Zach Puchtel2013-05-21T08:33:47-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.news.moviefone.com/author/index.php?author=zach-puchtelCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Zach PuchtelGood old fashioned elbow grease.Abundant Gardenstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.31658142013-04-26T17:23:56-04:002013-04-26T17:24:21-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/"Those who love life do not read. Nor do they go to the movies, actually. No matter what might be said, access to the artistic universe is more or less entirely the preserve of those who are a little fed up with the world." - Michel Houellebecq
I am at this point. I have become utterly and hopelessly "fed up with the world." We all see it, we all feel it. Something needs to be done. Something needs to change. Our generation needs to take action like never before, but what do we do? Who is going to lead us? One thing is for sure, the old paradigm isn't working.
If you're a person looking for something to sink your teeth into that will produce a tangibly positive change in the world, I have just the thing for you.
Abundant Gardens is an organization founded by Elizabeth Guilliams. She was inspired to create the group when she witnessed a transitional person in downtown Los Angeles being served a plate of all brown food. Not the good kind, vegetables, salad, fruit. All brown and void of any nutrients or vitamins.
Guilliams began Abundant Gardens as an effort to provide sustainable organic gardens to those in transitional housing in LA. She is working to implement a University of California recognized "Victory Gardens" curriculum that will provide certificates in gardening. The training will allow residents to grow their own organic foods and also gives them an opportunity to find work as gardeners, farm hands and the like.
The sense of pride and accomplishment that they receive through honest work is another tremendous aspect of the project. Studies show that gardening lowers stress, balances aggression and cultivates optimism, all of which are desperately needed in the transitional community. Not surprisingly, research shows a correlation between the foods we eat and our mental well being.
There are incredible movements towards green living, sustainable growth and organic gardening in today's world. This project is a re-patterning of our city blueprint of food culture. We are retraining our poor to be self-reliant and are using the same amount of money already allotted to welfare programs to yield much more volume as well as much healthier food.
We have more than enough resources in this world to feed every single person. Feed the world? "That's impossible!" said the naysayer. No it's not, it's possible and it's happening.
Abundant Gardens needs help. We have an insanely skilled team of people ranging from MBA graduates to master gardeners who are making this dream a reality. Hundreds of people have already signed up to volunteer their time by directly planting gardens and we could use your help as well.
If you've read this far, then you have a heart, and you obviously care enough about the world to pay attention. The next step is participating. You don't have to get your hands dirty though we highly encourage it! We are looking for donations large and small, monetary and otherwise. If you believe that Abundant Gardens is a righteous cause, then give what you can. If you can't give anything, tell someone about our project and your spreading the word will be your gift.
We are teaching people how to catch the proverbial fish. Time to lend a hand.
Feel free to contact Abundant Gardens at abundantgardens@gmail.com and let us know how you would like to contribute to the betterment of the one of the largest homeless communities in America.
All donations are tax deductible and are made directly to our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Check out Zach's blog here: zachpuch.wordpress.com]]>Understanding ROECtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.30726262013-04-12T18:24:34-04:002013-04-14T10:38:39-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
As defined by Existential Detective Jessica Richmond:
"ROEC: A necessary crisis of identity that preludes the dissolution of the self or ego into a higher consciousness of oneness and connectivity with all things; aka transcending the physical world and developing the awareness of choice. 'Rapid Onset' refers to how our perception-of-time and willingness-to-participate-in-the-connection-of-all-things are related."
Have you ever had a moment when things seem out of whack? A moment when your entire body and mind seem to only be able to focus on the one thought or action that brought you into that state of out-of-whackness? That is ROECing. When you face a truth that feels like a lightning bolt in life or a significant factoid comes your way -- you can do one of three things: you can ignore it, you can hear it and not take action, or you can merge your energy with the new information and you can have rapid internal growth on the spot. ROECing is the term for the time in between the initial exposure to new information and the eventual acceptance of any given stimuli. It defines the moment when we have a choice to either grow or ignore.
