Jean-Claude Gerard Koven – Shooting Dead Horses

Rancho Mirage, California

rsfc-01/30/07-confessions-koven

Confessions of a metaphysical huckster

Commentary: Shooting Dead Horses

The greatest hawkers on this planet are not car salesmen or infomercial producers. The
real superstars are the ones who sell us the word of God. Let the buyer beware!
----------------------------------------

Each time I write a new article or conclude a speaking engagement, I reinforce the
humbling realization that I, like every other human being on this planet, am a salesman.
Although I=d like to pretend being a few degrees removed from the television pitchmen
promoting new super cleaners or ultimate knife sets, in truth, I=m not. All of us, despite
our belief to the contrary, are hucksters, promoting an agenda; most of us simply refuse
to own up to it.

We find it easy to ridicule the obvious peddlers of expediency: How do you know if a
politician is lying? You can see her (or his) mouth move? Or, as 19th century European
statesman Otto Von Bismarck once remarked: “People never lie so much as after a hunt,
during a war or before an election.”

But it=s the covert “truth mongers” – the ones who are so swept up by the righteousness
of their particular point of view that they can no longer disentangle themselves from their
own rhetoric – that cause us the most harm. Lawyer and feminine activist Wendy
Kaminer (author of {ital}Free for All: Defending Liberty in America Today{/ital}) noted,
“To rationalize their lies, people – and the governments, churches, or terrorist cells they
compose – are apt to regard their private interests and desires as just.”

I would take Ms. Kaminer=s sentiments even further, suggesting that the vast majority of
people who publicly profess their views in fields as diverse as religion, politics, and
social commentary, sincerely believe what they say. To me the danger lies not in the
deliberate lie, but in the inability of so many “preachers of good” to distinguish belief and
opinion from truth – assuming such a thing the immutable truth they claim to represent
actually exists. I used to be entertained by the bible thumping preachers on Sunday
morning television who instruct awe-inspired congregants about the literal word and
intent of God. I stopped considering these television evangelists a benign force once I
realized how many millions of people willingly give them their power. These men and
women act as if they have a direct line to the throne room, unabashedly invoking God=s
will to underscore the validity of their message. May they be blessed, for they are as
much of a huckster as I am. What separates us is not so much our message – although
some would argue we are at polar opposites – but in the vehemence of our belief. Those
who know me well would tell you that I am no champion of belief. In fact, I consider it to
be the lowest possible form of processing information and the greatest single stumbling
block to human self-realization.
1
Whenever I address a group, I try to be up front about my agenda. Despite the fact that I
disdain it, I fully appreciate the role belief plays in forming one=s sense of identity. As
humans, we tend to perceive ourselves in terms of our religion, nationality, sex, social
standing, political leaning, vocation, family, favorite sport teams, and a host of other
biases based solely on belief and personal or social preferences. I make it clear in any
talk, that if anyone is so completely caught up in their present views that there=s no
room to explore beyond their existing beliefs, then further dialogue can serve little
purpose. I have no desire to have them trade one set of beliefs for another; such a swap
serves neither of us. I invariably tell the audience that I am there to sell three things and if
they don=t want to hear my sales pitch, neither of us should feel badly if they choose to
leave the room. My holy trinity (the three products I pitch) evolved over time as my
current cosmic view began to crystallize, causing me to see humankind and the struggles
we have on our little planet, in a new light. I fully expect that this perception will evolve
as new insights emerge. Perhaps serves to explain what I mean by the phrase,
“vehemence of belief.” When anyone considers the written word (as in a religious text or
political platform) or yesterday=s epiphany as immutable gospel, then there=s precious
little room for exploration; the “Truth” has already been told (God has spoken) and
one=s choice, we are told, is limited to adherence or damnation.

I perceive that we have many more options than conventional wisdom would have us
believe. To begin with, I do not embrace God as a noun. There is no He, She, or It in my
mythology; there is only the Great Mystery – the vast, unknowable unfoldment of
creation, itself. When one considers God a noun, one is forced to accept the implicit
separation between the creator and the creation. If we believe ourselves created in God=s
image then clearly, we are separate from Him (Her or It). To my way of seeing things,
there is only God. Nothing exists within the infinite universes, manifest or not, which is
not part of this Oneness. That makes every grain of sand, every tree and animal, every
human, planet and galaxy an aspect of God. It is not that God is {ital}in{/ital} all things –
for that too implies separation – but that God {ital}is{/ital} all things. The downside of
this way of seeing things is that it renders all intermediaries between man and God
redundant. Should one hold this point of view long enough, one=s need for religion soon
evaporates like the morning fog. As you might imagine, this is not a popular concept to
present to those who have already become inextricably entrenched in their existing
perception of the “truth.”

