Embrace Redundancy, Embrace Redundancy, Embrace Redundancy
Redundancy is a cherished word of first responders. You want to be redundant in your plans, equipment and supplies. In the business world, in spiritual life, in disaster preparedness, redundancy is a secret to success. Redundancy is a key to rewiring the neurotransmitters in our brains.
The importance of distinctions
We frequent doctors and dentists because they are aware of distinctions about our body and our teeth that we miss. Surfers pirouette on massive waves because they have deliberated on the movements of the oceans and recognize possibilities that we do not. The indigenous people of Alaska have hundreds of words to describe snow. They need hundreds of words for their survival. We have only a few word because we don’t need hundreds of words.
We want you all to survive future emergencies and disasters. This website is about providing you with distinctions that you may not have previously considered which will assist you, your family and your neighborhood when confronted with an emergency or disaster. We want you to surf your next emergency or disaster with joy, power, magic and grace!
Why are some people able to make positive change while others remain the same?
We will be presenting a variety of disaster preparedness insights from variety of disciplines. Let us begin with Positive Psychology. Shawn Achor in his book Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change explains that the opposite of happiness is not necessarily unhappiness, but apathy.
Shawn says that Happiness is a choice. We say Disaster Preparedness is a choice. Happiness spreads to others. Disaster Preparedness spreads to others. Happiness is an advantage. Disaster Preparedness is an obvious advantage in the aftermath of an event.
Shawn says Happiness is a muscle that must be exercised to be realized. Disaster Preparedness is a muscle that must be exercised to be realized. Shawn says that social connection creates happiness, health and well-being. Disaster Preparedness is social connection. It is obviously about your health and well-being. The social connection, the health and the well-being of your family, your neighborhood, your community.
Upon REFLECTION...
W h a t i s t h e T R U T H ?
- Sonoma County, California, has a population of 500,000
- 20% of the population is aged and/or with a disability – that is 100,000 of us
- There are approximately 1,000 to 1,500 first responders
- At last count 20 serviceable ambulances
- After a disaster first responders are busy taking care of traffic, inspecting roads, bridges, buildings, caring for the seriously injured and departed, etc.
- According to 60 Minutes only 1% of our planet is solid rock
The three components of the Cosmos
We have been told that the Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu religions divide the Cosmos into three components or facets:
- The first facet has the characteristics of Darkness, Inertia, Passivity, Indifference, Apathy. It is like an acorn underground. In disaster preparedness this is the Pre-Preparedness period. The individual is in the dark and they may not know they are in the dark. They may think everything is just fine the way things are. Anyway preparedness is not their business. That is someone else’s job.
- The second facet has the characteristics of Activity, Restlessness, Energy, Preservation, Excitability. It is like an Oak Sapling. A Sapling that may not grow to maturity due to environmental events. In disaster preparedness this is the awakening jolt that preparedness is not really someone else’s job, but each and everyone one of us has a part to play. But what exactly should we do? It seems so overwhelming!
- The third facet has the characteristics of Being, Existence, Purity, Goodness, Truth. The mind is steady, calm and peaceful. The Oak Tree is mature and providing shade and beauty to all comers. In disaster preparedness one recognizes that disaster preparedness is who one is. Disaster Preparedness is not only our job, but who we are. Disaster preparedness is our innate responsibility and the joy, power, magic and grace of disaster preparedness is effortlessly recognized.
The ROSE Initiative
What is needed for as many people as possible to survive future disasters is a cultural shift with our own cultural stories. The group that I lead calls this cultural shift The ROSE Initiatitive.
The ROSE Initiative: The vision of ROSE (Reflecting On Safety in Emergencies) - The vision of the ROSE Initiative is to awaken an international cultural shift from dependency on others to individual, to communal, to planetary self-sufficiency in the event of disasters.
Causing a planetary cultural shift isn’t so much about doing or having something different . . . It is awakening to a new reality or truth within ourselves...
Cultural shifts in my lifetime
- Women wearing pants
- We created the concepts of child abuse and spousal abuse
- We elected someone other than a white guy for president
- We are seriously considering electing a woman for president next
- Men with long hair
- Seat belts
- Drunk driving banned
- Working on the end of Polio
- Working on Love and Marriage for all
This cultural shift, of course, will take time. We tend to want instant insight, instant results, forgetting that the instant is preceded by long and often difficult preparation. As Nisargadatta Maharaj author of "I am That" states, "The fruit falls suddenly, but the ripening takes time."
The three things you need to survive a disaster can be found in the Wizard of Oz:
- A brain (a reflective brain)
- A heart (an open and humble heart, an awareness that you care about yourself, your family, your neighbors, the family of man)
- Courage (a willingness to shatter your comfort zone)
A disaster is not concerned about your race, sexual preference...
A disaster is not concerned about your race, sexual preference, religion, political party, etc. Everyone gets to participate in a disaster and disaster preparedness is the same. It turns out that each and everyone of us is responsible to prepare for disasters. It is not someone else’s job. In the process of preparing families, neighborhoods, communities, nations we spontaneously express that we care for one another, that we want to work together to ensure survival for all.
You may have heard that our planet is not flat
You may have heard that our planet is not flat. Not only is our planet not flat, it is not static. It moves and shakes. Our planet is more fluid than our mind wants to let on or wants to remember.
