The Real Thing
.... what the world wants today. Really.
Coke developed this slogan based on “research which shows that young people seek the real, the original and the natural as an escape from phoniness.”
This reveals so much about the way our human world works and can help illuminate the real real thing, because it’s certainly not Coke. What could be phonier then a sugar, chemical, and caffeine laden beverage with zero health benefits?
However, in 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries, with almost 2 billion consumed every day. Although it’s not the real thing, it became the perceived real thing because of clever marketing.
What is the real real thing?
I heard the guest on a recent podcast describe how he felt during his one and only experience with heroin as “a warm hug from God." Hearing that, I immediately thought: “There it is! That’s the real thing?”
Not heroin. Not Coke. Not likes on social media or winning the lottery. And not anything else on the long list of what gives us immediate, short term dopamine hits or a temporary sense of security. The real thing, as that guy poetically put it, is “a warm hug from God.”
Had one of those lately?
Getting over our concepts about the G word and any dysfunctional history we might have with religion, perhaps we can agree that here is the pinnacle of possible human experience, God-realization, often described as enlightenment.
Isn’t this the true “escape from phoniness?” Wouldn’t this be the most important thing to seek?
I’ve invited readers here and personal friends to explore this reality in my Thinking 101 experiment which is now fully subscribed, with 33 participants from 12 locations in 5 countries, from China, to New Zealand, to Canada, to the US, and Mexico.
Experiencing the real real thing requires having an actual relationship with a higher power (however named). And it’s either a heartfelt, passionate relationship, or it’s not. If it’s not yet that - and we decide that this is what we really want - why wouldn’t we be passionate about getting it?
That’s what our experiment is all about.
Perhaps you can remember the first time you fell in love. Wow! What a feeling. Puppy love, it’s sometimes called, and it rarely lasts long enough to become a life-long partnership. But oh, what a feeling! Who wouldn’t want that all-consuming glow, 24/7!?
A warm hug from God.
Imagine that. Imagine that as a constant experience. What do you think? Do you think that might change your world? And what might others experience when they encountered you, me, anyone living in an actualized God-realized state? Talk about creating a ripple effect!
That’s the intention for my Thinking 101 experiment. Although registration is now closed (unless someone feels irresistibly enthralled to join in and emails me asap), I will be posting updates from the lab for paid members, starting with an introduction to the writing and the audio programs.
This isn’t just a pitch for money (all $ goes to our foundation so we can give our programs away free), it’s an invitation for any of you who can’t be in this Nov 26 - Dec 8 self-study program to follow what we’re doing and experiment on your own. Upgrading to paid costs $8 a month and you could just pay for one or two months while the experiment is cooking.
The real thing. That’s what we want. Not something phony marketed as the real thing. As I write the program and prepare to produce the audio activations on Maui (we fly back on Tuesday for the winter) I’m feeling that warm hug and am soooooooo looking forward to sharing it with my friends.