The Ultimate Truth of JOY

It is very simple. If you cannot accept this as the truth it is, then for now at least accept that we would be a lot better off pretending it to be so.

We are one being - literally (individuality and separation is an illusion)
There is enough - but not distributed with equality or fairness at the moment (this will change)

Like often happens when you learn a new word for the first time, you suddenly see that word mentioned EVERYWHERE.

Now go search for the truth of this concept yourself. It can be found everywhere. Google "nondualisim."

Understand that since we are one (literally) anything you do to "another" you do to yourself. Give "another" something, you will be giving it to yourself. Hurt "another" you will hurt yourself.

This is the "WHY" behind the "Golden Rule."

Do not take me at my word. Study this truth for yourself. Understand it for yourself.

You are ALL Popes. Because we are all one (LITERALLY)

Joy to US.

What a "hero" wants

A true "hero" wants two things:

1) To surpass those who he looks up to and gets inspiration from
2) For those who look up to him (or her) to surpass the hero

A true "hero" knows two things:

A) He can and will
B) They can

Those who would look up to that hero for inspiration are the ones who put the "and will" on the end of B)

Cartoon Violence

If you've paid any attention to the news lately, you'll know that at least 10 people have died over some cartoons. Cartoons that were first published months ago, back in September of 2005.

I won't go into the details... they're not important. Bottom line is, people have lost their lives over some ink on paper. Over a cartoon.

Then I look in the JOY forum. I see an amazing thing happen.

A poster wrote a very angry and upset post because their utilities were getting shut off soon due to a mistake they made.

While the responses to that were somewhat critical, many still stepped up and offered to help - even though the post in question was somewhat rude.

The poster, seeing this generosity despite her (at the time) unkind words, apologized. Sincerely I beleive.

Then, other JOY forum posters told her, hey... it's okay. We've all been there. Some of us are there right with you. Some even apologized for being critical of the orignal post.

Then, after all these apologies were made, someone made another critical post having not read the apology from the lady who was facing having her utilities shut off.

Now, everyone - especially the woman who recognized her mistake and apolgized - had to go through that whole mess again. Because one person failed to stop, look and see if an apology had been made.

"Look before you leap."

Nothing wrong with constructive criticisim. But, there's no need to criticize once someone has apologized and mended their ways.

So... I'll ask you this. Are we any better than those who are killing over a cartoon? Our our egos any less fragile?

I would hope, at least, if the answer to that question is: No, our egos are really that fragile - I would hope at the very least we can look forward and change. Become less harsh and judgemental and ready to unload our anger because we just happen to come across a post that "justifies" our desire to share suffering rather than JOY.

Honestly - I think we can. I think we are. True!

What can a frail old man accomplish? Mahatma Gandhi...

Yet another individual who has been an inspiration to me. Yet another Pope of JOY.

Yes, Mahatma Gandhi.

Do you know what he did?

From Wikipedia's article on him...

"By means of nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi helped bring about India's independence from British rule, ultimately dismantling the British Empire. This form of pacifist resistance has inspired other colonial nations to work towards their own independence. Gandhi's principle of satyagraha, has inspired other freedom activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Stephen Biko, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela. However, not all these leaders kept to Gandhi's strict principle of nonviolence and nonresistance."

WOW. One man who, without a single act of violence, DISMANTLED THE BRITISH EMPIRE. You know, the empire that the sun never sets on?

I strongly encourage you to at least read the Wikipedia article about Gandhi. Then realize that if a frail old man can do all that... well... just imagine what you can do!

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghandi

JOYISIM is my personal war on terroisim (REPOST)

Okay, not really a repost... just a re-link: Please read the basic idea of JOYISM if you are interested: http://popejoyxiii.blogspot.com/2006/02/joyisim-is-my-personal-war-on.html

EVERYONE is a POPE (Yes, even YOU)

I don't know how many times I've written or said this: EVERYONE is a POPE. Especially YOU. Yes, go look in a mirror if you aren't sure who I'm talking about.

What does this mean though?

It means that whatever you think about what I've been doing as a (not the) Pope of JOY, however good or bad you may perceive my actions, you express the same. Exactly the same.

Why? Because no matter how small a JOY you give, or how BIG the joy you give, that joy has repercusions. Even something as small as a smile to a stranger will have a domino effect.

So, regardless of whether the joy you give to another is as simple as a picked daisy, or as grand as a $5,000 gift card, the result IS THE SAME. The person who receives your gift of JOY will, sooner or later, feel compelled (for the JOY of it) to do so themselves. Probably to several others. And then those several others to several others. And then several of those several others all the way back to you. SEVERAL TIMES! Not instantly, but in due time (and probably less time than you might think.)

Does that makes sense?

You are all Pope's. Even at your so-called "worst." You are all Popes - exactly like me. The magnitude of the joy you give is the same as the magnitude of the joy I give. The only difference is form. $100 gift card, $50 gift card, $1 gift card, box of chocolates. The magnitude of the JOY is the same. The domino effect of the JOY is the same (in the long run.) The form of the JOY (the apparant form) is the only difference.

Remember, this is about giving JOY. Money, objects, information or advice - that's just the VEHICAL. Just the vessel that carries the JOY.

Have you ever had a stranger give you a compliment? And that compliment turns your day from a lousy one into a wonderful one? All with just a simple praise from their mouth to your ear? Would them giving you a $100 just for the sake of joy give you any more or less pleasure and joy?

Think about it.

Also think about this... anytime you put yourself down. Suggest to another out loud (or in writing) that you have less JOY to give than Pope Magnaminimus Omnibus Short Bus XIII, then you not only cut yourself down, but you cut me down.

So... REALIZE: You are a POPE of JOY. Do so without fear or self criticism or self depracation. Feel free to stick the title at the beginning of your name.

Pope Bluefish. Pope FolsomMom Pope Kidlit. Pope ShiverBaby. Pope Lor. Pope LolHard.

The list goes on and on and on... The more people who recognize themselves for who and what they are: Popes of JOY - the more JOY we will spread.

Now that we are ALL CLEAR on just how grand a Joy Pope you are (yes you, go look in the mirror if you have any confusion about who YOU are) .......

GO DO POPE THINGS!!!!

A Tale of Commiting Suicide

Note: This is entirely a work of FICTION. I do not advocate suicide EVER.

Loretta was very depressed. Make that EXCEPTIONALLY depressed. Sitting with a razor ready to slit her wrists, this 37 years old woman has finally had enough. After years of chronic depression, years of virtually no joy in her life, years of contemplating killing herself to escape, years thinking about how she would kill herself if and when she did, there she is... ready to do the deed.

Loretta would have killed herself a long, long time ago. Her life has been an ongoing misery. No good reason for the way she feels. She just feels that way. Depressed. Void of JOY. She would have killed herself long ago except for two things that held her back.

First, she couldn't shake the feeling that if she did kill herself, she might just miss out on a new page of her life where the darkness of her seemingly dead soul turned to the bright light of relief from her ongoing chronic depression. She still had HOPE. That held her back.

