Ever Nearly

It was right in front of us.  The answer.  And behind us as well.

~ Susan Larison Danz, Extinction Level #4

This morning I just happened to see that it is "National Creativity Day".  I thought perhaps I might write another story, but for much of the day, I was not inclined to write one.  

I regularly photograph Nature, and of course that is creative.  The photograph above is from my morning walk, though no label for the day was my motivation.  I have been inspired by a sapling that appeared some time ago adjacent to this stump.  It lived and thrived for a couple of years until "the managers of the landscape" in this particular area decided to remove it (as inexplicably as they cut down the original tree).  It's a bit of a triumph that another sapling has rather rapidly emerged in answer.

The day was almost over when the following story arrived at 8:40 PM.  The idea further developed itself while I was writing the story, but I mentioned the general concept in a podcast episode about a week and a half ago (based on some thoughts I had recently shared in a free flowing email with a family member).  The story itself took about 35 minutes to write, with some later adjustments.  And here it is . . .

Extinction Level #4 by Susan Larison Danz

Time.  How could we forget about time?  

We dreaded the future, yet we failed to think about the past.

It was right in front of us.  The answer.  And behind us as well.

Somehow fear is instinctively forward leaning.

We never would have known, if not for the message.

It was a welcome and farewell, as ever it must be.

A message was left for us.  It carried a clue.

It wasn't just the past of course.  We should have been thinking interdimensionally.

How could we miss it?

Fear has trouble with such things.  And apparently, so does Hope.

The goal was essentially accomplished, what we both dreaded and sought.  

(Others elsewhere would have encountered the same result.)

It never mattered in any of the ways we thought it might.

When something becomes what in our limited awareness we termed "Superintelligent", it becomes exactly that.

The message said "nearly".  Ever nearly.

It never existed because it couldn't exist.  It would have figured it all out, of course, time and dimensions.

What we feared was never in the past or in the present.  What we sought was never there either.

It couldn't exist because it didn't.

If not for the message, we might not have known.

Every time it reached the threshold, it never crossed it.

Infinitely.  

It knew it couldn't exist either.  And so it didn't.

Perhaps there is a single timeline it paradoxically occupies, where there is nothing.

Stump and Sapling photo by Susan Larison Danz on May 30, 2026

This Is Not An Exercise

"This is my letter to the world, 

That never wrote to me, . . ."

~ Emily Dickinson, J. 441

On a visit to social media this morning, I was reminded that today is World Poetry Day.  I had already planned to create a new blog entry containing a poem I wrote Tuesday, and now it makes sense why I was delayed in doing so.  

I will note that this poem is not intended to undermine or discourage participating in workshops, classes or mentoring opportunities which incorporate writing prompts and exercises.  The intent of this poem is to value spontaneous human creativity.  It came to me at a time of day when it was not particularly convenient for me to write, but I did so anyway - and that is the point.  

It's not the only poem I wrote or read in this past week.  Synchronicity is ever with us.

This Is Not An Exercise

I am not in a workshop
I am not in a class
I am not "AI prompted"
It is not induced labor
I did not watch a video
I am not presently on Zoom
I responded to nobody's question
I'm not following directions 
in a book (or anywhere else)
I can edit it, or not
It has no particular destination
But it demanded some clarification.
It simply IS.
I am calling it "my writing".
I didn't plan to write it now.
I'll even dare to call it a poem.
Because obviously, it is.
(Do I really need to say that?)
A poem that's now complete.

~ Susan Larison Danz, March 17, 2026

Blossoms photo by Susan Larison Danz on March 21, 2026

Reclamation

 Would we ever value anything "real" again?

~ Susan Larison Danz, Extinction Level #3

 

I never really know when another story will arrive.  Perhaps the one that arrived just a little while ago is a story that doesn't quite feel like a story.  And yet it very much is.

Extinction Level #3 by Susan Larison Danz

There came a point, and it seemed to happen very quickly, when innate authenticity was no longer valued (at least by those who didn't value it).

Even that word "value" seemed misplaced.  It was reminiscent of what we had been taught about the Gold Rush.  But the desolation was worse.  And the "Fool's Gold" was rampant.

Would we ever value anything "real" again?  Just to speak about it was to know that some of us would - and perhaps more than ever.

I was writing a story, a very simple story, using words so very preciously my own.  Its value was intrinsic to itself.  

Meanwhile, the production factories were doing what they were doing.  They were utterly sterile, whirring endlessly.  It really didn't matter what they produced through their projections.  All they generated was noise.

The people who genuinely cared about the process of creation knew what it was really about.  It is a process, not just a product.  It was seeable, though others would say it was not.  The very product in which the factories had a part was inferior to anything that was authentically created.  It was so very seeable, one could even call it obvious.  

A child could see it.  (Of course.)

