alan's blog @ the natural mind project

Well, it has been almost 16 months since I finished writing “the natural mind – waking up” and about 3 months since it became available for sale. Whilst the free downloads are going great, it seems people aren’t as interested in buying it, seeing as they can get if for free! Which makes sense!

All my friends and family (and people I hardly know) have been criticising me for (a)not asking for money for the downloads, and (b) not putting any copyright on the book. But, as I said in the book, I believe copyright stifles creativity and I want to help encourage it, and hasn’t the world got enough things for sale without me only allowing you to access my work if you have the money to do it?

You see, charging loads of money for things is fine over here in england where the money tree flows fruitfully (even if you are not working), but I want to share my thoughts with everyone who wishes to access them, not just people who have plenty of cash (erm  seeing as half the world’s population is living on a less than the cost of a cappuccino every day!

So, for me, money doesn’t count. Except of course, it does. Whilst editing the book, distributing it, recording the audiobooks, designing the website, etc, I have not been earning money. Although, contrary to what my family and friends thought, this is work! In fact I spend nearly every waking moment on this project, and I don’t earn a penny from it. I have been fortunate to be able to stay with my mother, and she has been kind enough to support me with food, a roof over my head, and a little bit of pocket money to spend. So actually, instead of thanking me for this work, you should be sending an email to my mum and thanking her. She’s the one who pays for the electricity that powers this laptop I am writing on! So yes, money does count. In fact, it counts so much, that I cannot do anything I wish to do woth the project as I have no money.

“Get a job, you lazy ***** If we all have to work so should you!” I hear some of you saying.

But you see, I’m not lazy, I do work, but the work I undertake to do comes with a very low income, which would be fine for me, but how am I ever going to be able to leave my mother’s house? How will I ever be able to take a train to talk to some of you lovely people, about how money is evil!! The simple answer is – I won’t. So I will be destined to stay living with my mother at 40 years old, waiting until the day she leaves it to me in her will…. But hang on! I wanted to break through the money system, and by waiting to inherit a house still leaves me in it. So there’s no way out is there?

I choose to not undertake work that compromises my ethics, and I also choose not to ask the government for unemployment benefit – because (a) I am not unemployed, and (b) it’s you, the workers who would have to pay for me, wouldn’t you?

My vision for the project was “REDUCING THE POWER OF MONEY ON OUR BASIC HUMAN NEEDS” so how have I done so far? Well, my first idea, in line with my thinking in the book, was to secure a piece of land, one which needed no money to buy it, one that was given to us to hold in trust, where we could build a sustainable straw bale centre where people could come and be in silence and work the land. These crops (amongst others) would then be used in our cruelty/animal free fine dining restaurant where the only difference between our restaurant and a commercial one would be that ours had no till.

You see, the point is to create a collaborative environment where people come together, not because I told them to, or because we are trying to save all the animals, or all the starving children in africa, but because, they, humans – the most intelligent species on the planet – have come to it, through awareness of themselves and awareness of themselves in relationship with the whole (everything!) and have gained insight that the greedy me me me lifestyle we are all guilty of is doing nothing to make the world a more compassionate, loving place. They understand that by doing everything for the benefit of all others ( a state of mind, not a charitable act) starts to make the world a better place…

A collaborative environment where people give their time, and energy, and contribute the food that the restaurant provides bygrowing it in their gardens or allotments.

“What a load of rubbish!” I can hear you saying. “Why don’t you just get a job! There’s a reason money was invented, it’s just stupid idealistic people like you who can’t help complaining about everything”

But you see, you are forgetting one thing and we mentioned it just a moment ago!  Most people in the world have no money. And most people don’t have access to the lifestyles we have here in the west. So whilst you are all telling me that people coming together and collaborating as a community (the earth) is a pointless idealistic waste of time remember, if our money system collapses, which I assure you will happen one day as all good things come to an end! (as most rich civilisations found out again and again over the last five thousand years).

So instead of thinking about me, my money, my family, my house, my car, my career etc think of the whole, how you are connected to it (which you are) and how you can benefit others. Not by giving money, but by giving yourself. Why not start today. Before we have to, because we want to.

But enough of the philosophy! I still haven’t solved my problem of no money! So I still have no means to get the land, no means to start the restaurant, no means to travel, no means to eat, no means to live. I am officially destitute because I have no money. Surely, for the most intelligent species on the planet to be measured solely by how much money they have, and not be able to live without money is a sad day indeed.

So, for now I am going to spend the next six weeks in deep contemplation at a silent retreat in a zen buddhist monastery (i am not religious but it’s cheap and its quiet) and I WILL work this out. The answer should be so simple, but maybe we’re not asking the right question. Maybe because we don’t care. Maybe because we have money. Maybe because our basic needs are being met at the moment. But imagine for a moment, will you, that you suddenly found yourself with no money (for whatever reason) and everyone just walked over you, and said “get a job”. How would you feel, I mean, really FEEL?

Wouldn’t you wish that you had helped set in place an alternative to the money system, not a new system built out of idealism, but one that exists because of people’s compassion for others, and the awareness that doing work to benefit all others is a sure way to a kick start in thinking, followed by a shift towards love.

I’ll leave it with you. But then again, you’re probably much too busy earning money to think…