Remember The Gods Must Be Crazy?

The movie The Gods Must Be Crazy was a big hit when it was released in theatres in 1980 as well as controversial in some circles. I remember well the first time I saw it and how I found it so much easier to relate to Xi and the Bushmen than the Australian folk who were exploring the region. There seemed to be a grace, ease and innocence to the Kalahari that I found most appealing. Some might argue that I was romanticizing which may well be true. Nevertheless, there is something compelling to me about a life that has as its central theme the cultivation of joy and

connection to the divine. And so along that line I was tickled to come across Bradford Keeney's book The Bushman Way of Tracking God based on his amazing experiences with the Kalahari People over ten years. I've been savouring it during the past few days and have decided that a new year's resolution to experience outrageous amounts of joy and laughter in my life can be nothing less than therapeutic while benefitting all other areas of my life.

This morning I highlighted the following: Rather than draw upon words to squelch the unknown and to eliminate mystery, we can use them to bring forth more unknowing. We can supercharge our talk with n|om, and allow it to spring forth as a different kind of arrow that disrupts and disengages overworn habits of thinking. By short-circuiting overly predictable outcomes, we make more room for surprise, creativity, and mystery. [The word n|om refers to life force, chi or prana and is referenced throughout the book.]

Those who attend my workshops have certainly heard me say, "If you truly want to master the dance of communication, it's necessary to get comfortable with not knowing." I say that because our desire to predict and control outcomes in the realm of the interpersonal tragically gets in the way of any real connection. So I love Keeney's book because he is inviting, challenging and teasing readers to step into a highly charged zone where life unfolds with a creative fullness and vitality that can only be experienced when we get spiritually and emotionally naked so to speak.

There's so much more to be said about this wonderful book; I've barely scratched the surface. I would certainly place it on my recommended reading list.