One of a Kind, Like Everybody Else

Isn't it amazing how people are one of a kind? Even identical twins are easily identified by those who are closest to them. A mother will not be convinced if the kids switched places.

Have you ever wondered what it is exactly that makes each and every one of us a "rare child"? Being the only person to ever be you makes you a one of a kind combination; never to be effectively reproduced or copied. Even if you were cloned, and the clone child had all of your physical attributes and instincts; the child would still be an individual. There may still be a major difference in how that clone would develop based on the perspective the child has. Perspective comes from what we think, what we feel, what we know, and what we choose to focus on.

No one else in creation can ever see life through your eyes. No matter how similar in appearance and opinion; there will always be some little detail or other that is not seen the same way. The experience of life will not be identical for any two people. Realizing this fact, it may shift your perspective so that you notice how important your experience is. Your attention is sacred. It is priceless. It is unable to be duplicated, and it is temporary. It never existed previous to your arrival and will never again exist after this combination expires.

It's funny how often we run across a paradox when looking at things from a perspective of greater depth. Though our individual experiences are one of a kind, the fact that this is true for everyone makes the one time individual experience common place. This illustrates how being one of a kind actually makes us more alike than different. We have more in common than whatever differences exist.

For more, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

The Benefits of Death

Death really has a bad name. People hate, fear, and despise death. It's just one of those parts of life that isn't too popular. It's pretty obvious why. Death means the end.

So does death have any benefits? Yes. Death is a natural process and exists like everything else; with a purpose. It is actually part of life. It gives meaning to what we call living.

In speaking of death, not only am I referring to a person's time in their body being up; I'm also talking about every single time a person's identity is shattered. In reality this describes all death. Whether a person leaves their body or a person's ego is taken down by a major life change; it is still the end of a self identification; the end of an identity.

To illustrate; if a person loses their job, their spouse, or their arm; they have lost something that they identified with as part of themselves; as part of who they are. They have experienced a death in their ego. This is beneficial when taken with the right perspective. Many times it is a major life situation change that allows people to realize that they are not the story, but that they are what allows the story to be. They are not what has been lost, but the consciousness that observes the loss. Realizing this, the person may understand that if they are the consciousness and not what was lost; then no part of who they truly are was lost.

With every death, the walls of an identity are demolished, and the consciousness which believed the walls to be their home; that believed it was separate from everything else and that the walls defined it; is now able to feel connected to the whole. It's like an ice cube floating in water. All the while the ice cube and the water are one. It is not until the ice cube melts that the ice cube realizes it is completely one with the water.

The idea that death is the end is an illusion. It is a shift in our reality but it is not the end. It is only a transformation. It is a broadening of perspective and a reminder of our true essence.

Unbelievable

We often come across things in life that we label unbelievable. Usually not much attention goes into why we can consider anything "unbelievable."

For an good look at what causes us to perceive something and consider it to be surreal, check out this previous post: I Can't Believe It!!

Crimes of Passion

Broken hearts lead to crimes of passion. A person will lose their head and do something totally out of character because of a broken heart. A woman scorned, may break the windows out of her mate's car. A man betrayed, might attack his mate or her lover. But what is a broken heart? And what is it that possesses someone to loose their everyday composure and act so out of character?

'Heart' is often used as a synonym for the way a person feels at the core of their being. It goes beyond the calculating mind and refers more to the vibrational level of a person's consciousness. When a heart gets 'broken', it is warped or bent out of shape. It is disturbed from its usual way of being and thrown into a vast amount of pain and stress. You could say that a person with broken heart is a person who is in resistance to what is. They are in resistance to what ever the situation is with their mate.

Being in resistance to what is, is why people temporarily loose their sanity. The crime of passion occurs when the check list the ego has for well being is violated and the egoic mind goes into "stress mode;" effectively drowning out all logic to try and stop the pain felt by the bruised ego. It is as if a person becomes possessed in this moment by the concepts the ego is identified with. As as result, they may wonder, "What came over me?" or "What was I thinking?" after the fit of rage or sadness is over.

The thin line between love and hate only exists because there is a thin line between the true Self and the ego identity that we often think we are. To feel the love all the time in any situation is to shift from the perspective of the ego to the perspective of consciousness itself.

For more on this, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

The Way I Am

"I am," is a statement of power because of the truth it points to. "I am," is a statement of absolute truth for the person who utters it. It can not be denied by any one regardless of their beliefs or opinions.

If you attach anything after "I am," it will be a description of the inarguable truth. The description becomes a label or judgment of that truth because it is seen by a particular point of view. It becomes the way that "I am" as seen by the person describing it.

When a point of view is individualized, there can always be another point of view that differs because of their own individualized vantage point. For example; I can say, "I am a poor man." Another may look at me, and my life situation and see it much differently. They may say, "What are you talking about? You are a rich man." There is no difference in the fact that I am. There is only a difference perceived in the way I am.

When ever I hear people say, "That's the way I am," it is a great reminder that it is only one way to be or to look at the infinite amount of ways there are to be. It is a reminder for me that "the way" is always relative and what is absolute is "I am".

"I am" represents the objective ever present Observer. (See Who Are You and 'I' of the Beholder) The way I am represents the individualized perspective colored by the ego. Peace of mind is achieved by shifting perspective from ego identified views of the world to the vantage point of the Observer.

This Perspective is Priceless

The word priceless is a funny word. Priceless is defined as "having a value beyond any price; invaluable." Though the price of something is supposed to be a representation of its worth; if something is 'worthless', it is considered to be of little or no value. On the other hand, if something is 'priceless', it is considered to be of immeasurable value. In other words, there is no limit to the value, or the value is limited only by how much you appreciate it. In a way, this makes 'priceless' a word that can only be defined by the person using it.

