Let's Be REAL

What do you want man?

I just wanna be real.

Let’s face it. Most people are not real. At least not 100%. Most of us are trying to maintain a facade. We are trying desperately to uphold an image of ourselves that in reality is not an accurate reflection of our true nature, of our true feelings, and of what it is really like to be us. We live with a filter. We constantly scrutinize and criticize ourselves, we feel that who we really are is inadequate or unworthy, and we ultimately feel like there is something wrong with us. Like we are not enough. So we strive to express this contrived version of ourselves in an effort to be liked, to be accepted by the group. But at what cost? 

We pay with our freedom, with our divine authenticity, which is our absolute birthright. We pay the greatest cost that there is to pay. And what do we get in return? A soft congratulations? A measly pat on the back? Well done my friend, you have hidden your pain from the world, you have hidden your vulnerability, that which makes you authentically human, that which makes you real. And you have lived to see another day. But are you really living? Are you really expressing yourself at your utmost capacity? Are you tasting the fullness of what life has to offer, or are you imbibing in the mere shadow of your fullest self? So I say to you, let go. Be free. For what do you really have to lose? Absolutely nothing. And what do you have to gain? Well that, my friend, you will have to see for yourself.

I want something REAL. Something that I can taste. Something I can hold in my hands and never let go of. Something that keeps me alive. Something to indulge in, to breathe in, to love. Something that renders me powerless to the absolute vulnerability of the moment. Something that returns me to the essence of who I really am. I can’t taste that through a filter. I can’t achieve that through a fucking screen. It’s not REAL! It’s a contrived and fictitious version of reality. What happened to real human interaction? What happened to looking into another’s eyes and truly witnessing the reflection of their soul? Since when is second hand cyber communication good enough? 

In reality, it is not. Not even close. It is a continuous deluge of thought streams, of mental phenomena with no real humanity. It is nothing compared to the reality of human connection. It is a bland and empty shell of the truth of who we really are and what we are actually capable of. So dump the screen and become SEEN. Let yourself really connect with another BEING. Go out and explore the truth of this Universe, touch the unfiltered rawness of this absolutely wondrous and majestic world. Taste reality for its fullness of astounding flavors and textures, for its miracles and tragedies, for it’s hope and it’s devastation. See it for what it REALLY is. Then, and only then, will you come to know the Truth of who you REALLY are.

Love

Why do we love love?

Everyone loves a great love story. When two people, despite some sort of adversity, come together amidst love's embrace. We love a sense of deep connection, of belonging, of feeling at one with another being. But why? What is it about this sensation that we love so much? And why is it so agonizingly painful when it’s ripped away from us? Is it that it reflects back to us the essence of who we really are? Is it that in this world of apparent separation and independence this taste of unity and togetherness give us a glimpse of a bigger picture that is often hard to grasp from our individual perspective? Or is it simply our biology urging us to unite sexually with another for the purpose of procreation? Perhaps it is all the above? I really can’t say. I just know that for whatever reason, we love love.

What is love? Some may say it’s a sense of pure appreciation, of pure positive focus toward someone or something. But I say it’s deeper than that. It’s an intangible essence that, once grasped at, moves quickly out of reach. It defies definition and abhors captivity. It slips through one’s fingers like water in a stream. Yet it’s still there. It is simply undeniable. So what is it? I’m not so sure that there is an answer to that question that cannot be questioned itself. For love, like life, is a paradox. It is the most profound pleasure as well as the deepest pain. It is being so close yet simultaneously so far away. It is unity in the midst of total separation. It is the most beautiful curse that one could ever know. It pours through you like raindrops on a glass windowpane. It waxes and wanes like the crescent moon. It fills you up to the brim and empties you out until there is nothing left. It consumes you completely and then in an instant spits you back out again. It’s like air, all around you but impossible to see, taste, touch, or smell. It will caress you with it’s breeze at times, even annoy you with it’s power, yet it will never cater to your whims or selfish demands. It is indifferent. It cares not what you think of it, but it flows in ceaseless motion, to the beat of a divine drum. It is it’s own ally and never seeks anyone’s approval. It gives itself freely and effortlessly, asking for nothing in return. It is life itself. It is....love.