Category: Sociology

Use SOCIOLOGY to understand yourself, the universe, and everything in between!

“Conquering Cat-sized Squirrels and the EGO!” #131

Winning the battle in the backyard is not so dissimilar from winning the one within!

The creature initiates its taunt with a leap off the ground that could out-rival the height of a third grader’s smile.

It latches its tiny arms around the 6-foot iron-rod with the ferocity of a concerned mother, then begins to scale.

Its approach to humanity and gravity is one of defiance, as it navigates upward with the agility of nature’s first Ninja Warrior. 

Finally, while upside down, the squirrel finishes its feast out of the “squirrel-proof” bird-feeder. Then struts toward the coy pond with its tail in the air and, without breaking eye contact, begins quenching its thirst while gnawing away at my ego.

Winning the battle in your own backyard is not so dissimilar from conquering the battle within!

Time to tackle the Ego!

…a REAL human nature story.

“A Sloth, a Snooki, and Party of Three!” #128


It’s a New Year, aka, GO time!
Like clockwork, or more precisely, full-calendar-year-work, we are ‘ready-set-go’ to break old habits and start new trends… Here’s a powerful something you ought to consider while berated with infinite inspirational articles and a handful of self-written notes: what was the VERY first trend?

Here’s a 3-pronged riddled-truth :

  • we perceive life in it
  • yet death comes in it
  • and it’s the most striking number

Oh, the power of THREE!

Discover why three is the most important number since zero — and why zero has never been a number at all.

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“If someone shook your hand with only 3 fingers, and just 3-toed-sloth you, you’d have to break form…”

“‘What was the original iPhone girl called again?’ ‘Patricia?'”

“Anyone can make it to New Jersey… it’s a loophole on life if they make it back!”

You, or someone you know

“Love Handles, Limos, and WILL POWER!” #126

It’s the future, the past, and the WAY!

If you know this single word, power often follows. 

As a verb? It describes actions in the future.

As a noun? It defines what we leave behind.

Whatever it is, whenever it exists, there IS always a way!

Will power.

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“What you see in me outwardly, is the relationship we have with ourselves inwardly “

“‘Would you go forth with accomplishing your goal no matter what, even if it put stress on a loved one for example?’ — ‘Well, here’s the thing, I’m not just a dick.'”

“‘Recognize the moment of focus leakage.’ — ‘yeah! How do you do that?’ — ‘by recognizing the moments of focus leakage.'”

You, or someone you know

“A Spooky Surprise!” A young kid’s breakdown of Halloween! #SE01

As the elation of free candy and sugar-highs fade, a bitter aftertaste of social confusion and fear ensues… Is there another holiday which conjures up a stronger emotional dichotomy than Halloween?!

Conjure up the kid in you and unpack these memories with us, as Stitch’s son Jax (also famously known as “Steve”) joins his favorite podcast for the first time!

Learn first hand from an eight year old:

  • How a single Halloween decoration ruined a young boy’s favorite holiday!
  • How 2 horrific tales from different families BOTH involve a “Tree Guy”!
  • How an epic deal involving podcasts and cucumbers was made!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“I like talking… but not too much. Dad always frustrates me!”

“Focus on your finger and making the world a better place.”

You, or someone you know!

“How to Catch Proverbs, Pun, and Pantry Mice!” #124

Within the reminiscent whisper of retrospect, one can reflect on the timeless truths we’ve heard over, and over, and over, and over again.

We hear them. We say them. We, sadly, all too often ignore them.

Perhaps you’ve heard: “A stitch in time saves nine.”?

Well friends, a Stitch and Stan combined can save even more!

Honor your grandma’s wisdom and hear us out! 

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“You’re like a Chinese Mel Brooks, Stitch. I love it!
You’re like Confucius at a comedy club.”

“Have you heard the proverb “a stitch in time saves nine?'”
~”I don’t know what it means, but they underestimate my number!”

You, or someone you know!

“Big Dippers, Hill Dancers, and LEADERSHIP!” #123

Some are born, some are forged – all are chosen.

It is time to unpack the characteristics of leadership, and question the integrity of the star naming system!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“If constellations were amusement park rides, the Big Dipper would be Disney’s Tea Cups!”

