Bruce

Presently, I am 67 years old, and I am learning how to live the life of a retired person. I am married to Sharon White, a retired hospice nurse, and writer. Whose Death Is It Anyway-A Hospice Nurse Remembers Sharon is a wonderful friend and life partner of nearly 30 years. We have three grandsons through two of Sharon's children. I am not a published writer or poet. My writings are part of my new life in retirement. I have recently created a blog, and I began filling it up with my writings on matters of recovery and spirituality. I saw that my blog contained enough material for a book, so that is now my new intention, to publish a book, if only so that my grandsons can get to know who their grandfather really was, once I am gone. The title for my first book will be: Penetrating The Conspiracy Of Silence, or, How I Lived Beyond My Expiration Date I have since written 7 more books, all of which are now posted on this site. I have no plans to publish any of them, as their material is not of general interest, and would not generate enough income to justify costs. I have taken a deep look at life, and written extensively about it from a unique and rarely communicated perspective. Some of my writing is from 2016 on to the present moment. Other writing covers the time prior to 1987 when I was a boy, then an addict and alcoholic, with my subsequent recovery experience, and search for "Truth". Others are about my more recent experiences around the subjects of death, dying, and transformation, and friends and family having the most challenging of life's experiences. There are also writings derived from my personal involvement with and insight into toxic masculinity, toxic religion, toxic capitalism, and all of their intersections with our leadere. These topics will not be a draw for all people, as such personal and/or cultural toxicities tends to get ignored, overlooked, or "normalized" by those with little time for insight, introspection, or interest in other people's points of view on these troubling issues. There also will be a couple of writings/musings about "GOD", but I try to limit that kind of verbal gymnastics, because it is like chasing a sunbeam with a flashlight. Yes, my books are non-fiction, and are not good reading for anybody seeking to escape and be entertained. Some of the writings are spiritual, philosophical and intellectual in nature, and some descend the depths into the darkest recesses of the human mind. I have included a full cross section of all of my thoughts and feelings. It is a classic "over-share", and I have no shame in doing so. A Master Teacher once spoke to me, and said "no teacher shall effect your salvation, you must work it out for yourself". "Follow new paths of consciousness by letting go of all of the mental concepts and controls of your past". This writing represents my personal work towards that ultimate end.

Chapter 8:  Empathy, and The Mystery of the Path Between You And Me (not edited by Melinda)

Chapter 8:  Empathy, and The Mystery of the Path Between You And Me (non-edited version ) The commentary on the common knowledge game, and the lemming effect, should have given the reader a huge window to look through to humanity’s potential for both corruption and healing within our social connections. Read more…

By Bruce, ago

You Were Created In Who’s Image?

(Excerpt from book #8:  No More Turning Away—-Breaking The Conspiracy Of Silence) In a therapeutic relationship, the therapist attempts to create a bridge image to the patient’s innate healing possibilities.  This bridge image is nothing more than an internalized representation of the therapist’s teachings, associated with and blended into the Read more…

By Bruce, ago

Here Comes the Judge!

Excerpt from book #8

No More Turning Away—Breaking The Conspiracy Of Silence

Jesus, amongst many other real, or imaginary, wise people has stated that we must not judge others, lest we be judged, as well. On the surface, this sounds like good wisdom, doesn’t it? If I think someone is an asshole, and, they might really be an asshole, I risk being judged as one as well. Talk about the boomerang effect!

Yet, we can easily see the inbuilt fallacy of this perceptual admonition, if it is just taken out of context without other supporting wisdom. And, spiritual misunderstanding continues to aide and abet truly bad people in continuing their egregious behavior (see Donald Trump, amongst millions of others). Who wants to be judged as a Trump equivalent, at least spiritually, because we made an accurate and necessary call on a misbehaving fool and criminal?.
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Yet, my behavior towards judging, or not judging, others did not originate with Jesus Christ’s teachings. The “wisdom” originated as a self-protection mechanism for me. i don’t recall the exact first time this happened, but I do remember as a seven year old boy thinking that I will ignore X,Y, or Z’s misbehavior, hoping that they would in turn ignore my own. I dared not judge others, for fear that I would be judged. And whenever my father found out I had misbehaved, there was to be an ass whipping by his unforgiving belt, so the immature thought, which is more universal than we may care to admit, was to please turn away from my malfeasance and make no report of it to others, and continue to enjoy your own without fear of recrimination from me! (wink, wink, nod, nod).
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Did you ever wonder why some people would rather just watch the world burn, and prepare for Armageddon, than join the spiritual fire department and help douse the flames?
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Did you ever wonder why so many Trump supporters continued to support him, even after he showed his true darkest intentions?
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I don’t!
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People are more attached to wounded modes of past being, behavior, and experience than openness to the healing possibilities inherent within the present moment. They see reflected in Trump’s outward shenanigans aspects of their own unhealed and unawakened natures. They celebrate their dark hero, rather than feel ashamed,  because they have a champion who makes it OK to not be their best self.  They may appear indifferent or hateful to the rest of the awakening world, yet, in truth, they are only unwilling and incapable of honestly facing themselves.
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Of course, mutual non-reporting of offensive and unacceptable behavior is not conducive to positive change, growth, healing, or mindfulness, is it?
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No more turning away, folks. Do not fear your perceptual software but be prepared to add new algorithms to it to aid in more accurately representing our intentions to see truly in this often chaotic, wounded, and imbalanced world. There is still so much needless and unnecessary suffering in our world, yet if we are still suffering, we will remain under its dark controls and not be fully inspired to reduce its damaging influence, both on ourselves and on others.
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First, let us heal ourselves of our own glaring deficiencies, and traumas, so we no longer look through those fogged lenses at our world.
Then, let us look out at the world with a more coherent healing intent.
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No one likes being judged, especially by the person with so many glaring deficiencies of their own.
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Often, though, the judged deserve every bit of our assessments of their, and our own, once, or ongoing wayward behavior.
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Let us all now turn our wounds into wisdom.
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Here comes the judge, here comes the judge, here comes the judge. . . . .!
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Your Honor, what is your most accurate verdict?
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GUILTY?
INNOCENT?
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We are all guilty as charged, until we regain our lost innocence, and can see that innocence in others, as well.
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No more turning away from our wounds as suffering human beings.
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No more turning away from the inherent goodness and beauty that lies, often ignored, within the heart and soul of the other.
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“Remove that log stuck in your own eye, so that you may more accurately see the sliver stuck in another’s eye”—Jesus of Nazareth
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By Bruce, ago

GURU

Jim and Sharon,, I think we did much better for our lives, and for our Spirit, by not becoming yet another profit  centered ego passing as the latest minstrel of Truth, whether Western, or Eastern based in understanding. True guru’s know that no Teacher, no matter how popular, has any Read more…

By Bruce, ago

Football, and Family

FOOTBALL is everywhere, yet again.  It is the season to rally around our favorite teams, be they high school, college, or professional.  We tend to support the “home” teams (go Ducks, Beavers!)I never had a home professional team, being from Portland, Oregon, and growing up in the pre-Seattle Seahawks era. Read more…

By Bruce, ago