Imagine that there is no god. What is real? (e.g. Nietzsche so famously said this, so you can read him if you want an answer. He pushes it toward amor fati. Do not be fooled with his famous “nihilism”.)

Imagine that there is no real, but also imagine that there is no “nothing”. Do you see the contradiction? They always say: we have two possibilities (real or nothing), but what if it is not a dichotomy and that is causing all the problems. Imagine none, no two’s. Can you imagine that or all you can see is nothing, that is the something (concept) called nothing?

Or this or that, better shut up, they say… But, do not settle!

Tradition is not a rule, it is meant to be a guide, so you can learn to walk your own path just as a baby learning to walk. You can only guide a baby into the possibility of walking, but not walk for him.

Radical thinking is what will change the world for the better if it is done with intelligence.

What is intelligence? Have a scientific framework where there is no “hard science” such as humanities or philosophy.

What is a scientific framework? Use the scientific method as an exploratory guide.

Be aware that a key aspect of a scientific reasoning is: You change when you realize you are wrong, do not keep a belief just on the base of faith.

Faith can have multiple forms, and it is very… seductive to the point one might not realize one has faith in a certain belief due to our own conditioning through experience and tradition.

This is my “scientific” method and you must create your own, but be sure to be open to the possibility of always being wrong. That is the key aspect. You are wrong without knowing it, and you will realize later why you were wrong, although you might had been right within that certain context.

Get it? Perspective and context plays a role here. Here it goes:

01 Observe deeply. What is deeply? Observe without chit chat in the back of your brain. Not possible to make it quiet? Ask why? How can I stop the chit chat? Observe, don’t analyze yet, just observe! Become one with the observed. Do you think this is possible? Of course not, if you are “thinking” instead of observing, then you cannot get it!

02 After observing, realize (become aware) that you observing. You can become aware of the stillness, in such silence you can begin to understand what is real within your senses quite alert.

03 Now, begin to test your observations through analysis, chit chat can come back being aware of the fact that you are chit chatting. This is an initial jump to start to test the waters of reality, not an actual hypothesis. It is like a child that is learning for the first time how the world works freshly.

04 Create a hypothesis once you test the waters, and test it in its particulars, then open the particulars to the broader perspective, and again make use of step 2 until it is no longer needed.

05 Can you see how things or perspective changes as you modify from particular to generals?

06 Understand, observe where the hypothesis is valid, and where it is not. Perspective is relevant here, imagine that there are levels of understanding that can be opened up as you remove your inner paradigms.

Hypotheses in a philosophical nature are very tricky, so begin to realize this slowly:

What does this crazy non-sense talk mean?

An example is this in “Generals can be absolute if the particulars are relative”:

First Person Generals: There is no reality, nothing and all is non-existent like a dream.

Second Person: This is a general that is absolute, then ask: What are the particulars?

First Person: I am depressed. I cannot live with my pain. I need to use drugs. I want to die and sleep all the time.

Second Person: So, if you are deeply compromised in a type of reality (your particulars), then your generals will be absolute.

They are real within your own context, so you get that and don’t fight over something that is non-sense!

If the second person realizes that those particulars are relative, then peace can occur and we can move on discussing more important things… Instead of fixing with relative-absolute stuff.

Let’s turn the tortilla, and give an example of “Particulars can be absolute if the generals are relative”:

First Person Particulars: I am a depressed person who will find enlightenment that can remove me from my suffering if I do meditation everyday.

Second Person: This is a particular that is absolute for the first person expressing it. It is a total belief that is the fundamental of his existence. I will not threaten his belief directly. He is being particular, but arguing it as a general.

In this perspective, if we can actually see that particulars for the first person are absolute, then a second person can be open to the specifics by having a relative approach to a general belief by a person being specific in his approach, then one can understand why he or she says so and move on.

Now, this general-particular stuff is so misunderstood that it is causing many problems. It might sound simple, but everyday people fight over particulars (relative or absolute) that they believe are general (relative or absolute) within each characteristic particularity.

Can you see the problem here? Each side argues that they know what is real, when actually they both are right and they both are wrong… It all depends on the perspective and context.

Remember: A scientific mind admits when one is wrong! There is no pride, only the truth is real.

Yet, we begin to fight over non sense without even observing and listening deeply to the other, or even oneself.

You might even ask, well.. Great perspective exists, nothing new! What is real beyond perspective?

Aha! My dear reader, do you think I would spill the beans so easily? Never!

The challenge is in your side, and the unknown remains in my side of the court because I might or not know… And at the end, it does not matter to you, does it?

Well, to give you some hints let’s move this idea even further, ok? Ready… Here we go!

Imagine that you are in a dream, then what is real? Can a dream be real? You might think so as you dream fully within it, right?

However, what if there is no dream? What if the dream is a projection of your brain, and it has no reality? Could it all be reduced to matter?

Imagine you had different senses, like an insect who can see vibrations or a dog who can see with smell, could that change your perspective of what is matter? What if you were able to “see” details normally ignored?

We believe matter is substance, like a visible thing, but what if “matter is energy”? What if other beings can sense energy, not only substance, how would that change the game? What would be real then?