“The qualities that make a born leader are also the ones they pay close attention to as a learned one. ”

“Great leadership is not a destination, it’s a decision to keep on becoming a better one for the rest of your life.”

You, or someone you know!

“The Oz Behind Vegas, Politics, & Subway Smells!” #122

As the rhythmic wheels of our first-world routines lullaby our heads and hearts to sleep, it escapes us once more. A great truth, cowering behind the shield of a green curtain and slithering yet deeper into figment of imagination. 

Most lives are restlessly lived in the mist of this slumber… However, if you are lucky and brave enough, you can follow it.  And if you follow it long enough, you can hear it…  From beyond a well-traveled path to the lesser-known curtain, you can identify that alluring whisper which has begged, bartered, and bet against your better judgement for your entire life.

Join Stan, Stitch, and Mike as they travel down that familiar road, bricked and yellowed, together.  It has been too long since someone confronted this ‘so-called’ wizard face-to-face!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

“They’re gambling against the gamblers, but the gamblers are the sheep and Vegas is the shepherd.”

“Cereal deserves at least 1%, otherwise just use faucet water.”

“Obscure movie references, wine, Cleveland sports… Mike might be in the running for my new best friend.”
…“Tune in next week to the Mike and Stan Podcast!”

You, or someone you know!

“Not-so-Smart Phones!” #120

Your most treasured memories are entrusted in them. 
They are your go-to for guidance, when you’re feeling lost.
No matter how obscure the question; you look to them for answers.
They know your interests, and share some common ones.

Whether delivering a laugh, or drawing out a good cry…
You know that you’ve got ’em, right by your side!!

Kinda wild how we all became best friends with our cell phones, right?!?

Maybe you called it…?
Either way, connect with Stitch and Stan as they unravel the ONE device that we keep so close our other cells get jealous!!

It has been called a technological marvel and a necessary evil…
…but is it technically evil or necessarily marvelous?

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

(1) “What is one fun use of the mobile device? I mean fun too, not like emergency contact information.” [2] “The Weather app is fun! I like to know what’s happening!” (1) “Not my definition of fun, but okay…”

“One time a phone is always safe to use — and more efficient too…?When you’re taking a dump! !”

You, or someone you know!

“8 Babies, 1 Island, and Hope!” #118

Friends, do you recall?

4,000 years between the written language and the printing press.

300 years between the steam engine and reaching outer space, 

30 years between the internet and mobile technology.

Friends, can you imagine?

If there were 8 babies, an island,
and nothing more but a spring of hope?

How would society evolve differently?  Does history repeat? Would the New York Stock Exchange be recreated? (warning: a topic of heated debate ensues)

Friends… join us.
and let’s rebuild this baby TOGETHER,
to be EVEN BETTER………. FOREVER!!!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

” …history is just a collection of the societies which made it up in the past;
and society is just a reflection of the individuals which make it up today. “

You, or, Someone You Know!

“The Gentlemen of Chivalry and Couples Massages” #117

The Chivalrous Gentleman’s Oath:

For every chair too close, 
four hands to lift it.
For every door left unopened, 
an “after you” to fix it.
For every pathway too puddled, 
two jackets to bridge it.
And if laughs are a present,
may these gentlemen gift it!

Join Stan and Stitch as they ‘tip their brow’ to some of modern day’s most chivalrous questions: 

“Is Chivalry dead? Where should it be resuscitated?”
“Does Chivalry have a gender?”
“What places will chivalry never exist?”

^^ plan accordingly friends! It’s a trip… with standing room only.  

What’s a gentleman to do?!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

” Nobody and I mean nobody, this day of age, is walking up to a puddle on the street and laying down their jacket for the lady to walk through.”

“Wait a second! If we’re getting a couples massage and we’re not podcasting, then what are we recording Stan?!”

You, or, Someone You Know!

“JFK Gate 31: the Truth behind NEWS and New York Travel!” #113


Do you recall THAT day, my friends!?!

THAT day, unfolding so seamlessly and flawlessly hour by hour that your smart phone can only project “magic” in the forecast?

