I had the misfortune of hearing–via via–that a neighbor of mine wanted to know when I was going to cut my avocado tree. Imagine the scene, you’re renting a home in LA and you have your neighbor’s avocado tree branches (rich and ripe with avocados) dangling over your roof. Personally, I would have been overjoyed and seen it as Nature’s gift and plucked the indigenous vegetable off and made guacamole. But this guy was apparently irritable. How dare Nature lay claim over his rooftop? The audacity!

I have asked myself countless times why people like this bother moving to the hills and canyons of Los Angeles. Personally, I love the rustic aspects of this city because they allow me to escape being socially barraged by such flashy–out-of-touch people. And let me tell you there are many in LA. I was under the impression that most lived in Sunset Plaza or Beverly Hills adjacent. But there has been an increased migration of them into the old canyons and hills. Instead of being one with nature, they fight it and build large structures or throw their garbage and cigarettes everywhere.

If this makes me sound like a tree hugger, good. I just hugged my avocado tree the other day. I needed to get balanced and grounded and while no one was looking, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around the beautiful beacon of earthy nature. At that moment a warm breeze blew threw the tree and its large leaves brushed against the back of my neck, as if to hug me back.

Why is it funny to hug a tree? Why is it absurd to want to not only preserve but adore nature? Because pop culture has made it so, relegating it to the realm of cliche. Sure, sometimes it is funny–taking yourself too seriously is never a good thing–but after a good deep belly Buddha laugh, it’s really quite amazing.

So to my neighbor I say, you live in the hills. Savour it! Pluck some avocados off my tree and eat them. Don’t be scared. I know they don’t have the sticky label on them that the store puts on. But they won’t hurt you. Enjoy the fruits of nature and sit under the shade of the leaves dangling from its branches. And when leaves fall on your head, laugh. Happy Summer Solstice! BTW, go outside and look at the shameless full moon. It aches to be seen.

I read Aldous Huxley’s book, “Brave New World,” years ago and was riveted but now more than ever his words seem to resonate with the current state of affairs in our world (specifically the U.S.). I was reminded about the book the other day when I happened to catch the glitzy Hollywood tv movie version starring Peter Gallagher. Though most film versions are but cheesey copies of the original tomes, I believe this one was updated the “right” way. In it, Gallagher and his lady live in this sort of perpetual LA/New York world of pristine Prada suits, rampant consumerism and a pre-destined hierarchy (Alphas: the top cats, Betas: the bureaucrats and Deltas: the laborers). People do not have parents but are born in labs and taught pure happiness as a state of being. This state is achieved through the usage of a much beloved drug called SOMA. Their whole society is disrupted when our main guy (played by Gallagher) brings back a “savage” he finds in the hinterlands. In this case the savage is basically a trailer park guy coming from White Trash stock (in the book he’s an actual savage).

Once the novelty of John the Savage wears off (for both the tacky society AND John himself) the seeds of revolution are planted. John tells the people that they are living a lie. In the movie he actively quotes Shakespeare at the drop of a hat and denounces SOMA and the faux happy societal order in general. He espouses freedom and freedom, he explains is pain and struggle, and conviction, individuality…the underbelly of the pristinely perfect society they live in.

I couldn’t help but keep saying, “yeah, I get it,” while watching this film. SOMA is of course Xanax, Paxil, Valium, Ambian, you name it, it’s got a commercial on TV. Now I’m not standing on my soapbox as an outsider. I too have had to go to great pains to NOT give in to these ‘life aids.’ Sometimes, I fail. Life in the Millennium era is hard. There are those who bark that every decade is hard and replete with political scandals and wrongdoings, poverty, strife, revolution. I maintain that this era is different. The fact that you’re reading my innermost thoughts right now is a testament to it: the Internet has changed everything. If every era is the same in terms of strife and political upheaval, then this one is to the tenth power (at least) if only because of the pace of change due to our technologies–biotechnology, the Internet, cell phones, wi-fi, etc.

We are a culture on the brink. On the brink of extinction. On the brink of perfection. On the brink of “getting it.” On the brink of “missing the boat.” This is possibly the most dichotomous era of all existence. We have people molded to superficial perfection via plastic surgery and happy pills. We have people in the greatest depths of suffering, marred by incurable diseases. We have a whole group of “tuned in” invididuals spawned from the Aquarian Conspiracy launched in the late ’80s. And for each one of them there exists a ‘reality TV’ person content to get to sleep with ten guys, while also humiliating each one in front of a half a million viewers.

This era scares the Hell out of me. But on the flip side it promises a depth and expansion of perception like no other. Perhaps it is that fragile but undeniable truth being dangled in front of me that terrifies me so much. Maybe being on the brink of understanding the evolution of human consciousness is not just a gift but an anxiety inducing burden. We’ll just have to wait and see…

There is something that undoubtedly happens after years of indulging in the Internet and integrating cell phones into our urban lifestyles. Add to that the traffic, the strife of a country (and world) divided and you get a form of symptoms that no one these days is completely unfamiliar with. Surely, you or at least one of your friends or family has experienced: panic attacks, fear, anxiety over small things, a general malaise (especially in social situations), swings from optimism to depression and back. In the old days this was diagnosed as something like manic depression. Today, “general anxiety disorder” is sometimes used. But really, these symptoms are part of a bigger problem, which for lack of better terminology I shall dub Millennium Burnout.