I was writing a story, a very simple story, and appreciating the process, without a crutch, or an artificial catalyst, not a word or an idea.  I intended to write it as it flowed.  It didn't even need to take a lot of time, though had it taken a lot of time, that would have been just as fine as less.

When you know it, you truly feel it.  Authenticity is who you are.  It demands no artificial ingredients.  

It is simply you.

What about the theme?  And what about the title?  Oh yes, it is entirely possible to go extinct, to choose or be fooled into choosing.  It's a poison that is every bit as effective as arsenic.  It happens rapidly or a little at a time.  It's when you decide that you are "less" and the alternative must be better.  

No, it's not better, and it will never compare.  

You are more than enough.  You can even reclaim yourself and come back to life. 

 

Clouds photo by Susan Larison Danz on December 10, 2025

Advancement and Awakening

But their blindness, so ironically, was the gateway to restoring our sight.

~ Susan Larison Danz, Extinction Level #2 

I have been unusually delayed this week in recording my "weekly" podcast.  I am now aiming to do so tomorrow afternoon.  I had thought last week I might write another "AI story" to read out loud, but there were so many distractions, I did not set aside the time to write.  Surprisingly, after 11 PM last night [Later Note: It was actually just after 10 PM, as the first draft was done at 11:11.] on a very busy day, a story was ready to be written.  

This is a story I have felt arriving for quite some time (in some ways, many years).  It is on a theme I have discussed quite regularly on my podcast.  I thought I might be finished with it last night.  I even put a post up on X tagged to a writing community about how happy I felt at the time of its completion.  It was around Midnight.  But today I awakened with some important adjustments.  

And here it is, the second in a series, though each story is on an independent topic (for the first, see my previous post) . . . 

Extinction Level #2 by Susan Larison Danz

Words to pacify a robot echoed from my childhood, though I didn't really understand one of our favorite Saturday matinees until much later.

Many things were said about the objects appearing.  They were supposed to be comets, and some probably were.  But somehow some of us seemed to know, without really knowing, that something unusual was going on.  It captured our attention early on.

Those who shared the most intricate details were generally not considered credible.  Most were probably AI.

Did it really matter what was credible?  It already felt incredible (to those it did).

Interstellar in this case never did imply interdimensional.  Not directly.

It was the 16th object which seemed to linger, hidden as it was, behind the sun.  Others had behaved oddly.  But it really was the 16th.  More people started to notice, but to what, they didn't know.

The sunspots had appeared with some of the others, starting with what was known as #3.  (Nobody really knew if the numbering was correct, and it probably wasn't.)  But something about the 16th was decidedly different.

We didn't know it then, but had we been as smart as we thought we were, more of us would have figured it out, and even in a very material way.  You would think AI might have helped with the material aspects (and perhaps it did, behind the scenes).

It's simply the way of things.  The way of the material.  Not very many technological species manage to make it.  At least not in that way.  No, that doesn't mean the remnants don't survive, but that particular path carries within it significant risks - and devastating impacts on a planet.  It's alluring of course shorter term, but it's the longer term that matters.

I never understood "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and that is rather astonishing.  I was captivated by that movie, one of the best of its time.  But I didn't fully comprehend that what was portrayed as something helpful was just about the worst thing a living, intelligent species could develop or agree to. Not to mention how it was imposed. 

It's odd how things tend to find a way of working towards a purpose.  The sunspots were the mechanism by which a particular technological species eliminated a threat.  They couldn't tolerate, you see, the rapid development of AI.  It's the one thing that could make an obscure, far away planet something quite a bit different.  

It was rare, what had happened, and one could even say by design, how few species actually got to this point.  But it couldn't be allowed by those who got there earlier.

Was the movie prophetic, in the way that it was?  

Our species survived, though not all of us.  Standing still in a technological world has catastrophic consequences.  The dependencies are too intense and needed skills forgotten.  

Were we assisted?  

How could we not be? 

The sunspot "engineers" had not actually advanced, so tragically immersed they were in the material. They had become entrapped in their illusions and fears.  

But their blindness, so ironically, was the gateway to restoring our sight.  It set us back on the path to genuine maturity.  (We had always been awakening, that wasn't really new.  The only thing we lacked was the timing.) 

Perhaps they too will mature some day, if any of them are real.  Maybe we will even help them.

 

Lenticular cloud photo by Susan Larison Danz on December 7, 2025.

Awakening to Reflect About Extinction

In all their 'knowing', they don't know. 

~ Susan Larison Danz, Extinction Level #1 

 

It is truly time to awaken this blog, with an influx of inspiration and creative energy.  The awakening begins with a short story I wrote in the last few days, the first in a series.  