Also, Loretta simply couldn't bear the thought of how her self murder would impact her friends and family. She couldn't get past the thought of who would find her dead body. A friend? A police officer? Her mother? She couldn't cope with that. So, for the sake of other's JOY, she always put the razor down and suffered her suffering so that those she loved would not have to bear the suffering of her taking her own life.

So, there she sits, in the bathtub, yet again with the razor at her wrist - ready to make that life ending slice. This time though, she has given up all hope. She has accepted that the likelyhood of her ever knowing joy is so unlikely, it's not worth the suffering involved in continuing to wait for it.

But Loretta still hesitates because of how it will devastate her friends and family.

After sitting in the bathtub for over an hour, razor blade at her wrist, ready to cut, staring at the veins of her wrist, she finally puts down the razor yet again, and cries.

She thinks to herself, "I just can't do this anymore. I cannot continue suffering just so others will not suffer over my self inflicted death."

So, in a flash of inspiration, she makes a compromise with herself. Loretta decides that she will indeed end her life. But first, she will do all she can to offset the suffering she will cause in doing so.

Being a very successful lawyer, she has amassed a modest amount of material wealth. A nice house. Nice things.

Loretta got up and started to gather many of those nice things and decide who she could give them to. Who would enjoy those nice things that have never actually given her any real joy, but who would possibly get some joy out of them. After all, she won't need them where she's planning to go.

So over the next two weeks, Loretta gives away or sells all these various posessions - except for the essentials that she needs to continue living until they are all given away or sold off and the money given to someone who may need it. After a few days she decides it doesn't really matter who she gives it to. Friend, family or stranger.

After those two weeks, she's still got plenty of stuff left to get rid of before she goes through with slitting her wrists. So, she puts up a few more auctions on E-Bay. She searches the wanted ads a little more to see if there's someone out there who is looking for a toaster oven (she never used her's anyway.)

The days go on. She wakes up each day looking forward to giving that away which she no longer needs (or at least, soon will no longer need - and that is all of it.)

Every day she wakes up with a smile, eager to get rid of all these things that will do her no good. All those things that mostly didn't do any good in the first place. Now she sees why people have so much fun using E-Bay.

Unfortunaley, as the days wore on, she wasn't able to devote as much time to giving away her junk. All this interaction with her friends and family - even strangers, resulted in numerous invites to go out for dinner, drinks. Yesterday she even enjoyed a movie with a new friend. A friend who started out as just a stranger who she walked up to and gave a Trader Joe's gift certificate to (for $150... she sold some jewlery that had been sitting unworn for years in her jewlery box. Along with the box.)

Worse, she kept getting little gifts from her friends and family. She enjoyed those. Not for very long necissarily... but she did enjoy them. When they stopped giving her joy, she just turned around and passed them on to someone else. Which made her feel as good as those things made her feel when they were first given to her just a week or two ago.

But she was still making good progress, with only about 2/3 of her junk left to get rid of and dwindling with every new ebay auction she posted.

Like the abdomonal exercise thingy she bought about 5 years ago, used for a couple of weeks, and then got put under the bed (she kept it under the bed so as not to be reminded of what a failure she was at using it to exercise.)

She was putting the ab magic exercise thingy on ebay, typing in the starting bid, thinking about how funny it was that in the past few weeks she hadn't even noticed the flab on her belly when she looked in the mirror each morning.

In fact, she felt so great that she didn't really even care that she had a fat flabby belly!

Then it dawned on her. She hadn't had a single bit of depression for the past several weeks. She'd found so much freedom in getting rid of all these material "ball and chains" that she felt light as a feather. If you will, "an incredible lightness of being."

She even had been discovering a newfound interest in those things she still owned. Like the book she was re-reading. It has been on her shelf for years. She did enjoy it very much when she first read it, before it found a home with her other books that she read long ago. In a way, it was almost better now than when she first read it! This time around she wasn't depressed.

That hit Loretta like a ton of golden bricks - SHE WASN'T DEPRESSED ANYMORE.

She realized that in the course of giving joy, her brain decided that she must already HAVE JOY. If she didn't, then how could she be giving any of it away? Her brain, the same organ in her body that generated her now gone depression had been forced to re-evaluate the situation. It had concluded that she must be full of joy to be able to give it away with such reckless abandon.

And she lived happily ever after (hey... I told you it was fiction...)

Author's note: Okay, maybe it's not 100% fiction. The best fiction is that with a little bit of truth mixed in. Makes it more beleiveable and enjoyable. Helps us identify with the fictional story and get into it a little deeper.

For example... her name might not have been Loretta. In fact she might have even been a man. Perhaps a man named Pope. Formerly known as "depressed."

*grins*

Announcement: Operation J Days...

Folks, as Emeril (or whatever that TV cook’s name is) would say… lets kick it up a notch.

We got a great thing going on here. Honestly, I’m confident that all of you in the JOY forum are quite capable of keeping the ball rolling. The snowball that is… one that’s going to just keep getting BIGGER and BIGGER!

So, I’m going to continue participating in the JOY forum – but I’m going to direct my acts of giving JOY to the world at large. I call this, Operation J Days:

Instead of granting JOY to those on the JOY forum, I’m going to start giving gift certificates to random strangers out on the street. Handling JOY forum requests will be entierly up to the other JOYISTS (aka... the rest of you Joy Popes!)

I will no longer be sending anyone online gift cards. Or anything else for that matter. I leave the taking care of those in need of JOY (posting on the Craigslist JOY forum that is) to those of you who have become part of the JOYIST movement.

Instead…

I will be stuffing envelopes with gift CARDS along with a brief letter explaining what JOYISM is and where to find the JOY forum. The letter will basically say something like this:

“This gift card is for you. Enjoy it. Everyone needs a little JOY nowadays… just watch the evening news if you don’t believe me. People are DYING over cartoons out there!

You don’t need to do anything other than spend it as you see fit – and enjoy whatever it is you choose to get with it. That’s all. You can stop reading now and throw this letter and the envelope it came in away if you like. It’s that simple. (Don’t throw away the gift card though!!!)

Sure you want to keep reading? I’m serious – you can stop now and throw the rest of this away and then go ENJOY your gift certificate.

Okay… here’s the rest (which you can still discard if you choose!)

If you wish to find out more about the JOYIST movement, feel free to visit my BLOG on the internet, or the JOY forum on CraigsList. Or both.

My BLOG: http://popejoyxiii.blogspot.com/
Joy forum: http://forums.sacramento.craigslist.org/?forumID=7673


But most of all, enjoy the JOY of a gift from me to you (whoever I may be… I could be your neighbor… you’ll NEVER know!) A complete, anonymous stranger, giving as an individual to another individual. Without judging your need, worthiness, value or any other silly thing like that. Without predjudice. Put simply – the world needs a LOT more joy. You’re part of the world. You just got some!

The JOYIST MISSION:
How much junk do you have around your house? What could you sell and never miss? Give away and enjoy not having to clean anymore? Exercise equipment? Unread books that have sat on your bookcase shelves for a year?Then do it and then find a stranger to give it to - without judging the validity, existance or importance of their need. Without knowing if they EVEN HAVE a need. Without prejudice.