Self-growth has become an industry filled with more self-help books than a person could ever need. Not to say that those books aren't helpful, as I've experienced first hand that they can be, but in all of my reading the one thing I have come to is this: if you want to change, you will. That's it. Thirty years of acquired knowledge and searching for truth and wisdom and the simple unyielding fact that I have found is that the choice to grow comes from within. Moreover, I've found that while a book can help guide an individual, wisdom comes from within.
It seems like a simple idea, and we hear it all the time from ancient sages and philosophers; but how often do we actually take on this knowledge and incorporate it into our daily lives? I myself get my daily fill of knowledge through aged quips in email form from thedailylove.com, among others. But as much as I consciously attempt to take on the ideals presented to me, it can be a long-term process to actively incorporate the things I know to be correct. Conditioning is a bitch.
Your body/mind/soul/heart all already know what you need and want. We each have everything that we could ever need simply waiting to be accessed. It reminds me of a Rumi quote: "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." Remove the conditioning through ROECing and experience near instantaneous growth.
When we consciously ROEC, we allow our wise inner guru to guide us forward on our life path. In these moments of intense awareness, situations can be confusing. When truly open to our inner knowledge, a massive perspective shift can occur in a matter of seconds. Richmond suggests that "this moment can be utterly disorienting; however if one allows themselves to change the prefix and instead be re-oriented, the confusion can transform into trust." In other words, you can allow yourself to feel that the world is a bit brighter every time you ROEC.
The result? Life is beautiful. From top to bottom it is just an incredible work of art.
As our generation of advanced humans continues to evolve, we have a responsibility to notate those things that we experience in order to build the world together. ROECing has given me insight to the human process when the mind is open, and I hope that this modest blog will allow others to make a bit more sense of the world around them.]]>The 'You Can Have It' Plantag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.25681322013-01-28T14:24:11-05:002013-03-30T05:12:01-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
I dig that you're black, seriously. Most of America does. You're the Jackie Robinson of politics, singing your Al Green and playing basketball at North Carolina. Honestly, you very well might be the coolest president of all time. JFK was cool, he had Marilyn, yeah, but you, you have the biggest stars in the world show up to sing you songs on Inauguration Day, and you're the perfect family man and husband to boot.
I'm wondering though, you're so good with people, you're so good with speaking and taking down evil regimes without any ground troops, why is it that you have so much trouble handling Republicans? It's become clear that a bi-partisan system doesn't serve the people because the two sides are too busy arguing over who is right rather than compromising on how to help the masses. No one's fault, just doesn't work. Not to associate Southerners with Republicans, mainly because of Florida and also because they have lots of guns, but a lot of these people still fly Confederate flags, believing that "the South will rise again!" The only thing rising in the South is the average temperature every year due to global warming, which many of them also don't believe in.
So here it is Pres., I have a plan for you. Yes, it is cut and dry, and yes it will offend some people, but radical decisions and progressive thoughts are always looked down upon before they are accepted and eventually revered.
It's called the "You Can Have It" plan. Here's how it works: People who don't believe in global warming, science, gun control, equality and clean fuel are allowed to do so in the entirety of the United States. From Florida to New York to Minnesota, California and Texas, the entire continental United States will be devoted to anyone who chooses not to believe. The cool part about the plan is that everyone will have a choice.
Those who do believe in the aforementioned move to Canada. It's called "You Can Have It" because this land's political landscape has been a battle ground for seemingly simple issues for much too long. Rather than bicker over whether a woman has the right to abort a pregnancy if she was raped, and other "hot button" issues, those who move to the North will be given a choice in how to live their lives as they see fit, within reasonable societal guidelines.
In 50 years or so, once global warming really starts to heat up, the South will be experiencing a sauna, and they will no doubt be crowding near the Canadian border, but they will not be let in. They will have been given all they asked for, and after continuing to burn fossil fuels, the hole in the ozone over the U.S. will be too much to bear.
