A hard rain beats down upon fragile flowers.
But next, what happens, is a curious thing.
The sky does widen.
The sun does shine.
The birds do sing.
And the blossoms,
they rise tall,

as if the rain
has not beaten them down at all.

We simply thought it did.
Our perceptions are sometimes clouded like a stormy sky.
We attach violence to storms, as we attach truth to lies.

The petunia’s petals are delicate, yes.
But maybe, not as much as we think.

Nature gives birth to natural, pure, explanations of life.
It is never wrong.
It is never right.
It is just is.

Our minds interpret the ongoings of things around us
and we utilize our language to give birth to the circumstances of the moment.

But what if the phrase, “beaten down” did not have a negative connotation?
What if we saw the torrential rains not as torrents of turmoil
but as floods of fortune?

What if the flower is not cowering from abuse
But is recoiling, taking in its vitamins, and preparing to burst up and out into its world, full and fresh with life?

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.  ~Buddha

The more I read about Steve Jobs, the less I admire him.

Yes, he spoke inspirationally to millions, believed in himself more than pretty much any other entrepreneur in history, blazed the trail for numerous new industries, brought beauty to consumer electronics, and helped us see life in simpler terms.

But he had a well documented dark side. It scares and disappoints me that his tactics of employee intimidation, questionable labor ethics, and dishonesty will undoubtedly be used by some future business leaders excusing themselves with quotes like this:

“If it’s good enough for Steve Jobs, it’s good enough for me. It’s just business, after all. You gotta do what you gotta do to succeed.”

Yes, Steve Jobs certainly did some great things, but that will never erase the fact he acted like an immoral jerk.

Here are a few examples that give some insight into the poor morals of Steve Jobs

1. This story will give you some insight into Jobs’ character. It’s about the time he ripped off his close friend and business partner when he was involved in improving Atari’s game, Breakout.  The story, as confirmed by Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak in his biography, told of  Jobs hiring him to improve the game. The deal was they would split the $750 compensation. After Wozniak worked tirelessly with little sleep for four days straight and was able to hit the deadline, greatly improving the efficiency of the game, Atari excitedly awarded the team a bonus of $5,000. Jobs kept the bonus secret from Wozniak, only paying him $375, keeping the remainder for himself.  Wozniak didn’t find out about this until years later. If he could do this to his friend so early in the game, it’s not surprising to discover the other distasteful facts that have begun to surface.
2. Or what about the time he hired horrendously treated, overworked, Chinese laborers to build all of Apple’s iPhones and iPads? Oh yeah, that still happens. If you delve into the details, it’s really pretty sick and twisted. It reads like a movie script, complete with a fake workforce that is put onboard when regulators come in for a visit. There’s been plenty of injuries, sicknesses, and worker suicides. This has been known for years. If Jobs had a shred of morality, he would have made a change and set a precedent across the industry.
3. Did you hear about how he would go up to employees who failed at a project and publicly humiliate them or fire them in front of his peers? Many Apple employees have testified of this.
4. I could go on, but I won’t. Because frankly I don’t like all the negativity this post is causing me from the guilt I have for owning a slew of Apple products.

And before you ask, yes, I typed this blog post on a Mac Book Pro and I consider my iPhone my most indispensable business tool. And no, I’m not planning to boycott Apple products. I’m hopeful things will improve with new leadership if consumers demand it:

According to recent media coverage, it would seem Apple is interested in developing a new vision, one which includes corporate social responsibility (CSR). Jobs never showed much interest in public ‘do-gooding’. He always maintained that equipping the public with the best technology was worth more than cash grants to charities. But Cook recently announced that Apple would embrace a new corporate charity matching programme, using a model much like those of other major companies – a dollar for dollar match for employee donations of up to $10,000 a year.

Cook clearly wants to send the message that Apple is evolving in the way it perceives CSR, a major differentiating factor between himself and the charismatic Jobs. “That Vision Thing” - Times of India

My challenge to the future business leaders of the world

Before you look to the great Steve Jobs as your coveted no-questions-asked role model, please be aware of the full spectrum of the man. Admire his vision. Admire his fortitude. Admire his audacity. But please don’t dismiss his misguided moral and ethical faults. It would be a shameful step backward amid positive corporate responsibility progress. Here’s my challenge to you. Don’t strive to be like Steve Jobs. Strive to be better.

I was giving some thought the other day to some of the thinkers/philosophers/authors/others that were the impetus for beginning my journey into some key interests of mine. Without discovering these individuals and listening to their teachings I would not be the person I am today. Here they are:

• Rainer Maria Rilke – empathy, acceptance of the unknown
• James Allen – personal power, we’re capable of of so much
• Thoreau – connectedness with mind
• Emerson – connectedness with mind
• Friedrich Nietzsche – universal balance, balance of chaos and dance
• Buddha – compassion for others
• Jangchub Chophel aka John Bruna - reality, first monk I’ve ever had as a friend. was amazing to see someone living what I had been reading about spiritually
• Walker family – ethics, values, morals
• Philip Glass – flow (specifically the Glassworks album)
• Sigur Ros – beauty of emptiness
• Og Mandino – persistence positivity
• Seth Godin – simplicity and authenticity

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was.  I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory.  I was naïve.  I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer.  It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with:  that I am nobody but myself.  ~Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal”

personal wisdom + teacher wisdom

To learn wisdom from others has been necessary and helpful in my personal journey of understanding myself. Over time, that wisdom has given me the confidence to trust myself in knowing that the answers also come from within. I’m still learning more about who I am everyday with the help of wisdom from others, and now, more than ever, myself. I’ve found that each new nugget of wisdom I am gifted from a teacher is able to further fuel me along a deeper path of personal understanding.