The three products I sell, when enfolded within one=s consciousness, constitute the
ingredients for transformation. The construct of my presentations differ little from a
typical infomercial seen on the tube. It is meant to be entertaining, informative, and
above all, a call to immediate action. I freely admit to one and all that I am a consummate
pitchman.

The first product I encourage people to buy is {ital}Increased Awareness{/ital}. My

intention here is to remind my audience that there actually is a universe out there beyond
the drama of everyday life and that they are not only a tiny part of it but, as a tangible,
sentient expression of God (the All-That-Is), they actually {ital}are{/ital} it. Each of us
2
embodies the potential of infinite vision. As we become willing to let go of our sense of
limitation, our consciousness expands and we shift to increasingly elevated perspectives
from which to revisit our previous notions of existence.

As a bonus, I throw in the second product, {ital}Curiosity{/ital}, at no extra charge. This,

I explain, is the impelling force behind all aspects of creation. If God is all things, then
every manifestation within the creation is an aspect of that oneness experiencing through
its own particular point of perception. In others words, each being is a part of God, or as
the French Jesuit priest and philosopher, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, put it: “We are not
human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human
experience.”

We are each part of the vast cosmic hologram that makes up the All-That-Is. Every aspect
of the creation is imbued with two inalienable rights: free will and curiosity. The two,
working in tandem, is how the oneness experiments – through the ever expanding
permutations and combinations it employs – to plumb the limitless nuances of its infinite
nature. To the extent that we relinquish our curiosity, we stop serving the creation. The
true measure of our worth to the oneness is found in our individuality, not in our
conformity. I encourage each being to rekindle the curiosity he (or she) had as a child.

But wait, there’s more – as every hard-sell commercial invariably exclaims, just as you
are weighing the value of the deal. If you accept the first two products on my
unconditional, lifetime, money-back guarantee (of course, there=s no charge – but this
iron-clad assurance it seems to appease certain people’s cautious nature), I’ll include a
third bonus, that will not only dramatically enhance the power of your newly acquired
{ital}Increased Awareness{/ital} and {ital}Curiosity{/ital}, but will turbocharge your life
in ways you never imagined. With this third gift, you’ll instantly become the envy of
your former self. You will amaze the old you with new-found purpose as you harness the
powerful, laser-like focus that is the hallmark of every world-class athlete and
international business tycoon. You will begin to swagger through your life with the
boldness of an adventurer, seizing opportunities as they come, vaulting over obstacles as
if they were insignificant pebbles on the path. This third gift may well be the most
powerful of all: {ital}Personal Empowerment{/ital}.

These three products combine to make up my holy trinity. I freely admit to pitching them
hard to anyone who might listen. I never tell audiences what to do with these cosmic
perks; frankly, I would have a clue where to begin. But, at the insistence of my celestial
attorneys, I always include the following disclaimer: These three gifts are given freely
with no strings attached. There is no dogma, no {ital}ism{/ital}, no {ital}ology{/ital},
and no prepackaged, well-signposted path for you to navigate. You are free to follow
wherever your curiosity may lead; just bear in mind that what you ultimately do with
these three gifts constitutes your gift to creation – and consequently, to yourself.

{emdash} {emdash} {emdash}

3
{italic}{bold}Jean-Claude Gerard Koven{/bold} is a writer and speaker based in Rancho
Mirage, CA. He is a featured weekly columnist for UPI’s (United Press International)
ReligionAndSpirituality.com and the author of “Going Deeper: How to Make Sense of
Your Life When Your Life Makes No Sense,” recipient of both the Allbooks Reviews
editor’s choice award and the USABookNews.com award for the best metaphysical book
of the year. For more information, please visit: {url
http://www.goingdeeper.org}www.goingdeeper.org{/url}. © copyright 2007 Jean-Claude
Gerard Koven{/italic}

{center}{italic}-- -- --
ReligionAndSpirituality.com is a big tent for all expressions of faith and spirituality,
neither excluding nor favoring any. All opinions expressed belong to the writer alone,
and are not necessarily shared by ReligionAndSpirituality.com.{/italic}{/center}