It can literally mean both 'worthless' and 'infinitely precious', depending on the object being referred to and the perspective of the person using it. A person's life can be regarded as priceless.

The best things in life are free. When you take a good look at what these "best things in life" are, you will notice that they can all really be seen as the same thing. What is it? Perspective. And when you gain the perspective that I'm referring to, you will realize that not only is it free; but it is priceless.

The best thing in life is life. It takes the priceless perspective being constantly referred to here to fully realize this. When looked at through a warped view, life can be seen as worthless. As a result, there are people who commit suicide and people who kill others. When realizing the miracle of consciousness observing through your senses and animating your body, the infinite value of being here right now shines through like a million suns.

This perspective is so priceless, that it can affect every single situation and passing moment in your life. Perspective determines your experience of life. Life is experience. They can not be separated. A person has the ability to shift their perspective at any time. This means a person has the power to determine what their life is at any moment. All that is required is the attention to the moment and your perspective.

For more on perspective and how to fully realize the potential of this priceless perspective, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Blur the Lines

Lines are often looked at as a division amongst the things that we see. Because of our frame of reference and the perspective we are used to; our reality really does seem to be divided into several categories which can all be divided into several more.

When one shifts their perspective somewhat, it easy to see that lines of division (which are really all lines) can be seen as places where things meet; where everything connects.

To illustrate this; picture the horizon. This is (from our view point) a line that divides the earth and the sky. This very same line can be seen as the plane where the ground actually meets the sky. The ground and the atmosphere are actually all part of the planet Earth. They differ only in matter density which is merely the quantity and speed at which the energy that they are made of is moving. This is true of all division amongst matter. If we could see everything as the energy it is made of; the lines dividing them would be blurred tremendously.

At a quantum level, reality would look very different from the lines that we see in our everyday life. Talk about lines being blurred. When a person really looks, they can see how much more alike everything is than different. They can see how the lines can be blurred and how we are all connected.

I Love You

A statement that means the world to some people and means next to nothing to others, "I love you," has become as ambiguous as the word love is by itself. But, as many other things in life, a deeper meaning can be seen in these words if examined with the right perspective.

When a person stops and realizes that the way they see and feel about any and everybody they perceive is actually a reflection of themselves; it can give them a profound understanding of themselves and the way they operate. As stated in the post, Synonymous With Life; you, life, and your experience are indivisible. They are one in the same. This is further illustrated in the clip Holographic Universe, mentioned in a previous post, Keep It Real. It illustrates scientifically what sages and philosophers have been saying for thousands of years. This is the fact that all that is perceived outside exists within.

When you say, "I love you;" you are expressing the love you feel within yourself, even though you feel you are directing the feeling toward somebody else. When you love somebody you are loving yourself. Of course this is true with any interpretation, emotion, feeling, or conclusion you come to about anyone that you perceive. It all exists within you as the beholder. (See Eye of the Beholder).

You can not love another person unless you love yourself. "I love you," is practically a positive affirmation. It naturally feels good to give to yourself through another person. The other is a reflection of you. It is the same as saying, "I love me."

For more on this and other topics, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Only One Total Experience at a Time

Have you ever considered the fact that no matter who you are, you can only have one total experience at a time? This may sound kind of obvious, but it is really an amazing concept.

Even if you were a being that had the consciousness to experience multiple senses of perception and be aware of past, present, and future simultaneously; it would still only add up to one total experience for you.

The picture above is a good illustration of this. Of course, we could not effectively focus on all the screens at the same time; but if we could, it would still only be one total experience. Imagine each screen represents a full array of perception of the displayed area in its own right. In other words, it is a representation of you actually being in that location and being able to see, hear, feel, touch, and taste everything there. It would be a scaled down version of being omnipresent. And yet all of it being experienced by a single being is still only one experience all together.

To understand this concept is to understand why the present moment is so powerful. There can only be one present moment experienced at a time; no matter your perspective. Even if space and time can be transcended and all of eternity is but a moment; it will still be experienced as the present moment.

Do We Have A Choice?

Excerpt from the book, What Is Really Good?

Destiny and Free Will

There has been a millennia long running debate on man's free will verses destiny. It has been argued that man's free will is an illusion and that fate, destiny, or God’s plan can not be escaped. It has also been argued that man has absolute free will and can control his destiny.

A major supporting argument for man having the ability to forge his own fate is the nature verses nurture example. This deals with what influences the lives of mankind more:
• Nature - natural circumstances such as the genetic make up of people, preprogrammed instincts and characteristics passed down by DNA through ancestral lineage
or
• Nurture - as in environmental influences on people. This includes cultural influence, educational opportunity; basically all learned behavior

It has been proven that what a person is exposed to and adapts to, has a much greater influence over their lives than genetics alone. Therefore free will is what a person learns and applies.

On the other hand, one of the supporting arguments for free will being an illusion is that everything about our life is predetermined. We have no control over our genetic predisposition and over events that happen to us throughout our lives. We can not fully control our environments in the same way that we can’t control our genetic make up. From this, many conclude that we have no free will.

So which is it? Is it all predetermined from the moment we are conceived or do we have a real choice in the matter? The answer is a combination of both.

It is an absolute inarguable fact that we do not choose our genetic make up. It is also true that we do not choose many of the conditions and situations that arise in our lives. This is where acceptance of what is, is useful. We can, however, choose our environment. We can also choose what we allow to influence us. Even if you are incapable of relocating, your very perception and interpretation of it is all the choice you need to change your experience. This has already been illustrated in the first chapter. Two people can have the same situation with totally different experiences.

For more on this and other topics, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned.