CONTENTS For October, 1961 MEET EVERETT-A FABLE .......................................................................................... 2 A PRACTICAL MEANS ................................................................................................. 4 UNDERSTANDING CONVENTION REPORT .......................................................... 6 COUNTRY TO COUNTRY UNDERSTANDING ........................................................ 8 world report ........................................................................................................... 10 GIANT ROCK CONVENTION ....................................................................................... 14 Poet’s corner .......................................................................................................... 14 book reviews ............................................................................................................ 15 COMING LECTURES .................................................................................................... 16 bulletin board ........................................................................................................ 17 ——— ♦ ——— THE STAFF EDITOR ........................................................................................... Dr. DANIEL W. FRY asst. editor ............................................................................. cleve twitchell circulation manager ........................................................... edna basmajian staff artist ................................................................................... gus tanasale ——— ♦ ——— SUBSCRIPTION RATES SINGLE COPIES 25c • ONE YEAR (12 ISSUES) $2.50 Published monthly by ‘Understanding,’ a non-profit organization ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO UNDERSTANDING, P.O. BOX 22, STA. C, PASADENA, CALIF. ——— ♦ ——— UNDERSTANDING VOLUME VI OCTOBER, 1961 NUMBER 10 DEDICATED TO THE PROPAGATION OF A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH, AND OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT OF EARTH. MEET EVERETT -- A FABLE This is a an item which your editor obtained from the ORANGE DISC, a magazine put out by employee stockholders of Gulf Oil Companies. We believe that it is most pertinent at this time. The item follows: Once upon a time a young chipmunk named Everett graduated from college and came home to visit his father, an elderly gentleman who lived under an Oak Tree near Covington, Ky. The first night he was home, Everett swaggered down the tunnel into the burrow dining room and helped himself to a big meal of his father's choicest seeds. Then he selected one of his father's best cigars, a full inch long and all Havana. "It's nice to have you home again, son," Mr. Chipmunk said. "Yep," Everett said; "Must be." "But," said Mr. Chipmunk, "I suppose ,you'll soon be leaving to look for a job." Everett flicked his cigar ash onto the rug. "Not a chance, Pop Definitely not a chance. The fact is, I don't like the whole economic system today." Mr. Chipmunk twitched a whisker ever so lightly. "What's the matter with it, son?" "No security," Everett chirped. "The way I see it, the state 2 UNDERSTANDING ought to take you over; give you a safe job, give you a snug, warm place to live, give you plenty of seeds to eat, give you free medical care, give you free clothes, give you. " Mr. Chipmunk gently raised a protesting paw. "Now just a minute, son. I'm proud of the American system. Lived by it all my life. I've worked hard, managed to save a few seeds each year, and we've not done too badly. The mortgage on our log is fully paid up. I was able to send you through high school and Chipmunk Aggies. And in a year or two I think I can retire. .. " Everett interrupted to grin at him. "Wise up, Pop; wise up! Why beat your brains out? If the state'll give you everything, what's the sense of scurrying all over the forest trying to earn a buck?" Mr. Chipmunk's tail snapped irritably. "Now listen, son. In the first place stop calling me Pop. In the second place you'll find that if you get entire security you'd lose your freedom. If the state were to give you everything, it would control everything; control your body and soul. I don't believe you'd like that." Everett burst out laughing. "Stow it, old timer, stow it! You just haven't got the word yet, that's all. But you'll learn." He whacked his father a jovial blow across the stripes. "Say, sport, how about lending me the car tonight? Big dance going on down in the meadow." Mr. Chipmunk reached in his pocket for the keys. "Drive slowly, son. Lots of rabbits tearing around in cars these days. You can't be too careful." "Don't worry about this lad, Pop. I can drive circles around any little old rabbit that ever came down the path." Next morning at 7 o'clock the phone rang beside Mr. Chipmunk's bed. "Sorry to bother you, sir," said a voice, "but your boy had an accident last night. Smashed up a couple of rabbits in a convertible. Frankly, sir, he'd been drinking. We had to put him in jail." "I'll be right over," Mr. Chipmunk said, tersely. Twenty