My name is Dave Joy . . . and when I'm not busy writing about puppy-training the mind, I can usually be found outdoors exploring the beauty of nature all around me, whether it's on my mountain bike, paddling a canoe or kayak, backpacking along a mountain trail, rock climbing, or playing golf.
I consider myself to be a "child of nature," at home wherever I happen to be in the world, happy to meet new people wherever I go. Yet I'm truly happiest when I acknowledge the spiritual connection we all share... usually showing up with a quick grin or easy laughter. While I'm quick to acknowledge that talking about spirituality isn't necessarily the same as being spiritual -- in the religious sense -- I've known plenty of otherwise friendly "Dr. Jekylls" who have no idea how their "Mr. Hyde" alter-ego comes out whenever religion or spirituality comes up as a topic of conversation. In fact, people can be very defensive about beliefs, if not downright hostile if you question them in any way. My ongoing question is: "Why would anyone feel so weak and vulnerable as to believe his religious beliefs need to be defended... or feel the need to attack others' beliefs because they don't agree with his?" Curious, don't you think?
My point is this: being religious isn't necessarily being spiritual... and the most spiritual people I know don't bother with the dogma of religion because they know its all for the sake of THE CHURCH ORGANIZATION and has nothing to do with true spiritual liberation (just as the real goal of government is not to serve the people but to ensure its own survival...often growing stronger in war and conflict).
This world has some serious problems for us to overcome... not the least of which has to do with the environment, global economy, social justice, and right livelihood. But underneath everything we think, say, and do are our beliefs about who and what we are... us humans mucking about on Planet Earth, daring to tear each other to pieces if our personal beliefs are threatened in any way.
HOW DID IT GET TO BE SO BAD? WHOSE FAULT IS IT, ANYWAY?? Why have we been so irresponsible to allow OTHERS to spoil the air, water, and soil of OUR earth?
COULD THE ANSWER BE FOUND IN THE QUESTION?
In a nutshell, we have unwittingly contributed to the insanity of this world... by becoming afraid of those who appear "different" from us. The truth is, if we don't learn how to love the differences in others instead of fear them, we are bound to go the way of the dinosaurs. Can we turn ourselves around? Hmmm...might be tough, given all the obstacles at present. But we have to begin somewhere, so we might as well do so in the only place and time that truly exists...HERE AND NOW.
The Puppy Training being made available to you is literally a REVOLUTION in thinking...as Gandhi challenged us all: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It's not likely to come about without radical personal responsibility on your part. You simply can't wait for the other person to "wake up" and get it. YOU have to wake up first and help others wake up by extending love and forgiveness where it is most needed in the world, starting with your SELF.
After 20 years of studying and teaching the principles found in A Course in Miracles, I've learned they are perfect as the framework for Puppy Training The Mind...and, best of all, IT ACTUALLY WORKS! By doing the exercises freely available (NO COST) to you in The Course, it will be like exercising "love muscles" for happiness instead of "fear muscles"... that keep us suspicious and judgmental of others.
The nature of mind is...well, complex. Not everyone understands how to tap into its power, and until a person does begin to understand how the mind works, the beliefs they've put into their minds will actually rule their thoughts and behavior until they do have what's known as a "wake-up call" (some call it a mid-life crisis, but either way it's a serious breakdown in a person's prevailing thought system).
More background: The term "puppy-training" that I use merely refers to the gentle approach that is used when a puppy is properly taught, always relying on consistent loving kindness rather than using harsh punishment to teach correct behavior patterns. SO WHAT'S THE CONNECTION? The human mind -- when properly motivated -- can also learn how to respond automatically with loving kindness... (even "old dogs" can learn new "tricks"). MORE GOOD NEWS? It only takes about the same amount of time that it takes to train a puppy!
Because everyone has FREE CHOICE in life to think whatever they want, not everyone has clear-enough thinking to "get it" right away what The Course or Puppy-Training is about. Therefore, I created this website to serve as an invitation to learn the BENEFITS through the use of metaphors, cartoons, and funny images that reveal my own humorous take on "reality." PLEASE UNDERSTAND, though... that you can't fully understand or gain any benefits from THE COURSE just by my explaining it to you humorously...any more than you can get the full benefit of a satisfying gourmet meal just by looking at the menu.
Said differently, to get the benefits, you gotta do the work, plain and simple.
What IS The Course? It is a self-paced series of lessons and daily readings that are specifically designed to help you train your own mind exactly the way a puppy is properly taught: with consistency, patience, loving guidance.
CESAR MILLAN, TV's famous "Dog Whisperer" (is my personal puppy-training hero), repeatedly points out to concerned but clueless dog owners that there is NO KNOWLEDGE in INSTINCT... DOGS will always reflect the ENERGY of the "PACK LEADER" ... therefore, without proper training a dog will often behave in a way that MIRRORS the fears and anxieties its human "pack leaders" who themselves must be properly trained before their dog's behavior improves. For the best tips for training REAL puppies, check out Cesar's site below: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/newpuppy01.php
So...in the same way that Cesar "rehabilitates dogs and trains people," the exercises in A Course in Miracles can help anyone learn, step-by-step, how to develop the necessary internal leadership over their own untrained puppy-ego.
WHY GO TO ALL THE BOTHER? VERY SIMPLY THIS: If you DON'T train your puppy-ego, it will continue to exhibit bad behavior. The moment you REMEMBER that you are the "pack leader" for your puppy-ego, it will follow your commands happily.
This may sound like a really stupid question, but WHY would anyone actually PREFER to hold on to the unhappy negative emotions of fear...
when happiness is truly possible?
There can be only ONE ANSWER:
IGNORANCE
It seems as though we're all going "nowhere faster" these days, especially with the pressure to have faster cars, faster computers, faster food, faster lives... all zooming along for what? To get MORE STUFF, BETTER STUFF, and DIFFERENT STUFF, particularly stuff that helps you go faster. Hmmm.
The main premise of The Course is, simply: KNOW THYSELF.
What it meant to me personally was I was in danger of becoming depressed because I was angry all the time and I didn't know why.
My best friend, Tim, once warned me: "DON'T LOSE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR, Davey..."
"WHY?" I asked...
"Because," he replied ...
"Things just won't seem as funny any more. That's why."
sheesh...
I hope you will have as much fun with the Puppy-Training as I did in creating it. It has taken me several years to pull it all together, and I'll probably still be working on it for years to come! Feel free to write me and let me know how it works for you!
Peace,
Dave Joy
(c) 2006, 2007