THAT day, that ‘trending toward perfect’ one, where the sequential events tend to naturally build momentum into a domino fall of happiness. A pattern of statistically significant goodness, raising expectations and a smile.

How about THIS DAY? Deceitfully mirroring the same image of “THAT day”, yet fated to be the ‘Bizarro’ of Cinderella stories.

Have you ever had a day of good things leading up to a dinner of FREE Old Fashions and Premium Steak at a fine New York Establishment — hosted by your best friend………. which ended with plantar fasciitis and shin splints?

No News is Good News…
…but No New York Travel is even better!!

On this episode you will hear one of the great New York day trips turn into a nightmare; a nightmare turn into awkward work colleague travel; and awkward work colleague travel turn into heroism and lasting lower-limb problems.

You’ll also learn how to flag down a cab as a New York visitor
trying to catch a night flight, and why we should
have a healthy distrust of the News and Uber.

Tonight, at 11:00p!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

>> “”and i start my run. and I run. and I run. I start sprinting. and I’m spinning in and out of people with my bags, picking my obstacles, choosing escalators with people or static stairs with none. I was like a ninja warrior.””
>> “That’s substantially cooler than me ordering “Mean Girls” on demand.”
>> “cortisol? is that what makes me horny?”“

You, or, Someone You Know!

“The Blissful Ignorance of Social Lemmings!” #111

High-five for mediocrity! Each confident clasp we reward ourselves with today hauntingly echoes the dreams and memories of our tomorrows. Yet, for now, we triumphantly march together in the lemming line.

In an age where success is defined by ensuring the social norms remain undisturbed, Stitch and Stan challenge the protocol!

In this episode, discover the single most important attribute you need to break the lemming line, be yourself, and thusly, the best version of you that you can possibly be!

‘GOTTA HEAR ITS’!

>> “is a lemming a real thing, like an animal?”
>> “i also love that you’re the albert einstein of the toilet seat!”
>> “i know women that skip entire days, or so they say.” — “just women? like it’s such a dirty secret that we sometimes pooh.”
>> “i’d rather use a leaf from the backyard.”
>> “i come with my homeruns, then miss a game or two.”

You, or, Someone You Know!

Dreams, Floss, and the Importance of Depeche Mode!

How to master your dreams and learn to lucid dream!

How did a Disney Villain help Stitch lucid dream?

What if we neglected a third of our woken day the way we do a third of our life?

and why are cheap beers, old man shoes, Depeche Mode, Ace of Base, and good dental hygiene relevant…?

Answer all of these questions and win a prize. Learn the rest by listening to todays podcast “Dreams, Floss, and the Importance of Depeche Mode“!!

What once was Black and White is now Fifty Shades of Gray

WARNING: As the herd of Valentines weekend movie-goers eagerly prepare to contribute to what is sure to be jaw-dropping box-office numbers — the following point of view may be as controversial as the film itself…

CLASS was once black and white, now its fifty shades of grey!

The inevitable success of Fifty Shades of Grey is essentially a raised glass to the moral decline of values in the Western world.

BUT WAIT!  Make no mistake… or better yet make mistakes: humanity is not perfect!  And in a world where our experience is based on polarity and relativity, we never will be….AND THAT IS OKAY! Being perfect is not our purpose… nor is that point the purpose of this article.

The purpose is to use the latest of many points on our social trend line to reflect on the real threat our humanity faces: desensitization…. Evil needs to exist in order for “Good” to prevail… We will make mistakes, we will do evil… but will we recognize it?

The biggest obstacle which stands in our way of becoming a more loving and unified world is the blurred lines. Good and Bad used to be two opposing but clear perspectives, now its controversial. Right and wrong used to be Black and White, now it’s many shades of grey.

I admittedly have not read this book, so am not passing judgement on it — and CERTAINLY not on it’s readers or movie watchers.  I wrestle with my own demons — and they would gain ground on me if I focused too much on the wrestling matches of others.

I am however using the controversial buzz as a springboard to remember that the single most important thing to do on the road to becoming a good person IS NOT to be flawless, but rather, to recognize your flaws.  As long as we, as individuals and as a society, can be true to ourselves and discern what is making us weaker or stronger — then by simply recognizing our negatives becomes a positives…

There is NO greater strength than the recognition of one’s own weaknesses.

