This week I have something unusual in store for the 20 Questions. Usually I have to go begging people for questions or I approach people I think will be interesting and beg them to answer my 20 dumb questions. This week, as a change in plans, I have been approached by someone wanting to be asked my 20 Questions.
This week I am asking JP Sears 20 Questions. I know very little about Mr Sears. He has a YouTube channel (Awaken with JP) and you can schedule some personal sessions with JP through his website AwakenWithJP.com. He is a mindfulness spirituality practitioner and teacher. But other than that, I don't know much about him. I guess this is what the 20 Questions will be for.
As my very few consistent readers know, my first career was as a cartographer. I have always loved maps and mapping things out. When I was studying geography, I really enjoyed the concept of a "geographic story." Let me share with you my personal geographic story. I was born just outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at Tinker AFB. As an Air Force Brat my family moved to Montgomery, Alabama and stayed there a few years before moving 2 hrs north to just to the Birmingham, Alabama area, more specifically, in a smallish town called Center Point. I went off to Kent State University in Northeastern Ohio where I met my college sweetheart. We both went to grad school in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio State, and have lived in the Greater Columbus Area for almost 20 years now. Question 1: What is your geographic story?
I grew up in northwestern Ohio and then moved to Southern California when I was 23 because Ohio wasn’t spiritual enough for me. Two years ago I moved to the east coast of the US because I got too spiritual for Southern California, it couldn’t handle me. More recently, I’ve moved from practicing hardcore presence in the Now to being present in the Soon. It’s a much more progressive place for me to reside.
I am not certain that Northwestern Ohio is spiritual enough for anyone. It is kind of a spiritual void, ask any of the dead-eyed drones living there.
So, with your level of enlightenment, Question 2: Where would you most like to live?
I’d like to find a place with the spiritual pretension-ness of Santa Monica, the organic-ness of Ashland, OR, the unkept armpit hair of Boulder, CO, and the Ayahuasca-ness of Peru. So, in other words, I’m still looking for real estate.
I'm not sure that Shangri-La exists. Maybe it is like that old maxim of you can choose 2 of the 3: good, fast, or cheap. I would suggest the armpit hair and pretension-ness... That's got to exist, right? (Not a question, only rhetorical. We all know that is Berkley.)
To steal a bit from Paul F Tompkins. Question 3: cake or pie? Which specific kind, and why?
Definitely pi. The sacred geometry behind it is simply far more sacred AND geometrical than the glutenous filled boring poison that is the wet dream of any child's birthday party. Always pumpkin. And always exactly 3.14159 ounces of it.
Oh, the ratio of diameter to circumference wins again. It really is irrational how many people enjoy pie. Measuring to the hundred thousandth place is difficult. I commend your precision.
Question 4: If you had to choose between precision and accuracy, which do you go for?
Accuracy. It’s always way more precise.
Interesting. Accuracy without precision can be an issue, and accuracy does not presuppose precision... and vice versa. These can be mutually exclusive properties. One can be accurate without being precise, and one can be precise without being accurate. It is like the yin and yang of targeting.
My favorite yoga position to say is "chaturanga dandasana." It is great to say in an announcer's voice. Question 5: Do you have a favorite yoga posture that you just enjoy saying? Not necessarily doing, but saying.
Yes, a cliff side Anjali Mudra is my favorite pose to say that I do. Speaking of the dangerous location in which I say that I do the pose adds more mystique, which obviously gives me better results from the yoga session that I talk about doing.
JP
P.S. Check out “What I Love About The Olympics” my latest Ultra Spiritual video.
Ookaay… Interesting that you want me to look at your video. Not quite germane to our discussion, But I will give it a view.Anyway… dangerous locations do add mystique to everything. My favorite is cliffside milkshake making. The milkshakes are just better when there is some risk. Everything is more vibrant when one's fear of heights is engaged. I am quite the milkshake maker. Really I am a bit of a milkshake marvel. Most people do not know of my amazing capability to make milkshakes. It is one of my best hidden talents.
Question 6: Do you have a hidden talent that people would be surprised about?
Yes, I’m exquisitely talented in having the inability to pay attention when someone is going on and on about milkshakes.
That is not nearly hidden enough. Your loss anyway. I have been perfecting a cookie butter milkshake that I can never eat. It is very much a “the sound of one-hand clapping” thing. I am perfecting something of which I cannot experience. How do you like them apples? Rhetorical question not the actual question...
So, I unfortunately have to be gluten free. It is under much duress and gnashing of teeth that I am no longer allowed to eat any breads or grains that actually stay together when chewing... I have watched your gluten video... Question 7: why must you mock my pain?
First of all, congratulations for achieving gluten intolerance status. It's true, I do not people who can still tolerate gluten. It's my way of helping wake those people up so that they can live a good life of progressive intolerance to gluten. One of the main purposes of my life is to democratize gluten intolerance for all. Your next step on your path of progression will be to become intolerant to those who can tolerate gluten.
You.. you seem to have turned that on me somehow… I am only intolerant of them because I want to eat a doughnut so badly. A nice yeasty doughnut that has been deep fried and glazed with some type of confection. Those were the days, my friend. I could eat doughnuts with wild abandon. I miss them so much.
Question 8: "Doughnut" or "Donut?"
