Le monde est stone. In a rare chance to revisit one of Daniel’s favorite beaches, I saw this fascinating work of raw and spontaneous art. It was enchanting to see this quiet almost meditative gathering of “inanimate” beach pebbles delicately balanced like so many contemplative daruma.
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Glitzy images that promise the world of the “rich and famous” have been used shamelessly to lure folks into the Herbalife world wide kingdom. Sales literature and on line recruitment ads tout the fabulous personal fortunes to be made and Personal Prosperity to be had by throwing one’s efforts into the sale and promotion of these products. Despite his low key appearance (never any jewelry or even a watch and mostly dressed down in tee shirts etc), Daniel dove into that glossy sales image world and seemed to revel in the glitz and glamour of “his” Porsche, “his” Mercedes, “his” beach front “mansion”, “his” Waikiki condo. He even tried to get me to become a distributor.
But what impressed me about him when I first met him was his big heart, his intelligence, open curious mind and world view. That was real; he was a loving man with a great capacity and drive for life. I came to learn, though, that his “plans” were not big- even though they involved multi-million dollar deals and international travel and intrigue where he cast himself as 007 type figure; his plans were actually very small because ultimately they were aimed at increasing his Personal Power at the expense of others who brought their troubles “upon themselves” with their naive loyalty and misplaced dedication. I saw folks at the top of this pyramid styled world, revel in their good fortune and consider themselves reincarnate Hindu gods of wealth and power. There was heady aggrandizement in the “affirmation” of their conclusion that they could “intention” prosperity and free themselves of the pedestrian bondages of the little people that constituted the “infinite (!) down line”s. But in my estimation, these folks were infinitely diminished by their arrogance, manipulation, addiction to wealth and power and most of all by their willingness to live a lie.
It seems to me that US culture in general has lost its footing and that this ultimately undermines our genuine progress and status as a “world super power”. Madison Avenue values seem to trump all. What happened to decency, honesty, hard work to better mankind and make a lasting contribution? Do careers in manipulative image making to boost sales better mankind? Do abuse of power and legal process better mankind? In fairness, our society is intensely competitive and the advertisement industry and the practice of juris prudence are healthy aspects of this vibrant free market system. But taken to extreme and without a core of genuine values, those at the top obviously run amuck a la Enron “executives”, ad nasuem. Finally, the outcome of the system is evidenced by the mounting litany of injustices done. Does neglect of children and subjugation of women better mankind?
It is harsh to say, but as the 2 year anniversary of Daniels death bears down upon us, I am heartbroken to see that the full story of his life does not support the capacity for greatness I saw within him. The final story is hobbled by a litany of small minded pursuits and while he and his rich and famous counterparts were “living large”, he did not attend to the things that truly matter. Now the fallout from these life choices plays out in Honolulu Family Court and Honolulu District Court where those powerful interests still seek to trump the simple and the innocent.
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While he lived, I tried to bring balance to the “big picture” of this larger than life person by speaking out for those that had been silenced and fighting for truth. I submitted police reports and testified in court as to actions of which I had first hand knowledge. Geri and others in that inner circle had opportunity to have full knowledge of my evidence and testimony of Daniel’s frauds, cons and worse. It appeared that those in the inner circle rejected all such evidence and closed ranks to shut out any who dared speak up.
Now almost 2 years after his death, I find myself in another role-a voice for balance to the big picture by speaking out for Daniel himself. This comes about as I see the war raging over his trust and the inheritance he left for his children. He was, without argument, remarkably gifted in both his ability to design and execute elaborate “plans” as well as in his intuitive transcendent ability to engage in the moment fully and to “create” that enviroment for those he loved. I saw that those closest to him often overlooked his shenanigans so as to protect and perpetuate his rich companionship that was almost ethereal. I asked myself how those in that inner circle could so fully disregard the truth in favor of an illusion. It seems to me that the power of illusion is in fact what drives so much of marketing and that those in that profession benefit from the ability to engage and foster that enviroment.
Daniel worked hard and industriously to create a big picture of prosperity, abundance, love, acceptance. His success at that is undeniable. Those in that inner circle benefitted from his talents and he was handsomely renumerated for that world class talent.
I did not accept the image of him as all good while he lived and I do not accept the silly image now being put forward by certain folks that he he can and should be “erased” as a common criminal and did not merit any financial share of the outcomes of his efforts.
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