Imagine that with those different senses, you realize that everything you had thought was reality is a total lie. Imagine you have synesthesia, and what you taste has colors, the numbers you see have smell, the colors also have taste, imagine more options, etc. What is real, then?

Do you believe your brain and your experiences or do you believe what others say is real? How do you reconcile opposite views when a majority believes in their “hard” core senses?

Well, do not reconcile! Express your unique individuality through art and science. You shouldn’t feel guilty for being different. We are all different, but are trained to be the same in order to believe in a collectivity; one that we believe to know as real.

However, do we really know what is real?

I do not think so because we believe that our reality is only that which we experience within a collective framework. All others are crazy cows! Put them in a cell, they do not know how to behave!!! So sad. Or not? Maybe we still have hope!

To be unique is good!

Make others understand…

The importance of art is to let others enter the realm of the unpredictable, your own original self.

However, science can do the same thing art is doing but through a “fact” type of approach.

Both contain facts in the sense that once you create your artwork, it is a fact: a piece of the present that can be observed…

It is real when you are observing it directly with your own senses.

Now, imagine a 3D immersion where you are challenged to let go of your normal senses. What is real there? What is real when your brain is challenged to react in a totally unknown reality?

It is in these experiences that one can actually begin to understand what is real. It is when you challenge your own paradigms about what is, and then open your eyes to actually observe deeply what is in front of your eyes with complete clarity without mind chatter.

Ready to enter this new “reality”? Ever thought the matrix was a parody…

Think again! AHA!

Think by yourself!

Challenge tradition, and be yourself.
Who are you?

Photo Credit: By Jamboid

Let me first begin with the fact that fear creates violence.

People use fear to control others, but what they do not realize is that that same fear in fact will create violence in order to defend itself from the boogie man.

Now, is this true? Does fear create violence? One has to seek within ourselves, and ask: Is there a relationship between myself being anger and a state of fear? For example, if I lose a loved one. I get angry at life. Is this anger directly proportional to the loss of the loved one? Is this anger related to my state of fear because I feel vulnerable without my loved ones who gave me a sense of inner security?

This is a suggested process of how violence could work within ourselves:

The chain that does not end, unless you end the conditional response. A response that has been nurtured by a cultural tradition of what kinds of responses are expected from you when being attacked. Ask yourself: When did you learn to act this way? Do you remember a specific moment? Most probably, you won’t. In fact, what you will remember is a set of rules set by example.

Your family might be trapped within this cycle or perhaps, a lover or a dear friend. If you do, realize that this process is taking place in your life. The only way to cut the chain is to walk away from those who are not willing to modify their pattern of aggression.

This might sound radical, but how can you change someone or something that is not willing to admit that something is wrong? You can’t.

You can only choose to change yourself, and that can only be done if you are no longer in the cycle. There are certain people who might trigger these emotional processes easier than others within yourself. Therefore, do not expect to change instantly. It takes time to override each and every button you have that can be triggered by a removal of your beliefs of safety (i.e fear based manipulation).

The reason people use fear to control is because it works in the short term. If you fear something, you will easily fall into manipulation of those who want to control you.

For example, if you do not want to sleep. Perhaps, a family member threatened to call the police and take you away if you did not sleep when they told you so. That act is creating fear through psychological violence.

In fact, fear is not good or bad. It is supposed to prevent you from harming yourself, but I ask: What would happen if our society stopped controlling through fear? What would happen if instead of fear, a new process called awareness of the consequences occurred?

As in the example above, what would happen if instead of threatening with the police, one would explain once and again the reason one has to sleep early? Why is it not explained that it is needed to rest in order for others to rest and also to be strong every day after resting?

It is not about not being able to understand! It is about being patient until one gets it! But, what happens if we are inside the cycle? Is there a way out? This is a suggestion, but do work out your own process.

Without deep analysis there won’t be real progress. Repeat each time you are in the cycle of violence. Don’t expect to be violence free at your first attempt. It is a process. It will take many years to master a peace mindset. Be patient.

Why do we prefer to threaten, instead of being patient? The reason is fear.

The use of threats occurs because the one threatening is afraid of the response of the one being manipulated. However, if one does not fear but understands and becomes patient… Where will fear go? What happens with fear? Does it really matter if we cannot eradicate fear? What is the key aspect here?

In order to overcome fear and violence, one must become aware.

Fear is the one that will make you enter the cycle of violence. It is not until to realize this that you can actually change your violent mindset, thus by becoming aware you can change. Fear can be overcome if it is confronted. If it is ignored it could become harmful through this vicious cycle, until you decide enough is enough! However, if fear is ignored… There might be a very good reason.

Do not be fooled or convinced by my ideas. I am just initiating the discussion. Challenge! Defeat my thought with real awareness of yourself. You need to get into it by yourself.

It is all up to you to change! No one will do it for you. You are the only one who that can beat violence through an awareness of its process within yourself as you feel your body getting tense with adrenaline.

Choose not to fall into the cycle. If you fail to be calm, do not fall into the trap of frustration as it is also part of fear. You might be afraid of not letting go of the cycle. Fear is elusive, yet it might be there when you think it is not.