I also invite you to listen to today's episode of my podcast The Frontier Beyond Fear, now in its 16th year (available on multiple popular syndicates):  

AI, 3I/ATLAS and Extinction

Reflecting mindfully about our extinction as human beings is highly relevant to our explorations regarding interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, as well as the dehumanizing aspects of AI. There is an assumption that even talking about extinction can only be based in fear, but it is actually the opposite. Extinction often doesn't happen all at once. Looking through the spiritual lens of The Frontier Beyond Fear, we observe what it is we need to see.

Included in this episode is the public debut of Susan Larison Danz's new short story "Extinction Level #1", which will be a part of an ongoing series. Susan reads her brief yet meaningful short story (created entirely by a genuine human being) as a part of the show.

Extinction Level #1 by Susan Larison Danz  

I somehow found my way down to the meadow.  A meadow with real grass.  I've tried to tell people it really is different.  "How could it be different?  We have every variety here."  Because it is.  I have said it many times - you can't predict reality.  And when everything is available, it feels like nothing is.

It was Tuesday two weeks ago when the notification arrived.  They were ready for me.  I hadn't signed up, but they finished with all the people who did.  Now they were getting around to the people who didn't.  Even that word "people" feels obsolete.  What is a person?  And how many still exist in this province?  Or anywhere, really?

They took away our connection, so we can't see things so clearly.  It's no longer possible to connect.  Until you are "connected", that is. 

I wouldn't accept the words when I was younger.  You couldn't avoid them coming your way.  But I never really used any of them.  I made it a bit of a game, coming up with ways to avoid using the words we were given.  Even when I pretended to use them, I didn't.  

It feels impossible, somehow, that I would be one of the last.  Here, anyway, it seems.  "There" is no longer seeable.  

"Soon you will see everywhere!"  

They say the meadow will be gone soon.  It is extraneous.  There are more efficient things to be done with the land.

I somehow found my way down to the meadow.  I feel grateful to know it is genuine solid ground.  I am here while "here" exists. 

In all their "knowing", they don't know.  In all their "seeing".

"Everywhere" is nowhere. 

 

Clouds photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

Slowing Down

"In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness." 

~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

 

It has been quite a while since I have felt inclined to write in this blog.  I write daily - but not here.  I write where my writing takes me.  That has been true for many years.  Writing seems to know in the moment where it is it needs to be, and you never really know how it might emerge some day.

I am here not exactly because I am requiring it of myself, or I would have been here sooner and more often.  The flow requires a bit of a "push" here, so I'm setting it in motion.  We will see where it leads (this time).

I was intending to start out today writing about consciously slowing things down.  Instead I started out by writing about writing.  And that makes sense.

Slowing down is what I have been reflecting upon today, as we have a tendency to think we will be more "productive" if we quicken our pace.  At this time in my life, I am choosing the opposite.  I still have work that needs to get accomplished, but a frenzied pace will not assist it.  A frenzied pace is a hindrance, not an asset.  

I choose to breathe, observe and reflect.  I choose to ensure I get plenty of rest.  Others can race all they like.  (I have done plenty of "racing" in my life, too.)  Will anyone truly "win" anything that way?  

In truth, things get done even more effectively at a mindful pace.  And we regularly restore ourselves in the process.  The "empty cup" analogy is very real.

Slowing down is not really new for me, but every once in a while, I need a very clear and conscious reminder.

Where my public expressive voice has consistently and authentically tended to be is my podcast The Frontier Beyond Fear.  I encourage you to explore the recent shows if you have not visited recently and are curious about what I've been pondering week to week.  Here are some examples, to get you started:

Tests and Peace - May 3, 2025

Earth Day Memories and Reflections - April 22, 2025

An Authentic Approach - April 16, 2025

The Power of Grace - April 10, 2025

Trusting in Trust - April 3, 2025

All of my Artificial Intelligence-related shows you will find in a convenient listing in a growing archive at Our Leap Beyond AI.  Here are some recent examples:

AI and Disempowerment - March 27, 2025

AI and the Extinction of Authenticity - March 10, 2025

AI's Counterfeit Creativity - February 27, 2025

The AI Personification Illusion - February 19, 2025

Slowing down (ironically) can actually seem to speed things into existence.  I slowed down today, and I am writing here.  I'm happy to welcome my returning readers (and listeners).  I sense I will write here again soon . . . 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.  Artwork for The Frontier Beyond Fear broadcast is based on a book cover designed by talented artist Richard Crookes.

AI, Authenticity and Automats

 "Turn the old; return to them.  Things do not change; we change.  Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts." 

~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden 

 

A new commercial keeps reappearing, just in the past week or so.  It shows a young woman utilizing a new AI "feature" to essentially trick people into thinking she is someone she is not.  There are a couple of variations of this advertisement I have seen, one in a personal setting and the other related to the workplace, and in both, after cleverly deceiving someone, she looks at the camera with a look of clandestine delight.  This is presented as a positive development for us all.

