The specific task, is writing this thought I had about why I feel each successive year, seems to pass faster than the previous.

I remember when I was in primary school… perhaps seven or eight years young…

“Mum, can I play at my friends after school?”

“Yes. But only for an hour.”

An hour? A WHOLE HOUR!!! When I was seven, I could create a whole world and destroy it in an hour. It was forever. So why is an hour such an insignificant measure of time in comparison today?

My theory is that as one grows older, and life becomes routine, the more time one experiences in a state of trance, surrendering to an automated, subconscious competency of day to day tasks. And it is in this trance state, that could contribute to the sensation that time is flying by.

Ever been in a trance when driving somewhere local? Zoning out on public transport? Out Dancing?

As a child one has more to learn about the world, and day to day tasks to learn. As a result one is more likely to be present in the moment, experiencing it with an engaged, conscious mind, attaining new information.

An hour can still feel like a day, as an adult, sure, but proportionately, we may be more often in trace, than our younger selves.

So, I suppose a way to prolong the experience of time would be to increase a desire to inject flexibility and change into routine (while maintaining them in a sustainable fashion), try new things and become aware of trance moments, pulling focus into the present… And perhaps, eventually… create a world in an hour!

When I was younger, I used to believe in this fatalistic view of life, however, I am now more of the belief that we are the authors of our lives. Given that it is nigh impossible to know the absolute truth, I think it’s more valuable to choose the empowering view that we are in control with free will. Of course this does mean one must be more assertive, and take action to bring things into their lives, rather than just ‘leave it to fate’.

Let’s briefly consider the paradoxical nature of the simultaneous existence of fate AND free will.

• If one subscribes to the belief that our lives are written prior to our experience of life, then they must surrender all control, and ‘trust’ that things are as they should be.
• If one believes in free will, then one’s experiences are based on one’s choices and a series of external events that may or may not have any connection to the individual’s choices.

Another possibility is that there is a subtle combination of both free will and fate, possibly akin to a child’s ‘choose your own adventure’ book, in which one is presented with a series of paths, that are prewritten. However, one must consider why or how the ‘prewritten’ component exists. I think that if this is the case, it is most likely that the ‘fate’ component is a result of an on the fly, combined effort of thought by all conscious beings, gently influencing the subconscious minds of humankind.

Current science suggests that the subconscious mind is capable of processing some 20,000,000 environmental stimuli per second, compared to the conscious mind, which may struggle with a mere 40. I believe it is this incredible processing power of the subconscious mind that explains why people experience good results from techniques such as ‘positive thinking’, and methods from the popular (albeit, in my opinion, somewhat misleading) ‘The Secret’. One basically adjusts their focus by communicating with their subconscious, requesting a specific set of filters for the 20,000,000 envirmonmetal stimuli per second it is processing. (For more information on harnessing this technology, I suggest a Google search of ‘NLP’)

So how may the subconscious supercomputer effect one’s experiences?

Scenario A)

Imagine a person has invested time focusing and stressing about the inflation of their rent, and how they lack money.

When they are seated at a cafe, they may overhear a conversation about a person being evicted, or the inflation of petrol prices. This may happen because, of all the information occurring in the current environment, this is what they have ‘tuned’ their subconscious to communicate to the conscious mind.

Scenario B)

Imagine if the same person had ‘tuned’ their thoughts to focus on increasing wealth, and bettering their lifestyle.

While seated in the same cafe, at the same time, they may have overheard a different conversation about a new job being advertised that is perfect for them.

One can use the conscious mind, to reset the filters for the subconscious mind.

Back to karma…

Nature has a tendency to bring about balance. It consistently undulates and compensates for over energy and under energy, always moving towards balance. The human body does this too. If one becomes sick, a functioning body will clear the pathogens and restore a healthy balance.

When a human experiences a shift in emotion, there is generally a physical and psychological change. Just imagine the difference between being angry, and being happy. Most people will agree that a state of happiness is preferable.

The human body is considered to be a highly organised community of approximately 50 trillion cells. There is scientific evidence which alludes to the production of different chemicals, during different emotional states. Imagine the chemicals of emotion are like the weather, which effects the community of cells. Happiness being the most perfect climate for life, and anger/hate/fear being the most devastating. The life and health of one’s cells are dependant on the climate.

