From the Editor ’ s Desk
I don ’ t think I could have fathomed the amount of change we would all be experiencing when I made “ Change ” the theme of this issue in the Fall of last year . I had been going through a great deal of personal change in the first half of 2016 , I was still dealing with the aftermath of a relationship I ended in late 2015 , I bought a house in the desert to be able to escape from the bustle of LA , and then a month later my father passed away . Luckily I was there when it happened , but it brought a huge change both emotionally and physically as well . The process of being my father ’ s executor has been a long an arduous challenge and it has truncated my full ability to truly grieve - soon though . But little did I know just how great a change we would all be facing with the election of our current President . We have been pushed almost daily from his inauguration to find our place and to stand our ground as the swirling current of political change is sweeping towards us . I believed , even as disappointed as the many who did not vote for him felt , that there was hope , that the very nature of the office would imbue a modicum of dignity upon the office holder . Even though it is a Buddhist belief that change is the only constant , our current President hasn ’ t seemed to change at all and perhaps that is what those who voted for him were hoping . During Zen meditation the attending monk will walk the Zendo and with the Kyosatsu ( a stick with a flat end ) he or she will zap the shoulder of a meditator to “ wake them ” from zoning out , thus bringing them back to the present moment , focused on their current purpose . I feel the results of the election has done that to the country as a whole . Many have been awoken from the zoning out state they had been in , revealing a country they live in but suddenly didn ’ t fully recognize ; causing us all to be focused on the present and our purpose . Change is a part of our everyday life , from a button falling off a favorite shirt , to a good neighbor moving away , to a new promotion , or new member of the family . Some seem overwhelming and others are so common place we hardly acknowledge them . How we deal with the changes in our everyday defines us in many ways . At ProSeed Books our purpose remains the same , with perhaps a bit more focus on bringing you interesting articles with heart and humanity . The road ahead will undoubtedly not be an easy one , but we will be stronger from walking the path together .
Photo by D ! gby
3 THE CONE - ISSUE # 11 - 2017