such a wonderful gift. It makes me feel blessed and happy. And I want to show my gratitude also to the waitress' part of this experience, and the most immediate way of doing this is to smile. (And leave a big tip when I go.)

My smile is a genuine smile of happiness, and I smile to you because I am grateful. My tip is my offering - which explains the idea of sacrificing animals and humans to God. It is only with thousands of years of reflection that we understand that a human sacrifice to God is as meaningless as my cat's offering of newly caught bird or mouse in gratitude of me giving him a home.

That was a lot longer than I thought of writing, but it also helps me understand. I am therefore grateful for your question and letting me answer it. It challenged me, and I'm learned also from this. So this made me happy.

What are your thoughts on happiness? Add in the comment section below.

Day 11: Prayers

I like to organize things, and my prayers are no different. Every piece of my prayer session has a purpose:

1. I start out by singing the Gayatri mantra, because it relaxes the mind and brings me to a state of peace and happiness.
     
2. Next, I express gratefulness and humbleness, and reduce my own self judgement as such: "I thank for the new day, all the goodness, my family and their heath, food, friends, the time, my own body and my health, the wisdom and enlightenment. I ask forgiveness for anything I may cause today by impure action, words and thoughts. I ask for strength to follow my path to enlightenment, spreading love to the world, to everything and everyone around me, in the region, this planet, this galaxy and the entire universe."
     
3. Then I define the path by vowing the five precepts for lay Buddhists. Albeit I have rewritten them in terms of positive focus, hence my vow is as such: "I preserve all life. I respect other's properties, intimacy, integrity and authenticity. I speak only truth. I am sober enough to insure that all my actions, words and thoughts are always directed towards goodness (Sattva). I seek refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha."
     
4. I used to have four prayer lists with a different emphasis of the prayer on each list. I changed this to one long list, giving the most powerful prayer to all, because that is the right thing to do. I begin this prayer by declaring the process of Ho'oponopono on everyone on my list. As I read each name, I visualize and feel the process of mutual regret, forgiveness, gratitude and love.
   
   I reinforce the Ho'oponopono at the end of the list as such: "For these and all souls on Earth, on behalf of everything and everyone, I ask forgiveness for all the suffering that has occured, so that we may return to a normalized condition of peace and love between all. Thank you. Svaha."
     
5. At this point I chant:
   1 mala of today's specific mantra (from a calendar)
   1 mala of Aum Shreem Brzee Svaha or Aum Kleem Shreem Brzee
   The chanting has three purposes: 1) To improve the brain's ability to focus, 2) To focus the mind and emotions specifically towards these specific thoughts, 3) To improve will power.
     
6. I now sing the Gayatri mantra once more. 

At this point, I evaluate the person at the top of the list. I don't want the list to grow too long, so pruning is a necessity. I reach out to the person the day they are at the top of the list - if possible. By the end of the day, I should have made up my mind whether I should rotate them to the bottom of the list, or if my work for them is done.

If I have time, I will find a lecture on YouTube, typically by one of:

• Nithyananda TV (previousl Life Bliss Foundation)
• Manly P Hall
• Ajahn Brahm
• Teal Swan, the Spiritual Catalyst

In the beginning, I also started to look around online or otherwise for someone new to reach out to. It didn't take long, however, for the right people to just show up at the right place and time.

Day 9: What is this synchronicity?

As I keep up with my morning prayers as the most important part of my daily routine, life becomes more synchronous and interesting. I no longer put any effort into finding someone to reach out to. It just happens.

Yesterday, I made a difference to two strangers, with no effort from my part, other than being myself.

The most important was the recruiter, as this also tested my integrity. It started with a recruiter who loved my profile and thought I was the perfect guy for a specific, high paying job. Only one catch, I had to have recent Java development experience. But I have not had a Java project since 2000.

"Just fix the CV, put it in," he told me. I refused. "I don't understand, if you do not fix the CV and put your Java experience in 2010-2015, I can not process this job."

"That's fine. I'm not doing it."
"But how can I process it if you don't do the change?"
"I'm not going to lie on my CV."
"But then you won't qualify for the job."
"I don't want a job if I have to lie to get it."
"So you just can't lie?"
"That's right."

Silence for a while.

"Why can't you lie just a little bit?"
"If I lied, it would destroy my integrity. It is bad for my mental health, and that also affects the body. I'm a Buddhist."

Silence again.

"You're the first who will not lie."
"I'm not the only one in the world."
"So you're a Buddhist?"
"Yes."
"So you have converted to Buddhism?"
"Yes. Of sorts. I have been looking my entire life for what I agree with, and that journey has taken me to Buddhism."
"But you were a Christian, right?"
"Look, Buddhism does not make a big statement about God. It's more of an applied psychology, how to live your life without suffering. You can be Buddhist AND Christian, or Buddhist Muslim, or what have you. One does not exclude the other."
"And as a Buddhist, you can not lie."
"That's right. You should rather spend your energy on goodness, be good to yourself and others alike. Be honest with who you are, accept yourself and accept others for who they are."
"That's so nice..."