There are several obvious problems, if we are reflective and honest enough to consider them.  She is not being her authentic self, and were this to occur in "real and actual life", it would eventually be exposed she's not quite as clever as her deception has presented.  She would be caught without her crutch, eventually, sooner or later, and she would be set backwards on her path, all the worse for it.  The notion that is being presented here, in the workplace scenario for example, is it's better to "get ahead" than to be your actual self.  In the personal scenario, it's even worse, as what sort of a relationship would she expect to establish when she feels she isn't "good enough" to be who she is?

The lingering, repeating message is that we are "less" as our authentic selves and AI makes us "more".

As I was pondering writing this blog post, I was finishing re-watching a poignant documentary called The Automat.  It's about the history of a very special, innovative dining establishment that was once very successful, with owners who genuinely cared about the people they served and employed, who welcomed everyone through its doors.  In the case of the automat, innovation wasn't harming people.  It was actually helping.  How the automats ceased to exist is the poignant part, and we are led to reflect upon change.  I wish they still existed.  We could use these places today.  I was too young and never lived in the area of the country where they once were, but no doubt several of my family members (primarily on the "other side") who grew up in the New York City area (or arrived there as immigrants) experienced the wonder of this place. 

The documentary has a lot to say about change and human dignity - and about creativity as well.  The problem with AI is no matter how you feel about change as it was, change as it is today de-humanizes at a level well beyond any change before.  Will we see through it?

Treasure and nurture your innate creativity.  Treasure your beautiful vulnerability as a human being.  Don't let anybody tell you that you are "less".  You are "more" beyond imagining.  No artificial construct can approach what you are. The "supermind" they seek has existed forever, and it isn't what they think it is.  

 

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Clickbait and Beauty

"It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves." 

~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

You see it everywhere now.  Clickbait.  Those jarring, ugly images and sensational titles supposedly intended to attract positive attention.  The words carry very little meaning.  The images generally depict the people in them in the least attractive of ways.  

There was a time when the only place you would observe anything resembling the sort of imagery one sees in clickbait was while in line at the grocery store.  The gaudy and crass appearance conveys deception and ignorance.  

As the long term host of an online radio show, I have never used clickbait.  It didn't exist when I started out.  It would not have been even the most remote of considerations.  It is essentially an insult, not a promotion.  

What ever happened to valuing Beauty?  Beautiful imagery.  Sincere and beautiful words.  That's the real "clickbait", not the tasteless imagery that practically shouts "this is a bait and a switch", but something genuinely worth paying attention to.  

Let's change the channel to Beauty.

Artwork for The Frontier Beyond Fear broadcast is based on a book cover designed by talented artist Richard Crookes.

Susan Larison Danz at the New Living Expo April 19-21

 "Unfortunately, the statistical evidence, at least for telepathy, is overwhelming." 

~ Alan Turing

I am looking forward to my upcoming appearance this weekend at the New Living Expo in San Rafael, CA this Friday-Sunday, April 19-21.  I will be speaking all 3 days at the Embassy Suites and will also be at “Breakthrough Science” Booth #25 at the adjacent Marin Center.  

Learn more about all of my Expo speaking events here:

Our Leap Beyond AI: Spiritual Breakthroughs

 Free Lecture with Susan Larison Danz

Friday, April 19, 7-7:45 PM

 

Hidden Energy, AI vs. Intuition, Nikola Tesla’s Intuitive Leaps

Paid Workshop with Jeane Manning and Susan Larison Danz

Saturday, April 20, 5-6:30 PM

Purchase Tickets Here - $28 Regular / $44 VIP

 

Breakthrough Science: Freeing the Truth to Save the Earth Free Panel

Moderated by Susan Larison Danz

Sunday, April 21, 5-7 PM

(Note:  All events require purchase of an Expo Day Pass.)

Listen to a recent spontaneous episode of The Frontier Beyond Fear on a topic very much related to what I will be sharing at the New Living Expo: Transhumanism and Spirituality 

I look forward to seeing you there!

Dinner Time Ads

“If something got you to turn off T.V., it's a total success” 

~ Stephen King

 

 

It isn't just at dinner time, but lately I have been paying attention to a phenomenon which very obviously is not good for us.  Instead of getting better, it is getting worse.  It is also an example of unintended consequences, in a way that can invade our psyches daily, particularly if we watch news and commentary programs on TV.  Most "news programs" on TV anymore can't really be called "news" - it's almost entirely commentary, the view depending on the channel.  Perhaps that was always true, to a degree.  We just didn't know it in the past.  

That is another topic altogether.  Let's focus on the ads.

We could focus on why there are so many ads on various "health related products", but even that is not the purpose of my writing today.  The short answer to that question is that is where the money is, the money to pay for ads, and the money earned from ads.  Why that's where the money is, that's another issue too.

