An essay by Sha'Tara, local writer and friend.

 From Vision to Success

[thoughts from ~burning woman~ by Sha’Tara]


It begins as an awakening, a life-pulse that says in unambiguous terms: serve others. A flash of light. A vision.


And so the mind responds, over-riding the body-brain built-in impulses at self-protection and self-pleasing. An intense moment of insane joy is experienced, that eureka, that “what if” possibility moment. “I can lose myself in service of others. I will no longer need to worry about myself. I can actually be free.” Euphoria.


Gradually the body-brain entity returns on-line and begins the slow, arduous task of complying to the urgent demands of the insane new mind. “Do this, do that, go, move, move! Nothing is impossible.” It complies.

The mind doesn’t see, doesn’t count, the costs, but the body does. It begins to rebel. Not openly. Something like getting sick – guaranteed get-attention device. This brings OTHERS to comfort it. That’s good. That’s getting things back on track. It learns. The mind is not invincible.


To help others, says the brain, you need your health.


The mind recognizes the necessity of this and acquiesces. Must heal the body.


To help others, says the brain, you need money.


Having compromised over the health issue, the mind rationalizes this to be correct: need money. Money not earned directly must come from OTHERS. Need to set up a system to raise the money. Means raising consciousness. Means advertising.


Advertising is a complex matter, says the brain. You need to hire professionals for that. You need to become popular, tour, lecture. You need to have a focus for your intended help, so supporters and donors will understand; feel a part of something tangible.


Yes, yes, that is sensible, agrees the mind. I need to make the world aware of my desire to help. I need to develop a specific area of help. Maybe write a book. Do a signing tour, give emotional speeches. Touch millions. I need a registered non-profit organization for this purpose. I will need a private jet and limousine service to save time and assure reliability and security for myself and staff.


And the vision morphs into a charitable organization whose primary focus becomes raising money so that there is money to run the organization, pay the board of directors, pay the staff, meet the operational costs of raising more money and have some left over to provide limited help to that target group the organization and its supporters recognize to keep the organization legitimate.


The mind is no longer troubled because it spends ninety percent of its available resources taking care of business. Such is necessary and proper and legal. It will be a while yet before the mind realizes it’s back in its old prison and it will never realize that the “help” it is now giving is not real.


The trap has sprung shut.