Evolving Narcissus

Ahhhh,  CARNAVAL!  Nothing invokes more joy and nervous energy than the thought of being part of this amalgamation of joy, euphoria and celebration that only the great, wondrous nation of Brasil can harness so brilliantly.  Carnival is the one time that folks are expected to cast aside all inhibitions and enjoy all that life has to offer for the five days preceding Lent, the forty-day-long season of fasting and prayer before Easter.

Carnival is celebrated all over the word, particularly in countries with a heavy Roman-Catholic base.  There are many celebrations – such as Carnaval of Venice, or the world famous New Orleans Mardi Gras, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Mardi Gras in Mobile, the Carnival of Barranquilla in Colombia, of Torres Vedras or the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.  But no where is it celebrated with more fervor, more pizzazz and more gusto than in the Portuguese-speaking nation of Latin America.

No one really knows how Carnival began.  It arrived in Brazil the middle of the 17th century, bringing with it a strong European influence.  But wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that African elements were introduced, forever transforming the celebration into the liveliest, most flamboyant and largest party in the world, drawing millions to the streets to dance the samba, the frevo and the  maracatu. Young and old, men and women, adults and children, straight or gay;  practically everyone in Brazil takes time out to party and play during Carnival.

The origins of carnival date back to the ancient Greek spring festival in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine. The Romans adopted the celebration with Bacchanalia (feasts in honor of Bacchus, the Roman equivalent to Dionysus).  It quickly evolved into a massive celebration of indulgences - one last hoorah of music, food, alcohol, and sex before Lent - before the 40 days of personal reflection, abstinence, and fasting until Easter (not exactly what the Church probably had in mind). 40 days of purging sins, preceded by a week filled with virtually every known sin. The word itself comes from Latin, “Carne Vale” or “Farewell to the Flesh”.
Rio’s lavish carnival is Brazil’s (and the world’s) most famous, particularly for its samba schools, elaborate costumes (or at times no costumes), and a huge parade held at the Sambódromo Stadium. Salvador is Brazil’s street carnival. The music begins daily as early as noon and runs until 7 or 8 the next morning.  And not to be undone, other cities in Brazil have also ramped up their carnival celebrations.  Florianopolis in the southern part of Brazil has recently become the “it” place for well-to-do Brazilians from the south as well as in-the-know internationals.  This small’s city’s carnival has gotten so “chic” in fact that the NY Times published an article on Florianopolis as the new party destination.
Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations.  In beach towns, the people revel by day on the sand before hitting the streets to continue the party.  In Rio, scores of spectacular floats surrounded by thousands and thousands of dancers, singers, and drummers parade through the enormous Sambódromo stadium dressed in elaborate costumes (or, quite often, just body paint.)  It is an epic event televised around the world.    Samba (a mix of Angolan semba, European polka, African batuques, Cuban habanera and other styles) is the main sound flowing through the streets.  But inside the clubs, you can hear anything from deep house and electronica to the Brazilian Axe and Frevo.

Rio’s carnival is organized by the escolas de samba (samba schools). They first appeared in 1928. Much more than musical groups, they are in fact, neighborhood associations that provide a variety of community needs (such as educational and health care resources) in a country with grinding poverty and no social safety net.  Salvador da Bahia in the northeast Brazil also has a huge carnival celebration but with an even greater African flare.  Salvador is the largest center of African culture in the Americas and its carnival is celebrated in the streets, with scores of drumming and “blocos” or roving block parties that take over the streets (with literally hundreds of drummers). There are countless blocos that have taken on a new mission as part of the “negritude” movement to re-establish Black Pride.  Olodum, Ara Ketu, Ilê Aiyé, Timbalada and the all women’s drumming mega-group Dida all electrify Salvador every February.  The biggest blocos are “led” by Brazil’s most popular stars like Ivette Sangalo, Daniela Mercury, and Carlinhos Brown.