Luckily, science will have found answers to to our CO2 problems, creating new plants that convert three times as much CO2 into O2 daily. (This already exists in nature -- life will find a way!) I understand that air travels over borders. I guess we can export some of our CO2 plants.
People in the North will also have access to life-prolonging medical supplies that will most likely be free of charge since the socialist system, which is set up to benefit the WHOLE OF A SOCIETY, will provide immaculate health care to all of its residents, not just its senators and rich. Also, stem cell research will have heavy funding, and the North will have organic replacements for every organ and tissue in the human body, not to mention cures for some of the world's worst diseases.
There are holes in the plan. They will have a lot of guns. I think we need lasers, really big ones... I bet science can handle that one.
Postscript: The North will be living side by side with robots too, just sayin'.
This post first appeared on Zach's blog: zachpuch.wordpress.com]]>Dear Hollywood Directorstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16242372012-06-25T11:19:07-04:002012-08-25T05:12:04-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
With great power comes great responsibility -- quote whomever you please on this, you understand it.
You reach millions of minds with the images you choose to place in your movies, and there is one place where I think you should be much more conscious about your decisions.
Now, don't get me wrong, I fully understand that the goal of most of you is to make as much money as possible. For those of you who care about influencing people in a positive manner as well, please continue.
(Assumption: Life on other planets may exist, and if indeed it does, their technology is inevitably vastly superior to our own.)
Terminator, Independence Day, Aliens, Signs and most recently Prometheus, along with countless others have all portrayed aliens as creatures that want to destroy humanity. Actually, next to ET, there hasn't been a single serious mainstream picture about life outside Earth that doesn't want to destroy us. (Thank you, Steven.)
At surface level, you're right, who cares?
They might not exist, they might. We really have no hard proof right now, so it's not worth arguing over. It is, however, fun to hypothesize...
Soooo... if they do exist and come here when we fully expect them to be hostile, some crazy extremist in the Middle East is going to launch a nuke at them before we even have a chance to make actual contact. Now, they most likely have the technology to freeze a nuke in its path, isolate the sender, differentiate him and all the other crazies from the general population with a personality-analyzation probe, and move on with talking to the rational ones among us. However, there is a chance they might take offense to the nuke and kill us all, ruining our chance to become intergalactic players!
We have more than enough things to be scared of today, and we do a great job making sure that everyone is aware of what's going south. The economy is going to collapse! I'll never have a job! Nuclear fallout in Japan! Global warming!
Why do we need to throw in aliens? Why can't we give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that they'll be nice and help us evolve? Truth is we don't really have a choice. Similar to how quickly robots would wipe us out if they had that prerogative, a species that has conquered interstellar travel most likely would have no trouble flipping us upside down with a single button.
Back to my point, directors: you guys need to stop scaring the people. Aliens are not going to kill us, and if they are, nothing we can do, so why incite fear that's paralyzing and misleading until then? You give people nightmares, stop it. Bad directors!
Create something beautiful that inspires a child to want to go into space, not fear that black goo will attack them and turn them into seven different species of alien/worm/octopus... (did anyone see Prometheus?)
Anyway, you're more creative than scary alien bad guys, and it's been played, soooooo played... lalala...
Seinfeld anyone? Yeah, it's been a long week.]]>L(ol)O(mg)V(gl)E(ml)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15309902012-05-20T11:53:13-04:002012-07-20T05:12:15-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
My first relationship was in 1996, at the ripe young age of 13. The majority of it took place in the virgin halls of an AOL chat room. I went to junior high with her, but was too nervous to approach her. I resorted to thinking of subjects to talk about, and then taking my time to type them out as we chatted. It made me seem very thoughtful.
This was only a glimpse.
Online dating is now a larger business than porn. We look to the Internet for our love solutions. Instead of circumstantially (and romantically) meeting someone in real life, we fine tune our search through thousands of possible mates instantly to speed up the whole fate thing.
It has worked for millions, and has now become a completely acceptable way of meeting people. So that's nice, but what's next?
