The secrets, the answers, the solutions are most often hidden within the simple basics. Complexity, bureaucracy and rhetoric are fertile breeding grounds for misinformation and untruths, not to mention great cover for those seeking to perpetrate ill will upon humanity. These conditions also provide for the proliferation of viruses, but offer little in the way of solutions. The reason I bring this up is that I believe humanity has been infected with numerous viruses. Not the biological type but rather the type that infects the entire being: the mind, body, and spirit.

Listen, I am admittedly not a “technology guy,” nor am I inclined to willingly accept many new technologies. That said, I do recognize that technology, for better or worse (I am on the worse side) has become a dominant factor in our very existence as a species. It is from this angle that I approach our problem and offer a solution. So, I came across this offer while surfing the Universe during Ki Breathing Meditation one evening.

I believe the time has come to replace humanity’s hard drive. I’m talking about a complete reset to zero. Hell, let’s even change the date to 0000 ANHD (After New Hard Drive, of course). The new software installation for humanity’s new hard drive would include the following: No human being owes any other human being anything other than common courtesy, kindness, compassion and love. This includes the forgiveness of all financial debts owed by and to any individual, corporation, or government. This also includes the forgiveness of any and all wrongs perpetrated by one group of people upon another from the present day all the way back to the Rift Valley. In the spirit of simplicity, there is no other program written into the new software. That’s it.

Unfortunately a simple re-boot will not suffice, as a re-boot would simply restore the existing hard drive to its beginning, restore humanity to its beginning. That would still leave the original software intact, which contains all of the programs that have gotten us into the mess we are in today, including Selfishness 1.0, Ego 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, Hate 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, as well as the various versions of Greed, Envy and so on.

I have placed our order with the Universe (on behalf of all humanity, I hope you don’t mind) for a new hard drive. Funny, the only cost for the new hard drive was that I place a check mark for us (all of humanity) in the box next to the statement “I agree to the terms and conditions.” I guess they even have lawyers in the cosmos. I read the terms and conditions. Good news. All we need to do is return all of the old software and programs that we have previously purchased and installed, in addition to the old hard drive and any data that we have saved on it.

I gotta tell ya, this all sounds like a no-brainer to me. I went ahead and placed a checkmark in the “agree to terms and conditions” box and clicked on submit. I hope everyone is OK with that?

I let you know when our new hard drive arrives.

In Aiki.

[Stephen P. O’Donnell Sr. is Shihan at the Ki Institute of Self Mastery in Port Jervis, NY.]