His focus changed completely. He was no longer trying to recruit me, but instead wanted to stay in touch off job - in fact, he confided that he didn't want the job he was in now, and had hopes I might help HIM find a job in my country - in a way that was also respectful to HIS integrity...

5. Out of depression

When you are depressed, your mind is clouded. You shouldn't make any decisions when you're depressed. And that feels like one good reason to just go to bed. At least in bed, you won't be making any decisions.

But you're not getting much better, either. Remembering that karma multiplies when you sleep, going to bed is only likely to make matters worse. What is required is a strategy to deal with the situation.

And I call it a situation, because as those who have been through depression will agree with, the depressed feeling comes in waves. You are not constantly depressed. If you are, then at least you're not equally depressed all the time. It is the depth of these waves that really takes you out of the game.

When you're at the bottom, it is a little too late to figure out what you need to do survive that wave. The plan and everything you need should be ready already. What works will be different from person to person. Here are a few suggestions:

• A playlist on YouTube guiding you through the emotions. Sing along and dance for even better effect.
• Destroy something that needs to be destroyed - perfect when you're renovating your house and a wall needs to be taken down.
• Have a place where you feel distanced from the bad triggers, but close to your ancestors so that you can ask for help. I like to use some viking graves. If you don't have one near you, you'll probably still have a grave yard or another holy site to draw inspiration from. Even if it's a statue of Superman.
• Lion Yoga
• There is also an anti-depressive yoga.

With a plan in place, all you need to do is recognize when you're depressed.
Often, people around you may notice this before you. If this is the case, I recommend allying with them, so that they can initiate your plan at an earlier stage.

Remember that a depression is when your consciousness if filled with wrong thoughts. A daily morning and evening practice is therefore a good way to cleanse your mind, making a habit of good thoughts, increasing your happiness and reducing the frequency and depth of your depressions.

4. How to multiply good Karma

Karma mutiplies when you sleep.

So let me explain Karma yoga.

If you consistently think bad thoughts, you get in the habit of bad thinking, which leads you to bad action, and your environment will have a bad reaction to you. When you often think of something that brings you into the state suffering, you get in the habit of suffering.

Similarly, if you consistently think Right thoughts, you get in the habit of Right thinking, which leads you to Right action, and your environment will have a Right reaction to you.

In short, your thinking shapes your life.

Everything you say and do, you also think. But because you turned the thought into action, you have multiplied the thought. The multiplication happens, because you have forced new brain patterns in order to turn them into action, you have learned that you are capable of this action, you have a memory of having acted this way, and you will subconsciously speculate on what reaction might return to you.

For this reason, there is a saying that if you want to say something, it should be more beautiful than the silence of not saying it.

During the day, you are busy observing and doing things. When you sleep, however, all the thoughts and actions of the day are processed by the brain. This means that good and bad thoughts alike will be repeated many times during the night.

This can be taken advantage of as such:

Before going to bed, take time to process the day that just passed. In order to cleanse your mind, the following thoughts are very helpful:

1. Bring closure to anything you may have done wrong.
2. Forgive yourself for having been a fool, doing these things.
3. Resolve to make good again tomorrow what you can't repair right now.
4. Be grateful for all the good things you have experienced this day.
5. Be grateful for all the good deeds you were allowed to do this day.
6. Resolve to make more good deeds tomorrow.
7. Recount all the people you have met today and/or otherwise are part of your life, and feel your genuine love for them. Within your mind, share this love with them.

You are now ready for sleep.

ALSO SEE: Morning practice

3. Meeting Africa

When you are on a social media and you're suddenly contacted by someone in an African country, it is perhaps too easy to dismiss it as a fraud. This may very well be simply because the rich scammers were on the Internet long before the rest of the population. The real population is, however, slowly getting online.

I decided that I can spot the scammer if one should contact me. And so my initial response should always be with an open mind, not dismissing anyone. From this, I am now learning a lot from the lower class in several African countries.

People half my age get in touch simply to learn about other parts of the world, learn from the experience of someone older, and practice their English. I also learned that youth show respect to older people by calling me daddy

I have also learned that there is Internet access in a refugee camp in Ghana, and more refugees are arriving, even though the camp is officially closed down and the UNHCR has pulled out. Noone is certain who is in charge of the camp and, according to the camp's Wikipedia page, noone really is. What the people in the refugee camp claim, though, is that all the aid that the NGOs are supposed to give them - it doesn't always reach them.

This does not mean that people there are looking for a quick handout. No, they are seriously interested in figuring out how to make a sustainable living and are happy to be referred to Kiva's field partners.

So what we should be left with from this, is...

1. You can expect that ordinary people also have Internet in Africa, and they want to be friends. Embrace it!
2. People in need are not always looking for a free handout - they want to be able to live with dignity like the rest of us.
3. The official story coming out of authorities and large humanitarian organizations are not always quite true.

And so it all boils down to: Be open to new people, do your own research, learn more about the world.