- Pope Magnaminimus Omnibus Short Bus the XIII

PS: Everyone is a Pope of JOY - even you!

Then I’m just going to give them to people randomly. Dropping them through mail slots at small businesses for whoever to find. Leaving one laying on a book display at Barnes and Noble. Sticking one in the mailbox of a random house.

I’ll probably take a photo here and there, as it is appropriate (like if I leave one laying on a display in a retail store.) I’ll post those just to show the naysayers that I really am doing what I say I’m doing.

I’m doing this because I feel that we’ve solidly established a “base of operations” on Craigslist in the Joy forum. It’s not enough for me to just sit and wait for people in need of joy to come to us. It’s time to take JOY to the world at large. Because, as our troops die in a foreign land fighting a faceless enemy, and human beings turn themselves human bombs to kill innocent people at random, there isn’t a man, woman or child out there who couldn’t use a little JOY.

Now, this is what I AM doing. You are free to do whatever you want with regard to spreading “JOY TO THE WORLD.” In fact, you don’t have to at all! Just follow your heart.

Monster's Inc

Another inspirational movie. The computer animated, "Monster's Inc."

Think about it. Monster world gets its power by "monsters" scaring children so that they scream. That's terrorism.

Then, they discover that they can get ten times the power if they just make a child LAUGH. That's JOYISM.

Very powerful metaphor that movie.

Sometimes the best person to give JOY to is...

...the person you are closetst to.

YOURSELF

Serious!

So many of us spend hour after hour, day after day, beating ourselves up over our pasts. Sometimes over things that happened back when we were CHILDREN! Sometimes we beat ourselves up over things that people have done to us, and that we assume, because they did such a horrible thing to us, we must have been bad and deserved it. So, at least subconsciously we beat ourselves up over that too.

I think that giving a complete stranger a gift of JOY (whether material or otherwise) is a good way to start forgiving ourselves of what we've done in the past. It's a good start, but you can do MUCH more.

I suggest that perhaps the greatest joy you can EVER give to ANYONE is this simple joy to yourself:

Recgognize that WHO YOU ARE RIGHT NOW - is NOT who you were a second ago. A minute ago. A week ago or even 10 years ago.

YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST
YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST
YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST
YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST
YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST

Yes, your past DEFINATELY has shaped who you are today. Those things you may beat yourself up over day in and day out... do you still do them? Why not? Because you did it once, recognized that it was not appropriate and decided to stop doing it. Unfortunately, you may have not stopped punishing yourself for it.

YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST

Remember what you had to eat yesterday? If you still think that you are your past, understand this... the past is just a memory - nothing more. The future is just a fantasy - nothing more. The only reality is the PRESENT. Who and what you are RIGHT NOW at this MOMENT IN TIME. Even that changes with every new moment... constantly evolving into someone better than a second ago.

The beauty is... that memory of a second ago is nothing more than a memory. That person of a second ago is gone. Changed from a catipillar of the past to a butterfly of the present. In the next moment, that transformation occours all over again.

I asked if you remembered what you had to eat yesterday. If you still think that you are your past... then please, tell me... where do you find that meal you ate yesterday? If you are your past... if your past is still a reality - then that meal you had yesterday must still exist.

What? You can't find it? It's gone? You mean you ate it yesterday? Your body processed it and now that meal has been transformed into something entirely different as of right now? Such as... nutrients, vitamins, etc that your body is using at this moment?

I suggest that every experience that is now in the past, has transformed you and integrated into you in a GOOD way - so that in this MOMENT (the only real, tangible point in your timeline) you are much more than you were a minute ago.

Sure, some of those past moments have also transformed into smelly waste. But why bathe in that smelly waste? Why not do the same with it as you would the smelly waste from yesterday's meal?

Flush it down the toilet.

Now THAT is an amazing joy to give oneself! (And no one else can give it to you... I'm sure many have tried... as you have tried to give it to others.)

One last note.... next time you find yourself remembering an embarassing incident from your past, and you punish yourself by thinking about how "stupid" or "mean" or "selfish" or whatever negative self punishing thought comes into your head... ask yourself this:

If the person who did that thing that you did, and are now remembering and punishing yourself for.... if the person who did that was someone else... would you punish them even 1% as harshly as you are punishing yourself? Think about that everytime you think "oh, I'm such a dumb dumb." Or, say to yourself, "How can you be SO STUPID!"

YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST: Can you DIG it? (in this case... bury it? *chuckles*)

Announcing: Fri 2/17/06 – Live chat with the POPE

Okay, here it is. The live chat will be held on Friday, February 17, 2006 starting at 7:30 PM.

Any and ALL are welcome. We will start at 7:30 PM *sharp* and I’ll go until no one has any more questions or I fall asleep at the keyboard. Serious. Try me.

For details, please see BLOG post:

The chat will be held on Internet Relay Chat (IRC):

IRC Network: Global-Dimension
Server: Random Global-Dimension Server
Channel: ##PopeJoyChat##

You will need an IRC client to join in the chat. There are plenty of free IRC clients for download on the internet. I recommend mIRC for the Windows platform. Mac, Linux, and other non-Windows users will need to find an IRC client for their computer. There are plenty out there.

Jandreychuk has been kind enough to provide a mIRC package that you can install and will automatically take you straight to the Global-Dimension IRC network and the ##PopeJoyChat## channel. You can download it at this URL:

http://home.comcast.net/~sanjosesharkfan/Popechat_Mirc.exe

Please, if you need help getting onto IRC, ask your computer smart friends and the folks on the JOY forum for HELP! I highly recommend getting yourself setup and familiar with the ##PopeJoyChat## channel well before the actual live chat event.

FORMAT

In the chat room you will only be able to read the chat until I “voice” you. If you have a question, just double click on my name in the list of people in the chat room (it will be the one on top most likely) and send your question to me via private chat.

I will then go through, probably alternating between each question in the order received and a question I pick that I am particularly keen on answering. I’ll post your question to the chat, so everyone can see it. I’ll then give you voice (so you can respond in the chat) and answer… then you can respond back with follow up questions, etc.

Keep in mind, I’m going to want to keep things moving. So be brief and don’t get offended if I say, ok – we have to move on now! *smile*

I also hope to have some of those who have received JOY or gone out and done some GIVING of JOY online with me (voiced) as well. I’ll ask you to identify yourselves during the chat at some point, then put you on as voiced so you can type to the channel with me.

Finally, I will be logging the chat transcript and will post it online later for anyone to download and read. So, if you can’t make the chat live, look for the transcript afterward.

RESOURCES

Here are some resources that will also help you with IRC. If you use jandreychuk’s install package, you shouldn’t need any of this. I know you’ve probably never heard of it before, but trust me, it’s very easy to use - and there are numerous reasons I am using IRC rather than a more mainstream chat venue.

