#ram daas

On January 14, 2026 Don Was (CEO of Blue Note Records and bass player in Bob Weir & the Wolf Bros.) read an excerpt of Ram Dass' eulogy for Jerry Garcia in honor of Bobby Ace. This excerpt of that excerpt encapsulates what every Head (Dead or otherwise) seeks in the music...

It’s a very funny idea to sit down and think about what you want in life, how you want things to be and why - THEN, putting it into practice!

It’s strange, as people we often think we know what we want but don’t exactly know why and then how to take the action to achieve those goals or ‘get’ what you want. At the moment, I’ve been struggling to sort myself out, one thing that crosses my mind is remaining in the present moment, mindfulness, yoga, etc, etc. It’s a difficult problem to solve, it requires great balance to  accept yourself in the present moment and to also be able to set goals for yourself, without needing to chase them endlessly to be happy.

Happiness which often comes across as the greatest thing in life (which it’s not, similar to success, happiness is defined by the individual - Everyone is different and we all have varied definitions of what it means to be happy) So, with the puzzle of happiness, how on Earth are we supposed to balance motivation, goals, achievements, etc AND presence of mind? Of course, not everyone is interested in mindfulness, spirituality and things of that nature, though I am, so here we are.

I have learnt many things from yogi’s, teachers & speakers such as Sadhguru, Eckhart Tolle, Alan Watts, Ram Daas, McKenna, Swami Satchidananda and maybe a sprinkle of others. Something from Watts which I really like, ((Many people find to be one of the greatest philosophers in recent time (I am also of that crowd, however I really dislike the edited, trimmed down, mistitled lectures that are available on YouTube - If you want to REALLY learn from Watts’ lectures, find the full versions which are out there if you look in the right places. As well as that, read his books!)) On to a segment from one of Watts’ lectures, he’s talking about the idea that the guru, the divine teacher that you look up to is no better, no more than divine that you are. Applying it to the ideas of mindfulness and chasing some sort of goal makes me really appreciate who I am, what I am and where I am in the world. I have a brilliant life and it doesn’t take much to really stop and notice it. This segment reminds me of that fact, that in the end of all things, I am divine and beautiful human being and not afraid to say it. It’s rather queer to say such things about oneself but when used correctly, self-indulgence isn’t such a bad thing.

“What is all this religious stuff about then, why don’t we just forget it? You can try, by all means go away, don’t go to guru’s, don’t go to church, don’t enter philisophical discussions, forget it! But then you’ll realise, by having consented to forget it, you’re still seeking. What a trap, what can you do, you see? If you stay here and listen to me or anyone else who comes around here you’re fooling yourself, but if you go away you’re fooling yourself too! Because you still think that’s going to improve you’re situation, it won’t. Therefore when you discover it doesn’t, you think it may be a mistake to go away and you come back to the guru. And he looks at you and says ‘ugh, ugh, ugh’ you are very undisciplined, a very inferior student, you need to apply yourself! Well I explained what he’s doing, but it comes down to a sort of contest with the guru, will you call his bluff? You’re afraid to, because you might discover if you do call his bluff he’s no better than you are! That’s what you’re supposed to find out, but without being cynical about it.”

So, if you’re such divine beings, if you know what you are, if you’re in on it - If you can laugh at the game we’re all playing, in the present moment you should be able to handle the future without getting so attached to it. Simple, right?