“There’s something in the air,” is something my friends and I usually say. Everyone seems to be emotionally taxed, frazzled, anxious and it is contagious. When you or your friends are in this state it is hard to make reason of ‘madness.’ But stepping away from it for a moment there is something good in this seeming turmoil. It’s individual revolution in order to ultimately facilitate global revolution. There must be breakdowns before there are breakthroughs. And everyone’s difficult cross to bare, eventually evolves into greater personal awareness and freedom. If only, to get through the horrible uneasy feelings…

Nowadays it’s not uncommon for half your friends to be on meds–and I’m not just talking about regular medication for anxiety or depression but also pills that deal with acute symptoms–Klonopin or Xanax. Then there are people who swear religiously by forms of meditation, therapy, hypnosis. All of these help in some way. Personally, I hope that most of us stay away from the meds. As much as they can be god sends in a frantic moment, they unduly coddle our psyches. There is most definitely a shift going on right now, and it’s part of our human consciousness revolution. Because of this shift many people are desperately clinging to the past as a safeguard. That is understandable. Such a massive shift is overwhelming. I myself am sticking close to home, attracted to grounded people, grounded music, etc. Yet five years ago I was a fearless cosmopolitan, traveling the Earth, cavorting with a variety of people and attracted to the most off-beat new technologies and sounds. In times of political and social turmoil (add to that personal turmoil) people often retreat into the safety of “the known,” even experimental natured people. When times are better in all respects, we get bored, and boredom leads to adventure and embracing our fearless natures.

Alas, we’re not in a general boredom phase. Technology, consciousness, society, politics, in short LIFE, is evolving at breakneck speed. So what do we do? Well, I personally believe, we treat our breakdowns very seriously. For instance, if you’re overweight, you go on a diet. If you fracture your wrist, you keep it in a cast until the bones set. Similarly, believe it or not, there is a cast for Milennium Burnout. Quite simply, we have to reset our circadian rhythms and align ourselves better with nature. It is the separation from nature that has partly caused this burnout. Our minds are now following the paradigm of a computer. The only problem is, we have sensetive nervous systems which can be deeply damaged by outside stimulae. In order to “catch up” to the DSL speeds of computer life, our nervous systems are pushing themselves to the limit. Our minds are doing the same, but–as you may have heard–the mind is TREMENDOUSLY powerful and we hardly use a fraction of its full power. So the mind is cool with all this but the nervous system is not. Then add to this the fact that we’re on the cell phone so often that being alone now poses a problem. We’ve adjusted to ALWAYS having someone there. So alone time can be torturously uncomfortable.

We need to go on a technology diet. That doesn’t mean completely never using technology. That would be unrealistic in this day and age. It means cutting down the amount of time we spend online and doing computer minutae work. It means giving our minds and bodies a break to do other things. See if you can cut out an our of online time a day and after a month, the breakdowns will lessen. This also goes for the cell phone. Refrain from talking on it when you know it’s a compulsion–i.e. waiting in line to get a latte. Just force yourself to experience the moment instead. Lastly, communing with nature is vital: gardening, going to the beach, being around animals, and re-setting your internal clock to better match up to nature’s clock. In the latter, going to bed earlier and waking up earlier is called for. Some of us are night owls and this statement may seem horrifying. Again, moderation is called for. Perhaps going to sleep an hour earlier and getting up an hour earlier. The closer we align ourselves to nature’s clock (sunrise and sunset) the more in-tune we become and this helps us to get balanced and face the hurdles ahead with strength. By hurdles I mean the undoubtable fact that we’re living in a very tumultuous era. We’ve lived through tumultous eras in the past but this is different because the technologies are different. The technologies make change happen faster–sometimes faster than we can process them. So, it’s important to regroup, get grounded and as much as possible use Nature as our barometer and guide.

I’ve come to the perhaps obvious realization that each person’s character or essence has one overriding elemental feature about it: earth, wind, fire or water.

Earth people are like rocks of Gibralter, easy to approach, they make those around them secure and comfortable. They are perhaps not the most exciting people but they’re also not excitable–don’t get too easily bent out of shape. They blend with the land, two feet planted on the ground.

Wind people are subtle. Theirs is the air element. Some may accuse them of being cold or detached. True, they are not attached to things around them but rather ethereally a part of it all. They can walk into a room virtually unnoticed but like a breeze, they affect things around them. Similarly, they are watchers, able to observe–from a breezy distance–things around them.

Fire people are the easiest to spot. They have distinct opinions. Their passions flair. Their anger flairs. They change a room. They bring its temperature up. It’s difficult not to be affected by a fire person. These are the people that–for better or worse–activate things. They get to people. People get to them.

Water people tend to be sentimental. They can do this in an over-the-top thespian way. If you’re lucky you encounter the other variety of water person. They can also be heartfelt, warm, emotional and devoted. A water person needs contact. They wash over you. They must touch you to live. Conversely, they must be touched to live as well.

As I’ve started to experience people in their elements or at least, I believe, get a vibe for what element may dominate, it has become easier for me to seek out people who contribute positively to my element. I think that we can’t necessarily stay away from incongruous or incompatible elements. Sometimes the incompatibility is a catalyst. For instance, fire and air cause a blaze but that blaze might be necessary. Sure, water and earth produce mud but sometimes you need to roll around in the mud for a while.

I’m pretty much a predominantly fire influenced individual. At a younger age, I was pretty much exclusively attracted to other fire people because I craved constant excitement. I still enjoy the occasional Fire person because they spark something in me. That’s inspiration. But I soon learned that, long term, fire people aggravate each other. Water people pretty much make we want to hurl in general. But occasionally, they remind me that everyone has a soft underbelly and that I need to be more compassionate and open sometimes. Generally speaking, I gravitate towards air and earth people. Air people give me inspiration (like fire people). But unlike fire people I can occasionally take a rest–there’s not this constant burnout fatigue.

But my favorites–and it will come as no surprise to my regular readers–are earth people. Only an earth person can bring a fire person into a state of peace. The embers still burn but not out of control. There’s heat but there’s controlled, temperate heat. It’s a heat that solidifies clay. It’s a heat that burns right.