Farmer Frank

Farmer Frank woke up one morning and realized that he needed to change things on his farm. For some reason, he was barely surviving with all the daily hard work. His farm was simply not a successful one. He was growing some crops, but just enough to feed himself and his family. He was having some success with the chickens, but it was sporadic. He couldn't get his cow and bull to mate, so if he were to eat them, he would have none. Farmer Frank had to change things and quickly. Time for plan B.

As the rooster woke the sun, Farmer Frank knew exactly what to do. Even though he only had faith the plan would work. If not, no harm done and many things learned. So, Frank headed over to the see the chickens first. After all, they were the early risers on the farm.

Inside the chicken coup, Frank greeted his chickens and asked for their attention. Once the chickens had gathered around, he proceeded to explain things. He told them that he needed them to survive, just as they needed the grains and grubs they ate. He explained that in order to remain on the farm, they would have to find a way to produce something. The other choice was to be eaten.

As the chickens mulled over the choices, they began to ask questions of the Farmer. As they learned all they could, the decision to cooperate became an easy one. They would produce eggs for the farmer and the farmer would continue to care for them. This was acceptable to the chickens because they were happy in the barnyard and coup. They liked living and found this choice more palatable. The chickens also held the right to choose to be eaten, if they ever tired of this existence. Farmer Frank left the coup a satisfied man.

On his way to meet the cow and bull, he paused to ponder the corn in his field. With faith leading the way he marched into the field. He asked the corn to listen to his story and help find a solution. He explained that he needed the corn to survive and that he was barely able to harvest enough. He told the corn that he would help it to live comfortably and he would help it to reproduce. He would bring it all that it needs to survive and in return only asked for healthy, plentiful corn cobs. When the corn heard the offer, it was so honored with the knowledge that it gladly accepted the deal. The corn would produce cobs and would be cared for in exchange.

Farmer Frank had grown confident in this new approach. His pace had slowed to a glide as he approached the cow and bull. Each with such a sad face upon it. He greeted them and asked them listen to his story. He explained that he was keeping them alive with the intent of eating them. He told the cow that he needed her milk and more offspring or she would be eaten. The bull was told the same and asked to help produce offspring, otherwise he too would be eaten. This was the rule of the farm and they could no longer live here if they didn't accept one of the choices. The cow spoke up and asked how much and mow many and how how how! The farmer gave her some acceptable numbers and the cow agreed. The bull asked if he could have a separate pasture from the cow and the children. This was accepted by the farmer and the bull agreed to the terms of the offer.

Farmer Frank had finally found the perfect plan and he anticipated success. He had one last stop to make. This was the one he dreaded most, for the choices were not so great if you are pig. He entered the mud pen and paused to think about how to phrase this. He looked deeply at the pigs and as his lips opened to speak, the pigs all spoke first. The pigs told him they heard all the other conversations and had been wise enough to ponder their options on this farm. They explained that they could provide nothing but their flesh in exchange for living on the farm. It was the pigs that saved the farmer as they suggested a plan. They agreed that living in mud was not the best of conditions, but they were okay with it for now. The pigs offered their eldest as food and asked the farmer to allow the young pigs the choice of being eaten. That way, a pig could grow old and experience much before dying and all pigs would have a choice to leave if they tired of their existence on the farm. Win-win.

Suddenly exhausted and hungry, Farmer Frank returned to his home. The sun had already set on the best day of his life. Things would be better from now on. He understood that sharing and asking and explaining served a higher purpose. Things would be better, he had faith.

Only Now

I have spoken before about the apparent lack of true time as we know it. I have ventured to explain that everything exists always, at once. There is no past or future or present. We only perceive things this way.

In order to fully explain the new analogy I am going to share, we must include only the NOW in our discussion. This present moment, the ever fleeting glimpses of infinity that are each and every new nano-second. There is no past or future in our realm, for we are ruled by the NOW. We can remember things that have occurred, but those experiences are no more tangible than the ones we are about to face. Only the NOW is available for contemplation because the NOW is our master.

Let's consider the DVD movie. Pick your favorite for the example, only the concept is important. When you watch a movie on DVD, you see actors, sets, scenes, plotlines, etc... All of these pieces flow in unity to form the movie. Imagine that you are simply an actor in the movie on the DVD. You cannot change the flow of the movie because your perspective is limited to the NOW in the movie timeline. You, as the actor, are the one being watched as you perform your lines and deliver your performances. You have a given role, a chosen role in the movie and you play it to your best ability. You cannot change the timeline of the film, only exist within it.

This is our current incarnation. We are the actors in a great big movie. We are on the DVD. We do not have the remote control and most of us do not care to ask why. We live in the NOW moment as the DVD timeline, the movie timeline, slowly and persistently progresses. And, as actors, we are unaware of the future ahead in the DVD so we assume it does not exist. Try explaining that to the director, who knows how it all works together long before the movie is made.

So, if we are the actors, then someone must be watching the movie. Let's just assume that this is a blockbuster of a film and the DVD has sold trillions. Our little movie is the tale of our entire existence. Everything we can imagine we know about everything is in this movie and stored for viewing on DVD.

Please imagine yourself in a position to watch this DVD. You are given the remote control and the menu is onscreen. You have many options. You can play the movie straight through, you can skip to specific scenes in the film, you can listen to director's notes, you can watch the behind the scenes, and the list goes on. I would like to focus on the scene skipping ability.

Remember, you have been granted a once in a lifetime chance to view the DVD that is mankind's entire existence. You are in the movie yourself, in many roles. You have been handed a remote and are allowed to skip from scene to scene. The DVD timeline is the timeline of this existence and mankind's experiences. You become the master of the NOW. You can view any NOW you choose. Any time you choose. Thus, you are able to perceive your existence beyond the controls of time, as the master of time itself. You can understand that there were specific reasons for many of your roles. If fact, you begin to see that everyone has lived just as everyone else over the course of the movie. Each actor playing every character at some point in the film. You also notice that time only existed when you were one of the actors. Now that you are holding the remote, you are able to see any part of the movie at any "time" in the film. And all of this can be done at your leisure. The actors and the DVD are not going anywhere.

Of course, we are only actors in the NOW and must imagine that such things can exist. I can only conceptualize my place and wonder about what is to come.