I HOPE ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND! It’s okay to indulge in a drink, some not-so-healthy eats, or the guilty pleasure of your choice, but as you do, I challenge you to challenge yourself with some self-evaluation and ask yourself the question “why”?  Our weakness is demonstrated in how we ‘chase those highs’ — we enjoy the junk food so eat more and more of it, we enjoy the drink so go from 1 to 5…  We lose ourselves in the chase of those highs, and become prisoners of our own device. Our strength, however, is demonstrated in our ability to enjoy those guilty pleasures with the discipline to do so in moderation.

And if you’ve already chosen to see it, then…

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE SHOW!  And as you do, I challenge you to challenge yourself to recognize how the message of it, or other creations, can change you and/or others around you. Then discern whether or not the change reflects the type of person you want to be and/or the type of world you want to live in.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR LIFE! It’s okay to make mistakes — we are not perfect, on purpose! Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.  As you enjoy your life, I challenge you to challenge yourself to simply acknowledge them!

After all, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES... the best of us will work on them, the worst of us won’t recognize them.

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
~Kevin Spacey, “The Usual Suspects”

There’s only two sides; from Day to Night, Dark to Light, and Death to Life…
But between the extremes we lose site of what once was Black and White.
So why would you and I use the grey-scale for weighing Wrong and Right?

ENJOY!

Why Cater to the Valleys?

Throughout our peaks and valleys,
we kept calling it our prime…
But all the evolution we saw in writing,
was really in our eyes!

If I got better for you today,
it might make me worse in time;
Since living for other standards,
may take sacrificing mine.

Why cater to the valleys, when you can wait for them to climb?

“TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:” – a message from our distant relatives.

Message from the Future - Generation Alpha

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
This letter came to you from the place you’ll soon find timelessness;
We hope you get the message… before there’s a need for writing it.

Hope… a redeeming quality which you had deemed too childish;
We were born to bring revival, but grown to be survivalists.
Saw you playing “Simon Says”; so we did as Simon did…
Only shown how to rock a boat, never how to right the ship.

Since innocence seemed ignorant, we sought our bliss from sciences;
Our character’s best measured by the depth of our one-sidedness.
Taught to win at any cost…. But when we lost, our fight would end.
So this time when you teach us, can you please try “try again”?

We have the drive of motorized rides equipped with nitrogen;
While working just as tireless as the hovercrafts we’re flying in.
And we were taught to dream, but not to sleep until retirement…
There’s no peace in counting sheep, while lyin in a lion’s den!

A pill for that, a pill for this; a pill so both will strike more quick;
A pill to help us swallow all the truth of our reliances…
Now we’re living even longer – thanks to stronger vitamins;
Our ignorance was thinking it’d bring incremental life with it!

A device for that, a device for this; a device to make devices quick;
So desensitized by devices, we don’t even see the vice in it…
Now we’re obnoxiously robotic, a product of our environment…
Great at catching breaks we’ll never make the time to fix.

A fight for that, a fight for this;  a fight so that the fight exists;
Standing by our right for peace, we’ll never cease the fight for it!
What goes around comes around; we found the reason spite exists.
So you can pay the piper, and in time we’ll pay the piper’s kid….

Pride for that, pride for this; pride for pride we might omit;
Pride which is tightly clinched in a fist too mighty to be pried of it.
With a sense of entitlement stemming from senseless mindfulness;
You could find us in the darkest age, describing it as enlightenment.

Until one day: a device ended the fight, a pill killed off the viruses.
Loved winning; but having won – we didn’t take much pride in it.
Then suddenly, we were blinded by a liquid leaking out our irises!
Perplexed, we entered the question in our engine: “Why is this?”

Across every generation, the gap is bridged by righteousness.
It was the first message off the presses when Gutenberg provided his. 
The trend reflects the plight of men, who rise then fall to rise again; 
But the cycle can recycle; there’s no wound that time won’t mend.

