MZ, Thanks you for your heart felt post. One of the many things I love about Canadians is that they are so damned polite, even when they high stick when they take into the boards. Gordie Howe comes to mind. Don't get me wrong, I think you're just getting warmed up. I see a lot more of a Bruins Canadian in you then Vancouver Canuck. Unfortunately you may find more rioters than players on FFL.
I fully understand your shyness at this stage of our negotiations, lets think of it as pre-season, pre-offer, warm ups. But I do want to mention one thing for the welfare of the other FFL posters. Please don't take too long a breather cause heaven forbid Ravi may go back on his meds and from previous experience that can get messy. I'll have to get back to you on any questions for me in your last post. You know what its like being our age, when these young bloggers lap you your only hope is to pretend you're ahead although that just encourages them to go faster. I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'm working on the press release for your World Tour. The many experienced initiators on FFL know what value the Rish put on a decent press release. Could mean the difference between moving 10 to 20 mantras. One of the many many things I was impressed with the Rish, besides higher states of consciousness, was his ability to always always keep his eye on the ball. An example was his ability to spot and nurture journalists and PR talent, Helen Olson, Eileen Leroy and Joyce Collin-Smith are just a few that come to mind. If anyone's interested I highly recommend p128 of "Call No Man Master" for a small snap shot of the Rish being vulnerable. I'm not sentimental but it moved me. I'm thinking the Met on the upper east side for our kick off? If cash flow is tight with your present circumstances, I could spring for the chopper. I always thought that was a brilliant touch on your part knowing the Rish's weakness for helicopters. I'm playing around with some headlines for the press release, nothing firm yet. What do you think of : "Do zebra's need to be masked, surviving the privileges of Unity Consciousness." I for one think it would be a real loss if you stay away to long. I think Turq would hate to admit it but you've upped his game somewhat. Warm regards ________________________________ From: maskedzebra <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, June 27, 2011 8:56:56 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam Dear Bob Price, My intention is to do justice to what you have said, and how you have entertained us with your recent posts. But having just been (perhaps imprudently) drawn into hand-to-hand combat with Ravi, I think it wise that I take a 'time-out', just to collect myself and become disengaged from perhaps too self-righteously arguing on behalf of my sincerity and my version of the truth. Not to mention this vague business of reality itself containing a form of intelligence which can act on its own behalf (through a created being) in adjudicating the extent of realness and intrinsic appropriateness of any given action. (In this case, Ravi's smash-up of my post from yesterday, a childbirth of sorts—out of the suffering and confusion of my past: the birth took place in the very writing of that post—in essence I said everything I could ever want to say on this blog.) Then Ravi tried to kill my child. Melodrama there? I am sure there will be bloggers who will say so. And by cracky, they could be right. But to return to the business at hand: Go ahead with the tour plans. I'm up for it for sure. The idea of recreating myself as the DE-enlightened man—and putting on a kind of anti-hero performance—well, that just whets my appetite—for the fame, the glory, and the adulation I once enjoyed as the enlightened boy from Canada. In this case I can play against what i did before, and yet—according to what you have assured me already—I'll be a hit. BatGap not for me. Why? Because, Bob, I am only interested in obtaining something beneficial FOR MYSELF, not in providing anything of spiritual benefit for others. To have Rick (I like him very much, even as I have never met him) interview me, would be tantamount to implying, after all: AFTER SECLUSION FOR 24 YEARS MASKED ZEBRA HAS EMERGED WITH A NEW MESSAGE. Even if has nothing formally prescriptive in it. No, public appearances will only recommence after my death. Then, if I am capable of doing something extraordinary, I will consider BatGap—because then for sure I WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. I see how very little I have to say here, Bob, except how refreshening it was (to my battle-scarred ego—HEY, MZ! YOU MEAN YOU STILL HAVE AN EGO? THERE'S all the proof you need that you were deluded) to find your posts—which seemed to in the service of creating some space for me to get a hearing of sorts. Well, I think I have had my chance, and it just may be (as I hinted at at the end of the last post to Ravi) that I have come to the end of the line. After all, I may have fallen off the wagon there, getting so wrapped up in refuting Ravi—and defending myself. I went for the bait (even though I am sure Ravi was thinking he was just acting normally)—I should have just let Ravi say what he said and leave it at that. It's usually not a wise idea to try to DEFEND oneself. My post from Sunday is far more representative of my state of mind and heart than this latest post of mine in answer to Ravi's provocation (unwitting as it was). But again, Bob Price, I appreciate the gesture of friendliness. I think you may have struck truth in your concern in the post that follows this one—it seems a pretty compelling intuition. Alas, I got drawn in and lost some of the humility and self-sacrifice that I find is pretty goddamn indispensable for me to stay sane these days.