• Free windows IRC client, mIRC: http://www.mirc.org/
• How to install mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/install.html
• Other platform IRC clients (such as Mac and Linux): See #5 of the IRC FAQ: http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html
• Introduction to IRC: http://www.mirc.com/mirc.html
• IRC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html
• How moderated mode works in IRC: http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html

His Imperial Majesty Norton I, Emperor of the United States, and Protector of Mexico

I've been asked a lot about who or what has inspired me to do what I'm doing. I've already mentioned the book, Virus of the Mind. Here I will mention an individual. Yes, a real person who proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States." Almost as nutty as me proclaiming myself *a* Pope (and I'm not even Catholic!!!)

I know you've probably never heard of Emperor Norton I. Please, go read about him yourself. Wikipedia has an excellent article about him, and the people he inspired (Mark Twain for instance) as well as links to other references about him and pictures. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton

The man even printed his own currency, which was widely accepted at least within the city of San Francisco.

Also, he is credited for originally coming up with the idea of a bridge spanning between Oakland and San Francisco California. It took 61 years for someone to actually follow through with what he proposed, but it got done and if you live in Northern California, you probably have crossed the Bay Bridge at least once:

From Wikipedia article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton#Decrees

"For all of his quirks and regardless of the precise nature of his psychological condition, it cannot be denied that Norton was, on some occasions, a visionary, and a number of his "Imperial Decrees" exhibited a profound wisdom. Among his many edicts were instructions to form a League of Nations, and he explicitly forbade any form of discord or conflict between religions or their sects. The Emperor also saw fit on a number of occasions to decree the construction of a suspension bridge connecting Oakland and San Francisco, his later decrees becoming increasingly irritated at the lack of prompt obedience being exhibited by the authorities:

WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees.
Given under our royal hand and seal at San Francisco, this 17th day of September, 1872.

This decree, unlike most, concerned events that eventually came to pass. Construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. BART's Transbay Tube was completed in 1969 and opened in 1972."

Live chat with the Pope: Soon

Had an idea this morning.

I'm going to host a live chat within the next 2 weeks where you can get online and ask me questions. It will be via the old, but not often heard of (nowadays at least) free service called Internet Relay Chat (IRC.)

This will all be at my own expense. (No expenses really... I'm just going to use free chat services. )

The chat will be moderated, so everybody isn't asking questions at the same time. Details will follow. Within the next few days I will announce the date, time and IRC network of the chat session. I'll come up with a start time for the chat. I'll stay and chat with you until either no one has any more questions (or comments) or I fall asleep at the keyboard.

Serious.

Now, I realize that most of you have probably never even heard of Internet Relay Chat (IRC.) You might ask why I don't use something like a yahoo chat room. I'm using IRC for several reasons:

1) It's very well established technology. IRC was around even before Yahoo! was just some web surfer's published Bookmarks (btw, that really is how Yahoo! started. The yahoo founders just put up a web page to share their favorite bookmarked web pages with the rest of the world. Neat way to spread some joy huh?)

2) Being well established, it's very stable

3) It has a lot of nice features ideal for this sort of chat session. The moderator features will allow me to prevent everyone from asking questions all at once. You private message me (within IRC) with your question. Then, in order, I will copy and paste questions into the chat room so everyone can read them. Next, I will grant you the ability to chat in the room and answer your question. We can then discuss it a little before moving on to the next person's question.

4) It will be easy for me to log to a file and post here on the blog. That way, if anyone can't make it for the chat, they can at least read it afterward.

5) There are PLENTY of resources on the net that explain what IRC is and how to use it.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: You need to go learn how to use IRC. You will need an IRC client (special program for accessing the IRC network.) There are numerous free IRC clients out there for all platforms (windows, mac, linux, unix, etc.)

Just google IRC or "internet relay chat."

Here are some links to get you started:


Free windows IRC client, mIRC: http://www.mirc.org/

How to install mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/install.html

Other platform IRC clients (such as Mac and Linux): See #5 of the IRC FAQ: http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html

Introduction to IRC: http://www.mirc.com/mirc.html

IRC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html

How moderated mode works in IRC: http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html

Sound like fun?

Why am I doing this?

Because it's fun.

PS: Seriously fun.

No More Interviews

Again, I'd like to thank Armstrong and Getty for having me on the air to talk about JOYISM last week. That really helped get the ball rolling.

I did that interview with the reporter from KPIX, channel 5 san francisco... but despite emailing the reporter evidence (in the way of receipts and such) that he requested, have not heard a single word back from him. In fact, I suspect that interview will never be aired.

I'm totally OK with this.

And, unless I find a very compelling reason to do otherwise, I will not accept any other requests for interviews, regardless of whether they agree to maintain my anonymity or not.

With two exceptions... Armstrong and Getty asked me if I'd come on the air again and I told them "Sure, anytime." I made a promise to them, and I'll keep it if they should ever ask me to come on the show again.

Exception 2) I agreed to an interview with the Sacramento Bee and will keep that commitment providing they whill honor THE RULE (maintain my anonymity.)

Just the day before yesterday I had responded to an email from a Sacramento Bee reporter, Erika Chavez, who wanted to interview me. I agreed to an interview providing that my anonymity was maintained and no photographs were taken... this was her response:

Hi Pope,

I would have to check with my editors to see if we can maintain your anonymity in the newspaper. But for starters, you would have to be willing to disclose your identity to me, even if we don't publish your name. I can't conduct an interview and quote somebody without knowing their name and whether or not they truly exist. If you can't agree to this, I understand. By the way, I saw the new JOY forum on craigslist. I think what you've started is wonderful.

Erika Chavez

I promptly wrote Erika back, from my real life email account (the one with my real name - same one as on my drivers license and birth certificate) and said OK. Sounds good to me. I even told her that (since the Sacramento Bee is a newspaper rather than a TV station) I'd be happy to have her interview me at my home. Meet me in person. Show her the various gift card receipts, etc. I told her that if she's willing to go out on a limb and interview this whacko guy that calls himself Pope Magnaminimus Omnibus Short Bus XIII, then I'll go out on a limb and trust her with my identity.

But note Erika's reason for wanting to know my real name. I quote: "I can't conduct an interview and quote somebody without knowing their name and whether or not they truly exist."

If I don't "truly exist" then what entity or being do you imagine that you are exchanging emails with?!? The tooth fairy masqurading as a Pope? Jimmy Hoffa? The Easter Bunny?

I thought that granting interviews might be a good way to spread the word of JOYISM. Now I realize that I was TOTALLY WRONG.

I'm not going to further such stark cynicisim (do I even exist...) by accepting any more interviews with the press. ESPECAILLY reporters who are already so pessimistic that they think they might just be getting an email response from a non existant imaginary writer.

I REJECT ALL CYNICISIM AND PESSIMISIM - It goes against the very fundamentals of what JOYISM is about.

If you want to interview someone, then get on the JOY forum and ask for interviews with the REAL champions of JOY - those who have received joy and are giving joy. Those who had just enough HOPE to give joy a try, discovered for themselves that IT CAN exist and IN FACT DOES EXIST... and are now giving seflessly (and receiving selfishlly) themselves.

