a weak society

predominantly speaking, we are the products of a weak society. One with a culture that has placed making a dollar, above all other things. encouraging that man do whatever he can to project himself forward. The trouble with such a culture is that we have forgotten which way is forward, and which is back. the general populous has been left directionless, with no compass. stuck in a revolving door dilemma. Or perhaps a better metaphor would be the stair master. One step forward and two steps backward. Every. Single. Time. At least with a revolving door, one tends to end up where they began. We cannot seem to get out of our own way.

in my experience, More often than not a “forward” move is a return to, not necessarily something new. our definition of innovation is skewed. for instance, one of the simplest things a human could do to improve their overall health and wellbeing, would be to improve their relationship with the ground. even this slight suggestion will sound absurd to most. yes, the ground. The thing beneath a human’s feet. however, Instead of relearning how to move adequately, up and down, we spend money on expensive gym memberships and excessive nike costumes. The answers that most people are looking for are right at their fingertips, in front of their faces. a naked press up or two perhaps. the problem is that We live in a culture obsessed with complicating things. phrases like "more is better" and "progress never rests" do not necessarily improve a human’s condition, although such slogans could, just like a gym membership. If only humans knew how simple it was to “improve” and “move forward.” This is of course, completely dependent on one’s definition of getting ahead. more than ever, A return to nature is in store but seems to remain in stock, while cans of soda and bags of chippies are flying off the shelves. 

Are we really "getting ahead" by destroying our rivers, oceans, forests and planet? This generation of children is more anxious, stressed and depressed than ever. especially in New Zealand, where We lead the "developed" world in teenage suicide and domestic abuse. I’ve seen it first hand. it’s not fun. as a people, we are not healthy, period. period. So what does this really say about the way we are living and going about our busy-ness? It is time, more than ever, for a paradigm shift. A complete inversion of how we live and love and treat each other, as well as make decisions in relations, politics and business. perhaps most importantly, It is time to reframe our language. Redefining words like progress, success, health, wealth, winning and riches, that is, of course, if we want to thrive on this planet. for our own sake, as well as our children's, children's, children. or not.

letters to my kid brother: if not you, who?

hey kid, 

just something i’ve been thinking about since our last conversation. i’ll keep this one short, because i’ve got to be on my way. 

i know that it’s been tough for you lately and i can see that you’ve had your confidence knocked a bit. but here’s the deal. if you don’t believe in yourself then who in the world will? really man, the whole world could believe in you, but if you don’t believe in yourself deep down, what’s it matter. 

that reminds me, one of my best friends growing up went on trial with eleven football clubs, before he even got a look at his first professional contract. he was cut time and again. do you know what it takes to keep going after one of those, let alone ten? that’s perseverance man. but more than anything my friend believed in himself. even after all that, not only did he still know he was capable, he even believed he was one of the best. and that those people who cut him simply hadn’t seen it, yet. looking back, i wish i was more like him. i never even gave myself the chance to fulfil my potential. 

and guess what kid? he’s still at it. nearly ten years after all that, he’s captain of his team and the highest salaried player. you can bet all that failure paid off. which is funny because that doesn’t sound like failure to me at all. more like just a guy who wanted to get a job done. a bit like building a house. you wouldn’t burn it down just because you placed a few pieces of wood wrong. you’d just bust em’ out or build around em’. so long as there were a strong foundation, it would be a waste not to make the most most of it. well, my friend not only had a solid base, he was motivated as hell, and most important of all believed in himself like no one else i’d ever met. 

anyways, i thought this message might help. keeping going. and remember, if not you then who? 

only love little man, 

b.s.

Definitions: Contradiction [kon-truh-dik-shuh n]

Contradiction [kon-truh-dik-shuh n]

-

Is not the great river

The perfect exhibition of stillness in motion?

Is not the water our greatest teacher

In a day and age when

The slightest disagreement

Seems to results in automatic altercation

Why is it we have been so conditioned

To be uncomfortable with opposition?

Unwilling to hold a pole in our mind

While also acknowledging the other side

The water is always flowing yet it is still too

I guess this is a notion one either can see or not

Just as the river’s ebb and flow

Is the greatest force man has ever known

Effortlessly moving any obstacle that falls in its path

Letters To My Kid Brother: On Getting Found Out

Hey kid,

I hope this letter finds you well wherever you are. I guess I’ll get straight to the point.