—And as a context within which to respond to others, especially those who would cavalierly ignore the suffering and vulnerability that was behind that long post from yesterday. I believe the sincerity-irony quotient was not sufficiently in evidence to balance the intense, I'm-going-to-bring-this-guy-to-justice, need that may have too powerfully overtaken me. Hey, Bob Price, probably time for me to shut this thing down now. Believe me, your posts have been—so far—a welcome sight. On second thought: hold off plans for that tour. I have to rethink it. Not sure of your reference (in your subsequent post) about keeping Turq warmed up. Did you contemplate my taking him on too? May I strike a final serious tone here Bob? I write on this terrific blog ONLY in order to clarify my own thinking and beliefs—and so far in a certain way it has been gently transformative. The very notion of me imparting any truth or wisdom is anathema. I have been through something incredible with Maharishi; I am telling my story. This mostly is for my own benefit, not for others. That is, in the telling, I help myself. See how humourless I suddenly can become? I hope in your positive remarks about me you have judged me more or less as I am. Thanks again, Bob. You will find out whether or not this is my last post soon enough. Enough. MZ P.S. Caravaggio never too gruesome for me (as in I liked Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ). Karen Armstrong the former nun (one hundred years ago she would still be one, and undoubtedly a quite beautiful one—i.e. in a state of grace) has only acted normally in view of the departure of the Holy Ghost from the Church (compare VaticanI to Vatican II). She writes wisely and persuasively, but after all, as far as she is concerned, Mohammed was probably as inspired as Jesus. What else can she say? God has withdrawn the means to know him, and the sense of sin has gone out of the world. MZ --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price <bobpriced@...> wrote: > > Does anyone sleep around here, good Lord? > > MZ, > > I'm thrilled you've decided to stick around. I'll consider my question >answered, > > heck you gave blastedangelsa pass! > > I'm getting more excited by the minute about our possible collaboration. > After > > we work out a few details I think a 10 city tour, possibly following > another TMO leader, might be just the ticket. Judging from your impact on the > disinterested I can only imagine the response we'll get from the truly > interested. > But as mentioned, a few details may need to be ironed out before we go large. >So > > as your probationary manager maybe we could throw a couple of ideas around, > I think someone mentioned that, at it's best, FFLis a forum for ideas. > > For starters, I'm not sure about the Aquinas endorsement of burning obstinate > heretics at the stake? How that would fly on Larry King? > Sure there a few posters on FFLthat might look good doing an impersonation of > Joan of Arch, I'm sure we all have a few in mind, > but I'm not sure that's an event we want to kick off with. I mean people like > Ravi and the Rish would be safe, hell they've never been baptized, > but a couple of lapsed Catholics like ourselves just might get swept up in > the > enthusiasm. I'm thinking something a little more low key, > more of a bi coastal effort and then build toward the heartland, if you know > what I mean. > > Actually, I'm wondering about the whole 13th century positioning, the > intolerance thing could be a bit of a sticky to spin? > Have you considered something more Axial Age, say 900-200 B.C.? We might be > able to get a quote from Karen Armstrong. > I love how she boils the best of EAST/ WEST spiritual endeavours down to "The > Golden Rule", an obvious sound bite. > > http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/books/review/30wilson.html > > I may be getting ahead of myself but I've been throwing around some ideas for > tour logos. I've always been a huge fan of Caravaggio, > although I thought his John the Baptist was a bit gruesome. > > What do you think of some type of rendering of this one? > > http://www.backtoclassics.com/gallery/caravaggio/narcissus/ > > Fingers crossed, I'm still hoping Rick might loosen up and interview you on > BatGap. For an old drama hand like yourself that might be just the inciting > incident we're looking for. > > PS: I thought the substitute teacher comment was cheap and uncalled for. > > > > a litle humour >