SO TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Too few were too concerned…
But there’s still time to change your lesson plan, before our lesson’s learned.

Yours Truly,
GENERATION ALPHA, EST 2010
Your future is our present, help us change it today.

“An Enlightening Game of 20 Questions”

What if you had the chance to play a game of 20 questions… with someone you knew, for certain, had all the answers?

“First question first: what’s the meaning of life?”
For you to keep on asking until you get it right.
“Gee, great insight… what on earth does it mean??”
What it means on earth is the same as in your dreams.
“Um, elaborate please! Where do I find what I seek?
You’ll find it in the hiding place which only you perceive.
“That’s three questions for you – still no answers for me?”
Or maybe just not the ones that you think you need?

“Why answer with more questions?” To show you what they mean.
“How am I to interpret that??” That’ll be the key.
“Clearly understanding’s key, yet I’m trapped in ambiguity!”
The key’s to find yourself; the truth’s to set you free.
“Can you spell it out by chance?” In no language that you read.
“Please extend an olive branch!” Please accept the olive seed.
“I know less than when I started.” You’ll know more once you cease.
“How long can I ask the same question?” Until you answer it for me.

“HERE WE GO AGAIN!!” Here you go again.
“Why would ‘I’ go here again?” To hear it all again.
“Well this time, can you say it clear?” That depends on how you hear.
“You’re confusing with your words!” You confuse them with your ears.
“This is all one big cycle.” I’m glad you’re seeing it show.
“I think we’re digressing.” I think you’re beginning to grow.
“I think ya don’t know what I think.” You think you think all that you know.
“Your answers breed more questions” Your questions breed both.

“AND HERE WE GO AGAIN‼” And here you go again.
“I don’t see where this is going,” you don’t see where this has been.
“I’ve become a better person, and I never looked back…
But I looked forward for the answers”…And you never looked back.
“How many questions do I have?” Since you ask, you’re down to nine.
“Not surprised you counted that!” Those with less, use more wise.

“Where will this end??” That would be a start.
“I’m getting lost again…” Try following your heart.
“Just enlighten me; please, all I need’s a little spark!”
If you want to see the light, you need to start out in the dark.
“Can’t you just point me to the grail or philosophers stone?”
I can, and I have, and I will, by pointing you back home.
“I don’t see how you’re helping!” That doesn’t mean you won’t.
“I just REALLY wanna know!” Are you really sure you don’t?

“Well if you’re the source of truth, why do you keep me guessin?”
Because it isn’t learned until discerned by the source of the question.
“I turn to you once more, and get turned away again!”
You turned to me, and as before, I’m turning you within.
“So why does he who helps himself even need you in the end?”
The conclusion can’t be reached until he sees where to begin.
Before you’d only seek externally when conquering your doubt.
The outward helped you inward, now going in will help you out.
With no thoughts but their own, one can hear what’s hardly heard.
You will find the key alone… and then see you never were.

“So discernment is the truth?” No, that’ll be the key.
“and with the key, I’ll see the truth?” You’ll perceive the tree.
“and what’s the tree lead to?” Truth. Living in all you see & do.
As the creative root branches through all you’ve created too.

“Why didn’t you just say so?” It’s the cost of being free.
Those who don’t find it for themselves, find it harder to believe.
“Well, that’s 19! I got more than I could ask in a 20 question game,
so for my final one: how can I help others do the same?”

JUST GIVE THEM 20 QUESTIONS! Then listen to them speak!
How you learned how to learn is how I’d teach you how to teach.
For every soul speaks differently, each language is unique.
But each one has a key; tailor-made for them by me.
And forcing the key will more often lead to broken locks and pride.
But fortunately, the doors made to be opened from inside.

So note this, as you notice folks roaming off the road:
Sharing where ya been does more than showing where to go!
They won’t believe what you know ’til they perceive it on their own;
They’ll care little how big you are, but they’ll respond to how you’ve grown.
For while there are many different paths, there’s only one summit.
And the key to life is love…
…but that’s not what it’d be if I took the choice from it.

A Mountain to Something

Ever move a mountain? Ever make it budge? Ever even really try givin it a nudge?