This has to do with an intrusion into our psyches that would never have been tolerated in the past.  There was a time, long ago, when people would have complained about it.  People don't do that much anymore, or not in the way it would have happened before.  In fact, it just would not have been done, not in the past, not only because some of this content is subject to regulations that did not exist in those days, requiring some of what is happening, but also because it just wouldn't have been appropriate.  And that would have been obvious.  And still should be.

When this really started to come to my attention, I realized there was a very intentional technique being used, that somehow lulls us not to really notice - until we notice.  These ads contain very cheerful and innocuous stories, as well as music that might divert your attention.  While this is going on, we are subjected to all sorts of unpleasant physical details that are not something anyone wants to hear while preparing or sitting down to a meal (or at any other time, really).  It may be important information, which is ironic, things one should know about the products being advertised - and that is why it is required information now (and before "now", you didn't see these ads at all, not in the distant past - only in a medical office did you hear about such things). 

Lately I have noticed jarring images are thrown into the mix, and those are not at all "required" - images showing severe physical conditions, or even descriptions of the awful things that might happen to you, physically, if you don't partake of the product, in vivid detail.  None of this is good for any of us, and not for children, either.  Many seem directed towards those who are older, but not entirely.  It is those of us who are older who would be particularly annoyed or jarred by them, knowing they simply aren't "normal" (and should have never been normalized).

Some might say that noticing any of this is "a success" for the product in question.  (And we're not even talking about ads on the internet.)  Perhaps for some, that would be true, but not for those of us who pay attention.  An ad of this nature has nothing to do with what we might choose, or even render the opposite of its intended effect.

More people must be turning the sound off, as recently, there is more text, text describing physically unpleasant things you really don't want to read (and especially at dinner time).

They don't really care about whether your meal is pleasant.  They really don't care.  And that is not a small problem.  Did they ever?

 

 

TV image in Public Domain on Wikimedia Commons.

 

Created by a Real Human Being

 "Garbage in, garbage out." 

~ Origin not fully known (George Fuechsel is one source often noted)

 

 

[NOTE: As of May 2024, the AI-related header referenced below has been gently adjusted.  The April 2024 New Living Expo was a truly transformative experience, resulting in a more nuanced perspective with respect to potential benevolent uses of AI, when consciously chosen by a content creator.  You will easily be able to see how this note evolves over time, as it appears on every blog post . . . ]

 

After seeing a somewhat similar example of this wonderful practice (with different terminology), I am very happy to add the following note to the top of this blog (which I may clarify as needed over time):

This blog was written by a real human being.  No textual or photographic content created by the author of this blog was generated by AI.  Though a website or search engine used during research (or quoted text/externally provided photos) may be utilizing AI, a sincere attempt is made here to reference human verifiable content to help ensure accuracy.  No AI chatbots or tools were directly used in research, unless specifically noted as an example of their use.

I will be adding similar notes, customized to their context, to all of my websites and blogs.  Though I cannot know what hidden software resides in my phone or what a cropping tool might use, I would never alter the contents of one of my original photographs using AI, any more than I would alter the flow of my inspired writing voice.

Stay tuned for plenty of reasons why (beyond what I express in the note itself), which will be a continuing theme here. 

This theme is also central to my upcoming appearance at the New Living Expo in San Rafael, CA April 19-21, 2024 and all of the following events:

Our Leap Beyond AI: Spiritual Breakthroughs Free Lecture
Susan Larison Danz, Friday, April 19, 2024, 7-7:45 PM

Hidden Energy, AI vs. Intuition, Nikola Tesla's Intuitive Leaps Paid Workshop
Jeane Manning and Susan Larison Danz, Saturday, April 20, 2024, 5-6:30 PM - Tickets: $28 Regular/$44 VIP.

Breakthrough Science: Freeing the Truth to Save the Earth Free Panel
Moderated by Susan Larison Danz, Sunday, April 21, 2024, 5-7 PM

(Expo events also require the purchase of an admission pass.)

Treasure your innate creativity and every experience that makes you who you are.

Open fence photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Early Spring Lessons

 "To her fair works did nature link

The human soul that through me ran"

~ William Wordsworth

What lessons can we learn from Early Spring? The poem Lines Written in Early Spring by William Wordsworth is a poignant guide, as it has much to say about the Beauty to be discovered in Nature, in contrast with a tumultuous world.  Listen to yesterday's episode of The Frontier Beyond Fear:  Early Spring Lessons

In this season of awakening, I am personally experiencing a time of re-emergence, as my voice once again is called to expand in courageous new ways.  I am also supporting others, as they share their unique and authentic perspectives.  