If you are a reporter and want evidence that this is REAL then go interview the JOYISTS and take photographs of the gift cards they've received. The recipts for whatever it is that they gave seflessly to someone else. The smile on their face. Go videotape them as they give diapers and baby food to someone who had the courage to simply ask for it and have hope that INDIVIDUALS STILL GIVE CHARITY TO OTHERS WITHOUT PREDJUDICE

I'm ***NOTHING*** Sure, I've spent a couple thousand dollars sending out gift cards to complete strangers. "throwing away" thousands of dollars isn't special or unique in our society today. It happens daily in Las Vegas.

What is special and unique about what I'm doing isn't that I'm doing it - it's that by doing it I've shattered just a few peoples skepticisim. I've actively demonstrated that it is quite possible to give seflessly to a stranger without knowing or caring whether or not their stated need is legitimate.

Now they have realized that they can do it to - and they ARE doing it. Now they are out there shattering peoples cynicisim. They're showing people that there is something better than suicide bombers and terrorists flying planes into skyscrapers.

GO TALK TO THEM!

Why I Do Not Reveal My Identity

Some people (especially reporters) do not understand why I am so adimant about remaining anonymous.

It's really quite simple. There are two reasons:

1) I don't want to be a celebrity. I have better things to do than answer fan mail.

But more importantly...

2) It's proof that I'm not trying to get something out of this for myself. If you don't know my real name, where I live, my phone number or address... then how can I get anything from you?

Reason #2 is what gives this whole thing validity. It's my only way of offering evidence that I'm REALLY trying to actually do something selfless. I can't get anything out of this for myself because I haven't given ANYONE an avenue to GIVE me something.

If someone wanted to give me $10,000... and I continue to keep my identity a secret... how exactly would they do that? I don't have the celebrity status of Santa Claus. If you drop a check in the mail and address it:

Santa Claus
North Pole

The united states postal service will deliver it... hehe.... they even handle mail sent to GOD.

But they'll just throw a check for $10,000 addressed as follows, into the garbage:

Pope Magnaminimus Omnibus Short Bus XIII
Sacramento, California
United States of America
Planet Earth
THE UNIVERSE

Does that make sense?

Think it's impossible for one man, the Pope, to fullfill EVERYONE's joy requests?

well then.... YOU ARE 100% correct.

There's no way in hell I could possibly grant every JOY request posted to the JOY forum. I don't have enough time or money.

But I can grant a few... either fully or partially.

You're a pope too, remember? That means you can grant a few too! ... either fully or partially.

now STOP and read the following again and again until you UNDERSTAND. Once you understand, then please continue reading... I've got more JOYISMS to share in this particular blog post.

YOU ARE A POPE. SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLLD DID JUST ONE ACT OF GIVING JOY EACH DAY, THEN EVERYONE *WOULD* GET THEIR WILDEST JOY REQUESTS FULLFILLED - TO SAY NOTHING OF THE NOT SO WILD ONES LIKE "I REALLY NEED DIAPERS BADLY!" SO GO DO POPE THINGS! - this is the essence of JOYISM -

YOU ARE A POPE. SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLLD DID JUST ONE ACT OF GIVING JOY EACH DAY, THEN EVERYONE *WOULD* GET THEIR WILDEST JOY REQUESTS FULLFILLED - TO SAY NOTHING OF THE NOT SO WILD ONES LIKE "I REALLY NEED DIAPERS BADLY!" SO GO DO POPE THINGS! - this is the essence of JOYISM -

YOU ARE A POPE. SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLLD DID JUST ONE ACT OF GIVING JOY EACH DAY, THEN EVERYONE *WOULD* GET THEIR WILDEST JOY REQUESTS FULLFILLED - TO SAY NOTHING OF THE NOT SO WILD ONES LIKE "I REALLY NEED DIAPERS BADLY!" SO GO DO POPE THINGS! - this is the essence of JOYISM -

YOU ARE A POPE. SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLLD DID JUST ONE ACT OF GIVING JOY EACH DAY, THEN EVERYONE *WOULD* GET THEIR WILDEST JOY REQUESTS FULLFILLED - TO SAY NOTHING OF THE NOT SO WILD ONES LIKE "I REALLY NEED DIAPERS BADLY!" SO GO DO POPE THINGS! - this is the essence of JOYISM -

YOU ARE A POPE. SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLLD DID JUST ONE ACT OF GIVING JOY EACH DAY, THEN EVERYONE *WOULD* GET THEIR WILDEST JOY REQUESTS FULLFILLED - TO SAY NOTHING OF THE NOT SO WILD ONES LIKE "I REALLY NEED DIAPERS BADLY!" SO GO DO POPE THINGS! - this is the essence of JOYISM -


BOTTOM LINE: I never EVER said that I myself WOULD grant everyone's JOY request myself. I just said that I would try. I said would do what I could. In a number of cases, I have.

The point of what *I* am doing is not to fullfill everyone's wish myself. It is merely to DEMONSTRATE that it is possible to help a complete stranger out - with no self interest or personal gain. No strings. No judging whether their need is real.

Yes, I've answered joy requests. I've given $100 gift cards to people who posted asking for diapers. Sure, you can't buy diapers online - but you can buy other things online and then buy diapers with the money that you didn't spend on those things in a real store (because you got them online with the gift card.)

Yes - I've answered joy requests for diapers.

I've also answered joy requests for Playstations. Who am I to judge? They wanted it for their 15 year old son. Guess what? They wrote me back to tell me that their son now wants to get some friends together, drive downtown, find homeless people and give them food?

So what if it's a nutty selfish joy request? Think about it this way. How can you be selfless if there is no one out there being selfish? Portrait of a polar bear in a snowstorm. No context. To GIVE JOY someone must be there to RECEIVE JOY. To be sefless, there must be someone who is (at least partly - as I think we all are) selfish to ACCEPT that sefless act.

Don't make things more difficult or complex than they really are. Especially when they're not difficult or complex in the first place!

Feb 5 - day 3 of 3 day weekend! yay!

*laughs*

Last thursday I posted a response on the JOY forum (http://forums.sacramento.craigslist.org/?forumID=7673) to someone and happened to mention that it was my "final post."

What I meant was, that was my final post on the subject being discussed - not EVER.

Then I started my 3 day weekend (3 days because I decided to take Friday off in addition to saturday and today - major mojo joy for me! )

C'mon... even a Pope needs a little R&R now and then, don't you think?

I've still been working the joy though... posted several blogs since my "final post" among other things.

But let me tell you about my 3 day weekend so far...

Friday, my friend Marcus called me and asked if I'd play receptionist at his shop out in north highlands - a few days before that he had injured his eye and had to have surgery. He just needed someone to answer phones and stuff while he took the day off to recover.

That was a lot of fun, I got to hang out with his employees and watch them work for a few hours while they got to continue doing their jobs (which I don't have the training to do myself - I'm only qualified to answer phones and schedule appointments) without having to be interrupted by phone calls, etc.

Then we all went out for dinner and drinks afterward.

