The fact is, there is no place that can’t be struck by a disaster.  And no matter what we would like to believe, there is no job that is guaranteed nor is there a marriage immune to change.  Relationships shift, companies and people die.  Nothing stays the same.  Change is the constant in life and it seems that the rate of change is increasing exponentially.  We know that man’s knowledge now is doubling every 8 years. It feels like we are being overloaded with information.  How much is really important and how much is actually trivia?

So how do we keep up? How do we cope?

One way of dealing with all the changes is actually by slowing down. You heard me right – it’s not about speeding up your processing of information or doing things quicker in the hopes of getting more done, but about reversing the trend and going slow.

Take time each day to meditate, even for 5 to 10 minutes.  By stopping, taking a breather and stepping away even momentarily, you put perspective between you and what is happening at that moment.  This gives you time to think and process your thoughts and, most importantly, your feelings.

Another way is not letting the newest gadget control us. It’s up to us to become the masters of our lives. Who said we always have to pick up the cell phone, answer email or post on Facebook?  When we make conscious decisions about what to do next and set priorities for a busy day, we reduce stress.

Most importantly, we need to maintain our balance.  Not only do we need to balance our work and play, but we must also maintain an internal balance.  Acting from a place of peace and calm allows you to deal with whatever the universe throws at you.  Don’t buy into the drama of the news, or the drama of those around you.

Keep in mind that, if you can’t take action yourself on an issue, getting emotional about it will neither solve the problem nor keep your balanced. Again, meditation is a great tool to help you find your center.

Ironically, many people find that when they go a little slower, they’re actually more productive!  Often I receive feedback from people who try these techniques and they discover that it’s easier to accomplish more when they function from a calm place instead of panic or anxiety.  These people are truly in the driver’s seat of their lives.

From my perspective, the onslaught of information and major events will not slow down anytime soon.  In order to enjoy a harmonious life, it’s crucial to remain the center of calm in the storm.  Humans have faced hardship for thousands of years, and for just as long they’ve used the above techniques to find inner peace and balance.  This goal is completely within your grasp.  It only takes some practice and an open mind for success.  That is why it’s called the practice of meditation!

Some people are trying to kidnap Haitian children across state lines supposedly for purposes of adoption, claiming these children are orphans when that clearly isn’t the case.

Other traffickers, of course, have even worse intentions.

Human trafficking is just another word for slavery  After all our history regarding slavery, you would think by now, in the year 2010, that slavery would no longer be a reality in our world.  It’s not a reality that we want to think about because slavery is part of the world’s economic machine that we’re still a part of.  Our choices as to what we buy and what companies we support directly affect other lives around the world, especially the lives of children.

FreetheSlaves.net’s definition of slavery is being “forced to work without pay under threat of violence and unable to walk away.” It reports:

• an estimated 27 million people are enslaved globally, more than at any other time previously;
• thousands annually trafficked in America in over 90 cities; around 17,000 by some estimates and up to 50,000 according to the CIA, either from abroad or affecting US citizens or residents as forced labor or sexual servitude;
• the global market value is over $9.5 billion annually, according to Mark Taylor, senior coordinator for the State Department’s Office to Monitor;
• victims are often women and children;
• the majority are in India and African countries;
• slaves work in agriculture, homes, mines, restaurants, brothels, or wherever traffickers can employ them; they’re cheap, plentiful, disposable, and replaceable.

Products made in China’s textiles factories use bonded labor, as do cocoa plantations around the world.  Fish from the Philippines and woven rugs from Pakistan, India and China are also notorious for forced child labor.

So what can we do besides writing to our politicians?  You can write to the companies to persuade them that the bad publicity is not worth the cheaper cost. And you can vote with your pocket books. Think before you buy, and find out where a product is coming from – why exactly is it so cheap?  The cost is being cut from somewhere, and it frequently comes from the people making the product.  Sweatshop workers may be paid pennies, if they’re paid at all, for an item that is then sold for $29.95 in the United States.

You can also join us for Sound Meditation on March 1st and Angel Meditation on March 15th. My plan for these classes is to focus our intention towards healing these children and changing their situation.  I am also going to donate half the proceeds of both classes to Save the Children Fund for Haiti. Please bring as many people as you can to these meditations so that we can really make a shift for these kids.

As we move into the second decade of the 21st Century, we should do everything possible to make sure that  slavery is in the past and no longer part of our present reality.  We need to become conscious of our actions so that our actions are not part of the problem but part of the solution.

Unfortunately for Ray, 3 people died and 19 people were injured during one of these events. Now questions are coming up about his character, his responsibility for the incident and the resulting deaths, and his ignorance of the spiritual and practical issues of running a traditional Indian sweat lodge.  He is now subject to a homicide investigation,  probably liability lawsuits from the grieving families, really bad media coverage regarding his lack of concern for the people in the sweat lodge, and most probably a downward demand for his seminars and books.

Life can be tough when the balloon bursts – especially after becoming a pinnacle of success as James Arthur Ray had.

I guess you can say that this situation for Mr. Ray is definitely a “teachable moment” not only for Mr. Ray but for all of us. There are a number of questions that can be brought up regarding the situation of Mr. Ray’s handling of the event, about his position as a self-help guru, and the self-help industry as a whole. But it also brings up questions about the public’s attraction to someone like Mr. Ray.  I would like to bring up the following questions for you to ponder as Mr. Ray’s folly not only reflects upon him but also as to who we are:

• Why does Mr. Ray’s presence on The Secret require him to charge $9,000-$10,000 for a 5-day seminar?  Some say, “Oh, he is just maximizing what the market will bear.”  Some will say, “Of course he did – that is what capitalism is all about!”  But somewhere in Mr. Ray’s ego – there must have been the thought that what he had to offer is worth it.  By pricing himself in this way, only wealthy people can afford him. He is not helping the average Joe, who probably needs his help more than anyone else.  So is greed good?  Isn’t this just another manifestation of ego?

• Why would anyone pay that type of money for this guy’s course?  What is going on with their ego?  Are people willing to pay this amount of money to attend the class so they can say they took it from the guy in The Secret?

• Is the value of his course based on the actual content or someone’s marketing plan and product positioning?

• What was he thinking when people wanted to leave because they were feeling ill and passing out? Why wasn’t he listening to his intuition? Why did it not kick in once people started fainting?

• Why did he run away to California rather stand in his integrity and answer questions by the police, the public and the media?

• Why were people giving their power over to Mr. Ray when they felt ill?  Who were they trying to please? Why didn’t they insist that they needed to leave the sweat lodge?

• Where is Mr. Ray’s integrity? He certainly didn’t show it during or after the sweat lodge.

• And most importantly, why aren’t people more carefully selecting their teachers? Shouldn’t we be using more discernment instead of choosing someone just they’re a celebrity?

The world does not need another guru  – just teachers who actually walk the talk. As a society and as individuals, we have to become more discerning as to who we select as our spiritual  teachers, whether they are a priest, minister or self- help guru.

One thing is for sure: James Arthur Ray’s balloon burst because neither he nor his business were grounded in spiritual principals and goals but lead by a marketing plan fueled by an overblown ego and greed, where image is everything and content is faked and has no value.