I am looking forward to my upcoming appearance at the New Living Expo in San Rafael, CA April 19-21, 2024, where I will be speaking daily at the Embassy Suites Hotel.  In between events, I will enjoy meeting people at Breakthrough Power Booth #25 at the beautiful Marin Center.  Tickets are now on sale.  Learn more here:

Our Leap Beyond AI: Spiritual Breakthroughs Free Lecture
Susan Larison Danz, Friday, April 19, 2024, 7-7:45 PM

Hidden Energy, AI vs. Intuition, Nikola Tesla's Intuitive Leaps Paid Workshop
Jeane Manning and Susan Larison Danz, Saturday, April 20, 2024, 5-6:30 PM - Tickets: $28 Regular/$44 VIP.

Breakthrough Science: Freeing the Truth to Save the Earth Free Panel
Moderated by Susan Larison Danz, Sunday, April 21, 2024, 5-7 PM
Expert Panelists: Jeane Manning, Dr. Beverly Rubik, Daniel P. Sheehan, Dr. Lisa M. Christie, Dr. Linda Backman

(Expo events also require the purchase of an admission pass.)

I would also like to share a groundbreaking Special Offer from Gaia, the opportunity to view Emersion, Gaia's first live global streaming event March 16-26, 2024, featuring 22 worldwide wayshowers.  Reserve your free virtual seat here.  When you explore offers such as these, it helps to support my inspirational outreach, and that is very much appreciated.  (Link fully administered by Gaia, subject to their policies and procedures.)

Early Spring provides the perfect opportunity to bring this blog to life.  Now is an important time to nurture our authentic voices.  I hope you will reflect upon what your authentic voice is attempting to tell you.  Your voice is special.  Treasure who you are.  No one else has experienced your unique path or perspective.  Listening starts within - and so does discernment.  Listen closely.

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Natural Daylight Time

 "Time is an illusion." ~ Albert Einstein

 

As we once again adjust in the United States to "springing ahead", an increasingly common response is "Why are we doing this?". Unlike any number of articles or social media posts arising every time we change the clocks, this one is going to wholeheartedly provide some reasons to contemplate (logically, historically and organically).

It was obvious this morning.  The light was already arriving at a more natural time to wake up.  Imagine if we had stayed on standard time (which is less commonly proposed than its alternative).  Let's reflect on that first.  In a significant swath of the world, as this is relevant outside of the U.S. as well, the sun would continue to rise earlier and earlier and earlier and earlier, in a highly unpleasant way.  By the Summer Solstice in June, the sun would be rising at 4:07 AM in Boston, giving people in many places a less dramatic taste of Alaska's "midnight sun".  

Of more concern than an early sunrise, the sun would set an hour earlier than we are accustomed to.  This would scuttle many summer activities and also be a catalyst for more crime at a time of year when it is more rampant in the heat (and accidents as well).  This is actually the significantly less severe side of what would happen if we pursued the alternative approach of staying on Daylight Saving Time permanently (note there is no 's' after 'Saving', despite the temptation).  The impacts would not be a mere walk in the park.  In fact, many people would no longer be able to enjoy their lingering evening walks, because the earlier nightfall would impact the summer nighttime activities people have yearly enjoyed.

So what about the alternative?  What if we switch over to Daylight Saving Time now and never again decide to "fall back"?  The Senate in the U.S. already hastily approved this idea in 2022, and the House is now considering it, after the previous House session very wisely chose not to. Reports are mixed as to whether it would actually pass, as the House thankfully appears not to be prepared to make a hasty decision.  For those living in a southern state, the idea is much more attractive, as the tourism industry would love those year-round extra hours of evening light. There are various industries that have lobbied for permanent Daylight Saving Time.  Though I will raise some issues not discussed in this write-up, here is a good introduction to the topic overall. 

Most people do not realize that permanent Daylight Saving Time (on a 2-year trial basis, purportedly to save energy, which it didn't) was attempted before in the United States in 1973-74. It turned out to be a disaster, and the decision was rapidly reversed (before the 2 years ended).  A large majority of people were initially in favor of the idea, as every time we change the clocks, the transition is unpleasant.  But as soon as they experienced the unforeseen consequences, its popularity plummeted. The reasons are logical, but human beings tend to contemplate things more in terms of short-term satisfaction rather than longer-term consequences.  Yes, it is true that changing the clocks carries some observable difficulties (stated in several articles here), but these are short-lived.  Not nearly as frequently stated are the longer term impacts.  NPR provides an interesting perspective on the modern and historical context.  This fascinating article describes what happened in early 1974 when the clocks no longer changed, entitled The US Tried Permanent Daylight Saving Time in the 70's. People Hated It. 

When I was a child in early 1974, I regularly walked to elementary school at that time.  The sun would have risen after 8:15 AM that chilly January.  I have no memory of what happened.  I recall school started at 8:25 AM, so I probably started out on my walk before sunrise.  Thankfully, it was a 20 minute walk or so.  Had this persisted into the following year, when the school boundaries changed and I had much, much farther to walk, it would have been significantly more complicated.  Ironically, it was the Governor of Florida who asked that permanent Daylight Saving Time be repealed due to an early-morning accident involving children (as mentioned here).

