You have very good taste in music my friend.

Are you having a good day?

Posted by Doug on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 2:41 PM

Thank you, Doug! So far, I'm having a good day - all except for the fact that my wife just called from work and told me she thinks she's coming down with the flu. Let's hope she's mistaken. (-;

How's your day so far?

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 2:54 PM

Call her back and tell her to get some Thera-flu on the way home. It knocked the crud right out of me this week, thankfully! Hope she feels better soon!

Posted by LisaTx65 on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:36 PM

Thanks, Lisa! We just got home around 12:30 a.m. They gave her some antibiotics, and hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:54 AM

I am so fascinated with your seemingly zen approach to living.
Were you that focused during your unfortunate incarceration or was this something you learned there?

Posted by *S*U*S*A*N* on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 2:45 PM

I guess I attempt to stay focused and maintain a "zen approach to living," though sometimes it's not so easy... lol. My prison experience definitely helped. Before I went in, I thought I had all the answers - and as a result I was more argumentative, less tolerant, and much more immature than I am now. Prison gave me more time to read a wide variety of books. It afforded me an opportunity to get to know people I might never have wanted to know otherwise. It made me realize that not everything is as black and white as I was brought up to believe. And it taught me to be truly grateful for many simple things that I used to take for granted. Really I could go on forever. In prison, no good could come from either me being too difficult or me losing patience with others who were too difficult. So I learned to value listening without judgment, expressing myself as clearly as possible without offending others, and trying to maintain respectful dialogue as a path to mutual understanding. These are qualities I still try to incorporate into my life - though strangely, it seems a bit harder to do out here than it was in there where I might have been beaten into a pulp for doing otherwise... lol.

I hope this answers your question, Susan!

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 3:40 PM

I am a former prisoner. How long were you down? I am a Buddhist as well. I was a political prisoner when I went to prison. Have a Merry Christmas. And Struggle ON!

Posted by Roxanne on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 6:41 PM

Thanks, Roxanne! I was locked up for 11 years, and have been home about 3 and a half years now. How about you?

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:56 AM

Thanks for sharing! Great insight!

(This is a great idea you've had!)

Posted by *S*U*S*A*N* on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:18 PM

Great question, Susan! You made me think. (-;

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:35 AM

I have often wondered (since I found out that you were incarcerated), how you dealt with knowing that you were innocent, yet you were found guilty?
I know I have read your blogs about this, so I am sorry to ask the question. I just really want to know your initial feeling. Luna

Posted by LadyLuna )0( on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 3:00 PM

My initial reaction when I was accused was (pardon the language, but it's absolutely accurate): "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" I thought surely this must be a joke. It just couldn't be! IMPOSSIBLE!

When I was convicted about a year and a half later, I knew it wasn't a joke and I didn't curse aloud. But I felt again a huge sense of disbelief, mixed with tremendous discouragement and dread. For quite a while, that was the end of my faith in a lot of things.

I hope that answers your question, Luna! At some point, I plan to post as a blog my very first journal entries after the accusation and after my conviction.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 3:52 PM

Thank you so much for your honest answer. I think I would have done the same, although its not likely that a woman gets accused of such things (not that make the news anyway.) Again thank you. Blessings LUna

Posted by LadyLuna )0( on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 6:48 PM

Thank you!

It's interesting that you brought up the fact that women rarely get accused of such things (which is true), because my wife is in bed watching a re-run of Law and Order in which three women are accused of raping a man. I usually don't watch much TV; but it was so unusual, it caught my attention.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:07 AM

Hmmm.......I get two questions hurray!
1)what is it that has driven you to learn so much about differant religions and philosophy's?
2)Why out of all the interesting friends you have ,me excluded ,has there been only three interveiws?

Posted by CEGGY on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 3:01 PM

Thanks, Ceggy! Let me answer 2 first, since it's easier. (-;

2) First, I wouldn't exclude yourself! Second, I do plan to do more interviews. I had originally planned to do one a week... but I didn't want to burn people out on them, and then there were other things I wanted to blog about. I've been itching to do more interviews recently, though... lol. I'm thinking that I'd like to keep doing them as long as there are interesting people who want to be interviewed. I don't know if they will all be on MySpace or not - since my profile may be deleted (I've recently backed up my blog at http://360.yahoo.com/insightoutside, in case that happens). But one way or another, as long as I have fingers to type, I plan to continue doing the Crisis Interviews.

1) There are a lot of factors that have contributed to my thirst for learning about various religions and philosophies...