minutes later Mr. Chipmunk arrived at the jail, a formidable structure the chipmunks had built by inverting an iron wash tub and imbedding the rim in solid rock. The sheriff led him to Everett's cell. Everett was alternately yelling and gnawing on the bars. "Lemme out!" he squawked. "Lemme out of this place!" OCTOBER, 1961 3 Mr. Chipmunk stared sadly at his son for a moment. Then suddenly he gave a little chuckle. "What's funny?" Everett screamed. "Get me out of here!" Mr. Chipmunk put a paw through the bars and patted Everett's head. "Tell me, son," he asked, are they keeping you snug and warm? " "Sure, but. " "Are they giving you enough seeds to eat?" "Sure, but . " "Are they giving you free medical attention?" "Medical attention, he says. Get me out. .. " "And I dare say the good sheriff will find a safe, easy job for you-on the rock pile. Am I right, sheriff?" "Right,"' said the sheriff. "And I suppose that the sheriff will even give you a free suit of clothes-a little number with horizontal stripes." Everett looked aghast at his father. "Cut the comedy, Pop!" he wailed. "Get me out of this place." "No, son," said Mr. Chipmunk. "I'd like you to stay right here for a few days. I think you'll find it a rewarding experience.'" "Why?" Everett screamed. "Tell me why, Pop!" "Because, my boy,'"' Mr. Chipmunk said, "it'll give you a very good idea what it's like to get COMPLETE security from the state." Mr. Chipmunk winked at the sheriff, put on his hat, and walked out of the jail. ——— ♦ ——— A PRACTICAL MEANS BY WHICH THE WORLD CAN BE MADE A BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE (The following essay tied for second place in Understanding's recent essay come. t, but then had to be disqualified for excessive length. We feel it merits publication however. -Editors) The world can be a better place in which to live only when we recognize it to be a personal, inside job, and that God being the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Father of all Men, we are all brothers and sisters in Spirit, with an inherited responsibility one 4 UNDERSTANDING to another and to our Universal Father. He decreed certain Laws for our mutual benefit and welfare. The first of these was "Love Ye One Another" -also "Ye Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me." In the breaking of both these Commandments we have reaped a distressing harvest. We must retrace our steps, each one striving to become a Channel for Universal Love and Power so as to express it first within ourselves and then relay it to others. In the great tug-of-war between the physical and the spiritual, it is not always easy to "Love One Another"-most of the time we fail to love ourselves. Humans do not as a whole, take kindly to discipline and so Love cannot be forced-we must creep up on it gradually and it might be well to begin with TOLERANCE as the least of the attitudes we dare display to those sharing the same Father. We need strength to cope with our problems; this necessitates our recognizing God as a silent partner and seeking his constant help as the Source of unlimited supply. This we can do only through PRAYER and MEDITATION. As we draw the Spiritual Light within we absorb its Vibratory Power and Love Essence and send it out again to bless others needing it. We choose AFFIRMATIONS to establish closer contact with Spiritual Power and to strengthen our Faith as we seek Blessings for ourselves and for others, wherever they may be. As Masters and builders of THOUGHTS we work at making them as constructive as possible. We also create MENTAL PICTURES of what we wish to express in our lives, knowing that inevitably the Innermost becomes the Outermost. We will realize the importance of Food in creating healthy minds in healthy bodies, and strive to keep our DIET as natural as possible-over or at least 50 percent being in the raw or unfried state. At mealtime we will observe the directing of Universal Energy into what we are about, to eat, to increase its vitalizing effect, by turning the left palm upward to receive, the right, downward and over the food as we center our awareness on Spirit and give thanks for our supply. Attention must also be given to exercising in the fresh air employing the DEEP BREATHING in of Prana or Life Force, as it circulates through the body on its cleansing, healing and OCTOBER, 1961 5 strengthening mission. Additional benefits can be derived from standing erect, raising both arms and face skyward as we invoke this Potent Force into our entire Being, sending it into all the seven Force Centers. We must seek out and use any God-given creative talent we have and let nothing stand in the way of working with and at it. Also, all Do It Yourself programs, using both hands and mind are wonderful for maintaining physical-spiritual balance. COLOR should be studied for use in daily living-it too, vitalizes and maintains health. We will note that the warm colors, Red, Orange, Yellow, deal with the physical nature; they stimulate and heal. The cool tones of Green, Blue, Violet, Indigo, deal with Spirit and so calm, relax and heal.