This life has a funny way of working a person out. I guess that’s just another way of saying, sooner or later, the Truth comes knocking on everyone’s door. The scariest part is you never really know when it’s going to arrive at yours. As they say, it pays to expect the unexpected. I guess that’s just another way of saying, be prepared, or at least as much as you can be. 

But that’s what makes life tough isn’t it? Because very rarely, if ever, are you prepared for what life is about to dish up. Like grandpa always said, “be ready for the rain, but certainly don’t let it dictate your day.” I’ve always liked that way of living. always Ready for a nasty serving, anticipating all the things that could go wrong, and doing everything in your control to ensure you don’t get found out. Even if that does mean finding a bigger backpack or buying a set of waterproof matches. always have a set of waterproof matches or lighter or two.

I think that’s why I love camping so much and sports too. When I was your age, I was determined to never get found out. I’ll never forget the time coach said, “a player can day dream all day long about where he wants to end up, but it’s his training that’s sure to take him to the top.” He should have added, “or leave him at rock bottom.” but still, that was one of the truest things I ever heard coach say. And guess what, I’ve seen it too.

That’s the best thing about the truth. It’s always nice when someone tells it to you, but there’s nothing better than seeing it with your own two eyes. You know experiencing it for yourself. I guess now that I’m thinking about it, that’s ACTUALLY true about All of life. no matter how many times I tell you about it, there’s nothing that feels better in the whole damn world than hitting a game winning shot.

I’ll never forget in 9th grade I was one of the scrawniest players in the whole state. But man you can bet that I worked on my game. I knew that what I lacked in strength, I needed to make up with skills and brain. Every summer when all the kids and their families went away, I stayed at home just honing my game. Most days, I’d virtually run out of bed and hit the pavement. By the time everyone else was waking up, or still asleep, I’d already ran three miles and taken over 300 shots. some morning’s I’d just see how many push ups I could do just for sake’s. After lunch, I’d be out again. Practicing. Hitting the same spot over and over again with The clock counting down. 3, 2, 1… The game winning shot in my hands. You know like kids do, unashamedly playing pretend. Imagining myself as starting point guard for varsity, lining up in front of the whole school. Sometimes i’d even dream of the big leagues, you know the NBA. but trust me, i kept those secret. I’d have been the only one to believe it anyways.

Come senior year, I was the one of the best players in the state, let alone the school. And guess what, in the end being that skinny kid actually helped me out. I guess it’s cause I sort of always had that chip on my shoulder. i think That’s what it takes kid. No matter how good you get, never get ahead of yourself. Stay humble. keep refining your craft. and The moment you think you’re a big shot, you’ve already lost. Yeah, I like the sound of that. and always keep that skinny kid inside ya’.

Now that I’m thinking about it, that’s the real beauty of sports. Especially swimming or running. you can’t hide from the truth in those. No shortcuts. just you and the clock. Even in other individual sports like tennis or golf, where it’s just you and the opponent. one on one. two lions in the jungle. The truth is sure to come out. There’s no hiding in sports like that. your either first or nothing at all. I guess That’s what always bothered me about team sports. you never really do know who the best player is. Sometimes it’s those who go unacknowledged that make life easier for the stars. You know the one’s that float under the radar. in soccer, guys like busquets and puyol. not the prettiest, but they always get the job done. freeing up everyone else. I always sort of thought of you that way. how you always find a way to make everyone else around you better. I wish I would have been more like you that way. it would have helped up my game. I guess it’s just something you’re born with. You know, that willingness to serve.

anyhow, I’ve always thought it was funny how even the average Joe in professional teams was most likely an all star in high school. Anyhow, like I said at the start, this life has a funny way of finding a person out. So I hope that while you are out there, doing whatever it is you kids do these days, that you are giving it your all. Because the thing is, you never know when going over and above might come back to help you out. after all, you never really do know who is watching. That reminds me of another story, but perhaps I’ll save that for my next letter. 

Only Love kid, 

b.s.

Definitions: creativity [kree-ey-tiv-i-tee]

creativity [kree-eh-tiv-i-tee]

-

Hours spent in creation are in direct proportion

To health, happiness and overall life satisfaction

Not forgetting to mention total well being

The creative life is the only life period

Definitions: A Benny Sip Series

definitions: river bed [ri - ver bed]

riverbed [ri - ver - bed]

-

Sink into the weight

of your aloneness

letting the rest of you

float to the surface

all those things

you’ve long held onto

But did not know

could let go of

if you only wanted to

until now

As you slowly

drop to the bottom

watching the world dissolve

into the mirror above

noticing a stillness inside

taking over so much so

That even the need

to breathe has gone

as well as the heaviness of

thought no longer

this is the power of cold

cold water

definitions: a benny sip series

It is no wonder that man is a mess. Most men that is...