Only your own observations can answer this!

Forgiveness makes you a better human being, and it gives you peace of mind and makes you a compassionate, loving heart.

We have been programmed to think that we need forgiveness by those who we have hurt, so things may remain the same. Yes, we have been taught that if the one you offended forgives you, then nothing happened. However, things did happen, so consequences never remain the same.

If you hurt someone, consequences will always arrive. There is a famous saying,” Do to others what you would like others do to you.”  What is the reason behind this? To remove the blindfold we have been living for some many centuries and realize that we are all one. This might sound outrageous or be even felt as another “belief” that has no true foundation.

However, I invite you to read to see the “philosophy” behind this concept: Your body does not end where your skin does. Your mind thinks this way because your body has a senses that defines itself through them producing the experience of life…. That “external” experience that seems to be “independent” from your conscious self.

Yet, ask your lungs; they need oxygen provided by trees’ leaves.  Ask your liver; it needs nutrients food provides. Ask the apple going down your esophagus; Are you already me or are you still an apple? In fact, your consequences do not end where your skin does, why should we then believe we are just “the name given to us at birth”? Why do we believe that our skin and senses define who we are? Could there be something else, but we are blinded by what we “believe”? Before the world “seemed” flat, and now we know it is round…. Tell that to people who lived that period of time, and believed that.

If we really take sometime each day from our lives to understand this, we will eventually give new perspective to the meaning of forgiveness. Let’s break this down a little bit more:

To give forgiveness means you have the power to forgive. Do you really have such? In a way, it could seem you do. However, think about it a little more. Ask again, do you really have the power to forgive someone in such a way the consequences of the act the person seeking forgiveness will not eventually appear in his/her life? …..

If you want to learn to forgive, do not give forgiveness as it is only a word. Instead, act with compassion and love.

The answer is no. You do not have the power. You may be friends/husband/any relationship of that person as if nothing had happened, but the consequences are way beyond our control.

This means that when you forgive, you can release yourself from the dreadful feelings associated with anger, frustration, despair, and the internal pain caused by suffering. As I stated in the beginning of this text, you are the one who will be most be benefited from forgiveness by becoming free from the act of selfishness done by that person who caused you pain.

Although, you don’t have the power to remove the consequence of a determined act, you can wish for the person who harmed you to be forgiven beyond yourself and really be compassionate for him because he/she does not know the consequences of his deeds and how these will hurt him back. You can wish that he/she realized that each time you harm, you are also harming yourself.

Nothing is independent; existence is an entwined ball of actions that always bounce back. However, we want to believe otherwise, so each time you do something selfish, it is justified inside your mind. Never the less, if you observe carefully the ones who do most harm, are most miserable. It is a fact that is hidden behind the glare of popularity, fame, or power.

It is then when you will really forgive and you will become free from suffering. Are we ready to be free? Or will be something too tough to assimilate? Give it a try, and comment!

Photo Credit: by OliBac

We have been programmed to educate myself, to feel bad at myself if I am not doing something that should be called productive (oriented to success also called goal-oriented)…

For example:

You have to workout because I can’t be fat, not for health issues but looks. You have to fight for justice, not for others but within your belief (blindness due to social conditions) of what is fair. You have to be strong so you can be able to bare any adversity, but if the adversity is against your tradition of belief you have to walk away, and so on…

How does those programmed ideas affect me?

It can bring to my mind a lot of insecurities if I do not fulfill what I am supposed to do. If I get fat, I could call myself a worthless person because I cannot achieve something I am supposed to.

If I ask myself why am I getting fat?

The answer could be I feel bad about the way someone has treated me, so my sense of “you need to be strong” could be failing, so then you fall into a type of silent depression:

Where you don’t know you are sad, but get angry at everything that doesn’t work out as I thought it should, so you get very mad at yourself. As a result, you eat toward a state of believed comfort that is actually killing you.

Memories and experiences can have a positive impact in you, but if you are not aware enough they can take over you.

How can you think clearly when there is so much baggage being carried through your life?

For example, if you’ve been a person who has been kidnapped, your experience may cripple you in such a way you may begin to get furious at anyone who tries to tell you what to do.

However, fear has perfect ways to become an unnoticed companion. It is like the smoke, sometimes it is dense and seen, but others it can only be sensed by a keen nose.

Could fear manifest itself with anger and depression?

Searching for answers, there are two ways out:

01Numbness Certainly, this may feel the easiest way out, but it is really painful. To be blind, and ignore everything happening around you is never a solution because life will find a way to make you realize: This is an insensitive path, and only by comprehending your surroundings may you be released by the chains it brings.

02Creativity You may use art to explore yourself, you may take the analytic route by questioning it all, or you could become aware of your thoughts 24/7 trying to unveil the secrets deepest of your mind. In any case, creativity is the key because it leads us to what is not known by us, to create is to bring from what we see as nothingness to our sight. That means whatever is dark and unknown (that could bring us fear) will be revealed to our eyes.

How does fear cripple life? In any possible way you let it by not being aware of it.

Photo Credit: By David Oliva