Crap... my wife needs me to take her to the emergency room. I'll update everyone and finish answering when I can. Please keep us in your thoughts....

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:07 PM

why is your profile going to be deleted?

Posted by Eulalie Cholmondeley ©™ on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 9:44 PM

To make a long story short (though you can read more about it in my earlier blogs), MySpace has a policy of deleting the profiles of "registered sex offenders," whether or not they are actually guilty, or in any way posing a threat to anyone or violating MySpace's terms of service. On the other hand, MySpace seems uninterested in deleting the profiles of convicted wife beaters, murderers, and other felons....

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 10:51 PM

that is unfair.

Posted by Eulalie Cholmondeley ©™ on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 11:15 PM

I don't understand it, but.... I'll try to look at it as an opportunity. If I'm not on MySpace, I'll probably have a lot more time to finish my book and devote to some other priorities.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 11:23 PM

Back to your first question, Ceggy....

Part of it is that I've always had a great curiosity and thirst for knowledge about seemingly everything. In first grade, I read Mark Twain, made my way through most of our family enclyclopedia set (though there was a lot in in I couldn't yet understand), checked out all the children's library books I could about various animals and the planets in our solar system.... And this pretty much set the tone for my life, bouncing from one interesting subject to another. Religion and philosophy, though, were subjects I wasn't really able to study in depth until adulthood. I lived with my Dad and step-mom during the last couple of years in high school, and they were strict Southern Baptists - so church was pretty much my life then, and I studied the crap out of the Bible. But I was always intrigued by the fact that other people held different beliefs as strongly as my parents held theirs. Why? And what was the real difference? And what was truth? These questions intrigued me... and so as soon as I moved out of their house I began exploring other ways of thinking. Later, in prison, religious books were always the easiest to get ones hands on.... (-;

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 11:32 AM

I was raised in a diferant light.My mother and the rest of my maternal family keep an open mind but at the same time have these intense debates about their opinions on religion and politics so up until recently I tried to stay away from both like the plegue,I was vary happy to come across the first of your blogs I read wich was about Budda I some what remember.
A lot of those debates has come to an end due to deaths in the family and the only two left are the biggest hard heads my mother and her brother.They are now not even talking long enough to get into a debate.
So I'm glad I found a place where these debates happin peacefuly.

Posted by CEGGY on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:50 PM

Thank you very much, Ceggy! I guess every family has its share of "hard heads." I've even been known to be one in the past. But I try my best not to be anymore. I think we can learn something from everyone - though it isn't always what they might be intending to teach us. (-;

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 8:16 PM

Damn, I'm literally posting as I read today ... she sounds much more serious than an OTC drug can help.

She is in my prayers.

Posted by LisaTx65 on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:41 PM

We appreciate your prayers, Lisa! It turned out she has some extreme bronchitis... but she's had heart problems in the past and some of the symptoms resembled heart attack symptoms - so we were quite concerned for a while, and the doctors kept her for a while and ran tests to make sure. While she's still feeling like crap, we're pleased that everything turned out to be much less serious than we believed it might be earlier.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:12 AM

I hope she is better soon. I am praying for her. She is in good hands I know.

Posted by CONNIE on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 8:32 AM

Thank you, Connie!

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 11:33 AM

wow and good and you are in my thoughts.

Posted by Susannah Dean on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:21 AM

Thank you, Susannah!

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:36 AM

lady k's and my thoughts are with you both on this.

Posted by Smith on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:18 PM

Thank you, my friend. She's home and in bed now. I read her some of the comments, including yours, and they seemed to cheer her. At first, they thought her heart was the issue, because of the pressure in her chest and her shortness of breath (she's already been on heart meds for a while). But the EKG was cool. Then they thought it was pneumonia - but the chest x-ray didn't look too bad. So although her bronchitis and taste of the flu are making her miserable, things could have been a whole lot worse. I'm grateful they weren't.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:43 AM

OK question 1What is your main inspiration in life? Question2If you had the power to change 1 thing in this country what would it be?

Posted by sam on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:07 PM

Thanks, Sam! Your first question is a tough one... if you don't mind, I'd like to save that one for after I get some rest and my brain is fully functional... lol.