Carnival is one of those events that you have to be a part of at least once in your life.  It is that time when you can cast aside your hangups, inhibitions, preconceptions or whatever else binds you.  It is an environment where you reach deep inside yourself and let it all out - love, warmth, passion, compassion, pride, happiness.   It affords you one of those rare moments to just be the person that you want to be - without the structure and doctrine that you’ve grown up with that tells you how you should be.  It is an unforgettable experience and the Brazilian people are so accomodating and so friendly that they make the journey that much easier.  For evolving Narcissuses like myself, you may feel a certain conflict about experiencing the release of Carnival in Brazil especially since we spend so much time trying surpress our id - the very thing that we are now invoking.  But after being a part of Carnival quite a few times now, I also know that sometimes being in touch with our other side can actually be so freeing.   For me, the carnival experience reminds me that there is a beautiful dough-eyed  boy inside me.  He loves to laugh, to play, to dance, to feel sexy and to feel loved.  The affection and openness that Brazilians exude is a refreshing for us Americans and Europeans that are so used to bottling everything up inside.   Because I also have so many friends in Brazil, it also allows me experience love without conditions and in its purest form.  It is an annual pilgrimage that I make to be with my portuguese speaking brothers and sisters.  And It is like nothing that I will ever experience anywhere else but there.   I wouldnt trade being a part of it for the world. 

February 15th, 2009 | Category: Projeto Willie-Brasil | Leave a comment

OK, so given the times we live in, I thought I’d tackle this question for the benefit of my readers as well as myself.   I  only came to truly understand the answer myself recently.  This, despite the fact that I’ve been going to church (on and off) since I was 5 years old!  For many people, its still a puzzle since many of our leaders or religious institutions would have us believe that they are one the same, or that without religion there can be no spirituality.  But the truth is that spirituality is something that can exists in and outside of a religion and it need not be labeled as anything except what it is.    This begs the question – what exactly is spirituality then?

There are many ways to answer this.  And if we were to go to the dictionary, we’d find a slew of entries, which can easily leave us even more confused than when we started!  So let me take a stab at it.  Lets first start with religion.  Religion plain and simple is a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.  It is a personal or individualized system of attitudes, beliefs and practice, usually dictated by an espoused doctrine such as Catholicism or Judaism.  These doctrines have their own set of beliefs and often differ from each other.  The main difference between Christianity and other religions for example is that Christianity focuses on what God did to bring us salvation.  While most other religions focus on what man does to bring salvation upon himself.   There is so much we could say about the differences but lets not get bogged down in theology.

In layman’s terms a religion is an organized and structured belief system.  Spirituality, in the most basic sense, is about the spirit.   It is based on the idea that there exists something, be it a state of mind, a being, or a place, that is outside the experience of our five limited senses. Spirituality is the personal relationship of the individual to this state of mind, being or place.  And it often emphasizes the notion of a path or journey.   Spirituality is a goal in achieving understanding, or an improved relationship with the sacred.  As we move closer to this understanding we move closer to self-realization.

Being religious is following after a religious teaching about God. Being spiritual is seeking after the truth to know God, to know life. So, if want to “know” God you have to learn to “know” Him on a spiritual level. If you want to know “about” God then you join a denomination or some religious sect where men will teach you “about” God. In other words, spirituality comes from within you. Religion comes from outside of you.  Nothing or no one can give you spirituality. But many can give you religion if you allow them too.   This is not to say that religion is a bad thing! For many of us, religion is a way to cultivate our spirituality and share in the love that a community of like minded individuals can offer.  And while spirituality can be self-directed, we can often benefit from the structure of a religious discipline or community.

But the big take away here is that spirit is like the air we breathe, while religion is like the words we speak. The essence of spirituality is the search to know our true selves, to discover the real nature of consciousness. When we discover this deeper sense of self we are freed from many of the fears that plague us. We discover a greater inner peace, an inner security that does not depend upon events or circumstances in the world around. As a result we become less self-centered, less needy of the other’s approval or recognition, less needy of collecting possessions and social status, and become happier, healthier and more loving people.  And what could be better, especially in times like this, than to stare uncertainty and fear in the face and know that we are prosperous, perhaps not in money but in spirit?  This type of inner peace is worth more than anything that the material world can give us.