Alan Watts is one of my new teachers

I just watched a bunch of youtube clips from Alan Watts, wow. I even sent a note to his son, Mark Watts, who controls his estate now, to let him know how helpful his father’s words have been to me. I look forward to his response. Most notably I watched the tv program he recorded in 1971,  called “A Conversation with Myself.” It’s a 4 part series.

Don’t know who Alan Watts is? Neither did I up until a couple hours ago. He was a British philosopher who is credited with bringing much of the Eastern philosophical knowledge to the West. He wrote many books on Buddhism, Zen, and understanding of self.

Conversation with Myself video in full

When you’re in a patient, introspective mood I encourage you to give it a watch. It’s wonderful and helped me understand the bigger picture of the world of nature vs. the world of man.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aufuwMiKmE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ8WeLrtFnY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RcjATFcbq4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOYIE-RX3No

Shane’s words and delivery are powerfully raw, authentic, and inspiring.

In 2000 Shane was awarded the Individual Championship at the US National Poetry Slam Competition (The first Canadian to do so). He’s amazing. My other favorite slam poet is Anis Mojgani, There’s actually a lot of similarities between Shane & Anis in terms of substance and delivery style. Anis lives in Austin, though, which is a bonus. Shane, you’re welcome to join us as well.

This is my voice by Shane Koyczan

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHczVzGfyqQ

The crickets have arthritis by Shane Koyczan

When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.-Emerson

Note: the reason I called this post category “balls in the air” is because of this past blog post: The Law of Gravity as it applies to successful entrepreneurialism.

I’ve always had an interest in the criminal justice system from a young age. This was probably developed early on because my grandfather and namesake, David Walker, is a district judge. He’s handled all kinds of trials--murders, divorces, child abuse, rape, etc. He’s retired now, but is still personally requested to fill in sometimes due to the storied reputation of his fair and just approach.  He’s had conversations with me since I was a little boy about “how things work” and what he’s experienced first hand. My father, George Walker, has a law degree as well. Although, he does not practice law anymore,  we’ve definitely had quite a few thought-provoking discussions over the years.  These conversations have definitely formed a lot of curiosities in my mind about how things are, why they are this way, and whether things can be better. I’ve benefited greatly by having my father and grandfather share their viewpoints with their unique thinking process. Attorneys have a way of looking at issues with a multi-pronged approach that is truly remarkable.

Being good at law means you’re very good at breaking complicated questions down into parts and looking without emotion at those parts. You’re able to separate pain, sorrow, misfortune, shame, anger, expectation, and outrage from analysis and decisions. You’re good at isolating those problems you are able to solve, and ignoring those that aren’t on your plate right now. You’re good at being able to move, step-by-step, to a conclusion, and to move through a series of conclusions to a specific result. Thinking Like a Lawyer

Is the current system fair and just? A discussion with my roommates.

More compassion. Less hate.

The capture and death of Osama bin Laden led to a conversation with my roommates last night on our back patio on whether capital punishment was fair and just, which ultimately led to a lengthy & passionate discussion about the jail and prison system in the United States. Even though we all had varying views as to what is “fair” and what is “just,” we all agreed that the way things are right now are not perfectly ideal. None of us could figure out solutions that would work in every instance. Every situation seems to need a custom approach.

I have a very compassionate idealistic view of human nature (and admittedly sometimes naive view), especially as I learn more and more about Buddhism and my compassion for other living creatures continues to grow.

I strongly believe there is certainly room for compassion in the prison system. Here are some examples that turn the typical punishment-based ideology on its head:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj3SMiDvjdg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP-ORsFeIUY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sttawtpNoQ

• What if we were more open to exploring things like this?
• What if prisoners could be integrated safely back into society?
• What if we had enough compassion as a society to not want to “lock them up and throw away the key?”
• What if even the toughest criminals could break through of their mindset given the right tools and methods and patience from us?
• What if we believed in the goodness of human nature?

Thank you for listening and keeping an open mind.

I wrote this a few weeks ago while sitting at the bar of Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse drinking a few mugs of yerba maté, South America’s elixir of life.

music screams inside of me
empty glass mug of maté and muffin crumbs
sitting on ivory colored plates on a copper
colored counter, it’s linear and radial imperfections
creating its intrigue.

Two feet to my right, sits a being.
Fingers delicately flooding thoughts and
feelings into a plan for her future.
Energized and inspired by what appears to be pure, raw passion,
she continues,
sometimes distracted with light hearted
grins and banter.

In this café, we sit,
both for different reasons,
along similar paths,
but at different turns.
You still drink your tea, mug full,
but my green mug is now empty,
even though I find myself continuing to sip from it.

What do you do when you drink all that you were given
and you’re not quite sure what you want next?
Do you reach for something convenient,
or do you venture to the far off desert with your empty green mug
and wait for the juice of your own dehydration to refill it?