Saturday, I ran some errands. Napped. Spent some time BSing with my next door neighbor. Played with my cats. Napped some more. Paid a few bills. Goofed around on my guitar for a while.

Now it's 2:06 AM on Sunday morning and I'm doing some blogging. Hey, it's my joy. Tommorow I'm taking my mom to see the new comedy "The Matador."

Don't worry... I'll be back posting away as usual on the JOY forum on Monday... or maybe even later tonight after the movie.

Yes - I've been monitoring the JOY forum through all this as well. But I liked what people were saying - you don't NEED the pope. This is what the pope has been trying to TELL YOU. If you like the idea of JOYISIM, then go do it yourself!

So I figured... why spoil the opprotunity for people to realize they don't need me?

Notice the date time stamps on my recent blogs? This just tells me that NO ONE IS READING THEM! lol.... if they had, someone would have posted to the joy forum and said HEY!!!! LOOK... THE POPE *DIDN'T* turn his back! HE'S BLOGGING!

SO... now that we have that little misunderstanding all cleared up... please, give me some joy by doing the following:

Keep reading the below until YOU FINALLY GET IT:

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

YOU ARE A POPE. EVERYONE IS A POPE. GO DO POPE THINGS LIKE SPREAD JOY AND ENJOY JOY AND EATING HOT DOGS AND ICECREAM. "BE THE POPE YOURSELF"

(Now, if you still don't FULLY UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE.... go back AND READ IT AGAIN! *chuckles*)

The JOY of Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter children's novels (also enjoyed by many adults) is a fantastic example of a Pope in action.

When she wrote the 1st Harry Potter, she was (correct me if I'm wrong about any of the details here) a single mother, unemployed, and on the British equivalant of welfare. Through her own determination and perseverence AS WELL AS accepting the help and support of others, she is now more wealthy than the Queen of England (her OWN country's QUEEN!)

How wealthy? Try a total estimated net worth of over $1 billion dollars. Re: http://www.hpana.com/news.18652.html (Article mentioning Forbes list of richest people in the world.)

Do you think that Rowling expected to become a billionare by writing a childrens book? She probably didn't even really expect enough money to meet the basic needs of her and her daughter. After all, few get into writing fiction (especially childrens books)

I say if an out of work, single mother in England can do it - so can you. So can I. So can anyone.

Now if there is ever a JOYIST to look up to, Pope Rowling is the one. Sure, she made a boatload of money for herself. But think about what she's done for others:

* Prior to the Harry Potter phenomenon, would you have ever imagined children and parents lining up at a bookstore for the release of a new book like Star Wars or Star Trek fans for the next Sci Fi movie?
* Could you imagine SO MANY THOUSDANDS of children reading novel size books over and over and over again?
* Can you imagine what that means for the future of those (collectively, our) children? LITERACY! Good grades. Going to college. Getting a good job. Critical thinking. Not to mention LITERACY!!!
* YOUNG children now have a hero other than a sports celibrety or rock star.

I say for every dollar of wealth that J.K. Rowling has received for the books she's created, she's given to the world $1 Billion dollars worth of JOY and HOPE for the immediate upcoming generation - and future generations for years and years to come.

That is the essence of JOYISM.

The character Harry Potter himself is also a Pope (even though he's fictional!) He's kind, good hearted and never questions whether he can help another - he just does so. BUT - he exemplifies the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of JOYISM and selfless giving.... that is RECEIVING. Remember, without people willing to RECEIVE, there can be no giving.

Truth is, in my opinion, if you pay attention to Pope Potter as you read the books, you might realize that he does very little himself. Seldom does he solve a problem solely on his own creativity. Constantly he's being helped out (sometimes bailed out) by his friends, teachers, elders and mentors. Even nasty old Snape now and then.

Imagine if he refused all that help, how the various Harry Potter stories would end...

I don't think it's a bad thing for Pope Rowling to have made $1+ billion dollars. I think that the work that earned her that money has given far more JOY than anyone could possibly put a dollar amount on. So, I supoprt her in being a FAT cat. If she wants to give some of that to others, then that's GREAT (and I'm 100% sure that she does do exactly that.)

But just remember... having money isn't evil of itself. It isn't bad. Also, we're in no position to judge somone who has a lot of money. We are in a position to show an example of how they could help their fellow human beings with it - but we have no business TELLING them that they must, or that they're evil if they don't. Everyone has FREE WILL - and that's a precious gift. I support free will.

Just remember.... nowhere in the Christian bible does it say that money is the root of all evil.

Serious. It doesn't. At least not in context... The actual verse says:

"The LOVE of money is the root of all evil." Big difference! Also, that doesn't mean that loving money makes you evil! It's just the root. Or not.

Something to think about when you look at a stranger and catch yourself scoring them by their appearance. ;-)

Virus of the Mind by Richard Brodie

I've often been asked why I started doing what I'm doing. I've never had a really clear cut answer though. So, for those of you who desire a clear cut answer to the question WHY? And dislike the answer, WHY NOT? Here is another. I would consider this book, which I read over 5 years ago to be the foundation of my thinking TODAY. It's not the sole reason to the question WHY? but it's a very good one!

Btw, Richard Broadie used to work for Microsoft Corp. In fact, he is the original programmer who wrote the first version(s) of your favorite word processor software, Microsoft Word.

You can check out this book and even read a bit on amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963600125/sr=1-1/qid=1138985161/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-5064513-6248766?%5Fencoding=UTF8

PS: JOYISIM is a mind virus (but a good one!)

Step by step guide for giving a sandwich to a homeless person

Some people are not sure how you go about making a difference when it comes to the homeless (or with any human being who could use a little JOY.)

Here is a step by step guide for how to give a sandwich to a homeless person. Note, step one is THE most important step:

1. Make or buy a sandiwch
2. Take sandwich to nearest dense urban area (look for VERY tall buildings)
3. Throw a stick (use caution if urban area is downtown San Francisco - very easy to injure a homeless person with this method.)
4a. If stick hits a homeless person, go apologize and give homeless man or woman a sandwich
4b. If stick does not hit anyone, look in direction of stick and walk that way until you see someone sleeping on the street wearing dirty clothes (sometimes they will also mumble incoherently to themselves)
5. Ask suspected homeless person if they are hungry and would like a sandwich (as you hold sandwich out toward them.)
6a. If they say yes (or mumble something incoherent to you that could be interpreted as a yes,) give sandwich and go home (optionally, go back to step 1 if you choose)
6b. If they say no (or run away mumbling frightened incohrent words,) go to step 3.

Just six easy steps that lead into making a small dent in the suffering of a fellow human being.

Note: In the event that you encounter multiple homeless persons together, just rephrase your question in step 5 to: Is ANY one of you hungry? If multiple homeless persons answer "YES," consider breaking sandwich up into two or more pieces before giving.

It's that easy.

Remember something about the organization known as "Loaves and Fishes." That name, is a direct reference to part of the Jesus story - where he broke up some fish and bread (in a supernatural manner of course, being the son of God and all) and distributed it to all who were present (note, he didn't ask any of them if they were hungry or could affoard to buy their own food.)