You guessed it, cyborg relationships. It makes sense that a being with a superior intelligence would want to "be with" another that they could relate to. Their entire relationship might involve the sharing of feelings (if they still exist), and they most likely would be able to communicate without speaking words or even making physical contact.
What happens when robots gain a conscience? Are they going to want to be with other conscious robots? Will they have a desire to be with one other robot, or will they be so intimately woven into each other networks and systems that relationships as we know them will be a thing of the past?
What if a robot gets turned on by a cyborg? Would they be able to reproduce? (This might bring new meaning to the term lube.) What about a person and a robot, or a person and a cyborg? Really, these are the important questions that we need to ask ourselves. You think same-sex marriage is a big deal? Wait until Joe the Robot wants to take out your teenage daughter!
There is evidence of humans being intimately connected with computers. Just look at people and their cell phones. Wait until censors improve, and the computer recognizes the user's touch as a real connection. Will the electronic device feel as though they are connected? Do they already on some subconscious plane?
Think about this next time before you throw your cell phone down in a fit of rage, they just might remember it...
Here's where we are now. When two chatbots, meant to hold conversation with humans, are put together, this is the result. It might be a year or two before these chatbots form real conversations, instead of merely replicating human speech. Nonetheless, the potential is amazing.
Evolution is a funny thing, and often times difficult to recognize when you are in it. Take a look around the world and notice how much we rely on our devices. A mere 10 years ago, there was no Facebook, no smartphones, and no tablets. It's all happening now, and we need to stay aware of the changes as they occur, so that we can make important choices about humanity along the way, rather than being swept along mindlessly in the raging torrent of technology.
Then again, I did see a cute robot the other day. Bring it on.]]>The Future Is No Place for Feartag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.14911272012-05-07T08:28:54-04:002012-07-07T05:12:01-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
There are currently two major revolutions occurring: the enlightenment of man and the awakening of computers.
What's incredible to me is that they are intertwined in their quest for information and knowledge. The more powerful computers become, the easier it is for man to access information. The better information we have, the better computers we make, and so on.
"Futurists" (read: people with imaginations that can process trends), such as Ray Kurzweil (The Singularity Is Near) have been trying to educate the masses for years, with undeniable evidence that computers will, at some point in the foreseeable future, develop a consciousness much like ours, if not far surpassing our biological processes.
I don't want to convince you that this is the truth. In fact, there's no way I can. The evidence is out there, and if you seek to learn, then you can very easily access it, and I hope you do.
What concerns me much more is the indifference that we confront this subject with. When I have future conversations, I hear one of two responses. Either, "That is awesome, tell me more," but much more often, "Oh OK, computers are going to take over the world. You must live in Hollywood!"
Actually, I do live in Hollywood. And I do dream, and think, and learn, and I also like knowing where we're going so that I can can attempt to prepare myself.
It bothers me that people don't care, and not because we have differing opinions. It's as though we think this world is stagnant, and besides a new touch screen, things will always be what they have always been. This is simply not the case.
The world is changing faster than it ever has. I just read an article on CNN that claims our cell phones will soon be plugged into our brains.
And suddenly it hits me. I get it. I know why people don't want to believe it's happening! It's because this shit is scary. Legitimately scary.
Phones in brain = cyborgs = Terminator = end of the world = the Mayans were right. Self-fulfilled prophecy, BAM! Goodbye Earth!
Rest assured, if the computers ever wanted to kill us, it would take them no more than a few hours. (Yes, I said rest assured, read on...) Think about it, they'd simply shut off the lights. No phones, computers, GPS! Launch a couple nuclear missiles and then they'd have the place to themselves, and would probably be harvesting asteroids and conquering space within a month. (By the way, if you haven't seen the HUMAN mission to mine asteroids, please Google it, James Cameron is partially funding it!) Nevertheless, no reason to worry about computer takeover. Nothing we can do short of a self-inflicted trip back into the dark ages. Plus, all computer programming is directed towards accumulation of knowledge, which makes me think this will be their primary objective once conscious levels are reached, assuming we don't program them otherwise...
