Interview #9

(Photo by Simon Berger)

Figure 63.   Stagnant

Ian:

Are you anti-religious?

Me:

No. However, my experience of and research into all religions proves to me they're static. If, Earth stopped spinning on its annual trajectory around the Sun, life would cease to exist. Anti-gravitational forces would disconnect us from its source—inert bodies of matter floating in space.

That said, we need a belief system to guide the parameters of our thinking; thus, behaviour. Until recently, religion filled this void individually, but on a social scale it's wreaking havoc globally. I believe what we’re seeing are the consequences of qualifying Spirit in terms of thinking, while ignoring the essence of life which is instinctual.

Ian:

Do you consider yourself irreligious?

Me:

No. I’m human. To identify oneself as opposite something else is a thinking problem. We are so much more than our thoughts. The one thing all people have in common is that we're human.

(Photo by Jeff Nissen)

Figure 64.   Renovate

Ian:

Do you think religion is evil?

Me:

No more than humanity is either good or evil. However, it’s premise falls flat in thinking good works make up for perceived evil doing; thus, perpetuating the status quo.

Ian:

What is perceived evil doing?

Me:

It’s where mistakes are treated as sins; thus, assuaging the mind to be controlled by others. This amount of attention paid to a blip on the screen starts an internal loop of shame and blame, where we learn to think everything that goes wrong in and around us, is our fault. Here accusatorial reactions are seen as more important than rational responses.

Undoing this programming later in life is very difficult when one is raised in this mode as it produces children sans a sense of Self. Without the barrier of self-confidence we are easily deceived and manipulated. Here apathy is normalised.

(Photo by Ioan Davies)

Figure 65.   Solo

Ian:

What is your experience with religion?

Me:

I had a strict Protestant upbringing embodied by the concept that humans were inherently evil—anything good to be gained was believing in their definition of church. As it turns out, this was the beginning of my ‘hell’, so I left home as soon as possible—only to keep returning in failure.

It’s taken me fifty (50) years to realise this method of raising children enslaved me to my parents and the church. It didn’t matter that they went from one sect to another—the song remained the same. You see, they were running away, too. Sadly, my ‘heaven’, was only attained after I excised them from my life.

Ian:

What is your definition of 'heaven' and 'hell'?

Me:

‘Heaven ‘ is my peace of mind. ‘Hell’ is not understanding the root causes of my behaviour. Moreover, this only exists in my thoughts, toward myself and others.

(Photo by Eric Poussin)

Figure 66.   Crossover

Ian:

Is it fair to say you reprogrammed your Self?

Me:

Yes. These books are the result of that process.

Ian:

Did you seek outside help?

Me:

Only through research into other’s writings and examining every interaction throughout each day for the last ten years. They've served to slowly resurrect the core traumas that informed my ancestral thinking patterns.

Ian:

Why didn’t you seek counselling?

Me:

I’d already spent a quarter of a century and thousands of dollars on them. All they really ended up doing was help me cope with each added stage of trauma.

(Photo by Ben Mackay)

Figure 67.   Spoondrift

Ian:

What is different now vs. then?

Me:

The amount of time spent each day understanding the why’s and wherefores of what I’m doing when and how (conscious thought). I’ve reduced the daily roller coaster of anxiety (mania) and doubt (depression) from ~50% to  ~5%.

Ian:

Has this changed your thinking patterns?

Me:

Yes! Now, I listen for the first inkling of anxiety (worrying about the future) or doubt (agonising over the past), then put those thoughts out of mind—gaining skill in surfing my brain waves.