Roots Archives Forum

jahganja7 wrote:side note...i remember hearing about Max Romeo being involved with Zen in the later 80's and 90's, anyone else hear this too?

yeah man, him was living ina NYC togeder wid a woman who introduced him to buddhism

him Roots seemed be strong ina 70s but slowly were dissolving an him trimmed de beard an went to NYC

some years before him returned to JA searching de Roots agen

BLESS

interesting how people with such strong roots in one arena can move to another with equal conviction and livication. Extreme beliefs of any kind are always dangerous...

i man sit inna meditation daily, but no claim to be buddhist...just a living man doing i thing

thumbs up!

I travel through London a few times a month and its not somewhere id be keen to live Nightmare, dispite all the reggae record shops!.

Jah Glu is right though NM, you should try get a proper speaker system, TV stuff never gives the same quality, but if it works, it works.

Super Ape, i like what your saying, I have quite a few books i read to meditate, it really works and sometimes i get this unexplainable feeling of strength and and well, its unexplainable.

I always believe in being able to get places and that i can do all of the things i wish to do, given time.

I agree the UK has many tranquil places, but still, no wilderness i dont think without the exceptions of areas of scotland and many moorlands.

i have been fortunate to of been able to travel around a lot of the UK, there are some beautiful places in Wales and Scotland and i have found many peaceful spots in Cornwall/Devon and Wiltshire, which just shows that there are many peaceful places (without wilderness) but i'd love to be able to walk and walk and walk and not find anything or anyone, just nature.

Im glad you have such a peaceful time out Easy, your trips must be idylic.

Jahganja; your meditation sounds like a great way to start the day and getting out to walk and hike so often must be a real release, i might read up about it and try and make more time for getting out.

Sorry if my replies seem a little disjointed.

This is an interesting question - and since I just happen to be finding some peace at this very moment, I'll be happy to expostulate on my own kind of self pacification.
I can honestly say that years ago I was pretty lazy and didn't have much of a sense of direction in life. Note, that I grew up in the country (Ireland if you must know) and that experience in itself was quite the opposite of what you might expect. It was mind numbing and I resented it-perhaps unfairly, but at that age-teenage the last thing I wanted was to be at peace, with myself or anything else! I was discovering Reggae and Dub at this time (and other music) and this was always a means to focus myself, but not in any deep way.
When eventually I moved to Dublin I loved it despite the fact that at the time it was a grim and economically challenged place. There was at least a cultural life - film, drama, music etc. When I started working was a really challenging time. Work and all of the agro that goes with it is something no young person is ever prepared for. A friend of mine at the time was an artist (painter) - not necessarily at peace with himself then or maybe even now but from him I learned the value of really applying yourself to something you feel passionate about. I bought a 4 track tape machine and started learning to play and record and I've been doing it for years ever since then - I've spent way more money on this passion than I've earned but it is the act of composing, performing, recording, mixing that expels demons, soothes the soul and clears the mind. Without music, there is no peace for me.
But...of course there is a but, there are always challenges and of course I've experienced miserable times just as anyone else does, where music is not quite enough to rectify things - maybe the motivation isn't there or whatever - but it always there as a bedrock to come back to. Things move in cycles. Sometimes I'm out of time with the riddim of life or whatever!
I've never been one for organized anything - I think you must find your own individual way to find peace and people need to respect each other's ways of achieving that peace. Unfortunately there are just too many fad self help codology philosophies and religions out there - most of which want your money and give you nothing in return. It is refreshing to read that people on this forum have very simple and unpretentious ways of dealing with the stresses in their lives.

This is long I know. One last point. I live in NYC these past several years and I really like it still. Never have any desire to go back to my country roots. To be at peace need not mean being at rest (as in a body at rest) - active and productive is in itself a means of achieving it. Helping others - not something I do much or enough of - but really worth doing just for that good feeling.
Hope this wasn't too long and waffly...
Every once in a while it is also a pleasantly regenerative and peace inducing inactivity for me to enjoy. It's called way more than 6 hours sleep per night. Give me a good 10-12 hour stretch every once in a while and I'm a happy Dub fiend...

http://www.myspace.com/eatingbetty

Hi RK,


There is a lot of alcohol everywhere !!It`s the amount you drink and the way you conduct yourself that can be a problem.There is a culture of binge drinking in the UK. that just wasn`t around when I was a youth.Now, I can have a few drinks,but I don`t go around with a knife,carrying a " chip on my shoulder " ,looking for the argument.Peer culture seems to have a lot to answer for !! ( BTW,this isn`t directed at you. )

The point being is I stay at home now,not out of fear,but my surroundings are to my taste,lots of music playing,good friends and family company.

I find that I spend a lot of time on my own,due to the fact that I work a week of earlies then a week of lates.SO I have to deal with myself and my own company.Lots of time in the early hours to think things through with no distractions.Being at peace with myself and getting to know myself is my own form of meditation,aided by some nice mellow tunes with the lights out.It might sound a bit Hippy but it works for me . Also ACEtone has a very valid point.SLEEP is a good form of mental regeneration.Don`t we all feel better after an undisturbed night`s kip ?

It appears as though I`ve waffled on a bit here,but the upshot of it all is take time to get to know YOURSELF,then the peace will follow.

Trevor

jahganja7 wrote:interesting how people with such strong roots in one arena can move to another with equal conviction and livication. Extreme beliefs of any kind are always dangerous...

i man sit inna meditation daily, but no claim to be buddhist...just a living man doing i thing

I concur.

I've seen religion do alot of good for some people. But extreme beleifs are dangerous. I beleive that if everyone simply was conscious not to hurt other people either directly or indirectly the world would be a much better place. To convey what I mean by "indirectly", an example could be a very wealthy person who does not help those in poverty. That wealthy person may not have done anything to directly hurt any impoverished people. However, by not helping those one is capable of helping, he/she is indirectly causing hurt. I beleive the well being of others is important for me (even those who I don't know) as everything in this world is connected in one way or another.

Sorry if I went off on tangent again.

As for finding peace. Snorkeling (swimming with fishes) works very well for me.