Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) (14 page)

Those who called the
helpline came from all walks of life and over the decades the clientele
included shop owners, taxi-drivers, cashiers, celebrities, office clerks, fast
food workers, engineers, nurses, waiters, waitresses, CEO's, customer service
reps, truckers, actors, actresses, loaders, baggage handlers, authors,
directors, producers, janitors, warehouse workers, journalists, secretaries,
bookkeepers, teachers, maids, pilots, maintenance people, lawyers, hoteliers,
government officials, pimps, hookers, bankers, ex-convicts etc.

Twice a year the
organization would hold a get-together where the Chairman would host a feast
for the volunteers who were educated, compassionate, eclectic, enthusiastic and
inspiring. The Chairman was a wise and generous man revered for his wisdom,
both, from a monetary and spiritual angle. He wanted to share his secrets,
"real secrets of life", with them.

There are principles
and then there are tactics or techniques. Principles are few and far in-between
whereas tactics range in the hundreds or thousands. He wanted to share his
life-transforming principles (and a few techniques), the best of the best, with
these good Samaritans; they deserved it. The possibilities were limitless once
the foundation was laid.

The chairman had a
handsome forehead, deep-set eyes, lush eyebrows, an aquiline nose and a head
covered with silvery-white hair. The volunteers could invite their family and
friends, and the event was always a memorable one.

The post lunch session
was the most precious part of the day. By then everyone had melted into each
other and the gathering resembled one big, complete, happy family. The Q&A
session would begin where they could ask the Chairman absolutely anything. No
topic was deemed inappropriate or juvenile, and they were free to go in any
direction. The volunteers came from all walks of life and despite vast
differences, both economic and social, they all shared a common thirst for
love, money and happiness. Yet, at times, the intensity of that thirst seemed
to get in the way of everything they yearned for.

CHAPTER
2

What
do you want?

“So what's the first
question going to be?” asked the chairman, as he smiled magnanimously.

“How do we make money?
Lots of it?” asked one man.

“Yeah, that's a good
one. We’re not happy living like this," said an older man. "A fat
bank balance is always welcome.”

“Anything else other
than money?” asked the chairman, with a twinkle in his eye.

“Ooh, ooh, and
happiness at all times,” said a young woman.

“Yeah, and a stress
free life,” said an elderly lady.

“All three if
possible,” said one girl.

“That would be asking
for too much, I guess,” said a young guy.

“So money, happiness
and a stress free life are your top three wishes for the year. That’s doable,
although there are far more interesting challenges in life,” said the chairman.

“We’ve had enough
challenges. There's so much pain and suffering even amongst the educated. A few
on top shittin' on the rest of us,” said a man, in a slightly frustrated tone.

“That’s understandable,
so let’s start with money,” said the chairman. "Before we start, wouldn't
it be nice to know the personality traits that the rich possess?"

"We already know
that. They're smart and intelligent and come from rich backgrounds…," an
impetuous young man retorted before he was cut off by an older man.

"We're here to
listen and learn from him. I think there's more to it than meets the eye. Yes,
we'd like to know the personality traits the rich possess," said the old
man, sounding a little irritated.

"They're not smart,
not intelligent, not rich, not lucky, not talented, not beautiful, not
privileged, not confident, not achievers, not the most popular, not likely to
succeed, been laughed at the most and have failed more than most," said
the chairman, much to the astonishment of all those gathered.

"That gives us so
much hope," said a young man. "You just described me perfectly."

"That means you'll
be rich, happy and stress free," a middle aged woman chimed in.

All of a sudden the
mood changed. There might be a chance after all, everyone thought. Something
deep within them stirred. Really? Was it really true that most rich people came
from such wretched backgrounds? Wow, who would have thought?

"If that's the
case then what about the things we see on TV and read in the papers?"
asked a young woman, still not convinced.

"The media gives
people what they want. If they portrayed boring people who wore boring clothes
and drove old, ugly cars and lived in modest homes then no one would watch the
TV or read the papers anymore," said the chairman.

"Makes a lot of
sense," a young woman said. The rest nodded in agreement.

"Moving on, does
anyone know the First Law of the Universe?" asked the chairman. He scanned
everyone's faces, waiting for an answer. When none came forth he replied.

"Whatever you want
will be yours!"

 "Then how come we
don't get what we want?" a young man shot back.

"Well, when I
asked you what the first law of the universe was, you didn't reply," said
the chairman with a smile. "Then how do you expect to get what you
want?"

"Also, when you
ask for something there's a lack of clarity. Because of this lack of knowledge
and lack of clarity, you ask feebly, and you get a feeble response, which, as
we all know is not what you wanted, but you got what you deserved.

"The first law of
the universe is also the deadliest law of the universe. It's a double edged
sword.  Exercise caution - for the cosmos will indulge your every whim and
fancy."

"So let's get
right to it," said the chairman.

CHAPTER
3

Plugging
Massive Energy Leaks

“Before we can even
begin to talk about money or anything that we aspire for in life, it’s best to
understand one simple fact -
your ability to create
is directly
proportional to the energy resources at your disposal,” said the chairman.

"In many cases the
readiness to forge ahead exists, but the chains that bind you are still in
place. So it's best to begin by taking a look at what's holding you back, break
free from them, and then begin marching on the path to prosperity.

