Conversations With My Dog The H Word
By: JeanClaude Koven

Zeus mysteriously materialized in my life a few years ago. Hes a very complex wisecracking irreverent dog with some serious attitude. However he is arguably the most highly evolved being I have ever encountered. His great delight is in turning my world (and yours) inside out and upside down with the soul purpose of revealing forgotten knowledge. For example:

If you met Zeus youd no doubt agree that hes a remarkable being. Hes brilliant unexpectedly funny and wise beyond comprehensionhardly astounding for someone from a dimension as far advanced beyond the human race as we are beyond a pile of sand. What gets me is how much he loves being a dog. Not to be disrespectful but imagine an ascended master sniffing at hydrants and adding his markings to let future visitors know hed been in the neighborhood.

At his request I walk him on a 26foot retractable lead the longest I could find at the pet superstore. One evening while watching him do his dog thing I began replaying the world situation in my mind. Wars now involve nations on every continent. The environment is overwhelmed by a host of what seem irreversible challenges new diseases are identified faster than the old ones are being cured. Starvation hatred religious fervor political rhetoric . . . the situation appears hopeless.

Good thing if you ask me Zeus said shaking me out of my reverie.

Whats so good about the world falling apart I asked.

Nothing. Thats not so good. What is good is that you finally realize its hopeless.

What kind of nonsense is that Were really in deep trouble I protested. Take away hope and we have nothing left.

If all you have is hope then youre well and truly over the edge Zeus retorted. Just because everyone agrees that something is good dont assume its true. Hope is a prime example. If youd just wipe the sleep from your eyes youd see that hope is scraped together from the dregs at the bottom of the barrel. Rancid stuff!

Whatre you talking about Why are you so down on hope

Because it lulls people into thinking things will get better on their own. It passes the buck. Its a throwaway emotion that lets people feign concern without getting their hands dirty. Like I hope youll feel better soon. Bye. Hope hardly resonates on the energy meter. Its a complete dud.

I dont follow you Zeus. Give me an example or two.

How about a bunch of em Zeus replied. Listen to these words. Forget their meaning just focus on their levels of energy.

I closed my eyes and asked my mind to take a back seat for a few moments as Zeus began: I hope . . . I await . . . I wish . . . I crave . . . I plead . . . I beg . . . I anticipate . . . I demand . . . I envision . . . I foresee . . . I project . . . I consider . . . I ascertain . . . I determine . . . I create . . . I manifest . . . I realize . . . I intuit . . . I know .

. . I am.

What did you notice as I progressed through the list

The energy intensified with each new word I said.

And what about the degree of engagement each word implied

Definitely more as you went along.

Beginning to get the point Zeus asked. With such a spectrum of choices for achieving change from I hope at the bottom all the way up to I am why do so many humans choose impotence almost every time

Ouch I winced. That really lights up the situation with our political and religious leaders. All those messages of hope distance us from responsibility like trying to support your family by buying a lottery ticket instead of going to work.

Its far more insidious Zeus said. Hope is part of the preprogramming that keeps people locked in the illusion. To paraphrase Newtons third law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Using a lowvoltage word like hope pins you and all you apply it to to a powerless level of your being. Use it enough times and youll get stuck. Then everything you really can do something about begins to look like too much to handle. You actually compound the problem every time you use the H word.

Its a divine comedy as Dante suggests. But his heavy investment in preconceived beliefs caused him to misread the sign on hells door. It doesnt say Abandon all hope ye who enter here. It says Enter here ye who still cling to hope.

At the other extreme cant you just hear it On the seventh day God beheld the Heavens and the Earth viewing all He had created and proclaimed Gee I hope this all works out.

And so my little leashholder when you notice the hopelessness of any situation rejoice for you have eliminated the least powerful option. Once you give up relying on the H word you can roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Im actually glad we had this little chat because youve been using that unfortunate term a lot lately. Quite unconsciously mind you. But every time you mouth that word you degrade yourself and everyone who hears it. Forget minding your Ps and Qs Zeus chided. Youve got more important letters to focus on. Besides socially correct behavior merely buys you membership in the flock. And if I may offer a Frosty reminder

The woods are lovely dark and deep

But you my child have promises to keep

And miles to go before you sleep;

Its not for you to join the sheep.

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2005 JeanClaude Koven is a writer and speaker based in Rancho Mirage CA. He is the author of Going Deeper: How to Make Sense of Your Life When Your Life Makes No Sense the Allbooks Reviews editors choice for the best metaphysical book of 2004. For more information please visit: http://www.goingdeeper.org