“Ever move a mountain?
Ever make it budge?
Ever even really try giving it a nudge?”

Do you have “The Opposite Problem”?

…do you have the “opposite problem”?

polarity, the secret to life is in the oppositesan optimist?! NEGATIVE! just positively positive
the secret of the universe relies upon the opposites
for context in our populous, how competent are colleges?
took a lot of ignorance to comprehend what knowledge is
it’s a problem which is relative, its apparent we adopted it
it’s extremely unique, so commonly it’s moderate.
see the glass as half full with a modest bit of cockiness;
but if ya never topped it off, the cup would still be bottomless.

without a winter would a summer even be a thing?
if I never had a fall, would ya ever see me spring?
it’s sink or swim; but what’s a swim without a sink?
I think that I know – therefore I am, I think.
we peak then plateau, and we gradually shrink
no matter how far ya go, ya always on the brink.

Do you have the opposite problem? it’s likely it’s so:
answer with yes, or no – it’s residing in both.
a friend, or foe, above, below – in binary code
the ebbs and flows, they come and go, a high and a low

we want yes without no, wanna know without lessons
never had the answer, but want it without question
seek some direction: east ‘n a south; north ‘n a west
from chaos there is order, we’re an organized mess
it’s simply complex, we want a grade without a test
wanna win, no contest; wanna host? be my guest!
every notion we protect, all the motions we object;
are all perpetual at worst, and immoveable at best.

beauty is skin deep… but how shallow is sight?
when beauty’s best seen by the beholder who’s blind
can ya find an absent mind present in a moment of time?
in some cases ya capitalize; others, lower than swine.
but it takes both to take off – a case where all the pigs fly
and its the lowest swine who go most high, hoggin the sky‼

Do you have the opposite problem? answer it wise:
the answers black and white but may range from day to night
no wrong or right, narrow or wide, just a demand to supply
the secret’s too revealed to hide, so expect a surprise.

find depth in our shallowness, fulfillment in our hollowness
our future leaders will rise from those who can follow this.

Problem Solved.

Universe You: Your Reality Check Bounced!

What is your Awareness of Reality?

Do you fancy yourself to be more of a rational thinker or unbridled spirit – a man or woman of reason, or a child of God?  Depending on one’s level of awareness, perhaps you do not make a distinction between the two.

Independent of your worldview, one thing holds true – at some level of granularity, your journey through life is 100% unique. This also means that, at some level, all journeys are 100% the same, paradoxical as it may seem.

This series is designed to explore, challenge, and ultimately/ ideally expand your level of awareness. Depending on your current vantage point and your receptiveness to expanding it you could be in for a wild ride, so buckle-up.

Chapter 1: Your Reality Check Bounced!

How aware are you of a greater reality?In this installment, let’s start with the beginning and end points – two points make a line, let’s see where you draw yours!

The “Starting Point”:

A single cell on the fingertip of an outstretched arm

Stretch your right arm outward and extend your right index finger as if you are pointing to something in the distance. Close your eyes and picture a single cell on the utmost tip of your finger.

Envision THIS single point as your current point of awareness.  

THIS single cell and everything within it is your universe.

Is this single cell too small to utilize as an analogy for your entire universe? Yes, no, maybe – all of the above.  After all, what is ‘small’? An objective assessment of the term would lead an individual to conclude the word is ‘relative’ at best! So let’s start here – because it is THAT relativity which will help tear down your ‘relative’ walls of perception.

While your universe is encapsulated in a single cell – there is no shortage of activity, potential, and quite literally, LIFE, within it. It has been said that a single cell in the human body contains 100 times as many atoms as there are stars in the Milky Way (which has hundreds of billions of stars).

Now envision the world as you know it (a microcosm of the universe), as one of the trillions of atoms existing within the single cell on the utmost tip of your right index finger.

On that morning, you became aware of the other universes around you

Imagine that one idle morning, while oscillating with nearby friends and family somewhere in the universe of your fingertip, something changed.  YOU BECAME AWARE.

You functioned as a critical component in a critical atom which made up a critical cell – and the combination of awareness, perception, individualism, and ego were the ingredients which caused you to once believe the universe stopped there….

