In order to have an open mind, one must first empty it of the negative clutter. Even if you don’t believe it’s there, it’s there. It’s socially built into you. It’s been instilled through your parents, beaten-in by school systems, governments and religion. It continues to sneak about in ways we might never comprehend. Are you a product of your environment? Who knows, more importantly—who cares? It’s of no consequence how you came to be the ‘who’ and ‘what’ you are today. Are we going to spend time undoing all the painful memories that have filled your heart and your head? No, those memories are yours to keep. Do with them what you will, but do not carry them forward any longer unless they can help you instead of hinder you.
OK, so I’m going to give you the first clue to your self-realization. Now, it’s a doozy, so sit down, take some deep breaths, and prepare yourself for this because it will take you by complete surprise. Ready? Here it goes. You, my friend, are human. Holy crap, right? You’re only human! Read it again if you need to. Put the book down, mull it over, think of the possibilities of what that could mean. I know it’s a crazy concept and totally flies in the face of any martyr or demi-god status you’ve got on the horizon for yourself, but the truth is that you are flesh and frickin’ bone—same as me.
Look out the window, see that guy over there? Human! Same as your mother, your children (I know, the jury is still out on mine), your boss, the kid in 5th grade that loogied you, the president—all the presidents as a matter of fact—the Queen, the Pope, the Rolling Stones (although, have you seen them recently?), and so on and so on. Flesh and blood; all born into the world in the same general way, made up of the same general tools (eggie and spermo) and organically, we are brothers and sisters of this earth. So, without getting into a retro sixties movement, or a molecular biology thesis, believe me when I tell you that you are human. That means that you are governed by the same general physiological and psychological rules, principles, and emotions that govern the rest of us. This is your burden. These are your tools.