Whatever you may beleive or not beleive about that story or the man known as Jesus, remember that it was ONE man. Not a chairtable organization, but ONE MAN who did that.

PS: It's really not that easy. The mechanics are simple... but the tough part is you have to actually come into close proximity to a homeless person, who may be dirty, smelly and just a little bit "werid." You will have to step into their sphere of suffering in order to even offer that sandwich. You will have to handle their response. It could be very emotional and painful to get that close to the reality of such tragic suffering.

Also, I do not reccomend doing this at night, in dark alleys or anywhere within 5 miles of a loaves and fishes where you as a person NOT living on the street are likely to be a very visible minority. Give JOY safely and intelligently. I'm not saying that all homeless people are bad or dangerous... but its best not to tempt fate. There are plenty of lone homeless throughout our city streets.... no need to find yourself surrounded in order to give a hungry man woman (or child) a sandwich to eat.

If It's Not About Winning or Losing, Then Why Keep Score?

Some might say that life isn't about winning or losing, but how you play the game.

Others might say, if it's not about winning or losing, then why keep score?

What would the world be like if we actually DID keep score?

Bob see's dude on street, and calculates a quick score, starting from 100:

Dude is old, -4,
Dude has long hair, must be a liberal, -10
Dude is walking a dog, must love animals, +8
Dude is smoking a cigarette, -5

Total score assigned to Dude by Bob: 89

John sees the same dude as bob, and calculates his OWN score from his own perspective, starting from 0:

Dude is John's age, +30
Dude is walking a pit bull, -10
Dude has long hair, must be a hippy, +15
Dude wears glasses, must be smart, +1

Total score assigned to Dude by Bob: 36

WOW.... what wildly differing scores given to the same individual observed. Different starting score, different observations, similar observations scored totally different, one spots him smoking, one scores as if he didn't even see Dude smoking a cigarette.

John gives dude many more + points than Bob, but still John's given score is MUCH LESS than Bob's given score.

Wow... if we might not be able to keep consistant scores about the various people we mutually come into contact with throughout the day, then perhaps someone needs to establish some scoring guidelines. Not to mention a base score for everyone. How can we accurately judge another human being if we aren't being consistant?

Ever heard of the Indian Caste system? Based solely on who gave birth to you, you are assigned a class which you will remain within for the entirety of your life - regardless of what you do, who you marry, or what your age is (http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/spring98/india.htm)

Hmmm... okay... well... maybe not such a good idea. But at least no one would care if you were black, white or yellow!

--------

Ever catch yourself during the day, assigning scores to the people you see both on the street as well as on TV and such?

I do.

Just a bit disturbing if you really think about it and put it into perspective.

Me. I'm a zero. *smile*

Going BLIND while staring a the FINGER

I'm sad tonight.

I'm afraid some are going blind staring at the finger.

STOP. Close your eyes before you read any more of these words... and try to figure out on your own what "I'm afraid some are going blind staring at the finger" MEANS.

NO- Close your eyes and THINK of a possible, POSSIBLE ANSWER. And spend more than 30 seconds DOING THAT.

Great!

*I* am the finger.

*I* am A finger.

*I* am a finger pointing at a POTENTIAL solution to the suffering of the world.

Now turn your head and look at WHAT THIS FINGER IS POINTING AT.

It's pointing at selfless giving to your fellow human beings.

If you can see what THE FINGER is pointing at....

Then you simply DO NOT NEED TO EVER EVER EVER look at the finger again.

If you want a POPE in Orange County, then look JUST BEYOND where the answer is (that the finger points at and where you are now looking.)

AND BE THE ANSWER YOURSELF.

Forget you EVER heard of this ficticious character who calles himself "Pope Magnaminius Omnibus Short Bus the XIII." NEVER LOOK AT THE FINGER AGAIN. You know what the finger points at and you understand what the finger is pointing too. You've already put the ANSWER into action yourself... without the POPE ever having touched your own handing doing the giving to other humans.

It's that simple. HONEST. THAT SIMPLE.

If you spend your days focusing on the FINGER (me) instead of the answer (YOU DOING SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR FELLOW MAN's SUFFERING) then you are growing more and more blind with every breath you take.

Would you like to see the face of Pope Magnaminimus Omnibus Short Bus the XIII?

Then find a mirror and look at what you see in it. The person you see IS the POPE. I mean that 100% literally.

Can you dig it?

Responsible JOYISIM

For the past couple days I've been trying to play devil's advocate with myself. What are the potentiald ownsides I could anticipate with the JOYISIM movement?

Honestly, I can only come up with one. But if you can see another, PLEASE - SAY SO. This idea is NOT infalilable. It is not necissarly the BEST solution. There's always a better idea, and I welcome ANYONE AND EVERYONE to improve upon it.

I am concerned about the possibilty of going "overboard."

The idea here is to give selflessly your surplus of JOY.

However, I can see a tragic consequence of this idea.

Imagine, if you will, an individual. Perhaps the husband of a mairrage and 2-3 children. This husband finds so much JOY in the idea of searching the house for unused books, exercise equipment, even ideas... he dedicates all his time to the pursuit of giving such to others.

But at he expense of the woman he made vows to in mairrage. At the expense of his children. His time has become consumed completely in the pursuit of JOY.

No he says, "this is a WORTHY cause. I need to help. I need to do everything I can."

But while he gives JOY to others (and thus receiving his own JOY in doing so...) he neglects his wife and children. Suddenly he has no time for them, but only time for the idea of JOYISIM.

READ THIS CAREFULLY: If you pursue JOYISIM at THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS JOY... then you have turned this idea into something self defeating.

The spreading of JOY *MUST* be done WITHOUT causing others to suffer.

Does this make sense?

I'm just suggesting, be AWARE of your prioritys. I if you have a wife and children. If you have a girlfriend. Or any other person (even friends!) who suffers because you have no time left due to your pursuit of JOYISIM, then you might rethink what you are doing.

If you get a flat tire, it is a good idea to change it and put a good tire on the car.

But if you get a flat tire, and just end up rotating the tires rather than putting good tire on to replace the flat... well.... you're just going to be driving down the road with a flat tire on the front left instead of the right rear.

Can you dig it?

Why not cloth diapers instead of disposable?

Do you beleive that it's important to reduce waste and help the environment? Save money too?

Why not use cloth diapers instead of disposable? They're better for your baby's skin, and they are reusible. More expensive in the short run, but much cheaper in the long run! Plus, once your child is out of diapers... you can give them as a gift of JOY (and there's no shortage of mom's who are asking for JOY in the form of diapers!)

YES! There is a VERY valid and logical reason to stick with disposable diapers. No time to wash them. Very reasonable... if you're a single mom with 2 kids... it's ridiculous to expect that you have the time to be washing a bunch of diapers constantly. She's probably got too much on her plate as it is!

Well... here's an idea. This also addresses some of the... misguided... critics of parents who are asking for help in the form of diapers and baby food (you know... "Stop begging! You shouldn't have had a child if you couldn't support it." Nevermind that many single mother's didn't start out as single mothers and post-natal abortions simply ARE NOT an option.)