But that critical component you played in that critical atom which was part of a critical cell was part of something bigger.  By being part of something bigger – one can feel smaller at first, or recognize that their contribution has not changed, but rather, they are contributing to something greater as well.

You became aware of the other cells which make up that fingertip around you.

And your universe expands to include those adjacent universes …

As one acknowledges the other universes contributing to the same cause your ‘original’ universe is – one can stop differentiating between them.  Their separation was caused by your perception that they are separate – but at some level, they are not separate at all. Thus, your awareness of ‘your universe’ expands to include those adjacent universes.

And it continues. Your awareness expands exponentially.

You see your part in the finger, and the finger’s part in the hand. You see the hand as an extension of the universal arm, you see the universal arm as a limb in the universal body.

Even within that single cell, which you still perceive yourself as residing in, you become conscious of a ‘greater whole’, and your consciousness shifts from ‘that of the cell’ to ‘that of the body’.

The “Final Point”:

From a sub-particle to a cell at the tip of your finger, your universe expanded beyond to recognize the part you played, not just in the cell – but in the hand, the arm, the limb, and body as a whole.

You have the consciousness of “the body”. This is now “you”, and YOUR UNIVERSE. But what was the real lesson learned?

The lesson learned was not in a “finite point” my friend – it was in the PATTERN ITSELF…. You broke down (cellular) walls to see life beyond your original perspective, freed yourself from the concept of time (a whole other series), freed yourself from the need to ‘stop’ just because ‘you started’ — you embraced the pattern.

An infinite loop – the circular reference of perception:

For there you sit today – with the consciousness of the body. You have a name – and you recognize that there are others around you, similar but unique, you are together but separate.

Have you ever felt you were ‘a part’ of something bigger?  As your consciousness resides in the body – THAT IS JUST THE TIP! That body is part of an atom in the fingertip (perhaps the country you live in) – which is a component of the hand (perhaps planet earth) – which is a part of a limb (perhaps the solar system), that is part of a body (perhaps the milky way)…

You recognize this as the body of “all that is”… and with that recognition, you’re reminded of the pattern…. and you wake up, all over again.

And in conclusion, there isn’t one.

You recognize the pattern, it is infinite. This ‘expanded awareness’ lead you back to the same place all over again – the body of the milky way, seen from an expanded vantage point, is merely the cell of a body in the tip of your (our) right index finger. One is bred to perceive one body.

This cycle continues through all time – time is a characteristic making up other aspects of the similar but different universes.  There are cells as they are today and bodies made of cells as they were yesterday and others as they will be tomorrow.

What hasn’t changed is your role.  No matter your level of awareness and current perception of reality – you are always a critical part of a critical atom in a critical cell which makes up something greater.

You are a critical part of an infinite cycle in a finite world, a critical milestone in a timeless trend in a world bound by time.

Expand your awareness and, in the next installment, this awareness will help you perceive the patterns of creation!

Shout out to Bert!

This series was inspired by a conversation between Bert and myself in the comments of the “What are you gaining” one-liner (“all that is gained in life is lost in death”).

There is some great dialogue in those comments regarding the concept of the ego, afterlife, the state of ‘being’, and perception of the ‘whole’ for those interested.

Please take some time to review the great perspective he has to offer on his “Who is Bert”  blog – “a dialogue on mind, consciousness and existence”.  Relevant to the topic at hand, I recommend his recent post on “identity, separation and love”. Enjoy!

– – +- -+- -+-+- = IT’S ALL RELATED = -+-+- -+- -+ – –
(Part 1) Universe You: Intro to Connecting the Dots
(Part 2a) Universe You: Positive Relationships
(Part 2b) Universe You: 3 Pillars of a Positive Relationship
(Part 3) Universe You: Why YOU Matter
(Part 4) Universe You: Giving Yourself Space

What are you gaining?

life quote: all that is gained in life is lost in death“All that is gained in life;
is lost in death.
Share.”

Surviving the Loss:

We gain many things in our time, which are used in our test;
….for all we accrue in a life — we will lose in our death.
Yet much perspective can be gained, as one becomes aware;
That the things we have which survive are the ones we share.

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