Thank you for being here!

Austin somewhere under Hwy 183A 

I found this dream in my note file, it's worth repeating.  Perceptions of harm whether from individuals, groups or nations, can be attachment to anger and victimization.  I don't want to live my life that way.

Terran.

I had a dream. I was living in Japan and a man carelessly crashed into my car. I was very angry at the man for the damage he caused. I wanted to damage him.

In this region of Japan there was an honor custom. Before you could take any action against a man, whether bodily or in a court of law, you had to carve a representation of the situation and a chain to it out of a single block of wood and present it to the person who wronged you before taking whatever action was on your mind.

If you did not do this, your friends and family would consider whatever action you took next dishonorable.

This custom made no proscription against whatever action you took, but you had to carve the situation from a single block of wood including the links in the chain. There was no requirement that the carving had to be a good one or even artistic. Just the best you do with your hands.

I don’t know if such a custom actually exists in Japan. Perhaps it once did in one of Samurai lives I’ve had and this is a memory returning? I really don’t know. Source takes us through lives that polish our being. We don’t always understand the why of it during the life. I’m not really a believer in karma.

There is an aspect of my nature that has roots in Bushido. The warrior culture of the Samurai. Ganesha recognized it in me, mainly the actions I did not take during the churn of events in the last days of Morocco. He told me it’s why he invited me to the Italian Alps to stay with them in their Chalet. Ganesha has that aspect too. Ganesha is a zen sea of calm.

So I decided to create a representation of the man’s car with 3 or 4 wooden chain links attached to it. I got a block of brown hard wood and sketched the rough outline of what I’d have to carve away. I was allowed whatever woodworking tools I needed, whether power or hand tools. If I in any way broke the chain while carving it, I had to start over. The chain symbolized the attachment the event has to the person.

I was industrious and had the beginnings of a rough outline in the car in no time. Woodworking is my thing. But the chain is difficult, for you must sketch in such a way to allow enough room for the space between links to be carved into individual links. I used a Dremel tool for much of it.

As I carved and the days wore on, my anger dissipated into the wood. I began to see things in my own nature, my impatience at how long this carving took. My frustration with this honor tradition of carving a block of wood and my anger for the vehicle and man who drove it. Which was the whole point of the exercise. The custom created a space of time for an individual to cool off and to see themselves.

By the time I finished the carving I saw the man for what he really was. I saw the event for what it was. But more importantly I saw myself and my emotions about it all for what it really was. By the time I presented the carving to the man I simply bowed to the man and left.

ここにいてくれてありがとう

Koko ni ite kurete arigatō

Grok: The phrase "ここにいてくれてありがとう" is Japanese and translates to "Thank you for being here" in English. It's a warm, appreciative expression, often used to convey gratitude for someone's presence or support.