Why not see if you can find a young couple who is considering having children, or expecting a (perhaps UNEXPECTED) child who would be willing to wash diapers for you?

That way, the undecided young couple can get a taste (not to mention a whiff) of what parenthood is about. You get to use cloth diapers.

Win win?

Can you dig it?

Interview last tuesday on Talk 650 KSTE A&G show

I was intereviewed by the Armstrong and Getty talk radio show on Talk 650 KSTE (Sacramento, CA) last tuesday and explained what I'm up to and what JOYISIM is all about.

You can listen to the PODCAST by clicking this link:

http://wvw.clearchannel.com/spacer.mp3?event=16~~29~~104~radio~28~knew-am~1319~Armstrong+%26amp%3B+Getty+-+910+KNEW~1322~A%26amp%3BG_1-31-06_hr3.mp3~98~http%3A%2F%2Fsecure.eonstreams.com%2Fknew_am%2FA%2526G_1-31-06_hr3.mp3

Economics of JOY - The 3 billion dollar charity

This is a bit hypothetical, but please suspend your disbleif for just a bit.

World population: About 6 billion$1: The value of $1 United States dollar - Value, not actual cash. Expressed as either TIME or Material.

What if, half the world, 3 billion INDIVIDUALS, were to give the other half of the world's individuals just $1 worth of their luxuries on the 1st of next month all at the same time?
You would have a non-local charitable donation, INSTANTLY, worth (in time and material terms) of $3 billion dollars (US Dollar "value.")

What charitable organization can boast THAT much throughput of charity? Could ALL the non-profit organizations combined do that in a single year, let alone within a single day?
What if 3 billion people (not necissarily the same ones) did that on the 1st of EVERY MONTH?

Do the math. Total it up:

March 1st: $3 billion

April 1st: $6 billion

May 1st: $9 billion

What about a WHOLE YEAR of that?

2006: $36 billion

2007: $72 billion

2008: $108 billion

Now, in a less hypothetical world, each individual would give WIDELY different amounts. Some would give maybe $0.10. Others $100. Others $5. Others $10,000 (c'mon bill gates!)
I propose that we have the means RIGHT NOW. In fact, we've had ALWAYS had the means, right under our OWN noses to end poverty, hunger and homelessness. Not 50 years from now. Not 25 years from now.... but before 2010!

Can you DIG it?

JOYISIM is my personal war on terroisim

That's right. I propose that the way to fight terrorisim is to get out and perpitrate JOYISIM:

INDIVIDUAL to INDIVIDUAL - give JOY in ANY FORM to your fellow human beings, seflessly.

How much junk do you have around your house? What could you sell and never miss? Give away and enjoy not having to clean anymore? Exercise equipment? Unread books that have sat on your bookcase shelves for a year? Then do it and then find a stranger to give it to - without judging the validity, existance or importance of their need. Without prejudice.

Think that's crazy? Well maybe it is. But I think Hamas winning the Palestinian elections is OUTRIGHT INSANITY. I think flying fully fueled passenger airplanes into buildings, killing all passengers and causing the world's (once) two larges buildings to fall to their foundations, is OUTRIGHT INSANITY.

I think that men, women and CHILDREN even, strapping explosives to themselves and then boarding a full commuter train and blowing themselves and everyone else up is OUTRIGHT INSANITY.

I think the answer to terrorisim is JOYISIM. I think that we have enough non-profit charitable organizations. Government programs all tripping over their own feet.

Such organizations are IDEAL for situations like the localized Katrina disaster. Focused human suffering needs FOCUSED charity work.

I propose though that we are, and have been for aVERY LONG time, in the midst of a WORLDWIDE NATURAL DISASTER . Hunger, poverty, war, disease, crime, abuse, death. Charitable organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. cannot effectively address this non-local, unfocused ONGOING WORLDWIDE DISASTER.

I'm not saying these organizations are BAD. Just not the best idea for releiving the suffering of the common man woman and child.

I suggest that we finally start DOING what all the endless streams of public service announcements have been urging us to do for YEARS.

Instead of donating to a non-profit organization (who will then take a big chunk of that donation for its own administrative costs, sometimes over 30% of the donation) I say we cut out the middleman. Go direct to the root of the suffering. INDIVIDUAL to INDIVIDUAL.

Or would you rather have a tax write off?

I propose that by giving selflessly to a stranger, without judging the magnitude or validity of their need, is THE SOLUTION. Not another charity organization tripping over its own feet.

It can be as simple as this: Make 10 sandwiches. Go to your nearest city. Walk around and everytime you come across a homeless person, give them one of those sandwiches. You don't have to worry about them squandering it on alcohol or drugs. It's food.

It's as simple as that.

Also, I think it's important becuase by doing charity, INDIVIDUAL to INDIVIDUAL, you will have direct contact with the suffering of your fellow human beings. No longer will you be insulated from it by the storefront, or web page where you type your donation in in the form of a credit card number.

By exposing yourself to the reality of human suffering, your own compassion may just grow.

Think it's impossible? Think that people don't care? Think again. I assure you, it is happening even as you read these words.

This whole idea started out on the Sacramento Craigslist classifieds website. We now have our own Craigslist hosted forum: http://forums.sacramento.craigslist.org/?forumID=7673

Go look.

It's simple. Just post and ask for what would give you diapers. Look, and you'll see that most are asking for things like a job, diapers, baby food, baby clothes, books. Some ask for playsatations. Airline tickets to visit disneyworld. Playoff tickets.

You read that - playstation, tickets, etc... and think, that's ridiculous. I say WHO ARE YOU OR I TO JUDGE WHAT BRINGS ANOTHER JOY? At least they aren't asking for help to make a BOMB so they can blow themselves up.

Perhaps if you helped fulfill their "outrageous" request for joy, you would suprise them so much that they might get involved in the giving as well!

I think most of the people that post such "outrageous" requests aren't really serious. It's more of a sarcastic "Yeah, I want some joy. Give me a million bucks." In a world where it's virtually unheard of for a stranger to give another stranger so much as a single buck... then maybe doing something like sending that person a Target E-Gift card for $10 WOULD BLOW THEM AWAY. Make them realize that their fellow man is not as cold hearted and uncaring as they have come to beleive. Inspire them to change their ATTITUDE toward the world and DO SOMETHING rather than sit with a beer everynight flipping through 150 channels of nothing on.

Check it out. Joy speaks for itself.

PS: Giving joy doesn't necissarily equate to giving money. It can be time, or even ideas as well. Just earlier this morning someone wrote on the forum that their joy would be to have the means (monitary) to help their handful of friends. They were sad becaues they just didn't have the money to do anything for their friends.

I suggested to this person that while they don't have money, they have muscles. Go help your friends clean their houses! What person with their own home or appartment wouldn't appreciate that MORE THAN MONEY?!? Then, when the house is clean, enjoy a beer together along with the nice clean house!

-Pope Magniminimus Omnibus Short Bus XIII
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" - JFK
"Your fellow citizens ARE your country" - Me