The Transition Realization, part 2

As Anjay and I traveled through Varanasi together on my last leg of the journey, we just kept questioning who is closer to the truth? Not who has it better, not who’s more advanced, not- wow look at what they don’t have compared to us. No, the main question again was who really lives in the truth of freedom? Varanasi definitely forever changed me and my understanding of the world as I watched dead bodies burn at the ghats and then the bones offered to the Mother Ganga. I also saw lepers (leposy is very much a real thing in India) struggle on the streets and held my hands over a dying puppy in an alley, sending him reiki, knowing it’s best to let him pass then keep him alive. Not to mention the countless amounts of people bathing in pure toxic filth but in their minds the water is sacred, holy, pure and so to them that truth is a reality. They have no definition of dirty and so they simply don’t see dirt (at least not the way we see dirt). It’s all the human mind’s perception and so instead they see beauty. Beauty in all that they have, including death. It’s known as the spiritual capital of the world and death is very much a part of life in Varanasi. They truly live in the understanding that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and not human beings having a spiritual experience and it’s incredible. Incredible India! Right? Their daily lives are filled with worship and spirituality. It’s such a powerful force of surrendering to the higher consciousness that it only makes sense through chaos. Only re-enforcing the idea that things don’t have to be linear. The temples were breathtaking, overwhelming, and stunning but they’re also a bit spooky, intense, and strange. The strangeness comes from the energy of the people. The idea that spirituality is this notion of tranquility and meditative bliss through the silence of the divine and you truly connecting in spirit couldn’t be more off when it comes to the temples of Varanasi. Well at least what I saw, granted it was Shivarati. What I was exposed to felt a little more like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It was the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced and was in no way calming as lines of hundreds of people forcefully shoved themselves into the small room and obsessively worshiped the statue on the altar. It was so crazy that the Indian army patrol the main temple of Shiva, and I actually saw one guard hit a woman on the head and kick her out of the way because she was in some spastic trance as she kept chanting and rubbing the Shiva Lingum while pouring milk over it. At this point it wouldn’t have been out of the norm for some real Indiana Jones shit like say some Sadhu possibly ripping someone’s heart out as an offering and that person gladly giving up their heart all in the name of Lord Shiva! Om Namah Shivaya!

However, on a more personal level and not something so intense, I can share what I specifically took away from India and that is the power of the word and honoring commitments big or small. Coming from 10 years in the land of supreme bullshit- Hollywood- I realized that I too adapted to a level of bullshit through my words. Here you can say really whatever you want and whether it’s true or not really isn’t the point. I’ve grown accustom to the façade. Oh we’re definitely making your movie, we will hire you for that project, yes I am going to the party, I do own a production company even a simple… I’ll call you right back is nothing more than a smoke and mirrors party where the smoke is usually marijuana and the mirrors are used for cocaine.  Yep it’s quite the rave the Entertainment Industry’s got going over here in the west of the West. Therefore I caught myself several times throughout my journey just saying yes to people to get them to go away knowing full well I was not going to meet them for that coffee or go on their tour or even buy that plane ticket which ended up costing me $60.  I just said sure not thinking the man would actually purchase the ticket first before I paid him. I figured I’d just disappear and get the ticket cheaper somewhere else without just telling him that in the first place. You are held accountable for your word no matter how small you may think it is. If you casually say in passing them on the streets sure I’ll go on that tour… then that means you are 100% going on that tour and they are waiting for you to show up. If you say I’ll come back tomorrow. The next day they will wait outside until you pass by and then expect you to get that piece of jewelry you were looking at. Yet all across America, shoppers are constantly telling the salespeople they’ll “be back tomorrow” and it means nothing. Instead, it’s what we’ve created as a polite way to tell people no, essentially by telling a lie, where at the end of the day no one is hurt. However what it does is further enforce our own denial of truth and how to live in it. Does it not? But yes, my words were put under scrutiny as I found myself flaking out a lot because plans would change or something better would come along or I just no longer felt like doing it at that time. I really caught myself in McLeod Ganj when I was truly by myself and I had to actively work on being more cautious as well as true to my word for the rest of the trip. It’s definitely something I’m taking with me as I gear up to re-enter the Hollywood arena where bullshit’s served like hot dogs. Get it while it’s hot!  But I also know I can only hold myself accountable and no one else. Let’s play ball!