Flow Issue 10

                                                            

Flow is based on Sustainable Seattle's Happiness Initiative and is inspired by Vinyasa, which means one leading to another. Flow gives small, but important steps that can improve one's contentment amongst all nine domains of happiness. Flow is a weekly jolt of inspiration, pragmatism and a collection of local events that will raise our happiness. This month of May we are taking a look at some simple actions we can take to get our mental health on a better path.  First before we get started, this month is not meant to replace professional psychological advice nor should it be used as a substitute for seeking assistance for serious problems such as depression.  Psychological Well Being Issue 10 Sitting on the bus from Renton to Seattle is an experience that should be, well, experienced.  The total lack of responsibility that is apparent when someone else is driving is freeing and an opportunity to do something without distractions. What is the ultimate motivation of responsibility?  Besides children and loved ones it would have to be material wellbeing.  Almost nothing else causes as much mental stress as money issues.  Let’s look at some simple steps we can take to get more of our material needs met, or to get more out of what we already have. The most important aspect of getting our material needs in order that we can control is to reevaluate what makes us happy.  We need to look at where we got those ideas in the first place.  We constructed our ideas about material goods bringing us happiness due to the massive amounts of advertising we consume both passively and on purpose. Here is an experiment to try sometime.  Turn on the TV and watch a half hour of one show or event.  Make a note of the amount of commercials and the general type of commercials shown.  To make this more scientific you can watch at various times of the day to see different types.  Out of all the commercials you watch how many do you think will say something to the effect of “You are great; your stuff is great; you don’t need to change one thing about your life.”  That will never happen unless you count public service announcements, which do not have the punch or budget to be as flashy as the newest advertising campaign for a new type of exercise chair or “revolutionary” diet plan. We need to create our own measurement of happiness that comes from our own ideas not from manufactured, re-purposed, edited and approved by board members for a for profit organization.  The intent is important and if making you less satisfied with yourself or your life is the goal then you cannot trust that source.  Mindset is the most important part of changing our material security.  We need to make new habits, new motivations and choose to gain pleasure in saving and being frugal.  We can’t buy our way to happiness and it’s time we started to save again.  Choose to be satisfied with your materials.  Choose to build more happiness by focusing on experiences and relationships with your family, friends and colleagues.  Build equity in your heart. Nathan Jackson Recommendations This week’s website recommendation is: http://motherjones.com/ This week’s book recommendation is: Young, Fabulous and Broke by Suze Orman Sign up for the weekly newsletter. Support Flow		Flow Suggests: 5/15-5/21 2011 Gordon Lafer: Labor in the House Education, Community, Material http://depts.washington.edu Tuesday, May 17, 2011 3pm Making a case for a Labor Movement revitalization Marc Kaufman:  Extraterrestrial Life Education, Psychological Well Being www.townhallseattle.org Wednesday, May 18, 2011 7-9pm Science re-examines our assumptions about building blocks of life. Carbon Pricing Symposium for Washington State Environmental Friday, May 20, 2011 12pm www.sustainableballard.org A diverse coalition of concerned citizens discussing and planning carbon pricing as a means to slow down greenhouse gas emissions.

Half Way There

The economy is tough everywhere for most people anyway.  People are living their lives on a prayer and a shoestring budget a far cry from what they are used to.  We've seen a stubborn unemployment rate hovering around nine percent for nearly two years now and the numbers that seem to be shrinking are still not getting to the real picture of hardship that most families are going through.

Unemployment itself is of course misinforming.  The rate of unemployment is calculated with quite a few omissions.  Firstly, the rate only reflects those who are actively looking for work, as in filling out resumes, writing cover letters and attending job fairs.  Those people who have given up or have stopped actively pursuing work are not counted.  So that means that anyone who is homeless, anyone who is living off of a loved one, relative, or acquaintance or anyone who is infirm or unable to work is not counted.

Also, the unemployment rate does not discriminate between someone working full time or part time.  The people who have work that is under twenty hours count as fully employed.  Those who work more than one job due to economic pressure do not count for more than one, but they reflect the fact that many people may be working and not earning a living wage.

One callous congressman, who shall not be named, once boasted that the United States had ninety one percent of people working failing to realize the insensitivity of such an asinine statement.  The amount of living wages in the United States has been dropping faster than we can replace them.  We have seen good paying work being replaced by either technology or outsourcing and that is simply a matter of economics.  I am not one who believes we can or even should bring back manufacturing jobs if we cannot make products that are superior or more cost effective.  Our future does not lie in the past "glory days" of manufacturing, but in the future of ideas and innovation.