Number 2... the first answer that popped into my mind was "Our President." But he'll be gone soon anyway. Upon further reflection, I'd like to say the 1 thing I'd change in this country is... I'd strip the tax-exempt status away from churches and other religious entities. Tax 'em like you would any business or individual - then spend those dollars on education and on breaking America free from fossil-fuel dependency.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 2:40 AM

Okay, Sam... back to your question about my main inspiration in life. It's hard to answer because there have been a lot of profound inspirations in my life. I could name people who've had a huge impact on me, or books that did the same, or things I've witnessed in my life. But if I had to choose one inspiration, it would be my mom. She and Dad divorced when my brother and I were young, and we didn't have much of anything. She worked as much as possible, and we were on welfare for a while as she waged a tough battle with cancer in the late seventies. Life wasn't easy for a single mother with no job skills or connections back then....especially when she was seriously ill. But she never gave up, and was determined to make a better life for us. After beating cancer, she went to college (the first person in our family to do so), got her degree and went on to a noble career. Her example and her unfailing belief in me had a lot to do with my later going to college, graduating with honors, and even making it though prison.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 11:50 AM

I have all the answers i need. LOL LOL

Posted by Goddess Of Light & Dreams on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:14 PM

Thanks, Gracy!

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:44 AM

dear jesus crisis

what is the sound of one gland collapsing?

if we meet buddha on the rod, why are we supposed to kill him?

Posted by Smith on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:14 PM

LOL... Thanks, Smith!

1) Glub (I imagine)

2) "If we meet the Buddha on the rod"... lol. Sounds like a gay Chinese porno film title! Better to thrill than kill, I'd think. (-;

But let me take this opportunity to share a serious pet theory.

The Zen koan "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" reminds me of the Buddha's saying that "A finger is needed to point at the moon - but once you see the moon, the finger is no longer necessary." There is a popular misconception (at least among the Baptists who raised me) that the Buddha is a god. NO! To me, the Buddha is one of the fingers, pointing us in the general direction of the moon (enlightenment). If once we spot the moon and are on the "path" (or road) to that metaphorical moon, we no longer need the Buddha. To keep looking back at the finger means averting our gaze from the true light, the "moon."

I still don't have a satisfying pet theory for "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:16 PM

My take on if you meet the Buddha on the road(path), kill him. is that when your on the path of Buddhism it is very easy to start considering yourself enlightened or the Buddha. When you start having such egotistical thoughts you should kill them.

Just my thoughts.

Posted by MentalMaze on December 24, 2007 - Monday at 10:56 PM

I like that, too! Thanks, MM!

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 25, 2007 - Tuesday at 12:12 AM

i know the sound of one hand clapping - it's the sound of the vain patting themselves on the back.

Posted by Smith on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 3:43 PM

Seems very true to me... (-;

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 8:17 PM

lmao

and

*clapping with both hands*

Posted by Susannah Dean on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 3:45 PM

love the pet theory.

sense, it makes so.

Posted by Susannah Dean on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:48 PM

Thanks! (-;

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 1:02 PM

Since I am a new friend, I will pass on any questions that I may have ... I am still reading and enjoying the interesting blogs that you have posted. I will say that it has been so exciting for me to find such an interesting and thought provoking blog to read. I appreciate your candor and the refreshing way that you write. I love your honesty and like someone else before me wrote, "your zen approach to life"
So for now I will skip my questions...can I have a raincheck please? ...oh and that pic of you as a little boy is so precious!

Posted by ~Christine~YES WE CAN Obama 08 on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:17 PM

Thanks, "Mom"! You may certainly have a raincheck. And I very much appreciate your kind words.

I still don't know what's up with that childhood haircut of mine. No wonder a couple of the kids in first grade called me Gilligan... LOL.

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 2:56 AM

Oh, great I get three questions.... !!!!

1.) How did you meet your wife? (I know the answer to this sort of... but will ask it anyway)

2.) How did you convince her to marry you? In other word courtship,dating, proposal, etc...a little history here...

3.) Name one freaky habit you have that someone might not suspect. (Ex. can you wiggle your ears, balance a chesse curl on your nose, etc... that sort of thing...a hidden talent..LOL..)

Sorry the questions are so mundane... I'll let your enemies ask the hard ones.

Chris

Posted by Rune Warrior on December 19, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:19 PM

1) When I was 19, I worked for one winter as a dishwasher at Columbia Hills Country Club. Geri was a waitress there. The first time I saw her, I was carrying a rack of clean glasses out of the dishroom. Her eyes caught my attention first.

3) I can lock my feet behind my head and look like a pretzel... lol.

And I'll be back for number 2....

Posted by Jesus Crisis on December 20, 2007 - Thursday at 12:51 PM