It is no wonder that man is a mess. Most men that is. 99.9% of them. When I refer to man, I mean humans: men, women and children. That may seem like a pretty bleak take on society. Perhaps. It is what it is.

My daily experience continually reinforces the fact that man lives a life far from his most optimal state, one in which he is in line with nature, full of vitality, vibrancy and creativity. While most people on the planet are merely surviving, wasting their time, the human that spends the majority of their time in such a state thrives. They know what it means and feels like to be alive.

This human lives out their life mindlessly encapsulated in the moment. Living on the edge of states like desperation, beauty, madness and bliss. To most men this will seem an absurd contradiction, to others it will make perfect sense. As Emily Dickinson wrote, “much madness is the divinest sense.” The human with such a realisation lives their one and only life without compromise, devoted to discovering only the best that this life has on tap. Easily replacing one’s favourite craft beer.

Most humans have either forgotten what it feels like to be alive or have not had the chance to have such a human experience, yet. There is no other way to describe this than sad. After all, it is man’s birthright to live. Every man, woman and child deserves to know what it feels like to be intoxicated by life itself. To be at one with the air, the water and surroundings. Access to such a state is available to man at anytime and place. If only, all men knew the truth, let alone 1%.

Instead, man has himself wedged, consciously or not, under the thumb of a society that has him trapped, with nothing to offer him. A warm blanket disguised as risk - free comfort and security, such a society slowly suffocates and kills a man, stopping him from living the one life he was given and destined. So, In order to “find himself,” he fills himself with everything and anything in between. All kinds of addictions in the same vein as sex, drugs and rock’n roll and attachments to people, prescriptions, places, and things. So he continually does obscene things to perpetuate the dull feelings he receives, that if he only knew, are nowhere near his nature. A state that can be achieved with effortlessness and ease, an original, rich and healthy state of being, a.k.a thriving.

The beauty is that there is a way back. Back to where man belongs. Where he was meant to be, all along. Just as something lost only waits to be found again, man can rediscover his wildness and freedom. States that are abundant and always readily available. If he only knew how simple it were to rediscover such endless energy and wonder, of course, without anything aiding him other than what he holds in the palms of his two hands and can access with the soles of his two feet.

definitions: Flowetry [Flow - etch - ree]

Flowetry [Flow - etch - ree]

-

Free

Naturally flowing

With ease

No forcefulness

Within existing

To enter a state of flowetry is to free one’s self from the constant chaos and incessant turmoil of the mind, even if only, momentarily.

definitions: a benny sip series

Definitions: Normalcy [nawr-muh l-see]

Normalcy [nawr-muh l-see]

-

Isn’t it funny how

Some semblance of normalcy

Would be comforting right now? 

Note to self

Take seriously for once 

The art of doing nothing

Ease into the discomfort

Of your uselessness

Let the world 

Wash over you and spill into

The places you’ve never allowed it to

believe it or not

This is the moment 

You have been waiting for all along

Sink into its motionless

the stillness that has been

and forever will be made available to you

from now onwards

There has never been a better time

to Make your mind a sanctuary 

For a new normalcy 

Extraordinary 

definitions: a benny sip series

Definitions: Grounded [grown-dead]

Grounded [grown-dead]

-

The world will 

Let one down or

Raise one up

Whatever one allows

Remain steady 

Balanced 

In body

Mind and soul

Level

Fully attuned 

Nature is never up 

Or down

Just constant as the ground

Beneath one’s feet

definitions: a benny sip series

definitions: Opportunity [op-er-too-ni-tee]

Opportunity [op-er-too-ni-tee]

- 

Often disguised as pain, hardship, anger or struggle  

see The closed door is an opening 

Instead of focusing on the “no entrance” signs in one’s life

Allow the closed doors to divert your path all together

The river has never fought the obstacle

Flowing over and around

Whatever it comes across  

It is not long before the pain is forgotten

The hardship softened 

The anger and struggle replaced by a strength 

far greater than one once knew

The closed door reframed into a portal

Of possibility and freedom previously unfounded 

The child saw the obstacle as an opportunity in and of itself.

definitions: a benny sip series

Letters To My Kid Brother: On Playing Games

Hey Kid,

Let me tell you. The world will attempt to pick you apart in every way it can. And if you let it, it will.