Donut. The simplicity in its spelling bleeds Taoism.
Question 9: Aside from any "free Tibet" arguments, does Taoism actually bleed?
It bleeds more than Confucius bleeds confusion.
You have not read Confucius lately then. His witticisms are confusing and sometimes just outright wrong
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."
All I have to say is SPIDERS
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
Even the best jobs have drudgery.
"I hear and forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
Ugh... I get it. Confucius is a visual and kinesthetic learner.
Any hoo...
Question 10: Fill in the blanks. I find that I am mostly _______. Others find that I am mostly _______.
Humble. Amazingly humble.
It is really nice that you are on message with yourself.
Now I am going to ask a deceptively simple question that has nearly infinite levels of complexity underneath it's simple form. Contemplate the complexity before answering it because it requires a surprising amount of introspection.
Question 11: Are you happy?
No, I don't do emotions. They're too damn human for me. The feelings that I am into are very non-human emotional feelings such as bliss, ecstasy, euphoric, unconditional love, and abundance. I'm all of these things and an abundant amount of more than them too.
That makes so much more sense. I understand you on a much deeper level now. Question 12: Transcendence can be an emotion, right?
Transcendence is a dimension of enlightenment where you end the trance of having emotions. Trans-END-ence. I don’t know exactly why the word has the “ence” on the end. But I do know that you can’t spell transcendence without “end.” And that’s exactly what you should do to all of your non-spiritual emotions, which is all of them by the way… End them.
JP
P.S. Check out “Flat Earth Theory” my latest Ultra Spiritual video.
I am starting to think that you are only using my blog for some kind of marketing thing. Weird segue since I am a geographer at heart and a cartographer by training. Anyway… Back at it…
"Ence" just shows that it is a noun and sounds better than "transcendosity."
Oh, unlucky 13... Question 13: do you have any superstitions or rituals?
I don't believe in superstitions because I think they're bad luck. I do have rituals though, big time. Who do you think put the ritual in spiRITUAL?
The same people who put the "GLAD in gladiator?"
Anyhoo... I figured you would be against superstitions, but full of ritual. That seems to be how you roll.
Question 14: What ritual do you find yourself doing the most? What does it do for you? (2 questions at the same time? my dojo, my rules)
Posting yoga photos of myself to Instagram. What does it do??? Scientifically speaking, I’ve documented that posting a photo from your yoga session makes your yoga session 50% more effective. And if there’s a 50% chance that you’re gonna die in your yoga photo set up, then your yoga photo is 50% more effective at making your yoga session 50% more effective. Cliff side Anjali Mudras and Downward Dogs at high tide are my favorite.
Question 15: Do you really think that risk increases reward?
No. But it definitely increases the effectiveness of your yoga session. And there’s significant reward in that. The only alternative is to increase your risk of being unrewarded.
That is some convoluted risk assessment. It seems almost circular. Well we are on the downward slope of the 20 Questions now. Question 16: is there a question you were expecting me to ask you that I have not?
Funny, because I was expecting you to ask that question. I do anticipate you asking me what my hair care beauty secrets are.
So, you have lustrous silky smooth copper colored hair that seems to always be amazingly coifed. Question 17: what are your hair care beauty secrets?
Look at that hair!!!
I'm not telling, because they are secrets.
Fair point, but it is so lustrous... It is like copper silk. Oh well.
It is time to turn the tables. I am a little afraid to ask this, but Question 18: do you have any questions for me?
Yes. How intimidated does your higher self feel by me?
My higher self is beyond simple concepts like intimidation. To be intimidated implies inferiority and superiority. My higher self is beyond such base concepts because my higher self understands that aspiration for superiority is hope and that hope only leads to pain because it is the acknowledgement of something better that is missing. My higher self is beyond the trifles of this mortal concept of "better."
That being said, I have never accessed my higher self and have been quivering in your inimitable shadow for 18 questions.
Question 19: what are you taking from these 20 questions that you did not bring in with you?
I'm definitely taking a new ray of enlightenment. I've learned so much reading my own answers to your questions.
Well, I am glad to have supplied a platform for you to inspire yourself. I am the mirror and you are the bird calling itself "pretty."
Question 20: What's next? Be as vague or concrete, as close term or long-term, as philosophical or grounded as you want.
Next I'm going to the Symbiosis Gathering where thousands of people are coming to see me. I think they might have some other speakers and performers too... In addition to my speaking, I'll be practicing some hard-core being as well as aggressive compassion while I'm there.
Okay everyone… that was a thing. Not sure I know any more about JP now than I did beforehand, but I did enjoy my conversation with him. Give JP a follow on Twitter, subscribe to his YouTube channel, give his Instagram a looksie, and check out his website and his Facebook page.
The Symbiosis Gathering is this week, so if you want to see him, that is where you need to go.
To recap:
That was odd
The line blurs between what is and what is portrayed pretty strongly
CincyComicCon was a bunch of fun the weekend of the 9th
I drew these whilst there
I am happy with them
Our dishwasher is broken
And the kids are useless when it comes to dishes
I have 2 other interviews going on right now
They are going slowly
I need a couple more
Anyone want to answer 20 Questions?
Even if you have done it before
I have at least 20 more questions I can ask anyone
Have a great week everyone