If as many people as possible are going to survive future disasters, what is needed is an international cultural shift! Prior to the tsunami which struck Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, elephants stampeded to higher ground, dolphins swam away from the shore and Moken Sea Gypsies paddled out deep into the ocean. Before hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the disaster, the elephants, the dolphins and the Moken knew something serious was about to occur. We cannot be certain of what saved the elephants and dolphins, but what saved the Moken was their cultural heritage. The elders remembered centuries old stories of when the waters mysteriously receded. The tribe remembered, responded and were saved.
During Katrina many people tragically perished unnecessarily. There were many who drowned knowing that they would soon be rescued.
There is roughly one first responder for every 100 to 200 residents in any community. Following a disaster first responders are often overwhelmed and understaffed rescuing the critically injured, directing traffic, inspecting buildings, etc. Yet most of us still believe there is a first responder assigned to rescue each and every one of us. Our first responder is going to feed, clothe and house us. If we need medication, we believe our first responder will have the correct dosage for us even if we don't know what our prescription is.
We need our own realistic cultural stories to survive future disasters!
Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson
Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson . . . from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
The Mind
For the past twenty years I have been talking about the real limitations of emergency services and talking about the need for planetry self-sufficiency and watching Executive Directors, PhD’s, legislators, etc. glaze over . . . I wondered why until I read the book The Political Mind by Berkeley neuroscientist George Lakoff
George Lakoff claims we have two neurotransmitters: Scientists tell us that in one of the most primitive regions of our mind, we have two neurotransmitters. One neurotransmitter is active when we fear, when we want control, when we are angry, have anxiety, lust, greed, when we hate, when we are agitated, when we REACT. The other neurotransmitter is active when we love, when we serve, when we are happy, satisfied, empathetic, tranquil, when we REFLECT.
Only one of these neurotransmitters can be active at a time. When one neurotransmitter is on, the other shuts off. For most of us, we make use of both neurotransmitters during the day. Scientists call this phenomena – biconceptualism. We switch back and forth moment to moment which allows us to do very good things and very bad things without a hint of hypocrisy.
Well is this stuff about the two neurotransmitters THE TRUTH?
- I don't know. I am not a neuroscientist.
- I do know that when I was REACTING to the thought of disaster preparedness, nothing that contradicted my unexamined beliefs could disturb my unconsciousness.
- I do know that some very, very intelligent people glaze over when I talk about disaster preparedness now.
- It would explain what goes on in Washington D.C.
- It would explain the Middle East.
Still a man sees what he wants to see, And disregards the rest... Lie la lie Paul Simon - The Boxer
He's as blind as he can be, just sees what he wants to see, Nowhere man can you see me at all? isn't he a bit like you and me. Beatles - Nowhere Man
You shall love your neighbor as yourself
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:9-18
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.—Mark 12:28-31
The deep, lasting and meaningful friendships forged
When I give talks on disaster preparedness I talk about the Joy, Power, Magic and Grace of disaster preparedness . . . one of the most joyful, powerful, magical and grace filled occurrences of disaster preparedness is the deep, lasting and meaningful friendships forged.
A Way Of Life!
It turns out Disaster Preparedness is not just a responsibility, it is a way of life! As innate and essential as brushing our teeth and buckling our seat belts. We need to learn all we can on how to be self-sufficient! We need to discover the hidden benefits and opportunities of disaster preparedness! In the process we will become even more effective community leaders and develop new and lasting friendships! It turns out that there is great Joy, Power, Magic and Grace in Disaster Preparedness!
The ROSE Initiative is an adult activity
Disaster preparedness is a conscious act of responsibility for yourself, your family, your neighbors, your community, your nation, your planet. No one would order food at a restaurant without having some means of payment. No one would enter a campground expecting someone else to furnish a tent and a sleeping bag. Yet we repeatedly participate in disasters without planning, clothes, water and food, medication, etc.
More important than brushing your teeth!
Disaster preparedness is even more important than brushing your teeth!
- Your first step is recognizing the necessity for a disaster preparedness cultural shift in yourself, your family, your neighborhood, your community, your nation, your planet!
- Your next step is committing to disaster preparedness as a way of life as important as brushing your teeth.
It is about being responsible for our presence on this planet
It is about caring, sharing and preparing ourselves, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our nation, our planet. We may experience anything from a simple power outage to a tsunami, but the more we collectively are prepared, the safer and more stress free we will all be.
This is our planet - we all have a role to play in conserving resources, sharing, caring, preparing, growing, learning. There is a need for reflection prior to an event rather than only reacting in the aftermath of an event.
The ROSE Initiative is a great adventure
There are many hidden benefits to disaster preparedness that can be awakened in each of us. In order to prepare properly, we must inform others that they mean something to us. We must work together to plan and gather supplies and equipment. We must talk to each other and develop a resilient and empowering family, neighborhood, community, nation, planet. In the process, we become respected and appreciated leaders. We are turning on our beneficial transmitter, shutting down the negative transmitter, and turning on the beneficial transmitters in others.
The ROSE Initiative is a great adventure. There is great joy, power, magic and grace in learning how to respectfully dance with our very own planet. Solutions will magically appear in which we were not previously conscious, alliances will be made, partnerships formed, lifelong friendships forged. Ultimately the ROSE Initiative cultural shift can forge partnerships and friendships in not only families, neighborhoods and communities, but in cultures, religions, nations.