text: Swami Beyondananda's 2008 State of the Universe Address | Yoga Chicago
  by Swami Beyondananda | Mar/Apr Featured 2008
  Heartenment, after all, is just the thing to counteract the disheartenment in the heartland. Take the economy–please! After years of untreated Deficit Inattention Disorder, the U.S. dollar is now worth less than a dollar of Monopoly money. As the most recent Greenspan report tells us, the average American family barely has enough green to span the average month. Meanwhile, trickle-down economics has proved true to its name, leaving a growing class of pee-ons at the bottom.
  Even when we do manage to get an election, the body politic still suffers from impotence. As we learned after the 2006 election, just because we vote for someone doesn't mean they are going to vote for us. Instead of canceling the Iraqi Horror Picture Show, the Democratic misleadership has gone along with the same basic neocon con, only with a cosmetic makeover–sort of a wolfawitz in sheepawitz's clothing.
  No wonder so many people are scared shiftless. The good news is, this is the State of the Universe Address and I am happy to report that the state of the Universe is copasetic–ever changing, same as always. This is particularly heartening when we realize that that universal state is also our own.
  When it comes to universal wisdom, you can't beat the Universe. First of all, the Universe is everywhere all at once. Talk about being on top of things. Even as it keeps expanding, the Universe has it together–which means, as part of the universe, a part of us has it all together too. We are inextricably connected to the Universe. It is inescapable. Without the Universe, we'd be nowhere.
  And less of a need to be so all-consumed by consumerism. We have learned to spend so much energy pursuing happiness that we never stop to think what would happen if we actually caught it–or rather, if it caught us. With all this hot pursuit, we have left real happiness in the dust. It is sad indeed that we end up jealous that someone else's happiness might be bigger than our own. Freud called this "happiness envy."
  By overlooking what we should have been overseeing, we have become enablers for the lowest common dominator. Whether it's called globalization or gobble-ization, it's the same old mining operation–that's mine, that's mine, that's mine. Because we've allowed ourselves to imagine that someday that "mine" will be ours, we have agreed to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with our government. We promise not to ask them what they are doing, and they promise not to tell us. That way, we can pretend to believe we are invading a country to keep the peace, when we are really there to keep the pieces.
  Meanwhile, back at home, they've given last rites to the Bill of Rights, and newspeak has become the new spoken language of the mainstream media. Now before we just shrug and say, "Orwell, what can we do about it?" we need to see the only way to overgrow Big Brother is with bigger brotherhood–and even bigger sisterhood. Time to heal our spiritual dyslexia, and realize our natural state is sacred, not scared. The scared masculine and the scared feminine have given us the dysfunctional dance of abusers and enablers. Now we must empower the sacred masculine and sacred feminine to come together and conceive what has been inconceivable–the truly evolved human.
  To do that, we must migrate en masse–regardless of political or spiritual affiliation–to the land of the heart. Instead of squabbling over the differences that separate us, we must cohere around the heart-core values we share in common. That is the only way we can trade our insecurity for inner security. No matter where we stand on climate change, one thing is clear. Global heartwarming is bound to change the political climate for the better.
  Whatever the problems, we have the wherewithal to address them. Now all we need is the aware-with-all. Whether you call yourself a creationist or an evolutionist, or take the simplest approach of all to the Great Unknown–not knowing–one thing is undeniable: We are all one with the same One. The story of separation, survival of the fittest and lowest common dominator–that is the old story.
  © Copyright 2008 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights reserved. To find out Swami's schedule and get a free catalog, call (800) SWAMI-BE or visit him online at www.wakeuplaughing.com. For Swami's books, CDs, DVDs and more, visit https://bear.he.net/~wakeupl/epistore.
  Give the gift of laughter. In these serious times, the best way to overcome gravity is with levity. You can help the Swami in his mission to enlighten up the planet by giving the gift of laughter. There are two kinds of people on everyone's gift list: 1) those who really love to laugh, and 2) those who really need to laugh. Swami can help with both! With more laughs per square minute than just about anything out there, Swami's books, CDs and DVDs offer something for everyone, even those suffering from serious humorrhoids! To find out more, go to www.wakeuplaughing.com and click on "Swami Products." Or call (800) SWAMI-BE for a free catalog.