Namaste!

February 4th, 2009 | Category: Conscious Leadership | Leave a comment

Across gyms nationwide, Yoga has become quite popular, toted by many for its physiological benefits such as muscle toning, weight loss and increasing of flexibility.  All the major designer gyms offer some form of yoga to round out their to round out their class offering and recently, many are fusing Yoga with other fitness regimens to make keep its appeal fresh and to attract a wider base of their customers.  So in addition to the usual fare of “hatha” or “vinyasa” yoga that you might find on the class roster, you can now see new styles cropping up such as  “acro-yoga” or “hot nude yoga”.

What many folks don’t realize however is that yoga is so much more than just a path to physical fitness.  Yoga is actually a path to overall wellness and spiritual enlightenment.  Yoga, comes from the word “yuj” or “union” in Sanskrit, an ancient language from India where yoga first originated thousands of years ago.  The common notion, even among many aficionados or “yogis”) is that the practice of yoga is about unifying the mind, body and the spirit. This is only partially correct. In reality, “yoga” refers to the union between the soul and the universal soul, or the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness.

Yoga, when practiced correctly, involves a combination of flowing movements, deep and coordinated breathing exercises, momentary pauses in between poses coupled with a constant state of concentration and meditation that allows the body, the mind and the spirit to achieve a unified consciousness.  And it is that consciousness that allows the practicioner to reach that certain state of union with the divine.

When we westerners think of yoga, we usually visualize poses that are used to channel and focus energy with the hopes of being able to achieve some type of physical milestones.  For many of us, we want to have the same level of flexibility we see in our professors.  Or perhaps if we are doing Ashtanga or Power yoga, to be able to suspend ourselves in some artistic fashion.  Or we simply just want to be able to better balance on one foot.   We aren’t necessarily wrong to want these things – in fact, improving our performance only helps us go deeper into our practice, evolving our understanding of Yoga. However, the physicality of yoga is only one small aspect of the practice. A proper yogi is also focused on inward development through discipline, meditation, contemplation, and manipulation of physical energy.

Yoga is a transformation of human consciousness into divine consciousness. It is a means of leading one to introspection, reflection and meditation.  When we enter a deep state of meditation, we rest our minds, attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from normal waking state. In meditation, the mind is clear, relaxed & inwardly focused.   Meditation involves a type of inner attention that is quiet, concentrated, & at the same time relaxed.  Only meditation teaches us to fully experience the here and now, and when channeled within a structured yoga practice, allows the mind to be completely inward, penetrating into deeper levels of our being, while at the same time, providing the aforementioned physical benefits that make it such a wildly popular fitness activity!

So the next time you are doing a updog or balancing on one foot “in lotus”, think about the enormous benefit that yoga is having not only on your physical stability but also in your ability to be a force in the world mentally and spiritually!  I salute you!

Namaste!

January 22nd, 2009 | Category: The Yoga Monologues | Leave a comment

Chicago was the place to be for talented, PHD aspiring Latinos, African Americans and Native Americans this past week.  The PHD Project held its annual conference (which is by invitation only) and amassed a cornucopia of brainy professors, doctoral students and phd-exploring people of color in a rigorous 2-day conference designed as a “phd bootcamp” to equip would be doctoral students with every piece of information they could possibly need to make the big decision about whether to take the big leap or not.  It was truly an amazing experience.  But it wasnt merely  a data dump.

The conference also offered an opportunity to meet and forge relationships with truly impressive individuals interested or dedicated to educating the future business leaders of tommorow.  I felt truly fortunate and honored to be included in such high powered company.

For 2 days we spent every waking minute contemplating the possibilities, considering the (extensive) challenges and work involved and dreaming about the status and prestige that comes with being a highly paid tenure track professor at a business school.  The fact that we were mostly people of color also made us feel like we were truly part of a community — a flourishing enclave of soon to be academics that would all be connected heretofore by the network that brought us together to the windy city for this initial caucus.