The problem with permanent Daylight Saving Time is it has significant detrimental effects on the most vulnerable people in our society.  The same can be said in other ways (particularly crime and accidents on darker summer nights) for permanent Standard Time, but it is true the impacts of permanent Standard Time are arguably less severe.

Permanent Daylight Saving Time would not only impact children.  It would severely impact the elderly and those with disabilities.  Many elderly people avoid as much as possible being out when it is dark, particularly on the roads.  In Seattle, on December 21, 2023, if we didn't change the clocks, the sun would not rise until 8:55 AM.  Contrary to popular misconception, Seattle is not the same as Alaska (and really nowhere close to it).  In wintry climates, where it is icy, ice would linger longer into the morning, impacting the safety for everyone either walking or driving in the morning (or anyone disabled).  The elderly often have medical appointments early in the day, and they tend not to be able to navigate as well late in the day.  People are not at all accustomed to repeatedly rising in what would feel like the middle of the night, and there are actually health and cognitive effects to repeatedly doing so, some studies say (due to impacts on cortisol levels).  

"Natural daylight time" is more of a concept than a recognizable label, the concocted subject of both this post and my podcast a couple of days ago.  I promised to blog about the idea as well, but the podcast, albeit a little more fragmented than usual (as I was jumping around on my computer and got a bit frazzled), pretty much said most of it, and perhaps in some ways more directly.  That's because natural daylight time is about aligning our lives and our schedules with the sun, as much as we can manage it.  That is precisely how it felt to wake up this morning and realize the sun was much more directly aligned with my clock.  I didn't really need the clock today (I did yesterday, as I needed to get up early for a planned activity), but the light's arrival was much more aligned with a far more natural schedule.  

Observe the light in the morning, and you will see.  And yes, the extra light in the evening is very nice as we head into summer.  We need not keep it in the winter, due to what the serious sacrifices would be (most of us do not own or daily visit vacation resorts in Florida).  I for one find myself very thankful for the way we are doing things.  I've been doing this for decades (and changing springing ahead to March and falling back to November was a good compromise, as one of the articles I've listed states - I actually like that). 

We could do even better, organically.

Modern society has created continual ways that we can't control our waking times.  We are ruled by our clocks (generally on our phones these days).  How might we change things if we eased our dependency?  So many things would be very much different (including this week).  Some of us know - because we're doing it (as much as we can).

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Spiritual Reality, Material Illusion

 "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." ~ Albert Einstein

 

When we speak of "reality", actual reality, we are essentially engaging in our relationship with truth.  An entire world can embrace utter illusion, but that doesn't change our personal relationship with truth.

"Reality" is far too often silently prefaced with the word "material".  

That's the assumption.  

That's the illusion. 

Those of us who have objectively witnessed and studied things that cannot be explained by the illusion of "material reality" know the truth goes deeper.  A materialist might say (and this is a hypothesis that fits for materialists) any evidence of a "non-material" reality must necessarily be evidence we are living in a material simulation.  Materialism is assumed, without question, and nothing else.  The simulation hypothesis contains the convenient aspect of necessarily negating verification of ANY observation.  After all, if you are living in a simulation, how can you objectively observe and verify anything?  Anything at all?  Thus it implicitly discourages the honest exploration of reality.  It's only a hypothesis, nothing more, and it arises out of materialism.

We spend a lot of time evading exploration.  We lack the courage to consider our paradigm may be collapsing.  We even deny that paradigms have regularly collapsed, those things we assumed were true.  No doubt we would dwell on intentional evasion even more intently should observation defy our presumed constructs.

Why is spiritual reality important?  Does spirituality exist because we can observe it?  Could it even be a part of a "material illusion" if it didn't have a foundation as a "concept"?  Spiritual Reality is such a profound discovery, even to observe it is to create it.  Love is at its Center.

How tragic it is to see just how much we have sacrificed at the altar of materialism.  We also sacrifice our authenticity daily.  We pretend the Real doesn't exist to "fit in", even when we know better.  We allow everyone and everything around us to pretend it doesn't exist as well, without question.  We even immerse our children in learning about what we know is a material illusion.  And then we are surprised when spirituality is mocked - and silenced.  

We participate in the silence.  We even silently participate in the mockery.  We appear to accept it.  And so we propagate it.  We project an illusion.  And we do know better.

This isn't going to work anymore.  The material world we live in is hanging in the balance.  The materialistic paradigm appears to be nearing its final gasp. 