Trust me on this, enemies will come, friends will go, sometimes the former becoming the latter and visa versa. There is no predicting what the future holds and what life will throw your way. If you do manage to find a true friend though, one maybe two, hold them dear. In this world, A true friend is worth his or her weight in gold. One of the rarest things on earth. Treasure them and soak up every moment you have together.

Anyhow, the world will do its best to break you down. And when I talk about the world, I’m really speaking about humans. Despite their best intentions, most men cannot help themselves. They are far too concerned with all sorts of unimportant things. Things like fame, ego, power and status. Most men are desperate for the day they are thrust upon on a pedestal. perceived relevance. This way, from their limited perspective, they are able to look down on everyone else beneath them. For most men this is life’s ultimate satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong, there is the rare exception, but I have seen it time and time again. Men that abuse power in every way they can, even the most unexpected of them. As i’ve always said, a man’s character is best revealed, not when he is a follower, but when he has all the power. Most men are not able to handle it. Power that is.

It is these men, worldly ones, indoctrinated in the way of being “real” men, that will attempt to bring you down. But they will also try to build you up too. Beware of this tactic, as mostly they will do so, not for your best interest, but only to project themselves further up the latter. In other words, they will use and abuse everyone beneath them, so they can stand taller. Know this truth and you can never become someone’s stool. Such wisdom of the ways of men will allow you the freedom to choose, whether or not you want to play a part in their game or walk away. Remember, you can always choose to sit out. You can always stand up and fight too. there is no right or wrong, just whatever you decide. And remember there is no shame in playing the game so long as you know which game you are playing, but do be careful.

So here’s my advice, if that’s what you’d like to call it. because after all, you are my kid brother. Don’t allow anyone to break you down or build you up. Just stay the same. Grounded. Know who you are and what you stand for. At the same time, hold your stances lightly as they will always be in flux. be ready to move. Trust me on this one, what you believe, or think you believe today, will not be the same tomorrow, let alone ten years from now. After all, the only constant in your life will be change. One of the greatest compliments you can receive is when someone says that you are no longer the same. “Good!” you should say. What do they expect? But as much as you do change, find a way to stay strong and balanced. As I said, like the ground you stand upon. Solid as. And embrace contradiction, but perhaps I’ll elaborate on that one more in my next letter.

Only Love,

Benny

definitions: Power [pow - her]

⁣Power [pow - her]

-

I have deemed myself unfit for this world and it for me, you see, there is no freedom, here, in

the company of such men. Those obsessed with power, relevance and status.

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to leave this place behind. Joining the open road

and river flow, A space where the definition of power becomes something else all together.

The river’s power was beyond measure.

definitions: a benny sip series

definitions: Fact [fakt]

Fact [fakt]

-

The sheer fact that

You are here at all

Is a miracle

In and of itself

Be fucking grateful

For god sakes

Can I be any more straight forward?

You dear

Have been blessed

Not in any religious way of course

With a life

Apologies for such an aggressive

Message to myself

If you are reading this, right here, right now, you are alive. Fact.

definitions: a benny sip series

Definitions: Freedom [free-dumb]

Freedom [free - dumb]

-

Eventually the need

Grows so strong

One will have no option

Other than desperation

The state where a human

Is forced to get things done

With a patient urgency

about them

At the precise moment, he made a run for freedom out of the dungeon Just as the dragon arose from its slumber.

definitions: a benny sip series

Definitions: Word [wurd]

Word [wurd]

-

To speak is to hold something darling on one’s tongue 

To write is to hold something dear in one’s palm

A word

Words 

In a world where we owned nothing

Words were all we had.

definitions: a benny sip series

Definitions a series - Definitions [def-uh-nish-uhn]

-

“Every word was once a poem.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Definitions [def-uh-nish-uhn]

-

Words are everything.

How we understand a word, and interpret its meaning, is a reflection of our world view.

What one word means to you, does not necessarily mean the same to me.

Words are inept for communicating experience.

so, it is no wonder we often find ourselves lost in translation, even when speaking the same language.

However, despite their clumsiness, words are often the best, and only, tools we have.

what other option do we have, then try?

definitions: a benny sip series