As a part of the conference, we had a school fair where representatives from all over the U.S. came and set up booths to talk about their offerings.  I was both surprised and dismayed by the reactions and responses that came from certain schools when I told them what I wanted my potential coursework to be.

If you have been reading my posts, you know that I think there is a wonderful opportunity to integrate spirituality and conscious leadership into a business program.  As a society, I feel that we have become far too individualistic and focused on personal gain.  Its my strong opinion that we need to balance the need for wealth and prosperity with the overall well being of our community and society at large.  We also need to have a strong sense of self — spiritually (though not necessarily religiously) and as leaders that have a direct impact on the psyche and psycho-emotional well being of those we manage.

Well, some schools like the University of Conneticut, Rutgers, South Carolina and Wharton were extremely enthusiastic to entertain such a theme.  After all, the discipline of management — which is also called “Organizational Behavior” in many schools borrows heavily from other disciplines such as sociology and psychology.  However, I’m sad to say that some “premier schools” like a certain one located in Westwood, CA told me that I maybe I should be doing a Phd in psychology.  Another one located in the village here in New York City, told me that they didnt see a fit.  Alas, I learned a valuable lesson that day.  In fact, many.  A good Phd program is not one that is listed as a top business school in U.S. News and World Report or Newsweek.  A good program is one which offers flexibility in program design, one that is open to considering your ideas and one where the faculty has a diverse set of research projects and would be a good marriage for the duration of your program.  I learned that I need to a bit more research and cannot just consider an Ivy as necessarily the best program. Nonetheless, I am that much closer to deciding and the PhD Project has been invaluable.

Overall, it was such an education.  Did you know for example, that most PhD’s will waive your tuition AND pay you a stipend so that you can study full time?  I didn’t!!!  Suddenly, the opportunities seem endless.  I also learned however that if I take this major step, I might as well lock myself in the library for four -five years and throw away the keys.  Yep, its a commitment with a great reward at the end but one that will test your mettle, your relationships and your resilience.  In any event, next step — GMAT.  Yep, the almightly test that has broken many a man.  This time, i’m older, wiser and with a mission.  Next post I’ll tackle this little subject.  Enough said for now.

Namaste…..

November 28th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I recently attended the Salvador Dali exhibit at the MOMA and I became enamoured with a few of his paintings.  I happened to attend with a few of my friends who were visiting from Brazil so it made this particular trip to the museum extra special and more emotional that I expected!  As we walked through the extensive exhibit rooms, I became enthralled with much of his works.  His use of symbolisms such as the melting clocks and elephants have always amused me. In fact,   I already own a melting clock which sits in my living room but I never had owned an actual lithograph.  But in this visit with his works, one painting called out to me:  “Metamorphosis of Narcissus”.

Created in 1937, this great work of art uses what appears to be random imagery to support the idea that hope and despair are reflections of one another; on opposite sides of a coin, spinning in mid-air, waiting to land and fix or destroy everything. According to Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Unable to embrace the watery image, he pined away, and the gods immortalised him as a flower. Dalí shows this metamorphosis by doubling a crouching figure by the lake with a hand clutching an egg, from which the narcissus flower sprouts

The message that Salvador Dali was trying to get across is that hope and despair, failure and victory, and life and death are all equal forces, each one pulling the other in an eternal war to balance everything. It’s all a cycle, and like all cycles, it repeats itself forever and ever, and there’s no way of having one without the other.

For me, however the definition goes much further — I am Narcissus, a young man on the the cusp of transforming into something new and something different.    A being once ruled more by ego and struggling to find his place in the earth as an evolved entity.  This is the process that we must all go through.  Evolution is critical, not just to our survival, but for our own evolution.   It can be a painful and daunting experience, but if we are to truly realize our goals, our dreams, and aspirations, we must oftentimes let go of the conventions of youth and embrace the life lessons and insights that come from our experience.  It is truly then, when we can contribute to our society in a meaningul way.

November 20th, 2008 | Category: Conscious Leadership | Leave a comment