OK, so Terminator out of the way. What else do we have to fear? Ah yes, what will happen to humanity?! Oh the humanity! The emotions and feelings and love! If we're cyborgs, there won't be any concept of beauty left in the world!
Two things:
1) We have no way of knowing precisely what will happen with our brains. We may lose all feelings, or we might gain extra-human senses that allow for beauty to be not only recognized, but lived within.
2) Because we don't know, once again, worry has no place. I'd say you have a solid 25 to 30-year window of being "human," so I would recommend you do all the living you've ever wanted to do now, so that if the worst happens, you'll have no regrets. Use this as motivation to live life now like you've always envisioned, because it realistically could change before our eyes.
It's looking ahead that allows us to create effective constructs for living. In a time where many things are uncertain, we must individually live with an openness to change in order to feel secure in our lives. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
My wish for humanity is that we never cease learning for fear that we will lose something important. If you've ever taken a huge risk, you know this to be one of the greatest "pay-offs" that can be experienced, regardless of the outcome.
Me personally, I can't wait to be a cyborg. Must... eat... brains... just kidding, we'll probably be drinking DW-40.]]>Going Uptag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.14437642012-04-22T11:07:53-04:002012-06-22T05:12:02-04:00Zach Puchtelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-puchtel/
Think about this for a moment, in every interaction you ever have, you either leave better or worse off than you were before you entered. It is impossible to stay stagnant through life. Even if you've resorted to a place of perpetual purgatory, there will inevitably be some movement along the spectrum when you communicate.
It's not a hard thing to grasp, what's difficult (read: challenging and exciting) is being conscious of your state of being before and after being with someone. Are you inspired to make your life better or do you want to fill a void with fast food, sex, drugs or another empty vice?
There is a great adage that goes, "The brighter you shine, the larger shadow you will cast." The universe is a constant yin and yang, meaning that the brighter you shine, the more dark that you will inevitably attract. It's a bit counter-intuitive, as you would think that when you shine, you would attract other bright and like minded individuals.
I see this as the universe's way of making sure you're ready to shine at a certain level. Can you handle the darkness that comes with light, and can you shine your light onto the darkness when it stares you in the face, and challenges your very core?
I'm guessing some of you have felt this before. You just accomplish something meaningful, whether it is a promotion or a successful performance. Darkness often times comes in masks, so we might be introduced to a new love that seems perfect, or given an opportunity that seems golden, but after the initial honeymoon lens wears off, we see that effect for what it really is-darkness attempting to squash your light.
Protect what is yours. Know your light and your greatness, and do not be ashamed of it. Know that no one can protect you except yourself. We get into trouble when we rely on others for protection, and can become attached and dependent upon others for our self worth and esteem.
Marley said it the best, "None but ourselves can free our minds." I can't do it for you, your significant other certainly cannot, your parents have no chance, but you, you have the ability to live surrounded by love and devoid of fear, but you must commit to wanting that first and foremost.
As a good first step if this is resonating with you, try not talking about other people. Gossip is one of the most devastating tools we've devised to socially joust with one another, constantly trying to position ourselves in a better and higher place, unconcerned with who we step on along the way, as long as it results in the betterment of our social and/or financial situation.
I appeal to the sensible side of you, the side that knows Thumper from Bambi was correct when he said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." If you can't help yourself, and you must gossip, speak highly of another person, focus on their strengths, and see instant karma flow your way.
Intelligence is the way of the world; knowledge is more accessible than any time in history, so in case you need another guiding light besides Bob Marley and Thumper, I offer you insight from Albert Einstein. He believed that "mediocre minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talks about ideas."
I don't believe that anyone would choose to be mediocre, nor do I believe that anyone need be in this category. But, the choice is yours.
Today, focus your efforts on improving the lives of others; even if it be lending a simple smile to a stranger where otherwise there would be none. Make the world a bit brighter today, and a bit more every day after. Your life will follow suit.