Let’s consider a scenario in which an individual does ‘wrong’ by another. This event, one would hope, would bring on a feeling of guilt in the individual who has done wrong. Guilt is an uncomfortable and negative emotion, a negative experience. A poor climate for survival.

When one participates in an event that causes guilt, the cells are bathed in this deviating sensation. So, due to the desire to restore balance, the subconscious may begin investigating a scenario which would result in the individual feeling a sense of retribution. Which may resolve the feeling of guilt.

So perhaps karma is a pre-programmed device built into the subconscious for the purpose of maintaining a healthy climate of emotion, which, in the same way that the subconscious communicates environmental stimuli to the conscious based on the individual’s filters, it may alert or influence the individual towards a situation which would present an opportunity to neutralise the ‘guilt’ thus restoring balance.

And so far as good karma is concerned, the more positive things one does, the more they reinforce the filters of their subconscious to focus on the positive, productive and helpful information in their lives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Produced by RSI
Directed by Will Gaffney

Special thanks to all involved!

The Crew

Will Gaffney – Director/Producer
Emily Adinolfi – Lighting
Melinda Pell – Makeup
Larry James – Assistant
Edwina Lindsay – Girl at end of video
Selena Murdoch – Assistant
Gaetano Mazza – Photographer

The Band

Luke Miller – Drums
Chris Green – Guitar
Kris Lajoie – Bass
Dean Gourley – Piano
Simon Paul – Vocals/Guitar

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 1 can be viewed here.

The atmosphere grew warmer as the room filled with members of the crew and the band. Excitement built as equipment was placed, and the space transformed. The band and I took our turn in the makeup chair, as we prepared to film the video for Burning Venus.

Melinda Pell was in charge of hair and makeup. She also styled us.

“Simon, you are NOT wearing that shirt!” She exclaimed in a horrified and commanding tone.

I was utterly puzzled as my understanding was that fishnet shirts were in! I thought it was going to give me a real edge. Apparently, they were never in, and Right Said Fred got it wrong, no matter how sexy they thought themselves to be. Secretly, I think Melinda just wanted to see me taking my shirt off. Some people are odd like that.

Running slightly behind schedule, which from my experience can be common for creative productions (from recording sessions, to live performances, and, apparently, video shoots), we were finally ready to commence filming (or video-ing, or I suppose technically, hard-disking??). We took our places and Larry, the production assistant engaged playback of the CD.

After several hours of miming to Burning Venus; in slow motion, as if we were performing underwater at half speed; soft-rocking out at normal speed; and sweating it out like hyperactive monkeys in a new form of aerobics I’m calling ‘Step Film Clip’ (at double speed), we were ready to call it a day.

Gaetano suggested we take some portrait and group photos before exiting the premises. With little resistance, in our near state of delirium, we complied, and posed what was left of our asses off.

Stay tuned for Part Two, which will feature my first ever Vlog.

Photographs by Gaetano Mazza | © 2009

I tend to be drawn to purpose, or at least seek it. I like things to have a point, a reason for coming into existence, to manifest into experience. As I write this, I am unsure of the origin of this desire, but feel a kinship to the urge, that I believe has been present since my ability to remember. So my intention, is to make this personal piece of the internet a space for expression, sharing ideas and experiences. For connection.

I feel inclined to follow ‘blog’ protocol and reference some of the environmental stimuli that is currently interacting with my senses. In this moment the voice of Sia is tickling the fibrous hairs of my inner ear in a delightfully enchanting way. I purchased her most recent record, ‘Some People Have Real Problems’ at JB HiFi today, along with Interpol’s debut record, ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’. I arrived home and eagerly penetrated the disc drive of my MacBook Pro with the new music CDs. To my disappointment, ol’ MacBooky rejected Interpol! On the upside, it absolved me of the challenging (for Libras) task that is decision making… Which to hear first? Well, the one that works I imagine!

Briefly: I really enjoyed Sia’s record. Great production, and her voice is as passionate as ever. Honest, smooth and with gentle force. Check her out here.

And now, I’m off to prepare a meal for dinner.

Do I need to sign off? Hmmm

I will be enabling comments (and encouraging them) soon. I just have to wait for my web designer to get back from NYC!