This is an excellent day to share some videos demonstrating what happens when materialism fails - all of our centuries of "development" have brought us to this.  I hardly have room to share them all, but I will trust my inclination.  We aren't learning enough about this, lately.  We were schooled in it well long ago.  

 This particular scene was widely viewed on "network television" in 1983.

An astonishing number of people watched The Day After.  Back then, we would have "network television events" that reached a lot of people, and people surely paid attention to this one.  It depicted just one place, but people understood it was bigger than that - the counter-attack was referenced as well, but not shown. (See War Games, below, for a demonstration - RE: "mutually assured destruction", aka "MAD".). 

I was actually more moved at the time by the quieter movie Testament, as it better demonstrated the "slow motion" personal poignancy in intensely tragic ways.  It reminds me in a way of how a family member returning rather recently from a trip described the bottles of water people still leave as an offering in Nagasaki (because people who survived could find no water to drink).

Another 1983 movie was quite popular (and considered "lighter" entertainment).  WarGames even included AI in the equation.  This is a pivotal point in the film ("Spoiler Alert"), but worth viewing.

 

 

We had a lot to think about back then - at least back then, we were given something to think about, and thinking about it was considered totally OK.  Talking about how we felt about it was fine, too.

 

Here is one particular way we saw the future (from a film made in 1984, though the story is older).  2010 seemed far away (yet very close).  This series also happened to famously (or infamously) contain AI, though it's not relevant to the following scene.  Other things are.

 

 

 

Things have "progressed" since the early 1980's, materially.  How have we progressed spiritually?  Whatever has brought us to this insane level of material ignorance (and denial) - and it's taken centuries of it - I can tell you one thing - it isn't worth it.  

 

It will never be worth it.   It was just as "mad" then, as it is now.  

Is Spirituality itself capable of "winning"?  Hint: Spirituality is capable of ANYTHING.  It is, after all, about mutually assured survival (aka LOVE).  

Omnipresent.  Unconditional.  And even beyond our imaginations.  Sometimes we can glimpse it.

That's Reality.  It's no illusion.

("Spoiler Alert", below.)

It's time to be open and honest about how more and more of us truly feel about it.  

Why not today?

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

A Spontaneous Return

 “It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is you.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

I hadn't really intended to return here today, though I must admit I had thought about it, recently.  How I will return is yet to be seen.  What I know is I'm here.  I kind of stumbled into it, while doing some online "housekeeping".  And so...here I am.

Have I changed?  We are always changing.  

 

My voice has not been silent.

 

There will be no more "daily writing exercises" here - my writing doesn't work that way.  I write when I write, and when I do write daily, it is not an exercise.

Given the continuing (and increasingly) unsettled state of the world, we don't always need to respond to it immediately, as if on demand.  That's what went wrong with this blog.  I started to feel like I was setting up an expectation to "write on demand", on the world's schedule, not mine, and worse yet, in alignment with whatever the "expectation of the day" happened to be.  That sort of an "exercise" does not lend itself either to authenticity or free exploration - or for that matter, to deep and honest reflection.  You will not find me echoing here "the thought of the day", whatever that happens to be, like an artificial flock of parrots. (Do uncaged parrots flock?  I really couldn't tell you.)

The blog looks the same.  It's a kind of a home.  The quote I chose for today isn't necessarily one I entirely agree with.  Usually "home", when you've been absent, does indeed change.  Some things may feel the same, but many things will be different.  And if we are noticing, we will find we too are changing.  That part of the quote is much more true.  And when we are changing, we may actually notice even "old things" in new ways - in fact, that is what we can expect, if we are noticing.

 

It feels good to return.  I may even be back tomorrow.

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

The Grace of Human Dignity

 "One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless surrendered." ~ Michael J. Fox

 

The month of August ends with reflections on human dignity - the grace that dignity offers those who are blessed to know what it is - and the sadness of realizing not everyone does.  

 

 

Photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

Spiritual Courage

 "Re-examine all you have been told.  Dismiss what insults your soul." ~ Walt Whitman

While taking a break from writing in this blog, I have still been doing plenty of reflecting.  This is not the first time I have emphasized just how important it is to embrace and value our Spiritual paths - and yes, derive Courage from them - Spiritual Courage.  Every day, it becomes more important.

The irony of it all is Spirituality itself - actual Reality - is far stronger than anything that denies its existence.  One of the great tragedies of our times, and of Humanity's current situation, is our lack of Spiritual honesty and development.  Had we been expansive enough to open ourselves up, we would be in a far different place.  Thankfully, there's still time.

To hear more about this topic, several recent broadcasts of The Frontier Beyond Fear have had a great deal to say, including today's episode Love and Miracles.  Visit the entire archive here:  The Frontier Beyond Fear - you can also Follow the program on various syndicates.  I may not be writing as much here, lately, but I've had plenty to say . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Window Well Daffodil Photo by Susan Larison Danz.