In political contests between
incumbents, and challengers, 
the classic sloganeering always pits: 
“Nothing Beats Experience,” 
against the opposition’s:
“Time For A Change,”
and while each candidate’s intention is to 
distinguish himself from his opponent 
by drawing attention to his history in elected office, 
vis a vis the demands of the times,
I see both assertions however, 
as manifestations of a divide that is much broader, 
and timeless,
that reflects the nature of man –
--  not campaign strategies. 

The shibboleths: “nothing beats experience,” and,
”time for a change” can be interpreted on a 
more radical and revealing level,
for they also say (in the first instance): 
“I am instinct, and trust the lessons of the past,”
while the second says: 
”I am thought; my interest is in new possibilities,”
(these statements are also representative of some of my previous models of man as in the sets of:
”doers and talkers”,
”cortical consciousness, and sub cortical”,
”instinctive mind and verbal mind”,
and the common politically employed one of:
”conservatives and liberals”).

At base what you have here are overt expressions of the overall nature of life wherein one part of it is always a defender of the status quo,
as a refuge of proven safety;
it in essence says:
”We have survived this long, behaving as we have,
so what better guide for the future is there than 
our past actions?!”
From this natural perspective do all Earthly creatures, save man, persist.
Tigers see no need for change in their lives;
eagles ponder no other possible existence.
It requires an animal with a brain that produces what our thoughts call, “thoughts”, (have you ever considered just how downright neat --  AND 
ultimately stupefying it is that 
thoughts are the only thing in the entire universe 
who get to name and define themselves?!….
…ultimately stupefying, I tell you,
and responsible for all subsequent,
”directions-to-the-wrong-bus”  --  but -- 
-- back to the main road).

Man would be incapable of evolving and effecting the beneficial changes he continues to do were it left to the animalistic instincts that are the subterranean machinery that keeps his building physically inhabitable;
it requires that thought be present,
that ideas be in a man’s brain of how circumstances would be more comfortable and conducive to survival
if circumstances were different.
Instinct knows no such word as, “different”;
you eat what is right for you -- 
not anything “different,” 
and you make your home where it is right for you --
you do not move to some where “different.”
This is simple and obvious enough;
our prime real estate is, and should be,
governed by stodgy, 
ultra cautious & conservative instinct. 
Silent, automatic, unthinking instinct 
brought us this far  --  “Nothing beats experience,”
except for the equally obvious fact that life has never been satisfied to let man remain as he is 
at any given time.
Once man’s brain began to turn out thoughts,
what came next was inevitable:
Change and relentless DREAMS OF change.
But by its very definition, 
change has no history on which to reply;
it is the opponent of history, and all it can do is issue the hopeful cry: “Time for a change (?!?!)…..
…is anyone paying attention to me?!…..”

Some segment of humanity is always in the process of change compared to some other segment,
and within an individual, does the same game play;
one segment of him, (his thoughts), are attracted to change while another segment, (his instincts),
have a natural resistance thereto.
A balancing act is constantly maintained both in the collective body of mankind, and in the single one of the individual.
You can call it a, “struggle,”
or you can call it a, “balance,”
the reality of it is insouciant to labels;
the result is a never-ending, always-shifting movement of and in man
from wherever he is at the moment
both physically and mentally,
to some other only guessed-at 
surprising future place.
The journey is made safe by the bus having 
two drivers, each with their own steering wheel,
and their own separate view of travel.
One is extremely cautious, and very hesitant about leaving the main, previously traveled highway
for explorations down unknown secondary roads,
while the other’s head seems forever lost in dreams of
better-times, and 
far-away-places.

Every person, at one moment in their life,
favors first one of the two approaches, 
then at another moment, the other;
caution vs. excitement;
timidity vs. exhilaration;
fear vs. bravado;
yesterday vs. tomorrow, literally --
--  the known vs. the unknown! 
Do you recognize that I am in fact 
really talking about the sport of 
individually trying to aid in your own evolution,
for indeed, from one view,
the hunger to, “wake up from a dream”  is
exactly that.

By instilling thought in man,
life set in motion the ongoing, 
struggle-cum-balancing-act
that is the continuing saga of ever evolving man,
and by way of the twin bus drivers,
one crying out: “It is time for something NEW!”
while the other one assures the passengers:
”Stick with me; I will only do what 
I have successfully done before,”
has arranged circumstances whereby 
humanity as a whole, 
unwittingly aids in its own collective evolution,
and wherein a maximum of change is realized
with a minimum of risk.

Thus does it be that all men are constantly,
and unknowingly,
and weakly,
struggling to improve themselves
for the sake of the whole of humanity ….
…and then there are the few  --
the few who have historically said that they do not trust, or fully accept the reality professed by the collective, and who  attempt to strike out on their own to unknown internal destinations,
having as their slogan:
”I am dreaming, but I can awaken,”
which is simply yet another verbal variation of the
supra notions:
”Nothing beats experience,” (living in a habit-driven,
safe and undemanding world of dreams), and:
”It is time for a change,” (the hunger to be 
OUT OF such an environment).
Ergo, a new and valid restating of what motivates me to write these daily writes, and you to eat on them.

Calling our interest,
“mystical, or metaphysical” 
is a misstatement,
understandable from a collective man’s view,
and even from the view of 
most of the few  --  who 
never really catch on
to what’s actually going on,
but the reality of what wanting to, “Wake up,”
or achieve, “Enlightenment” in truth is, 
could not BE more physical and everyday:
it is nothing more than life manifesting 
through a few people,
a greater desire to change 
than is its norm. 

 So here you are! --  stuck, same as life,
between wanting to cling to the safe experiences and thoughts of the past,
and a hunger for a whole new life and world view.
…(If YOU find, “wanting to wake up” frustrating,
just imagine what it must be like for life?!
Phew!  Thank god, some times for being just a
little tadpole in this big old pond, huh?!)

                                                  JAN

….(Pst! --  does anybody out there --  “get it”?!….
     …you know: what I'm REALLY talking about today….
         …..come on --  sure you do!)