Perhaps the most unintentional effect of the economic downturn has been the idea that no class, no socio-economic class is safe from the potential of economic harm.  Many people in the "Middle Class" have had to come to grips on the lack of choices and options many of their fellow Americans have had to face for their entire lives.  The problem in the United States is that many people have to experience the hardship themselves before they can have compassion for the less fortunate.  However, the haves are beginning to cling to what they have even more so. 

On the political side congressmen and women are taking aim at teachers, policemen, firemen and trying to label them as "elite."  The struggling middle and lower middle class is a bit too eager to believe the hype surrounding state workers and they are forgetting that those who work for the state are fellow citizens as well. 

The unemployment numbers are misleading in that they equate simple employment with success when the story is much more complicated than that.  The real story that is not being told is the loss of livable wages and a society that is still riding on a consumption train off the cliff.  Until we solve the underlying problems of over consumption and an economy based on throw away items and throw away people the numbers will continue to misinform us.  We need to take a real look at where our economy is headed and we need to re evaluate the idea of "winners" and "losers" when it comes to economic opportunity.

Russell Simmons comes to Seattle

The Seattle Public Library's Microsoft Lecture Hall had a different feel to it on February 24th.  The large amphitheater style room was packed with an unusually raucous and excited crowd.  People were joking, laughing, telling stories and sharing secrets all because of the speaker that was sequestered in a back room surrounded by beefy bodyguards, Russell Simmons.

Mr. Simmons had agreed to come back to Seattle after a 4 year absence to promote his new book Super Rich.  The book is a follow up to his New York Times bestseller Do You! and the themes of the book pick up where the other left off.

The book's main themes are about redefining success in society by stripping away the need for material greed and refocusing towards living a more fulfilled life that is centered on giving, relationships and spiritual fulfillment.

Mr.  Simmons began his talk with his telling of how his Yoga practice lead him to a vegan lifestyle that made him realize that all his actions had consequences and he was connected to his world on more than just a material/needs basis.  He began to reevaluate his priorities and goals to align them with the peace and connection he had found through his studies of Yoga scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, and other spiritual texts that emphasized a life of giving.

He spoke for about twenty minutes outlining his philanthropic foundations, training programs and his for profit enterprises speaking of each with equal pride as he emphasized through his intention and words that work needs to be an object of building self worth.  "Work is prayer," he said in response to an audience question about finding work that is meaningful.  "Not everyone has a passion in their life, but in order to be happy you need to make whatever you are doing into a passion."

Simmons then started taking questions from the audience and the questions ranged from hip hop to business to spiritual matters in nearly equal doses.  I was struck by a question from the audience that asked how most successful philanthropists seem to have two phases in their lives.  One phase is the gathering of material wealth to the exclusion of all else and the second phase is giving back/philanthropy. The young man then asked for advice for people in the first phase.  His question was shared by the majority of the room.  Heads nodded and a few people even gave some old fashioned church encouragement phrases.  Mr. Simmons smiled and answered that in life you cannot do the work or create something thinking about the results.  The results are not in your control only your actions are in control.  The reason he had success in anything he did was because he was in love with the work and putting forth his best effort.  The reward should be found in the doing.

He continued to say that when you are doing something and you know it is good that is the feeling that you should bring to all the work you do.  Do not be content with passable, be exemplary.  It reminded me of something my grandfather said to me once.  He told me, "No matter what you do be the best there is.  Be the best janitor, the best teacher, the best fry cook.  It doesn't matter the what, it matters the how."

Simmons then answered more questions about what it is like being rich and famous.  He shared a story about how he does not have to pay for anything when he goes out.  He said that the fame however only should be used to help others.  He started talking about how Kim Kardasian and Ashton Kutcher have more Twitter followers than the president.  He postulated that if they began to tweet about social justice issues, or peace issues they could mobilize an army that would bring changes to this country.

"I'm liberal, I'm farther to the left than Kucinich, Olberman, all of them, but I focus on basic needs for the poor and the working poor.  Livable wages, health care, high quality education, those things should be available to everyone who wants it.  We give tax breaks to the wealthy, I got a tax break and I don't need it, and then we turn around and tell the poor there is no money."  The crowd erupted in applause as he returned to this theme over the course of the night that there is plenty of money to go around it is just our lack of political will that is keeping it from being used where it needs to be.

The night ended with a book signing and a large group of mostly young men hanging around trying to have private words with Simmons.  The audience was a mix up of young and old, male and female and many ethnic groups.  Mr. Simmons even said at the beginning of his lecture that Seattle had the most diverse group he has seen in his book tour.  The crowd loved that one too.