I frequently have long deep conversations with my friend Shane Powers, www.shanepowers.com , that revolve around politics, philosophy, religion, passion, relationships and anything else that a lot of people today tend to stay away from. (myself included 90% of the time.) The weather, "I'm good, how are you," or "can u spare an extra valium" is soooo much easier. Shane and I challenge eachother intellectually and while our brains are wired differently, its these talks I appreciate the most. I spend a lot of my life living on the waves at the top of the ocean and visiting the bottom once in awhile helps me feel connected with myself and who I actually am. We both, at least I believe, have spent a lot of our lives creating characters of ourselves.. he, the outspoken, extremely passionate, opinionated one that could in an instant change the vibe of a room from positive to negative or vice versa with his energy alone. He says whatever the f*ck he wants. There is no filter. A lot of people love it and a lot of people just cant handle it. Me asking him to be my best man at my wedding shows where I stand. Me? I was the record company guy with brand new sneakers, a crisp white-t and a Cadillac Escalade grill mounted to my office desk (I mean really?) to help create "the Clancy show" (which was exhausting and bullshit a lot of the time.) The point of this is a lot of our conversations revolve around him trying to understand who i am and where i stand on politics or religion or sometimes just plain life. Thats where our brains are wired differently because my simple philosophy of life is to find your own "shade of grey." Which ironically is exactly what he says but then proceeds to grill me on which box I lay in. Last night I told him I liked Bill Mahers new stand up HBO special and he simply replied "Your a communist." To be asked whether Im a democrat, republican, independent, socialist, communist, ideologue, Christian, Buddhist, vegetarian is complicated. On the political side I suppose I lean liberal which by definition means "showing or characterized by broad mindedness and favors the protection of civil liberties and progressive social views."- Sounds about right although there are republican (or at least the older republican) views I also agree with "small government, fiscal responsibility, etc." But I suppose by the last 2 statements I would be an independent while at the same time i agree with some of the socialistic aspects that we currently have in our government (teabaggers always seem to miss that hence the "keep the government off our Medicare" signs).. I also think our current form of capitalism without some type of moral oversight will eventually eat our country alive and create the greatest class gap in our countries history while destroying the environment or anything else in the way of profit.. Ok Religion...oh boy, touchy subject. Personally I am NOT a fan of organized religion. I understand its a light in alot of peoples lives and that I fully respect.. if it makes you feel alive and fulfilled, I back it 100%. Its what goes on behind the scenes that is the problem, whether its the penetration into politics and policy to the assault on homosexuals and anyone "different." All while the Pope recently told Africans to not use condoms when Aids is beyond epidemic status. Doesn't seem very "Pro Life" does it? The feeling of communion with a higher power is something I share with Christians I just eliminate the dogma. Its that dogma and the book it all comes from that has caused more death than all wars combined in our worlds history. So am I Buddhist? Well I do a bunch of yoga (which Shane has a good time with) and Meditation (see yoga) and I relate strongly to the connectedness and karma philosophy. It just seems to make the most sense. The sages that wrote these things thousands of years ago still seem to apply and contain actual context for todays world. On the other hand there are things that are a bit "out there" for me but I respect their right as I do Christians to make it a black and white decision for their own spirituality.
Next is vegetarianism.. I decided to stop eating meat 4 months ago for moral reasons relating to factory farming etc.. I do however eat fish who sometimes die horrible deaths and wear plenty of leather.. In fact my wife got me a leather jacket for my bday that I would wear to bed if i could.. So am i a true vegetarian?
The point of all of this, for me, is about finding your own shade of grey.. Living with a black and white view of everything seems inauthentic to the beauty of all of our own individuality based on our life experiences and our own reactions and emotions that come from them. We all process it differently. For me I have found the most peace by being myself.. I don't need a label or set of rules I need to abide by in order to fit into a certain category, in fact it only makes me feel less alive. I've spent 39 years trying to fit in to various things and have finally found my own perfect beautiful shade of grey... and Shane has played a big part in helping me find it.
If your not already you should check Shane's site every day.. it will make you happy, sad, angry, and grateful. Most important it will make you think. Click HERE