“Most (99%) are stuck
in a low energy realm and hence your ability to live the life of your dreams
remains a dream.

“Are you aware of the
fact - that not only are you in a dream state while you sleep, you’re also in a
dream state while you are awake. It’s one big continuous dream,” said the
chairman.

“How come we’re
dreaming/sleeping while we’re awake?” asked one guy, scratching his head as he
shifted around awkwardly.

“How many of you
daydream during the day?” asked the chairman.

“All of us do that,”
said one man.

“And how many of you
brood or get melancholy?” asked the chairman. “When I say brood, I mean to
‘blame, complain and criticize’, which happens to be the single biggest pastime
you engage in.”

“This tape that whirrs
in your head for ever and ever until you go to sleep, exhausted,” said the
chairman. “You see, more than 80 percent of the waking state is spent either
day dreaming or brooding i.e. thinking about the past or the future.

"Only the
remainder is spent doing something fruitful; this is when you are fully awake
and
not leaking any energy
,” the chairman said and then asked, “How many
of you blame, complain and criticize on an hourly basis?”

Everyone raised their
hands, except for a young man up who had been busy daydreaming.

“Now, how many of you
are infatuated with celebrities? How many of you dream of marrying them or
hanging out with them?” asked the chairman.

The daydreamer suddenly
realized that everyone had raised their hands and raised his hand slowly, so
that no one would notice. Everyone noticed.

“Infatuation sucks you
bone dry on a daily basis, beware,” warned the chairman. “When you daydream you
are projecting the future and when you are blaming and complaining (tape
whirring) you are projecting the past.

"So even when your
eyes are wide open, your awareness 'is zero', since you are busy day
dreaming(future) or brooding(past), hence the dream continues even when you are
awake,” said the chairman.

"Is dreaming at
night a good thing?” a young girl asked innocently.

“There are two things
that happen while sleeping and it's important to make a distinction. When you
are just about to wake up, you get flashes which last for a very short time and
are normally forgotten by the time you are fully awake,” said the chairman.
These flashes are helpful, they are symbols i.e. coded information that comes
in the form of an image along with an emotion, and they point you in the right
direction.

"Nature by default
is very lazy or super-efficient, call it what you may, so it always tries to do
things using the least amount of energy in the shortest possible time period.

“Dreams on the other
hand go on for a much longer duration and are a massive energy leak. They take
on two forms. In most cases you dream of things that happened to you during the
day – as is. The second form also replays the same information, but in the form
of symbols and emotions, so you feel that something new is being revealed but
it's the very same thing.

"For example, you
run into a person you dislike and later on that night you dream of a snake that
symbolizes the dread and dislike all rolled into one.

"These dreams go
on for a very long period of time whereas when it comes to intuition it only
takes a matter of seconds. So dreams violate nature's law of 'doing things
quickly by expending the least amount of energy.'

“Once you stop
daydreaming and brooding during the day, you will have no dreams during the
night, and when you do get an intuitive flash you’ll remember it much more
easily. You’ll wake up fresh and with lots of energy,” said the chairman.

“I thought dreams were
good stuff. Isn’t that what life is about, living your dreams?” asked one man.

“Yeah, me too,” said a
young gal, perplexed.

"A daydream is a
desire," said the chairman, "a desire for a better life. How long
does it take for desire to take birth? Nanoseconds? So why do you need to dream
or daydream for hours on end?

"Once you have a
desire, '
Act'
. It's the fastest way to accomplish your desires. Once you
focus on accomplishing the task at hand inspiration flows freely and
abundantly, you progress towards your goals with lightning speed and the end
result is bliss.

"Instead, what do
you do? You daydream. Stop dreaming and Act on your desires.
Your inability
to act is the single, biggest reason for failure. Take that first step
immediately.

“Watching a one hour
movie on the big screen is a tiring process," said the chairman. "Now
imagine how tiring an eight or ten hour movie can be? This is what you do every
day - you mindlessly project the past or the future and blissfully forget about
the present.

“This is how disease
and lifelong sickness enter your body because your body is barely able to
replenish itself while you sleep.

“With all this
happening, awareness goes for a toss. You dream and brood even more of the
'good life' or the lack of it, and the cycle repeats itself for eternities -
your dream state continues unabated,” said the chairman.

“Nize explanation,”
said a young gun.

“Yeah, it does make a
lot of sense,” said a woman. The rest nodded their heads - none more vigorously
than the young man awoken from his daydream.

Chapter
4

Empty
Yourself First

"Ok, let's move
on," said the chairman as he gazed around the room. "Does anyone know
the most important instruction one has to keep in mind if one has to move
forward in life?” asked the chairman, with a quizzical look on his face.

Everyone stared
straight back at him, barely moving a muscle physically or mentally.

“Empty yourself, empty
yourself of your memories, your conditioning. Your inability to let go of the
past poisons your body,”
the chairman proclaimed.

“Remember how you said
'That would be asking for too much',” as he pointed to our dear daydreamer, now
almost fully awake. "That’s what I’m talking about, there’s too much
memory, too much baggage, too much conditioning that keeps you chained to the
same spot.

"Before I go on I
would like to add that we're specifically talking about your conditioning, your
superstitions, your warped view of the world etc. We're not talking about
erasing good memories."

"Why is memory the
culprit?" asked an elderly woman.